deacons. At first, the apostles, as was proper by virtue of their endowments and relation to Christ, and as a sort of fathers among the first converts, presided over the distribution of alms. But an evil arose; the apostles were so continually employed in their various duties, that some of the poor were passed over. It was proper, therefore, to find some mode of remedying the evil. This they did, by requesting the brethren present to appoint some of their number who might be publicly recognized as the representatives of the whole, to act for them in discharging this duty. We ask any one to read the account, in Acts vii., and say if it is not a perfectly natural description of the manner in which people act in conducting their business in other matters. The thing was recommended," the saying pleased the whole multitude," and they chose a number of deacons. Seven are mentioned, but perhaps these particular ones only refer to those of the Greek party, as their names seem to imply; while, as there was no particular necessity to mention the others in this short sketch, designed to serve as an introduction to the subsequent account of Stephen, they are therefore omitted. Another circumstance illustrating this view of the apostolic history, is the creation of deaconesses. This was necessary, on account of the peculiar customs of the east, and the strong feeling respecting any freedom of intercourse among the sexes, no man being allowed to enter the interior of another's family; and therefore the appointment of females to visit the sick, distribute alms, advise and instruct in such cases, was rendered unavoidable.

The views above given are those adopted by Olshausen, in his recent commentary on the Acts, and also by Neander, in his admirable Church History,-a man esteemed in Germany as among the ablest in that department of instruction, and whose knowledge of antiquity is probably equal to that of any one living. Indeed we see not how any one, who has not prepossessions to some system which he feels necessary to support by apostolic or divine authority, can help coinciding with them. The remarks of Neander on this subject are so excellent, and characterized, in our view, by such sound good sense, that we regret we cannot transfer them to our own pages. All we can do is to give the substance. After mentioning that in the history of the formation of the christian church, two distinct things should be kept in mind, namely, the epoch of its formation, as it arose out of the very nature of christianity itself, and unaffected by any extraneous influences, and also its simple constitution, as it was modified by such influences; he proceeds to remark upon the first of these, observing that, from the very nature of christianity, the church was essentially diverse from all other religious communities. It had no priesthood to whom was exclusively delegated the transaction of all religious concerns; the gospel had removed the separating wall between VOL. V.

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man and God, and brought him into communion with God through Jesus Christ, and had lifted the veil which divided men from each other. There was one great High Priest, who had made an atonement; one heavenly King, leader and teacher, through whom all might be taught of God; one faith, one hope, one Spirit, one heavenly kingdom, of which they all were citizens, even while they were strangers in this world. The application of the term priest to believers, (ye are a holy priesthood,) was for this purpose, to show that no such visible priesthood as formerly existed in the Jewish dispensation, was necessary under the christian. A way to God having been once for all opened by Jesus Christ, they, through their relation to him, became a holy, spiritual people; and as such, their whole life was to be a thank-offering to God, a declaration of the power and grace of Him, "who had called them from darkness into his marvelous light," and a perpetual testimony for him. As such, the promotion of his kingdom generally or among individuals, the furtherance of the spread of christianity among the heathen, and the improvement of each and all, belonged not merely to some select class, but was the direct and appropriate duty of every individual christian. Every one, in the situation in which Providence had placed him, and according to the gift bestowed upon him, was to co-operate in this great design. As dead to the world, they were to seek their happiness from the Spirit of God, and not from the spirit of the world. The peculiar faculties bestowed upon them, sanctified and consecrated to God, became thus, through his indwelling Spirit, the organs through which his power should be felt. The office of teaching was not confined to one or more, but every one who felt such a call, might speak a word to the general edification. The rules of propriety, dictated by nature itself, were to be observed; and hence, though male and female were both one in Christ, the apostle forbade women to teach publicly, this exception itself being a decisive proof that no other existed in primitive times, as to this privilege. In this connection he quotes Hilary on the Epistle to the Ephesians, iv. 12, who says:-" primum omnes docebant et omnes baptizabant, ut cresceret plebs et multiplicaretur, omnibus inter initia concessum est, et evangelizare, et baptizare, et scripturas explorare.”

Such is, in brief, the view of Neander. Those who have access to the original German, will find it drawn out in vol. i. part 1, section 2, from page 276 to 287. His subsequent observations, in other portions of his great work, go to show how various extraneous causes affected this original state of things. Now, we would by no means be understood to say, that the present condition of society, and the commonly received rules of propriety, would justify an exactly similar course now. This were equally to forget the difference existing in the different periods, with respect to advancement in

knowledge, etc. But we do believe, that the modifying influence of the great principles of christianity, out of which (as Neander attempts to show) arose the original character of the christian church, will more and more influence the churches of our country, as we approach nearer to the universal extension of the Redeemer's kingdom. They are accordant with the very nature of our government, where all power is vested in the great whole; where the majority decide what shall be done. With the Roman Catholic church among us we are less acquainted, but we are confident that all the other religious denominations of our country are tending constantly towards this point. If we take the Episcopal, or Presbyterian, or Baptist, or Congregationalist, all the societies and churches do either really or virtually choose their own religious teachers; and in this country, any other ground could not, we are convinced, be adopted or sustained among them. Whether it be the influence of the congregationalism originally brought over by the pilgrim fathers, and identified by their sons with the idea of a free government, or some other cause, such is undoubtedly the fact. We rejoice that it is so: and for ourselves we have no doubt that the influence of this great principle will go on to be felt more and more; changing the constitution of church government, as it is called, till, as we approximate nearer to the spirit of primitive christianity, we shall more and more resemble the original elementary communities of the days of the apostles. Then there will be no need of labored argumentation, or dexterous special pleading, to establish the claim to be considered a part of the church of Christ. The evidence will exist, unsought, in the constant exhibition of christian principles, and their continued success in their influence upon the surrounding world.

