more feeling than he really possesses; that is, he must be a man of a frank and sincere disposition. Not given to much wine, but habitually self-denying, sober and trustworthy. Not greedy of filthy lucre. He is by his office a servant of the church. His first concern is to take care for the well being of the church; which cannot be if his soul is bent upon the acquisition of wealth. A bustling, worldly-minded deacon is as much out of place as a scheming, thriving minister. Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience, well acquainted even with the difficult parts of theology, and having piety proportioned to his knowledge. Probably that he might teach and guide the new converts and the youth. Ruling or superintending his children and his own house well. This must be for the same reason as is mentioned in verse 5, that he might consistently watch over the church. It is not credible that all these qualifications are required for an office of which the sole duty is to disburse the funds and keep the accounts of the church. 4. Incidental mention of the office in the scriptures. This view of the general obligations and duties of deacons is further corroborated by a variety of passages, in which the officers, diaxovo, of the church are mentioned. Romans xii. 6-8. Rosenmuller says, "The apostle makes two classes of Christians who enjoyed gifts, prophets and deacons." It is highly probable that all the duties contained in verses 7--8, belonged in that age to the office of deacon, and that some departments of duty were more particularly assigned to different individuals, who yet all bore the general name and office of deacon. To one, the duty of teaching the proselytes, or new converts, the young, &c. To another, that of exhorting in a serious and affectionate manner. To a third, the distribution of alms, not the giving of private charity, as is evident from the injunction to do it with impartiality. To a fourth, ruling mynwv, taking the lead, having the care of others. To a fifth, doing acts of kindness, such as visiting the sick, James v. 14, and other like duties. And the exhortation is that each one should be contented with his appropriate sphere of service.--Morus. In 1 Cor. xii. 28, we have another enumeration of church officers, in which we have no mention of deacons by that name, but are told of several gifts and employments, which do not belong to the gospel ministry. Of course they belonged to the order of deacons. And such of them as do not require miraculous powers, helps and governments for instance, are still the appropriate duties of deacons. The kind of government which either deacons or any others, are allowed by Christ to exercise in his church, may be learned from Mark x. 42-44. In Eph. iv. 11, either the pastors and teachers were ministers and deacons, or the apostle in enumerating the gifts of the ascending Saviour, has wholly omitted the important gift of deacons. In 1 Tim. iii. 4, 5, it is required that a bishop should know how to rule, (superintend, have the care of; Robinson's Lexicon,) his own house, that he may know how to superintend the church. In verse 8, the same qualification is required in a deacon, and therefore obviously for the same reason. Of course it is the duty of deacons to rule or superintend the church. In 1 Tim. v. 17, those who rule or superintend well are counted worthy of double honour. And one class of them more especially, viz. those who labour in word and doctrine. All the officers are to receive honour, but the ministers more. The others who rule well are the faithful and energetic deacons. In 1 Thess. v. 12, a similar regard is enjoined toward all the officers of the church, without any distinction in favour of ministers. Know them which labour with you, are over you, and admonish you. That the deacons were to be in some way teachers is evident from the requisition that they should hold the mystery of the faith, that is, should understand even the difficult parts of the Christian doctrine. In 1 Pet. iv. 10, 11, the apostle exhorts the officers of the church, or those who have gifts, under the common appellation of stewards of the manifold grace of God. He who preaches is to make the scriptures his guide, he who ministers, Saxovs, or discharges the office of deacon, is to do his duty with enerand faithfulness. gy Mosheim paraphrases the text, 1 Pet. v. 5. Ye deacons, perform cheerfully the orders of the presbyters. See Luke xxii. 26. The brother mentioned in 2 Cor. viii. 18-20, was chosen (ordained, the same word is rendered in Acts xiv. 23,) to perform the office of a deacon, (Robinson's Lex.) in regard to a certain charitable contribution, that he might take off every appearance of evil, and prevent all foundation or even suspicion of reproach against the apostle. The service was performed by this deacon with Paul's advice and concurrence. Rom. xv. 25. So that Paul felt a responsibility in the business. But the care and labour rested on the deacon. Ros. in loc. And this view of the office of deacon seems to me to be consistent with reason. According to the prevailing views of the office, it is at present a mere sinecure, nothing more than a title of honour. No important duties are assigned to it. Deacons perform, and are expected to perform, no labours, in consequence of holding their office. Of course the office itself has no honour, excepting what arises from the fact that churches generally choose respectable men for deacons. The men do not magnify their office by making it useful. But they dignify it, by holding it, otherwise it would fall into contempt. For it is impossible to make men long venerate that which does no good except by the personal character of those who hold it. But this exhibition of the office elevates the office by making it useful, and responsible, and essential to the well being of a church. The view which I have given is that which was entertained in the ancient church. So says Dr. Dwight, Theol. IV. 293.