RELIGIOUS. MONTHLY RECORD. REVIVALS seem to be increasing in number and power throughout our country. They exist at the present time in more than two hundred towns in the New-England and Middle States; and in several places are attended with unusually great and blessed results. Among the Colleges which share in these blessings, are Yale, Williams, Princeton, Dickinson and Athens, Geo. The work of the Spirit in Yale has for several weeks been silent, but powerful. Ireland.-The latest English Journals bring intelligence of the religious movements in Ireland which is exceedingly interesting. The schools are becoming well attended, and the Scriptures are beginning to be circulated, and read with interest, and the consequence is, as we might expect, a renunciation of popery. This reformation is met with decided opposition. The priests are not satisfied withp ouring torrents of scandel and persecuting lava from their altars, but with great vigilance go from house to house, and threaten with vengeance those who would send their children to the schools, read the Bible, or hear the gospel preached. There is a mighty struggle between light and darkness, and the opposition only renders His triumphs more glorious, who has all power in heaven and on earth. Great numbers have left, and are leaving the popish Babylon. : The single county of Cavan numbers 500 who have embraced the protestant religion since October last and it is believed that similar changes would follow in equal numbers in other places, if the people were protected and employed. Many of those who have changed their religion, it is hoped, have also been turned from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto God.' Beyroot.-Mr. Goodell, Missionary of the American Board, writes, October 9, from Beyroot, that the pros pects of that station had latterly become very encouraging. He particularizes seven individuals who had within the last ten months become the sub jects of renewing grace. Some of these were young men of much promise, and others persons of distinction, among whom were an armenian archbishop, and the lady of the British consul. The prejudices against female education were breaking away. In the several schools of the mission there were ninety girls, and nearly four hundred boys. Farewell Letter of Mr. King.-Mr. King on returning from the Mediterranean, had addressed a Farewel Letter to the people of Syria. This letter which Mr. Goodell printed with Scripture notes, produced an unlooked for impression. At Constantinople, in which city and its vicinity are 100,000 Armenians, a general meeting of the monks, priests, and patriarchs, of that church was assembled, Mr. King's letter was discussed at length, and its references to the Bible consulted. A warm discussion arose respecting the practices of the Armenian church, and various resolutions were carried, setting forth its corruptions. One resolution declares that no young man shall enter the monastic orders for twenty-five years to come. Light is breaking in upon the East. Death of Mrs. Judson-Mrs. Judson, wife of the Rev. Dr. Judson, Missionary in Burmah, died in October last, at Amherst settlement, lately commenced by the British. South Sea Islands.-The following is an extract of a letter from a gentleman belonging to the United States, dated Otaheite, August 18, 1826. "The missionaries have wrought wonders among these people; but their work is yet far from being complete; and I fear about this time, their labors will be interrupted by a civil war. The queen, in whom the regency of the island is vested, during the minority of young Pomare, the heir apparent to the throne, has recently married, contrary to the wishes of many of her subjects, particularly those who inhabit the south side of the island, (and they are the stronger party, und insist upon the queen's abdication, or a disso. lution of the marriage.) But as her majesty does not think proper to comply with either of these demands, in which refusal she will be supported by the district, and most of the enlightened men, a recourse to arms will be the probable result; and, if ever resorted to, it is not easy to say what will be the consequence. A general council of the chiefs and missionaries is to be held at the great council house, near this, in a few days, to discuss the merits of the royal matrimony, at, which the question of peace or war will be determined. The missionaries have packed up their movable effects, and some have embarked their most valuable things, ready to decamp upon the first commencement of hostilities." MISCELLANEOUS. The African Improvement Society of New-Haven, for the improvement of the intellectual, moral, and religious condition of the African population of this eity, held a meeting on the evening of the 20th April, which was attended by a large collection of citizens. Thə meeting was addressed in a very appropriate manner by the Rev. S. S. Jocelyn, Prof. Silliman, Rev. S. Merwin, Rev. S. E. Dwight, and Prof. Taylor. The American Colonization Society, at a late meeting, passed a resolution to appoint a Committee, to prepare and to cause to be translated into the several languages of most current use in Europe and America, a memorial to the sovereign authority of every maratime nation on both continents, earnestly soliciting the denunciation of the Slave Trade as piracy. The Committee are Gen. Mercer, Gen. Jones, and the Rev. Dr. Lawrie. A Peace Society has been organized at the Theological Seminary at Andover, of which the Rev. Dr. Porter is President, and the Rev. Dr. Murdock, Corresponding Secretary. From the enlarged spirit of philanthropy, which is cherished in that Institution, we are led to expect a happy influence from this Society. Lotteries.