478

LAWS OF MARYLAND.— 1802.

the first of electing adopted and agreed upon, by any parti-
cular church, society or congregation, for ordering, directing or

Provisos.

managing, their congregational or temporal concerns ; provided
always, that every trustee or member of any corporation afore-
said shall be of the same religious sect or denomination with
the church, society or congregation, by which he is chosen to
this trust; and provided also, that the minister for the time
being, or senior minister where there are more than one settled
in any church, society or congregation, shall always, in virtue
of his ministry, be a member of the body politic or corporate
belonging to the same, exclusive of the number heretofore pre-
scribed.

In case of
debate
about the
right of
voting,
parties con-
tending to
choose each
one person.

SEC, 4. And be it enacted, That in case any debate shall arise
in any church, society or congregation, about the right of
voting, or whether the election aforesaid hath been fairly con-
ducted, agreeably to the true intent and meaning of this act, the
parties contending shall each of them choose one discreet and
reputable person from amongst the members or trustees of some
neighbouring church, society or congregation, of the same reli-
gious persuasion, if any such there be, and if none such, then
of any other Christian society, which two persons shall choose
a third, qualified in like manner, and the said three persons
shall meet at the place where the difference has arisen, and
hear and determine upon the matter, and their judgment or
award, or the judgment or award of a majority of them, certi-
fied under their hands and seals to the contending parties, shall
be final.

At the first
election,
plan of
electing
trustees and
keeping up
the succes-
sion to be
determined.

SEC. 5. And be it enacted. That at the first election or appoint-
ment of every body politic or corporate aforesaid, every church,
society or congregation, assembled as already directed, shall
determine and fix on their plan, agreement or regulation, men-
tioning and specifying distinctly the lime and manner of elect-
ing trustees, and the manner in which the succession shall be
perpetuated, and containing an exact description of the quali-
fications of the persons severally electing and elected, and to
elect and to be elected thereafter, and also the name, style or
title, of the corporation, by which it shall be thereafter called,
distinguished and known, and the name of the church, society
or congregation, choosing the same, which said plan, agreement
or regulation, shall be entered in the book herein after directed
to be kept by every the said body politic or corporate, and the
same shall be acknowledged by the said trustees, or a majority
of them, before, and certified by, any two justices of the peace
for the county in which the said church, society or congrega-
tion, or the greatest number of them, shall reside, or the same
shall be acknowledged before, and certified by, one of the
judges of the general court, after being well assured by the said