arned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all," ver. 24. In verse
31 he says, "For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and
all may be comforted." This was an extended privilege to all, though not
expected of all, as we see in 1 Cor. 12:29: "Are all prophets?" Paul
expressly mentions those women which labored with him in the gospel. Phil.
4:3. See Rom. 16:1, 3, 7, 12. "Labored in the gospel." "Elders ... labor
in the word and doctrine." 1 Tim. 5:17. This was exactly the kind of work
that Paul was doing, and those women labored with him in the gospel. "In
the gospel" signifies here, evangelizing, spreading or preaching the
gospel, etc. Let us not confound ordinary testimony with prophesying. A
person must have the gift of prophecy in order to prophesy: and it is this
gift that constitutes a person a prophet. Proof texts, Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor.
12:10, 28; 14:1, 3, 6, 12, 29, 39; Eph. 4:8-11. And we have before proved
that women did possess this gift, hence were prophetesses or public
expounders of the gospel, and hence they have a constituent part in the
ministry, and as such are just as much elders in the church of God as men.

Silence In The Church.

"Let your women keep silence in the churches." 1 Cor. 14:39. "Let him keep
silence in the church." Ver. 28. If these scriptures had no contexts to
explain them we would all be silenced in the church. The context to the
last quotation reads thus. "But if there be no interpreter, let him keep
silence." This makes it clear. Context to the first reads, "For it is not
permitted unto them to speak: but they are commanded to be under
obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let
them ask their husbands at home." What kind of speech is forbidden?
Ans.--Asking questions in the church to learn, interrogative speech in the
public congregation. The law did not prohibit women being prophets or
prophesying. See Deborah, in Judges 4:4-14. Miriam, Ex. 15:20. Anna, Luke
2:36. If the law did not prohibit women prophesying, Paul did not call in
question the obedience of the law to prove that point. Thus the context
explains itself without further comment. Does not the character of Jezebel
"which calleth herself a prophetess" disapprove of women prophets? Rev.
2:20. No! no more than Satan's ministers transforming themselves into the
ministers of Christ would disapprove of the entire Christian ministry. The
counterfeit proves there is a genuine. This i