women labourers in the Gospel which they that are now doctors Teachers and professors are against which you never read Timothy Titus or the Apostles did forbid Daughters or women prophecying and they are ignorant that forbid women or Daughters prophecying and women labouring in the Gospel which is the power of God and their compairing them to Iesabel shews their ignorance Rev. 2.10 And it is a shame for a woman to speak in the Church 1 Cor. 14.34 that which the Law forbids and commands silence it is a shame to suffer them to speak in the Church What Came the word of God out from you or came it unto you only Paul according to the measure given to him in all his Epistles 2 Pet. 3. speaking in them of things which some are hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures to their own destruction you therefore beloved seeing you know these things bewar least you also be led away with the error of the wicked and fall from your own steadfastness 2. Pet. 3. but growe in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the end of the Law for Righteousness sake Rom. 8. Act. 4. Peter which was unlearned in the Letter yet learned of Christ saies such as are unlearned wrest the Scriptures and the Epistles being unlearned The Scribes Pharisees great Rabbies and Doctors knew not the Scripture being not learned of Christ him who was the life of the Prophets and the end of the Law whom Peter was learned in knew and preached whom they knew not so here the unlearned who was in the life confounded all the learned out of the life who learned of him by whom the world was made who comprehended all the world's learning so the unlearned wrest they are to learn in silence and not to speak as saith the Law but learn of their Husbands at home Christ who makes free from the Law nevertheless she shall be saved by Child bearing Christ in the Male Christ in the Female Husbands love your wives and be not bitter against them Wives submit your selves first to your Husbands as unto the Lord the Husband is the head of the Wife even as Christ is the head of the Church Ephe. 5. is the saviour of the body therefore as the Church is subject to Christ so let the Wives be subject to their own Husbands in every thing Ephe. 5. Husbands love your Wives even as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and clense it by the washing of water by the word that he might present it a glorious Church without spot or wrinckle or any such thing that it should be holy and without blemish so ought men to love their wives as their own bodys he that loveth his wife loveth himself for no man ever hateth his own flesh but nourished it and cherished it even as the Lord the Church for we are Members of his body of his flesh and of his bones for this cause shall a man leave his Father and Mother and be joyned to his wife and they twain shall be one flesh This is a great mistery I speak concerning Christ and the Church he that hath an ear let him hear this great mistery now the unlearned men wrest it and the unstablished who know not this great mistery you that are ignorant of the Lords work and the voice of his Prophets who are wondring at the Prophecying of the Daughters who make your selves ignorant of the Scriptures and are wondring at the Lords Prophetesses or his Daughters contrary to Ioel the Lords Prophet which spoke from the Lord and saith the Lord to him I am the Lord your God and none else and my people shall never be ashamed it shall come to pass after those days when Christ came which was the end of the Law I will poure forth my Spirit upon all flesh and your Sons and your Daughters shall Prophecy and your old men shall dream dreames and young men shall see visions also upon the servants upon the handmaids in those days will I poure out my spirit saith the Lord Here all may see the Spirit of the Lord not limited but upon the Handmaids and the Servants is the Lords Spirit poured and to be poured and many thousands of Servants and Handmaids do witness the Spirit of the Lord poured upon them the word of the Lord fulfilled and upon the Sons and Daughters will the Lord poure out his spirit and they shall prophecy and many Daughters and sons young old men witness the spirit of the Lord upon them poured out that visions are seen old men dreame dreames and young men see visions and their Sons their Daughters do prophecy Ioel 2.28 and in Act. 2. The Apostles did there gather together waiting upon the Lord upon whom the holy Ghost fell among them that waited for the Spirit this prophecy of Ioel they saw the fulfilling of which to the world they were as men drunk and so here the Apostles witnessed the fulfilling of the Prophet who were witnesses of Christ whom the Apostles did give testimony of and did speak of the Daughters prophecying and Phillip had foure daughters that did prophecy which the Apostle did