the trouble of separation from them in worship, and bear the reproaches of this separation? This is not acting wisely, it will not quit cost; here you run a certain risk, and yet you lose all the profit you might hope for. If therefore you chuse to attend upon such a ministry as has not the public commission, let it be said concerning you, "No men live like these men;" that even those that avoid and fly from your assemblies, and who never have heard your ministers, may yet be able to infer from your lives, that "Other men speak not as these men speak." Amen.

A Sermon preached at the Separation of Two Deacons to their Office.

1 TIM. iii 13.-For they that have used the Office of a Deacon well, purchase to themselves a good Degree, and great Boldness in the Faith which is in Christ Jesus.

As

S there is a divine order in the invisible church, and the whole management of that large spiritual family is conducted by rules of divine wisdom, so the Lord hath appointed a beautiful order in his visible church; and in his book he hath given us the pattern of his house, and the manner of the officers and ordinances thereof; at least the biggest lines of it are drawn fair and plain, though some of the lesser circumstances may be more obscurely expressed. By a due study of the scriptures, and the exercise of our common reason, we may find a rule to guide us, in the most considerable and necessary affairs that belong to the constitution and regulation of the house of God.

Christ himself, the Son of God, dwelling in flesh is the head, the chief shepherd and overseer of all his visible church upon earth; for he wears a visible body, though for a season he be departed from our sight, and dwells in heaven; thither he ascended to receive the promise of the Spirit, and to bestow gifts upon men; Acts ii. 23. and Eph. iv. 8, 11. By these gifts he furnished persons, and fitted them to sustain offices of an ordinary or an extraordinary character. The extraordinary officers were apostles and prophets, and some suppose evangelists also, these were to continue only for a season; the ordinary are pastors and teachers, elders and deacons, which are to continue through all ages of the church.

To omit all the disputes that have been raised how far pastors, teachers, elders and bishops or overseers differ from one another. I shall at present consider all the ordinary church officers, as included under these two names bishops and deacons. For thus the apostle seems to include them; Phil. i. 1. The visible church of Christ on earth is composed of spirits dwelling in flesh, and as the bishops or overseers chiefly exercise their care toward the soul or spiritual part, so the chief care of the deacons seems to relate to the body, and things belonging to it: And as there are some special persons in the church, to whose outward welfare the care of the deacon inust be extended, so the whole church, con

sidered as a society meeting together for worship, will need some conveniences for the outward performance of that worship, which seems to be another part of the deacon's business. But I proceed to pursue my discourse according to the text, whereby this will appear with more evidence.

There are these three things contained in the words:-I. The office itself.-II. The due discharge, or performance of it, and-III. The encouragement, or reward.

I. First, the office itself. Under which we shall consider four things, viz. The business of it; the reason of its institution; the duration of it; and the ordinary method of investing a person with it.

i. The business of a deacon is expressed very briefly in Acts vi. 2. To serve tables, or to manage affairs that relate to the provision for the table of the poor, to which are added in the general construction of the words, the table of the ministers, and the table of the church at the Lord's-supper. The poor oftentimes make a considerable part in christian churches. In the beginning the poor received the gospel. And thus it is still, not many rich, not many noble are called, but God hath chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom; 1 Cor. i. 26, 28. and James ii. 5. Now as it is the duty of the rest of the church, and especially of the rich, to communicate toward the supply of the wants of their poor brethren, so it is the proper business of the deacons to receive and to distribute these supplies; and no doubt but it is their duty to excite and exhort those whom they see negligent, and to urge them to the performance of these works of love and piety.

The table, or outward support of the ministers, ought to be provided by the church also. 1 Cor. ix. from the 4. to the 14. verse. The Lord hath ordained, that they that preach the gospel should live of the gospel. And it seems very convenient, that one or more persons should be deputed to see this performed, that so the ministers may not be too much exposed to a solicitude about outward things, nor their cares too much laid out upon the necessaries of the life of their bodies, while they should rather be devoted, or entirely given up to the word of God and prayer, for the service of souls. Besides, if the ministers of the church were forced to expect and receive the several portions of their maintenance from the several persons of the church, their own collection of it would take up too much of their time, would expose them to the censure of covetousness and greediness, would too much impose upon their modesty, or would make their maintenance fall short.

