The New Heresy : Equality of the Sexes

Southland Times, Issue 12729, 13 October 1893, Page 3

The New Heresy : Equality of the Sexes

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Though the heretical doctrine of the equality of the sexes is new to the Church 11 and has not yet been formally admitted into the standards of any Church, it has been known in the world for above a hundred years as a dogma of the French infidels and atheists of the eighteenth century. That the emancipation or enfranchisement of women, by giving them the same governing power in the State as men, really implies and is based upon the equality of the sexes should require no proof, but as some of its supporters endeavour to salve their consciences by sophistical arguments, and assert that they are not endorsing this equality, I may mention that its first advocates in France and England based this enfranchisement on the foundation of equality ; so do its present day advocates, as proved by the New Zealand Hansard of August sth, 1890, containing the debate on Sir John Hall’s motion in favour of woman’s suffrage. Mr Ballance said : —“l am in favor of this motion because I believe in the absolute equality of the sexes.” And the mover and seconder of the resolution, Mr W. P. Reeves, spoke to the same effect. The constitution of the State of Wyoming,which the advocates of female franchise have all along been holding up as an example to be followed, provides that there shall be an equality of rights “without distinction of race, colour, or sex.” Ministers of religion also assert this equality, as may be seen by a report of the sermon of a Wesleyan minister in the Nelson Evening Mail of September 25th, for the preacher asserts that there had been “ a conspiracy to keep her in subjection, and it was for him whose mission was to inculcate the great lesson of fraternity and equality to open the doors of her prison and restore her to her rightful position.” Moreover, the women themselves claim this equality, for when offered electoral privileges to facilitate their voting, they rejected them with disdain, so determined are they to be on an equality with men.

I do not presume to be a teacher on this matter, and I ask no one to accept my own individual opinion but to judge for himself; but knowing full well how women have been deluded by many unfaithful or ignorant pastors and false teachers, who after the manner in which the old serpent beguiled Eve, have appealed to their vanity and ambition, and with flattering tongue and fulsome adulation have persuaded them that when put on an equality with men they will then be able to remedy the evils of man’s past rule and to become the regenerators and saviours of society—these deceivers meanwhile carefully withholding from women the consideration of those portions of Holy Writ which would teach them that in usurping this equality they are rebelling against God’s decree and God’s order in creation —I do feel warranted to urge women to cease to hear the instruction that causeth to err, but to hear the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of His holy apostles and prophets. In Genesis iii.l6:—“And to the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception ; in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” Isaiah iii. 8,12 —“For Jerusalem is ruined and Judah is fallen, because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord. As for my people, children are their oppressors and women rule over them.” Titus ii. 3,5. —“ The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things ; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children ; to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” I Peter, iii. 1,6 —“ Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it dot be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold,or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the orhairient of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands ; even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord; whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.” 1 Timothy ii. 8,15 —“I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety ; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array, but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn iu silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but tho woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in child-bearin", if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.” Colossians iii. 18, 21—“ Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.” Ephesians v. 22, 33 —“ Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church : and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth 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

'shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery ; butl speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself ; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. 1 Corinthians xiv. 34, 37—“ Let your women keep silence in the churches; for it is not permitted unto them td speak ; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home ; for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.” 1 Corinth, xi. 1,16—“ Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things,and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head, but every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head.uncovered dishonoureth her head : for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn; but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her covered. For a man indeed oyght.'not to; cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God; but the Woman is the glory of the, man. For the man is not of tpe woman, but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman, but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman;but all things of God. Until these latter-time days of broadchurchism, advanced thought, and higher criticism, when all the churches are on the down grade, and more or less leavened withunbelief, these Scriptures have been faithfully expounded by all divines and commentators of reputation, and whose praise is in all the churches. For example, Dean Alford in his New Testament for English readers,on I Corinth, xi., comments thus: —-.“It appears that the Christian women at Corinth claimed fortheirsex an equality with the other, tak--ing occasion by the doctrine of Christian freedom and abolition of sexual distinctions in Christ (Galatians xii. -28). The .women overstepped the bounds of. their, sex in coming forward to pray land to prophesy in the assembled Church with uncovered heads. Both these -the apostle disapproved, as well their coming.forward to pray and to prophesy, as their removing the veil. Here, however, he blames the latter practice only, and reserves the former till . chapter xiv, 34. In order to confine the women to their true limits he reminds them of their subjection to the man.” On Verses 7 to 10 his comment is :—“ Man is God’s'glory. He has 'put in him His majesty, and he; represents God; on earth. Woman is man’s glory; taken from the man, shining not' with light direct from God, but with hght'derived from man.” On verses 3, 5 his comment is verse 4 : “ Dishonoureth his head, i.e., Christ, not his own head ;” and on verse 5 : “-The case of the woman is just the converse, she dishonours her head (the man)'not literally her own head, by’ apparently casting off his headship.” Good old Matthew Henry writing about one hundred and; fifty years earlier is in complete agreement with Alford. In his comments on 1 Corinth. XL, he writes — “ The man that prays or prophesies with his head, covered dishonoureth his bead, that.is, Christ the head of every man, by appearing in a habit unsuitable to the rank in which God has placed him/" The woman on the other hand who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head, that is the man. She appears in the dress of her superior and throws off the tokens of her subjection. Another reason against this conduct was that the man is the image and glory of God, the representative of that glorious dominion and headship which God has over the world. It is the man who is set at the head of this lower creation and therein bears the resemblance of God. The woman on the other hand is the glory of the man ; she is his representative not but she has dominion over the inferior creatures, -as she is a partaker of human nature, and so far is God’s representative too, but it is at second hand. The woman was made for the man to be his helpmate and not the man for the woman, she was naturally therefore made subject to him, because made for him for his use, help, and comfort. She ought to have power on her head, that is a veil, not the token of her having power or superiority but being under the - power of her husband and subjected to him. St. Paul does not restrict the headship of the man to the marriage state, but affirms it as between man and woman generally—between the male and female sexes. He also dates this headship from the creation of man in Eden, not from the Fall, though it was reaffirmed by God after the Fall. So long as thej primitive : state of;-perfect’holiness: continued there was perfect happiness ; for the subjection and service of the woman was analogous to that of the Holy Angels in Heaven, being at once a willing obedience and a perfect freedom, with perfect love on both sides. AftertheFall both man and woman being alike partakers of a depraved nature and mankind having lapsed into ungodliness the inevitable result was that the weaker sex would often be ill-treated and oppressed by the stronger. From the same cause poor children suffered far more than women. Parents often murdered their new born babes, or exposed them out of doors to perish by cold and hunger, or sold them into slavery, and even burnt them in the fire as an offering to “ Moloch, horrid king, besmeared with blood of human sacrifice and parents tears.” But as this cruelty of parents to their offspring is no warrant for abolishing the rule of parents over 1 children, neither is the cruelty of man to woman any justification for attempting to abolish the headship of the man and the subjection of the woman to him. The Gospel does not abolish the headship of the man or the subjection of the woman to him, as many ministers of different religious denominations do now falsely affirm (see Nelson Evening Mail of Sept. 25), but on the contrary, it reaffirms both and enforces both by much stronger sanctions than the law did. What the Gospel does effect is this : so far as it is really received into the heart and acted up to in the life it abolishes all cruelty and oppression of men, women or children, and so far as human infirmity will admit, restores the relations between man and woman to the same happy state that prevailed in Eden before the Fall; and throughout all the past ages of Christianity, the divinely appointed relations of the sexes have been exemplified by innumerable Christian households in all the beauty of holiness. I must now conclude, but if you can allow me space, will erelong, in another letter, deal with the origin and history of this dogma of sexual equality, and the evil character of its promulgators; the great evils which must result from its acceptance in the family, the church, and the world ; the causes which of late years have conduced to its finding acceptance by so many, and to caution good women against being persuaded by specious arguments to do evil that (imaginary) good may come.— I am, &e., Samuel Hodgkinson. October 9,1893.