not forbid and saith the Apostle 1 Thes 5. despise not prophecying c. And when the Apostles said the Sons and Daughters should prophecy they were looked upon by the world as men do now to be drunk And whereas Moses said I would all the Lords people were Prophets and there were women that were the Lords people as well as men and women Prophetesses in his days and in the time of the Law Therfore you who are called Christians have a minde unlike Moses and do shew that you have not the Spirit of the Lord poured upon you according to Ioel 2. to prophecy withall who appear to be such as vex grieve it and then envy such as prophecy with it and persecute them And you do not read that the Jews were offended at old Hannah the Prophetess who prophecyed in the Temple which if an old woman should come and prophecy in your Synagogs or Temples you would cry to the Stocks with her or to Prison with her and haile and persecute her though you be called Christians and so do shew your selves worse then the Jews And saith the Lord 1 Cron. 16.22 Touch not mine Anointed and do my Prophets no harme So you that persecute the Daughters on whom the spirit of the Lord is poured and beleeve them not you are them that despise the Prophets and Prophetesses and despise Prophecying and so have broken the Apostles command who saith despise not prophecying and shews that you are out of the Prophet's doctrin and the Apostles doctrin and against the promises of God do stand withall your might who saith he would pour forth his Spirit upon all flesh and his Daughters should prophecy And
Concerning Sons and Daughters and Prophetesses speaking and Prophecying in the Law and in the Gospel And concerning Womens learning in silence 1 Cor 34 3â— 1 Tiâ— 12 1â— and also concerning womens not speaking in the Church as the Apostle said I permit not a woman to speak in the Church and what state they be in c. MIriam was a Prophetess the sister of Aron and Moses a Magistrate and Aron the Priest did not judge this Prophetess nor other Women for they came forth praysing God together And Miriam answered the men sing ye unto the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously now are not Christian Priests Rulers and Magistrates worse then Moses and Aron which would stop a prophetess from prophesying Yea worse then those that were under the Law who now profess themselves to be Christians for the Lord overthrew the horse and his rider in the sea saies the Prophetess And Moses had been singing a little before and Miriam the woman fell a singing and speaking the Prophetess as you may read Exod. 15. and Moses did not reprove her and the King Iosiah commanded Hilkiah the Priest and others Go aâ—â—â—nquire of the Lord for me concerning the words of the Book of the Law 2 King 22.12 and Hilkiah the priest and others went unto Huldah the prophetess a woman teacher the wife of Shallum and she dwelt in Hierusalem in the house of Doctrine and they communed with her and she answâ—â—â— them thus saith the Lord God of Israel tell the man that sent yâ—◠〈◊〉 me behold I will bring evil upon this place and there you may read in the Chapter what a great speech shee made unto them how she was a teacher both unto the King and the Priest and many others and how the King did give regard to her words and sent to gather together all the Elders of Iudah and the Preists and Prophets and declared unto them of the abomination that had been set up which she had witnessed against as before so here the King the Priests did not dispise this woman teacher the Prophetss in the time of the Law which may condemn Christians which say they are come to the end of the Law they that are led by the spirit are not under the Law but are come to a further state And in Isa 8. Chap. 1. He went to the Prophetess who conceived and bare a Son and then said the Lord call his name Maher-shalal hash-baz and here you may see here was a Prophetess not despised by Esai nor the Lord Iudges 4.4 there Deborah a Prophetess the wife of Lapidoth judged Israel and she dwelt under a Palm-tree and the Children of Israel came up to her for Judgment and she prophesied how the Children of Israel should overcome their Enemies from the Lord here again you may see a woman Prophetess and Teacher to whom all Israel was to give Eare who saw the overthrowing of their Enemies then you may read in the 5. of Iudges how Deborah praised the Lord and how she called Kings and Princes to hearken and said she would sing unto the Lord and praise the God of Israel Therefore ye Children of darkness limmit not the holy one despise not Prophecying nor the Prophetesses who professes your selves to be Christians but shews your selvs to be ignorant both of Law and Scriptures and out of the Spirit which gave them forth LEt your women learn in silence with all subjection 1 Tim. 2. here is a silent Learning a