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Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmds en commengant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suiv^ants apparaltra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seu! clichd, il est film6 d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 1 5 6 ll J g 'I SlJ.l' ' *«&■ ■ «,.- E S S A. X O.N TBI 8CBJI0T or THK RESTORATION OF THE DIACONATE. *i^ ^ I :^::^:r BY THF REV. J. H. NICOLLS, D.D., fSltfCtVAt oy »»ttOV'B OOLtfiOk, LlcDMOXVtttlei (CUAIKMAN OF Tflfi COMMITTEE ON THE DlACONAtE, OJ' THE PkoVINCUL SYKOD.) \ S^: ■. AN ESSAY ON THE SAME SUBJECT. ^^ > ^ BY THE ' ; RE V. J. CARRY. B.D. or BUHor's couxax; ikouubbrt or wooDOBpav, o.^r.^ ■Vm- ■*' PBINTED BY JOHN LOVELL, ST. NICHOLAS STREET. 1863. J tf*ihii, E S S • A Y OH TBI ICUMT or THE RESTORATION OF THE DIACONATE. BY THE REV. J. H. N1€0LLS, D.D., PBIXOIFAL OF BIBBOF'B OOLIa, IiKHSOZTILLa ; (CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE DIACONATE, OF THE PEOVINCUL SYNOD.) AN ESSAY ON THE SAME SUBJECT. BY THE REV. J. CARRY. B.D. OF BIBHOP'a COLLBGl; IMOUMBWrr OF W0ODBWD««, C. TT, PRINTED BY JOHN LOVELL, ST. NICHOLAS STREET. 1863. 2 J^^o ESSAY ON THE DIACONATE. ;a iLe late meeting of the Provincial Synod, .he moveraent in favor of the restoratiou of :he Diaconate, undeniably made considerable ■progress. There seemed to be a good deal of prejudice against it when it was brought in ; nut the subject was referred back to an enlarged Committee in a different tone of feeling: with a hope, I am sure, that something may be prepared before the next meeting of the Synod, which will meet the views of all parties. The former Committee sat only once, for a few minutes (^so to speak), and that during the session of the Synod. They did no more, and could do no more, than adopt the report and canon submit- ted to them by their able, earnest, and indefa- tigable chairman, the* late Rev. E. H. Dewar, M.A. (See Appendix A.) It was his wish that I should succeed him in ■-he chair of that Committee ; and it was the pleasure of the Committee to entrust to me ♦hat responsibility; and also their desire that a meeting should be held, in the coming summer, in Canada West, as being most convenient to the majority of the committee. It is my inten- tion, D. v., to call the Committee together ac- cordingly. With a view both of expediting the business of the Committee when it meets, and also of eliciting, as far as possible, the view of the Canadian Church on the subject, I am induced to republish an Essay which appeared anonymously in the Ontario Episcopal Gazette, a few weeks before the meeting of the Synod, :n the hope that more attention may be drawn to this all-important subject, and that the Committee may have the benefit of the sugges- tions of those who cannot be present at their meeting. The names and constitution of the Committee are appended. (See Appendix B.) I have little doubt that any .Member will have great pleasure in receiving suggestions from the brethren, whether Lay or Clerical, on both sides of the question. As Chairman, I feel it my duty to invite them ; and I do so in the hope that something may be prepared next summer, to be probably then published, and reconsidered and remodelled, if necessary, by the Committee at some subsequent meeting pre- vious to the next Provincial Synod. In republishing this Essay, I would premise that I have no wish to dictate any particular line as the one to be pursued. My aim, in writing it, was two-fold, — to show the immense importance of the subject : and to demonstrate that a living permanent order of Deacons was not only^a desideratum in the Church, but a possibility ; and I ventured even so high as to assert (aud I have no wish to retract the asser- tion) that the continued neglect and practical abolition of the Diaconate in the Church, w»3 a wi the Church must answer for, and that its restoration here would be a glory to our Canadian Church. It may perhaps be imagined that in proposing a plan for the restoration of the Dia- conate,! believe, that my plan is theplan. Not so. But I do believe that the vital points to be considered are set forth there, and that wher- ever my Essay is read or discussed, the whole question will be well looked into. Go with me a little while in imagination, and you will understand my views on the subject. Suppose an intelligent Dissenter to come to one of our Bishops and say, " I have read much, of late, of your Church, and have been led to look on It with great respect. I come to you to be made acquainted with its practical workings. 1 have been examining its liturgies and formu- larii-S and am greatly delighted with then. Thv .uachinery for the working of the Church 13 very beautiful-so beautiful that I begin to feel that its origin is Divine. Now give me a little information about its working. You are the Bishop. Well. You have under your rule Priests and Deacons. Their ordination vows are very striking to one who has been a stranger to them, and they present a very thorough view, when combined, of ministerial work. Your Priests and Deacons, I am told are mixed together; (for I had made some enquiry of others.) Tell me how many Priests have you ?" The Bishop may be supposed \o answer, some forty or fifty. " Forty : indeed • why I thought you had only about that number of Clergy altogether I The Deacons you have —so few as they must be— must have a great deal to do. I should have supposed you would have had at the very least a Deacon to each Priest (J'to assist him in divine service. &c.; to search for the poor, sick, and impotent," Ac ) It is a great work for a few Deacons to assist so many Priests." The Bishop answers, "No. I have ouly three Deacons in my Diocese I one t at P»N*» and another at C*» ministering in " parts adjacent also." The latter has three townships in his charge. The third is all alone m Labrador! la a few months they will be full Priests : and then I shall not (most likely) have any Deacons for a year or so. The Priests t I am undisRu sedly alluding here to the present state of our own Diooose of Quebec. Those wlio know me will not need to bo told, and those who do not will believe me, I hope, when I assure them that I am not in- tending the verv sliRlitest reflection on our saintlv and raosc devoted Bishop, whom God has so lately taken I to his Restajid to his Crown. I felt that to Rive m" j ease v.-uipiir,, i must ouiia uii rait ; and ii seemed to I me unfair for a clergyman of one Diocese to cros» tha V, )rder8 of another, in order to point out defect*. ESSAY ON THE DIACONATB. \ do the Deacon's work themselves. They hint to me that they find it very hard to keep their Eromise to be 'diligent,' • • in such studies as elp to the knowledge of the Scriptures, and I believe some of my Deacons have thought it hard (and indeed it is hard) that they, young, inexperieuced men, placed suddenly in the sole charge of independent missions, should be ex- pected* to undergo another examination, or any study for Priest's orders." I am afraid that our dissenting friend would go away from his visit to the Bishop with his feelings somewhat changed. " It certainly did look very perfect ; but after all it Is not so complete as I thought. I see that, after all, Church organization is not very much more thorough than ours." Before proceeding to the Essay itself, I would premise still further one or two remarks. In advocating a "permanent" Diaconate, I would call attention to the fact that there are obviously two meanings which the expression "permanent Diaconate" may carry. I mean to insist that the Order should be permanent, so that there never will be a time when the Order of Deacons is not found in full and sufficient num- bers doing the work prescribed for Deacons in the Church. As for the other idea of a partic- ular individual becoming a permanent Deacon or a Deacon all his life, that is a separate ques- tion, which is sufficiently treated of in the Es- say. For the present I wish merely to observe that a Church may have a permanent order of Deacons without any of them being indivi- dually tied to remain permanent Deacons. It is sometimes said, "Why bring this subject 80 prominently before us in Canada? Wait till the Mother Church has recovered her order of Deacons. Then, when we see the experiment succeed with her, it will be time enough for us to go to the work of restoration." This argu- ment is ts'nng and specious, but very unsound. Is it not a law of nature that changes, and fresh biases and impulses are most readily and with the least danger given in tender years, as w«ll as most effectually? Train a tree, a dog, a man, a Church, or alter the system of its growth — when will you do it? When the tree overtops its fellows, or while it is still a ten- der sapling? When the dog begins to show grey hairs, or when he rolls about in unrestrained yuppyhood ? When the man — stay — We have .this caae disposed of by the Divine Wisdom. (Prov. xxii : 6.) And so it is with a Church. Our Mother Church is old, and fully grown. Change in her system is something unnatural. And our Mother Church is trammelled also by her relation to the state. As it was well said the other day in my presence in reference to a proposal of this nature, " You'll have Lord Fal- merston down upon you in a moment." No. We nre free to adopt what we conscientiously believe to be best without prohibition. And the Moth- er Church will thank us for trying the experiment for her. We can try it. (And yet can a man of faith doubt that, if God has appointed Dea- cons as an Order of the Ministry, [as the Church emphatically declares that He has] He will be pleased to give His blessing to the at- tempt to repair the breach which exists in the' • Thin objection has been more than once urged to myself by alumni of our own Diocesan CoUcko. walls of Sion, if the repair be set about in ft spirit of humble dependence on that blessing?) We can try it, I say, in this youthful Church, without danger ; and the experiment once proved a failure (I) can lay it aside without se- rious detriment; but She cannot. She not only looks with pride upon her Colonial Children, but conscious of their freedom from the shack- les of habit, and prescriptive right, and old established customs, she looks to them tometimtit to set her an example : to try those experiments which she and they alike know ought to be tried, and give her opportunity of adopting, as living realities, what emanated from herself as mere ideas. It has been mentioned as a practical objec- tion to the employment of an Order of Deacons such as is proposed in my Essay, that "the people would never respect them as fully as if they were Priests." I have no further answer to make than toconcur in the opinion. It is exact- ly what we want, that there should be an Order of Deacons, distinguished by broad and