onfusion. They fell into
discussion and controversy; and in order to quiet this state of
things and bring the Church to greater propriety, the command was
given out that women should keep silence, and it was not
permitted them to speak, except by asking questions at home. In
the same epistle to the same Church, Paul gave express directions
how women shall prophesy, which he defines to be preaching,
"speaking to men," for "exhortation and comfort." He recognized
them in prophesying and praying. The word translated servant, is
applied to a man in one part of the Scripture, and in another it
is translated minister. Now that same word you will find might be
applied to Phebe, a deaconess. That text was quoted in the sermon
of John Chambers, and he interlarded it with a good many of his
ideas, that women should not be goers abroad, and read among
other things "that their wives were to be teachers." But properly
translated would be "deaconesses."

It is not so Apostolic to make the wife subject to the husband as
many have supposed. It has been done by law and public opinion
since that time. There has been a great deal said about sending
missionaries over to the East to convert women who are immolating
themselves on the funeral pile of their husbands. I know this may
be a very good work, but I would ask you to look at it. How many
women are there now immolated upon the shrine of superstition and
priestcraft, in our very midst, in the assumption that man only
has a right to the pulpit, and that if a woman enters it she
disobeys God; making woman believe in the misdirection of her
vocation, and that it is of divine authority that she should be
thus bound. Believe it not, my sisters. In this same epistle the
word "prophesying" should be "preaching"--"preaching godliness,"
etc. On the occasion of the first miracle which it is said Christ
wrought, a woman went before Him and said, "Whatsoever he biddeth
you do, that do." The woman of Samaria said, "Come and see the
man who told me all the things that ever I did."

These things are worthy of note. I do not want to dwell too much
upon Scripture authority. We too often bind ourselves by
authorities rather than by the truth. We are infidel to truth in
seeking examples to overthrow it. The very first act of no