Paul vindicated : or the rights of women to pray in public, and prophesy or preach

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Have Women the Right to Pray in Public, and Prophesy or Preach ?
"Every man praying or prophesying having his head covered, dishonoreth his head."
"But every icoman thatprayeth orprophesyeth with her head uncovered, dishonoreth her head. 1 '' PAUL.
Dr. Hawthorne comes right out with a point blank negative answer to our question and says not, that their mouths are forever shut, and in his earnest and labored endeavor to establish his position, he even has the boldness to cite Paul as authority, notwithstand ing the plain and unequivocal decision of the whole question in the two verses we have quoted from Paul.
So that we either have Paul against Paul or Paul against Hawthorne. A number of others following the lead of Hawthorne have denied the right of women "to speak out in meeting," and others, by the authority of Paul, have defended their right to " pray and prophesy." How any one could stubbornly hold to such views as Dr. Hawthorne and his followers, in view of what Paul has said, and .of the general tenor of Scripture, and of the many illustrious examples recorded there of women who prophesied, and of the thousands who, in all the history of the Church, have immortalized themselves and exalted the Church by their extraordinary gifts and public ministrations would be astounding, were it not that nothing is too monstrous to be deduced from the Bible by ignorance, or superstition or prejudice.
It is the natural logic of sequence that such doc trine should be engendered in the selfishnes siveness, and this is where error alwau abysmal depth of nonsense and therejBTlQn"e deep or
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than that into which Dr. Hawthorne has plunged, and those who have subscribed to his ukase.
It is easy enough to find anything in the Bible we want to find, if we follow the instinct of ignorance or prejudice. "Even an Atheist may find there is no God," and even " 1 know there is no God," and make a big blow for a time, but he will be greatly mortified to find, when he reads the connection : The fool Jucth said in his heart (he had too much sense " to^peak out in meeting,") "There is no God."
This is what Dr. Hawthorne and those who are try ing to gag the women ought to do read the connec tion, in order to determine what Paul means when he says, first: " Let your women pray and prophesy with heads covered,3 ' and after says: "Let your women keep silence in the churches." For we can never get to the end of this matter as long as we have Paul ver sus Paul; but there will be short shrift of it when we get Paul versus Hawthorne.
And I am sorry to say, as far as I have read the arguments emanating from those who have written upon the affirmative side of the question, that while they have, by abundant Scripture examples, and by the general tenor of Holy Writ, and the very spirit and genius of Christianity overwhelmed their oppo nents in ignominious defeat, yet not one of them, so far as we have read, has approached the subject from an exegetical point of view. This we now propose to do.
Paul, in the quotations we have given, and much more in connection on the same subject, is writ ing to the Church at Corinth, and mainly, in answer to a letter from them asking for instruction. He had many irregularities to reprehend. Enormities and disorders had crept in amongst them. There were quarrels and disputes and contentions and confusion in their religious worship. The City of Corinth was very rich. Its wealth was proverbial. So, also, was its profligacy and its vice. The worship of Venus was attended with shameful licentiousness. So notorious

was this city for its licentiousness that Rorinthiazestkai, to Corinthize, signified to act the prostitute, and Korinthia kore, a Corinthian damsel, meant a harlot.
A knowledge of these, and kindred facts aud cus toms, is necessary in order to comprehend the meaning of the apostle in much of the counsel aud advice em bodied in this letter. It is with a view of the changed relations of the Corinthians from their gross idolatry and licentiousness to the profession of Christianity that the apostle sets out to chauge their vague notious as to the proprieties in certain cases and to give them some wholesome advice, involving a radical alteration iu their habits and customs.
It plainly appears, by an expression found in the first verse of the 7th Chapter: " Xow, concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me," that the letter to the Corinthians was writted by St. Paul in answer lo one which he had received from them. Besides, the news of other irregularities, not mentioned by them had come to him from other sources. " It hath been declared unto me, my brethren, by them which arc of the house of Chloe that there are contentions among you." He had particular reference to their different teachers, placing them in competition with one an other. Every one of you saith I am of Paul, and I am of Apollas, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ.
In answer to their questions, and in correcting the various irregularities reported to him, the apostle lays down certain rules of propriety, governing their con duct in various civil and social relations, as citizens, as virgins, widows, slaves, husbands and wives ; and in the llth chapter he calls attention to the personal appearance to be observed by both men and women while "praying and prophesying." This he does in the verses following:
4. Every man praying or prophesying having his head cowed, dishouoreth his head.
5. But every woman that prayeth or prophesyeth with her Itead uncovered dishonoreth her head ; for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