Learning in silence 1 Cor. 14.34.35 I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp Authority over the man but to be silent there she is to learn in silence and not to usurpe Authority over the man but to ask her Husband at home that which usurps authority the 〈◊〉 takes hold on but if you be led of the Spirit then you are not under 〈◊〉 Law Gal. 5. so I permit not a woman to speak in the Church as saith the Law so let the woman learn in silence with all subjection but I suffer not a woman to usurp Authority over the man but to be in all silence for Adam was formed then Eve and Adam was not deceived but the woman was in the transgression read 1 Tim. 2. nevertheless she shall be saved in Child-bearing if she continue in Faith and Charity and holiness with sobriety c. And so by the leading of the spirit ye come to Christ another Husband of whom you are to learn as people were to learn of the Law and such as are led by the Spirit are the sons of God so do prophecy according to Ioel and Peter Ioel 2. Act. 2. they come from the state that the Law limmits and these did pray and prophecy as instance 1. Cor. 11. women praying and prophecying who was a Church and the Apostle saith despise not prophecying Now here is the state of Eve and the state of Iesabel and Eve's state is not Iesabels which are both called women for Eve was first deceived but daughters prophecying is above Iesabels and if Eve had been in the prophecy she would have foreseen what she fell into and prophecy by the Spirit is above the state of the woman for prophecy does let see the deceiver and what he leads into which though the state of Eve must be kept under the Law yet daughters prophecying is in the end of the Law for Eve got over her husband so the Apostle speaks of Adam and Eve and doth not speak of quenching Daughters prophecying not that Christ in the Male or in the Female should be stopt from speaking which is above Eve or Iesabel read 1 Tim. 2. And so forbidding a Iesabels speaking or forbidding a woman in the state of Eves speaking is nothing to the purpose for the forbidding of Daughters or Prophetesses prophecying in the Church who are led by the Spirit of God or Christ in the Females speaking Let your women keep silence in the Church for it is not permited for them to speak but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the Law the women which are to be under obedience and to be silent and not to speak in the Church as also saith the Law which doth not permitt but Christ in the Male and in the Female is one which may speak which makes free from the Law I will poure out my Spirit upon Sons and Daughters and they shall Prophecy And as touching womens learning of their Husbands at home many were Virgins and many Widdows and many had unbelieving Husbands and therefore it must either be the Law they were to learn of or Christ for the Law keeps down that which is to the shame and that which has usurped Authority and the Spirit of God leads from that which is a shame and that which has usurped Authority and from being deceived And the Apostles which witnessed Christ the end of the Law for righteousness sake did allow and own Sons and Daughters prophecying and
how can you be established and beleive not the Prophets for beleiving the Prophets they came to be established as you may read 2 Cron. 20. So how ignorant of the Prophets and promises of God do the called Teachers of the world make themselves manifest and how in darkness they appear to the children of Light 1 Thes 5.20 So you that despise prophecying and cast the sons and daughters servants and handmaids into prisons who witness the spirit of the Lord God poured forth upon them you shew that you be out of the Apostles Doctrine to be strangers to the spirit the Scriptures were given forth from and are ignorant of the Church the Apostle speaks of who saith let the Prophets speak two or three and let the other judge if any thing be revealed to one that sits by let the first hold his peace for you may all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be comforted and the spirit of the Prophets is subject to the prophets for God is not the author of confusion but of peace as in all the Churches of the Saints this order was in the Church of the Saints the Prophets to speak two or three and the other to judge and if any thing be revealed to another that fits by the first held his peace 1 Cor. 14.30 they might prophecy all one by one that all may learn and be comforted and the spirit of the prophets was subject to the Prophets and this was order and not confusion in all the Churches of the Saints which is disorder and confusion in the Churches of the world who cannot endure a daughter to prophecy for a daughter might prophecy a daughter being a prophetess where the spirit of the Lord is poured forth upon her for you never read that any