1 - . I . i - ' '1 :l i ! -'!-!- ' ' - " - . ' ' - " . . : 'J I . . .
; '"! -'-i h i -..f. : : M . - :". :Yir ' : ' : ':' ' , . ;
i : .''- 1 1 :. ;-' . ,.3 - j . I i' . I -' ' '' : - s i 1 .
I - -v ' ' . ! - - 1 vf. f ' 'i . v - :.. .. . .. ill- ;
.r ,
BIBLICAL RE CO ft DE ft AN D SOUTHERN WATCHMAN,
I - 7
L I I
t
i r
3r--
I" !
Volumes which are filled with popiah .jcoumvit i ajitsitant; prachip lu.lho?e who call ;lh tftrr
tarir?. Of ouurae, uoiiv but ibt ri b;can pur 1 nuon, io prepariuior rrvising utuHUiog lur lit
cbasea cuuv of the a.trru Sv-ci. tuit-s. In iefd
9
virry few of the commou lr lu rt knoA- wU.it
mranby.the I3.b'f, Thexj uliou iwa pro
ppstni tlieothrr day by onr ol my f-lliv lodger.,
Wthe I idy from whom .ur ( ludin Hre ut-uiu-
cd, and Tnu tniy be ruddered a a fnr rrprr.
3Unt4titin poiutof intflligtrucetind rfligioMaiu
fjnnaiioji of ihf uiidJIt cl us f sori'ty in Runtr
-'If the peopV hf re gtrorrully bad a copy of the
i3ib!e,in ttirir houses V . j j
,Thc reply k, 0'i, e?,all the relivjions peo
ple have.' Shenlso added that she had j. 'very
lie copy of the Bible, mid immediately; went io
get it. When produced, it provd to be inass
book, with here and there a p.t!sige ufSoriptare
tcoo npuuxl with Roiilt glu4es. j When it
ivas tnor f.illy explained to herjwhat we inestnt
ijy the Bible, she replied : .'U t yei I know
vhat you meHti: that Look is in jevt ra I vC the li
truiiea in R ime, and some persons u ho are vt
tj rvlisfious also have a copy o it.' Al y tlea r peo
ple, what would you thinK ii such a dt-urlli ol
the word were to exist nmoiiij uo f A cope ct
the Sacred S.'.rlj.tures to b- f.m'nd'jn se rent i li
braries in itfitv, curttuiiiin 153,000 inhabiiants t!
Lft ie beg- of you to love your Bibles inure, to
feud them mnre, an. to bt tuv re Zealous ia dis
tributing the word of God." '! !
From the Baptist Magaziuc
Report cj the Board.
LIBERIA.
4 '
Ed'HA ont!n?rn fxireniity 6f-Liheria. V
- Sank Wiu's 20 unlet Hum E hua, on Mrch
I'm rivrr.
; ! Rer. VVin. G Crorkpr, Rpv. 'Wm. Mylflr, rier.
Ivory Clarke, Mrs. Ciaik Mri Jjim Djy, peaoh
rr and school-teacher. j j j
" ' Mr. Peyton Stewart, aisitant leacher, . did in
Ji!iuary oflfiis yenr.'' KrV. A. W, Anderson's con
uecfiun Willi the B urd was cLsed in AuusJ.
The unssiuii-litujie, a plain, subsianlial lAiihllns:
of iWu siur.e, 21 fi. f'jy 20, was s.j far roiiiplelcd
i.i J:ilf as o ad uit of occupancy.. About seven
iCreof land adj tcrnt, have u!so licen lenctd and
; p'ained, paitly with a view to lessen the expenses
; uf ,lhe native sch ol conneeled with it, and ' pari i)
!o5?ve opj rtuniiy. for in-lrurtio native vV'(hs(in
husbandry, and training ihem to habits of 'industry
i oirt The Achool contained, in August, 7 inative
chitdien, and from 20 to 25 -hi!dmi of colonic.