-The post-master general has contributed his mite to check a growing evil in this country, by forbidding any deputy post-master keeping a lottery office, being concerned in selling tickets, or franking lottery schemes, tickets, or advertisements, on penalties for each and every infraction of this rule, contained in his last circular instructions. A great facility in the lottery operations is thus very properly cut off to a considerable number of dealers in the business. The following from Niles' Register, respecting lotteries in Rhode Island, will show too nearly the prevalence of this evil in many parts of our country, During the last year the sale of lottery tickets in Rhode Island exceeded the sum of one million, six hundred and sixty thousand, nine hundred dollars. Each individual then, on an average must have gambled to the amount of twenty dollars. Or each family to the amount of 120 dollars a year. The lotteries, as at present managed, are at about 40 to 45 per cent. against the purchasers of tickets-so that if the purchasers in Rhode Island received a fair share of all the prizes, the loss to them was say six hundred and seventyfour thousand dollars! This is taxing and swindling upon a large scale! What if the United States, on the greatest emergency, should require the annual payment of so large a sum, of the people of Rhode Island? But they are as others. The outrageous lottery system has reached the poorest and most miserable classes of society. ORDINATIONS AND INSTALLATIONS. Feb. 7.-The Rev. JACOB FISK Over the Baptist Church at Lodi, N. Y. Sermon by the Rev. Mr. Abbot, of Covert. Feb. 21.-The Rev. CHARLES L. Cook, was ordained Pastor of the Baptist Church at Hanson, Mass. Feb. 22.-The Rev. JOHN BARRET, was ordained at Mesopotamia, Ohio, to the work of the Ministry. Sermon by the Rev. Luther Humphrey. March 7.-The Rev. ORA PEARSON, over the Congregational Church at Kingston, N. H. Sermon by the Rev. Mr. Ingraham, of Bradford, Mass. I HAVE not seen in any writer, what appeared to me a Scriptural and satisfactory view of the office of deacon.* It has come to be in many churches a mere sinecure, and the duties properly incumbent on the deacons, have been devolved on private members, or added to the already overwhelming charge of ministers. I hope a humble attempt to elevate this office to its proper importance will not be deemed useless. 1. The name of the office. Our word deacon, is simply the Greek word diaxovos, transplanted and formed with an English termination. The word properly signifies a servant, a helper, an attendant. It is applied to Christians in general, because they serve Christ. "Where I am there shall my servant be." John xii. 26. It is also used by way of distinction for all who are eminent as active Christians. "He that is greatest among you shall be Mat. xxiii. 11. your servant." Every Christian, who is distinguished for activity and usefulness, is of [No. VI. course a dianovos, or servant of the church. In a body where all are servants, those who are eminent are of course eminently servants, and may be properly called servants by distinction. The same Greek word is with a title manifest propriety used as for the officers of the church. The very idea of an officer in the Christian church is, that he is designated and set apart specially to be a servant. His highest title of honour, therefore, is that of servant. His most appropriate official designation is servant. In translating the Greek word diaxovos, where it is a name of office, our translators have sometimes used the English word servant, as in Rom. xvi. 1, sometimes minister, which is the Latin word for servant, and sometimes the word deacon, transferred to our language from the Greek. The word is translated deacon only in Phil. i. 1, and 1 Tim. iii. 8, 10, 12, 13. It is abundantly evident from these two passages, that there are only two orders of servants, diaxova or officers, which are permanent in the Christian church. Those of one class are called bishops, fathers, elders or presbyters, ministers, &c. It is their appropriate duty to labour in word and doctrine, to take the general oversight of the churches, and give themselves wholly to the word of God and to prayer. These are servants in a particular sphere, with certain prescribed duties. But the other class, whom we call deacons, are not, as I can see, limited to any kind of service. They are servants by way of distinction, in the sense of Mat. xxiii. 11. This is evident from the high qualifications which are required for the office in 1 Tim. iii. 8-13, qualifications not essentially different from those of the gospel ministry. And the very title of their office, deacon, diazovos, or servant, is descriptive of the nature of that office. It is the office of servant at large, or as we may call them, servants of all work. They are to act in every case and according to every exigency, where any service is needed which is not within the sphere of the other of fice. Various as are the wants and exigencies of a church, so various are the labours and responsibilities of a Christian deacon. He is set apart to be the servant of the church. 2. The history of the office. The name of the office certainly does not give us any limitation of the kind of service to be expected from deacons. It naturally leads to the idea that they are to act according to circumstances, excepting within the bounds of the other office. Let us now examine the history of the office, so far as we can gather it from the New Testament. Our Saviour determined the general nature and common designation of the officers in his church in Mat. xxiii. 