strong lines of demarcation frcm our Priests ; and that they should be held in lower estimation, or, which is better still, that our Priests should be thought even more highly of than they are at present. It has also been suggested to me that there are weak points in my Essay : and a friendly hand pointed out one which might be consid- ered such. Again 1 would reply that I do not expect my Essay to be looked upon as fault- less : nor, for that matter, should I feel myself tied to advocate or adopt every idea which is contained in it. It was thrown off in order to do some pioneer work in a good cause : and as it first went forth so I leave it : adding only a few remarks and explanations now. With one observation let me conclude this somewhat lengthy preface. It was my lot for several years after I came to this country (in 1845) to be present again and again at Ordina- tions, and it soon became very painful to me to listen to a Bishop demanding, and to Candidates undertaking, to do that which neither the Bish- op expected the Candidate, nor the Candidate himself could intend, however willing he might be, to do. A considerable lapse of time has not made the feeling any the less painful " It is up hill work — writes a friend — battling with the vis inertia of the mass. Still there is hope. One by one adherents come forward : and a true idea — a Christian one — cannot wholly die : cared for and nurtured by even a few careful hearts, it must ultimately suc- ceed." Yes, must, if watered, as we trust, with the dew of the Divine blessing. ESSAY ON THE DIACONATE. The following Canon has been prepared by an individual, that it may be submitted to the Pro- vincial Synod, in the absence of any known ac- tion of the Committee appointed to consider the subject, at the Synod held last September. It will be withheld if the Committee submit one of their own. It is offered to their acceptance if they will have it. PROPOgED CANON. Candidates for the office of Deacon (having received " faculties ") may be admitted to that ESSAY ON THE DIACONATE. set about in k that blessing?) Mithful Church, tperiment once side without se- t. She not only lonial Ohildren, from the shack- right, and old them sometimts ose experiments )w ought to be ' of adopting, as 1 from herself as practical objec- )rder of Deacons ssay, that "the em as fully as if urther answer to nion. Itisexact- ould be an Order road and strong Priests ; and that ■ estimation, or, Priests should be than they are at to me that there : and a friendly might be cousid- ply that I do not I upon as fault- uld I feel myself ry idea which is 'n oflf in order to 3d cause : and as : adding only a now. le conclude this t was my lot for this country (in again at Ordina- ' painful to me to md to Candidates neither the Bish- or the Candidate willing he might apse of time has less painful I friend — battling 3S. Still there is s come forward : an one — cannot irtured by even a ultimately sue- as we trust, with lCONATE. en prepared by an nitted to the Pro- of any known ac- ed to consider the it September. It ttee submit one of lieir acceptance if r Deacon (haying s admitted to that Order at the age of 21 years having first pass- ed such examination as shall satisfy the Bishop, in the following subjects, viz. ; the History, Antiquities, Ac, of the Bible, and its Doctrines as interpreted by the Prayer Book (including the Articles in joth languages); and also, an outline of Church History— regard being had ospecially to the period of tlie Reformation and to the History of the Church of England. ^fo Deacon shall be admitted to the Order of the Pricithood, until he shall have attained the age of twenty-five years, nor then (ordinarily) unless he shall have first passed a satisfactory examination in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, to- gether with such other subjects as the Bishop shall require. Nevertheless, a Bishop may, if he see fit, advance a Deacon to the Priesthood, after twenty-five years service in the Diaconate, without examinalion in Greek and Hebrew, if he shall have found him faithful, and shall judge that he has " purchased to himself a good de- gree." No Deacon shall have any independent spiritual charge, but shall be subject to the di- rection and superintendence of sucl. Priest as the Bishop shall place him under. It is desir- able, that in places, where there is not full em- ployment for Deacons in the particular methods set forth in the Ordinal, Deacons should be specially employed in the work of education. Deacons shall have no place in the Provincial Synod, but shall be admitted to the Diocesan Synods, under such conditions as the said Synods shall severally prescribe. " Faculties. " This word is introduced with reference to the Preface of the Ordinal. The granting of faculties is a legal prerogative of ths Archbishop of Canterbury. If we are tied by this legal provision as the Church is in England, " faculties " might easily be procured, and placed at the disposal of all Bishops in Ca- nada. No doubt. His Grace would be ready to grant them in this way upon application from the Synod. " Twenty-one years." The circumstances of this country, and of this Church, demand ad- mission to the Diaconate at an earlier age than twenty three. Other Professions are open to young men at au early age. It is highly expe- dient to place a much larger interval that at present exists, between the Diaconate and the Priesthood. The age of admissson to the Dia- conate has varied considerably : and there is no reason why thefixed age of twenty three should be regarded as unalterable. In Gibson's Codex, Tit. VI. C, V. may be seen the follow- ing comment upon the age of twenty-three years. "The Rule in the Councils, (and in the Canon Law out of the Councils) is twenty-five ; and a reason is there given for it from the 4th Council of Toledo. In veteri lege, ab anno vigesimo quinto Levita in tabernaculo servire mandantur. This also became a rule of the English Church, but it was a case dispensable; and in the Church of Rome, not only the Coun- cil of Trent made it twenty-three, but the Pon- tifical, published about the time of our Refor- mation, made the age of a Deacon sufficient, if it was not under twenty. To this, our Church, in the time of Edward the Vlth, added one. and is now come into the middle way, between the two extremes, viz., twenty-three ; pro'viding also a Faculty or dispensation for persons of extraordinary abilitieg, to be admitted sooner." In the Si8l«r Church of the U. S. the Diaco- nate is open at the age of twenty-one. A Bishop of that Church, who was ordained Deacon at twenty-one, told the writer a few days ago that it had been of incalculable value to him to have thus gained three years experience.* " Articles in both languages." This is whrft is meant, (is it not?) or meant principally, in the preface to the Ordinal, by the Deacon being found learned in the " Latin tongue." But after all, is a knowledge of even Latin absolutely indispensable for a Deacon ? " Twenty-five yeais." It is desirable to make the interval between the two Orders longer than it is, and more marked. The Priest who has gained experience, wiiereonlylt can be at- tained, in the Diaconate, will be a much more efficient Minister, or Priest, and will be received as such by his flock, when he comes to have a charge. The following extract from the 'Co- dex' will relieve any e.Ktra-Conservative minds from difficulty in adopting this age. " Four and twenty." Anciently, the age was thirty, from our Saviour's entering upon his mi- nisterial Office at that age : Doininusenimnoster Jesua Ckristus trigesimo anno bupthatus est : but the Canon Law, making an exemption to cases of necessity, and requiring no more than twenty five absolutely, that became the fixed age for the Order of Priesthood, and is so declared in t.he aforesaid Pontifical,and by the Council of Trent. But the methods of educi.ti(^a being in these last days more quick and compendious than in former times,tour Church has thought twenty- four sufficient with these limitations, (which are not in the Church of Rome with regard to twenty- five) that they shall be twenty-four complete (" full twenty-four " Ordinal) ; that there is no room left for dispensation ; and that till they are admitted to the Order of the Priesthood, they are not capable of any benefice or ecclesiastical promotion." The twenty-fifth year might, in most cases, be spent in College. The advantages of a year of calm study after 3 years of practical work, and of the influence of experienced men, becom- ing Students again, amongst, or at least in con- nection with, or in sight of, young Theological Students, would be immense. " Hebrew." Is it not the experience of every unfortunate Priest, who, like the writer, knows nothing or next to nothing, of the original lan- guage of the larger half of God's own Word, that he cannot thoroughty exercise that office of the " Scribe instructed unto the kingdom of Hea- ven," whom our Lord compares to " an house- holder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old." " A Bishop may xxx advance a Deacon xxx without XX Greek and Hebrew." It does not follow that because the Bishop may, he will. • I have been a little miBunderstood about the age at which admission should be opened to the Diaconate. Those whom I should wish to nee admitted at twenty - one are those who are recognized as intendpu for the Priesthood. They require, I think, a much longer probation than one year. It would scarcely be desi- rable to admit to the Diaconate those who, practically, could not rise to the higher order, until tliey were old enough to kiiow more of Ihomseivcs, than men onima- rilly know at twenty-one. t This argument applies with great force to the mo- dern Diaccnate. ESSAY ON THE DIACONATE. i ! I Yet there may be cases where he will " see fit " •oai to reward faithfulness in the Diaconate. It is lOt necessary to there being a permanent Dia- conate that any Deacon should be incapable of promotion ; that would be contrary to the spi- rit of 2 Tim. ill. 13. quoted in the Canon. Might not a period, or rather several periods of undy be, in some cases, allowed to the Dea- con during his first twelve years of service, if the Bishop considered himto have nbiMty and energy to fit himself for examination in (Ireelt and Hebrew. If he succeeded in the attempt, all well and good ; if he did not he would still gain something, and the Churcl. would gain something also. Those years of study had better be stated years, say the fourth, eightli, twelfth. A'Deacon could not then importune his Bishop to advance him out of course* "No independent spiritual charge." The mischief of inexperienced young men l)i'ing placed in independent charges is too well known, and too obvious, to need comment. All sensible young men, even after they have waited fbr admission to Holy Orders, till the age of 23, still desire to commence their ministerial duties (if it were possible) under some one who coald advise and direct them. Ooght there not to be, at least, one Deacon to every Priest? In our country Parishes, where a Priest now spends so much time upon the road travelling from one Congregation to another, and thus loses a vast amount of time which might, and ought to be given to better things, e. g. prayer and study, and attention to his family (1 Tim. iii. 4. Compare Genesis xviii. 