3. The office of a deacon must be performed with prudence and discretion: Distinguishing who are poor indeed from those who are covetous and pretendedly poor "that the church be not charged more than is necessary;'

1 Tim. v. 16.

4. With faithfulness to the church and to the poor, and to the ministry: For in all cases it is required of stewards that they be faithful; 1 Cor. iv. 2. Distributing the contributions for the several services of the church, according to the design for which it is given by the church, is their duty.

5. Without partiality. Not neglecting any part of their office, or the service of any of these tables to which they are called, but laying by all carnal respect; 1 Tim. v. 21. Distributing to the poor, according to the degree of their poverties and necessities, whether these be constant or occasional: And this must be done with an impartial view, without preferring one before another, upon any selfish or carnal considerations.

6. With chearfulness and not grudgingly; Rom. xii. 8. "He that sheweth mercy, let him do it with chearfulness, he, that ruleth, with diligence; which words seem to be spoken concerning the deacons and elders of a church. They ought not to be lavish of the church's money, nor ought they to be fond of saving, and too thrifty, lest the poor be grieved, and the church dishonoured by the hardships which any of their members suffer.

7. With gentleness and compassion. Treating the poor kindly, in imitation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who condescended to the meanest, and pitied the poor: His servants they are, his deacons, and he expects they should take tender care of his members, not using them roughly, nor speaking hard things to them, lest their spirits be broken.

8. I cannot but think that occasional instructions, admonitions, consolations and prayers, with, and for the poor, ought to accompany the performance of a deacon's office; for these things are in some measure the duty of every christian, as it is frequently intimated by St. Paul; and much more surely of those who bear an office in the church, and who are called to a more particular acquaintance with the state of it, and converse with the members of it; and especially when it is a piece of their character, that they must hold the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience; that is, they must be men of a good acquaintance with the great truths of the gospel, and of aur umblemished character for sincerity and piety. It is certain, that as they are entrusted with the temporalities of the church, and know when there are any deficiences with regard to the table of the minister, or the poor, it is their duty to admonish the members, and especially the rich among them to do their part toward the supply of their wants. It may be observed, that the first deacons had extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, and were eminently furnished for

such work, as exhortation and prayer. Philip and Stephen, who were two of the first seven deacons of the church at Jerusalem, were preachers of the gospel. Compare Acts vi. 5. with verses 9. 10. and Acts viii. 5. And in the account which St. Paul gives us of deacons in my text, all of them have such an honourable encouragement of arriving at higher degrees in the church, as gives us, reason to suppose they were sometimes employed in some ministerial services relating to the spiritual state of the poor, as well as their temporal necessities. And yet it must be still granted, that the original design of the institution of deacons, was to assist the pastors in the ministration to the necessities of the poor, and distribution of the monies which were collected for this purpose, and not to preach the gospel publicly, though the first deacons having extraordinary gifts, were often so employed.

III. The third thing, in the text, is the encouragement given to the due performance of a deacon's office. It is said by the apostle," they purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus."

The late reverend and learned Doctor Owen believes this nad Batμ, or good degree and confidence in the faith, to signify no more, but a place or seat of some eminency in the church assemblies, which is due unto such deacons, where with boldness and confidence they may assist in the management of those affairs of the church which belong unto the profession of the faith which is in Christ Jesus; but he adds, "If any shall rather think, that both of those expressions do signify an increase in gifts and grace, which is a certain consequence of men's faithful discharge of their office in the church wherein many deacons of old were eminent unto martyrdom, I shall not contend against it." Others think that xa Belμ, or good degree, signifies the office of the presbytery, which they obtain by a due performance of the office of a deacon. If I might give my conjecture, I would explain it these two ways:

1. They obtain a good degree of honour and respect from the elders, for the assistance which they give them in church affairs; from the poor, for their compassion and tenderness toward them, and supply of their wants; and from the whole church, for their fidelity, wisdom and diligence in the management of all the temporal affairs that relate to the church, for the honour of the gospel, and conveniency of the members.-2. By conversing much with the elders of the church, by acting in concert with them, by visiting the poor, and performing private christian services towards them, such as exhortation, consolation, and prayer, and by a constant acquaintance and observation of church affairs, they acquire greater knowledge, they improve their gifts and their graces, they grow bold to speak of the

faith of Christ more publicly, and have taken a good degree, or a good step, towards the office of a ruling, or a teaching elder, in the church.

And this is a very proper expression concerning those times, when christian churches were the only schools for the education of ministers; and the exercise of gifts, in and for the service of the church, was one chief means of their preparation for it. I confess in our day, since we have many outward advantages for the education of ministers in learning, and their improvement in knowledge, and in all gifts, it is not so usual, nor so necessary, that a deacon should grow up into an elder, or bishop. Yet in some churches, such persons have been found in late years, who have been deservedly called to the office of the ministry, by the great improvement of their gifts in the church, their uncommon degree of knowledge and grace, and the peculiar blessing of God. After all, this is certain, that those that grow old in such an office, well performed, grow honourable in the sight of God and man; for God is not unrighteous, my friends, to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name; in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister, and we desire that every one of you would shew the same diligence unto the end; Heb. vi. 10-12.

