agement to the diligent performance of it; with the duties of a church respecting them.

I. The nature and original of it; It is not a political, but an ecclesiastic office; sometimes, indeed, the word is used in a political sense, for the civil magistrate; who is said to be theou diakonos, the deacon of God; we render it, the minister of God, Rom. xiii. 4. but it is commonly used in an ecclesiastic sense; sometimes for extraordinary ministers, as apostles, whose ministry is called diakonos, a deaconship, and is joined with apostleship, Acts i. 17. 25. 1 Cor. iii. 6. even our Lord Jesus Christ has this name and title, as the propht of the church, and a preacher of the everlasting gospel; Now I say that Jesus Christ was diakonos a deacon, or minister of the circumcision, or to the circumscised Jews, Rom. xv. 8. not to take notice, that the ministry of angels is called diakonia, a deaconship, Heb. i. 14. it is oftener given to ordinary preachers and ministers of the word; as to Tychicus, Epaphras, and others, Eph. v. 21. Col. i. 7. and iv. 7. but elsewhere a deacon is spoken of as a distinct officer from either ministers extraordinary or ordinary, 1 Tim. iii. and the officers of the church at Philippi are distinguished into bishops and deacons, Phil. i. 1.

Now the original of the institution of this office we have an account of, as is commonly thought, in Acts vi. 1-5. By which it appears, 1. That those who are chosen to this office must be members of the church, or they are not eligible; and that they are to be chosen by the vote and suffrage of the church; and their destination is only to that church to which they belong. Extraordinary collections from other churches, we may observe, were sent to the elders, to be disposed of by them, Acts xi. 30. Wherefore, 2. The apostles, though they gave up themselves more especially to prayer, and the ministry of the word, yet they did not divest themselves wholly of this service; see Acts xii. 25. deacons may be what the apostle calls helps, in 1 Cor. xii. 28. being helpful to the minister church, and poor, 3. This office was instituted when

the church was numerous; wherefore the number of seven in the first church, is not a rule and example binding on all future churches; but such a number are to be chosen, and may be increased, as the exigency of churches require. I cannot but be of opinion, that one deacon at least, if not two, are necessary to form an organized church. 4. The objects of this office, are the poor of the church, which were in all churches in all ages; The poor ye have always with you, John xii. 8, the reason of its first institution continues, namely, to ease the ministers of the gospel from too much concern in the secular affairs of the church, Acts vi. 2.

II. The work and business to be performed by them who are appointed to this office. 1. Not to preach the gospel and administer ordinances, as baptism and the Lord's supper; and therefore ministerial qualifications are not required of them; Philip, indeed, one of the seven, did both preach and baptize, Acts vi. 5. and viii. 5. 38. but then he did both by virtue of his office as an evangelist, Acts xx. 8. 2. Nor is their work and business to rule in the church; we read of ruling elders, but never of ruling deacons; if they were, women might not be deaconesses, as Phœbe was, for they are not to rule. 3. But their principal business is to gerve tables, which the apostles relinquished and gave up to the seven, at the first institution of them, Acts vi. 2. As, 1. The Lord's table, as it is called, 1 Cor. x. 21. So in Justin Martyr's time, they that were called deacons, he says, gave to every one that were present, that they might partake of the bread and the wine, for which thanks were given by the president. 2. The minister's table; to take care that a proper provision be made for the subsistence of himself and family. 3. The poor's table, 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2. and what they receive, they are to communicate, 1. Impartially, that is, as the apostle expresses it, with simplicity. 2. This should be done with cheerfulness, Rom. xii. 8. without any frowns in the countenance. 3. This should be done with compassion and tenderness. The work of a deacon is expressed by his

shewing mercy, Rom. xii. 8. This office should be executed with great faithfulness; deacons are the church's stewards, and it is required of stewards, that they distribute with fidelity. The next thing to be enquired into,

III. Are the qualifications of persons for such an office; some of which may be taken from Acts vi. 3. They are to be of honest report; Full of the Holy Ghost, of his gifts and graces and men of wisdom: for as they are stewards, wisdom, as well as faithfulness, is required of them.

