145 / 652
SERFS.
IX.
WITH ITS DUTIES
AND
ADVANTAGES.
135
prayer;"
Acts
vi.
4.
and
to
exhort and
govern
the
flock,
not
by
their
own
will,
nor
by
rules
of
their
own
inven-
tion,
but
only by
the general rules
that Christ
has
given,
which
must
be
applied
to
particular
cases
by
their pru-
dence,
and
in
matters
of moment
they should
do
nothing
without
the consent
of
the society.
What
the difference
is
betwixt pastors and teachers, and whether there
be
any
elders
who only
are
called
to rule,
but not
in a stated
manner
to
teach
or
administer ordinances
in
the
church,
I
cannot
now
tarry
to
enquire or determine.
The other
officers
are
called deacons,
the
institution
whereof
you find
in
Acts
vi.
1
-6.
and
whose business
it
is to
take care
of
the poor,
and
serve tables,
that
is,
to
see
that
the table
of
the
Lord, the table
of
the
poor,
and
the table
of
the minister
be
supplied;
for the
apostle
informs
us
that
the
poor
must
be
relieved,
and they
which
preach the gospel must
live
of
the gospel,
so
has
the Lord
ordained;"
1
Cor.
ix. 14.
and other,
things
which
relate to the
convenience
of
such
a
society
in
their
public
meeting,
are
generally supposed to come
under
the care
of
the
deacons'.
When
a
christian
society
is
furnished with such
officers,
it
seems to
have every
thing
within
itself
that
is
necessary
to
the being or
well
-being
of
a
church of Christ.
Here
are
all things
that
are
needful,
which
are
within
the
power
of
man, for the
preservation
of
piety
and
purity
among them,
and
for
the
continuance
of
the sanie
reli-
gion with
decency
and
honour
in
a constant
succession,
*
Now
all
these
officers
must
he
chosen by
the church. Whatsoever
may
be
pretended
to
be done by
the
apostles
themselves, or
what direc-
tio
ns
soever
are supposed
to be
given
to
Timothy
or
Titus toward the
settling of churches,
or
ordaining of
officers,
by
virtue
of their extraordi-
nary
gifts in
the primitive times, without an
explicit declaration of
the
choice of
the
people recorded,
yet there
is
no
authority
given to
any
per-
son
that
I can find,
to
maké themselves, or
ahy other
persons
elders
or.
deacons
in
a
particular church,
without
their
free
consent: And indeed
in
those very primitive
days, the choice of the people
was
plainly required
towards
the
making of deacons
;
Acts
vi. 3.
"
Look
ye
out among you
men
of
honest
report,"
&c.
though the
apostles are said to
ordain
them
"
by
prayer
and imposition of
hands,"
verse
G.
And
in
the
earliest
histo-
ries
and records
we
have of these
matters,
the
people's choice
or
consent
was
required
to
introduce
elders or bishops into
a
church. Nor indeed
is
it
proper
that
the
souls
of the people, nor the
church's
money should
be
intrusted
with elders
or
deacons imposed upon
than
by
others.
x
4