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fhe minded her Errand to the Town, for her • Heart was upon it; fhe went into the City, and faid to the Men, probably the Aldermen, the • Men in Authority, whom it may be the found • met together upon fome publick Bufinefs, or to the Men, that is, to every Man fhe met in the Streets; fhe proclaimed it in the chief Places of Concourfe, Come, Jee a Man which told me all Things that ever I did, is not this the Chrift? Observe, • How follicitous fhe was to bring her Friends and Neighbours acquainted with Chrift. When • she had found that Treasure, fhe called together her Friends and Neighbours, as Luke xv. 4. not only to rejoyce with her, but to share with her knowing there was enough to enrich herself, and all that would partake with her.

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NOTE, they that have been themselves with Jefus, and have found Comfort in him, fhould do all they can to bring others to him: Has he 'done us the Honour to make himself known to < us, let us do him the Honour to make him 'known to others, nor can we do our felves a greater Honour. This Woman became an • APOSTLE.

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Verse 39. Many of the Samaritans of that City • believed on him for the Saying of the Woman. So far they believed on him, that they took him. for a Prophet, and were defirous to know the • Mind of God from him: This is favourably interpreted a believing on him. Now observe,

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(1.) Who they were that believed; many of ⚫ the Samaritans, who were not of the Houfe of Ifrael. Their Faith was not only an Aggravation of the Unbelief of the Jews, from whom better might have been expected, but an Earnest ' of the Faith of the Gentiles, who would wel• come that which the Jews rejected:

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(2) Upon

(2.) Upon what Inducement they believed; for the Saying of the Woman. See here, it, how • God is fometimes pleased to use very weak and • unlikely Inftruments for the Beginning and carrying on of a good Work. A little Maid di<rected a great Prince to Elisha, 2 Kings v. 2.

(3.) How great a Matter a little Fire kindles; our Saviour by inftructing one poor Wo• man, fpread Inftruction to a whole Town. See how good it is to speak experimentally of Chrift and the Things of God. This Woman could fay little of Chrift, but what she did fay fhe fpoke feelingly; He told me all that ever I did. Those are moft likely to do Good, that can tell what God has done for their Souls, Pfa. lxvi. 16.

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OF Mary Magdalen, on John xx. 17. He directs her what Meffage to carry to his Difciples: But go to my Brethren and tell them not only that I am Rifen, fhe could have told them that of her felf, for fhe had feen him; but that I • ASCEND. Note by whom it is fent, by Mary Magdalen, out of whom had been cast seven Devils, yet thus favour'd. This was her Reward for her Conftancy in adhering to Christ, and enquiring after him; and a tacit Rebuke to the Apostles who had not been so close as she was in attending on the dying Jefus ; nor fo early as fhe was in meeting the Rifing Jefus fhe becomes an Apoftle to the Apostles.

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THE Reader now fees how far the Sentiments of the aforecited Authors agree and concur with those of the Quakers, refpecting Women's Capacity and Fitness to convey fpiritual Knowledge or the Doctrine of the Gospel, to others.

If therefore our bleffed Lord and Saviour, Jefus Christ himself, made Choice of a Woman to make known to her, first of all, the Worship in Spirit

and

and Truth, which alone was acceptable to the Father, and which he was then going to fet t up up in the World, in Oppofition to the Establish'd Worfhip both at Jerufalem and Samaria; and if he reveal'd himself more plainly and openly to this Woman than to the Jews, or even to John Baptift, and presently after made her an Apostle and Preacher to her ownCountrymen, is not that a very good Argument that Women may be employ'd in the molt important Service of the Gofpel? And,

If the Woman of Samaria was chofen and prefer'd by Chrift to publish his Outward Coming as the promis'd Meffiah, before either of his Difciples, and Mary Magdalen to declare his Refurrection and Afcenfion even to the Apostles, is it reasonable to think, that when the Holy Spirit was come, which he promis'd his Difciples to fend in his Name, and that by it they should receive Power to be Witneffes for him in Jerufalem, and Judea, and Samaria, and to the uttermoft Part of the Earth; We fay, is it reasonable to think, that Women would not then alfo be made Witneffes and Publifhers of his Spiritual, as well as Outward Coming? Rather if Christ chofe Women to publish and declare him while he was on Earth, much more would he do it at his Return inSpirit, and in the Time of the plentiful Effufion of the Holy Ghoft, when Churches fhould be gather'd in his Name, and his Kingdom and Government fet up and Establish'd in the Hearts of his chofen People.