The apostle prescribes rules governing the personal appearance of each while thus ministering. And that in all.' He does not intimate a shade of a shadow of difference as to their authority. The gist of the whole matter was, the man should speak with uncovered the woman with covered head. The rule prescribed for the Church at Corinth had reference only to the coveringfor the head. It amounted to no more than a mere matter of propriety and the reason and ground of it was mainly on account of the state of society existing in Corinth. The woman praying or prophesying was required to wear a veil, and the reason is apparent, even had it not been mentioned by the apostle. 1st. The man had his head uncovered a representative of Christ and the woman had her head covered as an insignia of her subjection to man in tJie relation of husband and wife. 2d. It was a common custom in Corinth that no virtuous woman should be seen without a veil. Only prostitutes went without them, and had their heads sJiaved. Hence the reason is very obvious why the apostle says : " Every woman that prayeth or prophesyeth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her head," (her husband) for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
6. "For if the woman be not covered let her be shaven; but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered." Or, in other words, if she should appear in public without a veil she would dishonor her head her husband. And she must ap pear like those women who had their hair shaven off as the punishment of adultery.
In the 10th verse it is again plainly implied that not only is it admissible for the woman to stand in the presence of the angels whether that means the offi cials of the church or the angels of heaven but it is
plainly obvious, it is only a personal appearance he is here enjoining. "For this cause (on account of the manifest subjection of the woman to the man) she ought to have power on her head (the-token of power or authority, a mark of her husband's authority because of

the angels." In the next (10th verse; lest any one might suspect that he might intend to limit her power by what he had said as to her subjection, he clears away all objections that might be made by fully and une quivocally admitting her to equal privileges and rights to speak in the Chureh. Nevertheless, neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man in Kurio, in tfie Lord; that is in the Church. That is, notwithstanding, his superiority in the rela tion of husband and wife it is not so in Kurio, or in the Church as to the right to pray and prophesy.
The reasons assigned by the apostle were well grounded. The veil was, according to the dress and customs of that age and country, an insignia of the
superiority of the husband. Again, it distinguished her from a class that had dishonored their husbands
by their licentious conduct, and who wore the badge of their shame a shaven head. Can anything be plainer? It is as plain as the sun in the meridian
heavens. But the question may be asked, did Paul intend to
prescribe a rigid and inviolable rule that women who minister in public should wear veils at all places and in all times to come ? By no means. It was simply a
matter of propriety in personal appearance, applica ble to Corinth.
The occasion, the manners, the customs of the time and country furnished the reason for the rule, and it
was binding as long as these conditions held. Change the conditions and the rule ceases to be applicable, but the essence of the rule holds good as to all times
and .all places. It is unreasonable that the apostle should make a rule as to personal appearance rigidly binding, as to all circumstances and places, and this we may fairly declare by analogy from his own con
duct on different occasions. For in this very Epistle he says, 2-20 : And unto the
Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews
to them that are under the law as under the law, to
them that are without the law as without the law (be-

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ing not without law to God, but under the law to Christ) that I might gain them that are without law.
And, again, in* Acts 16-:*, we find that for the sake of the unconverted Jews he circumcised Timothy.
And on another occasion, as related in Acts 21-2G, he purifie.d himself according to the Jewish custom, (now null and void), in the temple to gain those who considered themselves still under obligation to observe rites and ceremonies.
And what did it all amount to wearing a veil? A matter of mere propriety, a custom or policy, es tablished both by society, and implied in andsaiictioned by the law of God Gen. 3-10: "Thy desire shall be unto thy husband." To which law the apostle again alludes in 14-.S4 : "They are commanded to be under obedience, (to their husbands) as also saith the law."
Xow that it was a mere matter of propriety or cus tom that the apostle was urging, is evident from the contrary custom to which he alludes and deprecates. "But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no custom, neither the Church of God. 5 '
It is evident, from the general tenor of Dr. Haw thorne' s argument, that he bases much of his indig nant and vehement opposition to women's "praying and prophesying'' upon a hypercritical and exaggerated affectation of modesty. He can not feel a greater re pugnance to indelicacy than we. We abhor it as we do sin. But \ve see no suggestion of immodesty in women "praying and prophesying" under the restric tions laid down by Paul. Propriety, of course, is ti matter of mere Geography. There might be such a thing as a woman wearing- tights modes ly. So, also, of wearing low-necked dresses, without carrying a suggestion of immodesty. In the Fiji Islands it might not be improper.
Nor would it be considered improper, in this civil ized age and country, for a woman to speak with face unveiled, nor does the custom suggest anything im modest to the pure in heart.
But the sons of Belial, with minds debauched, and

