WOMEN AND THE DEACON'S OFFICE

(From the Reformed & Presbyterian Covenanter - Vol 26 No 11 November 1888, Pages 383-394, and Our Banner - Vol 15 no 11 November 1888, Pages 373-384)

Introduction

It is generally known that one of our congregations, having recently elected a female member to the office of deacon, "the question of the right of women to ordination to the office of deacon," came up before Presbytery, and by Presbytery was referred to Synod: Synod answered the question by adopting the following item in the report of the committee on discipline: "That such ordination is, in our judgment, in harmony with the New Testament, and with the constitution of the apostolic church." As some of the brethren, however, dissented from this decision, it was referred to a small committee to draw up a statement of the grounds on which Synod arrived at the conclusion indicated above.

And here we regard it of special importance to keep steadily in view what the question really is, so as to allow no extraneous matter to be imported into its consideration. The question is not, May a woman preach or otherwise undertake the work of the gospel ministry? or, May she be invested with the office of ruling elder and sit in church courts? These are questions which we are persuaded our Synod would have answered in the negative even more harmoniously than it answered the other in the affirmative. One point only, however, is now before us—the right of women, duly elected and qualified, to ordination to the office of deacon—and we object to burden the argument with any more general issues. The other questions, to which we have referred, are never likely to come up for consideration in our church, and if they should, it will be time enough to consider them when they do actually arise.

Now, there are two lines of argument on which we may proceed in considering this question, namely, the Scriptural and the historical. Confining ourselves, for the present, to the former, let us inquire, does the New Testament sanction the practice of women holding the office of deacon, and is it, as far as we know, consistent with the constitution and practice of the apostolic church? We are all agreed that for the institutions of God in his church we must first of all go to his own Word, and that whatever may be set up or practised in the name of religion, if not found there, can have no binding force or obligation on the conscience. True, the historical argument as to the institutions of the New Testament church is both valuable and important, but it is chiefly corroborative, whereas, "To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Now in appealing to this "sure word of prophecy," on the subject before us, it will help us, if we keep steadily in view the following points:

Gradual Introduction of Church Offices

I. That the institutions and provisions of the apostolic church were not all formally introduced at once, but from time to time, as they were found necessary to the comfort and edification of her members.

Of course, in the commission given to the apostles, and in the gifts of the Spirit they enjoyed, all was provided for, but only to be brought into operation as the times required. Of this many examples might be given. Thus in preaching the gospel, according to their commission, to the whole world, to Gentiles as well as Jews, in organizing congregations and placing over them pastors and elders, in appointing deacons to attend to the outward business of the house of God, in giving a deliverance that freed Christians from the yoke of the ceremonial law, and in other respects, the apostles seem to have followed the guidance of providence, as well as of the Spirit, in giving to the church a full organization. And indeed it had been so in setting up the institutions of the Old Testament, many of its laws and provisions having been introduced gradually, as necessity for them arose. For example, the synagogue and its worship are thought to have originated in some condition of the country, in which it was difficult, if not impossible, to wait on the temple service, and yet it was sanctioned by priests, prophets, and by our Lord himself. And what is more remarkable, the Christian church, in her government and worship, is modelled rather after the synagogue, than after the temple, the sacerdotal and hierarchical having no place in her. Indeed, so fully was the order of the synagogue transferred to the Christian church, that James calls a regular church assembly a synagogue, (James 2: 2, Greek), and blames the officers for their partiality in assigning better seats to the rich than to the poor. The synagogue had a council of elders, "rulers of the synagogue," with a president (archisynagogus), having the power of discipline, even to excommunication. According to Vitringa, the president was called legate or angel, because in offering prayer he was a messenger sent to intercede for the whole assembly, which casts light on the meaning of the expression, "the angels of the churches," as also perhaps upon that difficult passage, 1 Cor. 11: 10. In the synagogue also was the chazzan, (in Greek hyperetes, (Luke 4: 20), church officer or beadle, who, besides other duties, had the carrying of the roll containing the Scriptures to be read, and placing it on the desk, and afterwards returning it to its place at the close of the service. Besides, the synagogue had deacons, who had charge of the property, opened the doors and conducted strangers to seats, and attended generally to the comfort of the assembly, as well as being almoners and managers of the funds. And as the sexes sat apart, separated by a partition of some height, female officers were required for one side of the house, to attend to the comfort of the worshippers and preserve order. And it is to the strict order thus to be maintained in Christian assemblies, that Paul is supposed by some to refer when he commands, "Let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted to them to speak," in the sense of converse or talk, by asking questions or explanations. Nor is the supposition by some of our best writers at all unreasonable, that even before the choice of the seven (Acts 6), one side of the great multitude of believers then in Jerusalem (the Hebrew), had, after the example of the synagogue, parties already acting as deacons in taking care of their poor; while the Hellenists, being comparative strangers, had none, and therefore their poor were neglected. And favoring this idea is the fact that all the seven chosen had Hellenistic or Greek names, and all, therefore, seem to have been taken from the party that had complained. And this, putting them on equal footing with the Hebrews, perfect harmony was restored. The church as yet, however, was in a very inchoate state, and we cannot, at that early period, expect to find about her institutions all the completeness afterwards attained. Certain it is, however, that the deacon's office came ultimately to be recognized as a divine and permanent institution in all the churches, and therefore Paul addresses the church at Philippi as consisting of saints, bishops and deacons.

