which the same words ‘submit,’ ‘subjection,’ are used, I cannot but
believe that the apostles designed to recommend to wives, as they
did to subjects and to servants, to carry out the holy principle
laid down by Jesus Christ, ‘Resist not evil.’ And this without in
the least acknowledging the right of the governors, masters, or
husbands, to exercise the authority they claimed. The recognition of
the existence of evils does not involve approbation of them. God tells
the Israelites, he gave them a king in his wrath, but nevertheless as
they chose to have a king, he laid down directions for the conduct of
that king, and had him anointed to reign over them. According to the
generally received meaning of the passages I have quoted, they directly
contravene the laws of God, as given in various parts of the Bible. Now
I must understand the sacred Scriptures as harmonizing with themselves,
or I cannot receive them as the word of God. The commentators on these
passages exalt man to the station of a Deity in relation to woman.
Clarke says, ‘As the Lord Christ is the head, or governor of the
church, and the head of the man, so is the man the head, or governor of
the woman. This is God’s ordinance, and should not be transgressed.
‘As unto the Lord.’ The word church seems necessarily to be understood
here: that is, act under the authority of your husbands, as the church
acts under the authority of Christ. As the church submits to the Lord,
so let wives submit to their husbands.’ Henry goes even further--‘For
the husband is the head of the wife. The metaphor is taken from the
head in the natural body, which being the seat of reason, of wisdom and
of knowledge, and the fountain of sense and motion, is more excellent
than the rest of the body.’ Now if God ordained man the governor of
woman, he must be able to save her, and to answer in her stead for all
those sins which she commits by his direction. Awful responsibility.
Do husbands feel able and willing to bear it? And what becomes of the
solemn affirmation of Jehovah? ‘Hear this, all ye people, give ear all
ye inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor.’ ‘None
can by any means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him,
for the redemption of the soul is precious, and man cannot accomplish
it.’--_French Bible._
Thine in the bonds of womanhood,
SARAH M. GRIMKE.
LETTER XIV.
MINISTRY OF WOMEN.
_Brookline, 9th Mo. 1837._
MY DEAR SISTER,--According to the principle which I have laid
down, that man and woman were created equal, and endowed by their
beneficent Creator with the same intellectual powers and the same moral
responsibilities, and that consequently whatever is _morally_ right
for a man to do, is _morally_ right for a woman to do, it follows as
a necessary corollary, that if it is the duty of man to preach the
unsearchable riches of Christ, it is the duty also of woman.
I am aware, that I have the prejudices of education and custom to
combat, both in my own and the other sex, as well as ‘the traditions
of men,’ which are taught for the commandments of God. I feel that I
have no sectarian views to advance; for although among the Quakers,
Methodists, and Christians, women are permitted to preach the glad
tidings of peace and salvation, yet I know of no religious body, who
entertain the Scripture doctrine of the perfect equality of man and
woman, which is the fundamental principle of my argument in favor of
the ministry of women. I wish simply to throw my views before thee.
If they are based on the immutable foundation of truth, they cannot
be overthrown by unkind insinuations, bitter sarcasms, unchristian
imputations, or contemptuous ridicule. These are weapons which are
unworthy of a good cause. If I am mistaken, as truth only can prevail,
my supposed errors will soon vanish before her beams; but I am
persuaded that woman is not filling the high and holy station which God
allotted to her, and that in consequence of her having been driven from
her ‘appropriate sphere,’ both herself and her brethren have suffered
an infinity of evils.
Before I proceed to prove, that woman is bound to preach the gospel,
I will examine the ministry under the Old Testament dispensation.
Those who were called to this office were known under various names.
