the time of Christ's Sufferings the Daughters of Jerusalem wept for him Luke 23.28 But the Sons of Jerusalem cryed Crucifie him Crucifie him Verse 21. And Herod with his Men of War sit him at nought and mocked him Verse 11. But the Women that followed Christ stood beholding him all the time of his Crucifixion Mark 15.40 41. Luke 23.49 When all his Disciples forsook him and fled Matt. 26.56 And it was the Women that was first at the Sepulchre where the Body of the Lord was laid early in the Morning when it was yet Dark John 20.1 Matt. 28.1 And So by their Love and Diligence they got the first sight of the Lord after he arose And the Lord sent them to be the first publishers of the Resurrection to his Disciples Matt. 28.10 And it was the Women of Macedonia who first embraced the Faith in that Place For a Vision appeared to Paul in the Night There stood a Man of Macedonia and prayed him saying come over into Macedonia and help us Acts 16 9. Which accordingly he did And he and they that accompanied him thither were in that City abiding certain Days Verse 12. In which time it doth evidently appear they had gotten to themselves Hearers For it is said in the 13. Verse On the Sabbath Day we went out of the City by a River side where Prayer was wont to be made A place chosen Sutable to their purpose that those that embraced the Faith might there be Baptized And we are to take Notice that it was the Women that met there For St. Paul saith We Sat down and spake unto the Women which resorted thither But the Men of the City rose up against them And the Magistrates rent off their clothes and commanded to beat them and when they had laid many Stripes upon them they cast them into Prison Charging the Jaylor to keep them safely Verse 22 23. At which time the Jaylor and all his were convicted and baptized Verse 30 31 33. And Lidia was a Succourer of them both before and after their imprisonment Verse 15 40. And it was the men that pretended to be knowing in the Scriptures that withstood the Apostles Doctrine and stir'd up the devout and Honourable Women and the chief Men of the City Acts 13 50. against St. Paul for declaring the Truth And of the Greeks it is said That the Honnourable Women Believed Acts. 17.12 where by it is signifiyed that there was not many honourable Men that did there believe because there is no mention made of them And that God who for Abrabaws Love and Obedience to him became his exceeding great reward So that for Abrahams sake all the great Blessings promised are to come upon him and his Seed in time to come Gen 12.2 3. Chap. 15. 1. Chap. 22.15 16 17 18. So the Lord will not let the Love of the Women pass unregarded by him Who hath promised that those that Love him should be Beloved of him Pro. 8.17 John 14.21 And the Messiah being the seed of the Woman so as Women with the Tribe of Judah may say 2 Sam 19.42 The King the Lord Christ is near of Kin to us therefore let us prepare and wait and pray for his return that we may be found ready for the Bridegroom of our Souls When as for them that will not prepare of his Supper they shall not have any share Luke 14.24 For of such the Lord saith They shall not tast of his Supper And of Woman came the chief Corner stone And by Man has been lost the right knowledg both of Christ's Kingdom and Throne Therefore God saw good that from his Word Woman should conceive aright how to bring the true knowledg of both again to light And as Zerubabel laid the Foundaaion Stone so his hands finished it Zech. 4.7.9 And accordingly Zerubbabel truth to Woman doth Joyn 1 Esd 4.13 because she was to bring to light that truth which Man had declin'd And that God that caused a Woman Anna by Name to declare in the Temple the Coming of Christ to all them that looked for Redemption in Jerusalem Luke 2.38 When the Scribes and Pharisees understod it not Therefore no wonder that God should now again bring to light the truth of that Doctrine which Man did first Slight Now whereas St. Paul saith 1. Cor. 14.34 Let your Women keep Silence in the Church for it is not permitted unto them to speak Verse 35. And if they will learn any thing Let them ask their Husbands at home These words of St. Paul could have no general reference For many of the Women did embrace the Faith before their Husbands As those of Macedonia did So as had they been to ask their Husbands at home it had been the ready way to have turned them to have been Insidels again But St Paul wrot this to the Church of Corinth where without doubt he found the Men more industrious to understand the Truth and that the Women might be too troublesome to them by asking them too many impertinent Questions in the Church or publick Meetings Therefore he saith Let your Women keep Silence in the Church for it is not permitted unto them to speak but to ask their Husbands at home And whereas St. Paul saith 1 Tim. 2.12 I suffer not a Woman to teach Thereby shewing he spake this from himself And if it is to be taken as here exprest the which I cannot so understand him because then he contradicts himself and also it not being agreeable to the rest of the Scriptures therefore of no force And he desires the Churches to be Followers of him even as he is of Christ 1 Cor. 11 1. But the Churches are to follow none but as they follow Christ But Christ gave no such Command as this of St. Paul but left other Examples as I have before cited And in St Pauls time one Man had Four Daughters Virgins which did Prophesie Acts 21.9 And were they not to speak in the Church which then were in the Believers Houses to whom were they then to declare their Prophesies to And the Women were to instruct and teach their Children and Neighbours and acquaintance in the Truth And St. Paul saith The Elder Women should teach the Younger Women Titus 2.3 4.5 And their Husbands too no doubt if they were Ignorant in the Faith And Timothy knew the Holy Scriptures from a Child being taught by his Mother and Grand-Mother 2 Tim. 1. 