19, and Sam. iii. 13), a Deacon might be placed in every congregation. One Priest might then have charge of half a doEen congregations, separated by distances of of from 5 or 6 miles to 20 miles. Thus, the Priest might live, say at A, where he would have also his Deacon to assist him, and to "baptize and preach" (ordinal) "in his absence." The Priest then would spend one Sunday at home. He would hold, of course, two services, with the Holy Communion at A. At all the other sta- tions the resident Deacons (" in the absence of the Priest") would hold also two services (a matter this of paramount importance.) Tlie next Sunday the Priest spends at B, twenty miles off, where, as at home the Sunday before, he administers the HolyCommunion,and catechizes the children. He leaves home to go to B, early on Saturday, and returns late on Monday,devot- ing two half days to visiting at B. Tuesday to Friday, he spends at home. The third Sunday is devoted to C and D in like manner. C is, say ten miles from A and five from D ; D being twelve from A. The fourth Sunday he spends similarly at E : and so on.f In the country then, there may be five or six ♦ This is the spot which was pointed out to me as wealt. I will only sav hfire, that this one point, or any other on« point, may be struck out without seriously injur- ing the system advo<'atpd iu the essay, as a whole. t When the Clergy hold services at out-stations once a month, or onoe a fortnight, do they not often partly defeat their own object f They create a desire for the Hiinistrations of relijdon : then thnrn steps ii> a self- appointed teacher to"take advantage of the deUciency thus hroutf ht home to the hearts of the people. Surely, as often as the Lord's Day recurs, the Lord's Service should be offered in every conRregation by some one, carryinK some shew of lawful authority. Deacons to each Priest. In towns, many par ishes require a Deacon, and perhaps twc '.oeftob Priest. If there happen to be two or three smar congregations, they might be placed under the charge of one Priest, as suggested above in country parts ; especially ought every Cathedral Church to have its staff of Deacons. " Deacons xxx employed in the work of cduca* tion." It is thought by some, and strongly de- nied by othern, that Deacons migh(, in part at any rate, support themselves by the labour ot their own hands, t I'^l >t be assumed now that they may not do so — although some Priests' lianil.^ among us are coarse and rough from holding a plougii, or wielding a mattock— still seeing tlmt "it appertaineth to the Office of a Deacon ' '• to instruct the youth in the Cate- chism ; " that numbers of Priests are employed in the work of education (secular as well as re- ligious); and they arc appointed to the Office of (even jecular)TeacherB by Bishops in some cases, wliilo in other cases Bjshops have held, and hold, the office of teacher themselves, with the approval of the body of the Church ; that "aptness to teach" is a Ministerial (not mere Diaconal) qualification ( 1 Tim. iii. 2. and 2 Tim ii. 24). A Deacon may certainly be employed in teaching : he will thus be enabled partly to earn his own living. And, who is going to cal- culate the blessing to the Christian world (yea. even to the unchristian world) of having a large body of Deacon schoolmasters? It would be one of the noblest works that any Bishop could do, to inaugurate such a body, in the vineyard over which the Lord has placed him to preside. This is already, a lengthy Essay. The im- portance and the largeness of the subject, re- quire length. There is yet more to be said. There are some objections to be examined. Without such examination, these suggestions would be perhaps, summarily dismissed as not- practical. Thus, It is asked, how are Deacons to be supported? Take first the country case we have proposed— there are Clergymen, suppose, at A, at B and C, and at D : three Clergymen, wearing out, not merely their horses and harness, but their hearts and spirits, in toiling continually on the road from one Church and congregation to another. Now one Priest and four Deacons would serve them all, as has been shewn above, better than the 3 Priests (for there would be always 2 services on each Sunday at each Church), and at no more cost ! It is allowed that £150 should be the minimum of a Priest's salary. The sala- ry of three Priests would be then £450. Now, as the Priest has need of a very much larger salary than the Deacon (He has travelling expenses, which the Deacon need not ; he ought to have many expensive books which the Deacon need not, &c. &c.), of those £450, £200 might be allotted to the Priest, and £50 (i. e. another £200) to the Deacons, and there would be £50 " to the good." The Deacon's salary need not be fixed at £50 ; it should range from £50 to £100. His labour as a schoolmaster would t There are many instances. I would fain believe, in which, in a country so destitute of the niiniKtrai>iou» of reliition, as parts of Canada are, Diaconal authority might bo very advantageously committed to Medlcail men. There are many such of good standing, God la thanked, who are sincere Christian men. ESSAY ON THE DIACONATK. wna, many p^r- HpB tWC *.0 MOb. 9 or three smaU aced under th« BBted above in !vi>ry Cathedral C0D8. ^ workofcducft* ind strongly de- light, in part at ly the labour ot sumed now that \\ sotno Priests ind rough from I mattock — still ,0 the Office of itli in the Cate- ts are employed lar as well asrc- 1 to the Office of ps in some cases, have held, and laelves, with the Church ; that terial (not mere iii.2.and 2 Tim aly be employed nabled partly to ois going to caU lian world (yea }f having a large s? It would be my Bishop could , in the vineyard dhim to preside. EssAy. The im- ' the subject, re- lore to be said, to be examined, lese suggestions dismissed as not- I to be supported? have proposed— e, at A, at B and wearing out, not i, but their hearts lally on the road ation to another. Deacons would jwn above, better would be always ach Church), and that £150 should salary. The sala- en £450. Now, as mch larger salary .veiling expenses, he ought to have the Deacon need ), £200 might be £50 (i. e. another ere would be £50 's salary need not nge from £50 to boolmaster would rould fain believe, in ai iho iiiiiiiKirsiiuus ', Diaconal authority aimltted to Medical od standing, God be sorely be worth another XSO I Take a harder looking case. Suppose there is a Clergyman at A, another for B, 0, a third at D, and a fourth for E. P. (i. Seven BUtlons.and fourCler- gymen at £150 each — their salaries produce an aggregate of £600. One Priest for the circuit, would receive £200, seven Daacons £60 each ; and, as before, there is £60 to spare. This plan would be very available also, where the Church is occupying new ground. So in town, there are offices connected with our Churches ; there are national and other schoolmasterships, there are fees for registra- tions, 4c., Ac, all of which might be made to furnish support for Deacons — the real interests of the Church gaining, not losing, by the trans- fer. Further, let any faithful Clergyman in a town parish (if tliey arc not faithful, they had better not be there) say from his pulpit— "I am . overworked, or, I cannot properly work my parish as things are now arranged : I am called away from the ' word of God' to ' serve tables —I want a Deacon (say, if you like, I want two Deacons) to help me"— the chances are that his Wardens will meet him in his Vestry, and guarantee him the £100 (or £200,) which are needed, if he can find the persons to till the office. Certainly his congregation will be will- ing to bear the necessary additional burthen. The Laity are not backward to come to the res- cue—show them that the case is good, and the necessity real, and you may count upon their support. A faithful Pastor makes a faithful congregation, and a willing one. It is said that the experiment of establishing a permanent order of Deacons has been tried, and failed. The experiment alluded to was made in a prominent English Diocese. The Bishop took pains to educate a number of men for Deacons— to be ordained and remain Dea- cons for life. His Priests were to be taken from the Universities as before. Now, having edu- cated his men for the Diaconate, so that they were as well prepared for Ministerial work, as men who came from Oxford and Cambridge, as far as theology was concerned at any rate, per- haps better than many ; he ought not to have expected that they would be content to remain in the lower order long— nor was it just that they should. This I believe was the simple fact; but I write merely from memory^_and may perhaps be quite mistaken. It is said that Deacons will not be content to remain Deacons. Not, if there be merely a solitary Deacon here and there in the Church ; his case Is disagreeably exceptional, and causes him to be continually talked of, and pointed to. But whenever there shall be a large body of Deacons in their Churc)i, when their status is determined, and their value recognized — when, in short, they feel and the Church feels, that the Deacons are in fact an Order, all this discontent will gradually and utterly die away. It is said again that the work required by the Church can be better done by other machin- ery than the Diaconate, — by lay readers, cate- chists, district visitors, &c. It is sad to hear' such things. Do we believe that Deacons are an order instituted bt Chhist oub Loud through his Apostles — an order which our Church declares upon the authority of the Scripture and universal Church history to have ever been in the Churcli, and shall we presums to supersede it by merely human appointmsnU? This is a very solemn matter. The Church professes publicly her belief that Deacons are » Divine Order. She sets forth most plainly thsir duties in unmlstakeable terms, and yet, (is it mora than fact to say 7) she has not one Deacon to shew who is engaged in doing that work ? Is not such a state of things a sUte odin/ul diio- btdUnce to the Lord, on the part of his spouse? It will be answered. Look at the present prosperous condition of the Church. What, then? Look a little farther back to the dull and lethargic state which preceded it. What, under God's blessing, has redeemed the Church from that position? What but (on»> may call it) the revival of the Order of Bilu^ps. Go