Enoch, who prophesied, is designated as walking with God. Noah is
called a preacher of righteousness. They were denominated men of God,
seers, prophets, but they all had the same great work to perform, viz.
to turn sinners from the error of their ways. This ministry existed
previous to the institution of the Jewish priesthood, and continued
after its abolition. _It has nothing to do with the priesthood._ It
was rarely, as far as the Bible informs us, exercised by those of the
tribe of Levi, and was common to all the people, women as well as
men. It differed essentially from the priesthood, because there was
no compensation received for calling the people to repentance. Such a
thing as paying a prophet for preaching the truth of God is not even
mentioned. They were called of Jehovah to go forth in his name, one
from his plough, another from gathering of sycamore fruit, &c. &c. Let
us for a moment imagine Jeremiah, when God says to him, ‘Gird up thy
loins, and arise and speak unto the people all that I command thee,’
replying to Jehovah, ‘I will preach repentance to the people, if they
will give me gold, but if they will not pay me for the truth, then let
them perish in their sins.’ Now, this is virtually the language of the
ministers of the present day; and I believe the secret of the exclusion
of women from the ministerial office is, that that office has been
converted into one of emolument, of honor, and of power. Any attentive
observer cannot fail to perceive, that as far as possible, all such
offices are reserved by men for themselves.
The common error that Christian ministers are the successors of the
priests, is founded in mistake. In the particular directions given
to Moses to consecrate Aaron and his sons to the office of the
priesthood, their duties are clearly defined: see Ex. 28th, 29th and
30th chap. There is no commission to Aaron to preach to the people; his
business was to offer sacrifice. Now why were sacrifices instituted?
They were types of that one great sacrifice, which in the fulness of
time was offered up through the eternal Spirit without spot to God.
Christ assumed the office of priest; he ‘offered himself,’ and by so
doing, abolished forever the order of the priesthood, as well as the
sacrifices which the priests were ordained to offer.[3]
But it may be inquired, whether the priests were not to teach the
people. As far as I can discover from the Bible, they were simply
commanded to read the law to the people. There was no other copy that
we know of, until the time of the kings, who were to write out a copy
for their own use. As it was deposited in the ark, the priests were
required, ‘When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in
the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all
Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men, women, and
children, that they may hear,’ Deut. 31: 9-33. See also Lev. 10: 11,
Deut. 33: 10, 2d Chr. 17: 7-9, and numerous other passages. When God is
enumerating the means he has used to call his people to repentance, he
never, as far as I can discover, speaks of sending his priests to warn
them; but in various passages we find language similar to this: ‘Since
the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this
day, I have even sent unto you all my servants, the PROPHETS, daily
rising up early and sending them. Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor
inclined their ear, but hardened their neck; they did worse than their
fathers.’ Jer. 7: 25, 26. See also, 25: 4. 2 Chr. 36: 15. and parallel
passages. God says, Is. 9: 15, 16. ‘The prophet that teacheth lies,
he is the tail; for the leaders of this people cause them to err.’
The distinction between priests and prophets is evident from their
being mentioned as two classes. ‘The prophets prophesy falsely, and
the priests bear rule by their means,’ Jer. 5: 31. See also, Ch. 2: 8.
8:1-10. and many others.
That women were called to the prophetic office, I believe is
universally admitted. Miriam, Deborah and Huldah were prophetesses. The
judgments of the Lord are denounced by Ezekiel on false prophetesses,
as well as false prophets. And if Christian ministers are, as I
apprehend, successors of the prophets, and not of the priests, then of
course, women are now called to that office as well as men, because God
has no where withdrawn from them the privilege of doing what is the
great business of preachers, viz. to point the penitent sinner to the
Redeemer. ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the
world.’
It is often triumphantly inquired, why, if men and women are on an
equality, are not women as conspicuous in the Bible as men? I do not
intend to assign a reason, but I think one may readily be found in
the fact, that from the days of Eve to the present time, the aim of
man has been to crush her. He has accomplished this work in various
ways; sometimes by brute force, sometimes by making her subservient to
his worst passions, sometimes by treating her as a doll, and while he
excluded from her mind the light of knowledge, decked her person with
gewgaws and frippery which he scorned for himself, thus endeavoring to
render her like unto a painted sepulchre.
It is truly marvellous that any woman can rise above the pressure of
circumstances which combine to crush her. Nothing can strengthen her
to do this in the character of a preacher of righteousness, but a
call from Jehovah himself. And when the voice of God penetrates the
deep recesses of her heart, and commands her to go and cry in the
ears of the people, she is ready to exclaim, ‘Ah, Lord God, behold
I cannot speak, for I am a woman.’ I have known women in different
religious societies, who have felt like the prophet. ‘His word was in
my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with
forbearing.’ But they have not dared to open their lips, and have
endured all the intensity of suffering, produced by disobedience to
God, rather than encounter heartless ridicule and injurious suspicions.