'More native youths would have bren received,
repi lur the scarcity of provisions. Their number,
in D,eceuibei, had been increased lo ll.i Ttie
braorhes taught are reading, writniar, arithmetic,
and geography. The progress of the natives, thus
lar. ha 4 been quite giaiilyi.nf. Some have-Yepea-tedly
read through the Bassa spelling bdok, and
fjur read li jently in English. Seveiai creditable
specimen of native writmj h:.ve been "forwarded
to the Bjard The American department of the
schud numbered, in December, but 12 the! Sab
bath school about 34 uianyi The ir.issionai ies
have been greatly reduced by protracted sickness,
and jthough so newhat improved inbralth at the
last dates, may "ba under the necessity, before rong,
of making a visit ( j this country. "
', .. Tha missiop mav shortly require a pruning
, press. Messrs. Crocker and Mylne have hen'a?-
- siduou? in the study of Bassa, so far as in ir otlier
engagements and their imperfect health allowed
and several work are in progress, tor the use ol
native schools. The printer, when not engajed
in the priming department, might afford valuable
aisisunce as a teacher. An indmduij, uhthas
,: had Experience in both departments, has offered
b inel( for the service. H
In ;regard to the communication of the jjrccpel to
the njiiives, both at S inte WilLVand Edina.1 the
missionaries appear to have been faithful.', Fre
q en conversations have been held withj the
schoolboys, on the first principle of religion ;!and j
so laras tney coulJ b made to understand, . they
manifested much interest. , '.. .
Mr and iMrs. Claike left Nw-Y rk for Liberia,
v ia .V.rfolk: Va., December 3. 1337, and arrived
at idtna, in safei, January 21. :
I . !
MISSIONS IN ASlA.i 1
In consequerce of lau political chapges In Bur-
tnnh.aud tue hostile attitude ass'irued by the new
k'tn, the missionaries ol the Board withdrew Irom
Burnah Proper in August, with the exception of
Mr. SSt:uon, who remained at Rangoon. Si:llja
th year under review, was then completed, we
sliali follow the usual method in detailing the op
eration of the minionfie names of the missio-i
arie- b'-ing attached t the stations respectively
occupied hy them prior to the revolution.
MaUlmein. Rev. AJoniram J idon, Mr. Jod
sou. Mi.1 R yal B. H mcock, preaebfr and prin
ter, Mrs. Hancock, Rev. Sevall M. Osgood, prin-
: tei. i ; - i ' r ' i -
Kn.Mitnt kyaiDi Ko Dwali Kd Shirny bny dea
co'is, Moim Siicay Aaurr, louns tin. K Man
pokfr M'jung Oufi Afo, Moung- H'lwrg Gounmi
t ve prracnnr, Moun Shicuy Jlnotig (Cninese.)
Moung Sah, native assistant, and. about 25
Uative aaitaut- in the printing department, j
M.iulmein is also the occasional residence of se
veral members of the Kiren mission.' See Ka
ren I - . j '
Am3EKst. -Rev. James Hswell, Mm. Haswel',
mistuiiari to the Pegua'ns, (or Taling.j . j
Afn inz Ou tg.Meii, native preacher, f; j
Rangoon ;Rev, Hosea Howard, Mrs. Howard,
Rev. L ivell Inzalls, Mrs. Injalls j
Ko 7Vi' , pastor, Mou ng Shisay. (Ko S"iv:eht)
M&tngiS'tloay I Fa A, native preaeheis. j
Unii'oon Is also regarded as a head station
ofthe M-iubee Karens, distant about 20'ruiles.
fSee Karen"Miion. '' I
AvA-Rev. Eugenio K'rcaid, MrsJ Kincatd,
Rev. Tho nac Simons, Mr . Simons. ; j
MtnrLg Sway NeeK Kii. native preachers,
fi T.di, scaojl-ttacher, Maun Oo Doungt nz
tive asitan'. .
. D1- signaled to the Burman mission, and on their
way,R-ir. EJwrd A.Stevens Mrs. Stevens, Rev'.
Lymaa Stilson, Mr: Stdon. f
Rev. A oner Wehband Mrs. Webb, formerly lo
cked at2toofinn2v returned to this' coantry,
an account of Mrs. VVebhs impaired health, in ac
cordance with the unanimous advice of the mi
'on, and the reconmendation of ber attendant
physician, and with th cordial apprpSotion-o
lh Boird. They kit Mauimeinept. 15, and ar
rived March 84. j
Mr. 0good died of poltnooary ootamption;
deeply regretted, Oct. &
Ka Soooo, a valuable native assistant formerly
at Ava.a id umnorarily at R4ngon,jJied al Maul-
taeio about the first of September. ' r
At Maulmeio,tha missionartes'hav( in general,
peceuted the?r labori a ia former years.