5. Chap. 3.15 And Aquila and Priscilla took the learned Apollo to their House Who is said to be Mighty in the Scriptures him they took and instructed in the way of God more perfectly Acts 18.24 26. And St. Paul saith Priscilla and Aquila were his helpers in Christ Jesus Rom. 16.3 And in that Priscilla is put foremost it doth signifie she was the better instructer of the two And likewise the same Apostle wrote to his Yoke-fellow to help those Women which labored with him in the Gospel Phil 4.3 Whereby it doth
allusion to this glorious Kingdom the good Women have all along bore great sway For tho' it was said that Sarah obeyed Ahraham yet as concerning this Kingdom she commanded For she said to Abraham cast out this Bond-woman and her Son for the Son of this Bond-woman shall not be Heir with my Son even with Isaac And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his Son Gen. 21.10.11 Yet notwithstanding God said unto him in all that Sarah hath said unto thee hearken unto her Voice verse 12. God could have declared to Abraham his Mind and Will as to this thing without Sarah his Wife shewing her Authority herein But that this thing was of God to shew that the Women in the Kingdom which is to come should be restored to that perfect state Woman was in before the Fall And likewise the Church or Spouse of Christ is always compared to a Woman the which in time to come will bear sway above all the Queens and Concubins and Vâ—rgiâ—s withâ—ut number Cant. 6.8 For that Nation and Kingdâ—m that will not serve thee shall perish Isa 60.12 Which thee is Israel in the glorious time And then it is that those who afflicted them shall come bending unto them and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the Soles of thy Feet verse 14. And none can come into the Glory promised that does not in this time come in as the Seed of Abraham And as concerning this Kingdom also Rebeckah after Esau had sold to Jacob his Brith-right and so he by Purchase became the First-born Jacob then by obeying the Voice of his Mother obtained the Blessing Gen. 27.8 28 29. Unto which is annexed the promised Glory The which is to be made good in time to come when the promised Land will be their own so as they shall move no more 2 Sam. 7.10 When they according to Promise receive it for an everlasting Inheritance Gen. 17.8 And then it is Japhet shall dwell in the Tents of Shem Gen. 9.27 For the true Believer is to come in with them And then it is they shall be all taught of God Jer. 31.31 32 33 34. And then it is of which the Lord said Isa 59.21 My Spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put into thy Mouth shall not depart out of thy Mouth nor out of the Mouth of thy seed nor out of the Mouth of thy seeds seed saith the Lord from henceforth and forever And Miâ—iam the Prophetess when Israel was gotten from under the Egyptian Bondage and thro' the Red Sea she took a Timbrel in her hand and all the Women went out after her with timbrels and with dances Exod. 15.20 in token of Victory According to which it will be in time to come Jer. 31.10 11 12 13. And when Sisera the chief Captain of the King of Canaan was with his host to be destroyed whose Land was given to Israel for an Inheritance at the time of this great Conquest Deborah the Prophetess govern'd Israel And then it was that Jael the Wife of Hebâ—r the Kenite killed Sisera for Deborah had before told Barâ—ck that was to be the Leader of the Army that the Victory should not be to his Honnour for the Lord should sell Siscra into the Hand of a Woman the which did not make Barak refus'd to do the thing that was reqired of him and made known to him by Deborah and then did the hand of the Children of Israel prosper and prevailed against Jabin King of Canaan until they had destroyed them And of Sisera's mighty host with nine hundred Chariots of Iâ—on there was not one man left Judg. 4.4 9.16 21 24. Hereby is represented Israel's Victory in time to come And likewise we are to take notice That the Goverment and Victory was not given to Woman until Israel by their often transgressing did evil in the sight of the Lord for which he sold them into the Hand of the King of Canaan verse 2. And the Lord wrought their deâ—iverance and his destruction in the time the Woman had the Government so likewise when the Lord and his raised Saints and Spouse doth Rule then Israels Enemies will be subdu'd Isa 60.14 But whreas it is said Isa 3.12 As for my People Children are their Oppressors and Women rule over them Here God by the Prophet must have his reference to those Women that usurpt Authority over the Men and were not of his setting up For God set up no Woman Ruler in Israel to judge the People but Deborah Judges 4.4 Of whom the Scripture doth not say she did any thing amiss The like of which is not in Scripture to be found of any King But in this place God speaks of those women that set up themselves in Authority Such as Jezabel who sttirred up Ahab to work wickedness I Kings 21.25 And she said to Ahab I will give thee the Vineyard of Naboth the Iezreelite vers 7. And by her wicked contrivances she did accomplish it And also Athaliah the Daughter of Ahab 2 Chron. 