titude to Mr. SPICER for the diligence and perseverance with which he has labored on the Discipline. To pick out its scattered elements from their hiding-places in different parts of the work, and bring them all into their fit and appropriate connections, was a work requiring not only time and toil, but judgment and acuteness of no ordinary degree; and all these the chairman has brought to bear upon his work. We say this merely from an inspection of the results -they speak for themselves; and we think it due to truth and justice that Tobias Spicer's name should be connected, in the memory of the church, with this improvement in the form of our church laws.

On the 3d of May the report of the committee of arrangement was presented, and adopted by the conference, subject to the review of a committee to edit the work, with authority to make any necessary changes. The committee, as subsequently appointed, consisted of T. Spicer, G. Peck, J. T. Peck, and J. M'Clintock. A few modifications of the general arrangement were made by this committee, but the mass of the work had been done before; and had it not been, there was not time for careful revision, as the demands of the church made it necessary that the work should go to press immediately.

It is unfortunate that the principal merit of the new edition, namely, its arrangement, is not clearly shown in the Table of Contents, which does not contain the chapter headings at all. This remark, however, applies only to the first impression from the stereotype plates; as we have prepared a full Table of Contents and a copious Index, which will appear in all future impressions. The following exhibition of the outline will show that it is not only clear and useful, but logical.

PART I.-ORIGIN, DOCTRINES, AND ADMINISTRATIVE RULES. Chap. I.—Origin and Articles of Religion.

II.-General Rules, and Reception of Members.

III. Of the Conferences.

IV.

Of the Ministers.

V. Of the Means of Grace.

VI. Of the Instruction of Children.

VII.-Of Dress and Marriage.

VIII. Of bringing Ministers and Members to Trial.

PART II.-THE RITUAL.

Chap. I.-The Order of Baptism.

II.-The Lord's Supper.

III.-Forms of Ordination.

IV. The Form of Solemnization of Matrimony.

V.-Order of the Burial of the Dead.

PART III.-TEMPORAL ECONOMY.

Chap. I.-Of the Boundaries of the Annual Conferences.
II.-Of Churches and Church Property.

III.-Of Support and Supplies.

IV. Of the Support of Missions.

V. Of the Chartered Fund.

VI.-Printing and Circulating of Books.

VII.-Of Slavery.

With the above arrangement we think but few faults can be found. One or two amendments strike us as desirable, and we here mention them for future use.

(1.) The general outline, we think, would be clearer and better if divided into four heads, namely,

Part I. ORIGIN, DOCTRINES, AND BASIS OF MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHURCH.

Part II. GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH. Part III. RITUAL OF THE CHURCH.

Part IV. TEMPORAL ECONOMY OF THE CHURCH.

This outline, we think, would be at once more philosophical and practical.

(2.) In the subordinate adjustment of parts a few changes are still necessary. The theory of the new arrangement designs, as we understand it, to bring under each head in the book everything that properly belongs to that head. When this cannot be done directly, it ought to be done at least by references. We furnish the following observations of our own as contributions to a future revision. If others will do the same and send them on to the editor, they will be carefully preserved, and, if necessary, printed before the session of the next General Conference, to be used by that body at its option.

PART I.

1. Under the head "Annual Conferences," p. 29, there should be a question, "Who shall preside at the Annual Conferences?" -the answer to be furnished from question 3, answer 1, p. 33, and from question 4, answer 4, p. 36; this last being now out of place. Under the same head, p. 30, at the end, there should be references, at least, to the duties laid upon the Annual Conference by Part iii, chap. iv, pp. 177, 181.

Chap. iii, §4, "Of the Quarterly Conferences," is deficient in several points, and redundant in others. The first five lines on p. 37 should be transferred to p. 31, and put in question and answer directly after question 2 and answer. Answer 2 to question 3 should

be struck out, as it is fully covered by answer 6. Answer 3 should be strengthened by inserting-" which estimate shall be subject to the action of the Quarterly Meeting Conference"-from p. 167. Answer 4 should embrace all of answer 5 except the first four lines and a half. At the end of the section there should be statements referring to answer 17, p. 53; to answer 2, p. 168; to answer 3, p. 176; to answer 6, p. 179; and to answer 8, p. 181. Many quarterly conferences, we have no doubt, will fail to act upon these missionary duties, all important as they are, simply because they are not referred to under their appropriate head.

Chap. iv, § 2, answer 6, p. 37, should contain a distinct reference to article 3, p. 176, and to article 6, p. 179.

Chap. iv, § 3, is, we think, the proper place for question 3, p. 39, and also for the proviso on p. 40, now inserted in § 4. And § 4 should contain a provision for the time of probation for deacon's orders, and also the N. B. on p. 45. The last paragraph of § 8, on page 45, should be transferred to § 9, 10, or 11.