on now. Revive the third Order. Under the same Divine blessing, which is wont to be poured out more abundantly than either (alas!) wo desire or deserve, may we not hope, may we not ex- pect, that the multiplication of sects, which has been both the plague and the shame of our Re- formed Church, will cease, and that her strayed children will gradually return back to the fold. If the Church is prospering now— and God be thanked she is— will she not be doubly prosper- ous when she has all Bsa holy ordkrs "in strong and beauteous order ranged." First, let us have the ministerial offices complete, which are clearly appointed by our Divine head ; then if we find occasion for other supplementary Hu- man Institutions, lay readers, catechists, Sun- day school teachers, and the like, by all means add them ; but do not tubstitute them. Christ, the Head, knows better what His Spouse, the Church, requires, than she does herself. Once more it will be said— After all, let well alone — all changes are troublesome and incon- venient. A good rule that, Let well alone, when all is whll. Is it well, when children, (agreeable, nice children it may be, yet) diso- bey their parents ? Is it well, when the Church neglects the order of her Divine Head, and wit- nesses against herself every time ber Chief Pastors lay hands upon a (go-called) Deacon, that she is unfaithful ? What if changes are troublesome and inconvenient? What is hu- man life but an aggregate of troubles and in- conveniencies ? The man who lives to himself may hug his comforts and cling to his enjoy- ments. But life, real life, the life of the man who serves his generation,-i8 that ever free from toil and self-sacrifices? It is a troubjesome work, which lies before the Church to perform. It cannot be accomplished except with due time, and by patience, and by perseverance. But, if it be God's work, let none bo daunted ; let us set about it heartily, believing, in the spirit of Gamaliel, that what is of God cannot be overthrown. Other objections might be brought forward. Only one more, which will suggest itself against the plan here proposed for employing Deacons need be noticed. It will be said that the Dea- cons, being also schoolmasters, will not have time to give to both offices. If the Deacon were a Professor of a College, whose duties require that he shouid be all the while an esergetic stu- dent himself, there might be force in the objec- tion. But the Deacon's teaching being elemen- ' tary, would be just so many hours work per 8 ESSAY ON TFIE DIACONATE. day, probably 3ix : his teaching once over, he would be free. He would have no labour in preparing aermons ; " homilies," or sermona prepared by others, would be put into his hands. (See Ordinal.) He would have only five days teaching in a week, that, like others, he might enjoy that rest of one day in sovon, which is the inheritance of the whole liuman race. With these re-'tricticns, his time would not be so occupied but that he might give nearly half of it to the other works prescribed for Deacons. To this somewhat lengthened Essay the poet's words will be a not unsuitable conclu- sion — Si quid novisti roctius istiH, CandiduB iiuporti : si non his utoro. The writer will consider himself well repaid for his labour, if it pro uces any better plan, or if it tends to advance by even one little step, the all-important work of the Revival of the Dia- conate. APPENDIX A. l^REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE DIACONATE. Provincial Synod, 1862. Your Committee presume that every mcmljcr of this House will concur in the opinion that the crying need of the Church in Canada, and indeed, to a less extent, of the Mother Church, is ♦he insufficiency in the number of her Inferior Ministers. Every one feels the want of an increased ministerial agency, as well in our crowded cities as in the country missions, where a comparatively small population is often scat- tered over a vast extent of country. To rfupply this want two schemes present themselves for our consideration. One is to make the Diaconate not, as now, a mere step- ping-stone to the Priesthood, but a permanent Order. The other is to employ a lay agency, under the title of Sub-Deacon or Reader, To effect the first it would be necessary to lower the standard of qualifications for candi- dates for Deacons' orders. Your Committee are well aware that strong objections have been made to this ; but they conceive that all such objections are more than outweighed by the consideration, that on the other hand it wouhl bring into the ministry of the Church many able and pious men from the middle classes of Society, the very men who frequently become Dissenting Preache.-s, not from hostility to the Church, but ixcause the Church otters them no work to do. Another objection has been raised, to the effect that it would not be possible to find a sufficient number of men who weld be willing to take the name and duties of Clergymen while they would be expected permanently to fill an inferior office. To this it may be replied that this objection is valid under present cir- cumstances, but that it would cease to exist as soon as there is a large body of Deacons, whose position is defined and value recognized ; in Order, We do not find that a comes an similar objectio". deters men from entering other professions ; nor indeed do they refuse to become Priests because they have no expecta* tion of becoming Bishops, It is not, however intended absolutely to cut off all Deacons from the hope of rising to the Priesthood. They may still "purchase to themselves" the higher step, by "giving good proof of their ministry." And in connection with this part of the subject two advantages suggest themselves, which may result from the adoption of this scheme, both of which have long been very gen- erally felt to be desirable. The first of them, is that the standard of qualifications for the higher order of the Priesthood might be materially raised ; and the second, that the time during which all Deacons should remain such, might be considerably extended. Your Committee proceed to notice another objection, and one which they are well aware, presents some grave practical difficulty. It is argued, namely, that while it would be difficult to raise funds for the remuneration of such Deacons, they would, after all, cost nearly as much as many priests. In reply to this, it must not however be forgotten that the ques- tion is not entirely one of comparative cost, but rather this : How can we best strengthen the Church, and extend Rer influence in those classes, where her influence is at present least felt? How can she best retain her hold upon the thousands who every year come to this country as Churchmen, buj, gradually drop off from the Church, because she provides for them no adequate supply of spiritual food? flow can she best regain those who have wandered from her fold, but still in their hearts own al- legiance to her authority ? In answering these questions, we cannot ignore the fact, that if the Redeemer has instituted a system for His Church, that system must of necessity be better than any which human wisdotp can devise ; and that that Branch of the Church which ig- nores or neglects any part of that system cannot be expected adequately to accomplish the great work committed to it. " It is evident," says our Prayer-book, "unto all men diligently reading the Holy Scripture and ancient authors, that from the Apostles time there have been these Orders of Ministers in Christ's Church: Bishops, Priests, and Deacons." If this state- ment is true, it is equally true that in the Canadian Church, we may almost say in the whole Anglican Church, there is at the present day practically no Order of Deacons. May this not in a great measure account for the fact that such large numbers of the lower classes have either left the Church, to swell the ranks of dissent, or are living as nearly like infidels and heathens as is possible in a Chris- tian land, During several generations the Church of F^nglind neglected to provide for an extension of the Episcopate in those vast Co- lonics to which lier children were carrying her laws, her language, and her pure faith ; and the fatal consequences, in the prevalence of heresies, the multiplication of sects, and the alienation of vast numbers of her people, be- came but too apparent. During the last thirty years slic has made great efforts to repair this ,.An,1n/.f • nnfl il./k ...^ai.lt )m.1ar On'^'a VilncQinrp "•■& 1 ■"■ ' •' : * ' 3: is visible in the comparatively prosperous con- from entering ) they refuse to ive no expecta- is not, however 1 Deacons from jsthood. They (res " the higher their ministry." lis part of the )8t themselves, ioption of this fbeea very gen- first of them, is 18 for the higher . be materially he time during lin such, might notice another ire well aware, 1 difficulty. It e it would be remuneration of all, cost nearly i reply to this, n that the ques- irative cost, but strengthen the uence in those at present least her hold upon ir come to this adually drop ofi" rovides for them al food? flow have wandered hearts own al- answering these he fact, that if system for His cessity be better lip can devise ; hurch which ig- it system cannot mplish the great s evident," says men diligently ancient authors, there have been hrist's Church: ' If this state- rue that in the almost say in there is at the ier of Deacons, ure account for ;rs of the lower hurch, to swell ig as nearly like sible in a Chris- generations the to provide for an I those vast Co- cre carrying her pure faith ; and e prevalence of ■ sects, and the ' her people, be- g the last thirty :ts to repair this ESSAY ON THE DIACONATE. 