I rejoice that we have been the oppressed, rather than the oppressors.
God thus prepared his people for deliverance from outward bondage;
and I hope our sorrows have prepared us to fulfil our high and holy
duties, whether public or private, with humility and meekness; and that
suffering has imparted fortitude to endure trials, which assuredly
await us in the attempt to sunder those chains with which man has bound
us, galling to the spirit, though unseen by the eye.
Surely there is nothing either astonishing or novel in the gifts of
the Spirit being bestowed on woman: 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 influence
of the Holy Spirit. Nothing novel, because, as has been already shown,
in the sacred records there are found examples of women, as well as of
men, exercising the gift of prophecy.
We attach to the word prophecy, the exclusive meaning of foretelling
future events, but this is certainly a mistake; for the apostle Paul
defines it to be ‘speaking to edification, exhortation and comfort.’
And there appears no possible reason, why women should not do this as
well as men. At the time that the Bible was translated into English,
the meaning of the word prophecy, was delivering a message from God,
whether it was to predict future events, or to warn the people of the
consequences of sin. Governor Winthrop, of Massachusetts, mentions in a
letter, that the minister being absent, he went to, ---- to prophecy to
the people.
Before I proceed to prove that women, under the Christian dispensation,
were anointed of the Holy Ghost to preach, or prophecy, I will mention
Anna, the (last) prophetess under the Jewish dispensation. ‘She
departed not from the temple, but served God with fasting and prayers
night and day.’ And coming into the temple, while Simeon was yet
speaking to Mary, with the infant Savior in his arms, ‘spake of Christ
to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.’ Blackwall, a
learned English critic, in his work entitled, ‘Sacred Classics,’ says,
in reference to this passage, Luke 2: 37--‘According to the _original_
reading, the sense will be, that the devout Anna, who attended in the
temple, both night and day, spoke of the Messiah to all the inhabitants
of that city, who constantly worshipped there, and who prepared
themselves for the worthy reception of that divine person, whom they
expected at this time. And ’tis certain, that other devout Jews, not
inhabitants of Jerusalem, frequently repaired to the temple-worship,
and might, at this remarkable time, and several others, hear this
admirable woman discourse upon the blessed advent of the Redeemer.
A various reading has Israel instead of Jerusalem, which expresses
that religious Jews, from distant places, came thither to divine
offices, and would with high pleasure hear the discourses of this great
prophetess, so famed for her extraordinary piety and valuable talents,
upon the most important and desirable subject.’
I shall now examine the testimony of the Bible on this point, after
the ascension of our Lord, beginning with the glorious effusion of the
Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. I presume it will not be denied,
that women, as well as men, were at that time filled with the Holy
Ghost, because it is expressly stated, that women were among those who
continued in prayer and supplication, waiting for the fulfilment of
the promise, that they should be endued with power from on high. ‘When
the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were ALL with one accord
in one place. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of
fire, and it sat upon each of them; and they were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave
them utterance.’ Peter says, in reference to this miracle, ‘This is
that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. And it shall come to pass
in the last days, said God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh;
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy--and on my servants
and on my hand-maidens, I will pour out in those days of my Spirit,
and they shall prophesy.’ There is not the least intimation that this
was a spasmodic influence which was soon to cease. The men and women
are classed together; and if the power to preach the gospel was a
supernatural and short-lived impulse in women, then it was equally
so in men. But we are told, those were the days of miracles. I grant
it; but the men, equally with the women, were the subjects of this
marvellous fulfilment of prophecy, and of course, if women have lost
the gift of prophesying, so have men. We are also gravely told, that
if a woman pretends to inspiration, and thereupon grounds the right
to plead the cause of a crucified Redeemer in public, she will be
believed when she shows credentials from heaven, i. e. when she works
a miracle. I reply, if this be necessary to prove her right to preach
the gospel, then I demand of my brethren to show me their credentials;
else I cannot receive their ministry, by their own showing. John Newton
has justly said, that no power but that which created a world, can
make a minister of the gospel; and man may task his ingenuity to the
utmost, to prove that this power is not exercised on women as well as
men. He cannot do it until he has first disclaimed that simple, but all
comprehensive truth, ‘in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female.’
