Wesley Corpus

(4) Give no ticket to any that wear calashes, high-heads, or enormous bonnets. To encourage meeting in Band, (1.) In every large society, have a love-feast quarterly for the Bands only. (2.) Never fail to meet them once a week. (3.) Exhort every believer to embrace the advantage. (4.) Give a Band-ticket to none till they have met a quarter on trial. Observe 1 You give none a Band-ticket before he meets, but after he has met. Q. 17. Have those in Band left off snuff and drams? A. No. Many are still enslaved to one or the other. In order to redress this, (1.) Let no Preacher touch either on any account. (2.) Strongly dissuade our people from them. (3.) Answer their pretences, particularly curing the colic. Q. 18. Do we observe any evil which has lately prevailed among our societies? A. Many of our members have married with unbelievers, yea, with unawakened persons. This has had fatal effects. They had either a cross for life, or turned back to perdition. Q. 19. What can be done to put a stop to this? A. (1.) Let every Preacher publicly enforce the Apostle's caution, “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers.” (2.) Let him openly declare, whoever does this will be expelled the society. (3.) When any such is expelled, let a suitable exhortation be subjoined. And, (4.) Let all be exhorted to take no step in so weighty a matter without advising with the most serious of their brethren. Q. 20. Ought any woman to marry without the consent of her parents? A. In general she ought not. Yet there may be an excep tion. For if, (1.) A woman be under a necessity of marrying; if, (2.) Her parents absolutely refuse to let her marry any Chris tian; then she may, nay, ought to, marry without their consent. Yet, even then, a Methodist Preacher ought not to marry her. Q. 21. Do not Sabbath-breaking, dram-drinking, evil speaking, unprofitable conversation, lightness, expensiveness or gaiety of apparel, and contracting debts without due care to discharge them, still prevail in several places? How may these evils be remedied? A. (1) Let us preach expressly on each of these heads. (2.) Read in every society the “Sermon on Evil-Speaking. (3.) Let the Leaders closely examine and exhort every person to put away the accursed thing.