21.6 drew King Jehoram to walk in the ways of Ahab And likewise her Son Ahaziah walked in the ways of Ahab for his Mother was his Counseller to do wickedly Chap. 22.3 And after her Son was Slain by Jehu She then arose and destroyed the Seed Royal of the house of Jâ—dah verse 10. And set up herself to reign by Usurpation and Murder And when such Idolatrous women rule there can be no good Goverment expected And it was Idolatrous women that drew King Solomon to Worship false Gods 1 Kings 11.4 For he should not have taken of the Heathen women to wife untill they had been brought to the worship of the true God but he let his heart go out to Idolatrous women and took to him seven hundred Wives princesses and three hundred Concubins Now in that he said One Man among a Thousand have I found but a Woman among all those have I not found Eccle 7 28. And no wonder that among those Thousand he found not one good one And that he spake of them Women by whom he was intangled is farther Evident from his words in the 26. verse For he saith I find more bitter than Death the Woman whose Heart is Snares and Nets and her hands as bands c. The which he had found by wofull experience And we often read and find the good to be drawn away by the bad but rarely that the bad are drawn by the good Now without doubt King Solomon kept company with the best of Men tho' not with the best of Women and therefore no wonder to find a good Man amongst a Thousand But as King Solomon declares against evil Women So he doth as highly extoll the Vertuous and good Women Pro. 12.4 Chap. 11.16 And it was a Woman Rahab by Name that received and Hid the Spies that was sent to view Jericho Josh 2. 1. And she believed in the God of Israel because of
plainly appear they were to instruct and teach the People tho' not in the great publick assemblies or Synagogues as the men were neither were they sent but to them that had before embraced the Faith that they might further instruct them therein For if they had been sent to others they might thereby have been Slandered and so brought a Scandal upon Religion Thus we see by laying the Writings of St. Paul together we may understand his meaning which if we take them not considering how they were spoken then they are plain Contradictions as we here see Now one Woman being first in the Transgression was the cause that God laid Women under Subjection in this time and Pain in Childbearing And hath given the Men the ruling Power in Church and State and in their own Families Now that Judg that hath been so severe on the Womans side is near at the door to call Men to an account how they have ruled in Church and State and in their own Families and what good example they have shewed Therefore it is best for them to consider and order their Conversation a right before it is too late that they may not be reckoned as part of that Vine that will be trod without the City when the Lord comes Rev. 19 15. Chap. 14.18 19 20. Eve was beguiled thro the Serpents Subtilty 2 Cor. 11.3 And did not willingly betray her Husband for She gave him of the Fruit before she had found the evil effects thereof But Men who were intrusted with the word for themselves and their Posterities and they by their changing Times and Laws Dan. 7.25 and Eating the good Postures and in treading down the residue of the Postures and fouling the deep waters Eze. 34.18 19 20. And hiding the Talent Matt. 25.18 of the Word which was left to mankind to improve their time thereby the which man by his turning things upside down Isa 29.16 〈…〉 the World in Darkness and made Merchandize of the Souls of the People Rev. 18.13 For which God hath declared That the Prophets the rulers the Sâ—ers hath he covered and the vision of all is become as a book that is Sealed Isa 29.10 11. And the Apostle saith God hath chosen the weak things of the World to confound the things which are Mighty 1 Cor. 1.27 Isa 44.25 From which it is plain that the whole truth of Gods word was not to be brought to light on that side by which it was first lost And for those that will not read nor consider because they will not understand it is wilfull Ignorance and willfull ignorance is like to willfull Rebellion and that man that will persist to set up his Wisdom aboue Gods word shall certainly fall thereby for none is to add unto it nor diminish from it Deâ— 4.2 Rev. 22.16 Num. 12.8 and all that would not be Sharers of Gods Wrath should declare the whole truth when God again brings the true meaning of his Word to Light But how ready is Man in Religion to differ with one another for trifles because Interest lies at the bottom But when all Men are found in Mistakes as to the great part of their Fundamentals then the Generality of all Parties is willing to Smother it by reason they think it not to sute with their interest but what advantageth it for a Man to gain the whole World and lose his own Soul Matt. 16 26. But it is want of a belief in the truth which makes many so regardless and unwilling to deny themselves the Injoyments of this World for the hopes of that of a better And others thinking to put off all to A Lord have mercy on them at the last Whereby multitudes will find themselves miserably deceived Therefore let every thinking Soul break off their Sins by Working righteousness and such as are Rich shew mercy to the Poor 1 Tim 6.17 18 19. And Labour to attain to the true knowledg and Love of God And the Patient waiting for of Christ knowing that our Labour will not be in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 FINIS