The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-01-07
Let the Women Speak.

The following is a sermon deliv
cred by Rev. Weaver at the New
Providence Presbyterian church:
Text Cor. xiv. 3I-a5; Tim. ii,
11-l2
Some one, somewhere, sometime
has said that God took woman
from mans side that she might be
his equal; from near his heart that
he might love her; from under his
arm that he might protect her.
The question we wish to discuss
this morning is "Does the Bible for
bid women taking part in religious
services on an equality with men !"
At the creation God made no dis
tincton of superiority between man
and woman. That the world might
know they were equal he called
tn IN one and the same name. "fle
called their uame Adam" (Gen. s.:
y. The woman was as much Adam
as the man was Adam. 1t was the
man who called the woman Eve,
not God. While throughout the
book of Genesis not one word is
said against woman ,Ieeting with
men on an equality, it is quite clear
thai women met and converSpd
freely with them. Under the Mo-
sale economy we find women speak
ing and phophesying side by side
with men. In Judges we have an
account of a woman at the head,
not only of the church, but of every
department Of the Government, ju-
dicial, executive and military. In
Ps. GS:ll, (see original or r. W we
read, "The Lord gave the word; the
women that published the tidings
were Il great nost." Eze. xiii. 1923
clearly that women prOphesied in
the days of Ezekiel. In Joel ii. 28-
20 we have foretold Il e condition of
affairs under the Christian dlspen-
sation. When under King Josiah
the Bible was found among the
rubbish of the Temple, 1t was
q woman that God was
xsonsn.fal assx4s tla6skenuiDensss Of
the book. Neh. 3:l2 tells what part
the women took in building tn,
walls and show she mingled with
mea in the post.exilian period. In
the entire thirty-nine books of the
Old Testament not one word, not
one syllable is found in opposition
to woman speaking or preaching on
an equality with men. On the 9TH
er hand there are hundreds of in
stances in which woman did speak,
preach, phophesy, Judge, rule and
command armies, being expressly
commanded 80 to do by God.
Whea we come to the New Tes.
lament we find it opening with
the song of Mary. When the infant
Jesus was taken to the Temple we
find the prophecies Anna, there to
thank God for the occasion,
Throughout his ministry, Christ al.
lowed woman to mingle and speak
with Him and His disciples freely,
In the four Gospels there Is not SO
much as an insinuation that women
were not admitted to the Church,
q 1t then existed, on an equality
with men. The women of all his
friends, stood nearest the cross al
the crucifixion. The women
"watched where they laid him."
The women were the first to bring
srices for his burial. It was to the
women Christ first appeared after
his resurrection. 1t was by wo'
man he sent the first message tO
the World of his having conquered
death. He sent a woman to in.
struct the Apostles, rather than the
Apostles to instruct the women OF
his resurrection. No scholar now
denies that when Christ gave his
command, "tio ye into all the world
and preach the Gospel to every
creature" women were present and
received the command as well as
men. When the Holy Spirit was
poured out on the day of Pentecost,
1t came upon men and women
alike. That women began preach
ing as we'll as men Is clearly proven
by Acts ii. When persecution be-
gan women suffered as well as men
Throughout the book of Acts w
have accounts of women active IL
the work. Even the silver.tonguet
Apollos found it necessary to have
q woman, Priscilla, instruct him
smore carefully Paul speaks o.
Priscilla as worker with him II
Christ Jesus. In Romans we tino
similar accounts of women working
side by side with mon. Paul (Rom