9 nniV)ent in all his miuistrations. APPENDIX B. Rev. Canon Bancroft, Rev. Dr. Nicolls, Rev. H. Roe, Rev. W. Bettridge, Rev. Dr. Boomer, Rev. Dr. Short, Rev. D. Lindsay, Rev. C. For- est, Yen. Archdeacon Brough, Rev. Provost of Trinity College, Rev. W. Bleasdell, Ven. Arch- deacon Lauder, Hugh Taylor, Esq., Rev. A. J. Woolryche, B. T. Morris, Esq., Dr. Bovell, Hon. Judge McCord, W. P. Simpson, Esq., Rev. Dr. Caulfeild. Ven. Archdeacon of Toronto. APPENDIX C. A VOICE FROM WITHOUT. THE DIACONATE. We have been particularly struck with the following admirable article, in the Toronto Globe, of the 2 7th Sept. last, and insert it for the benefit of our readers. Our contemporary has fallen into a mistake by supposing that the Deacons are merely laymen— they are the first Order of the Ministry ; — E(/t7or Ontario Epis- copal Gazette. " The Provincial Synod of the Church of Eng- land have had under discussion a proposition, the importance of which, as regards the Church herself, it is almost impossible to exaggerate. It is also one in which the community at large must feel great interest. The Episcopalian Church in Canada is a powerful body ; its foun- dations are firmly fixed in the land ; its members are numerous, influential and intelligent. This being the case, any measure calculated legitima- tely to increase its usefulness must be looked upon with interest by all, no matter to what denomination they may belong. "But notwithstanding the progress the Church of England has made, many of her members, and many of her well-wishers in other churches, have felt that there has been an element wanting in her ministrations, which has impeded her progress and limited her use- fulness. She has been too exclusive. She took as her model the Church of England, a wealthy ecclesiastical organization, supported by the State and existing in a thickly settled countvy. It is notour place to discuss the question whe- ther the Church of England is an exact tran- script of that which existed in the times of the Apostles or not. All we know is that it has not the form best calculated to gain influence in Canada,whete it has but small State revenue to depend upon, where the people are compar- atively poor, where the i.opulation is sparse, and where it has to enter into the contest upon nearly equal terms with other sects. The vo- luntary principle and independence of the State have necessitated certain modifications, with- out which the Church would certainly cease to exist. To meet the new wants occasioned by the change of circumstances, the congregations send lay representatives to the Synods, by whose j votes, conjointly with those of the Clergy, the 1 Bishops are elected. This was a step in advance; and, however much its result may have been I dreaded when first it was taken, we apprehend i all must admit that its succeaS has been as great ' 10 ESSAY ON THE DIACONATE. )! il as the best friends of the Church could desire. It has brought her members closer around her; it has given the most telented of her children an opportunity to exert themselves for her ad- vancement ; and it has created an interest in her doing that formerly was almost entirely wanting. Shorn of her temporal power, the Church could inflict no harm on her members, so that she did not require looking after on that account, and as there was little work for laymen to do, every- thing was left to the Clergy. Now one of the great causes of the rapid advances made by other denominations consists in this — that they excite an active interest among their members by giving them something to do, by investing them with some share of power, by providing them with amission, be itever 30 small, which they take a pride in performing. The Church of England in Canada has felt the truth, of this by her in- creased strength and usefulness since she has been popularized by the introduction of the elective system : and there is now pending a pro- position for further decentralization, which, though for the present it has been laid on the shelf, is so manifestly advantageous, and has upon its side such able advocates, that in the end it will certainly prevail. " Hitherto the Church has been very partic- ular from whom she has received help. While other Churches have ever been ready to press into their service godliness and learning where- ever found, the Anglican has persistently re- fused to allow the gospel to be preached by any layman. In her worship of forms she has ex- cluded from her pulpits all those who have not gone through the prescribed course of Divinity and the conventional quanity of Latin and Greek We are by no means among those who hold that an uneducated Christian can, as a general rule, preach the truth as well or as effectually as the learned Christian ; but this we are compelled to acknowledge, that there are many men who know not Greek from Latin, or Hebrew from either, who possess a natural capacity for speak- ing far superior to tl >. learned Reci-or or the polished Dean. But for these men there is now no room in the E jglish Church. No matter how devout, no matter how well able to instruct others in the Gospel, if they have not gone through the prescribed University course, they must either keep their lips closed, or join some other religious body ; and this in face of the fact that there are large districts of country where the authorized pastor is never seen, or which he is seldom able to visit. " It is now proposed to remedy this defect by employing laymen to preach, to gather congre- gations around them, and to perform most ot the functions of the re{/ular Clergymen. An acquaintance with the Scriptures,with the doc- trines of the Church, and some knowledge of ecclesiastical history will be required, but the " course " through which they have to pass, will be much more limited than that of the man who aspires to the Priesthood. Whether they would earn their livelihood entirely by thei"- ministrations would depend mainly upon them- selves. Some might do this, while others would still work during a portion of their time at their trades. And thus, in the opinion of its advocates, the office of the Diaconate would be restored to the position it occupied in the primitive Church. "We do not pretend to look at this matter as Churchmen. We have merely asked if it would be likely to advance the cause of a denomination which we believe, in spite of prelacy and trac- tarianism, to be doing good in the land. And we thinkit would. The deacons would undoubt- edly conduce as much to the prosperity and growth of the Anglican Church, as the local preachers have done to that of the Methodist Church. Though the proposition has been laid aside until the next meetiag of the Provincial Synod, during the three years which must inter- vene, it will doubtless be agitated in the Dio- cesan Synods, and from the talent and influence of the gentlemen, both Clerical and Lay, who advocate it, it must ultimately triumph. The very agitation of such a question shows a great advancement in the ideas of Churchmen. We are glad to see, too, that it is not supported ex- clusively either by " high " or " low ", but that both parties are divided, though if anythinf thos3 who have generally the reputation Off being high-churchmen are loudest in its favour.* Iiave not gone ty course, they I, or join some 1 face of the fact antry where the or which he is y this defect by gather congre- rform most ot lergymen. An 3,with the doc- e knowledge of iiuired, but the have to pass, that of the man Whether they tirely by thei'- nlyupon tbem- le others would cir time at their of its advocates, i be restored to imitive Church, it this matter as iked if it would a denomination elacy and trac- the land. And would undoubt- prosperity and 1, as the local the Methodist 3n has been laid the Provincial tiich must inter- ed in the Dio- ntand influence and Lay, who triumph. The n shows a great aurchmen. We )t supported ex- ' low ", but that gh if anythinf e reputation af Bt in its favour.' APPENDIX D. THE DIAGONATE NEEDED AS A REAL MINISTRY. \n Essay read at the April Meeting of the Clerical Association of the Home District, held 8t the Rev. W. Belt's, Scarborough: By the Rev. J. Carry, B.D. (Bishop's Col- lege, Lennoxville.) Proposed by the Rev. Dr. Beaven seconded by the Rev. Mr. Grant, and carried,— " That the Rev. Mr. Carry be requested to there is yet one element of comfort in the sur- vey—and that is, the assurance which they afford of man's spiritual nature ; that he is allied to God, and that religion is a necetsity. It is impossible then, but that our brethren of the backwoods, destitute of the services they loved, without the protecting presence of their Spiritual Mother, should contract new religious ties, and that out of ''^e very necessity of their nature, out of the irrepressible craving of their souls ; and particularly when those cravings would find a real satisfaction in the many blessed truths, and in the real worship of what we all most firmly believe to be defec- tive systems of Christian doctrine, and defec- tive expressions of Christian worship. When " That tne uev. Mr. i^aiij- uc ic4uvo.,v,>^ >... ^ ^j^g expressions oi \jnri8imu nuisun.. .. ^v^ publish his excellent Essay on the Diaconate in '< ^j^^^ transplanted, the transference of affections, - f »i,„ r>i,„-nV. r.onoro with a view to awaken ' ^ i „ ;„ fimo /^nmniptf ftnd the converts one of the Church papers with a view to awaken attention among Churchmen to the subject, and to elicit further discussion of it." H. B. OsiEB, Secretary. Of the wants of the Provincial Church in the present day, perhaps the most grievously felt, and the most clamorously expressed is the want of those " who labour in the word and doctrine." This is the burden of many of our appeals to the Laity, and therefore, I need not stay to insist upon it as a fact. It too, becomes in time complete, and the converts of necessity are content, or even more. And in after years, when the Churcu Missionary comes in like an intruder, one can hardly hope —some may not even think it right to wish- that ties so formed should be broken. Though such are lost to the Church— except in so far as all that is true and good is of her— they arc not lost to God. But there is a sadder case. Those who did not urgently feel their spiritual necessities (always the greater number) would stand aloof from the existing worships, and per- rrheaTtirLmittTon'Sl hands: That the I hrpTmTke'their attachment to the Church the IB nearuiy _«''J'"'\^^" _^_ _^ . .. '„„,.,„„ \ „rPtPTt fordoing so. till they were hardened in number of the Clergy is out of all proportion small, compared with the work to be done ; j and the more thoughtful among the Clergy and | Laity alike deplore the mournful consequen- ces. If we go to the newer settlements we find our people often for the first ten years wholly destitute of Church ministrations ; and, as they are in a large measure emigrants, who are not ac- quainted with the circumstances of the Church in this Province, and who expect the same min- istrations to some extent, that they were accus- tomed to in the old world, without exertion on their part ; a feeling of indignation not at all unnatural, as it arises from ignorance, springs up in their hearts, against what they deem the unkind and unjust neglect of the Canadian Church and her authorities. This feeling is aggravated by seeing the activity, and the numerous officials among then of various reli- gious denominations; and j . ; r.aps the flame of discontent is not unfanneJ Ly the taunting reminders of their neglected and isolated con- dition, made by their neighbours of a different ipiritnal household. Thus are great numbers prepared to become bitter apostates from the Church. I feel confident that such of my brethren as have had much experience of coun- try missions will justify this statement. But where there is n" such bitter origin of defection, the defection advances none the reSB. nowovcr ruvuiiiug n i"ttj •••■ "• • • plate the wretched superstitions of the world, pretext