THE Woman-Preacher OF SAMARIA A Better Preacher and more Sufficiently Qualified to Preach than any of the Men-Preachers of the Man-made-Ministry in these Three NATIONS Quia non cognovi literaturam introibo in potentias Domini Psal 71. v. 15. So the Ancient Latine and so the Septuagint in some Copies and so the Hebrew it self being rightly Translated In English thus Because I know not Letters I will enter into the Powers of the Lord. By George Keith Printed in the Year 1674. THE Woman-Preacher OF SAMARIA COme hither all you Men-Preachers of a Man-made-Ministry in the three Nations whether Conformists or Nonconformists unto the present way of the Ministry and Worship in these Nations Established by an Humane Law who cry out against Womens Preaching and Speaking and say Women ought not to Preach There should not be Women Preachers They should keep them to the Affairs within the House and not meddle with our holy Function Behold a Woman-Preacher the Woman of Samaria Iohn 4. who may be an Example unto you all and the best of you and most Learned and Qualified of you all have need to learn of her how to Preach This Woman of Samaria may be your School-Mistress to teach you to Preach and it were good for you to learn of her who though being dead yet speaketh unto you Verily she is a witness for God unto the true way of Ministry and Preaching against you all and against all your false and invented ways Oh for shame let alone your crying out against Women-Preachers while you are short exceedingly short of this Woman-Preacher of Samaria and first of all learn the true silence and to have that mouth in you stopped which God hath never opened that the true mouth which is of his opening you may come to witness or else for ever to be silent that him you may know to open your Mouths who hath the Key of David who shutteth and no man openeth and openeth and no man shutteth The Woman then left her Water-pot and went her way into the City and saith unto the Men Come See a Man which told me all things that ever I did Is not this the Christ Then they went out of the City and came unto him c. Iohn 4.28 29 30. Here she Preached Christ in few words but very effectually and with good success Come See a Man that told me all things that ever I did is not this the Christ These were her words few and short but very material and Pertinent and very powerful and effectual as appeared by the good success her words had upon the men of the City for it is said Then to wit after her speaking to them they went out of the City and came unto him and v. 39. it is said And many of the Samaritans of that City believed on him for the saying of the Woman which testified he told me all things that ever I did but v. 41. it is said and many more believed because of his own Word But How came this Woman to be a Preacher of Christ First Who taught her Secondly Who called her Verily she was not taught by Men nor by Men was she called but by Christ. She had not been learned at the University neither got she her Ordination either by the laying on of hands of a Bishop or company of Men called a Presbytery yea we find no hands that Christ laid upon her in the outward but spoke unto her and talked with her and she with him So then she was taught of Christ himself that he was the Messiah or the Christ. She had heard of the Messiah that was to come but she knew not that he was come or who he was yea for some time though he was speaking unto her she did not know him to be the Christ but when he said unto her I that speak unto thee am he then she believed and went her way into the City and Preached him unto the men of the City So first of all she was taught Christ by Christ himself she was taught immediately and being thus taught she believed on him and then she went and Preached him This is an excellent Pattern and Example unto all true Ministers and Preachers of Christ First to be taught by himself before they go Preach him unto others Secondly to believe on him and having both heard himself and from his own word and testimony believed on him then to Preach him unto others And this same Method Paul followed who of a Persecutor of Christ became a Preacher of him First he was taught Christ by Christ himself and that inwardly Christ was revealed in him When it pleased God said he to reveal his Son in me that I should Preach him to the Gentiles And Secondly he was a believer in him as he said himself We having received the same Spirit of Faith we believe therefore we speak and said David I believe therefore have I spoken And what sort of Faith was this Was it onely an Historical Faith which Hypocrites and ungodly Men have whereof Paul and David spake Nay surely it was the true saving renewing and sanctifying Faith and according unto this none ought to preach who have not a measure of true and saving Faith and who are not truly in some measure Sanctified and renewed and by being Sanctified and renewed through Faith by the operation of the Holy Spirit are fitted and prepared for the work of the Ministry Now by these two qualifications of a true and right Preacher of Christ let us try the Ministers and Ministry of those called Preachers in these Nations both Conformists and Non-Conformists Both of them affirm and hold it as their Principle That true and