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VOL. IV. RICHMONI
The Scriptura
Work oi
If t.llft t.pao.hinc nf tlio Hihlo ia nlooi- 00 tn
what woman may not do in the Christian Church
it is equally explicit as to what she may do.
1. Her widest sphere Ls the training of children.
In his catalogue of woman's good works
l'aul mentions that first, "If she have brought
up children"?1 Tim. 5:10. In the home the
mother's place is by the father's side as jointly
entitled with him to her children's reverence.
"Honor thy father and thy mother," is the commandment;
and in one interesting passage in
the Old Testament the mother is actually mentioned
first. Lev. 19:3. She is her children's
first and most influential teacher and she sets
the most lasting mark on their character.
Woman, by reason of her natural endowment
for this duty of motherhood, is everywhere
recognized as the ideal teacher of children.
If God has given her none of her own,
there are plenty of motherless children whom
.1. ? * - - -
Mie may leacn. As older sister, as unmarried
aunt, how often she has proved a very angel of
mercy to motherless broods of little ones; and
if her home has been denied children of her own
she may?and often she does-?take into it by
adoption or otherwise the orphaned children "of
relatives or others and bring them up for God.
Outside the home, too, she may find children
schools in the hands of women. What a
mighty army these thousands of school teachers
compose and what a wide and wonderful
domain they are administering! And by
Christian women this vast opportunity is wielded
for God. Even those who do not have
this contact with these elastic vnumr lives cverv
x f ? ? "
day of the week may have a Sunday school class
and this affords the chance not only of meeting
a group of children for an hour on Sunday,
but of visiting them in their homes during the
week and exerting the power of a noble and
intimate friendship. In short, whether it be her
own or other people's, to "bring up children"
is one of woman's noblest tasks,
honor it is mentioned by Paul in 1 Timothy 5:10.
2. Another sphere of influence for woman is
among young women. In his epistle to Titus,
chapter 2 verse 4, Paul enjoins the elderly women
to "traini the young women." "When one
reflects upon the almost boundless influence
which a matron, who embodies in her character
all the strength and graces which make her ideal,
exerts over the young girl who looks shyly ud
to her as being all that she hopes herself one
day to be, we see what power for good is here
'?dged in the older woman's hands.
3. Another sphere of influence dpen to Christian
women is suggested in the 18th chapter of
Acts. We may call it the role of Christian coun?'<lor
or friend. It will be remembered that
Aquila and his wife Prisaiila had enjoyed un
giyTi
V
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c the Christian
REV. THF'sP * 4 RICE, D. D.
usua1 ' .arning from Paul the gospel
"v.f,' having been housemates with him
and partners in his daily toil of tent-making.
After Paul left them there came to Ephesus an
eloquent and learned young preacher, Apollos by
uame, wnose theology was quite defective. Priscilla
and Aquila took Apollos into their hearts,
into their intimate friendship, perhaps into their
home and taught him the way of God more accurately.
And judging from the fact that Priscilla
is mentioned first, she had the chief hand in it.
A woman may even teach a preacher sound theology
if she does it in the right place and right
way.
4. Another beautiful office assigned to woman
by the New Testament is that of Christian hospitality.
See 1 Timothy 5:10. "If she hath
used hospitality to strangers, if she hath washed
che saints' feet." This last expression is hallowed
by our Lord's use of it. When he went
to live with Simon the Pharisee he noted and
felt the omission of the common act of hospitality.
"Thou gavest me no water for my feet,"
he said. Then in the upper room at the last
supper he. their Lord and Mnstpr u-??hi>d tho
disciples' feet and taught them to practice the
same office of humble ministry to one another
amongst themselves. Christian hospitality that
most charming and refreshing form of ministering
to the saints of God is specially committed
to woman. It is a work at once noble and
congenial to her nature. She is very beautiful
in its exercise.
5. Again, the work of relieving the afflicted
is most becoming in woman. Consult once more
Paul's catalogue of her "good works" in 1
f;.in wt v -
- .mvmj ^ ii ujit.iu is never inure ai uome
than when she is dealing with poverty, disease,
hunger, nakedness, sorrow. A ministering angel
she is then if ever. Her ready and warm sympathies,
her discernment and intuitive insight,
her tact and tenderness, her practical capacity
and mastery of all those household arts which
have so much to do with banishing suffering
from wretched homes?all these things richly
qualify her for relieving the afflicted. These
two functions of hospitality and relief, found
employment during the earthly life of our Lord.
Everybody remembers how Mary and especially
Martha labored for t.hp comfort nf eSoii- VToofm.
when it pleased him to be their guest. And we
all recall how he appreciated it. "Jesus loved
Martha and her sister and Lazarus."-:-Jjhn
11:15. We might have expected John to mention
the head of the house first. But no, he mentioned
the women of the family?then Latisru^
last of all. We mi&ht have expected Mary to
be named befor Martha?Mary who sat at J? sns'
feet while Martha was anxious and troubled
about many things. But ho, Martha heads the
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. 24, 1912. NO. 17.
Woman to the
Church
list as if, when the little circle was thought of,
Martha, the busy housekeeper with the hospitable
heart, was thought of first of all.
Akin to relieving the afflicted, if not the very
thing itself, was the work of those devoted wo
uiL'ii oi uaiuee wno loilowed Uhrist and ministered
to him, and was it not the same spirit that
took them early to the tomb to anoint his wounded
body for its burial? When one poured her
fragrant ointment on his head at the feast at
Bethany just a few days before his death, he
caused the deed to be told of her wherever his
gospel should be preached. May we not believe
that he who has taught us to tind himself in his
needy people on earth and to minister to them
as we would minister to *bim if he were here, may
we not believe that he will always count worthy
of all honor deeds to his people which breathe
that spirit?
6. The Bible assumes what is the fact, that
the majority of women are married. For them
the work appointed by God is very clearly
marked out. Their homes and their duties as
wives and mothers will fully occupy them. They
are tu ue taugni, says 1'aui (.Titus Z: 4, 5), "To
love their husbands, to love their children, to
be sober-minded, chaste, workers at home, kind,
being in subjection to their own husbands, thai
rhe word of God be not blasphemed." And
the apostle Peter holds out the hope that not
only will the gospel of God be adorned and
glorified by such a life, but that even unconr
verted husbands "may without the word be
gained by the behaviour of their wives." 1 Peter
3:1,2.
And now, in view of this brief and imperfect
survey let us ask: Could woman ask a nobler
or more extensive sphere? The providentially
appointed trainer of children, she presides
over the formation of characters and the determination
of destinies at the very fountainhead
of the race. The presiding genius of
the home, she may make it under God's blessing
an ante-room of heaven. Dispenser of hospitality
and reliever of distress, she is a ministering
angei to the lonely and the wretched. Not called to
preabh from the pulpit the gospel of God's grace
to sinners, she daily adorns the doctrine of God
her Saviour by the very beauty of her meekness
and modesty and wins those whom even the
preached word does not win by the power of her
consistent life. It would seem that woman could
e? ? * -
ioiuij vaic lur more or oiner worK to do.
But we all know that questions have been
raised as to the precise force of the Scripture
passages we have been dealing with. Many want
these questions candidly dealt with and they
ought to be candidly faced. It will be our effort
in the next and final section of this article to
canvass these questions thoroughly.