The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1875-09-08

4 preaching OF the Word and the aulhlhistr'
t ton of baptism. He IS also to assist the O.
: fciating minister in distributing the brea
and wine at the Lords Supper.
. So far as any direct authority from Scrip
: ture for these clerical functions of the dea
: con is concerned, it is easy to find large con
cessions in our favor made by the chief An
glican writer's. The learned antiquarian
} Bingham, scarcely pauses in his eager inves
tigation into post, apostolic customs, to glanc
by the way at the New Testament (Se
Antiquities, Book H., chap. 2O.) His anti
quarian researches terminated too soon.-
Hooker is forced to concede our point 80 fa
as direct authority from Gods word is re
quired: "Deacons were stewards of th'
Church, unto whom at the first was commit
ted the distribution of church goods, the care
of providing Herewith for the poor, and th'
charge that all things of expense might bt
religiously and faithfully dealt in" (Eccl
Pol, Book ", chapter lxxvii., 81 This
clearly comedies all that we claim; only
Hooker is too "judicious" to replace the
somewhat definite phrase, cat the frst," by
the more outspoken equivalent, By the apos'
ties. The Anglican doctrine of third order
in the clergy, he must, therefore, establish
upon the ground of an alleged right inherent
in the Church to modify at will the apostolic
constitution. He proceeds to specify next
the duty Of attendance upon their presbyters
at the time of divine worship, and then adds:
"These only being the uses for which
deacons were first made, if the Church hath
sithence since then extended their ministry
farther than the circuit of their labor at the
first was drawn, we are not herein to think
the ordinance of the Scripture violated, ex-
cept there appear some prohibition which
hath abridged the Church of that liberty
Which note chiefly in regard of them to
whom it seeemeth thing so monstrous that
deacons should sometime be licensed to
preach, whose institution was at the first to
another end. To charge them for this, as
men not contented with their own vocations,
and as breakers into that which appertaineth
unto others, is very hard. For when they are
once thereunto admitted, it is a part of their
own vocation, it tappertaineth now unto them
as well as others; neither is it intrusion for
them to do it, being in such sort called, but
rather in US it were temerity to blame them
for doing it. Suppose we the office of teach
ing to be so repugnant unto the office OF dea-
conship, that they cannot concur in the same
person? What was there done in the
Church by deacons which the apostles did
not first discharge, being teachers? Yea;
but the apostles found the burden of teach
ing so heavy that they judge it meet to cut
off that other charge, and to have deacons
which might undertake it,. Be it 30. The
multitude of Christians increasing in Jerusa-
lem, and waxing great, it was too much for
the apostles to teach and to minister unto
tables also. The former was not to be slack
ed that the latter might be followed Where
upon we may rightly ground this axiom,
that when the subject wherein one mans la
bors of sundry kinds are employed, doth wax
so great that the same men are no longer
able to manage it sufficiently as before, the
most natural way to help this is by dividing
their charge into slips, and ordaining Of
under officers, as our Saviour, under twelve
apostles seventy presbyteries, and the apos-
ties, by his example, seven deacons to be
under both. Neither ought it to seem less
reasonable, that when the same men are suf.
fcient, both to continue in that which they
do, and also to undertake somewhat more, a
combination be admitted in this case, as well
as division in the former. We may not,
therefore, disallow it in the Church of Gene
va, that Calvin and Beza were made both
pastors and readers of divinity, being men
SO able to discharge both. To say they did
not content themselves with their pastoral
vocations, but brake into that which belong
ed to others to. allege against them, He
that exhorteth in cxhortation,' as against US,
He that distributeth in simplicity is alleg'
ed in great dislike of granting license for
deacons to preach, were very hard.
"Ihe ancient custom of the Church was
to yield the poor much relief, especially wild
ows. But as poor people are always queru,
lous, and apt to think themselves less respect
ed than they should be, we see that when the
apostles did what they could without him
drance to their weightier business, yet there
were that grudged that others had too much
and they too little, the Grecian widows short
er commons than the Hebrews. BY mean'
whereof, the apostles saw it meet to ordair
deacons. Now tract of time having clear
worn out those first occasions for which tht
deaconship was then most necessary, t il
might the better be afterwards extended tt
other services, and 80 remain as at the pre-
sent day, degree in the clergy of God
which the apostles of Christ did institute.
So reasons the great champion of Angli
canism in support of their doctrine, as to tn
right of deacons to exercise the teaching
function in the Church. His argument i
not free from the vice of an ambiguou
middle" as the conclusion shows, the play
ing between an order of Office bearers, or
dained by the apostles to do certain work
and an order in the Church of England
bearing the same name, but discharging func
tions entirely different from those of thei
ancient namesakes. If the kind of wOrk t
be done, be not the essence of an office (oE
faciO,) in the Church or out of it, there is n
meaning in the term. Identity of name
not identity Of office, but identity of vOrh t
be done is. And as to the aledged analog
of the case of Calvin and Beza, it is onl
necessary to remark that the teaching offic
in the Church is exercised solely in expound
| ing Gods word to his people. Whether thi