Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1841-03-31

VSISo o4s ILL., &. - IL. OSC Ou Cndp' !.
IL: 5. They are not permitted to speak
in the Church. neither in praying nor
prophesying. The connection seems
plainly to include the last, in the limited
sense in which il is taken in this chapter;
!. e. for preaching or interpreting scrip
ture by inspiration. And, indeed, tor
womanto prophesy in this sense, were to
teach, which does not so we'll beit her
state Of subsection. But praying, or ~
tering hymns inspired, were not teaching !
And seeing there were women who had
spiritual gifts of this sort in that age of
the Church,-see Acts r. 9, and might |
be under this impulse in the assembly, |
must they altogether suppress it? Orwhy
should they have this gift, if it must never
bepublicly exercised For these reasons
some think that these general prohibitions
are only to be understood in common
cases but that on extraordinary occasions,
when women were under divine affiatus,
and known to be so, they might have lib
erty Of speech
On the same passage Mcknight says,
"Paul had been all along speaking of
inspired teaching and preaching, and after
directions 70. the orderly exercise of these
gifts, subjoins this order respecting the
women. The prohibition, standing in
this connection, implies that the Corinthi-
an women were no: to pray and prophesy
in the Church, as teachers, on pretence of
being inspired, and unable to restrain the
motions of the spirit. Besides, the rea-
sons mentioned by Paul, show the prohi-
bition was absolute and general Christ
had not permitted women to speak in the
Church as teachers of the men neither
had the law Of Noses for it commanded
them to be in subsection to the men. He
plainly tells them that whatever inspira-
lions of the spirit they might be favored
with, no. inspiration was given them to
enable them to teach publicly, or lead the
devotion of the Church" Similar extracts
might make from Doddridge, Lowth
Bloomfield, Whilby, and indeed from al
authors, and commentators of any note
who have come within my reach. There
is an uncommon harmony among com
mentators on this subject.
Your I'd text which you think so utter
w irreconcilable to my views, and so con
elusive to your argument is, Phil. a: 81
"And entreat thee also, true yoke fel
low, help those women who labored with
me in the gospel" SC. You ask with
apparent candor and triumph, what
think this labor in the gospel means, and
whether think it was performed in ST.
lence. You seem to think women car
not labor in the gospel without entering
publicly into the ministry, as teachers OF
preachers At least such is fair infer
ence from your remarks on this passage
for il is only against women's public
s teaching, preaching, and voting, that
stand opposed
But will endeavor to show you lha
women can labor in the Gospel Withou
either of these Offices that belong to men
/ will give you Henry's remarks on thu
passage first, as they SO perfectly harmo
nize with my own views: 1t seems Their
were women who labored with Paul j
the Gospel; not in the public ministry
for the Apostle expressly forbids that,
Tim. 2: ~ bat by entertaining the min
listers, visiting the sick, instructing tn
ignorant, and convincing the erroneous.
But direct answer is found to your que
ton. what this labor in the Gospel wa
is found in Tim. 5: 10, where the Apo
tie gives the qualifications necessary for
widow to claim the charity or aims OF Il
Church. swell reported Of for goo
works; if she have brought up chlldre
ST she have lodged strangers. if she ha
washed the saints feet if she have r
lieved the afflicted, if she have diligent
followed every good work." Here tn
we have the appropriate sphere of
male laboring in the Gospel. from Il
same inspired hand that prohibited the
from public teaching and voting in I
Church. If females then could labor
the Gospel, in the days of inspiration