The Twain One (Maria Russell) (1906)

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THE TWAIN ONE

A BIBLE STUDY OF A VITAL SUBJECT.

THIS GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM. A CUP OF COLD WATER FOR A THIRSTY SOUL.

BY

MARIA FRANCES RUSSELL Copyrighted 1906 BY MARIA FRANCES RUSSELL

To The valued Christian Friends whose faith and courage have been a bulwark of strength, this volume is dedicated.

PREFACE.

If any apology is needed for the publication of this small work, it is the very general misconception of the teaching of the Word of God as to the social standing of one half of the human race, involving also, to a very large degree, the best interests of the other half. For so united are the interests of the twain that God made one, that if one suffers injustice and oppression the other will suffer also, either directly or indirectly. If the wives and mothers are enslaved and degraded, the husbands and sons will miss the tender ministries of that refinement and culture which can never flourish in any other atmosphere than that of the freedom and happiness which God designed, and posterity must inevitably feel the blight.

Since the Word of God is thought by many to be on the ignoble side of this question, and is often apologetically explained, or explained away, by some such, who feel the reproach, while by others many of its expressions are repeatedly quoted in support of a great error, we have endeavored to present in these pages the whole Bible testimony on the subject, believing that "God is his own interpreter, and he will make it plain."

In the light which one scripture throws upon another, truth is made clear. Therefore, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." God gives "line upon line" and "precept upon precept, here a little and there a little," and when thought and patient investigation, guided by the holy spirit of truth and righteousness, bring these littles together, we have the harmonious whole of God's truth upon any given subject; and upon none more clearly than the one under present consideration.

At the request of many friends who desire to see these thoughts before the public, and specially before Christians in general, the writer consents to their publication, although such was not the original intention. The subject grew to its present proportions from a simple effort, with Bible and pencil in hand, to gain personal instruction from the highest source.

In the hope that these pages will aid others in such investigation, and establish some of God's children more firmly in truth and righteousness respecting the most important of all human relationships, we submit them to the reading public.

MARIA FRANCES RUSSELL.

Allegheny, Pa., U. S. A.

A RAVELED rainbow overhead

Lets down to earth its varying thread: Love's blue, joy's gold, and fair between Hope's shifting light of emerald green.

On either side, in deep relief. A crimson pain, a violet grief Wouldst thou, amid their gleaming hues Snatch after those, and these refuse?

Believe, could thine anointed eyes Follow their lines,and sound the skies There where the fadeless glories shine Thine unseen Savior twists the twine

And be thou sure what tint soe'er The broken ray beneath may wear, It needs them all that, fair and white His love may weave the perfect light.

Mrs. Whitney.

The Twain One.

TRUE happiness, in any human relationship, is incompatible with the ignoble ideas both of tyranny and of servility; for beings created in the likeness of God must retain that likeness.

The dignity and nobility of God's handiwork may not be sacrificed to any mean ambition that thrusts itself athwart the divine purpose. Therefore, while God has, in various human relationships, enjoined the duty of submission, it can never be properly regarded as a servile submission, or as giving any countenance to the exercise of tyranny.

Whatever stands in the way of the accomplishment of God's original designs for his intelligent creation stands in the way also of their true happiness and lasting welfare; for God's purpose in creation was and is the eternal happiness and welfare of his creatures, and that in a manner consistent with the original dignity and nobility of their creation. He did not bring them into life to degrade them and make them miserable, but to advance them and make them happy.

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While he foresaw and has permitted sin temporarily to interfere with his original purpose, it is a part of his plan, in due time, to obliterate all sin and eventually to establish the willing and obedient in everlasting life and happiness--a true and lasting happiness based upon nobility of character.

He therefore, who is truly wise will desire to know the purpose of God in any case, and in no case more than in that which affects that most important of all human relationships, the domestic relation. And since this subject is closely allied to the still broader one of woman's sphere of activity in the church and in the world, it assumes a still greater magnitude of importance. To seek for happiness outside of the range of God's original purpose is but to seek it in vain; for although sin may yield a temporary gratification or pleasure, yet eventually it will inevitably yield its legitimate fruitage of misery and degradation.

To the worldly mind, bent on its own course regardless of the divine purposes, this subject will be of little interest; its appeal, therefore, is only to those who have the spirit of Christ--to Christians. It is true, as the apostle Peter suggest (2 Pet. 3:15,16), that on this subject, as well as on some others, our beloved brother Paul speaks in his epistles of some things which

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are hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned in the things of God, and unstable in their purpose to follow Christ, "wrest unto their own destruction."

Professing godliness, yet lacking its vital power, they claim to find in the writings of the beloved apostle to the Gentiles, as they do also in the other scriptures, justification and endorsement of the unrighteousness which they prefer to the right ways of the Lord. But, though isolated expressions of the apostle, misconstrued, may seem to such to give support to unrighteousness, and to be hard to be understood by them in any other light, they are not beyond the possibility Heavenly Father.

God did not bring his human children into existence unprovided for, nor did he leave them to struggle with adverse circumstances alone and unaided; for every child of God is an heir of his bounty, both present and future:--"If children, then heirs." Rom. 8:17. The Heavenly Father

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has planned and provided for their highest good--for their eternal life and happiness in his love and favor and in communion with himself. Even foreseeing man's fall into sin and consequently into death, his loving heart provided redemption and salvation for all through Christ: "for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

God's love, wisdom and power being infinite, and pledged to the eternal welfare of the willing and obedient, how necessary is the full, loyal and loving submission of the finite creature to his righteous and benevolent authority. How necessary to our protection, our development in his character-likeness, our peace and our happiness, as well as to our eternal life

In view of such necessity, it is therefore evident that it is no disposition of selfishness or pride of power or vain glory on the part of the Creator that commands the obedience of his creatures, but that it is the broadest and wisest benevolence and the deepest love. His commandments should, therefore, awaken in the heart of man emotions of grateful appreciation, and should be responded to with that filial, loving reverence that gladly says, "I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart."