saving Faith is not necessary unto a Mans being a Preacher It 's true they say if he be a true Believer and godly Man he will be the better Preacher but a true and Lawful Preacher he is and ought to be followed and heard and maintained though he be not in the least a godly Man or true Believer if he be a Scholar and can Preach in a Form of Sound words if he have Latine Greek and a little Hebrew and Logick and such like Natural Arts and Sciences it is enough to qualifie him to be a Preacher and this Principle Iames Durham a great Presbyterian expresly holds in his Book called An Exposition upon the Revelation in his digression concerning the Ministry and I my self have had sundry debates with both Conformists and Non-Conformists so called touching this same thing both affirming that true Faith and Piety was not needful to a Mans being a Preacher but that Letter Learning was needful so that he could not be a Preacher without Letters but he could be a Preacher without Faith and Piety Oh abominable Doctrine And this same Rule both follow in their trying of mens qualifications unto the Ministry they try what knowledge they have in strange Languages and Arts and Sciences Natural and what they can say upon plaâ—es of
therefore inwardly taught by him and told all these things Christ Jesus the Word the Life the Light in her heart told her as he well could even in a moment or the twinkling of an Eye bring all things before her and tell her all things in her whole Life and certainly this was it that made her to believe him to be not onely a Prophet but more than a Prophet even the true Messiah or Christ. He who hath told me all that ever I did this must be Christ this cannot but be more than any of the Prophets who told me some things but no Prophet could tell me all but Christ onely who is the true God and knoweth all things and searcheth all my my inward parts and thoughts 3. As concerning her Call as was said she had it not from Men and indeed we read not of any outward Call she had from Christ but certainly he who taught her inwardly called her also inwardly by his Holy Spirit yea so powerful was her inward Call and the motion of the Spirit of Christ within her that it caused her to make hast she tarried not to carry home her water pot for it is said expresly she left here water-pot and went into the City and said unto the Men Come see a Man c. But as for their Call it is wholly from Men and by Men for as they deny all immediate Teaching so they deny immediate Calling unto the Ministry yea their Principle that immediate Revelation is ceased and that the Scripture is the onely Rule obligeth them to deny all immediate Calling as well as immediate Teaching Behold then how she hath this third qualification of a true Preacher which they want she was called immediately by the Spirit of Christ in her heart she ran not unsent it appears the Lord sent her and was with her by his Spirit by the good effect her Testimony had for as it is said many of the Samaritans of that City believed on him c. And this was through her Preaching They did not despise her because she was a Woman they did not say unto her as many now say thou art a Woman thou should not Preach neither did they say unto her thou art but Ignorant and unlearned as Men commonly say now unto our Friends whom God hath taught by his Holy Spirit though they have not the Tongues nor the Natural Arts and University Learning Why do ye Preach who are unlearned and have not been at the University I say these Men they neither upbraided her with her being a woman nor secondly with her being unlearned nor thirdly that she wanted her Call and was idle or medled with a business that did not concern her they did not say unto her Go home to your wheel and your Spinning and such like words as men commodly now say to Women Friends whom the Lord hath taught and Called by his Spirit to testifie of him as he did this Woman of Samaria Nor fourthly did they upbraid her with the place as men commonly also now do who wonder and gaze and mock and scorn if they see or hear any speak any thing of Christ in the streets O say they this is not the Church go to Church if ye would Preach this is not a fit place to Preach in These Men of the City did not so unto this Woman though she came unto them and spake unto them where she first found them which might be in the streets or any where else 4. Also this Woman no doubt very unexpectedly and far from any design she had before had unto this work became a Preacher little knew she or little did she think before she met with Christ and heard him that she should preach him nay verily she knew nothing of it at all nor had she any such design before hand far contrary unto these Preachers of the Man-made-Ministry who have designed it long before hand and it was a design of their Parents and Relations even from their Child-hood Yea this was the End and final moving cause of their being sent first to the Grammar-School and then to the University a design they should be Preachers Quod est ultimum in Executione est primum in intentione i. e. what is last in Execution is first in intention so it was first of all intended A Father hath three Sons one of them he thinks may be fit to be made a Lawyer another to be a Doctor of Physick a third