abject souls unused to purity, chastity and modesty, will introduce their carnal, filthy imaginings and in ternal corruption into the very sanctum, sanctorum of divine worship.
But shall we for that reason refuse women that place which God and Christ and the Apostles have as signed her in the kingdom of the Kedeemer?
Some Churches may do this. It would be in keeping with a fundamental principle of their being, an exclusiveness that would, if it could, arrest the angel flying through the midst of heaven with the everlasting gos pel lest some might hear of it who were not decreed to be saved by it.
To gag the woman may be in keeping with the creed of those who would establish a monopoly on the bread of life and take a homestead on the gospel, who have not only daringly undertaken to number Israel and determine that few will be saved, but who that few will be.
We cannot expect any more of those who stand be fore the cross in order to hide it, and presume to limit what God meant to be universal, the overtures of mercy to a ruined world.
But Methodism imbued with a heaven born Spiritu ality a standing and withering rebuke to dead ortho doxy and throbbing through every vein and artery with a zeal that knows no bounds and that has exalted her iu the earth as the grandest exemplar of Christi anity in earnest and at work that God has ever blest or ever has attracted the wondering gaze of angels or of men, cannot forbid women to speak that which God has put into their hearts and in their mouths. With the glorious inspiration of a full and free salvation you cannot silence her sons and her daughters; they must "prophesy" the "burden" which God has laid upon them and not man.
Paul then admits women to the privilege of speak ing in public equally with men, and prescribes rules peculiar to each when so ministering.

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So far a^ is plain. It is evident that whatever Paul may say after this he cannot contradict himself.
He does say in 14-34 : "Let your women keep silence iu the churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak ; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law."
And in 1 Tim., 2-11-12 : "Let the women learn in silence with all subjection ; but I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.'7
]STow, that in these verses there is an apparent con tradiction to what we have already seen the apostle has been teaching in the llth chapter, we are ready to admit, but we kuow that Paul cannot contradict himself, and he only appears to, because we have read the verses isolated from their connection. The apostle had not the remotest reference to "prophesying" here, as will be plainly obvious if we will only read the whole chapter. What he does oppose and reprove is interrupting the preacher by asking questions in the progress of his discourse attempting to a.rgue, dic tate, usurp authority over the men by setting up their judgment in opposition to them.
The whole of this chapter has reference to the order to be maintained by the auditors in the church in the time of religious services.
Pi ret, he remonstrates with the preachers about speaking in an unknown tongue that no one under stood showing them that it profitted uothing.
From this lie naturally proceeds to the confusion arising from several persons with extraordinary gifts, putting themselves forward and occupying the time and attention of the audience creating confusion and even contention.
"How is it, brethren! when you come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation?
Let all things be done unto edifying. "For ye may all prophesy one by one," and not two or three at a time For God is not the author of con-

9 fusion, but here is shameful confusiou. Add to this the asking of questions by the women interrupting the speaker, maybe their own husbands or the hus band of some other sister, and you have a picture of the confusion which Paul is striving so ardently to correct at Corinth.
The whole chapter is devoted to the order to be maintained by the audience while the preacher is dis coursing.
If we will read the whole of this (thirty-fourth verse), keeping in view the general trend of Paul's argument, and what he has already said in the llth chapter as to women "prophesying" but always reraiuding her of her subjection to man in the relation of husband and wife, we will get an insight into the disorder that Paul opposes in this verse. That is all there is in it. They were disorderly as auditors, and interrupted the speaker by contradictions and asking questions, and Paul tells them, as he ought to have done, that they must not do it. This verse concludes : "They are commanded to be under obedience, so also saith the law." It is plainly evident that the women to whom Paul refers here were not those who were moved by the Spirit, but the disorderly, the disobe dient, usurping authority. The apostle is speaking of confusion in the church, and such confusion as arose from asking questions, and he tells the women to keep silence in the church and in the 35th verse, "if they will learn anything let them ask their husbands at home, and not the preacher in the pulpit. A. reason assigned is they are " commanded," not by Paul, but by the commandments of the Lord not to be silent, ."but to be under obedience," to their husbands, as also saith the law. "What law ?
Gen. 3-16 : " Thy desire shall be unto thy husband and he shall rule over thee."
This you will observe is the very ground of the rule prescribed for wearing the veil while prophesying. And it also appears in Tim. 1-11-12: "Let the women learn in silence with all subjection.''