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ANY SUBSERVIENCY TO FELLOW MEN A SECONDARY CONSIDERATION.

While recognizing the duty of obedience to God as the first duty of man, we must, of necessity, regard all rightful subserviency to our fellow men, enjoined in the Scriptures, as secondary to this primary obligation to God. So the apostle Peter rightly reasoned, and incidentally stated, saying, "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29), although he also wrote to the church, "submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake."1 Pet. 2:13.

And Paul also wrote, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers; for there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." Rom.13:1.

To Titus Paul also wrote. "Put them [the church] in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, and to obey magistrates." Titus 3:1. But when these human authorities set themselves in defiance of God, and so commanded God's people, these same apostles did not hesitate to oppose them, and to obey God rather than men. Such a course was manifestly right, God being the supreme authority. It is one of the things, like that of 1 Cor. 15:27,* which reason and common sense would make manifest, even if there were no revelation on the subject.

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So acting upon this principle, when Peter and the other apostles who were with him were brought before the council for preaching Christ, and the High Priest addressed them, saying, "Did not we straitly command you that you should not teach in this name? and behold you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us," they unhesitatingly answered, "We ought to obey God rather than men." Acts 5:27-29.

Upon this principle of the supremacy of the divine authority over all human authorities and powers, even though divinely ordained for a time, and of the consequent obligation of submission to the divine, in preference to the human, whenever the two are in conflict, our Lord also acted, when, in opposition to both Jewish and Gentile powers, he declared himself the King of the Jews, and taught the people that his kingdom would, by and by, be established in the earth. Yet he was careful to render unto Caesar the things that were Caesar's, as well as unto God the things that are God's, and to teach the same. See Matt. 22:15-21; 17:24- 27.

It was also in pursuance of this same principle that Stephen and Paul and all the reformers from their day to this labored, be.

In like manner, Christians must, of necessity, exercise a degree of common sense in interpreting other similar exhortations to submission to their fellow men.

Thus, when we read the exhortation to the church--Heb. 13:17--"Obey them that have the rule over you [i.e., who preside over you as elders, pastors and teachers], and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls as they that must give account"--we must bear in mind the teaching of the Lord and of Peter, that none of these elders, pastors, teachers or others may aspire to be greatest, or to lord it over the church, which is God's heritage, not theirs (Luke 22:24-26; 1 Pet. 5:1-3), and that any attempt on the part of any to do so should not be yielded to by the church, but, in tyrannical, proud and lovers of power, nor servile, sycophantic slaves to any aspirants to such power]：but he that is [truly] greatest among you, let him be as the younger [modest and unassuming]; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? Is not he that sitteth at meat? But I am among you as he that serveth." Luke 22:25-27.

How plainly our Lord thus tells us that both tyranny, which trespasses on the rights of others, and servility, which cowardly sacrifices the principles of righteousness, and consequently self-respect also, for some mean temporal advantage, are alike dishonorable and reprehensible in his sight

"BUT YE SHALL NOT BE SO."

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Peter also counsels those in leading positions in the church to imitate Christ in this respect of being ensamples to the flock (1 Pet. 5:3); as Paul expresses it, "ensamples in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit [the spirit of meekness and holiness], in faith, in purity." 1 Tim. 4:12.

The duty of submission to those in leading positions in the church we must therefore regard not in the light of unquestioning, childish or servile obedience, but simply as a matter of respectful deference and cooperation with such as answer Peter's description of a true shepherd, and who, as Paul describes, "watch for your souls as they that must give account."

We are also taught that this sort of submission should be general throughout the church--in every member of it, without any exception of leaders and teachers. As Paul states it, it is "submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." Eph. 5:21. And Peter says (1 Pet. 5:5) "Likewise [that is, like as the elders, whom he was exhorting to be ensamples to the flock, and not lords over it, set the example of humble submission, so also], ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder: yea, all of you [young and old] be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble."

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Thus the divine authority of the Word and Spirit of God is shown to be the supreme and only authority in the church; and the duty of every member of the church is manifestly to recognize and obey that authority, all submission to one another being only that which humility and loving cooperation in the divine service dictate.

CHARACTER OF THE SUBMISSION OF CHRISTIAN SERVANTS TO THEIR MASTERS.

We further observe that Christian servants are taught to be obedient to their masters. Here the same degree of common sense is necessary as in interpreting the above similar exhortations to the church in general: otherwise, a large proportion of mankind might consider themselves in duty bound in a most abject slavery to their fellow men; for the great majority of men and women are servants in some capacity to others. Some are household servants; others serve in shops, stores, factories, political offices, etc.

Let us observe some of these exhortations to servants. Paul says: "Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but in singleness of your heart, fearing God. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men,

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knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ." Col. 3:22-24.

Again he says, "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ: not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart: with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free." Eph 6:5-8.