for doing so, till they were hardened in religious indifference, and almost hopelessly dead to spiritual impressions. And this miser- able residuum left by the canker-worm of irre- ligion affords the chief part of the nucleus of « "future congregation, which from motives well known, but not by any means of the most spiritual character, seek the presence of a resi- dent Clergyman. Alas ! what a lavish and too unprofitable outlay of pains and prayers has been often made upon such an uapromising soil, many of my brethren well know. Thus it is that we not only lose ultitudes in the new grounds— many of whoi.. are wholly lost to God, but we lose prestige too ; we acquire as a Church, a reputation for lack of spiritual life and character, and so it becomes more difficult to maintain our ground against the many sects, whom we are in sadness compelled to call hos- tile. We make the future work also enormously difficult, by allowing a whole generation to grow up without any religious training, or with a sectarian one. Of the paucitv of Clergy in the settled charges I shall only a'ay— ^liat the work of a pas- tor cannot in numerous cases be adequately discharged. The Shepherd of souls cannot " call his own sheep by name ; families can be visited in some large charges, not oftener than once or twice a year, and how then can indi- viduals be traintd and guided to peBfection ? That tender and solemn charge of our Re- n 12 ESSA^ ON TIJE DUCONATE deeraer — " Feed my lambs," cannot in the vast majority of cases receire more tlian the shadow of observance, if even so much. These are the consequences of the lack of labourers which wo complain of. The impor- tance of fully apprehending those consequen- ces must be my excuse for so long an intro- duction. We are now to inquire what prospect there is of remedying this stale of things. The remedy, I think, cannot be found while we continue to follow strictly oitr present system of employing none in Ministerial duties but per- sons of Academical education. This is easily demonstrated. The existing number of Clergy fully doubled would not more tban meet our positive wants. Undoubtedly, so large an in- crease, or evfen much less, would create a won- derful feeling of relief, and for some time would put an end to all complaining ; but it would not more than meet actual wants ; and we are now considering not how a temporary relief may be obtained, but in what way a full and permanent provision may be made for the work of the Min- istry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ. Now, let me ask, is there the remolu^ probabili- ty of increasing twofold the present relation of the number of the Clergy to the Laity, within the next fifty years? I see none judging from the past history of the British Provinces and the American Church.* We know that but a small proportion of our present clergy are entirely supported by the people — not more, perhaps, in this Diocese than one-third, and in the newer Dioceses, and in those of Eastern Canada, a still smaller proportion. Yet we u re sttaitened to do so much. But if our num- bers were doubled, then four-thirds of the Clergy would have to be supported by volun- tary contributions — i. e. the Church would have to raise a sum not very far from four times what it does at present. And can it be be lieved that there is any likelihood ot this being done ? Oh, that the hearts of our peo- ple were enlarged — for then it could ; but to bring iibout the high state of spiritual cultiva- tion and productiveness required for this, the means themselves are wanting. Any very serious advance, in the proportion of religious contributions, we are not justified in speedily expecting — much less their quadrupling. Can we do aothing, then? or nothing that will render our available resources more efifec- tiva for good? Despair, certainly, is no part •of cur creed, and should be no part of our practice. If we find our present system not ♦ The official reports of all the Dioccoea to the Gen- eral Convention of 1859, show that at that time about 1400 parishes enjoyed the full services of one or more Clergymen ; 300 parishes had only half services, or less; leaviuK about 400 parishes vacant ! And though both Clergy and Laity have increased since 18.59, the proper, tions have probably not changed, except perhaps, for the worse, by the removal of so many pastors from the parish to the uamp. During the 15 years, from 1811 to 1869, our parishes, pastors, and people were just about doubled, while the candidates for Orders incrvnsad in less than half the same ratio. When to keep pace with the growth of the church, they ought to liave Iseen 400, they wore less than 300 ! From 1830 to W-W, our Clerg" increased atthe rate of 10 per cent, per annum. But from 1R50 to 18K0 the rate of increase was less than 4 per cent, per annum ! From Ilaport Of " Society for the increase of the Ministry. " meeting the requirements of the Church, should we not bethink ourselves of going back to first principles, and ask ourselves, Jlre we doing the Lord's work in the Lord's way — or in our own 1 For God's work, He has Himself created agen- cies, and prescribed the manner in which they are to be used. Now the chief agency for the perfecting of the saints, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, is the Holy Ministry — itself a Divine gift, and its powers given of God. This is a treasure not to be impaired, but to bo jealously guarded. If any part of this agency, or any of its powers should be lost, the fault is ours; for the Divine Author of the ministry intended it to endure " till we all come to a perfect man." Of this the Church of England is fully convinced as a theory. Witness her Ember prayer : " Almighty God, the giver of aM good gifts, who of thy divine providence hast appointed Divers Orders in Thy church." Witness the whole Ordinal — Witness the count- less volumes of jjolemics which maintain the three Orders of Bishop, Priest, and Deacon, against all sectaries. We have the Ministry — but have we it as God intended it should be used ? In several points I believe we have not. I shall confine the following observations to the Order of Deacons. This order we have but do we use it orderly ? To answer this question we must inquire what are the duties and power', belonging to this Or- der. Now this inquiry is fully met by the Or- dinal of the English Church in the following words : " ft appertaineth to the office of a Dea- con in the Church where he shall be appointed to serve, to assist the Priest in divine Service ; and specially when he ministereth the Holy Com- munion, to help him in the distribution thereof, and to read Holy Scriptures and Homilies in the Church; and to instruct the youth in the Catechism ; in the absence of the Priest to bap« tize infants, and to preach, if he be admitted thereto by the Bishop. And furthermore, it is his office, when provision is so made, to search for the sick, poor, and impotent people of the parish, to intimate their estates, names, and places where they dwell, unto the curate, that by his exhortation they may be relieved with the alms of the parishioners, or others." In this statement our Prayer Book is a perfect daguerreotype of primitive doctrine and usage. The learned investigations of the most compe- tent and trustworthy explorers of Christian an- tiquity, through of different Schools cf doctrine, such has Neander, Bingham, and Suicer, conduct us to the same result, tallying completly with onr Ordinal. They represent the Deacon as not allowed to celebrate Baptism (ordinarily) or the Eucharist, nor to preach (in our modern sense.) The preaching so frequently ascribed to them was of a literal sort— the giving of public notices and directions in Divine Service, they instructed Catecumens, they read the Gospel, they assisted in the celebration of the Sacraments, and they had the management ofthe temporalities of the Church entrusted to them in a great degree. But to teach publicly, they were not allowed. Only in " cases of exigence," says Bingham, they might read the Homilies of luc raiucra. We boast of antiquity — are our Deacons after this ancient model ? Emphatically, No 1 The ESSAY ON THE DtACONATE. IS ) Church, should ing back to first ^re we doing the — or in our own ? ilf created agen- 3r in which they r agency for the e edifying of the tinistry — itself a given of God. paired, but to be t of this agency, )e lost, the fault • of the ministry e all come to a urch of England y. Witness her rod, the giver of livine providence in Thy church." 'ilness tLecount- ch maintain the st, and Deacon, ave the Ministry ided it should be leve we have not. observations to :der vre have but lust inquire whftt iging to this Or- y met by the Or- ,n the following e office of a Dea- lall be appointed I divine Service ; th the Holy Oom- tribution thereof, and Homilies in the youth in the he Priest to bap« ' he be admitted 'urthermore, it is 1 made, to search nt people of the Ltes, names, and I the curate, that be relieved with or others." In ook is a perfect ;trine and usage, the moat compe- ; of Christian an- hools cf doctrine, dSuicer, conduct J completly with t the Deacon as m (ordinarily) or (in our modern quently ascribed t— the giving of a Divine Service, they read the clebration of the lanagement ofthe ntrusted to them ch publicly, they ases of exigence," 1 the Homilies of wr Deacons after ically. No! The Deacon of the English Church diflfers from the Priest in but three particulars, so far as the per- formance of ministerial duties is concerned ; viz, he cannot celebrate the Eucharist, he cannot absolve, he cannot bless. But he is continually put in care of souls, entrusted with large and important shares of missionary labour, on ex- actly the same conditions as the Priest ; though this is expressly against the Ordinal, in which we clearly see the deacon is not intrusted with care of souls. While in the Office for the or- daining of Priests, this main idea runs through the whole, and receives the most awfully solemn and distinct recognition. I maintain, then, our practice is against our theory as set forth in the Prayer Book, and against the example of that antiquity to which we make such confident ap- peals in behalf of our ministry. It is easy to say that we have the three Orders, including the Diaconate ; but it is as easy to answer with in- convertible truth, that we have it as the Romish Church has the Scriptures— and not otherwise, i. e, we have it but do not use it aright ; nor would it be an unpardonable hyperbole to say —at all. With reference to all those works which peculiarly belong to the Diaconate, that Order practically does not exist. A Diocese with us may be a year without half a dozen Dea- cons even in name, and may be 'forever without one in reality. Contrast this wUh the primitive Church. It is true that for the first