The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Timothy — Section 72

'..!. Th'M sphere of duty. It is expressly distinguished from "the ministry of the Word" Rn.d "prayer" (ver. 4), e.nd we.s therefore, as th~ "serving of tables" signifies, an nffice for the ce.re of the poor e.nd strangers who might be connected with the Ohurch. The deaconship we.s, therefore, e. purely secular office. 3. Historic notices of deacona. The earliest notices of the order are appe.rently in Rom. xiL 7, "Or ministry (dea.conship), let us we.it on our ministering" (deacon,hip); in 1 Cor. xii. 28," helps" (tk,,.,.<A-f,1/ms); and 11.t e. le.ter time in 1 Pet. iv. 11, "If e.ny ma.n minister" (B&a1rov,i). We ree.d in Phil. i. 1 of "the bishops a.nd deacons," and in Rom. :xvi. 1 of Phcebe as "a deaconess " of the Church at Cenchree.. II. ~ QUALIFICATI?~s. OF DEAOONS. 1. "Grave." Of a serious demeanour, befitting the pos1t10n of respons1b1hty held by them. 2. "Not double-tongued." Not saying one thing to one person and another to another, under the pressure, perhaps, of applica- tioru, for assistance; or, not promising aid which is afterwards withheld. Misunder- standings would necessarily a.rise from any kind of prevarication. 3. "Not addicted to much wine." The deacons must not be given to pleasures of the table, which render people unfit for disagreeable duty, and tempt to the consumption of the wealth co=itted to their keeping. 4. "Not lovers of base gain." There might otherwise arise e. J ude.s among the dee.cons to embezzle the Church funds. 5. " Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience." (1) The mystery is what faith is conversant with-e. thing mace secret, but now revealed by Christ's gospel ; called variously " the mystery of God," " the myst.ery of Christ," "the mystery of his will," "the mystery of godliness," and "the mystery of the gospel," which is the great subject of gospel-preaching. It wa.s the mystery of redemption through the blood of Christ. (2) The mystery of faith was not to be specula.tively, but practically, held and maintained. "In a pure conscience." The deacons were to be sincerely attached to the truth, and to realize its practical power in their life and experience. (3) They are to "hold the mystery," not to preach it. There is no intimation that the deacons, as such, were preachers, though two of them (Stephen and Ph.u.ip) are afterwards found acting as evangelists. IIL THE METHOD OF THEIR APPOINTMENT. " And these also let them first be proved; then let them serve as dee.cons, if they are without blame." 1. The election of the 88Vffl de,:u:,om was left in the hands of the Christwn people themselves. (Acts vi. 3.) 2. 'J'here is no formal method prescribed for testing their qualifications. Their fitness could be easily judged of without any regular investigation. The moral element, however, was to be supreme in such appointments; for they were not chosen unless they were" without blame." 3. Their formal appointment to service. Let them serve in the variol18 branchea of their office as dea.cona.-T. C. • Ver. 11.-The qualijkation, of deaconesses. "Women in like manner must be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things." The allusion is evidently not to the wives of deacoll8, but to deaconesses. Why should the duties of deacons' wives be set forth when there is no allusion to the duties of ministers' wives? The omission of ell mention of domestic duties in this case is significant. L THE 0HDER OF DEAOONEBSES. There was evidently such an order in the primitive Church. Phcebe of Cenchrea (Rom. :xvi. 1), Euodias and Syntyche (Phil. iv. 2), and probably the association with which Dorcas was connected ar, Joppa (Acts ix. 36--41), seem to have belonged to the order. The order did not Ct'n.~c to exist till the fifth century in the Latin Church, and till the twelfth in the Greek Church. It had its origin, probably, in the extreme jealousy which guarded the relations of the sexes in early times, fur women were comparatively secluded from the society of men. Deacon- cssetl were, therefore, appointed to maintain the religious intercourse of Christian women with a Church whose ministrations were in the hands of men. II. THE QUALIFICATIONS OF DEACONESSES. 1. .. Grave.". Not given to levity or gay manners, but sober in speech, gesture, and dress. 2. "Not slanderers." Not too ready to take up an accusation against the pear, or too ready to use the tongue in the way of false insinuation. 3. "Sober." lfot to be given to pleasures of the table, but showing e. seemly abstemiousness. 4. " Faithful in all things." Faithful in all ecclesiastical dutieB. (1) Faithful to the poor, whose secrets are to be jealously kept; <2) 'faithful to the Church, which entrusts ite funds to their wise and discriminatinll distribution; n.nd (8) faithful to God in all religioua obligations whatsoeve• .-'1'. C. OB. ID. 1-16,) THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 61