That these servants are not of necessity slaves, but servants in general, bond or free, see also and compare Matt. 20:27. "Whosoever shall be chief among you shall be your servant" (Greek, doulos, same word as in above texts); and Col. 4:1, "Give unto your servants that which is right"- same word, doulos, here paid servants, not slaves. To Titus Paul further says, "Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; not purloining, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things."

Titus 2:9,10. Peter also says, "Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward." 1 Pet. 2:18.

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The ounce of common sense in the interpretation of these exhortations to servants to "obedience in all things"to their masters must, of necessity, limit such obedience to the terms of their contract. They by no means give to the master unlimited power over his servant. Nor is the servant in duty bound to please his master in all things except within that same limit, the limit of his contract. Beyond the time and conditions of his contract, he is at liberty to please himself, and his master has no jurisdiction whatever.

And when the apostle further exhorts to obedience to masters--"in singleness of your hearts as unto Christ"-the idea is not that the master takes the place of Christ, and that the servant is to serve him as though he were Christ; but the idea is that the servant is to do this work for his master remembering that Christ is taking cognizance of his faithfulness, and that in striving to pleas his earthly master, according to the terms of his contract, his course, in thus honestly doing his duty, is pleasing to Christ, whose approval, above that of his earthly master, should be his chief desire.

This supreme devotion to Christ should be the constant incentive to faithfulness with the Christian servant, that thus, with singleness of heart, as unto Christ, he may serve and please the earthly master, in whose approval, if received, he may also

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find a secondary pleasure. But the interpretation which would put the earthly master instead of Christ would be wrong, a wresting of the Scriptures to our entanglement in sin.

The counsel of Peter, of subjection even to the froward master, must, of course, be understood to apply only in cases where the necessities of circumstance or of contract require a continuance of the relationship of master and servant. In case of disagreement which cannot be adjusted, if a servant may have his liberty he should, as Paul suggests-1 Cor. 7:21--choose that, rather than remain under the unfavorable conditions.

He would do better to find, if possible, some other situation with a more agreeable master.

SUBMISSION OF CHILDREN TO PARENTS.

We next observe the exhortations to children to honor and obey their parents:--"Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and they mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with thee and thou mayest live long upon the earth." Exod. 20:12; Eph. 6:1-3.

This obedience to parents required on the part of children, like the similar requirement on the part of all God's children to their Heavenly Father,

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is not a mere arbitrary matter to gratify a pride of power in the dominant parties, but it is a most necessary requirement for the protection and well-being of the children as long as they are children. But any tyrannical use of this parental authority, that is, any use of it which does not aim to secure the highest good of the child, is a misuse of it, for which God will hold such parents accountable.

But when children come to years of maturity, and are no longer children, the command of obedience to parents no longer applies to them, although it is obligatory that they should honor their parents to the end of their days; and if they have been faithful and wise parents, children may safely give very careful heed to their counsel and experience long after they have passed from under parental control. Wise parents will also not fail to mark the transition from childhood to manhood and womanhood, and, recognizing the new responsibilities of the maturer years of their sons and daughters, they will treat them accordingly, and not presume to extend their authority beyond the divinely appointed limit. Attempts in this direction are always more or less hazardous of the well-being of all concerned.

The conduct of Jesus, as a child, was that of loving and respectful obedience, both to his Heavenly Father and to his earthly parents (Luke 2:48-51); and, as a man, it was that of loving honor and

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respect to his surviving earthly parent. He bore his mother company to the wedding at Cana, and he tenderly commended her to the care of John in the hour of his last agonies. When he would express his love for his disciples he compared them to his mother and brethren, his own nearest kind, saying, "Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples and said, Behold my mother and my brethren

for whosoever shall do the will of my father which is in heaven, the same is my brother and sister and mother." Matt. 12:48-50.

DO THE SCRIPTURES TEACH DOMESTIC SLAVERY?

We next come to a much more disputed question along this line than any of those already mentioned, viz., as to whether husbands and wives stand related to each other as master and slave, or as companions. We have no hesitation in affirming that between husband and wife the relationship of companions, and not of master and slave, is plainly taught in the Bible.

In the account of the creation, woman is referred to as a suitable help for man: "I will make him a help suitable for him." Gen. 2:18--Leeser's Translation; "a help meet for him"--Common Version: "a help like unto himself"-Douay Bible.

Some seem to gather from this word, "help," the idea of inferiority, as though the man were the great and capable one, and the woman were merely privileged and honored in doing some insignificant turns in his service. But it should be observed that this same word "help" (Hebrew, ezer) is used in reference to God and Christ; as, for instance, in Psalms 121:2 and 89:19--"My help cometh from Jehovah which made heaven and earth," "I have laid help upon one that is mighty"-Christ.

Consequently, there can be no inferiority implied in the term; but, on the contrary, capability to help is implied. And the very facts that God said that it was "not good that the man should be alone," and that, on this account, he made the woman and brought her to him, imply that the man needed a help; not, however, because of any imperfection in him, but because he was so constituted as to need and desire the companionship of just such a one as God intended to create.