ages a sort of prejudice confined the number of Deacons in each church to seven ; but this was seen to be unreasonable, and accordingly in the sixth cen- tury we find a hundred deacons in the principal church of Constantinople, and at a little latter period one hundred and fifty. In any organized body, civil, military, or religious, the absurdity is obvious of having the higher ranks vastly outnumbering the inferior— as in the Yankee militia of peace times all were colonels, or as in our church, in which the specially assisting min- istry ia " nowhere." Every one knows what various orders of inferior attendants waited on the Temple- service, and even in the Synagogue. The primitive Church had a pretty long list of ministering classes." So has the Latin Church. So has almost every Protestant sect that is making a mark upon society. But " dignity" is onr idol. Our lowest ministers must be "scholars and gentlemen." The church is dy» ing of dignity," said the American Bishop Gris- ^old — strange ; when she is not sick of it yet I If the Rubric prefixed to the Office for the Or- daining of Deacons were insisted on, " When the day appointed by the Bishop is come, after morning prayer is ended, there shall be a Ser- mon or Exhortation declaring the duty and of- fice of such as come to be admitted Deacons ; how necessary that Order is in the church of Christ, and also how the people ought to es- teem them in their office ; " if this were insisted on, how nonplussed would be the most ingen- ious amongst us to reconcile our practice with the belief of the necesity which we proclaim. T !im bold to say, and I am safe from contradic- tion, that if a Deacon be no more than he is in * Cornelius, Bishop of Ronno, A. D. 254, in Euseb. ti D Uix>k V!.. Ktstes tii(^ Rouia!! clprsy to he 48 Pres- byters, 7 Deacons, 42 Acolytes, 52 Kxorcists, Sectors ..iid Porters. the Diocese of Toronto, we can do quite as well without this office, and it seems a profanity and a mockery to talk of it as a Divine Order and necessary. Were our candidates at once ad- mitted to the Presbyterate— supposing that pos- sible—what conceivable diEFerence would it make in the aspect of the Church or in the work done ? Would the mass of the Laity even notice the change ? ...» 1 do not now ask, Have we the ministry given by the Lord Jesus ? but 1 do ask. Are we using ii as He designed and as the Apostolic and primitive Church has set us the example ? And if we are not, can it be possible to do effec- tually the work of the ministry without the ful- ness of the ministry,— if any of its parts bo maimed, or its labours not properly directed? Our first Provincial Synod gives a decided negative. Our next enquiry must be how to make this Holy Order, so long in practical abeyance, a reality— a living power : how, almost literally, to revive it. , , . ^ j While positive in what I have already stated I would speak with becoming hesitation as to the remedy. But the Diaconate, I conceive, may be restored in two forms. First. There might be a class of Deacons wholly separated to sacred ministration, and paid from the common revenues of the church and this class should, I think, be as Inrge as possible. Then as to their qualifications; since the peculiar duties of the Deacon as set forth in the Ordinal, require little or (to speak correctly) no scholastic learning, we need look for no more than good sense, well attested piety and such a competent knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, the Prayer Book, and Theology in general, as an ordinary English Education will enable any one, with Divine assistance, to ob- tain. Most assuredly it is quite as much in our power to obtain men of this class for deacons, as it is for the Methodist body to secure them for preachers. These latter, too, are obliged reasonably enough, to go through a course of English Divinity, in private reading, during the first four years of their ministry, on which they are from time to time examined by proper persons. And who can say that such a person as I have described is not apt or meet for the duties of a deacon as laid down in the Ordinal? Can he not assist the Priest in Divine service? Can he not aid in distributing the elements in the Holy Communion ? Can he not read Scrip- tures an<' Homilies in the church ? Are there not scores of lay readers and catechists doing this ? Can he not instruct the youth in the cate- chism? Are there not thousands of Sunday School Superintendents with less knowledge than we presuppose doing this with acceptance and earning the thanks of the clergy and the whole church ? Does it require Greek and Phi- losophy to enable a Deacon to baptize infants in the absence of the Priest ? And as for these offices of temporal charity to the sick, poor, and impotent people are there not many lay peo- ple, men and women, with no learning other than the loving instinct of the heart, endeavour- ingto do this in an imperfect irregular way, in all our large towns and cities? And shall a Divine and forrr,;!'. commission render one of these charitable souls less competent to those 14 ESSAY ON THE DIACONATE. i -ffood works? Or shall a Layman without, learning be able to do well what a Deacon can- act do without literature and science? The only duty which a Deacoi. may not disc> ..ge eflFectually without some degree of learning, la that of preaching; a«d this we must admit does not necessariUy pertain to his oftice. However there often is great aptitude for wise and eflec- iive preaching when there is little learning of a scholastic or formal sort— often far more than any amount of mere learning can furnish. And where natural talents, prudence, and piety con- cur—then it would be well if unlearned Deacons were licensed by the Bishop to preach. If in a large tract of new country an expe- rienced Priest was set down with a number of such Deacons, to superintend their work, (and for a couple of years perhaps their readings,) so that they should be really assistants to the Priest and not themselves intrusted with inde- pendent care of souls, what a new and glori- ous future would be in store for our Church! The new ground would be by us preoccupied and cultivated. Speedily would settled congre- gations be organized, and that before the peo- ple were demoralized by schism, disheartened by neglect, or hardened by irreligion. Such of those Deacons too as had been thoroughly prov- ed, and had honourably " purchased to them- selves a good degree," would with justice and advantage be raised to ti at degree. To this class of subordinate labours, the Deacons who proceed from our Colleges, and aspire immediately to the Priesthood, should for the twelve months of their Diaconate be somewhat strictly, if not rigidly confined. _ iSecoad— .But there is another form which the Diaconate may assume with advantage— a local and more secular form. I would have persons of discrest age, of fair intelligence, and whose integrity and piety would command the suffrages of their respective congregations, admitted to the Diaconate, in its most limited and strictly defined character. Such deacons should assist the Priest in Divine Service by reading lessons and prayers, administering the elements, superintending Sunday Schools, bap- tizing or burying in the Priest's absence ; and on the Sundays on which the Priest is absent, they should read prayers and a sermon, as Lay Readers do now. And what farmer or black- smith not to mention schoolmasters, mer- chants, doctors or lawyers,— is not competent to do all this ? What learning or intellect is requisite for it? But were it done, how migh- tily would our few overtasked Priests be supple- mented, how blessedly would our poor deso- late half starved congregations be strength- ened and enriched? I wish it to be particu- larly noted, that with the exception of assist- ing in the Sacraments, every ministry I have named is discharged by laymen at the present time. Why, then, should not those services be performed by Deacons ? Or, can man's way of lay-catechists and lay-readers be better than God's way of commissioned servants ? These local and secular Deacons, as they might be called, present the advantage of being almost everywhere attainable and inexpensive. THfere are not many congregations in which materials for a suitable Deacon could not be found — a person who would gladly on Sundays and spare week-day hours, render valuable help Nor would they think of receiving anything for their labours of love. " The Deacons," (of the Nestorian Christians) says Mr. Fletcher, an English Clergyman, who resided long in the East, " rarely redeivc anything, as they are generally merchants and men of business, from whom the Canons of the East do not require the surrender of their worldly calling, unless they wish to advance to the higher grade of the Priesthood." The details of the plans here sug- gested could doubtless be settled in a manner so wise and cautious, as to obviate as much as possible, whatever evils might inhere in such methods, or might arise temporarily from their novelty. . , . . , Let me here meet an objection which lias been made, ^nd is sure to be often and sti-ongly reiterated, viz., that this scheme would lower the learr.ng of the Clergy, and diminish the people's reverence for the Ministry. I maintain the contrary of both, i. e. as a final result. First, 1 ask, how is it possible for our over- tasked Clergy to make any serious progress in learning, after they have been admitted to Holy Orders ? Is it not true, that in most cases theyVather go back in mere learning? How many have told me that they passed a far better examination fer Deacons Orders than they did for Priest's. Now a whole day is often lost in going a long distance to baptize a sick child, when the local Deacon would, in most cases, be at hand to perform that office. The Priest would, by this scheme, be relieved from a considerable portion of outward and ri- tual duties, and be enabled to engage more earnestly in the more purely spiritual work of the care of souls. I am quite sure, that ser- mons would not so often be the meagre, hungry things they are, if our Clergy had the helps which Christ and the Church designed they should have. In fact, under this scheme, we might fairly expeot to see the standard of preparation for Priest's Orders considerably elevated. The second objection— that the peo[de's rev- erence for the Ministry, would be diminished— I also deny. In cases, too many to be deemed exceptional, our people's reverence for the Clergyman is founded rather upon the fact of his being a " college-man," a " learned man," than upon his divine commission or spiritual charac- ter, and this is often all the difference which they can see between him and the Primitive Methodist preacher. But since this difference is certain, in the operation of natural causes, to diminish, on what ground shall