Likewise must the deacons be grave
The apostle proceeds to give the qualifications, and so the rules
for choosing another sort of officers in the church, deacons;
whose work and business is, not to preach the Gospel, and
administer ordinances; but to take care of the secular affairs of
the church, and particularly to serve tables; to provide the
bread and wine for the Lord's table, to attend at it, and
distribute the elements from the minister to the people, to
collect for it, defray the charges of it, and divide what remains
among the poor; and they are to take care of the minister's
table, that he is provided for in a comfortable way, and to stir
up the members to their duty in this respect; and to take care of
the poor's table, and distribute what the church collects for
them, with simplicity and cheerfulness; and are to be helps to
the pastor, in observing the walk of members, in composing
differences between them, in visiting the sick and poor, and in
preparing matters for church meetings. Their characters are, that
they be "grave"; in their speech, gesture, and dress; honest, and
of good report among men; and chaste in their words and actions;
all which may be signified by the word here used; and the latter
may be rather hinted at, because of Nicholas, one of the first
deacons, who was charged with uncleanness:
not doubletongued;
whose hearts and tongues do not agree together; and who, being a
sort of middle persons between the pastor and the members of the
church, say one thing to one, and another to the other; which to
do is of bad consequence: or who speak well to the poor when they
apply to them, and promise them to do them all the service they
can, and when it comes to the upshot speak against them:
not given to much wine;
which impairs the health, stupefies the mind, and so renders
unfit for any such office, as well as wastes the temporal estate;
and may lead them to embezzle and consume the church's stock:
not greedy of filthy lucre;
for such would withhold from the poor that which is meet for
them, and make use of money in their hands, to their own
advantage.