This no more implies imperfection on the part of Adam than does the similar desire on the part of our Lord Jesus for a companion so adapted to him, and which he will by and by have in the glorified church, his bride and jointheir, imply his imperfection. The further fact that the woman was declared by God to be just such a help as Adam needed-- "a help suitable for him"--indicates that she was

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the exact complement of the man. When Adam saw this intelligent counterpart of himself, not an inferior creature therefore, but of his own human nature, bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, he recognized in her the suitable help, the companion, he had not found in the inferior creatures of God. Gen. 2:20

True, the lower creatures pleased him well, and they were all in perfect subjection to him and obediently rendered him all the service he required. Many of them were strong to bear his burdens; some were fleet to run his errands, many of them gratified his love of the beautiful in form and proportions, and some in plumage; some charmed his ear with strains of music; and all manifested more or less of intelligence and affection; yet, in all, there was the lack of those higher qualities necessary to human companionship. The higher instincts of the perfect man for companionship were not satisfied with the burden-bearer, nor the errandrunner, nor the gay butterfly, nor the tuneful birds of Paradise: what he craved was an intelligent, sympathetic companion; and this lack the "suitable help," which God subsequently provided, exactly supplied.

When God had created the woman and brought her to the man, Adam said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman [Hebrew, ishshah] because she was taken

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out of man [ish]." Gen. 2:23. That the name was not given as designating her office of motherhood is manifest from the fact that, when God said that she should become a mother, Adam changed her name to Eve, "because she was to be the mother of all living." Gen. 3:20.

We thus see that what the man found in the woman was an intelligent companion, one capable of sharing and appreciating all his joys (for he had no sorrows) and of participating with him in all his interests, as an heir together with himself of the grace of life, so bountifully bestowed by the Creator. Thus, as counterparts, suited to each other, these two constituted one: not one individual, but one specimen of humanity, including the two individuals, the male and the female.

These twain were "one flesh" (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:5)--i.e., one kind of flesh; not the beast or bird or fish kind, but the human kind. The two, constituting one specimen of humanity, were made in the image of their Creator: "So God created man [or Adam--the same Hebrew word, which is here used in the generic sense, including both sexes] in his own image: in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them." Gen. 1:27. "In the day that God created man [Adam--same word] in the likeness of God made he him. Male and female created he them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam in the day when they were created." Gen. 5:1, 2.

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Thus the generic term "Adam," or "man," is applied to the pair--to this one specimen of humanity which the man and the woman together constituted. On the same principle, if we exhibit a full specimen of any animal, whether of beast or bird or fish or insect or creeping thing, we present both the male and the female. So also God presented them when he gathered them into Noah's ark: "Every beast after his kind, and all cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh." Gen. 7:14-16.

With this same thought, that the twain--male and female--of any kind constitute "one flesh," one specimen of that kind, Paul also says, "All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes and another of birds." 1 Cor. 15:39.

Of course the terms "man" and "Adam" are not always used in the generic sense, as in Gen. 5:1,2: they are used also in the specific sense in reference to the male only. Thus, while in Gen. 5:2--"And he called their name Adam"-the term is plainly used in its generic sense, in Gen. 2:7, the same term being applied to the male before

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the female was created, is evidently used in the specific sense:--"God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul."

The sense in which the human being is a likeness of God we can see to be in his mental and moral construction. As we observe God in his works and ways and in his revelation of himself, we perceive in him the same faculties, though of infinitely wider scope and greater power, which we find in ourselves, viz.: perception, memory, reason, judgment, original suggestion, free-will, etc.; also the moral qualities of conscience, perception of right and wrong, and character, the outgrowth of free choice and the exercise of the moral faculties, In these respects we thus recognize the human likeness, mental and moral, to the Divine Being.

It is because of our constitutional mental and moral likeness to God that we can apprehend him, though, because of the limited scope and strength of our faculties, we cannot comprehend him. It is because of this, our mental and moral likeness to God, that God can say to us, "Come, let us reason together," and that we can respond to the invitation. He gives no such invitation to the lower orders of creation, which are not in his likeness. Nor is it possible for them to know the great Creator, whose kind providence is over all his works; for, although they have some semblance

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of mental likeness, it is insufficient to apprehend, even in the smallest degree, the invisible God, and they have no moral likeness whatever.

While, thus viewed, each individual of the human race whether male or female, is in the likeness of God, except as it is impaired in all by sin, yet both the masculine and feminine graces (as they are usually regarded) of strength and tenderness are necessary to the fullest likeness of God, for "strong is the Lord God of hosts" and "his tender mercies are over all his works." Thus, both individually and unitedly, the twain being one, they were created in the image of God.

There is nothing in this account of creation to indicate that the woman was in the least inferior to the man. Nor does the fact of her subsequent creation bear any such testimony; but to the contrary. Adam was left alone long enough to realize what God afterward declared, that it was not good for him to be alone; that, although he was perfect in all his powers and surrounded with blessings in his Eden home, yet there was still a desire for something not yet possessed, for companionship and fellowship with one who could intelligently enter into and sympathize with all his experiences. And so the woman, created for the man, and fully answering to his needs, came just in time to be appreciated because the need was realized.

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That the two stood on a par in God's estimation of his handiwork is indicated by the fact that the same divine law was placed upon both, which implied their equal ability, both to understand it and to measure up to its requirements. And when, in Christ, men and women are justified and thus reckonedly restored to the original perfection, God, through his inspired apostle, distinctly declares that, in his estimation, there is neither male nor female, there is no distinction of sex. Gal. 3:28. They stand before him on a par, as intelligent individuals under the same requirements of his righteous law, and equally the subjects of his love and grace.

And further, it is manifest that God created them with equal rights when he gave the dominion of the earth to them both jointly: "And God blessed them and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." Gen. 1:27, 28.

