does not call them so? Again: I must
think the church at Jerusalem was fully organized before any demand
was found for the appointment of the seven. Did it not have deacons at
the start? Who attended to gathering up food and hunting shelter, and
making general provisions for the comfortable entertainment of
thousands of brethren and sisters, and their children besides? I
rather think that the deacons already in office attended to these
things. But the number of the brethren increased so rapidly that the
deacons needed help in the way of general oversight, and the most
natural thing in the world would be for them to apply to the apostles
for advice in regard to the matter. But the apostles replied, "It is
not reason that we should LEAVE the Word of God and serve tables."
This proves that they had not done so before, and that it would not be
right for them to do so now. Hence the importance of getting men of
real executive ability to serve the present necessity. Such ability
and fitness they found in the seven whom they set apart to that work.
But they must not only possess business tact; they must be "men full
of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, and men of _honest_ report," whose
record in life proved their HONESTY. This, Brother John, is my opinion
as to the reason why the apostles were so particular on this point.
These seven men would certainly have a great deal entrusted to their
general keeping; and unless they were _honest_, they might take
advantage and make personal gain out of it. They soon got things so
arranged in the hands of the deacons, that Stephen, one of the seven,
could leave and give all of his time, or most of it, to preaching; for
we are directly informed that the opposing Jews "were not able to
withstand the wisdom and the spirit in which he spake." Right on the
strength of this began the terrific persecution which soon resulted in
the martyrdom of Stephen, and eventuated in the dispersion from
Jerusalem of all the leaders and most of the influential and
well-known members of the body. Philip only, of all the seven except
Stephen, is mentioned in the New Testament after this. It seems that
after he had preached for some time he married and settled down at
Caesarea, where, years after, Paul found him, and spoke of him as one
of the seven--not deacons--although it would have been very easy for
Paul to call him such, had he been a deacon. Paul here calls him
Philip the evangelist. Acts 21:8.

K.--I must ad