265 God and man? While, therefore, we encourage a liberal and friendly feeling towards our fellow-Christians of every denomination—while we readily make allowances for the various circumstances and conditions in which they are placed-it is certain that we cannot be too faithful in upholding our own testimony against the paying and hiring of preachers. For, have we not reason to believe that, the further the church of Christ on earth advances in her great career, the more generally will serious persons of every name sympathise with our solicitude, that the contrivances of man may not be allowed to interfere with the work of God; that avarice, ambition, and selfishness, may be for ever excluded from the motives. which lead Christians into the professed service of their divine Master; and that the standard may be more and more exalted, of such a ministry of the Gospel as shall be spiritual in its origin, and free in its operation?

CHAPTER VIII.

ON THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN.

WHILE, by the bulk of the Christian world, the public preaching and praying of women is strictly excluded, and it is even considered indisputable, that their peculiar duties in society, and the offices of the Christian preacher are absolutely incompatible, Friends believe it right, freely and equally, to allow the ministry of both sexes. That this is indeed a necessary consequence of those sentiments respecting the ministry which I have already endeavoured to unfold, must be plain to the reflecting reader. Since we conceive, on the one hand, that all true ministry is uttered under the immediate influence of the Spirit of Christ -and since, on the other hand, we confess that the wind bloweth where it listeth-we cannot, reasonably, do otherwise than make way for the exercise of the gift by those persons, of every description, whom the Spirit may direct into the service, and whom the Great Head of the church may be pleased to appoint as his instruments, for the performance of his own work. It is, indeed, declared that "the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets :" and hence it

may be inferred that, in the conduct of our gifts, we ought not to neglect the dictates of a sound and enlightened discretion: but we believe that we must not limit the Holy One of Israel, or oppose to the counsels of infinite wisdom our own fallible determinations. We dare not say to the modest and pious female, "Thou shalt not declare the word of the Lord," when we believe that, from an infinitely higher authority, there is issued a directly opposite injunction, "Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak."

Now, that women are often led to proclaim the word of the Lord amongst us-that it is laid upon them as an indispensable duty-that they are, from time to time, constrained, under the influence of the Spirit, to rise up in our meetings for worship, in order to instruct, exhort, convince, and console; or to kneel down and address the Most High, as the organs of the assembly; and further, that their services of this description are frequently accompanied with life and power, and greatly tend to the edification of their hearers—are facts, the truth of which long experience has taught us; and which no persons, who are intimately acquainted with our Society, will be disposed to deny.

Nor is there any thing either astonishing or novel in this particular direction of the gifts of the Spirit. Nothing astonishing, because there is no respect of persons with God: the soul of the woman, in his sight, is as the soul of the man, and both are alike capable of the extraordinary as well as the general influences of his Spirit. Nothing novel, because, in

the sacred records of antiquity, there are found numerous examples of women, as well as of men, who were impelled to speak to others on matters of religion, by the direct and immediate visitations of the Holy Ghost. It was, doubtless, under such an influence, that Miriam responded to the song of Moses; that Deborah uttered her psalm of triumph; that Hannah poured forth, in the temple, her acceptable thanksgivings; that Huldah prophesied to king Josiah and his officers; that the aged Anna spake of Christ “ all them that looked for redemption in Israel: " that Elizabeth addressed the mother of her Lord: and that Mary sang praises to her God and Saviour. Of the individuals now mentioned, Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah, are expressly called prophetesses. The wife of Isaiah was a prophetess. We read, also, of false prophetesses-a circumstance which plainly indicates that there were true prophetesses, who were the objects of their imitation, and from whom they were distinguished.2

1

to

Among the early ministers of the Gospel dispensation, particular mention is made of the four daughters of Philip, who prophesied or preached. 3 The same office probably devolved, in a very eminent manner, on Priscilla, the wife of Aquila, to whom all the churches of the Gentiles gave thanks, and whom Paul expressly calls his "helper," or, as in the Greek, his "fellow-labourer in Christ."4 Again, on another oc

1 Isaiah viii, 3.

2 Ezek. xiii, 17.

3 Acts xxi, 9; comp. xv, 32; 1 Cor. xiv, 3.

4 Rom. xvi, 3, 4; comp. Greek text of ver. 21; 2 Cor. viii, 23; Phil. ii, 25: 1 Thess. iii, 2.

casion, the apostle speaks of the women who "laboured" with him "in the Gospel."5 In order, however, to establish the point now under consideration, nothing further would be necessary than a reference to the history given, in the book of Acts, of that great day of Pentecost, when the Spirit was so abundantly poured forth on the disciples of the Lord Jesus. It is recorded, in that history, that when the men and women were collected together, to the number of about one hundred and twenty, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and spake as the Spirit gave them utterance.6 Here we have the declaration of a plain and indisputable fact; and that fact is of the more importance because of its agreement with the prediction of the prophet Joel. It was expressly provided and ordained, as is amply proved by that celebrated prediction, that, in the last days, or under the last dispensation, the Spirit should be poured forth "upon all flesh"-that no distinction should, in this respect, be made between the male and the femalethat the daughters as well as the sons, the handmaidens as well as the servants, should receive the heavenly gift, and prophesy!?

On the other hand, however, it has often been remarked, that Paul, in one passage of his epistles, has commanded women to "keep silence in the churches ;" and, in another, declares that he suffers them not "to teach." The passages alluded to are as follows: "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are

5 Phil. iv, 3.

6 Ch. i, 14, 15; ii, 1–4. 7 Acts ii, 16–18.