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About Christian herald. (Portland ;) 1882-18?? | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 1883)
K 5 CHRISTIAN HERALD. . _______________________ send in their pledges so we will see what can be done V Do the churches ‘‘Want ~iiTtssiohafy^’work done ? How much do you want done at yout^xpense my brother ? The Haster is come and is calling for you. How much do you love him and humanity for his sake ? Brethren the time has come when this-question must be met in Ore gon. We shall sleep but not for ever. There must be*a quickening. Christ Jesus, called to be saints, Grace to you. and peace from God. I thank my.tiod always1 concerning you, for the grace of God, which was given you in Christ Jesus; That in every thing ye were en riched in him, in all utterance and all knowledge; even as the testi mony of Christ was confirmed in you; so that you came behind in no gift.” From this we learn that, ijxnoriniz • • J D O " Sleep on now and take your rest. » the saints in Christ Jesus, was " Awake thou that sleepest; arise addressed^-a body, individually the dead and Christ will give you and collectively, endowed richly in light.” the spiritual gifts, for the confirma J. W. S priggs Cor. Sec. tion of the testimony of Christ in BMHia; o i ., wv i . il imj . TK^T^TKen; necessarily nattonatiH ty and sex are ignored in directing Original Contributions. the exercise of the gifts. It fol lows then that in saying “ I would > —W ORK«IN have you all speak with tongues ” TEMPLE. he meant every individual church Bl M. B. LEMEKT. member; and in saying ye can all (No. 6 Concluded.) prophesy he meant the same as far As has been seen, the object, in as ability to do so would permit; constituting saints priests, was that and he desired those who had not they might offer spiritual sacrifice, the gift of prophesy to seek to acceptable to God. In this they obtain it, as gifts might be obtained were engaged, while exercising by prayer.. s their gifts in the assembly. Paul In the prosecution of my work, tells us that, as priest, Melchisedec J was without father and mother. showing that Paul’s prohibitory g^rThir autlrcTtzes -thu~ assertion that iangtragu'is restricted to the cor j as priests, women, offering spiritual rection abuses, without including | sacrifices un the spiritual temple, of the improvement of talent bestowed • which she is as livihg stone, has no —the exercise of spiritual gifts u husband, of whom to ask giiA«tir>na divinely conferred. I quote, “ But at home. This fact, so well under let her be in subjection, as also stood by Paul, utterly forbids the with the law." Governmentally, application of his prohibitory the law subjected woman. God ’ language, to the exercise of spiritu said to Eve, because of her trans al gifts. The context does the gression, “ Thy husband shall rule same. Just preceding this langu over thee.” This^law is still in age he says, “ For you can all pro full force. Paul disclaimed in phesy one by one, that all may creasing the penalty attached to be comforted ;” and just after it he the original transgression, and en says, “ Wherefore, my brethren, de tailed upon Eve's daughters—dis sire earnestly to prophesy, and claimed, in what he was saying, forbid not to speak with tongues." laying any additional restrictions This is not the kind of speaking upon woman, not placed upon her he prohibited. Hear him, “I would by the law. This sends us to the law, to have you all speak with tongues, but- rather that ye should pro learn what restraint she was under ; phesy.” Is it claimed that the also what privileges were granted word “ all ” in these quotations her. In the law we find no re mean all the men, exclusive of strictions upon her tongue in women ? Such a claim is unwar- prayer, praise adoring, and magni anted—a perversion of the Scrip fying God, and prophesying. God ture, necessitated by a misappre sent three prophets . before his hension, and a misinterpretation of people Israel—Moses, Aaron and the 34 and 35 verses. To whom Miriam. (Mic. 6: 4). After cross was this epistle addressed ? to ing the Red Sea, Moses and the menT ' Nd. To WOrcrent "No.i-Letr- 4P children of Israel sang a triumph- . ant song of praise to God. “ And us see. “ Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, unto the Miriam, the prophetess, the sister, church of God which is at Corinth, of Aaron, took a timbrel in her even them that are sanctified in hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord/' ExT 15 : 20. Miriam did not get up a private meeting with the sisters, and have service outside of the camp, where they could not be ob served by their brothers; but right in their midst, and in response to their song, exhorted them, say ing, “ Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously.” Pri- . ™ J " V 1 xj UW■, worship of-God, is untaught in the Book our Father has given us. Miriam was the first prophetess under the law, and Anna the last we have record of. Anna the pro- STtS r- . was very devout; but where did she resort for devotional exercises —in some private cot or garret? Jerusalem. “ She - departed not from the temple, worshiping with fasting and supplication night and day ; and coming in at that hour she gave thanks unto God and spake of him to all them that were look ing for the redemption of Jerusa lem.” (Luke 2: 36-39, Rev. Ver) “Gave thanks to the Lord and spoke concerning Jesus to all those in Jerusalem who- expected demption.” Anna spoke in the temple, type of the church, thanked and praised God, and publicly pro claimed Jesus to all devout listen ers, either men or 'Tvomen,' in the temple, and continued this, I doubt not, till death stilled her tongue. This is the only lock the law put on woman’s tongue religiously ; and Paul disclaims anything more re strictive. Having spoken briefly of the first prophetess under the law, and of the last, we wijl glance at some of the intervening. After the death of Joshua for some four hundred and fifty years God raised up judges over Israel. Among these was Deborah, a prophetes. She both judged Israel and com municated to them the word of the Lord ; raised an army of ten thou sand men, cut off the Canaanite to gether with their king, who had enslaved Israel, and thus obtained a grand release for her people, after which she dictated and sang a tri umphant song of praise, glory and gratitude to God, falling little short of the song sang by Moses. 11 is recorded (Jud. 5.) in the book writ ten for our learning, for the benefit of all readers of all succeeding ages. In the first and second chapters of » ■ ■_________ ■ —fa* 1 Kings are the prayers and praise of Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel^ a woman flklth lit God, fidelity and sacnfice, places her by the side of Abraham; and but a little lower than him ;he, by the express command of God, offer ed up his only son; she, without any such command, gave forever to the Lord, her then only son, soon after he was weaned, prompt ed by gratitude and love. In the .. Jerusalem, Huldah, the wife of Shallum, was prophetess and dwelt in the college in Jerusalem. The king Josiah sent a priest, accom panied by lour men, to Huldah, for thtj wuid uMlie Luribaii^obbainulj » ' through her, an important message from the Lord. This, too, was under the law; it did not prohibit more than hien, prophesying. Others are spoken of in the Old Testament, but we will come to the New, while yet under the law. Here we learn that Elizabeth, wife of Zacharias, was full of the Holy Spirit, and proph esied ; so did Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the days of Anna the ^¿roplmtoss^udxeaJ Paul,.. did us a favor in sending us to the - law to learn what restrictions were placed upon woman. While here, __ learning from these authoritative lessons, let us examine a little more minutely, two cases, already called up. We quote “ The Lord raised 'up JuzZpes”“ whi^h deli vered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them ”—the Israelites. Jud. 2: 16. This is quoted simply to show that the judges of Israel were not usurpers—self-constituted —but God appointed. Nor could one assume to be a prophet, but was necessarily so constituted by God himself. Deborah was both prophetess and judge in Israel. “ She dwelt under the palmtree of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel, in mount Ephraim ; and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.” Though she had a husband, to whom she was loyal, and honored, she dwelt under a palm tree, bearing her own name ; and God had his people go to her for judgment; something as they crowded around Moses in the wilderness, for the same purpose; and God spoke to his people through her, and delivered them from the hands of oppressors, through her, and through her wise counsels, and prudent judgment, he gave his ' ‘ Z people peace and prosperity, for a long series of years—possibly forty.