and that commonly the greatest Dunce or Dolt of the three finding him not so fit for other things he resolves he will have him a Minister or Preacher that it may be a Living to him and so away be sendâ— them all to the Grammar School and from that to the University and thus one becomes a Preacher only by that which is Natural and Artificial as the other two becomes the Lawyer and Physitian here is nothing of God or Christ seen more in the one than in the other Is it not so generally among them They are become Preachers by a design or contrivance of their Parents or themselves As soon as they become but so old as to have so much Natural wit as to see they must make some shift how to Live and looking about the many Trades they readily see it is the far easiest of many or most Trades to be a Preacher to get money for it is little labour in respect of many other labours and much gain and also brings Honour for if he had been of never so mean a degree and of the most abject and mean Parents in all the Countrey yet to become a Preacher maketh him to be esteemed a Gentleman and be called Sir and perhaps to be advanced to be a Bishop and then he will be called my Lord. But how many either of one sort or another of them whether Episcopal or Presbiterian are to be found who have been called from some other Calling or Occupation they were in before to leave it and go to Preach Christ as this Woman was called from her Water Pot immediately to go Preach him in a City of Samaria called Sychar And yet thus were the true Servants of the Lord called who were Mechanick Men and Tradesmen both Prophets and Apostles Elisha was called from the Plough Amos from the Heard who was an Herd-man and a gather of Sycomore Fruit and the Apostles many or most of them from their Fish-Nets who were Fishers Matthew from the Receipt of Custom who was a Publican and Luke was a Physitian and Paul a Tent-maker and so most part of all whom God ever sent to Preach had their Employments before and not one ever became a Preacher by an Humane design or intention before hand in order unto a Living and to get money as they do and so this is a fourth difference betwixt this Woman-Preacher of Samaria and them wherein she excelleth them Her Preaching was not any Humane design either of her or any Man or men else
Woman which Paul permitted not to speak the flesh for say they If the Woman be the flesh then who is the fleshes Husband Now let them hear Bernard a Man I am verily perswaded far excelling them both in Piety and Learning who saith the flesh is to be subject to the Spirit or Spiritual part in us and so she shall be our Wife a fruitful Vine in the sides of our House by which flesh is not to be understood sin or sinfull Concupiscence but the animal or inferior part of a Man which is the Creature of God and is of good use unto them who are Sanctified and renewed And as concerning the Woman mentioned by Paul in his first Epistle to Timothy Chap. 2. v. 12 13 c. not onely Bernard as I have shewed but Augustine who Lived twelve hundred Years ago and one of the most Renowned Fathers in the Church in those dayes and who is of great account at this day both among Papists and Protestants doth by the woman understand the flesh and by her Children he doth understand good works for thus he writeth Libro de trinitate 12. upon the words of the Apostle to Timothy She shall be saved by bearing of Children In that Sex of Male and Female saith he the Apostle Paul from this may be understood to have figured the Mystery of something more secret his words in Latine run thus In isto Sexu Masculi Faeminae Apostolus Paulus occultioris cujusdam rei figurasse Mysterium vel hinc intelligi potest And again the same Augustine writeth thus Tractatu in Psal 83. Salva ergo erit Mulier quae in typo carnis accipitur per filiorum generationem id est si faciat opera bona That is in English the Woman therefore shall be saved which is taken in the Type of the flesh by the Generation of Children that is if she do good works I Answer secondly If I should so far condesâ—end or agree unto them as to take the words of Paul for Women in the common sense of speech what will they gain by it That no Women are to speak in the Church or that Women in no case are to speak in the Church if so why then are they sound so great and palpable transgressors themselves who not onely permit but command Women frequently to speak in their own Churches even in their most publick Assemblies And verily if the thing were not so publickly and ordinarily practised in this Land I should almost be ashamed to mention it the matter it self is so shameful a thing How is it I say to you I speak who are called Ministers of the Kirk of Scotland that ye not onely permit but command yea and force Women and that of the worst sort to wit Whores and Adulterous Women and who have committed Fornication again and again and that without any real signs of true Repentance to come in before the Face of the whole Congregation to speak And the place wherein they are appointed to stand is not much unlike to your Pulpits but that it is larger that it may hold three or four and I my self as many with me have seen it filled with as many as it could well hold and these unhonest Women are commanded to speak publickly in the