Women then, according to the Bible, were, under the New Testament
dispensation, as well as the Old, the recipients of the gift of
prophecy. That this is no sectarian view may be proved by the following
extracts. The first I shall offer is from Stratton’s ‘Book of the
Priesthood.’
‘While they were assembled in the upper room to wait for the blessing,
in number about one hundred and twenty, they received the miraculous
gifts of the Holy Spirit’s grace; they became the channels through
which its more ordinary, but not less saving streams flowed to three
thousand persons in one day. The whole company of the assembled
disciples, male and female, young and old, were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave
them utterance. They all contributed in producing that impression upon
the assembled multitude, which Peter was instrumental in advancing to
its decisive results.’
Scott, in his commentary on this passage, says--
‘At the same time, there appeared the form of tongues divided at the
tip and resembling fire; one of which rested on each of the whole
company.’ ‘They sat on every one present, as the original determines.
At the time of these extraordinary appearances, the whole company were
abundantly replenished with the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit,
so that they began to speak with other tongues.’
Henry in his notes confirms this:
‘It seems evident to me that not the twelve apostles only, but all the
one hundred and twenty disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost alike
at this time,--all the seventy disciples, who were apostolical men and
employed in the same work, and all the rest too that were to preach
the gospel, for it is said expressly, Eph. 4: 8-12: ‘When Christ
ascended up on high, (which refers to this) he gave gifts unto men.’
The all here must refer to the all that were together.’
I need hardly remark that man is a generic term, including both sexes.
Let us now examine whether women actually exercised the office of
minister, under the gospel dispensation. Philip had four daughters, who
prophesied or preached. Paul calls Priscilla, as well as Aquila, his
helpers; or, as in the Greek, his fellow laborers[4] in Christ Jesus.
Divers other passages might be adduced to prove that women continued to
be preachers, and that _many_ of them filled this dignified station.
We learn also from ecclesiastical history, that female ministers
suffered martyrdom in the early ages of the Christian church. In
ancient councils, mention is made of deaconesses; and in an edition of
the New Testament, printed in 1574, a woman is spoken of as minister
of a church. The same word, which, in our common translation, is now
rendered a servant of the church, in speaking of Phebe, Rom. 16: 1, is
rendered minister, Eph. 6: 21, when applied to Tychicus. A minister,
with whom I had lately the pleasure of conversing, remarked, ‘My rule
is to expound scripture by scripture, and I cannot deny the ministry of
women, because the apostle says, ‘help those women who labored with me
IN THE GOSPEL.’ He certainly meant something more than pouring out tea
for him.’
In the 11th Ch. of 1 Cor., Paul gives directions to women and men how
they should appear when they prophesy, or pray in public assemblies.
It is evident that the design of the apostle, in this and the three
succeeding chapters, is to rectify certain abuses which had crept into
the Christian church. He therefore admonishes women to pray with their
heads covered, because, according to the fashion of that day, it was
considered immodest and immoral to do otherwise. He says, ‘that were
all one as if she were shaven;’ and shaving the head was a disgraceful
punishment that was inflicted on women of bad character.
‘These things,’ says Scott, ‘the apostle stated as decent and proper,
but if any of the Corinthian teachers inclined to excite contention
about them, he would only add, v. 16, that he and his brethren knew of
no such custom as prevailed among them, nor was there any such in the
churches of God which had been planted by the other apostles.’
John Locke, whilst engaged in writing his notes on the Epistles of St.
Paul, was at a meeting where two women preached. After hearing them,
he became convinced of their commission to publish the gospel, and
thereupon altered his notes on the 11th Ch. 1 Cor. in favor of women’s
preaching. He says,--
‘This about women seeming as difficult a passage as most in St.
Paul’s Epistles, I crave leave to premise some few considerations.
