THE KING’S BUSINESS
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cipline, and also lest offense should be caused. No man, certainly no Christian, liveth to himself. Freedom to the Chris tian is not an end; it is a means. If my liberty and freedom could not be abridged for sufficient cause, then that liberty and freedom would -be tyranny and bondage.” V. CHURCH DECORUM— ABUSES IN CON- NECTION W ITH PUBLIC WORSHIP (xi. 2-34) 1. Unveiled Women a t W orship (xi. 2 - 16 ). In discussing the question of the place of woman in the church as described in this chapter, we should remember the cir cumstances under which the words were written, the customs of the time, the place that woman held in the system of existing things, and the threatened disruption of the unity of the church in connection with the spiritual gifts, such as that of “prophecy” and “tongues,” bestowed upon the Corinth ian believers. The question here discussed is not the inferiority of woman, nor is it the possi bility of her being the recipient of spirit ual gifts equally with man. It is a ques tion dealing altogether with the legitimate sphere for the manifestation of such gifts when possessed by woman. There is a womanly mode and womanly sphere for the exercise of spiritual gifts. There can be no clear understanding of the apostle’s argument without recalling the tremendous awakening of womanhood that took place in connection with her accept ance of Christianity. The Christian woman was given a place not before held by any of her sex. Did not the Holy Spirit dwell in the believing woman as well as in the believing man ? Was not the woman, equally with the man, a recipient of spiritual,bless ings and gifts (Joel ii. 28-32; Acts ii. 17, 18) ? Was there not, as far as spiritual things were concerned, an independence of man altogether ? It would be quite natural,' therefore, for woman, realizing that she was
not dependent upon man for these spiritual gifts, to ask herself why she should be inferior to him in other respects. Why should she continue to wear the veil, a symbol of her subordination to man? Why not cast it off altogether and thus assert her equality with man? So we see that it is not so much a matter of change of attire as a change in views on the part of woman Paul is here dealing with. It is a matter pertaining to the. sphere of woman’s activ ity. Should it remain as it had been— private? Or should it be public in its nature ? Should woman continue to do as she had done for centuries—“take the veil,” -t-thus signifying that she was queen of the home? Or should she cast off the veil, thereby entering the public arena; and thus claim equality with man? Is it true that the man’s place is to serve the state, and the woman’s to serve the man? All these circumstances must be borne in mind in seeking to interpret the contents of this chapter and to correctly understand the apostle’s declaration regarding the place of woman in connection with public worship. (a) The Case Stated ( xi. 3 , j) . “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 jvoman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” (b) The Essential Principles Set Forth {xi. 4 - 7 ). In dealing with this very important mat ter, Paul engages himself with fundamen tal principles rather than with petty rules. He stoutly maintains that order and subor dination pervade the universe and are of God’s ordaining. The head of woman is man; the head of man is Christ; the head of Christ is God (v. 3). Any inversion of this order and arrangement cannot but bring chaos and cause a disarrangement' in the divine plan and order of things. The head of the body is that on which the body is, dependent and to which it is subordi nate (vv. 4-7).
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