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Paul 'here also has reference to them as auditors anil the rule of propriety governing them as such, eiitoreing it by the same law of " subjection,'": "Thy desire shall be unto thy husband, aud he shall rule over thee." GEN. 3-16.
It was allowed men to ask questions, or even inter rupt the speaker, when there was any matter in his sermon they did not fully understand. But this liberty was nob granted the women. But " I suffer not a woman to teach, discipline, usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." This is certainly the utmost limit and concession that it is warrantable to give to the apostle's meaning.
The whole of these directions refer to women, who sat in the auditorium as hearers. It would be shame fully indecorous for them to interrupt the service by asking questions and wrangling with the speaker. "Let them ask their husbands at home." For " Adam was first formed and then Eve." "Let her learn in silence with all subjection to her husband, whom she can ask at home, [if she wishes to learn anything" that may not have appeared plain.
But what has this most reasonable requirement to do with "women prophesying" that has been the practice of the church from the time Miriam the prophetess, inspired by the Spirit of God, taught the daughters of Israel, and Deborah, the prophetess, who judged Israel, until the glorious fulfillment of .Tool's prophesy on the day of Pentecost "your sons aud your daughters shall prophesy."
Why then all this froth, flatulency and folly about gagging the women! Is it not too far in the nine teenth century for that ?
There is not a single, solitary, inkling of an iota of foundation for this thunderous proclamation that went forth from the oracle that presides over the destinies of the First Baptist church. It is in keeping with witch-burning, anti-missionary societies, the antibible societies, anti-tract, anti-temperaTiee, anti-Sun day-school spirit that prevailed in certain quarters in

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this country not a half-century ago, aud still prevails, to some extent, where the light of civilization has not penetrated. It ought to die. It will die. It cannot live iu the meridian effulgence of the light of civiliza tion and Christianity that adorns the age in which we live. And all those who to-day are standing in the public places thundering forth proclamations to stop the mouths of women will, like the owl, sooner or later, seek the shade of darkness and of death.
The doctor, while his glittering sword leaps forth from the scabbard, doing its dreadful work, slaying the lady evangelists goes at it with the holy conse cration of oue who is called to be a leader. No inquis itor ever applied the torch to burn up a martyr with more extraordinary solemnity, pity and devotion. So, even as late as the Seventeenth Century, in civilized countries, they burnt those they called witches, with reverence and devotion, believing they were "obeying the commands of God."
We will venture to cast the horoscope of this mise rable infatuation. Christ can save a woman, aud she has a tongue as well as a man, and if it is tied at all it is tied iu the middle and loose at both ends, and she can tell "the good news" as well as a man, and, com missioned by Christ, and God and Paul, neither the world, the fiosh nor the devil can prevent her
And the time will come when it could not be be lieved that any human being wearing the form .of a man .ever could have uttered such sentiments as are contained in this Sermon, annihilating the Scriptures, disparaging the living aud defamatory of the dead.
Female infanticide may prevail in China, and female sexidtude, originating from the-doctrine of Yin and Tang, but no kindred principle or sentiment can sur vive in the kingdom of Christ. It is stamped upon her battle flag in letters of living light "Her sous and her daughters shall prophesy."
You can never rob women of the rights which God has given them. You can never hush the inborn long ings, hopes, gratitude, joy and praise that sfrvell up

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from the deep fountain of a woman's heart, under the inspiration of God's Spirit, until you answer the ques tion which Miriam, the inspired leafier and first proph etess of the Lord, asked: " Hath the Lord indeed, spoken only by Moses .'" " Hath he not spoken, also, by us f
Always in the group nearest theSaviour in his earthly toils, she may still be said to be nearest the cross, and touched pre-emineiitly with the Divine Spirit and the divine gift to lead the erring and the lout to Him who is the sinner's friend.
She teaches the heart. Meu teaches the head. Christianity was the first system, civil or religious, to accord to woman her proper rights in society. Her record as a "laborer in the gospel" is refulgent with glory and radiant with the light of heaven. A icoman, Anna, a prophetess, was the first to pro claim "to all them that looked for redemption in Israel," the advent of the Saviour. A woman was the first apostle of Christ in Samaria. She preached to her fellow citizens the divinity of Jesus, " and many of the Samaritans believed on him," through the preaching of this woman and her testimony in his power to save. When Jesus was arrested all his disciples forsook him and lied for their dear lives nor do we have any account of them being with him any more, except Peter, who denied him but at his crucifixtiou, to the everlasting honor of woman, inspiration tells us, "many women were there, beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children." To their everlasting honor the divine writer has recorded that they evidenced more courage and affec tionate attachment to their Lord and Master than the disciples did, who had promised to die with him, and yet forsook him in the hour of his greatest trial and need of their succor and support.

