142 CIIhIS]'IAN VELi.OWSIff/5. The other officersare 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 tableof the poor, and the table of the ministerbe sup- plied ; for theapostle informs us that the poor must be relieved, and they zohich preach the gospel must live of the,gospel, so hag 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 thingwithin 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 conti- nuance of the same religion with decency and honour in a con- stant succession, so long as the gospel shall call in new converts out of this sinful workh It remains only that I make a few reflections upon the pre:, sent discourse. Reflection L " How beautiful is the order of the gospel, and the fellowship of a christian church 1 How strong and plain are the foundations, and the grounds of it ? It is built on eternal reason, and the relations of things, as well as on the word of God." How happy it is that the very light of nature dictates to christians far the greatest part of those duties whichchurch fel- lowship requires, supposing still that the revealed doctrines and sacraments of christianity are first known and acknowledged. The peculiar positive prescriptions relating to christian churches are but few, whereas the generalduties are such as reason and the light of nature seem to propose and approve in all voluntary religious societies whatsoever. If a deist, who professes nothing but natural religion, once came so far as to receive the christian faith and the sacraments, his reason would lead him into almost * Now all these officers must be choden by the church: Whatsoever may be pretended to he doue by the apostles themselves, or what directions soever are supposed to be given to Timothy or Titus toward the .settling of churcbes, or ordaining of officers, by virtue of their extraordinary gifts in the primitive times, without an explicit declaration of the choice of the people recorded, yet there is no authority given to anY person that I can find, to make themselves, or any other persons elders or deacons in a particular church, without their free consent: And indeed in those veryprimitive days, the choice of the people was plainly required towards the making of deacons ç Acts vi: 3. Leek ye out among you men of honest report, &c: though the apostles are said to ordain them by prayer' and imposition of hands verse 6. And in the earliest histories and record's 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 church's money, should be intrusted with elders or deacons imposed apse them by others',
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