Church yea the Preacher after he himself hath made an end calleth them by their particular Names one by one and bids them speak to the Edification of the Congregation and so they must all speak one by one to the Edification of all and those who are most impudent and least sensible either of their sin or their shame will readily speak most but in great Hipocrisie and deceit for you your selves know that a true Penitent is rarely to be found among them If you say This is not Preaching or Teaching but only a confessing of their sins and asking God Mercy and the like I answer Is not confessing their sins speaking and asking Mercy of God so that the Congregation may hear is not this speaking Now the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 14.34 Let your Women keep silence in the Churches for it is not permitted unto them to speak So the Apostle useth this general word to speak And yet surely confessing of sin and praying for forgiveness so that the Congregation may hear is speaking yet it is permitted unto these Whorish and Dishonest Women at that time to exhort the People and warn them to beware of the snares of the Enemy and the like words and this iâ— a sort of Teaching and I my self have heard some of them who had learned the knack of it more than others spake by way of Exhortation and Instruction that she seemed to speak almost as well and to as good purpose as the Preacher himself Now let all Sober and Impartial People judge in this Case betwixt those Men and us they not onely permit but command dishonest Women who have been Whores to speak in the Church whereas we command no Woman at all to speak in the Church but this we say if God by his Spirit move or command a godly sober Religious Woman to speak in the Church we are not to forbid her yea we are to hear her and we may be both edified and refreshed by her Testimony it being the spirit of God which speaketh unto us in her and by her Yea That the Apostle did not forbid all Women in all cases to to speak is plain for in the same Epistle chap. 11. v. 5. he sheweth how the Woman is to be covered that Prayeth or Prophecyeth which plainly holdeth forth that some Women at least did both Pray and Prophecy in the Church in his day yea and ye your selves allow Women to Sing in the Church which is a sort of speaking and if they sing publickly in the outward hearing why may they not pray publickly in the outward hearing for both is a sort of speaking seeing in both they utter words What sort of Women then is it whom Paul doth not permit to speak in the Church in these two places above-mentioned 1 Cor. 14.34 and 1 Tim. 2.12 13. c. taking them for Women in the common litteral sence Verily let us but look into the Context or words going before in both places and that will clear it for they are such women as need to be taught themselves even First Unlearned Women Secondly Tatling Women that were not yet come to the true silence Thirdly Unruly Proud Women that were not come to the true subjection all which is implyed in these words Let the Women learn in silence with all subjection for no doubt there were such Women among them of Ephesus where Timothie then was who had need of these Instructions And Fourthly vain Women who were given to vain and gaudy Apparel such as Gold or Pearls or costly Array and were not yet come to be covered with the Spirit of the Lord. Fifthly Such as Usurped Authority over the Man Sixthly Such as were in the Transgression and deceived
as the first Woman was Seventhly Such Women as transgress the Law and not come to be under Grace as said Paul They are to be under Obedience as also saith the Law so read the words going before and behind in both places and you may observe that a seven fold sort of Women are not permitted by Paul to speak in the Church and as is said no doubt there were of all these sorts of Women among them of Corinth and Ephesus who were not permitted to speak who had need of these Instructions for commonly such particular Instructions are not given concerning such things where there is not need or where none are guilty But what if Paul had said so concerning all the Women at Corinth and Ephesus where Timothy at this time was when he wrote to him concerning Women that he did not permit them to speak will it therefore follow that no Women are to speak in any Case in the Church I will put you in mind of one of your School Rules which is this a particularibus ad universale non valâ—t consequentia i. e. from particulars unto universal the consequence is not valid therefore though it had not been permitted either unto some or all of these two particular Churches of Corinth or Ephesus to speak because they might at that time being but young not have the requisite qualifications it will not follow that Universally all Women every where else ought not to speak yea these called Presbyterians may remember how they have both allowed and countenanced Women both to Pray and speak of their Experiences in their private Meetings and yet they cannot deny but their private Meetings are a Church for inded a Church according to the Greek and Latin word is nothing else but a Convention or gathering of the People whether few or many so that Three Six or Twelve is as really a Church as 300 600 or 1200. And further