Mr. Judsoo, in bis semi-annual report, June 30,
JS37, &ayatuMy days art commordy spent in tb
TUiovfio. manner t the toorninaf a reading Bur
. pan th9 foreoooo io a pobfio tjai w a sokoc
presveurrectitig nrovf sheets, lr. i the even inif m
rpnductinj; wotsi.ip in the native cnupel, and con
verging with the assistant, and other bative Chris-
tian.s. or inquuvr." in- ei. iso. ivir. vsaoou
oreahized h s)abtili ticbotd in tlie native coiifire-
gittion, consuiitig of from 40 to fjQ pupil, which
proiine ettetiive uefulnes. Mr. and Mr.
H.incoclr, and M,s. Jnd-on, hnveeaeb a clas co
Oected wuli it, ami several native Chritians ae
employed as- teachers, who'iueel weeMv with the
uiissionaries for praycr'and eonversatioji.
j In;the Eiulish congreaation,thecbarge of which
Vi as devolved on Mr. Il tncork in the tall of 1S36,
op t lie failure of Mr. Cloud's hajth, several re
ligious iiieetinc .havebeen held on week-day
veiling. beMdes preaching to the soldiers twice
aj week, and superintending a bible class. Oidi
liary number-al worship "a lout 50. In June, tht
slate wf relituus leeliuff was g.od,and there were
several hupetul caes of cunv.eri.ih. On the aru
val or the missionaries Irom RanJgton,,ihe care j1
tjie Ehlish church was trdnferred to Mr. liiaalls
assisteil by other resident-missionaries-: thu al
lowing M'. Hancock to relieve Air. Osgood in the
priming department.
j Baptisms. Mr. Jiiilon reports 54 baptisms for
the year eif if)r Dec..3l. 13"J6, of whom 9 were
Burmans, 29 Karens. tnd Jo" foreigners. Eight
f ere added. to the Burman churcti by baptism
the following half year, and two in August to tin
Enzlh church, making a total ol 64
, t hools.-Tntf . Governuient High School, in
charge if Mr. Oennei, was closed Nov.. II, 1S3G,
the commissioner of ilif provinces riquiiing thai
ni religious instruction should te given to Uie pu
pil,fr ma fear of awaketiing jealousy un the pan
ft:ieir heathen parents. 1
Our lat intelligence trom Amherst, was of Sept.
t. At lhat li ne :Mr, Haswell was slill uiieiin
from a complaint which he contracted in couse
juenre ol f.t quent and l-;ud speaking in bis ex
cursion nmougific I'eguan, and .durng'the rain
had confined himvlf chiiily to ttie study-. of the na
live language. The native assistant was dail)
talking to the people, and giving books. Some pro
Itjssed to be considering the claims of the Christ
ta'n religion, iut their cases were not deemed ve
rv; hopt ful. Tne school, which was t iiumi need
ay tie beginning of the rains, numbered 25 schol
ar, and altera short season of decline, bad betn
constantly growing in interest. 'I be excursion
ailoded to. were i&ade in Jan. nnd.-Fb. 1S37. on
B ilu iiland, and along tlo' Gyieng and oilier nv.
eif. Air. Hdswel was. hoping to itinerate the co
ming dry fceaso:)? distributing tracts. &c of which
6 baye
been printed in Puguan, in euuiotis of 10,-
000 copies each.
REUViL IXTELLICKXCE. :
Thes loll iwig account of an extensive ,AVork
of grace which has been enjoyed,' tor a few months
j)at, in the schools connected with the Congre
gational society in Munson, we have 1 recently re
ceived in a letter from the Rev., Dr. Ely, of
S. S. Vttiter. ;
Tne revival commenced among us about the
beginning of-the present year. It was first ap
parent in individu.il Christians in diiferent pans
of the congregation, by their penitence for their
backsliding and jearnestnes iupiaycr;.by tlteir
acifvity I in duty, and by their consolation in
Chpt. - The .first subjects of the woik . among
sjnnerc, were members of the Sabbnth dioOl at
the. north village. Taere were JifUrn or Itcen'y
hopeful conversions in that school, before ineie
wereany who manifested aoxiety: for'their salva
tion, in' any other portion ol the congregation.
