The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-03-22
From the Portland Christian Advocated
Woman's Work in the Church.

y
ot Christ Himself, is to save the world.
In order to the successful accomplish
ment of this nilsson, the Church NAV
lnnocently neglect no element of power
10 90 good she possesses. The world is
still quite full of sinners of all kinds,
young and old, many of whom are wO-
Iully Ignorant, prejudiced, hardened.
In spite of Sabbath-sehOols, prayer meet
lngs and preaching, countless thousands
OF these are continually perishing in
their sins. Is there any instrumental
ity within reach of the Church, not fully
recognized, which may be more COM
pletely pressed into use in the great
work of saving the world?
The recent appearance on a Sunday
morning of a Quakeress in the Presby-
terian pulpit in Brooklyn, where she
delivered sermon no dOubtreplete with
good sense and heavenly grace, has oc-
casiOned a general renewal of the aues-
tion as to WOman's place in the Church.
The success attending the ministry of
Mrs. Nancott, and the platform labors
ot Mrs. Palmer, Wittenmeyer, Willing,
Jennings, and Others of our own church,
demonstrates the fact that there is an
element of power for usefulness in con-
nection with the women of our churches
which has never yet been recognized or
encouraged with sufficient distinctness
or energy. Here in our own State all
are gratitied TO behold intelligent, pure
minded, and noble women succeed in
addressing their fellow beings on the
platform and through the press on va
rious subjects, like temperance, inVolv-
ing the interests of all in the commun-
ity. 1t is certain that the voice of
woman, lifted with her accustomed mod
esty, love and sincerity, may win from
sims deceitful paths many wayward
hearts whom all other influences would
fail to reach. But what is being done
to bring this element of positive useful
ness into active operation in all the
churches? Women teach in our Sab
bath schools and sing in our chOirs, but
otherwise are seldom known in public
efforts to do good outside the social
prayer or class meeting. Now if the
Scriptures do not forbid the public efforts
of our women who have sense and grace
enough to speak unto the edification of
the Church, we hope the action of the
General Conference now approaching
Will be such as to do away with the ten
derfoOtedness which still exists in our
own church on this important subject.
Paul teaches that in respect to our
duties and privileges in the church as
Christians all are alike, all are one. He
says: "FOr as the body is one and hath
many members, and all the members of
that one body, being many, are one
body, so also is Christ" Such are his
views of the Church and the relation of
its members to each other. ''The body
is not one member but many" awe
are many members but one body.u
'There is neither Jew nor Greek, bond
nor free, male nor female, for We are all
one in Christ Jesus" In Acts ii:I7, we
have this remarkable application of Old
Testament Scripture to Apostolic his
tory: This is that which was spoken
of by the Prophet Joel: And it shall
come to pass in the last days, saith God,
will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh;
and your sons and your daughters shall
prOphesy and on my servants
and on my hand-maidens / will pour
out in those days of my Spirit; and they
shall prophesy." Now the meaning of
the word prophesy in this connection is
not the foretelling of future events, but
speaking to the edificatiOn and comfort
of the Church. Hence Paul SAYS to the
Corinthians in another place, chap.
Xiv:3l, For ye may all prophesy one
by one, that all may learn, that all may
be comtorted." In / Cor. Xi;5, the
- AtOSAlG HAEStIlUES Tie Iftfflisiff III WHICH
women are to perform this duty. He
there says, every woman that prayeth
or prophesieth with her head uncovered
dishonoreth her head.n Now, thus de-
scribing the manner of performing a
duty manifestly implies the previous
existence of that duty. Hence, in Apos-
tolic days women prayed and taught in
the public assemblies of the church. If
so, when did this oblibation cease?
There is one passage, however, which
has given much perplexity to some
minds on this subject 1t is this: "IIet
your women keep silence in the churches;
for it is not permitted unto them to
speak. A late sermon of Henry Ward
Beechers published i'm the Plymouth
Palph, shows very satisfactorily that
this command of the Apostle was local,
national, and transient in its obligatory
forces and being thus applicable to
particular place, for particular reason,
and for particular time, was never in
tended to be the utteTance of Christian
ity, the final word spoken on this sub
ject. Paul was speaking TO the Greek
Christians and said substantially, "YOu
shall not violate the customs of your
country. You shall not bring into dis
credit the religion of the Lord Jesns
Christ by doing that which can be in
terpreted but in one direction by every
man who sees il. forbid you to teach
in Greece" Mr.. Beecher SAYS further:
"Would that he had put that inl Now
say that If in the providence of God,
women are called to preach; If they
show that they are fitted for the work;
if mankind are called to hear them; if
their discourse is accompanied with
power from on high; if men who are in
darkness are enlightened; if men who
are living in torpidity are inspired with
a new desire for holier life; then the
Holy Ghost bears witness to the valid
ity of the ordination, and of woman's
right to speak"
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