We fully accord with what Mr. Bacon remarks with reference to ordinances and ceremonies, and particularly respecting their validity :

Observe what constitutes the validity of christian ordinances. In certain quarters, we hear a constant cry of Validity! validity! Valid ministrations! Invalid ordinances! and the changes on a few such phrases are rung with a diligence as indefatigable, and with a zeal as fervid, as if the world's salvation was at issue. Now what is this validity? What constitutes the observance of christian ordinances valid, or invalid? One of these ordinances is the ordinance of the christian sabbath The first day of the week is set apart for public worship and for private meditation and devotion; and it is as true now as it was under the ancient dispensation, that the sabbath was made for man. The day is consecrated, that it may be a means of spiritual good to such as use it aright. Now tell us, what is a valid keeping of the sabbath? What can it be, but such a sabbath-keeping as answers the end of the institution? Social prayer is another of these ordinances; and the praise of God in

psalms and spiritual songs is another. What constitutes the validity of praying and devotional singing? If the worshipers are sincere and penitent in the confession of sin, if they are fervent in their supplications, if they come boldly to the throne of grace, believing in Christ as the all-powerful and only mediator; if in their singing they make melody in their hearts unto God; is any thing wanting to the validity of their worship? Preaching is the great ordinance of the christian religion.It is beseeching men and praying them in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God; it is a setting forth of the terms of pardon, and a summons to repentance. What makes preaching valid? Is not the earnest, clear, convincing exhibition of God's truth, valid preaching, let it come from what lips it may? If a man shall preach divine truth, and shall prove it from the scriptures to be truth divine, and shall urge it on men's consciences with fervor and power, shall any circumstance in respect to his introduction into the work of preaching, make the truth of God of none effect? If a sinner hears the offer of salvation; if he perceives that the doctrine of the preacher, and the invitation set forth in the discourse, are fully accordant with the scriptures; and if, with this divine light beaming on his mind and conscience, he repents and embraces the Savior; shall he fail of being reconciled to God, because the preacher was not properly ordained? Another christian ordinance is baptism. In baptism, an act of dedication is performed; a contract is made; an engagement is undertaken; a solemn pledge is given to God and to his people;-What makes it valid? What constitutes the validity of an oath, or any other solemn promise? If you know what makes an oath binding in the sight of God, you know what makes the pledge given in baptism valid. The devout commemoration of the death of Christ, by eating bread and drinking wine, is another ordinance of the Christian religion. Can you tell wherein consists the validity of a commemoration? The inauguration of church officers and of christian teachers, by prayer and the laying on of hands, may be considered as another ordinance. It is a ceremony in which a church officer or preacher of the gospel is publicly recognized as called to his work, and publicly commended to the blessing of God. If a man is found in the performance of such a work in the kingdom of God, and if he show himself qualified, diligent, and successful, does not common sense pronounce it idle, and worse than idle, to raise questions and strifes about the circumstances of his inauguration ?* pp. 63–66.

We will take occasion here to say, that a far more simple mode of worshiping God must, in our view, become prevalent, before christianity will exert its greatest power on the hearts of men. We believe that a change is to take place in regard to churches, as houses designed for divine worship. Much property is wasted, and worse than wasted, in our view, in erecting and

*Nothing that is here said can be fairly understood as an apology for irregu larity and confusion. There is a "divine right" for having "all things done decently and in order." See Note C.

adorning our houses of public worship. We know it is customary to appeal to the temple, and all its gorgeous ornaments, as evidence, that these things are appropriate. But the temple belonged to an entirely different dispensation. It was the great place of appearing for the whole nation once a year, to acknowledge their King; and as a part of such a system, and among a people so much governed by the senses, its magnificence was appropriate. We do not live under such a dispensation. We are in a republican country; we profess to believe that christianity is characterized by its simplicity, and was intended for all to share in its benefits. But where is the evidence of this in the peculiar character of our structures, and their regulations in our large towns? Is it to the poor that the gospel is there preached? Is separate property or distinction of rank in the house of God, accordant with the genius of christianity, or the success of the gospel? Have we not, too, in our pulpit exercises, departed too much from the primitive churches? Preaching, at the present day, if we mistake not, is far too much regarded by both speaker and hearer, as an exhibition of talent; fastidious tastes must be gratified; the simple, plainhearted declaration of truth, with all its realized effect on the soul, is, we fear, too much lost sight of. Praise to God is delegated to some few persons, and tunes are to be so selected and so performed, that every one shall feel a pride in having so perfect a choir, while the devotional spirit which should lift up the soul to heaven, and thus give it to breathe its praises with worshiping angels and redeemed ones, is scarcely cherished, or perhaps desired. One regular routine of worship must always be gone through, any variation from which, however desirable, would be felt to be little less than mockery. Sure we are, that the time is coming when these things will be changed; when the splendid edifices which now tower aloft, and stand forth to the admiring gaze of beholders in their pride of architecture, will be supplanted by smaller, humbler houses of worship, where, though no such gathering crowds may be seen by thousands, yet the feelings will be more enlivened and the heart be better affected.

This leads us to a subject of great importance, the duties of church members, and their responsibility as professors of religion. Mr. Bacon has drawn out these topics in several particulars, of which the following extracts may serve as specimens:

In a word then, and with this general observation, we may dismiss the topic as within the circle of a family every office of kindness, every mutual duty of humanity, is enforced by special motives and obligations; so within a church-the members of which, like the members of a family, are connected by a peculiar sacred relation of intimacy, endearment, and reciprocal influence-every duty which men owe to each other as men, or christians as christians, has a peculiar force and