The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-06-02

OI Ih0. ONSIGuIe lIOHl GuS 10y HOu OF 1eXdS
asking the deliverance of the General
Assembly upon the question of women
preaching. This overture came up
through the Synod of Texas from the
Presbytery of Dallas, the Synod having
already negatived the right of women to
preach, and declared any one who should
introduce woman into the pulpit to be
guilty of an offence.
The report. of committee is as follows +:
Inasmuch as the public preaching of the
gospel is branch of the ministerial of
flee to the authorization of which ordi-
nation or icensure is essential, and in
asmuch as inspired scripture, as inter
preted by our standards, nowhere, in the
lemnity, but, on the contrary, seems
clearly to prohibit it, this Assembly does
therefore delare the assumption of this
sacred Office by -women to be opposed
to the advancement of true piety and
to the promotion of the peace of the
church, and this to such an extent as to
make the introduction of women into our
pulpits for the purpose of publicly ex-
pounding Gods Word an irregularity
not to be tolerated.
a motion was made to adopt the re-
port of the committee, which brought
out very earnest discussion, in which
many of the most eloquent and forcible
speakers of the Assembly participated.
Dr. Leyburn, of Baltimore, thought
that a much milder answer for the com
mittee on Overtures to make would be
that the women preaching is without the
sanction of the Scriptures.
Judge White, of Nashville Tenn. OBJ
jected to the adoption Of the report with
much warmth, and claimed that every
Christian had the right to preach, and it
would be an unheard of hardship to close
the lips of any who were calculated in
many ways to extend the knowledge of
Christ. The Bible sanctions this view of
the subject, for it makes it the broad
duty of every true professor of religion to
spread the knowledge of salvation He
was in favor of striking out all of the
first part of the committees report He
urged that the adoption of this report
would not only exclude women from the
pulpit, but would also curtail and pre-
vent the young men of the theological
seminaries from trying their gifts Of ar
gument and oratorY.
The Rev. Mr.. Penick moved to amend
by striking out the word seems" in the
report of the committee, and inserting
the word "does."
The Rev. j. D. West thought that
preaching, in a certain sense, belongs to
every member Of the Church. but the
overture refers to official preaching. A
woman can preach by her example and
her life, but it is against the policy of the
Church and the teachings of the Scrip
lures to allow any one to discharge the
duties of the ministerial office without
licensure and ordination. An Elder can
preach, but the administration of the Sac
raments of the Church belongs to the or
dained ministry
DR.. Woodrow said that the Constitu-
ton and the Church had already settled
the matter. The standard had already
been established, and to attempt to mod
ify or change the doctrines Of the Church
was altogether foreign to the subject
under discussion. He said that the l58th
question in the Larger Catechism was ex-
plicit upon this very point, and settles it
beyond all controversy. The question
is: " By whom is the Word of God to be
preached p And the answer reads as
follows; "The Word of God is to be
preached only by such as are sufficiently
gifted, and also duly approved and called
to that office"
The Rev Jahleel Woodbridge thought
that the Church of God should set its foot
down upon any innovation upon the Of
fee of the ministry
The following substitute was offered
by the Rev. w. @. Primrose
" 1t is the judgment of this General Assembly
that the official preaching by women is not sus-
tanned by the Word of God, and should not be
countenanced by any church holding connection
with this General Assembly"
Dr. j. R. Wilson referred to the ten
dency Of the times in the direction Of
lay preaching, and hoped the substitute
would not receive the support of the AS
sembly. No harm could come from the
adoption of the report of the committee
there could be no misconception of its
meaning. DR.. Woodrow had anticipated
him in defining the technical use Of the
word preaching. No one denies the right
OF any one to exhort, but no unordained
person has the right to preach.
DIR. kirkpatrick made the point Of or
der that the substitute was in the nature
OF an amendment and could not be en-
tertained.