be built up reverence for the Ministry ? Now in spite of the petition of the Litany which enumerates the three Orders (though scores of congregations never hear the Liteny) multitudes of our people are ignorant of the existence of Three Orders, and still more pro- foundly ignorant of the nature, powers, and duties of those Orders. The Deacon and Pres- byter are alike called " the minister," and no essential, if any distinction is known. Aa Archdeacon is supposed to be a distinct order ; and several of the people in my own mission, ac tnc 10,31. visiiaiiOu ut ili-- > — 'V-'^lTi of him as "the Deacon I" Why is this, but because the people know, if at all, the Deacon ESSAY ON THE DIACONATE 15 it valuable belp cciving anything [•he Deacons," (of ) Mr. Fletcher, an ided long in the Ing, as they are of business, from do not require the lling, unless they ;her grade of the ae plans here sug- cd in a manner so viate us much as ht inhere in such orarily from their ection which has )ften and sti'ongly leme would lower and diminish the istry. t maintain as a final result, ble for our over- erious progress in )een admitted to that in most cases learning? How passed a far better ders than they did lay is often lost in ptize a sick child, lid, in most cases, fficc. cheme, be relieved )f outward and ri- l to engage more ' spiritual work of ite sure, that ser- he meagre, hungry •gy had the helps ch designed they 3, we might fairly of preparation for elevated. it the peo[ile's rev- Id be diminished— lany to be deemed reverence for the upon the fact of his earned man," than ir spiritual chararc- e difference which and the Primitive ince this difference of natural causes, 3 shall be built up ion of the Litany se Orders (though ir hear the Litany) re ignorant of the md still more pro- ,ture, powers, and ) Deacon and Pres- minister," and no Q is known. An )e a distinct order; n my own mission, A rf*.hdeiicQn s^ok^ Why is this, but fat all, the Deacon but by name. He never appears among them as a servant of Christ, with distinct powers and duties. Surrly Iho soldiers pf a regiment ought not to require regular orations at intervals in order to know the difference between the va- rious Otlicers who are over them ? So our people should see, and be all their life familiarly ac- quainted with the servants of Christ who min- ister to His household. And, surcl J, knowledge obtained in this way would be belter and more impressive than if iroparf-d by dry homilies on the Ministry ; and the argument for the author- ity, and use, and necessity of the several Orders, 70uld be more convincingly inferred from see- ing a work done, than from explanations or controversies, which often but beget doubts, and hardly help suggesting the thought, It those Orders are Divine and so very necessary, why haven't we them amongst us— what good are they doing us.?" When our pe arc ihey doing us.f" v> nen u.u people saw the various Orders doing their appropriate and dis- tinctive work, they would thus acquire a know- ledge which mere teaching now is ineffectual to impart. When they saw persons without "collc're learning" (as they call it) assisting in Holy Sacraments, whose celebration was confined to the Priests, they would see that the ministerials character was imprinted by some- thing more sacred than a University seal, and they would learn to reverence it accord- ingly.- And when they saw their Priests, as before, obliged to maintain a high standard of learning— perhaps higher than now-the res- pect founded on this would be in nowise dimi- °*1 would just add, by way of appendix, that even the learned and religious of the Church may nols be free from prejudices on this point, —nay are more likely to be the victims of pre- iudices in favour of their own learning. We are too apt to conceive of •■scholarship as if it were of the essence of the Priesthood, and not merely in general a useful adjunct— forgetting that that Ministry which for several ages spread and established the Gospel in the face of the world's opposition, numbered " not many wise" among the " callers," (as Dr. Wordsworth sup. plies the ellipsis.) The observations of the New York Church. Journal on this point, in its issue of 8th January last, are so pertinent that I crave permission to read them : " The deep ignorance that was so common among the Pa- rish Priests previous to the Reformation, and the intimate connection between the vital power of the Reformation itself, and the revival of sound learning, naturally established as a fun- damental idea in the modern English Church, that the Clergy must, as a class, be University- bred men. This has been the general rule. With this, the social position of the clergy has been steadily rising, until now they rank, as a matter of course, among the gentry of the land ; and the very idea of a Clergyman of the Church of England is universally understood to include that he shall be both " a scholar and a gentle- man. " The same has been measurably true of the Church of America, and there are few things of which Churchmen everywhere are apt to be proud, than this But with this Teat snccesa in elevating the literary and social position of the Clergy as a whole, the Church of England presents some other equally striking and still uioie .significant facts. "The proportion of Bishops to population is mailer in that Church than in any other national Church of Christendom. And the proportion of the population which has been stolen away from the National Church, and organised into dissenting and schismatical bodies, is largtr than in any other national Church of Christen- dom This last is one great remit which stares every honest inquirer in the face, and must be takeu into consideration by every one who would fully examine the bearings of either ot the other facts ; it is a result which, it seems to us, ought to be enough to stare out of counten- ance any advocate who claims that the English system, as it is, is the ne plus ultra of practical efficiency in preaching the Gospel to the poor. " Now take into consideration that other fact, that the enormous masses thus stolen from the Church, have belonged almost wholly to the middle and lower classes of Society,— those which were farthest removed from all personal contact with the " Lords Bishops," and from sympathizing with the scholarship gentleman- liness of their parish Clergymen, and add to this that the Ministers who led them away and have all along commanded their confidence, were in education and social standing, much more near- ly on their own level, and we shall begin to un- derstand how things work, and have worked, and will always work, with poor crooked hu- man nature. A Ministry educated too far above the masses, whether in scholarship or in social position, will gradually lose the power of gain- ing or keeping the sympathy of the masses ; and sympathy once gone, confidence and attach- ment, and old associations, and principle, and all else, go with it. It is " with the heart that man beliveth unto righteousness." " Nobody questions that the Priest's lips should keep knowledge ;" the only question as, how much knowledge must they keep ? . . . . The "know- ledge" that the Priest's lips must keep, is not all knowledge that may be needed for removing a« doubts and difficulties from all minds ; but only such as may render him a sound orthodox prea- cher of the Gospel, a safe and helpful guide to wayfaring men, to lead them into the Way of Life, in all things necessary to salvation. A Priest having that much, is better than no Priest at all i and a Church which steadily refuses to admit to the Priesthood such men as this, to do work which she can get no other men to do, will steadily lose among the middle and lower classes ; and as she loses among these, she vvill find her strength failing among the higher If there be any solidity in these observations, and 1 think there is, we may thence infer how serviceable would be the two classes of Deacons proposed, as connecting links between the more learned Priesthood and the very lowest of the people. All parts of the Ecclesiastical Body would be more firmly interlaced, a closer and happier union would spring up between Clergy and People— the interposing gulf which has so often been complained of, would be completely bridged over. -, j j The truth is, we have room, and need, ano work for all sorts and conditions of persons in tne noly aimisi-rj'. xne yv,i, ....... ..-- — -■ - now so loudly— I am afraid sometimes absurdly il 16 ESSAY ON THE DIACONATE. and impiously proclaim, — non« but a scholar and a gentleman for the ministry even in its humblest duties, must tend to perpetuate the false impressions of the masses, that the Church of England is but the Church of the aristocracy and of respectable worldly men— not the Church of Jesus Christ, which desires to preaeh the Gospel to the poor, and to recognize them lo- vingly. But for our farmers and tradespeople to see members of their own families wearing the honoured and sacred surplice' and ministe- ring in our Desks and Chancels, could not but be a moving argument to the contrary, could not but gave them a deeper and warmer interest in the Church and all that pertained to her. And, above all, the endeavour to maintain in its fulness of development and operation, in each and every part, that threefold Ministry which is the gift of the Blessed Trinity for the perfecting of the Church, could not but secure the approbatiou of the Almighty, and bring upon us His grace, according to the " fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ." I would again repeat, in conclusion, that in these remarks I have but touched a few noticea- ble points, a full discussion being both beyond my power and beyond my time. Enough, how- ever, has been said to invite discussion ; and I have entertained no more ambitions aim. N. B. — Since the above Essay was written, the writer has met with an important Review article, which furnishes no mean confirmation of the views of the Essay. The following is an extract : — " With us, indeed, the true Diaconatemay be said to be almost in abeyance ; and it is perhaps, represented more exactly by the Scripture Reader in some of our parishes, than by the Clergyman in his first year of ordination. The primative Deacons were half laymen, and such was the position of primitive deaconnesses. Epiphanius says that they were broadly dis- tinguished from the Presbyters, in that they were not allowed to officiate liturgically." — London Quarterly Review, Oct. 1860, on Deacon- neiset. 1 ! Ked a few noticea- eing both beyond e. Enough, how- liscussion ; and I Ditions aim. say was written, mportant Review ean confirmation Diaconate may be ; and it is perhaps, ly the Scripture lies, than by the ordination. T%e laymen, and such deaconnesses. ?ere broadly dis- irs, in that they i liturgically."— 1860, cm Deacon-