-" Ancient ecclesiastical writers style deacons, ministers of the mysteries of Christ, of the episcopate, and of the church. They evidently sustained the character of assistants to the minister. This being admitted, the nature of the case may sufficiently explain the kind of assistance, from time to time, to be furnished." All deacons who possess the qualifications which are pointed out by the apostle in 1 Tim. iii. and who have zeal to discharge this office as of the ability which God giveth, do in fact exemplify this view of the subject. many How of our churches have occasion to bless God for sending them good deacons. When their minister has been inefficient and backward, or in feeble health, or removed by some of the vicissitudes of this changing world, their faithful and zealous deacons have come forward to make up the deficiency. And if blessed with a good minister, how have they strengthened his hands, and relieved his mind from a thousand cares and labours, and left him free to give himself continually to prayer and the ministry of the word. And in doing this, so far from pressing beyond the line of their official duty, they have rather been doing just what they were intended for by the great Head of the church. No good minister ever found intelligent deacons inclined to take upon themselves too much responsibility for the welfare of the church. The deacons have, therefore, a real responsibility attached to their office. Take the case of a vacant church. It is evident that in such circumstances, the care of the church is thrown wholly upon the deacons. And this seems a wise provision. The pastoral office, being held for the most part by an individual, must be often vacant. But the deacons are more permanent, and are never all changed at a time. If a church has a good board of deacons, who take scriptural views of their office, the change of ministers will be far less injurious than is common. The deacons will still feel themselves responsible' for seeing every good work go on just as if they had a pastor, so that they can deliver over the vacant church to their new pastor in as flourishing a state as they received it. They can take him by the hand, while he is yet ignorant of its condition. They can be his privy council, not a dead weight upon his hands, to be lifted and shoved along, but counsellors, zealous for the cause, ready to give an opinion, and willing to assume an independent responsibility, and prompt to discover and undertake every thing which needs to be done. Thus all those two or three years of time will be saved, which are now so often lost by a new minister in becoming acquainted with the church, and acquiring a personal influence with them. Things which now go wholly by the personal influence and the personal efforts of the minister, would then be carried forward by the deacons. The deacons are servants by way of eminence, where all are servants. Of course the idea is, that they are to be in a special sense the pillars of the church. And it is incum bent on them to go before the church in every Christian duty, and to superintend and manage all the concerns of the body corporate. They are like Selectmen, to manage the prudentials of the church. They are general standing agents, whose proper duty it is to superintend, poorva the affairs of the church. They are to be themselves the first to lead the way, and then to see that the rest follow. They are to take the lead in watching over the members, in promoting the edification of the stedfast, the discipline of the erring, and the restoration of the declining and backsliders. They should be the first to devise and set forward measures for all the operations of the church, both external and internal. They should be patterns of charity, zealous for the spread of the gospel, and skilful to devise and execute measures for that purpose. They ought to have the chief direction of all those operations by which the church seeks her own prosperity and increase. They should arrange and superintend the sunday school, and every other provision which the church makes for the religious instruction of the rising generation; appoint and conduct religious conferences and prayer-meetings, and in concert with the pastor, keep the whole of that machinery in vigorous motion; visit from house to house for the purpose of admonishing or encouraging the brethren, awakening the careless, and soliciting the attention of the indifferent. They ought to be qualified and always ready, to give instruction to inquiring sinners, to be the leaders and instructors of the newly converted, to teach them the way of godliness, and watch over them while their religious character is yet unestablished. They are also to feel that the care rests upon them, of having all the public services of the church conducted in an orderly and edifying manner, such as the sacraments, singing, &c. In short, whatever is needed to be done for the church, to edify it, to purify it, to increase it, all excepting the pastoral care, and preaching, belongs to the deacons, as a part of their official duty. It follows, that they are to know their own duty, and do it on their own responsibility. They have not, any more than ministers, any right to wait till some one stir them up, they are to go of their own sending, under the general authority of Jesus Christ. They have to answer for their discharge of the office which they have received. It follows, that the office of deacon is one of great honour and importance. So important is it, that we may say with confidence, that most churches are like their deacons, and are what their deacons make them. The honour of the office has been destroyed by the prevailing notion, that the only proper business of the deacons is to serve tables. Some ministers are so afraid of encroachments upon their office, that they wish to make a very wide separation between themselves and all the other servants of their master. Of course they would confine the deacons to the bare service of the bread and