Offices in the New Testament Church

II. That the offices in the New Testament church are indicated both by official names given to the office-bearers, and also by terms descriptive of their work.

It is well known that many words in the New Testament have come to be used in a twofold sense and meaning—the ordinary, and the appropriated. Such words as angel, devil, elder, overseer, pastor, deacon, and even church and synagogue, had originally a primary or ordinary meaning and use, in which we seldom now employ them. Thus, instead of using the term angels for messengers, and devils for false accusers, in an appropriated use we employ these words to designate certain classes of spiritual beings. In like manner the terms overseer or bishop, elder, pastor and deacon, are now mostly used as official names for office-bearers in the church; and in which sense, primary or appropriated, any one of these terms is employed in the original of the New Testament, can only be determined by a careful study of the context. In its primary and ordinary signification the term rendered deacon simply means one who renders a service to another, and both it and the verb formed from it, are often used in this sense, and are even employed to designate the obedience rendered by Christ. But in time it has come to be chiefly used as a designation of a church office-bearer, and though as a substantive it is not used of the seven (Acts 6), yet as a verb it is employed to express the nature of their work, "to serve tables" (diakonein trapezais). Now in many of the congregations, organized by the apostles, we have no account of the appointment of pastors, elders and deacons at the time, and yet afterwards, by some reference to them in the epistles, either by their name or their work, we learn that they were there. And thus we think it a safe rule, that from the name we may infer the work, and from the work may infer the office. Thus, for example, we may have no express mention by name of pastor or elder, but if we find such words of exhortation to any church as, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls," we know that these office-bearers were there. Thus in one passage (Rom. 12: 6–8) the several office-bearers in the church are wholly designated by their work. "Having then gifts, differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, ... ministry, ... teaching, ... exhortation, ... rule"—all official gifts indicated by the work proper to each. Among these, "ministry" (diakonia), the deacon's work and office, is in its operations doubly described as "giving with liberality," and "showing mercy with cheerfulness." Therefore, when either the term deacon is used in connection with the church and her work, or when the work proper to the deacon's office is clearly referred to, it is reasonably certain that a church officer is intended.

Ordinances Based on Subsequent Facts

III. That how far any ordinance or institution is to be enjoyed or exercised by members of the church, can only be learned by subsequent facts, not from the account of its first institution.

The church of the New Testament is a corporate institution, and all her members have all corporate rights and privileges, unless when specially excepted. How far, however, the enjoyment of such rights and privileges has been limited or otherwise, by such exceptions, can seldom be learned from anything said of the ordinance at its first institution, but is to be gathered from subsequent facts.