It is plain that this covering the head in women is restrained to
some peculiar actions which they performed in the assembly, expressed
by the words praying, prophesying, which, whatever they signify,
must have the same meaning applied to women in the 5th verse, that
they have when applied to men in the 4th, &c. The next thing to
be considered is, what is here to be understood by praying and
prophesying. And that seems to me the performing of some public action
in the assembly, by some one person which was for that time peculiar
to that person, and whilst it lasted, the rest of the assembly
silently assisted. As to prophesying, the apostle in express words
tells us, Ch. 14: 3, 12, that it was speaking in the assembly. The
same is evident as to praying, that the apostle means by it publicly
with an audible voice, ch. 14: 19.’
In a letter to these two women, Rebecca Collier and Rachel Bracken,
which accompanied a little testimony of his regard, he says,
‘I admire no converse like that of Christian freedom; and I fear no
bondage like that of pride and prejudice. I now see that acquaintance
by sight cannot reach the height of enjoyment, which acquaintance
by knowledge arrives unto. Outward hearing may misguide us, but
internal knowledge cannot err.’ ‘Women, indeed, had the honor of
first publishing the resurrection of the God of love--why not again
the resurrection of the spirit of love? And let all the disciples of
Christ rejoice therein, as doth your partner, John Locke.’
See ‘The Friend,’ a periodical published in Philadelphia.
Adam Clarke’s comment on 1 Cor. 11: 5, is similar to Locke’s:
‘Whatever be the meaning of praying and prophesying in respect to the
man, they have precisely the same meaning in respect to the woman.
So that some women at least, as well as some men, might speak to
others to edification and exhortation and comfort. And this kind of
prophesying, or teaching, was predicted by Joel 2: 28, and referred
to by Peter; and had there not been such gifts bestowed on women, the
prophesy could not have had its fulfilment.’
In the autobiography of Adam Clarke, there is an interesting account
of his hearing Mary Sewall and another female minister preach, and he
acknowledges that such was the power accompanying their ministry, that
though he had been prejudiced against women’s preaching, he could not
but confess that these women were anointed for the office.
But there are certain passages in the Epistles of St. Paul, which seem
to be of doubtful interpretation; at which we cannot much marvel,
seeing that his brother Peter says, there are some things in them hard
to be understood. Most commentators, having their minds preoccupied
with the prejudices of education, afford little aid; they rather tend
to darken the text by the multitude of words. One of these passages
occurs in 1 Cor. 14. I have already remarked, that this chapter, with
several of the preceding, was evidently designed to correct abuses
which had crept into the assemblies of Christians in Corinth. Hence
we find that the men were commanded to be silent, as well as the
women, when they were guilty of any thing which deserved reprehension.
The apostle says, ‘If there be no interpreter, let him keep silence
in the church.’ The men were doubtless in the practice of speaking
in unknown tongues, when there was no interpreter present; and Paul
reproves them, because this kind of preaching conveyed no instruction
to the people. Again he says, ‘If any thing be revealed to another that
sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.’ We may infer from this,
that two men sometimes attempted to speak at the same time, and the
apostle rebukes them, and adds, ‘Ye may ALL prophesy one by one, for
God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.’ He then proceeds to
notice the disorderly conduct of the women, who were guilty of other
improprieties. They were probably in the habit of asking questions, on
any points of doctrine which they wished more thoroughly explained.
This custom was common among the men in the Jewish synagogues, after
the pattern of which, the meetings of the early Christians were in
all probability conducted. And the Christian women, presuming on the
liberty which they enjoyed under the new religion, interrupted the
assembly, by asking questions. The apostle disapproved of this, because
it disturbed the solemnity of the meeting: he therefore admonishes the
women to keep silence in the churches. That the apostle did not allude
to preaching is manifest, because he tells them, ‘If they will _learn_
any thing, let them ask their husbands at home.’ Now a person endowed
with a gift in the ministry, does not ask questions in the public
exercise of that gift, for the purpose of gaining information: she is
instructing others. Moreover, the apostle, in closing his remarks on
this subject, says, ‘Wherefore, brethren, (a generic term, applying
equally to men and women,) covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak
with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order.’
Clarke, on the passage, ‘Let women keep silence in the churches,’ says:
‘This was a Jewish ordinance. Women were not permitted to teach in the
assemblies, or even to ask questions. The rabbins taught that a woman
should know nothing but the use of her distaff; and the saying of
Rabbi Eliezer is worthy of remark and execration: ‘Let the words of
the law be burned, rather than that they should be delivered by women.’