wine, only perhaps calling on them now and then to make a prayer at a conference meeting. Of course the deacons, unless they have a great deal of grace, are very ready to give up the responsibility to be free from the labour. Or if they attempt any thing for the good of the church, they do it with fear and trembling, as if they laid themselves open to censure for going out of the bounds of their office. It follows, that great care should be used in the selection of deacons. Churches should appoint their very best men, the most intelligent, active, and zealous members, the pillars of the church. A man is not fit for a deacon, barely because he is a sober, harmless sort of person, whom none looks up to, and whom of course no one envies. Nor because he can utter a decent prayer before a little meeting. The qualifications required for a deacon are set forth in scripture as almost wholly the same with those of a minister. Appointing a person to this office is therefore a vote of the church expressing three things, that in the judgment of the church he possesses those eminent qualifications required in scripture, that the church feels the need of additional service for its advancement, and that it is their pleasure to have this man serve them in some or all the duties that pertain to the office of deacon. And the acceptance of the office, when rightly understood, is an assumption of all its varied duties and responsibilities. It is a virtual promise to be devoted to the interests of the church, to be a gapman always prepared to stand in the breach, a minute-man ready for service at a moment's warning, a servant at all work, whose duty it is, always to see what needs to be done for the good of the church, and always to do it. It follows, that as the choice of a deacon should be a matter of deliberation, the publicly setting them apart should be a matter of solemnity. I do not myself see it as.-a matter of binding obligation that they should be ordained by the imposition of hands. But it is plain that it should be so solemn as to be an occasion long remembered. It follows, as I think, that our churches do not employ deacons enough. They plainly do not have so many as are called for by the exigencies of the church. And none are put forward in the service of the church in various relations, who do in fact the work of deacons, without feeling the responsibilities. of the office. A church ought to have as many deacons as are needed for the various exigencies of this age of religious action and religious commotion. To superintend the singing, the sunday school, the relief of the poor, the charities of the church, the young converts, the different sections of the church, discipline, visiting, conferences, serving tables, and every thing else which needs to be done, requires a number of deacons in every church, proportioned in some measure to the number of its members. It will be recollected that the church at Jerusalem chose seven additional deacons at one time. And if it should be said that our churches do not contain men enough, who possess the high qualifications required, the answer is, that most or all our churches do in fact have all these services performed in some way, and that by setting up a high standard of duty you engage conscientious men in greater efforts to approach the mark. It follows, that our way of regulating the churches by a church committee is not exactly soriptural. The helps and governments mentioned by the apostle were undoubtedly the deacons. They are by this very office, the committee of the church. They are the helpers of the minister, and liable to be called out in every emergency. The government and increase of the church rests with them. If you wish to strengthen a church, get a well selected bench of deacons, give them a full view of their duties, their responsibilities, and their privileges, and then set them to their work unfettered by the notion that it is out of their place to do any thing but serve the bread and wine. And if your committee is not strong enough, add to their number in the regular way, by increasing the number of deacons. It follows also, that as both ministers and deacons are the servants of the church, the church sustains a relation to its deacons in many respects the same with that which it holds to the minister. They are to obey them, to count them worthy of honour, if need be to support them while they devote themselves to the duties of their office. And if they are found unprofitable it is just as proper to dispense with their services. A deacon may be dis.nissed, like a minister, without even a censure on his moral character, simply because his services do not seem to be profitable to the church. It follows, that we, who are ministers, ought to regard the deacons as our spiritual helpers, and throw upon their shoulders the care which belongs to them. They ought to take from us, or we ought to give up to them, much of the anxiety which now bows down our souls, and many of the labours which now absorb our time, or prevent our usefulness in our proper sphere.A large proportion of those acts of ours which occasion disquietude, are acts which ought to be performed by the deacons. Another large portion of uneasiness would be prevented, if the deacons exercised a proper frankness, and assumed a proper responsibility, in advising with their minister, and keeping him suitably informed respecting the state of the people. Let these views of the office be received and acted upon, and how soon would our churches become like organized, active, and fearless squadrons in the army of the Lord Jesus. J. L. To the Editor of the Christian Spectator. In the Review of Mr. Lansing's Sermons, which appeared in the last October No. of the Christian Spectator, the reviewer, with other remarks, speaks in high commendation of the theology of the volume, stating that the doctrines insisted on are evangelical, and yet the reverse of that ultra evangelical system, which, besides other things |