Page:A short account of the rise and progress of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in America.djvu/106

 We have said, relative to our own method, that a Bishop was virtually elected by the church and actually by the Yearly Conference; and now see Lord King: "When the Bishop of a church was dead, all the people of that church met together in one place to elect a new Bishop—so Sabinus was elected Bishop of Emerita, by the suffrage of all the brotherhood, which was also the custom throughout all Africa, for the Bishop to be chosen in the presence of the people, and so Fabianus was chosen to be Bishop of Rome by all the brethren, who were met together in one place to that very end." 37th page and 7th verse. And now a reference to our Discipline, as having given to the Yearly Conference, by the whole church, the power of election, will satisfy us on this head; and what is now to the point, this Bishop, so elected by the church, being but an Elder or Priest, is evidently called an Episcopalian. But that all concerned may be satisfied, we give an extract in the author's own words, as follows: "Now the manner of electing a Bishop I find to be thus: When a Parish or Bishopric was vacant, through 10