The strength of the Lord was perfected in weakness, and the weak and timid acknowledged him. the strong and mighty forsook him.
These holy women, filled with love to their Lord, which death cannot destroy, cleaved to him in the midst of imminent danger in life, and in death were not divided. They wept at the cross and were the last to leave it.- They came to the grave to see the end and, overwhelmed with sorrow and anguish, sat down to mourn, and lingered there with broken, bleed ing hearts until driven home by the darkness of ap proaching night. They spent the Sabbath in grief, mingled with hope and wonder, sorrowing at the re membrance of his suffering.
They were the first to visit the sepulcher, as soon as the law allowed, at the dawning of the morning, while it was yet dark, their hearts filled with mingled affection and hope. They were not afraid, though the place was solitary and sepulchral, and it was yet night, and their destination a sepulcher, suggesting the loath some desolation of death's victory and its reign. Their love was stronger than death ; their hope was stronger than the gate of stone and the Eoman seal that bound the tomb.
They knew that both Joseph and Xicodemus had brought orders to embalm his body, but they must also embalm it and they came with aromatics, fragrant as "sweet-smelling myrrh" and as "beds of spices." A few disciples came also, among whom is repentant Peter, but with a feeble, flickering faith they depart, and they conclude it is all over the whole scheme a failure and they resolve to go back to their old occu pation : " I go a fishing."
A iroman remains, and like "the angels desiring to look into the mysteries of redemption," she stoops and gazes earnestly and anxiously down into the sepulcher, and to this woman Mary Magdalene, out of whom had been cast seven devils, isl&e^ first revealed the risen Saviour.
A icom.an was first commissioned to preach the

14 gospel of the resurrection. This woman, to whom first had been revealed the risen Lord, Christ invests with the highest honor with which humanity can be crowned: " Go to my brethren and say, ' I ascend unto my Father and your Father, to my God and to your God.' "
She was to preach the gospel of the resurrection to the "brethren," those " brethren'1 who had forsaken, denied and abjured Christ to preach the gospel to those aposttes who themselves were to be teachers.
Women are mentioned as the earliest and most zeal ous among the new sect in the times of the apostles. Paul, who authorized them to "pray and prophesy" in public, and who gives them kind and brotherly advice while thus speaking, sends Christian salutation and encouragement " to those women who labored with him in the Gospel."
They have constantly been mentioned as prominent figures in the history of the Church from that day until this. They were among the earliest martyrs. They have occupied a special sphere in charitable and and benevolent enterprises, and are always and every where the foremost pioneers in the work.
They have accomplished more by their lectures and their vigorous, systematic, persistent, aggressive work in the great temperance reformation in ten years thau the "Lords of Creation " had accomplished in half a ceutury. At this very moment the holy women of this land are engaged with all their ransomed powers in a desperate struggle, against unequal odds, to beat back and overthrow the demon of intemperance entrenched behind the government. Thousands are perishing and going down to drunkards' graves. Those brave, battle-scaeredv eterans have borne the brunt of the conflict in this unequal contest to save them. / They need the sympathy and encouragement and ' aid of their brethren in a holier Avar than ever fired the heart of a Crusader a glorious cause, the grandest in which it has ever beeu the proud lot of man to battle.
Such a cause a heaven-born ambition might well

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i aspire to advocate; and to succeed, might even be will' ing, if need be, to die. Shall we throw obstacles in
their pathway ? Will Dr. Hawthorne and his followers gag the wo
men? To do so is to oppose the kingdom of Christ and aid
and abet the powers of darkness. Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye
intend to do as touching these women. Let them alone. If it be of God ye cannot overthrow it; lest hap-
' pity i'e ^>e found even to fight against God, and the spirits of drunkards, who have gone down to hell, will come and sit down at the door of your consciences in the bitterness of despair and cry Murder ! MURDER ! MURDEE! forever. Brethren, let us, one and all, rather than oppose them, become "fellow laborers" with them in a work so benevolent and sublime, and diffuse through all this land the light and life and joy of salvation. J. L. BUXTON.