There was no such doctrine taught there as that the man should own everything and that the wife should be a mere pensioner on his bounty. God did not give the whole earth to Adam alone, and that with a mere suggestion that he should see that Eve would have enough to eat and a shelter from the heat of day and the dews of night, and then tell

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Eve not to be discontented with her lot, but that as long as she kept on the right side of Adam he would not allow her to suffer, and that if at any time she would suffer she might know that in some way she must have offended Adam, and to be sure to inquire how, and to apologize and rectify her mistakes, etc., etc.: but he made them, as Peter declares, "heirs together of the grace of life."

1 Pet. 3:7. The earth, and all that was in it, was given to them as their joint- possession. Only the lower creatures were thus subject to man.

Thus they were each equally endowed by the Creator. And when, after the fall, God clothed them, he did not make an ample robe for Adam only, and then tell him to show his benevolence and generosity to Eve by taking some of the abundant surplus of his own robe to make a little narrow one for her that she might also be clothed; but God himself provided amply for them both. Gen. 3:21.

And here let not the fact be overlooked that, in this typical robe which God provided for each of them, was prefigured the salvation provided in Christ for each. But, in order to receive its benefits, each, irrespective of the other, must put it on and wear it: each must have an individual understanding of the divine purpose of salvation, an individual faith to appropriate the righteousness of Christ, and an individual obedience in accepting of and complying with the terms of salvation.

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Thus the husband and the wife are recognized of God as distinct personalities, individually accountable to him, and each instructed to work out his or her own salvation by faith, in obedience to the divine requirements; yet, as divinely created counterparts, the twain are one: they constitute one specimen of humanity.

Observe further that, when the law of God was promulgated from Mount Sinai, the command to children was, "Honor thy father and thy mother." If the mother were a mere slave to their father, having no rights or claims of her own, wherein would be the honor? Taught by their father's example to regard her as inferior to him, would they not also--at least the sons--so regard her, and thus violate the law of God?

True, the provisional* law of the Jewish nation did not fully maintain this high standard of the moral code; for "the times of that ignorance God winked at [tolerated, overlooked] because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead."

Acts 17:30, 31.

God did not then attempt a complete reconstruction of the Jewish nation on the basis of the moral code, because, as Paul here states, the appointed time for that work--"the times of ___

*Generally, though less appropriately, termed "the ceremonial law," in contradistinction to "the moral law" contained in the ten commandments.

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restitution of all things" (Acts 3:19-21)--had not yet come. God merely regulated the affairs of that time and nation to favor the ends to be accomplished then.

This accounts for the facts that slavery, polygamy and divorcement, which are great evils, were not only tolerated but were also to some extent regulated in Israel (see Lev. 25:39-49; Deut. 21:15-17; 24:1, and compare Matt. 19:3-8; 5:31, 32), although contrary to the divine purpose for man as intimated even by that very same provisional law. See Lev. 25:42; 18:18, margin; Deut. 17:17; Matt. 5:31, 32. Here we might further remark that when Paul said the law was holy and just and good (Rom. 7:12) his special reference was to the moral code, and not to that accommodated provisional law to which our Lord himself took exceptions, saying, The law saith unto you thus and so, but I say unto you something different. See Matt. 5:31, 32; 19:8.

HOW SIN INTERFERED WITH GOD'S ORIGINAL PURPOSE IN THE DOMESTIC RELATION.

The first intimation we have of any subjection of woman to man is in the terms of the penalty pronounced after the fall into sin: "Unto the woman God said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy TW35

husband [or 'thou shalt be under thy husband's power'-- Douay Translation], and he shall rule over thee." Gen. 3:16.

Observe, it is not the bringing forth of children that is the curse; for it was God's original purpose before sin entered that the race should propagate itself, and the command to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth was coupled with the divine blessing: "And God blessed them, and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply," etc. Gen. 1:28. But it was the sorrow and suffering that would attend the increase of the race that constituted the penalty, while her subjection to sinful man, instead of the noble companionship of the perfect man, was the natural consequence of sin, which God would permit her to realize as long as sin holds its dominion, though such permission would be no justification of the sin in the man.

It should also be noticed that, when God called Adam to account for his sin, there was no intimation of any jurisdiction on his part over Eve: he was not held responsible for her sin, but for his own. God dealt with them as individuals separately responsible to him.In the terms of the penalty we must not expect to find an expression of God's original purpose for his creatures; but rather, we should expect what we do find,viz.,the foretelling of the natural course of sin,and therefore its natural penalty.

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God, as we have seen, did not originally place Eve under the power of Adam: the earth and the fulness thereof belonged as fully to her as to him: everlasting life and happiness and every blessing were just as fully vouchsafed by the Creator to her as to Adam, and on the very same conditions:-- of obedience to Adam? No: of obedience to God. Eve's reply to the tempter's suggestion to sin was not, "Adam does not allow me to do it," but, "God hath said, Ye shall not eat of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die."

It is sin, then, that has interfered with God's original purpose and spoiled the beautiful domestic relationship which he ordained; and it has operated in this way:-- Woman's natural office of motherhood and the home duties connected with it, the training of children, etc., which, under perfect conditions, as originally designed, could have brought only happiness and joy, instead, under the conditions induced by sin, brought sorrow and a gradual physical weakening or decline.

The too frequent maternity often imposed upon her regardless of proper conditions, has undermined the health of women generation after generation, while man, whose natural occupation has been more in the fields and in subduing the elements of nature, has gathered from nature more of its invigorating force, and thus woman has become, by far, the weaker vessel.