let us once more take notice of the Apostles words and we shall find that they do not signifie an absolute forbidding of Women in any case to speak teach or Preach in the Church I permit or suffer not a Woman said he to teach in the Church but if they will learn any thing let them ask their Huâ—bands at home For the better understanding of which I am to remember you that even according unto Pauls own words there was in that day a two-fold manner of speaking in the Church One by Commandment another by permission and this distinction Paul himself useth writing unto the Corinthians when he said as touching some particular things 1 Cor. 7.6 But I speak this by permission said he and not of Commandment also in divers other places he writeth thus I say not the Lord now this sort of speaking was used in the Church in two particular Cases 1. In the propounding or asking of a Question for there were in the Church some who asked Questions and some who Answered the Unlearned Asked and the Learned Answered which is the most proper way of Catechising 2. This sort of speaking to wit by Permission was used in the Church in matter of Advice and Counsel relating to the affairs of the Church where men according to the Wisdome given them of God finding the Spirit of the Lord present with them enlightning them and directing them might speak their mind in Cases by way of Counsel and Advice as seeing the Expediency and use of it for a certain time though they were not to enjoyn it as a Command And Paul himself useth this same Distinction destinguishing betwixt things lawful and things expedient so that some things may be lawful which are not expedient and some things may be both lawful and expedient and yet not commanded of God and a man as immediately taught by the Spirit of the Lord in his heart may see both the lawfulness and expediency of a thing and may speak by the spirit of the Lord moving him in the Church concerning both the lawfulness and expediency of that thing and yet he may say I speak not this by Commandment as if what he said were a Commandment unto them yea the Spirit of the Lord may command and move him to declare unto them that the thing in hand before them is not a Command but an Expedient thing and fit to be done at that time Now in these two Cases of speaking by Permission in the Church as first in that of asking Questions and secondly in that of giving Advice or Cousel simply by a permission if they would contend that Women ought not to speak in the Church all that they can pretend with any shew or colour of Reason at most is That Women are not to speak in the Church by permission if they speak they are not to do it by permission but by commandment whereas it is permitted unto Men at times to speak in the Church by permission when not by commandment an unlearned man may be permitted to ask a Question in the Church which is not permitted unto a Woman nor is it needful for she may ask her Husband at home But if the Spirit of the Lord Command or move a godly and Spiritually Learned Woman to speak in this case she is the Lords more than her Husbands and she is to speak yea though the Husband should forbid her for she ought rather to obey God than Man And in Christ Iesus there is neither Male nor Femalâ— but all are one in him as the Apostle said So both these Cases are in a matter of Freedom or Permission not in a matter of Necessity or Command therefore though Women may not speak by permission which Men may do yet they may speak by Command as when the Lord commandeth or moveth them by his Spirit And that Women spake in the Church is most evident from the second Chapter of Acts which was a very solemn time and also a very solemn Convention for the Scripture saith Expresly Acts 1.14 that among the Apostles Mary with other Women were present and it is said Acts 2.4 And they were filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other Tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance So here the Women were filled with the Holy Ghost and spake as the Apostles did for it is said so of them all universally and it appeareth further that the women spoke in this solemn Assembly from the Apology of Peter which he made in the defence of the womens Prophecying or speaking out of Ioels Prophecy where it was Prophecyed by Ioel that the Lord would pour out his Spirit upon all Flesh both Male and Female Sons and Daughters Men Servants and Maid-Servants and they shall Prophecy and so that Prophecy was eminently fulfilled at that time as at other times afterwards And also before this time the Lord made use of women to witness speak or declare and that unto the eleven Apostles that Christ was risen from the dead Luke 24.9 10. And was not this Convention a Church And did not the Lord after his Resurrection first of all appear unto a woman to wit Mary Magdalene And did not he command her to speak unto the Apostles and Instruct them concerning his Resurrection Go said he unto my Brethren and say unto them I ascend to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God Yea and not onely the Scripture but also the Church History telleth us of women who taught and Instructed Men as particularly that woman who converted the Nation of the Iberians unto the Christian Faith as Eusebius relateth FINIS