Baptism and Communion

For example, were women to be admissible to the ordinance of baptism? Many things at first sight would suggest a negative answer. Women were not circumcised, and as baptism, as the initiatory ordinance, was now to take the place of circumcision, it might be argued that neither should women be baptized. And then throughout the ministry of John and of our Lord, not one woman is recorded as having been baptized. And moreover, at the full institution of Christian baptism, at our Lord's ascension, it is said, "He that believeth and is baptized," apparently leaving out women altogether. And for more than twenty years afterwards not one female is reported as admitted to the church by baptism. We have to wait those twenty years for one case—the solitary case in the New Testament, the baptism of Lydia—and but for that one case, it might be argued, with some show of reason, that women were not to be admitted to this ordinance. And the same might be said of the right of women to partake of the Lord's Supper. There is not one concrete example of a woman communicating at the Lord's table recorded in the New Testament. And did not Paul, in his directions how to prepare for this ordinance, say, "But let a man examine himself," apparently leaving out all the female members? But we rightly infer that it is the privilege of women to come to the Lord's table because of the primitive company it is said, "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren;" and because of this company, without any exception, it is said, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship; and in breaking bread, and in prayers." Thus we gather that "he" in the institution of baptism, and "a man," in Paul's direction about the supper, are used in a generic sense for all of a class, and that "in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female."

Deacons and Gender in the Apostolic Church

Now let us see how these general principles will apply to the matter before us. Well, the first shows that the fact, that the first seven deacons were all males, does not necessarily exclude females from that office, inasmuch as the institutions of the New Testament were, to some extent, adapted to circumstances as they arose. The second shows that if we find both the name and the work, and the qualifications proper to the deacon's office (predicated of women, and that clearly in church relation), they must be admissible to that office. The third shows that the privilege of holding and exercising the deacon's office, not being in the case of women one of the things excepted, their right thereto is as plain, and even plainer, than to many other things which we freely accord them. These points then, will, we think, apply in considering certain passages in which we have the name, work and qualifications of the deacon all predicated of women.

Phoebe as a Church Officer

The first of these we notice is the well-known passage, Romans 16: 1–3, in which we have Phœbe, a member of the church at Cenchrea, preparing to visit Rome, and duly certified of her church-standing by Paul, who was in Cenchrea or Corinth at the time. Now the apostle calls her "a deacon of the church of Cenchrea,"—not deaconess, as in the margin of the revised version, and as used by some writers—for the word in Greek, being of the common gender, has no termination to distinguish sex. It is exactly equivalent to the English word servant, which, without any change of form, we apply equally to male and female. Now, we hold, that the word deacon is here used of Phœbe, not in its primary or ordinary sense, but in its appropriated sense of a church officer, because she is spoken of in church relation. Had it been "a servant of God," or "a servant of the Lord," it would have proved nothing as to her holding office, because these expressions are applicable to all who are of the household of faith. But we are not aware that "servant of the church," or any similar expression, is ever used of persons except in official positions. For example, we have "elders in every church." "Now, there were in the church at Antioch certain prophets and teachers," "the messengers of the churches," "the angels of the churches," and "God hath set some in the church, first, apostles; secondarily, prophets," &c., and in every case official relation is meant. A parallel expression about an Old Testament leader will illustrate our meaning, "And Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant," evidently referring to his official position in Israel. But as Paul assures Timothy, "The house of God is the church of the living God," and for Phœbe to be a servant in and to that house as much implies official relation, as do the words quoted of Moses. Moreover, that the apostle here speaks of Phœbe in an official sense is farther confirmed by the term which he employs to express what she had done for himself and others. "For she hath been a succourer of many and of myself also." The word here rendered, "succourer" (prostatis) signifies one standing before another in office, rank or service, and in the masculine, is employed for a Roman prefect, a magistrate, patron or protector, often corresponding to our terms president, moderator, chairman, overseer or anyone who is before or over others in any work to be performed. Now in either gender the word must retain something of this meaning, as it is formed from a verb (prohistemi) signifying to stand over or before in some recognized relation. Its force can be seen in the fact that it is twice used by Paul in describing the qualifications of a bishop (1 Tim. 3: 3-4), as "one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity," as every father and head of family should. Having this shade of meaning, as applied to Phœbe, it would exactly express what she had done for Paul and others, if aiding them officially as a deacon in the church, and strongly supports the conclusion that she is here spoken of, not as a private member merely, but as a recognized office-bearer.