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Likewise, the advantages man has had of sharpening his wits by contact with others in business, etc., over woman, whose duties generally restrict her more, has given to him the advantage of a generally superior mental development. But a superior mental development, mark, is not a superior mental construction. The mental construction of woman is as noble as that of man.

On this point we quote the following item from The Literary Digest of March 27,1897, in reply to the query-- "Is woman's brain inferior to man's?"

"This question has been answered in various ways and there has been a good deal of acrimonious discussion on the subject. In a recent issue of 'Self Culture,' Dr. H. S. Drayton tells us that while woman's brain is smaller than man's, it is larger in proportion to the total weight of the body, and is more finely organized, so that, in his opinion, honors are about even.

"Says Dr. Drayton:--'At the outset it can be said that, so far as the constitution of the brain elements in themselves is concerned, there is nothing that warrants opinion regarding any defect as such to be set to the account of woman. Using the language of Prof. Ludwig Buchner-- Neither the chemical nor the physical examination of the brain by means of the microscope has yet shown any real difference between the two species of brains by which any distinction of functional capacity can be discovered.

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"There are some authorities who claim that on the score of quality, on the fineness and delicacy of her general constitution, woman may assert a comparative superiority. Prof. G.B. Bruhl of Vienna, for instance, in his paper on Woman's Brain, Woman's Mind, appears to think that the absence of difference in their tissue elements implies the absolute intellectual equality of the sexes.

These writers do not throw out of view the fact of the smaller size of the feminine head and brain, but argue on the basis of comparative relations.

"There has been much weighing and measuring of crania to determine the ratio of sex-difference, but, as should be expected, no precise standard has been obtained.

"If we were to limit ourselves to the question of weight or size alone in the attempt to determine mental capacity, great injustice would be done. Yet there are many physiologists, or writers on brain-capacity, who stickle for the four or five ounces of over-weight in the male brain as a positive determination of its superiority, and apparently forget that in all examinations of nerve property, its structure as to quality and health should be taken into consideration.

"In typical womanhood the general physiology is smaller and finer, the nervous system especially being more delicate and symmetrical. In

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proportion to her weight, however, the brain of woman is somewhat heavier, so that, putting the two things together, it may be claimed as a reasonable conclusion, and not a concession of gallantry, that woman, so far as the brain and nervous system are concerned, is very nearly, if not absolutely, upon the same plane with her masculine counterpart.'"

It is plain, then, both from a Scriptural and from a scientific point of view, that the sexes do not differ in nobility of constitution. Let those therefore take heed how they charge the Creator, who claim that one half of his glorious image is inferior to the other. The proof that God does not so consider it is found in the fact that, in the communion and fellowship of his human children with himself, which he has established, and which this mental and moral likeness makes possible, he ignores any distinction of sex and declares that he is "no respecter of persons."

But, as God foretold, sin, working in the man, soon discovered in the differing circumstances of the sexes man's opportunity to take advantage, which, following the inclination of his fallen nature, he was generally not slow to act upon. So, ignoring the fact that the earth and the fulness thereof belong, by God-given right, as much to his wife as to himself, and that her service in the home is of equal value with his in the field, although, in

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the nature of the case, it could not coin into money in the markets of the world; and that, being of equal value, he should, in justice, share with her the products of his toil in the fields, as she shares with him the products of her toil in the home-- ignoring all of these claims of justice, to say nothing of love, the masses of men (to which we gladly own there are many noble exceptions, both in the church and in the world), seeing their opportunity in the circumstances of woman, have taken advantage of it, and very generally claim that the income from their own labor is, by right, entirely at their disposal irrespective of the wife, she being regarded as a mere pensioner on her husband's bounty, instead of a worthy joint-heir with himself of the blessings, as well as of the ills of life. In accepting her share of life's burdens in the home, she is as truly entitled to share the profits as is the husband who does his part of service outside: she has earned it. The matter of support is mutual, and not one-sided, as generally represented in common parlance.

King David clearly emphasized this principle of justice in rewarding with an equal share of the spoil his soldiers who went out with him to battle and those who remained to take care of the stuff; and those who suggested otherwise are called "wicked men and men of Belial"--"Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial,

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of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart. Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, . . . but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike. And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel." See 1 Sam. 30:10, 21-25. Where this principle of justice is ignored in the domestic relation, and the money-power is rigidly held in the hands of the husband, it becomes, as it does in other social relations, an exceedingly oppressive power.

Thus the natural tendency of sin has been, not only to render woman a "weaker vessel, "but also to bring her under the power of her husband; and he often, selfishly taking advantage of the situation, rules over her, instead of treating her as an heir together with himself of the grace--the favors and blessings--of life.

To this disposition induced by sin are due, as God foretold, not only many of the common injustices toward wives by their own husbands, but also all of those unjust laws upon the statute books of the nations, which discriminate against women in favor of the selfishness and

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sins of their husbands and of men in general, often enabling them to seize her property, to make merchandise of the virtue of her daughters, even in those tender years before they have come to know themselves; and even to will her babes away from her on the unfounded claim that they belong to the father irrespective of the mother.

In speaking thus, we speak of the ways of the sinful world (which really includes also many who profess to be Christians), where both husbands and wives often bind upon each other more and more closely the curse of sin--he unjustly tyrannizing over her, and she, by extravagance, etc., exacting from him more than is meet of labor and sweat of face only to consume it upon pride and selfish ambition. It is, alas

only too true that many who profess the name of Christ, both men and women, are far from examples of his spirit in these, as well as in other respects, while some who make no such profession often put the conduct of such professed Christians to shame.

