DISCOURSE I1 147 sidered as a society meeting together for worship, will need some conveniences for the outward performance of thatworship, which seems to be another part of the deacon's business. But I pro ceed to pursue my discourse according to the text, whereby this will appear with more evidence. There are these three things contained in the words : I. The office itself.lI. The due discharge, or performance of it, and III. The encouragement, or reward. I. First, the office itself. Under which we shall consider four things, viz. The business of it ; the reason of its institu- tion ; the duration of it; and the ordinary method of investing a person With, it. i. The business of a deacon is expressedvery briefly in Acts vi. 2. To serve tables, or to manage affairs that relate to the provision for the table of the poor, to which are added in the general construction of the words, the tableof the ministers, and the table of the church at the Lord's-supper. Thepoor often- times make a considerable part in christian churches. In the beginning the poor received the gospel. And thus it is still, not matey rich, not many noble are called, but God hath chosen the poor ofthis world, rich infaith, and heirs of thekingdom; I Cor. i. -26, 28. and James ü, 5. Now as it is the duty of the rest of the church, and especially of the rich, to communicate toward the supply of the wants of their poor brethren, so it is the pro- per business ofthe deacons to receive and to distribute these sup- plies ; and nodoubt but it is their duty toexcite and exhort those whom they see negligent, and to urge them to the performance of these works of love and piety. The table, or outward support of the ministers, ought to be provided by the church also. 1 Cor. ix. from the 4. to the 14. verse. The Lord bath ordained, that they that preach the gospel should live of the gospel. And it seems very convenient, that one or more persons should be deputed to see this performed, that so the ministersmay not be too much exposed to a solicitude about outward things, nor their carestoo much laid out upon the necessaries of the life of their bodies, while they should ra, titer be devoted, or entirely given up to the word of God and prayer, for the service of souls. Besides, if the ministers of the church were forced to expect and receive the several portions of their maintenance from the several persons of the church, their own collection of it would take up too much of their time, would expose them to the censureof covetousness and greediness, would too much impose upon their modesty, or .would make their main- tenance fall short. And I might add also their subsistence, which is but an act of justice due from the church, would look too much like mere charity, and appear too precarious and dependent; and their Y 2
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