And I might add also their subsistence, which is but an act of justice due from the church, would look too much like mere charity, and appear too precarious and dependent; and their

obligations to particular private persons, would too much expose them to the temptation of partiality, in the exercises of their minisations, and their pastoral care. Whereas this is forbidden to ministers; 1 Tim. v. 21. Do nothing by partiality. We might be more afraid to reprove some that were rich and kind, and more negligent in comforting and instructing others that were poor, and could give but little. But when the minister receives his support from the church in general, by the hand of the deacons, as officers of the church, then he is much more secured from these temptations. And no doubt it is the duty of the deacons to see to it, that each member of the church perform their part toward the support of the ministry; for it hardly seems decent for the minister himself to urge this duty on the people*. The table of the church at the Lord's-supper, is maintained by the contributions of the church. The bread and wine must be bought at the public expence, but particularly provided for by the deacons, who in short are stewards of all the temporal affairs that relate to the church, even as the bishops and elders are of the spiritual; and both under our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the great pastor of pastors, and churches, and the feeder of his own poor, and provides all things for all.

I might add to these, that the business of a deacon seems also to extend to some care of the place of public worship, and all the necessaries that belong to the outward service of the Lord, such as tables, seats, vessels for bread and wine, and for water in baptism, &c. For though these things are not particularly expressed among the businesses of a deacon, yet they will never be performed, unless some one or more persons be deputed for this service; and who can be more proper persons than those, who by divine institution are entrusted with the contributions of the church. Yet in most of these affairs it is necessary to advise with the pastor, and with the whole church, and in every important matter to take their direction; for the deacons are but stewards, and not proprietors or possessors of the church's treasure, nor are they lords of the temporal things relating to the church.

ii. The reason of their institution, which is to assist the ministers or elders of the church in the care of all those things, which if devolved entirely upon the elders, would hinder them from their proper business, viz. the word and prayer. The apostles, who were the elders and rulers of the church at Jerusalem at that season, managed the affairs of collection and distribution at first. Acts iv. 35. "The disciples brought the money and laid it down at the apostles' feet, and there was a distribution to

*There is a very good discourse on this subject, viz. "The Maintenance of a Christian Ministry," published by Mr. David Rees.

every one according to their need." But Acts vi. 1, 3, When the disciples were multiplied, the elders could not take care of all the poor; therefore the order of deacons was instituted in the next verse; and we find in Acts xi. 30. That the elders, or ministers, were not utterly divested of all power or care of the contributions, for Paul and Barnabas themselves received the contributions of the church at Antioch, to be disposed of to the poor saints in Judea : And Acts xii. 25. Barnabas and Saul are said to return from Jerusalem, having fulfilled this service, Taxonay, this work of a deacon, as it is in the original. So that as the ruling elders probably are helps in government, as the teachers are helps in doctrine and catechising, so the deacons are helps to the pastor in the management of all the outward and temporal affairs that relate to the church's welfare. Now if these things are so, the following consequences will arise:

1. That in churches which are very small, there is no absolute necessity of such officers, as ruling elders or deacons : for the pastor may perform all the services necessary in that church, with some very little assistance from the brethren, at such special occasions, wherein his own modesty may excuse him, or his other labours prevent him. It is plain the deacons were not chosen, till "disciples were multiplied." 2. As pastors and ruling elders are not utterly divested of the care of the poor by the institution of deacons, so the deacons ought not to determine any thing of considerable importance, without consulting the elders, as I have hinted before; nor in affairs of this kind of the biggest moment, ought any thing to be determined by elders and deacons, without the cognizance and approbation of the church, for in these temporal things we are all but stewards of what the church entrusts us with. 3. Hence perhaps we may borrow another argument for the extent of the deacon's care, that is, that it reaches to all those things of a temporal nature, wherein the brethren of the church, may help the elders; for this is the very design of the deacon's office, lest the elders, or ministers of the church, might be too much interrupted in their continual attendance on the word and prayer;" and especially where there are no ruling elders chosen to assist the pastor or teacher, in managing church affairs, the care of the deacons seem still to be more extensive for the help of the pastor. And perhaps the word helps, 1 Cor. xii. 28. may have some reference to these offices of ruling-elders and deacons.

iii. The duration of this office. Doubtless it was designed o continue throughout all ages of the church, which appears from these two reasons :

I. The objects of their care always continue. The poor ye have always with you; John xii. 8. And ye shall always have