It is the duty of Christians in every relation in life to study and to act upon the principles of the divine law, and to take heed that they do not ignore those principles and imbibe instead the selfish principles of the world, even though the world may consider them "sound business principles." To the true Christian no business principles are sound save those which are founded

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in the righteousness of God--the justice of the golden rule. In the long run, simple honesty will always be found to be the best policy. All other business principles will surely work out their own retribution eventually.

BIBLE TESTIMONY ON THE DOCTRINE OF SUBMISSION.

Having considered God's original purpose in the domestic relation and how sin has interfered with it, let us now consider what the Scriptures have to say about the submission of wives to their own husbands. Here we observe that whatever is written on this subject is addressed, not to the husbands, but to the wives. In the terms of the penalty, when the woman was forewarned of the wreck of domestic happiness through the conditions which sin would induce, the sad revelation was to her, not to the man.

God did not say to the man, "Now, Adam, hereafter see to it that you bear rule over this woman, and see also that she does subject herself to you. Your will henceforth is to be her law in every thing. She is now, in duty, bound to gratify, and even to anticipate, all of your desires and even your whims, to the extent of her ability and opportunity, no matter at what sacrifice of comfort or pleasure of her own. The promptings of her own

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mind and heart she must ignore, to please you, even though the fruit of her efforts be accepted with selfish ingratitude on your part.

How strange would such an address to Adam have sounded in view of his equal share in the transgression and how singularly out of harmony with the penalty pronounced upon him. Viewed from the standpoint of that selfishness which is induced by sin, it would indeed have seemed more like a reward than a penalty.

There is, however, no such injunction to husbands, but while such a lamentable condition of things was foreseen and foretold by the Lord to the woman, as the natural consequence of sin working in the man, the Bible, addressing godly husbands who are endeavoring to overcome sin and to return to the original perfection represented in Adam before the fall, counsels them to the very opposite of such a course, saying, "Husbands, dwell with your wives according to knowledge [i.e., according to a knowledge, derived from the Word of God, of the spirit and teaching of Christ, and of the original purpose of God in making of the twain one flesh to be cooperative companions in life], giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel [instead of taking any selfish advantage of her], and as being heirs together of the grace of life."

1 Pet. 3:7.

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And again, "Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them," or, as rendered in the Emphatic Diaglott. "and do not behave harshly to them." Col. 3:19. And the same apostle in his letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 13:4-6) very clearly defines the course of true love, particularly on its negative side, showing how kindly and generously it will act, even under unfavorable circumstances, saying, "Love suffereth long and is kind; love envieth not, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, endureth all things," etc. And if under unfavorable circumstances love so conducts itself, then how sweet and amiable and unselfish and generous and kind will it be under the favorable conditions of peace and reciprocal love.

The same apostle also exhorts husbands further, saying, "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

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ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth it and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: for we are members of his body.* For this cause [of having taken a wife] shall a man leave his father and mother and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh," i.e., according to the original purpose of God as previously considered, where the two as counterparts and companions together constitute one specimen of humanity. Eph. 5:25-31.

Thus the Christian husband, so far from being instructed to bind the curse of sin upon his wife and be sure to keep her under it in subjection to him, is, on the contrary, pointed back to God's original design as illustrated in Eden before the fall: "Dwell with them according to [that] knowledge," etc.

With that illustration to which husbands are thus referred, the example of Christ in his conduct toward the church is also cited. This latter illustration, while it is beneficial to all who heed it, is specially suggestive to those husbands who feel, whether it be real or imaginary, that in character development and attainments they are greatly in advance of their wives. If such be the case, how shall these superior husbands conduct themselves toward the wives who are either ___*The

Sinaitic, Vatican and Alexandrian MSS. omit the words "of his flesh and of his bones."

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really or presumably inferior to them? Are they prompted by the spirit or the word of God to vaunt themselves, or to boast of their superiority?

Surely not: mark how differently the example of Christ toward the church counsels. The church in its present condition is actually far inferior to Christ, not yet being fit to be the bride, the complement or counterpart of Christ in his glorious divine nature. Before she can be the bride of Christ she must be made like Christ; and that, not only in spirit or disposition, but also in nature and glory. She must be "a help meet" or "suitable for him," as Eve was for Adam.

At present the church is only in preparation for this high office. She is now the chaste virgin espoused to Christ (2 Cor. 11:2), and as such, she must diligently make ready to become the bride of Christ, thus making her calling and election sure. In speaking thus of the church, we have in mind, not the great multitudes of worldly-minded professors of Christianity, but those true-hearted ones whom the Lord's discriminating eye recognizes, and of whom it is written, "The Lord knoweth them that are his." 2 Tim. 2:19.

Having accepted the invitation to become the bride of Christ, these are not only willing, but they are anxious, to be prepared for that position through whatsoever process may be necessary. And this work of preparing the church for her TW48

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"high calling" is committed by God to her already exalted and glorious Head, who waits for the joys of that wedded bliss until she is brought up to his own exalted plane of nature and glory and honor. 2 Pet.1:4. It is not therefore the purpose of Christ to seize upon this opportunity of contrast with the church's present imperfection for self glorification: he loves the church too much for that; but his purpose is, by the gradual processes of instruction and discipline, to which she willingly submits, to transform her, first to his own character-likeness, and then God will clothe her with his own divine nature, and she shall be like her glorious Head.