Phoebe's Role and Responsibilities

But sister Phœbe, as it appears, has a "business" to transact at Rome; and it is wonderfully foreign to the whole spirit of the passage to suppose that the business was private. She was deacon in a small congregation in Cenchrea, the eastern or Asiatic port of Corinth on the isthmus. The members of the church in Cenchrea were probably of the humbler classes, mostly seafaring men, sailors and fishermen. Now we know that the churches at that time were wont to depute parties to travel with Paul, Titus and others, to raise funds for the relief of the needy, and those were called "messengers of the churches," as chosen and sent forth for that purpose, (see 2 Cor. 8: 16-24 and 9: 3-5.) In commending Phœbe to the Romans as a deacon in a sister church, Paul not only officially certified her standing, and that she was worthy of their full confidence, but asks for her assistance and help from the wealthy and liberal members of the church in the great metropolis. She was thus engaged in what we have reason to believe, was quite customary at the time in many of the churches, and which is by no means uncommon in the present day. And thus both in official designation, and in active work, Phœbe is here recognized as a church officer. And it is worthy of remark that almost all expositors, ancient and modern, with hardly an exception, are of the opinion that this passage implies that the sister here certified, was in some position in the church in Cenchrea, other than that of mere private membership.

Qualifications of Female Deacons

But, again, we have in another passage the qualifications required in female deacons. In writing to Timothy how "he ought to behave himself in the house of God," Paul first instructs him as to how a bishop should be qualified, then, in five particulars, the necessary qualifications which deacons should possess, (1 Tim. 3: 1–10,) and then (v. 11) adds, as in the authorized version, "Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things." This would, at first sight, appear as an additional qualification which the deacon should possess, but though usually so interpreted, there are no grounds for understanding the passage in that sense, because, first, the character of a man's wife is never given as a qualification for his holding office in the New Testament church. If it had been so, it would be of special importance in the case of a bishop, and yet in his case nothing of the kind is ever hinted. Then, secondly, there is no word for "their" in the original text, that would indicate any relations of the females referred to, as the wives of deacons. The expression is not "their wives," but simply "women," (gynaikas), which is the primary meaning of the word, and so translated in the revised version. And, thirdly, the grammatical construction of the whole passage in the original text forbids the idea of private relation betwixt the women mentioned and the deacons.

Scriptural Basis for Female Deacons

Two connecting links hold grammatically together the whole passage about bishops, deacons and women. The first of these is, deieina, with an accusative case intervening, signifying what it is necessary the intervening accusative "must be." Though this connecting expression is only found in the second verse, it is understood in the eighth and eleventh verses, and is accordingly supplied in italics, by our translators. Thus connected the passage states, first, what it is necessary a bishop to be, then what it is necessary deacons to be, and then what it is necessary "women" to be, by way of qualifications. But if by "women" here are only meant private members, why exclude the male members, and why introduce only women in company with bishops and deacons as requiring high qualifications? Then there is also another connecting word, hosautos, translated "likewise" in verse 8, and "even so," verse 11, and by the revisers, "in like manner," which is used to connect things in some respects similar, or of a similar class, which class in the passage must be that of office-bearers, as distinguished from private members. As Alford remarks, "gynaikas here, marked off by hosautos, must be an ecclesiastical class, and can hardly be other than deaconesses, ministrae, as Pliny calls them in his letter to Trajan, such as Phœbe was at Cenchrea." One of our most reliable expositors takes the same view. "Their wives," rather, "women," i.e., deaconesses, for there is no reason that special rules should be laid down as to the wives of deacons, and not, also, as to the wives of bishops. Moreover, if wives of deacons are meant there seems to be no reason for the omission of "their." Also, hosautos, even so, likewise or in like manner, denotes a transition to another class of persons. Also the omission of domestic duties in their case, though specified in the case of the man, verse 12, shows that they are not spoken of in their private capacity as wives. There were, doubtless, deaconesses at Ephesus, where Timothy was now laboring, as well as at Cenchrea, and yet no mention of them is made in this epistle if not here; whereas, if they be meant here, chapter 3 embraces in due proportion all the officers of the New Testament church, and Paul naturally, after specifying the deacon’s qualifications passes to those of the deaconess.” (Crit. Com.)

Women and Ecclesiastical Offices

Two things in the passage further confirm this view. First, the manner in which "women" are here brought in by the apostle, when giving instructions how deacons should be qualified. In verses 8–10 he describes what the deacon must be, then verse 11, what "women" must be, and then at verse 12 goes back to the deacons, thus showing by placing women in the very centre of what he had to say about deacons’ qualifications, that they belonged to that class. And then again, not only must these women have certain qualifications, but the four mentioned are exactly the same as required in men. By comparing the two lists we find that in the first qualification the very same adjective in different genders is employed, and in the other three, words precisely of the same import. If, then, these women were not of the number of deacons at Ephesus, when Paul wrote, the passage is not only obscure but misleading.