Tiie work soon discovered itself in the centie
schioU : Before anv began to inquire, uihat must
I do to .he savjd?" it was plain, from, the in
creased solemnity and attention in the congrega
lion that'lhe Spirit was moving upoa many
hearts, j
About:; the commencement of t!ie yar, alter
a shbrt vacatto'ni our schoi!s are organized anew
for the winu-r, and we go through the ame pro
cess in the spring. . When the centre school open
ed Lr the winter, a s:ster in the church a voung
married ivoruan who seemed to be among the firi
w!o! l ariook of the reviving influences of the
Spirit took her place as a scholar in one uf the
classes. Stie was advised to become a teacher,
but 'she felt incompetent. She was persuaded,
and at length vjclded and took a clas of yourrg
ladies froim 13 to lb' vears old. Sae remarked,
That wlicijshe entered the class, Jje fell as if she
should siiik down under a deep sense of her res
ponsihilitv and unfiiness for the tak ; but the
resolved l try to do her duty and to be faiihiul,
in dependence on dirine aid. She went therefore
tothethro'ne of grace, with fervency and hn ken
nes of hart, for wisdom and strength for ber-stlf,-atd
paniculailv in behalt ti her scholars,
none of whom were piou. She urged the subject
I religioit upon them in connectiun with the
leson. Soon, all of them, and almost simulta
neously, began to be deeply alPcted, were brought
under jconViciion, and soon, excepting one or two.
were rejoicing in hope! One of these has since
died, la jiiiust l(vey and only chil l, and we
Jiave rea'in to believe, has gone to 'glory. Tins
was the first manifestation of the j woi k in the
centre jscho'.1 -Several whole classes - in jJms
schic!.jwetrust, have been hot n of God.
WiiUe many wee under awakenings, and some
rejoicing u hope, in the centre village, the opera
(ions of the Spirit became visible u the South
Factory. . At the close of one of the Sal bath
schovlsi fift en or twenty ol thcscholars gathered
around the supeiintendant, under great anxiety of
mind, inquiring what they should do to be saved.
In that school and village, the work roceeded
with great rapidity and power, and seme cases
have occurred of unusual . interest of wh ch it
would now be premature to gpeak which we
hope will not disappoint our expectations.
No extraordinary mean have been used. The
work commenced, and has irogresed under the
operation cf the ordinary exhibitions of truth from
the pulpit, in the social meeting and' Sabbath
school. We havealvVays maintained the Sab
bath school concert, and teachers have been ur
ged much fo.seek the salvation of their classes n
the main! thing. At the close of ihe centre school
cm each Sabbath, the kuperintendent has .usually
presenied a summary of the lesson for the day,
with some plain 'remarks by way Ud apjlica
tton. ';; ,. -i, , ; - '
We have, examined fbr; the church though
.none have as yet been received about 50 per
sons, most, if nt quite all of them members ut
the Sabbath school. - General'y. they did not
ascribe their awakening to any particular thins
as a means but their minds were led to refl-r t
Uxnitbeir sinful state and danger, and upon their
need of religion. It saems la be strikingly the
work of the Holy Spirit, to the exclusion ol hu
man agency, and the immediate or direct cause
or mean. Of tbeiwonvictioo
Cure for Consumption. Taie-chlerlJ of lime,
dtsoWed 10 tKt water, add a litile vinegar to it,
and inhale the gaseous perfume. If dij ping in a
rag, and applying it. to the nose, or ia any-bluer
coflreaieut way.. Canton ( O.) Jiegiittr.
ii i CUtiuKU and WATCHMAN
ItAltUIQll, Saturday, July Stf, I84. ;
Vtuge. T bo . vi ho ma'y have occasion to
send us ?ec md baod letters will pleaf mail theui
. ' 1 1 I .
withtut.an envelope, or else
nav the nustage.
- i
Double postsgr In i'jch cases,
iwe rvg'id somewhat
in the light uf in rtnyositwn.
TJie JJaDtitt Banner. we'Jearn from that pa
per, is to be published j si tnultitnrously ai Louis-
v.lle, Ken.1, ami aiNeW Albany, liruiaua. tv
arrangeMient the rditor proposes to eff ct the 'i -
culation f liis paper in the
latter Slate. The
Banner is o-e of our largest
peiiodirals, and deserves a Ii
and most etfeciive
'beral ami extensive
petronage.
Abolition the. licence 8yttm.'VlvZ
lature of Massat huseit! has ab lisl d the law au
thorising he sale of ardent spirits in that State.
Thisisnnothtr itnroitant step low art!? the f.na! o
verthiow of that system which uas well niguruui
ed the country.
