Discipline Which Christ Hath Prescribed for the Government of His Church, Chapter 13
CHAP. 13.
THere ought to be in eueryevery congregation certaine Deacons, endued with those quallities, whiche the worde of God describeth; whose office is onelyonly in receiuinge the liberallitie of the Saints, and distributing it vntounto the needie, T. C. 1. booke, page 190. Discip. Eccles. fol. 119.
This assertion hath two braunches,The 1. proposition. whiche both are gaine saide by our aduersaries, the first whereof is this. The office of the Deacon, consisteth onelyonly in receiuing and dist…ibuting vntounto the poore, the liberallitie of the saints, which they denie, VVhitgift page 582. The booke of ordering, &c. that maketh it a degree of the ministery: but the proposition being prooued true, maketh their opinion and practize appeare false, which is thus:
1 That wherein Steuen and the rest were imployed, is the office of a Deacon: for the first institution of them by the Apostles, is in that example: But they were onelyonly to attend vponupon the prouision for the poore: Act. 6. 4. &c Therefore the office of the Deacon, is only to attend vponupon the distributing vntounto the poore, from the liberallitie of the saints.
2 That which the Apostle maketh an ordinarye and distincte office from others in the Churche, must be attended vponupon by them that are in the same office, and not be mingled with any other: But the Apostle Rom. 12. 8. maketh distributing in simplicitie, such an office as it is expounded by M. Caluin, Beza, Bucer, Martyr. &c. Therefore the Deacons office must be attended vppon, and consequently, it consisteth onelyonly in distributing, &c.
3 That which the Apostles founde themselues insufficient for, that can no man now discharge in any tollerable measure, for they were more adorned with gifts then any be now: But they found themselues insufficient for the ministery of the worde, and distributing vntounto the poore also, Act. 6. 2. Therefore no man can in any tollerable measure, discharge the office of a minister and Deacon also, & consequently, the Deacon is to attend vponupon distributing onelyonly.
4 If the ministeries of the worde be perfect, without the Deacon, then may he not meddle in the same, for how may one lawfully labor, in that wherein there is no need of him: But such is the ministery of the word, where the seuerall ministers thereof are named, Ephes. 4. 11. wherin the Deacon is not contayned, as VVhitgifte confesseth, page 308. & 309. Therefore the Deacon may not meddle with the ministery of the word, and consequently must be imployed onelyonly in distributing, &c.
5 If there bee no quallitie required in the perfect description of the deacon, which is proper to the ministery of the word, then is not he to medle with the same: But the former is true, as appeareth, 1. Tim. 3. 8. Therefore the latter is true also, and consequently, he must attend only vponupon distributing, &c.
6 If it belong to the deacons office, to meddle with the ministery of the worde and Sacramentes, then is it greater, then that of the pastor, for that the doing of both, requireth greater giftes then the one: But it is not a greater, but inferiour office to the pastor, as appeareth by all those places wherein they are described, that the Deacon is described after the bishopp: Therfore his office is not to meddle with both, and consequently he must attende vponupon distributing &c.
7 Deacons are ministers of tables,6 Concil. Constant. cap. 16. and not of holy things.
8 In the ministers sicknes,…. Concil. vasens. Can. 4. the Deacons shal read the Homilies of the Fathers.
9 The Deacons hauehave need of great wisdom,Chrisost. vponupon Act. 6. although the preaching of the worde bee not cōmitted vntounto them: & further, it is absurd that they should do both the office of preaching, & caring for the poore, considering that they be not able to do both thorowly.
10 Although (the goodes of the Church increasing) there were besides the Deacons, subdeacons,Bulli…g. decad 5 serm. 2. and Archdeacons, yet the Deacons remained still in their charge for the poor, and were not as yet mingled with the bishopps or priestes, and with the order of them whiche taught.
11 The office of Deaconship,Bueer de reg. Christ. 14. was religiously kept in the Churche, vntill it was driuen out by Antichrist.
12 This office muste of necessitie be restored as it is described.The same de reg. &c. and vponupon Ephes. 4. Act. 6. if England (for hee speaketh it in the behalfe of our Churche) will receiue the Discipline of Christ.
13 Speaking of these Deacons, lamenteth that this order,P. Mart. rom. 12. is so fallen out of the Churche that the name doth scarce remaine.
14 Describing the Deacons of the Apostles time,Caluin Insti. lib. 4. cap. 3. sect. 9. sayth, that we after their example, ought to hauehave the like.
15 The office of distributing the goodes of the church,Beza Confes. cap. 5. sect. 23. is an ordinarie function in a church lawfully constituted; the which, sect. 30. he calleth the Deaconship.
Therefore if Steuen and the rest were imployed,The conclusion onelyonly in distributing the goodes of the Church; if the Apostle maketh the Deacons office, an ordinary & distinct office frō al others in the Churche; if the Apostles were not sufficient for the ministery of the worde, and distributing; if the ministeries of the worde be perfect without the deacon; if in the description of the Deacon, no quallitie bee required, that is proper to a minister of the word; if to deale in both would make the Deacon a greater officer then the pastor; if the Councels, auncient writers, and the sounde writers of latter times, do declare that the Deacons were to be wholy imployed in the distributing of the goods of the Church; then must it needs follow, that his office is not to meddle with anye part of the ministery of the worde and sacraments, but to attend onelyonly vponupon the distributing of the liberallitie of the Churche, vntounto them that stande in need thereof.
Their obiections herevnto, be these two that follow.
1 Obiection Phillip one of the seuen deacons did preache, Actes 8. 8. therefore Deacons may preach the word.
Ansvvere Phillip was a deacon of the church at Ierusalem, while they abode together, but now he was not any more so, but an Euangelist, as he is euer tearmed after, by vertue of which office he did preach.
2 Obiection Steuen, beeing a Deacon, preached, Act. 7. 2.
Ansvver He preached not; for all that is there, was but his Apologie at the seat of iudgement, which eueryevery man in the like case may doe, and which many of the martyrs hauehave done.
So that the former proposition beeing true, vponupon the groundes alleadged, notwithstanding these obiections, we are to proceede to the second, which is this.
There ought to be such Deacons (as are described in the former proposition) in eueryevery congregation,The …. proposition. which is thus prooued.
1 That office which euerye congregation hath need of, ought to be in eueryevery congregation: But eueryevery congregation hath need of the Deacons office, whiche appeareth by this, that they hauehave poore to prouide for, (or els they must regarde the necessitie of others) and the liberallitie of others to distribute: Therefore Deacons ought to be in eueryevery congregation.
2 That which is indefinitely appointed for the good of the Church, belongeth vntounto eueryevery congregatton, as well as to any one: But suche is the appointment of the Deacons. 1. Tim. 3. 8. Therfore there must be deacons in eueryevery congregation.
3 EueryEvery Church ought to hauehave their office of Deaconship.Ignat. ad Philadelph.
4 All the reasons (or the most of them) that are alleadged chap. 10. for a bishopp in euerye congregation, and chap. 12. for Elders in eueryevery congregation; are forcible here vntounto.
Therefore,The Conclusion if there be the like neede of Deacons in one congregation, that is in another; if they be appointed indefinitely for the good of the Church; if eueryevery Church must hauehave their office of Deaconship; and lastly, if there be like resons to prooue thē belong to eueryevery Church, that be for bishopps and Elders: then must it needes follow, that there ought to be Deacons in eueryevery congregation.