Inferences.-I. We may see something of the beauty of gospel-order, in the several offices of a church of Christ; but I shall now remark it only in these two respects:-1. That as the visible church here on earth, and the members of it, have many bodily necessities and conveniences to be supplied, as well as their souls to be instructed and edified; so there are distinct persons of divine appointment commissioned to manage these affairs, and fulfil these services, viz. pastors and deacons.-2. Another part of the beauty of that order consists herein, that the one is to act in subordination to the other; the deacons are chosen for the assistance of the elders, and thus acting together by a sweet concurrence, the church is preserved in peace, the necessities of it are supplied, and the gospel honoured.

II. See here the tenderness of Christ, the great head of the church towards his ministers, and his poor: He has instituted officers to take care of their outward subsistence, as well as required the church to contribute for that end. Hereby the poor will not be left to perish, nor ought they to be exposed to extreme hardships, if the church can prevent it: Hereby ministers are secured from a too great solicitude about their own maintenance, and from interruptions in their more proper work, as well as from the malicious censures of the world, which would fall upon them, if they were over-burdened with secular cares and concerns, either for the church, for the poor, or for themselves.

III. Learn from my text, that the services which are done

for Christ and the church, have their rewards annexed to them for their encouragement in this world, besides the infinite recompence of reward in the world to come. Faithful deacons in a church, obtain a good degree of honour and esteein.

IV. From the deacons of a particular visible church, we may raise our thoughts unto our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the great minister; and bishop of souls; and I may call him too, the great and universal deacon of God the Father in the church invisible. The Father has given into his hand the riches of his grace, the treasures of his love, divine food and spiritual clothing, mansions of glory and inheritances in light; to be distributed amongst his poor saints, that they may be nourished and brought through this wilderness, and that they may be enriched with grace, be brought home to heaven, and be for ever blessed. He is diligent and faithful, he is wise, and gentle, and compassionate, and answers all the characters of a deacon in the highest degree. He spreads a table for starving sinners, and furnishes it with his own flesh and blood; he feeds us with the bread of life, and with living water, that we may eat, and drink, and live for ever. Aud in this sense, when the deacons are serving tables, and supplying the wants of the poor, and the church visible, out of what is trusted with them; let them remember and rejoice, that they represent the character of our Lord Jesus, as he is entrusted with all supplies from the hands of the Father, and distributing unto the church invisible. To him let the eyes of your faith be lifted for wisdom, for gifts and grace, to manage the affairs with which you are entrusted, and he shall fulfil the proinises of a large reward. Amen.

DISCOURSE III.

Invitations to Church-fellowship.

PSALM Ixv. 4.-Blessed is the Man whom thou chusest and causeth to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy Courts: We shall be satisfied with the Goodness of thy House, even of thy Holy Temple. THE latter words of the verse shall be the subject of our present meditations, wherein we shall consider what is meant by dwelling in the courts of God, and what is the goodness of his house wherewith his favourites shall be satisfied. There are three senses of this sacred phrase, dwelling in the courts of God; and the persons who are favoured to inhabit the sanctuary in either of these senses, may have the blessing of the Psalmist pronounced upon them.

The first, and the most obvious meaning of the words, dwelling in the courts of God, is, a continual attendance on him in the ministrations of his temple, and the discharge of some holy office there. This was the felicity of several of the priests and the Levites of old under the Jewish dispensation: And this is the happiness of the ministers of the gospel now, who are continually employed in the things of God, and the affairs of religion; who give themselves up, as the apostles did, to the ministry of the word and prayer; Acts vi. 4. Whose business it is to attend to reading, to exhortation, and to doctrine, to meditate on God and Christ and salvation, to converse with the glorious invisibles of the upper world, and give themselves wholly to them, as the apostle charges Timothy the young evangelist; 1 Tim. iv. 13, 15. Blessed is the man whom God chuses for a christian and a minister, whose general calling, in common with the rest of christians, is to save his own soul, and whose particular employment as a minister is to save the souls of others. This order of men are utterly unworthy of their privilege, if they do not prize it highly, set a just value upon it, and confess their own happiness. But I have shewn elsewhere, that this sense of the words, which is limited to priests and Levites, could never include the whole meaning of David; for then he had excluded himself from this blessedness, who was not of the tribe of Levi, nor capable of priesthood; and yet he declares with holy joy, that he would dwell in the house of the Lord for ever; Psal. xxiii. 6.

The second sense of the words therefore, and which seems to be the very design of the Psalmist is this; Blessed are they "whose habitation is near to the ark of God, and the tabernacle," and thereby "they are made capable of frequenting the