Thc'irtuthrr. We learn from the papers, both
north and 'south ofus, that the weather lor several
weds past lias been unusually warm, j In Doston
the iueicury has ranai d from SO to 1)5 degree3,aud
in 'Charleston it has been as high as 9G. i In several
oiher places it is rt presented a- having been consid
erably higher.'. A evidence of he uncommon tem-peratur-lo
NW York, we saW ii stated in some of
the papers. th?tt one of the Aldermen in Council
had just irulttd uuuy, and that the Coroner was
holding an inquest over bis it ig. We are happy
lolearn, howiver, that there is no complaint ofiin-u-ual
drought, and ih.i from every quarter we have
report of fruitful seasons and pre mining crop-. We
are sorry to add that, with all the beat which we
have exuerinced in common with othirs, we have
ii'ot had. in this rlace. a cojtious shower of rain for
neatly two inoaih3. Our glrdens are literally
parcutd to dialu.
THE ABOLITIONISTS and MR. BALL,
Some months ago the Baprsi Stale Convention
of Vermont, in the plenitude of their wisdom, ad
dressed aj Circular to the Baptist churches of the
lavehilduig states, railing or said churches to
discipline, and in case of incorrigmleness, to ex
elude from their communion, all those of their
memberSjWbo held slaves !! ! To meet -the im
putations and correct the misapprehensions cf this
circular, the Rev. F.ti B.ill of Virginia, addressed
to the Will Sate' Convention, jjthrough ihe medi
um of the Religious Herald, a few weeks after
wards, what he considered a cornxt view of-the
relation sustained by his brethren in -Virginia to
domestic slavery, j Whatever may be said of the
w.sdoia o(4iis undertaking, or of the 'ability, with
whieh it lyas prosecuted,' it is certain that the in
tentions otj the writer were must conciliatoiy, ..and
that bis views were expressed in language the
most courteou, respectlu', and kind. Tue aiTair
has turned out,' however, just aS we anticipaled,
and just as any one less uuder the inlluence of con
ctriatoiy feelinjs than Mr.BalL ntighl at once have
fbreseeui j M j .
. After pi jinly insinuating that the number of the
Herald containing Mr. BaliVletier had been pur-pos-ly
Jwithhel l, ttie Vermont Telegraphy the or
gan of the AbClitionists in thai state, publisher a
long article in reply, by a peison I signing himself
IVartuim IVulker, who ai ihe same time declares
himself ihejwiiier of the aloresaid CVcnr. In
il, is document Mr. B.ill is :not called a liar, a
knave, nor a fol. in so many words ; but he is
jHiiitvdly accused of untairness ui represent ilion ;
of not sjekiug out the whole truth ; of reasoning
like a man who knows his cause to be a bad jne ;
and of knowing comparatively nothing about the
matter of which he undertakes to ireat.i AVith
that regard to truth and decency
which usually
school, slave-
distinguishes ihe leaders of this
holdeis, and Mr. Ball among i he ret. are express
ly calleJ extortioners," thieces. ""men steal-
rrj," and ihe like ; and are declared to be guilty
ol "the greatest possitde outrage upon humanity,
and the inot fl igrant acts ol rebellion against
God' Such is the manner in which our neigh
bor is used up, in return for his respect and atten
tton to ai oiiliotmts !
ThUJlr, Wulktr, i he may be
his own storv, is a pit feet master
allowed to tell
of the. whole
matter of slavery as il exiis at the Soutli With
the sins and duties of sie ve-holders, he is as famil
iar as with the-letters of his Alphabet! Thecon
sequences of immediate -and indiscr ininate aboli
tioti he.f jreseex with thv certaiuty and precision
of inluiiiojn ! j The guilt of the slave-holder he
comprehends With the exactness of inspiration, and
denounces, with the inflexibility of a 'prophet ; and
with all the details connected with slavery he is
vastly mure -at home than a person who has spent
his life in the midst of it. , To sum up all we
have 10 say of this ptoduction of Mr. JYulkfr in a
single sentence lor ignorance, insolence, arro
gance, uncharitablencss, . 8' U conceit, and seif
righteousness, it is entitled to the precedence tf
any thing we have seen on any subject. While
reading itj we were constantly remihded ,of the
Pharisee in the parable : uGod, I thank ihee, that I
m not as other men, extoitioners, unjust, pduhei
ors, or even as this publican I last twice ia the
veek, I give tithes of all thai I porfess."
ForourselveSjWehave been long convineed that,
to attemrt to reason with these peoplejwas only a
waste of limej With a man who reasons' vou
may reason in return, with some hope of success.