Chap. iv, § 11, answer 4, p. 51, should contain a reference to chap. v, § 3, answer 1, p. 73. The whole matter in regard to disputes, non-payment of debts, insolvencies, &c., (answer 10, pp. 54, 56,) should be transferred to chap. viii, and the title of that chapter enlarged accordingly. On page 57, after answer 13, there should certainly be at least references to articles 3, 4, and 5, p. 80, and to article 7, p. 180. Few preachers think of looking through the Discipline for more duties than those laid upon them under the specific head of "duty."

Chap. vii, "Of Dress and Marriage," should, we think, be transferred to chap. ii, § 2, or to chap. iv, § 11, or else struck out.

PART III.

Chap. iii, § 4, should contain references to § 5, art. 2, and to § 6, answer 2.

Chap. vii should be transferred to Part I.

Turning now to the changes made in the Discipline itself, either in SUBSTANCE OF LANGUAGE, we know no better way of bringing them to the notice of our readers, and of recording them advantageously for the use of the future historian of the Discipline, than to take up the old edition and notice the modifications made upon its pages in order. Our references are made to the 32mo. edition of 1844.

Page 23. Ch. i, § 3, ques. 6, ans. 6,

"Who have been elected by the suffrages of the General Conference to exercise the episcopal office, and superintend the Methodist Episcopal Church in America ?"

is struck out.

Page 25. Same §, ans. 14,

"What numbers are in society ?" is changed to, "What is the number of members, and what of probationers, in society ?"

A most happy change. Hereafter the number of members will be reported separately from that of probationers; and thus one great source of fluctuation in our reports of membership will be avoided.

Same page. The seventeenth sub-question is altered slightly, so as to conform to the duty of preachers toward our own SundaySchool Union.

Page 27. Additions are made, authorizing the Bishops to station, for more than two years, the

"editors at Auburn and Pittsburgh;' missionaries among the Welsh, Swedes, Norwegians, and other missionaries among foreigners, (not including the Germans,) where supplies are difficult to be obtained;' and also preachers at naval stations.' They are also authorized to appoint an agent for the German Publishing Fund.'"

Page 37. Question 1,

"How is a preacher to be received?" is changed to, "How is a preacher to be received on trial?"

Page 40. To question 4,

"What method do we use in receiving a preacher at the conference ?" are added the words, "into full connection.'

Page 41. Lines 3-8, requiring the giving of the form of Discipline, &c., have been struck out.

(The whole section, [9,] which was a notable instance of the accidental confusion which had crept into the Discipline in the course of years, has now been divided into two, namely, “Of the Method of receiving Traveling Preachers on Trial," and "Of receiving Traveling Preachers into Full Connection ;" and the necessary changes of arrangement made accordingly.)

Page 44. Article 9. After the clause,

"To take an exact account of the members of society," the words, "and of the probationers,"

are added.

Page 45. A new rule is inserted, (18, on p. 53 of new edition,) making it the preacher's duty

"to take an annual collection in each of his appointments in behalf of the Sunday-School Union.”

Page 62. The clause,

"Each quarterly conference shall be deemed a board of managers, having supervision of all the Sunday schools and Sunday-school societies within its limits, and shall be auxiliary to the Sunday-School Union of the Methodist Episcopal Church,"

is altered to,

"Each quarterly conference shall have supervision of all the Sunday schools and Sunday-school societies within its bounds, which schools and societies shall be auxiliary to the Sunday-School Union of the Methodist Episcopal Church."

Page 63. All after the word "conference," in the fourth line, down to "Union," at the end of the paragraph, is struck out. Page 67. The title,

"Of the Method by which Immoral Traveling Ministers or Preachers shall be brought to Trial, found guilty, and reproved or suspended, in the Intervals of the Conferences,"

is altered to,

"Of the Method of Proceeding against accused Traveling Ministers or Preachers."

Same page. The answer is divided into two-one specifying the mode of procedure in the interval of the annual conference; and the other, the mode, if the charge be made, at the conference itself. The effect of this very advantageous change can be best seen by reference to the new edition, pp. 84, 85. An important addition makes it the duty of the presiding elder, in the case of a trial in the interval of conference, to

cause a correct record of the investigation to be kept, and transmitted to the annual conference."

And the second answer (which is new) provides, in case of a charge preferred at the conference, that

"the case may be referred to a committee, in the presence of a presiding elder, or a member appointed by the bishop in his stead, who shall cause a faithful record of the proceedings and testimony to be laid before the conference; on which, with such other evidence as may be admitted, the case shall be decided."

Page 68. The following new provision is inserted, (see new ed., p. 86, quest. 3:)