In several other passages of more general import, as in Paul's salutations to prominent women in different churches, who had been his "helpers," and who are said to have "labored," and to have "labored much in the Lord," there may be reference to the same feature in the apostolic church. Some, also, understand the instructions given to Timothy (1 Tim. 5: 9) about widows being "taken into the number," or enrolled as having similar reference to an order of female deacons; and Mosheim goes so far as to maintain that the widows (Acts 6: 1) were not for themselves the recipients of church help, but deaconesses, and the ground of their complaint was that the funds placed at their disposal were not equal to those entrusted to the Hebrew deaconesses. We do not, however, think that the enrolled widows were anything by way of office, but simply recipients of church aid, as Timothy directed, "If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged, that it may relieve them that are widows indeed."—1 Tim. 5: 16.

The Case for Women's Ordination

As, however, we firmly believe that the passages we have considered fully bear out the conclusion that in the apostolic church women took their place with the men in holding and exercising the deacon's office, it follows that we have full warrant to admit them to the same position still, and set them apart by ordination to the performance of its duties. And here we must say, that to us the strangest feature in the whole matter is the difficulty which some brethren feel about ordaining women to this office, even when duly elected and found qualified. One brother, after owning the peculiar fitness of women for the performance of many of the duties of the deacon's office, writes, "Our difficulty is to find a warrant for her ordination to regular office work." Another thinks that a woman could just be as useful without ordination, and that therefore it is unnecessary to raise the question at all. Another thinks her right to ordination cannot be proved because we have no example of a woman being inducted into office by being anointed with oil, or by the laying of hands upon her head; and so others in similar strain. Now the obscurity seems to arise from imperfect views of the nature of ordination and its relation to holding office in the church. There are no less than eleven words in the Greek text of the New Testament, which our translators have rendered by the verb "ordain." Six of these are used of persons being put into a position, such as office of some kind. The first, only applied to Christ, and signifying to mark off, separate or set apart, is twice used, (Acts 10: 42 and 17: 31.) The second signifying to make, and the third to place, and the fourth to become, are the words used for setting apart the apostles, (Mark 3: 14; John 15: 16; Acts 1: 22 and 1 Tim. 27). The fifth to place in position, is used of priests (Heb. 5: 1 and 8: 3) and of elders, (Tit. 1: 5). The sixth to elect by raising the hand, is used of elders, (Acts 14: 23). Now it is a remarkable fact that not in one of these words is what we call ordination by laying on of hands clearly expressed, while the last of the six makes election by show of hands to be what appoints or puts the elder into office. And, in fact, the making and putting into place and position in church office any man or woman must depend upon their being duly elected, proved and found qualified. Without these no presbytery would ordain to any office. In fact it is not the man we ordain but the pastor elect, the elder elect or the deacon elect, so that we literally "lay hands suddenly on no man."

Ordination and Installation

Following these, according to our book of discipline, (p. 107,) "*ordination and installation are authoritative acts done in the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church." But these acts simply seal and ratify, in a public, authoritative manner, what went before, and it is just as when a person has been elected or appointed to some office in the State, but before entering upon its duties, takes an oath of office. It is not the taking of the oath that makes him an officer of the government, but his election or appointment, the oath being merely a formal pledge of fidelity. Now that a deacon elect is to be formally set apart and officially declared an office-bearer in the church, by such an act of ordination as we perform we are all agreed, but the diakonos is of no gender, and as we think that we have made it clear that a woman may be a diakonos, when duly elected and found qualified, the right to ordination is hers as much as that of one of the other sex, who may have been elected at the same time. It is a simple syllogism. To a deacon elect, duly qualified and approved, belongs the right of ordination. But a woman may be a deacon elect, duly qualified and approved. Therefore, to a woman duly elected to deacon's office, and qualified and approved, belongs the right of ordination. The principle is plain. To a woman belong all corporate rights in the church, unless specially excepted, as is the case as regards the ministry and eldership, whilst it cannot be shown that the deaconship is excepted but the contrary is established. In fact her rights here are fuller and plainer than her right to the Lord's table.