But witA lb use who do not reason ; who deal alto
gether in bold, sweeping, and even abusive asset
lions; who are thoroughly fortified behind a jnars
ufignorance, pr judicc,and sell-conce it ; and who
are iufiamed by a spirit of blind aud . fe rocious fa
naticism io reason ia only to dart straws against
the wind. On ihu account We havegeueriliy can
sidered it f rudttii to let the ubulitionis: alone- to
let their clanu r go fui what it is worth-i-and to let
ibvir fury prey upou it:f. Every ephemeral Uo
libu is detained lo hav its day. The iaboIitlonB
will duubik' haw tbsirs. AaU ibv her are
opto-ed vf aivticd,ibooBvl Ultii da Jwdl Uie,
': '.' . j THEjDEACONSHIP.
As We have beeri repeatedly called on for an arti
qle on ibis subject! wt- have concluded to' present
our readers with Hie loiiovving, irom an uuunine
iuaoucripton Church Polity, which. we ha v been
some time in pn paring fur the pres?. It may jserre
the double purpoe!of answeing the present de
jnand,and of giving our brethren some idea of whai
-we coui-inplate, should our lives be spared, and
tJiuuldcucutustanccs Javor. j j
I. .Tne Qtalifcstion of Dencori. I
.1. Adacon inacbrisiiauchurchsbouldbeaman
of uncommon jnrtyl By this I mean that bis piny,
as it regards both i ardOrand its efficiency, should
be above. the common order. For all the grjaces
4fld virtues of the gospel he should be pre-fertiiheol
among his b elhreti. A person who has t6t the
reputation of being a sincerely piou. conscientious,
and devoted ! man, Ihould never be allowed to fill
ihe office of deacon,! nor indeed any other office in
the 'lurch. Ail thn tnighl-be inferred from .the
nature of the appointment and the!uties io be per
formed, even had the scriptures been silent On ibe
subjectSee:!. Ti.u 3)3-10.
2. A deacon should be a man ot superior infor
mation. By : this I mean not tJial be should be a
barn.d mant nor a imanof extraordinary talent'
My meaning is, thatjhe should be a man of expen
ence, discernment;! Wr)d good common sense; and
that, in adJiiion to this, he should h&ve- a general
acquaintance with thje scriptures, with the doctrine
of religion, and with: the discipline of ihe church,
All ibis i indispensable to secure to him the rej
sp cldue frorp his brethren, no ess than to.qual fy
himfortheddiiesconhected with his office, j And a
deacon j who (cannot command thi re?pccr of his
brethren, and indeed of ii acquaintances in general,
cm nV ver be of aqy maierial advantage to a church ;
much less can one wliois pufied up with a vain and
foolish conceit of his owtf knowledge and ability.
'Holding the! mystery of the faith in aure; con
science, let them also Rrst be proved:: thenlt them
use the office of ajilcacoti being found blame-
' -:rH?: ;'!- ; " ' i II ;
3. A dencori should be a man of peculiar discre
tion. The manifold difficult, delicate, and perplex
ingduties which appertain to his office, render this
attribute indispensable An indiscrete, injudicious,
reckless, hot-headed deacon will caue more disor
der, and do morje rni-schief n a church, than ten
men Tcan counteract jor do away. A chutch had
better a thousand limes be without a deacon alto
gether, than have one who lacks discretion,; and ies
pecially should he have connected wilb thi. a lack
of correct iaformation .and . ah overweening confi
dence in -his own abil'rty. ' ''
-4. A deacon sh(uld be a rnan of decision. I do
not meanby this that he should be. obstinate, inflex
ible, or hasty. 1 1 meaa that after having duly con
sidered the merits of any case claimng .his atte.
lion he should be govierned by a conscientious ref
gard to duty, without couiting the favor, or dnadj
iog the displeasure of liny. A deacon wbo wiil set
aside tho impel ious deniandsof duty, and sacrifice
the interests of the cause, lor the sake of an ill-be-1
goiten peace, and one who can be deterred, from his
duty by the threats of the disorderly and factious,
are tqually jUnfit for-the ffice, and equally -unworthy
ol the confidence of their brethrn, Jle who is
in office, whether in church or state, should not on
ly have a mind of his 'own, but should posses
the requisite firmness to do his duty promptly and
faithfully, leaving the consequences to the di-posal
of him j who has pl.dgcl himself to sustain hose
who honestly and cousctVntroufly obey him
5. A deacon rrtust be:a person who is lnot gree
... s
dy of flthy lucre." It Uiot me.ant by this that he
must be without prop rty!; or that he must be unoc-
vuiiu uy uuiur. iunis 11 imaui luai ne must
not increase 1is store of
this worl i's goods.- All
this is perfectly compalib
e with a becoming devo
tion to spiritualand eternal concerns. The mean
ing is, that he must not live money that he must
not make haste to be richt-that he must, not betray
nor, exercise a griping propensity for the accumula
tion of property and aboye'all, that he Hiust not
employ any mtan, contracted, dishonorable, or un
fair means to gratify hislavaricious propensities.