There are other qualifications of a deacon observed in 1 Tim. iii. 1—12. 1. As to his personal character; he must be grave in his speech and gesture, and not light, frothy, and vain. 2. Others concern his domestic character; he should be the husband of one wife; it is not necessary that he should be a married man; but if married, he should have but one wife, at the same time. 3. With respect to the spiritual and evangelical character of deacons, they should be such who hold the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience; as for that meteor, as Dr. Owen calls him, an arch deacon, he was not heard of until the fourth or fifth centuries.

IV. The encouragement given to the diligent and faithful performance of the office of a deacon. 1. Such purchase, or get, to themselves a good degree. The conjecture of Dr. Owen's is very trifling, which I should not have expected from so great a man, as that it signifies a place of some eminence, a seat more highly raised up to sit in, in church assemblies; nor by it is meant a higher degree in his own office; for there are no degrees of higher and lower in the office of a deacon; but rather an increase of gifts and graces is designed. 2. Such obtain boldness in the faith; in the exercise of faith at the throne of grace; and in asserting the doctrine of faith; and in vindicating their own character before men, as faithful men; and in reproving for immorality or error.

V. The duties belonging to a church and its members, to persons in such an office. 1. To supply them with what is sufficient to relieve the wants of the poor. 2. They should be

applied unto for direction and counsel in any private matters, and especially which relate unto the church. 3. They are to be esteemed highly for their work's sake. 4. To be prayed for that they may be able to discharge their office wit hreputation and usefulness.

OF THE DISCIPLINE OF A CHURCH OF CHRIST.

As there are various passages of scripture, which are taken for rules of church discipline, which are misunderstood and misapplied, it will be proper to mark them, that none may be misled by them, As,

I. The words of our Lord to Peter, And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, &c. Matt. xvi. 19. which are usually understood of the admission of members into a church. The keys have made a great noise and rattling in the world, and many contests have been raised about them, when, after all, they relate not to church discipline, but to gospel doctrine.

II. There are various passages of scripture, which are thought to respect excommunication, or exclusion from church communion; which seem to have nothing to do with it, and are not to be considered as rules to proceed by, with respect unto it. 1. The words in Matt. xviii. 17. Let him be unto thee as an heathen man, and a publican! which was no form of excommunication, neither with Jews nor with Christians. Not with Jews, for that with them was expressed by casting out of the synagouge, especially in the times of Christ: nor with Christians, with whom it was after signified by putting away wicked men from among them. 11. Nor is excommunication expressed by the delivery of a man to Satan for though that sometimes accompanied excommunication, yet they are very different and distinct things; the delivery of the incestuous person to Satan was the apostle's own act, 1 Cor. v. 3, 5. whereas, excommunication is called a punishment, or censure inflicted by many. 111. The passage in Tit. iii. 10. A man that is an heretic, after the first and

second admonition, reject; is usually thought, and so has been by myself, to be a rule for the ejection or casting out of church communion, a person so described: but not only the word employed, is never used of excommunication, nor indeed any other word in the singular number; it is not said, reject ye, but reject thou; (paraitou) and so is no direction to a church, but to a single person; I shall now proceed to consider,

I. The rules concerning the coming in, or admission of members into a gospel church. 1. The doors of it are not to be set wide open for any one to come in at pleasure; porters were set at the gates of the house of the Lord, that no unclean person should enter in. 2. Persons should voluntarily propose themselves to the church for communion with it; so Saul essayed to join himself to the disciples, Acts ix. 26. 3. In order to admission to communion, satisfaction must be given as to a work of grace upon the soul; when Saul desired communion with the church, they were all afraid of him, until it was declared to them, how he had seen the Lord in the way. It was an early practice of the saints, to tell one another what God ha h done for their souls; this is better done by a man himself, than by the report of others; and better by a verbal declaration than by writing: for though the former may be made in a broken manner, yet it may best discover the true affection of the heart, and the savouriness of a man's spirit, and tend more to knit and unite the hearts of the Lord's people to him. 4. The way of entrance into a church is by a profession of faith in Christ. The three thousand converts first professed repentance of their sins, faith in Christ for the remission of them, and their joyful reception of the gospel, and then were baptized and added to the church. 5. It is necessary that such who enter into a church state, should have a knowledge of the truths of the gospel, Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in, Isai. xxvi. 1. 6. Allowances should be made for weaknesses and infirmities of men, both in their gracious expe Piences, and in their gospel light and knowledge; the day of