The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1889-01-17
nnY. nnRnRuoMa anooNp PAFna

Pulpit" II Is very important 70 know
what is meant by the expression Per
haps after a mutual definition OF n The
opinions on the subject might not be so
widely divergent 40 IL supposed II by
oW oman in the pulpit we understand
woman preaching the gospel on teach
ing in public, then there Is no Issue be-
tween the Reformed church and tho
cleft wing OF this modern reform,
That women have preached the gospel
In Bible times, aud that they may
preach II now IL "clear as fountains In
July" since the simple telling of The
story Of the CROSS may DO considered
preaching
hut II by "wOman In the pulpit we
understand woman equipped with au-
thority and exercising ministerial funo'
tlons, such ~ baptiging, confirming and
administering the Lords supper, then
We must assert that the Scriptures are
against her. The question OF mlnlatra'
ton il ono thing aud the question OF
administration another, There Is no
Bible precedent for the latter, II Is
certainly significant that Christ chose
only men ~ his apostles, and no one can
lay his finger on any passage sanction
ING tbs ordination OF woman by the
laying on Of hands, US IN The case OF tho
men At Ephesua (Acts 1850 Neither
can any one point 10 single case OF a
female elder or %presbyter, or refer to q
female bishop or pastor, On the con
trary there are several passages watch
plainly show that the elders and blah
OPS were always men, We quote Titus
10 q, "Set In order the things that are
wanting and ordain elders In every city
~ | had appointed thee, II any DO
blamelesa, the husband OF one wife,
etc" Then also | Tim 32, "a bishop
must be blamcleas, the husband OF one
wife" This language Is sufficiently
plain to Indicate the sex OF an older or
bishop beyond thepoasIbIlIty Of adoubt
II fire. Is IRE, ~, Paul had only men Or
dained 10 an elderohlp or a bishoprie'
The apostles knew nothing OF u female
pastor, presbyter or bishop,
The long string Of passages collected
by "a Bible Student" and printed In
last Thursdays NEws'D DEMOCRAT, for
the purpose OF showing that there we're
noble women In Bible times, and that
they associated with Christ and the
apostles, turns out 10 DO q boome.Nng
and very materially weakens her Tor
hls) side OF tho question. For since
there were such gifted women then II
Is very striking that not one OF them
was selected 10 bo an apostle, pastor,
presbyber or bishop, The fact that these
offices we're In all cases oiled by men
only becomes the more significant since
there were 30 many honorable and
heroic women who would have been
available, Certainly no one had q bet
ter right TO say who should BIO preach
ors Of the gospel OF Jesus Christ than
Jesus Christ himself, Why then did
he not levy on that galaxy Of cody
women when no chose his apostlesP l
await with considerable interest an OK
PLANTATION OF this point by bible stu
dent
The only case OF woman serving the
church In an official capacity, IL tnat OF
Phobe, who was d%eaoOness Of the
church M Cenchrea. Aud here is m
OMEN door OF usefulness 10 w0nen'
They may become |doaCOnesSeB u they
desire and be sent forth on missions OF
public service, after the manner OF
phehe. who, II seems, was sent 10 Rome
on an official orrand, Che Oxegesls may
be- a little stralned), "A glance In this
direction shows that q large Held IL
here open 20 the ministrations OF
Christian women; u much larger field
than as yet they have been called TO oc'
cnpy." Personally | would welcome
any enlargement OF the usefulness OF
women In the churches, consistent with
scripture usage They arc more
numerous as Christians than the men.
They possess moro ardency, more doy0'
ton, more religious allocClon than TIC
men. Their piety IL Of q higher grade
thOy rrny more ferycntly and work
moie htclfnlY than do tho utn, 10
would seem u waste OF rich ANA rare
gifts t0 compel them literally TO keep
| silence In tho churches" We hail with
plengure the time when dcaCOnoS3eS, or.
| dained by the laying on of hands, shall
share with us "tho care Of all the
churches" etc.
When certain Of your contributors
charge that the present systom OF
church government by males only ~
"baged on unfathomnblo %sellshnees,"
| they make u mistake. The Lord knows
that from a worldly standpoint the
ministry IL the least attractive OF any
profession, and that It's oeasOloss round
| of duty makes IL anything but allow
cry bed Of ease.n There could DO no
mercenary motive for excluding any
| n from the full functions OF :he min
lptry. The system is thus because the
| church was 80 organized by tbs ApoB'
| ties and has come down TO US through
the ages. Whether II Will ever be
changed Is yet u question, But II ~
should be, Il will be done by the proper
eoclesiaiticl authorities and not by
men whose judgment on Bcripturm in
depreciation Is no better than that OF u
Turkish Bnihaw,
Allow mo also In this connection TO
correct tho impression made on the
minds OF some Of your renders by one
Of the writers on this subject, namely,
that the church of this ago and coun
try is n failure, | present tho follow
ing statistics, taken from the exhibit
made In the Cincinnati Centennial ok
position, u careful perusal Of which
will convince any one chat Christianity
Is not declining In this country. mo
one who Is familiar with tho facts ques'
ton that the Evangelical church is