Smyrna times., 1877-06-13
Silence Among the Women.
BY REV. c. l.. GOODELL, D. D.

sIccI1 opposite heu Japc ASSOclaJlOn
Rooms. A highly logical and conclusive
discourse was pronounced by Rev. Narrow
Gauge, on the "silence of women" Itwas
most felicitous utterance of Dr. Narrow
Gauge, on his favorite theme, yet the Bed
stead was not crowded. lie announced his
text from Cor. X1v:34. "Let your women
keep silence in the churches" These
words of st. Paul, declared the great divine,
admit of no doubt, and have no limitation.
| Whatever is uncertain this is clear, that
women in the churches are to be still.
| Daylight itself is not more distinct than
the meaning of the great apostle, and all
violations of his rule ought to receive
speedy discipline, without benefit of clergy.
l. No woman is permitted by the Bible
to prophecy, give Bible reading, or deliver
any utterance in the churches. The i'm
portance of the message does not Justify the
messenger, if the messenger is a woman.
No urgency of occasion can alter this law.
"When ye come together every one of
you, except the women, hath psalm,
hath a doctrine, hath tongue, hath a
revelation, hath an Interpretation" If
threefonrths of the membership of the
churches are women, let the remaining
one-fourth bear all the service; and if
there chances to be present ladies only, at
prayer meetings or among the little prairie
churches, still let the women keep silence
If the bretheren will learn anything let
them ask their wives at home.
.. No woman is allowed by the Bible to
sing in the churches, neither in solo nor
chorus nor in the great congregation. St.
Paul says, Let women keep silence in the
churches. Singing is not silence. No
canon of the church so defines it. Often it
is very far from it. Men, only, sang in the
Temple service; so, in the church, the lips
OF women should be mute. Let the male
people praise thee, Q Lord. Let all the
male people praise thee.
3. Women are clearly denied by this law
of st. Paul, the privilege of joining in the
responses of ritual service. No woman can
say GOOD Lord, deliver u.s." go Lord,
have mercy upon u.s. according to the
prayer book, without speaking in the
churches. + 1t takes a woman out of her
sphere to give responses in worship 1t
disturbs the quiet and reposo of the hour.
This service is for males alone. The COM
mand is, Let your women keep silence in
the churches, and say her responses with
grace at home.
4. No woman is permitted to teach in the
Bible schools of the church. Teaching in
terrups the silence she is required to
maintain. No general plea of the ability
OF woman as a teacher, or of her fitness to
instruct the young, can avail against a
clear injunction of st. Paul. lie says, &c l
suffer not woman to teach" 1t does not
refer to churches simply. 1t is a broad
prInclple. A woman must not teach any
where, "but be in silence" yet public
schools and private families abound in
female teachers, in defiance of ecclesiac.
tical institutes, and learned commentators.
Nothing more surely marks the dcgencracy
OF our times, better illustrates the hcretical
usagcs and evil and unscriptural tendencies
of these last times.
5. 1t is not permitted woman to take part
in female prayer-meetings, to address mis-
sion boards, or circles of ladies, concerning
benevolent work. The fact of no gentle
men being present does not alter the case.
The Bible makes no point here, many men
present or none. The apostle says, Let
your women keep silence in the churches.
There is but one meaning to that. Silence
is silence. Silence is required everywhere
and always in the churches. Nothing
more, nothing less. He does not say, Let
the women be silent when men are around.
Let them not 60 into the pulpit, or address
miscellaneous audiences, but let them teach
and sing, and have female prayer meet.
ings, and address their own sex. Nothing
like this is said. This is a crafty and
illogical method of dodging the clear com.
mand of silence.
We can never prosper till we take the
Sunday school children out of the hands of
teaching women, shut the doors of female
prayer-meetings, except, as is usually the
case, where the ladies are all silent, unite
the mission boards under male illumina
ton, and prohibit female singing and re.
sponses in worship. This will put an end
to the disorder and irregularity of the age
and bring an era of prosperity TO the
churches more quickening than blue glass
DO not argue that Debora and Anna and
the daughters of Phillip and a multitude Of
other women broke silence by prophecy
and song and doctrine and Interpretation
and tongue. The codicil of will out
weighs all that has been done before. St
Paul on silence is the codicil to the divine
will, and he says, Silence, or, if she prayeth
or prophesieth, let her head be covered.
After the delivery of this pungeant dis
course, choir of male voices sang
Daughter of Zion" Gentlemen teachers
filed into the Sunday school room, and the
congregation, composed of three females "a
one male, the males sitting on one side and
} the females on the other, went home. DR.
J Narrow Gauge repaired to his study to
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