of the Prophets or Apostles were against a daughters prophecying which had the spirit of the Lord poured forth upon them a daughter might prophecy in the Church for let your Prophets speak two or three and I will poure out my Spirit upon all flesh and your daughters shall prophecy for you that despise prophecing despises Gods command and are out of Moses Light and life who said would all the Lord's people were Prophets Num. 11.26 27 28. and daughters are the Lords people and when they were prophecying in the Campe there ran a young man and told Moses and Ioshua the Son of Nun the servant of Moses one of his young men answered and said my Lord forbid them like the Priest now And Moses said unto him envyest thou for my sake Would God all the Lord's people were Prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them Now marke Moses answer how backward Moses was from limmitting the Spirit that he would have the Lords spirit put upon them all and said would that the Lords people were all Prophets some of which were women Now hear you Magistrats Priests and people which do put into Prison Sons and Daughters for prophecying and the Lords people you shew a contrary spirit you shew a spirit that hath erred from Moses spirit who cannot endure the spirit of the Lord should be poured upon them that they should Prophecy but would limmit it to Learned men old Books and Authors And Hannah the Prophetess the Daughter of Phanuel which was about fourscore and foure years of age came into the Temple who served God with fasting and praying night and day she spake of Christ to all them that looked for Redemption in Jerusalem Here was a large Testimony born of Jesus by Hannah the Prophetess Luke 2.36 37 38. here you may see a daughter which did give Testimony of Jesus which would be as a wonder in this our age to see a woman of four score years of age to speak of Jesus to all them that looked for redemption in Ierusalem as she did put her into Prison would the wicked ones say into Prison with her would the Priests say Paul the Minister of God in Phil. 4 There he intreats his true yoak-fellow to help those women which laboured with him in the Gospel as you may there read the women were joyned with the other fellow labourers and the Apostles whose names were written in the Book of life And in Rom. 16. there you may see Pricilla and Aquilla Paul's helpers in Christ Jesus who for his life laid down their necks Here the wife Pricilla was an Instructer and was one of them that laid down their necks and a helper in Christ Jesus Act. 18.24 25 26. She and Aquilla took Appollo and expounded to him the way of God more perfectly one who taught in the Synagogue was instructed by her and him in the way of God more perfectly at such your Synagogue Teachers scoff to be instructed by a woman and you that forbid a Womans speaking that hath the spirit of the Lord you forbid Scripture 1 Cor. 16 19. for Aquilla and Pricilla had a Church in their house and the Church in Pricilla and Aquilla's house was to be Greeted who were instructors and in the aforesaid Chap. Act. 18. he that vvas speaking bouldly in the Synagogue witnessing Iohn to him Pricilla expounded the way of God more perfectly and the Apostle Paul a Minister of the Lord who witnessed the daughters prophecying I commend unto you Phebe our Sister which is a servant of the Church which is at Cenchrea that you receive her in the Lord as becometh Saints that you assist her in what business she hath need of for she hath been a succorour of many and of my self also This was Phebe the sister the servant of the Church which was to be received in the Lord and assist her in whatsoever business she hath need And saith the Apostles as touching Pricilla and Aquilla his fellow labourers in Christ Jesus who laid down their necks for his life unto whom he gave thanks and not onely to them but also all the Churches of the Gentiles here you may see the account Aquilla and Pricilla were in who laid down their necks for the Apostles how thanks-worthy they were and Mary in ver 6. was to be greeted who bestowed much labour on the Apostles you that cannot own the prophecying of the daughters the women labourers in the Gospel you are such as the Apostle speaks of in the same Chapter Rom. 16. Which serve not the Lord Iesus Christ but your own Bellys by the good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple For the obedience of these was gon abroad which the Apostle speaks of and your disobedience is gone abroad to the Apostle's Doctrine's Who cannot endure the prophecy of the sons and daughters where the spirit of the Lord is poured upon them And Mary Magdalen saw Iesus after his Resurection which on the first day of the week came to the Sepulcher when she saw Iesus she knew not that it was him and said unto him Master Iesus saith unto her touch me not for I am