11. But the particular nature of their service and the division of their labours was left to be developed by time and circumstances, and probably did not become fully settled till the days of the apostles. After the church became much enlarged at the day of Pentecost and by subsequent additions, and the burdens of the apostles became proportionably increased, it would be natural for them to call on others for assistance. Those who first assisted them in preaching, and those whose appropriate sphere was to perform the offices necessary to the well ordering of church affairs, were probably in the first instance selected by the apostles themselves. They only had a proper knowledge of the requisite qualifications. The same is now done to a considerable extent, by missionaries who plant churches among the heathen. But after the churches became established, and enlightened, it became most proper that they should be elected by the popular voice. "The church," says Mosheim, was undoubtedly provided from the beginning with inferior ministers, or deacons. No society can be without its servants, and still less such societies as were those of the first Christians. And it appears not only probable, but evident, that the young men (Acts v.6--10,) who carried away the dead bodies of Annanias and Sapphira, were the subordinate ministers, or deacons, of the church of Jerusalem, who attended the apostles, to execute their orders." (See Mos. Eccl. Hist. Vol. I. 101. Cent. I. Part II. Chap. II. § X.) He refers to the parallelism in Luke xxii. 26, and to 1 Pet. v. 5, to support this interpretation of the term young men. We have, it is true, no account of the appointment of these deacons.-Neither have we any account of the appointment or ordination of any one of the gospel ministers mentioned in the New Testament. We have not given to us any specific enactment to establish such an office; unless the passage, Mat. xxiii. 11, is to be so regarded. Neither have we any thing at all more specific, or formal, respecting the first institution of the ministry. All we have in one case we have in the other, and that is, the fact that such and such men were so and so employed. These first deacons, being chosen from among the Jerusa lem Jews, were suspected by the Greek Jews of partiality in distributing the daily offerings to the poor. And the latter consequently complained to the apostles, (Acts vi. 1,) who thereupon declared that they could not leave their proper bu siness to set this thing right. And therefore they directed seven new deacons to be chosen, of whom six were foreign Jews, as appears by their names, and the seventh was a proselyte of Antioch, who was probably chosen out of regard to the proselytes among the first Christians. From this history in the sixth chapter of Acts, and not from any express scriptural declaration, the general conclusion has been drawn by writers, that it was the only proper business of deacons to take care of the temporal concerns of the church. The text says no such thing. But from a particular specification there has been drawn this general principle. I do not question the validity of this inference. But I do question the propriety of limiting the inference thus. It is fairly to be inferred 1. that the apostles were requested to leave their usual and proper labours and take upon themselves a new burden, to wit, the daily distribution of alms. Of course, 2. This duty had hitherto been assigned to some others and not to the apostles. And this was not the first appointment of deacons, for there had been deacons before. 3. That they acted with a wise regard to the particular exigency of the case in appointing seven additional persons to attend to the business. 4. That the object was to relieve the apostles from a piece of care and labour which would greatly interfere with their appropriate duties. 5. It is there fore unquestionably a valid inference, that it is the business of deacons to take care of the funds of the church. And if so, then 6. it is equally a valid inference from the history, that it is their duty to take upon themselves all those cares and labours necessary to the well being of the church, which must be discharged by somebody, and which cannot be attended to by ministers without encroaching upon their proper duties. And 7. still more generally, it is the duty of deacons to act as servants of the church, in every thing in which the church needs servants, and to act as the exigencies of the church require, excepting so far as the case is provided for by the gospel ministry. 3. Qualifications required. We have seen that the name indicates general service, and that the history makes no particular limitation. But on the contrary, as they acted in one case from the exigencies of the church, it seems a fair inference that it is the nature of their office to do so. And from the nature of the government, of which they are subordinate officers, we should expect their duties to be very various, but chiefly religious. It is a kingdom which is not of this world, a kingdom of moral influence to be exerted over a peculiar people, under very trying and difficult circumstances. Of course the services must be multiplied and various. Accordingly we do not find that the qualifications required are those which are exclusively adapted to one species of care or labour. The qualifications are not those of an accurate accountant, or an able financier, or a discreet manager.— They must be men of honest report, and of wisdom; but they must also be full of the Holy Ghost. It is laid down in 1 Tim. iii. 8—13, that a deacon must possess both intellectual and spiritual characteristics, of a very high order. He must be grave, deuvos, dignified in his deportment, to insure respect and command influence. Not double-tongued, speaking one thing and meaning another, or expressing |