An officer of the christian! church who is known
oreven suspected, tube an avaricious man, and es
pecially one who is knowii to resort to dishonora
ble means to compass bis. ends, will not only be
found incapable of good, but will prove to be a burn
ing reproach to the cause; jn which he serves.
All ibis is loo well, knolvu . to need further re
mark, j - ' ; . -.. ; ,
r.6. A deacon mustbe.aperson l:tioi given to much
ioine." My views on ihe use cf intoxicating drinks
have been -already expressed in treating of the qual
ifications of christian pasfors. W-liaj has been said
in relation to the pastor.-1, bjlieve to be equally true
in regard to the deacon. j believe -the lime has
come, in the order of. events, -when . no officer of a
church, nor indeed any rjne else, should be (bund
patronizing thejuse of wihejor of strong drinks. I
say not that a moderate use of wine is a sin- nnr
that such use is prohibited under ordinary circum-
stances by the scrtpiuresl Nor have I the least
sy rpathy wiih the Ultraiit of the present day.-
But I say that n ihese times of dissipation, when
the whole moral influenced the christian church
should be. had in requisitto to check the torrent
of intemperance which threatens to lay waste
the dearest interests of society, no pastor, nor dea
con, nor .layman can, in my opinion, patronize
the use of any intoxicating Cirinks without a dere
liction of duty. Uave tbeiifure no hesiiaiionin
saymg4hai a deacon, who lives in the habitual use
of any in briatio2 drink, and still more one who is
a maker or vender of such, article, ii unfit for the
high and holy office with which he is invested i
Whatever official influence euc! mav posses io
stead of its being employed for the defence of erar
ty, sobriety, and good mor.ulj, it is clearly ihrowi in
to the scale of dissifatioo anctericje.
7. A dea'coo moaiAii'm u ruling hU children
runt h . m i J .. - .
pubjic slatiori who is rxsuriclly lacking "in the'do
mestic circle; rior can any one be qualified for an" '
office in ihe church, who does cot maintain
uiipiior t ucpif. xie wno Cues not rule ,is ovr
house, must bejsadly defVctive either in ability 0P
fidelity, or in aj)roper sense of moral and relfgs
cbligation; and no one needs be told, that he who is
wanting in anypf these rejpects, i, wholly without
fitness for ao vffice in the church. .His example
at home will le.son or destroy the respect which he
ought to command abroad, and his habit of bad
managemetjtinjhis family,, will ni fail topriduce
its inconveniences. in the house cf God. Let na
one therefore b$ admilted to 'the'rieacori's seat in
the charch, wh is not known to be aconscientigua ;
and successful ruler of his own house. - j
H Duties f Deacons, - j " '.
1. The first apd paramount duty of the christian
deacbn, is lo takV; in hand the pecuniary interers of
the church, and jespecia fy that portion of ihem' des-
tlned forthe mtruf thepoor. It was with exLss :
reference to t.isJi nd, that the ord. rof dtacous5 wa
first instituted in. the church at Jerusalem Isel
Acts G. 1-4. ; . - '. j
. 2. Another duty of like nature and importance fs
to see that the necessities of the poor are dulyfpro
vided ! fur. There are very few of our churtLes
which do not nujmber among their, members .Lore -or
less of ihose p ho are destitute of this Werld's
goods. Persons of this description, in Wonsof
sickness especially, are often exposed to want ! As
has been stated ij, a preceeding chapter, for all Uch; ,
It H the duty of the church to make provision, i Ti '
attend to this business-lo s.-e that funds are duly' '
collected; to search out tho who are really ia
want; to see tha1! distribution is dulr and '
j ly made; and to tjender a full and sufficient account
oi ine wnoie toll e church, is a primary duty of the
deaconship. See again Acts. 6. 1-4. I i
3. Another duty of the deacon allied to the forc
going, h to see tljat proper and, seasonable provis
ion is made for ihjs? wants of the. pastor. The pas
tor is generally fjependc-t on the church for his
support. If he does nol receive enough to niei t
his necessary warlts, and if be does not reci ive tl,is
in season, much jbcon venVnce nay be thereby ere-
aled both to himself and toothers. Tos-ce that
i here is no failure jhere and especially to see tLat
the funds destine fur this object are puncually ccl-
'iected and paid, djvolves mainly'on the deacons!