1 John 3:2; John 17:24; Heb. 1:3.

What is the means by which Christ will prepare the Church for her future place?--not a place of humiliation, mark you, but of exaltation--at his side, at his own right hand of power and glory as his bride and joint-heir. It is his own loving, cheerful, humble self-sacrifice. "Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. . . So ought men to love their wives."

This spirit of Christ--the spirit of loving self-sacrifice --in the husband will, therefore, not say in effect to the wife. "Your chief duty as a wife is to please me: now see that you do it." That would be directly contrary to the spirit of Christ, for "even Christ pleased not himself," and no

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manifestations of selfishness in the husband have in them any sanctifying power, either for the wife or for himself. But the truly Christian husband will, by the manifestation of the spirit of the truth in his own daily life of self-sacrifice, commend its testimony and its sanctifying power to his wife, and thus send her to the divine Word, that she too may be blessed and elevated by its washing, cleansing, sanctifying power.

And when they twain come under the sanctifying influence of the Word and Spirit of God, it will be a question as to which will outstrip the other in Christian progress; for whichever most fully and faithfully applies his or her heart to the instruction of the word will make the most rapid advancement toward the mark of perfect holiness.

In considering the example of Christ and the church, there is this difference to be observed by husbands in general between themselves and Christ, viz.: that while Christ is perfect and divine, and thus far above the betrothed virgin now being made ready to become his bride, they are both imperfect and human, as are also the wives; and probably in many cases only divine discrimination can determine which of the twain is the superior; for only the grace of God and zeal in overcoming sin place one on a higher footing than the other in God's estimation.

It certainly is in very bad taste, to say the least, for either man or woman to

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raise the question or contention, "Which is the greater?" It was this spirit of rivalry that Christ reproved in his disciples, saying, "Except ye be converted [converted from this sinful, vainglorying spirit], ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 18:3. The apostle Paul also counsels against this spirit, saying, Let each esteem the other better than himself. Phil. 2:3.

It is plain, therefore, that husbands are not to assume, from this illustration of Christ and the church, that they are in the position of ability and of authority from God to cleanse their wives from all imperfections and sanctify them, and so, in the course of years of domestic discipline, to bring the wives to their ideal of wifely perfection. Ah, no: it is not the husband's ideal that is to be wrought out in the wife; but it is God's ideal that is to be wrought out in both the husband and the wife, and to this end they should study to be helpful to each other by both example and precept.

Neither of them is in condition or authority to do this cleansing, sanctifying work for the other, except as each, in humility and self-sacrificing love, may commend to the other the sanctifying power for both in the spirit and word of truth; for to this end, if faithfully heeded, "the Word of God is quick and powerful." It would indeed be a great mistake for either the husband or the wife to

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assume a superiority in character-development, and upon such assumption, to attempt to discipline the other. It behooves him who thinketh he standeth to take heed lest he fall. 1 Cor. 10:12.

The exhortation of Eph. 5:33, "Let the wife see that she reverence her husband," is translated in the Emphatic Diaglott as a continuation of the exhortation to husbands. The passage reads thus: "But indeed, let each one of you individually, so love his own wife as himself, that even the wife may reverence her husband." Thus the fact of worthiness is implied where reverence is expected; for it is impossible, yes, sinful, to reverence that which is unworthy of respect, esteem or confidence; while, on the other hand, true nobility of character and manly worth and dignity call it forth spontaneously.

Such reverence, Peter tells us, Abraham's faithfulness commanded and received from his wife Sarah. She had confidence in his goodness and in his faithfulness in obeying the commands of God. Therefore she hesitated not to accompany him through the wilderness in his journeys toward and also in his migrations through the land which the Lord had promised, but of which he never permitted him to own a foot during his past lifetime, the fulfilment being yet future. Acts 7:5; Gen.13:14-17. But on other occasions, when Sarah thought Abraham was wrong, as for instance

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in permitting a spirit of rivalry to grow and manifest itself in her servant Hagar, she did not hesitate to tell him so,saying. "The Lord judge between me and thee." Gen. 16:5, 6.

Again, Sarah remonstrated when the same spirit became manifest in the mockings of Ishmael: "Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for [she said, citing the promise of Gen. 17:15-21] the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac." Thus it is clear that in Sarah there was no blind reverence or childish or servile subjection; but while she honored her husband, cooperated with him, and walked with him in all the ways of God's appointment, she was not willing to submit to the evils which were marring the harmony and peace of their home, and which her husband had thus far weakly tolerated.

"And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son." Doubtless it was so in Sarah's sight also, for she had long endured the increasing discord (Gen. 16:4,5,16;21:5,8,9-- about fifteen years) and now felt that strong measures alone could secure that righteous peace which should reign in every home. In their perplexity, doubtless both these godly people sought the divine direction: "And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad and because of thy bondwoman: in all

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that Sarah hath said unto thee hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed."

Thus commanded of God to send Hagar and Ishmael away, and thus also assured of God that his divine protection and care would be amply sufficient for them, the characteristic faith of Abraham was not now slow to act; and so "Abraham rose up early in the morning" and sent them away. And after the erring ones had felt this rod of correction, God sent his angel to minister to them and to direct and encourage them; and his faithfulness did not depart from them. See Gen. 21:10-21.

In this reasonable view of Sarah's conduct we must understand Peter's reference to her and his counsel to others to follow her example. 1 Pet. 3:5,6.

With this same common-sense consideration, which admits of no servility on the part of the wife, nor tyranny on the part of the husband, and which is compatible with the original design of the Creator, we must view all of those scriptures which counsel submission on the part of the wife.

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