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VOL. LXXXVII. RICHMOtv
The Women of
The Acts of the Apostles is a book full of
suggestions to the Church in ages to follow
concerning the methods which she may wisely
use in doing the work of the Lord. The officers
of the Church 'have habitually referred to it for
instruction and advice. In this article, let us
inquire whether it contains suggestions also for
the women of the Church of Christ.
1. AS TO OUR BENEVOLENCES.
Duriner the last week of our Lord's life on
earth, a widow woman brought to the treasury
of the Temple two mites. And the Lord praised
her. She was doing it modestly, unobtrusively.
In the fifth chapter of Acts another woman
brings her offering, but with such desire
for earthly praise that she told an untruth
about her money, representing it as all her
living. The sudden death of Sapphira is at
once a warning as to truthfulness and as to singleheartedness
in our offerings to the Lord.
2. AS TO OUR MINISTRIES TO OTHERS.
In the ninth chapter of Acts we read of a
widow named Tibitha or Dorcas. In a quiet
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coats and garments for many poor women of
her city. The hand of death fell upon her and
her life seemed to be ended. No; only just beginning.
For when Peter came and bade her
arise from the bed, and she saw the gathering
of those to whom she had ministered, all blessing
and praising her, she seemed iin a true
sense of the word to be entering a new life, to
be entering on its engagements and privileges.
The preparation of those garments had cost
ner many weary nours; yet wnat recKea
she of the weariness in comparison with the
joy of awaking from the dead to find her labors
thus appreciated by her neighbors and
by her Redeemer.
3. THE COTTAGE PRATER MEETING.
In the twelfth chapter we read that the life
of Peter was in imminent peril. Herod had
put to death James the brother of John. He
had arrested Peter and had him confined in
prison under care not of one quaternion of soldiers
but of four quaternions. There seemed
to be no hope of rescue or release. But Mary
the mother of John Mark, summoned her Christian
neighbors to pray for his release. Necessarily
they were prayers not of vain repetitions
but of many repetitions. And ere the
morning light God sent an angel from Heaven
to loose the bonds of Peter, to open the prison
gates and deliver him from the hands nf
Herod.
It is a ministry which all our women may
imitate, whenever their hearts bid them put
forth the effort.
4. PROVIDING POOD AND LODGING.
At many of the places where he preached,
Paul was limited in his gospel labors by the
necessity of earning his daily bread. Thus at
Corinth he labored at tent making, in order
to buy food. But there was at least one hapPy
exception. At Philippi, when Lydia was
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: the Apostolic
converted, she not only invited Paul to her
house but insisted and pressed the invitation.
With a mind free from worldly care Paul
preached to the people of that city, and with
telling effect. So effectively that the idolaters
of that city appealed to the magistrates to
punish Paul and Silas.
Does some one say that it was but an humble
serviee, cooking food for them three times
a day? Yes but on the one hand it enabled
them to preach without interruption; and on
the other hand it cheered and encouraged them
and added to the spiritual effectiveness of
their work.
And further it left its impress upon the community,
so that after Paul left Philippi that
church continued to help his labors by providing
often for his daily bread. From the
last chapter of the Epistle to the Philippians,
"But Thou Remainest."
HEB. l:n.
"But Thou remainest,"?0 our God
And Father, loving, kind;
Though streams of gladness cease to flow,
And parching ways we find,
**But Thou remainest," and the heart
Is solaced by Thy "better part.*'
" But Thou rcmainest." though the sun
That lit life's path be set,
And though the vale in shadow lies
Our feet must traverse yet,
"But Thou remainest," and with Thee
Light in the darkness we can see.
"But Thou rcmainest." O the yearsI
They brought both shine and shade;
Kind friends so dear, some scattered wide,
And some arc lowly laid;
"But Thou remainest," and Thy Name,
Eternal Love, is still the same.
"But Thou remceineat." O the wealth
Of all the boundless store
That lies enwrapped in words so few,
Their depth, breadth, know no shore,
For Thou remainest; Lord, in Thee
We find our all eternally.
?E. Cruickshank.
Washington, D. C.
we know that both ui Thessalonica and during
his imprisonment at Rome, Paul received from
the Christians in Lydia's city contributions for
his support. Her efforts, though only in the
line of cooking bore good fruit.
5. PRIVATE INSTRUCTION IN THE GOSPEL.
Concerning public preaching by women,
none is more emphatic than Paul. But there
is a sphere of teaching which Paul commends
to women. We find the record in Acts 18:24.
I'aul (see verse 23) has just begun his third
missionary journey. As he reaches Ephesus
Apollos appears. He is an eloquent man, capable
of great usefulness in the ministry. But
he is instructed only in the baptism of John.
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Days REV. T. E. CONVERSE, D. D
lie needs instruction in the life, the labors, the
teachings, the crucifixion, and the resurrection
of Jesus ere he can become a Christian minister.
Paul is too busy- to give him the information
that he needs. But Priscilla, a woman,
the wife of Aquila, is not so pressed. Apparently
Paul bids her take the time, for days and
weeks, it may be, to give to Apollos a knowledge
of the facts of the life of Jesus and of
his teachings.
And in the Sabbath School today- godly women
are giving personal instruction to many a
warmhearted Christian who needs help in the
things of eternal life.
6. FAITHFUL, FAMILY TRAINING.
In the second Epistle to Timothy, in its first
chapter, Paul digresses from his theme to
give words of appreciation of the faithful family
training of the mother and the grandmother
of Timothy. "The unfeigned faith that is
in thee; which dwelt first in thy grandmother,
Lois, and in thy mother, Eunice." They had
trained the childhood of Timothy until Paul
could say of him, "I have no man likeminded."
Dorcas did a good work with her needle;
Alary did noble work with her prayer meeting;
Lydia with her cooking, and Priscilla
with her teaching. And yet?and yet?did not
the early training of Timothy by pious parents
add more to the spread of the Gospel than
any one of these t
7. KEEPING OUT OP QUARRELS.
In the church at Philippi, there was a fuss,
a quarrel. Yes in the church which was so
tender to Paul. While he lay a prisoner at
Rome, in peril of his life, he had to bear the .
added suffering of knowing that the work of
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In the fourth chapter of his Epistle to the
Philippians, he writes, "I beseech Euodias and
1 beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same
mind in the Lord." Whether Euodias was a
woman or not, I do not know, but the name
Syntyche is feminine in form and indicates a
woman. So that this passage falls within the
line of Paul's messages to the women.
And what is the message? Abstain from
quarreling. "Turn the other cheek," if need
he, hut do not restrain the work of the Gospel.
Let us suppose that Euodias had done Syntvche
some great wrong. Still it would have
hurt Syntyche far less to have submitted to
any wrong that did not impinge upon her conscience
than to have the record sent down to
the ages to follow that Syntyche was a quarrelsome
woman, and a disturber in such a sense
that Paul felt impelled thus publicly to rebuke
1 . StTl a ? 1 .
n?jr. wnenever we are lempiea to engage in a
quarrel, let the memory of Syntyche, and her
public rebuke restrain both our lips and our
hearts.
8. phoebe, a servant of the church.
From the last chapter of Romans, we cull
this phrase, "She herself hath been a helper