This duty evidenllybtlocgs to the deparimettof -
feeing tables, anjj it seems to be conceded by line
usage of Our churches generally, tiiat this is a branch
of the deacon's function. 5 j
4. Ano her dutyj which is generally admitted by
the deacons and conceded I y the church, is that of
serving at the table 6f the Lord that is, of-prrpar-ing
and carrying rpund the tlements at times of
communion. . , i
5. It is allowed slso to constitute no inconsidera
ble part of the deacln's duty, to assist the pastor in
laking'care of the flock.:. By this means the rain-iter'-.
Lbors may hh ruat rialiy abridged, and at the
same lime, he may be nlieved from the discharge
of duties, which, i permuted to devclve on. him,
would he apt to cuail his usefulness. In the work '
of .-visiting, of attending. on Uie sick, of conducting
prayer meetings, ofiseitling di-pute, of adn:ci!ish
ing delinquents. nnl in pnTJaring and bii.-'I.-.g for
eword cases ol disct.hne, a prompt and faulitul dta-
con nny beof unsrji
iakable service to his j astor and
.his church. There
are times too when every ras-
tor needs the advicet the sympathy, and the support .
of others. At sucbtimes the value of one or.more
devott'd, judicious, jifieciionate, ctfectire deacons,
is scarcely to be esf,imatedJ In all cases the dca-i
cons should form aj kind of phajctnx to stand be- -tween
thur pastor ard every case calculated to mar
U fe happiness, to tarnish his reputation, or to impair
his usefulness. In leases of discipline particulaily ,
the deacons. should never ltt it fall on the pastor to
take a leading or an active part. In nine cases.oul "
of ten. if the pastor ijs compelled to become a prose
culor, in order to secure purity in the church, he
incur the displeasure! of the offending party and ajl
who act or sympathise with him. It is needkss to.
say that, when such rjase occurs, the pastor's useful
ness in that church is near its end. -
. . i i .
HI- General Be marks.
1. Deacons have np ruling power except what
may be conceded by tjhe pa"stor or delegated 1 y .the
church. If they assist ihe pastor, as above staled,
in superintending t&e spiritual interests of the
church, it mu-t be done by virtue c f his authority
.not of iheir own. Nothing of the : kind should he
undertaken by a deacon, therefore, without his pas
tor's know ledge(ndco:isent. If otherwise, st ch
proceedure canje regarded tn.no other light than
an indecorous encroachment upon pastoral authori
ty ; and, instead of contributing . to lighten the pas
tor's labors, and to. plomote the interests of the
church, will be almost certain to enhance the trou
bles of both. The wajnt of due consideration on
this point, and esDeciaflv the usnrrntion of authori--
J - . . r -yv I- "
ty oq the part of deaoous. has been the cause of
more dissention. confusion, and ruin in our church
es, than perhaps anv o(her single cause thal,has ev?
er operated. !
o r ' ' ' ' ': 1 '
2. Deacons have nQ ministerial authority. In
churches which have jnot a pastor, it is usual for
deacons to take a leading part in the rnanagemetj;
of the spiritual affairs of the compact, especially in
procuring supplies for) the pulpit, in leading in
prayer-meetipgs, in bringing forward cases of dis
cipline , and in taking la gereral oversight of the
flock. - And all -this ii genially conceded wiih
cheerfulness. by the chtjrcji, to officers who prt veT
themselves competent land faithful. It should te
distinctly understood, however, that, in all surh ca
ses the deacon acts by a d legated power either ex
pressJy or tacitly conceded ; and not by virtaeof iny
authority properly f matatiDj? from hia own ffice.
Still more should it be understood, that the deacon,
us aire A, has no authority: p, on rly minisleria) that :,
he has no authority th prt ael to administer the
ordioantes. to perform ordination, bi anv such thlnr '
w vtu." ;rj taao can b fit (or
I Should a druofl crer po:3e3ujjaLivria)auUi0iity