[Footnote 16:  Certain acts of delinquency are reported to the monthly meeting, as soon as the truth of the facts can be ascertained, such as a violation of the rules of the society, with respect to marriage, payment of tythes, etc.]

[Footnote 17:  Women, though they may admonish, cannot deal with women, this being an act of the church, till they have consulted the meetings of the men.  Men are generally joined with women in the commission for this purpose.]

If the committee, after having dealt with the offender according to their appointment, should be satisfied that he is sensible of his error, they make a report to the monthly court or meeting concerning him.  A minute is then drawn up, in which it is stated, that he has made satisfaction for the offence.  It sometimes happens, that he himself sends to the same meeting a written acknowledgement of his error.  From this time he attends the meetings for discipline again, and is continued in the society, as if nothing improper had taken place.  Nor is any one allowed to reproach him for his former faults.

Should, however, all endeavours prove ineffectual, and should the committee, after having duly laboured with the offender, consider him at last as incorrigible, they report their proceedings to the monthly meeting.  He is then publicly excluded from membership, or, as it is called, [18]disowned.  This is done by a distinct document, called a testimony of disownment, in which the nature of the offence, and the means that have been used to reclaim him, are described.  A wish is also generally expressed in this document, that he may repent, and be taken into membership again.  A copy of this minute is always required to be given to him.

[Footnote 18:  Women cannot disown, the power of disowning, is an act of the church, being vested in the meetings of the men.]

If the offender should consider this act of disowning him as an unjust proceeding, he may appeal to a higher tribunal, or to the quarterly court, or meeting.  This quarterly court or meeting, then appoint a committee, of which no one of the monthly meeting that condemned him can be a member, to reconsider his ease.  Should this committee report, and the quarterly meeting in consequence decide against him, he may appeal to the yearly.  This latter meeting is held in London, and consists of deputies and others from all parts of the kingdom.  The yearly meeting then appoint a committee of twelve deputies, taken from twelve quarterly meetings, none of whom can be from the quarterly meeting that passed sentence against him, to examine his case again.  If this committee should confirm the former decisions, he may appeal to the yearly meeting at large; but beyond this there is no appeal.  But if he should even be disowned by the voice of the yearly meeting at large, he may, if he lives to give satisfactory proof of his amendment, and sues for readmission into the society, be received into membership again; but he can only be received through the medium of the monthly meeting, by which he was first disowned.