Advantages of Women in the Deacon's Office

Nor is there any question as to the many and great advantages that would accrue to the church from having a few able and devoted women in every congregation in the deacon's office. While we think so, however, we have no sympathy with a great deal spoken and written at present about restoring the old order of deaconesses, and getting our women organized into sisterhoods, and assigning them work aside from other members of the church. A great deal of such talk comes, not from scriptural views of woman's place and work in the church, but from the corruptions that soon prevailed, both in the east and west, in relation to all ecclesiastical matters, and by which as has been well said, "The convent swallowed up scriptural organizations of women, as the monastery absorbed the scriptural presbyters." In the days of Timothy active female deacons would be an arm of strength to the church. As has been said by a judicious writer: "*From the seclusion in which oriental women were kept, and the improbability that there could be anything like a free intercourse with them, on the part of the apostles and first preachers of Christianity, the desirableness and necessity of having women specially devoted to the work of visiting and instructing them is apparent. Considering also the elastic nature of the constitution of the apostolic church, it may readily be believed that, as in the case of deacons, the instant such a need was felt, steps would be taken to supply it. By such an arrangement the gospel could be introduced into many families, where otherwise it could hardly have found admission."

Women and the Apostolic Church

And analogous causes may have led to the employment of women, as the instrumentality best adopted to many other forms of christian work. And nothing is more historically certain than that at the close of the apostolic age women in office, and generally styled deaconesses, were to be found in all the churches." It might be added that the numerous and fierce persecutions to which the churches were subjected during this period "as the spoiling of their goods," fines, imprisonment, violence and tortures in many forms, by which they were daily tried, would furnish much work for such consecrated women, and they could have access often to those who were "sick and in prison," such as no male office-bearer in the church could possibly have. Whilst, however, thankful that our lines have fallen in more pleasant places and times, still there are many things that women in office could accomplish which men have neither the taste, talent, tact, nor time to attempt. In acquiring, holding and improving church property, providing and dispensing funds for current expenses so that ordinances may be regularly enjoyed, and in many other respects our deacons render very valuable services which we have no desire to undervalue or belittle. But in the privacy of family life there are sad scenes of suffering, hidden misery, wretchedness and want, into which even pastor or elder cannot penetrate, and which would be freely opened to a sympathetic spiritual woman. Even when not acting officially the presence of such a woman for a short time has been felt to be as an angel visit. How much more would our noble Christian women prove when quickened by the felt obligation of being consecrated to God and his work. And now that female physicians, female teachers, &c., are recognized as in some measure required by the exigencies of society, there are many ways in which ladies, representing the claims of religion, might have doors of usefulness opened before them. If in each of our congregations we had even a small number of such women in office, they could organize the female element for practical purposes more effectually than has ever been the case in the past. In local visiting, sabbath-school work, raising funds for the poor and for missions, the promotion of systematic beneficence, the cause of temperance, and Sabbath observance, they would do a work for the church which our deacons never now think of or attempt. In view of the manifold capabilities and opportunities for work such women would possess, we very fully sympathized with the words uttered in Synod by the late Moderator: "We are getting rid of the prejudice against the equality of man and woman, and should be glad that the church has got so far forward in this great truth that God intends to use both man and woman in advancing his cause."

Reformation and the Role of Women

We may add, in conclusion, that almost all the churches of the reformation are moving, more or less in this matter, and it is becoming one of the questions of the day. In many churches on the continent of Europe, and in the established church of England, a very marked interest in it has of late been awakened. In the report of the proceedings in the General Assembly of the church of Scotland, in May last, a resolution was passed that deaconesses henceforth be ordained not by Presbyteries, but by kirk sessions. The great Presbyterian Council that lately met in London also grappled with this question, and the paper on the subject by Professor Charteris, of Edinburgh, (in substance in the Presbyterian Review of last April,) and the discussion that followed showed what an interest it has excited throughout the churches. And it is but meet that our church should lead in this matter. We accord to our female members their corporate rights more fully than any church of the Reformation, and in following up what has at our late meeting of Synod been so auspiciously begun, we may still further draw out into active operation the mighty moral force lodged in our devoted Christian women, and thus accomplish a work for which posterity will bless us.

COMMITTEE OF SYNOD