*

If we allow not this, how are the great and glorious Prophefies concerning the latter Days, when God would pour out of his Spirit upon all Flesh fulfill'd? And to what End or Purpose should DAUGHTERS

* Dr. Lowth in his Comment on thefe Words of Foel, 1

will

DAUGHTERS and HANDMAIDENS, as Joel prophefied, have the Spirit pour'd out upon them,

if

will pour out my Spirit upon all Flfh, and your Sons and your Daughters fhall prophefie, fays, The Gift of Prophecy was beftow'd upon fomeWomen under the Old Teftament, as upon Miriam Exod. xv. 20. Deborah, Judg. iv. 14. and Huldah, 2 Kings xxii. 24. But this Gift was more frequently confer'd upon them in the Times of the New. Thus we read of four Daughters of Philip the Evangelift, who did prophefie, Acts xxi. 9. And Church-Hiftory affords us feveral other Inftances; fuch as Perpetua and Felicitas, who were Martyrs for the Chriftian Faith, Potaminia mention'd by Eufebius and others.

Eufebius alfo in Lib. 5. Ch. 17. cites an ancient Writer, who fpeaks of one Ammias a Prophetess in Philadelphia, next after the Daughters of Philip, and this Writer fays, The Apoftle is of Opinion, that the Gift of Prophefie ought to continue in every Church, until the laft Advent of our Lord. And Theophilacton 1 Cor. 11. 5. fays, There were Many other Women, befides the Daughters of Philip, who had the Gift of Prophecy.

The Writers of the Magdeburg Centuries ** relate, that about the Year 126, there was one Sophia, who came to Rome with her three Daughters, and converted many of the Matrons there, to the Faith of Chrift. And,

Theodoret and Socrates, fpeak in their Ecclefiaftical Hif tories of a captive Woman that converted the Iberians: As Frumentius guided the Indians to the Knowledge of God, fo at the fame Time, fays Theodoret, a certain Woman taken Prifo Lib.1.ch.23. ner in War, brought the Iberians to the Faith of Chrift. And Socrates fays, the King and Queen of the Iberians became Preachers of Chrift, the King preached to the Men, and the Queen to the Women.

And if we may credit the Annals of Baronius, there was in the Year 372, one Mauvia Queen of the Saracens, who profefs'd and Preach'd the Catholick Faith. And in the Year 499, Chrotildis Queen of the Franks, ceased not to Preach;

Regina

* Theophiladi Comment. Ήσαν γὰρ ὁπερ ἔφημεν, καὶ γυναῖκες, τὸ χάρισμα της προφητείας έχουσαι ὡς αἱ φιλίππου θυγατέρες, καὶ ἄλλαι πολλαί. Fuerunt autem & Feinæ prophetic (ut diximus) Donum habentes, ut Philippi Filiæ, aliæque multæ.

**Magd. Cent. 2. Sophia ex Italia Romam cum tribus filiabus venit, bique multas Matronas Ethnicas ad Chrifti Fidem convertit,

Lib.1.ch.20.

SeeR.Bar

Prop, 10.

if they were not to prophefie in the Church? If in the Affemblies for the Worship of God, Women are fill'd with the Holy Ghost, must they not fpeak there as the Spirit fhall give them Utterance? And when their Hearts are enflamed and over come with the Love and Goodnefs of God, muft they keep Silence and not praise and magnifie him in the Congregation?

UNDER the Legal Difpenfation, there were Women who were Propheteffes, and fpake in the Name of the Lord, and magnify'd him in the Congregation of his People; and fhall not Women under the Gofpel, under the plentiful Effufion of the Spirit, fpeak in his Name, and tell what he has done for their Souls?

Miriam the Sifter of Aaron, fung Praises to God in the Congregation of the Ifraelites, and when Men were filent Huldah prophefied in the Days

*

Regina non ceffabat prædicare. And in the Year 583, Ingundis Queen of the Goths in Spain, began to preach to her Husband, Capit Ingundis prædicare viro fuo. And in the Year 591, By the Preaching ef Theodolinda Queen of the Longobards in Ita ly, the King and alfo his Subjects obtain'd a great Favour from God. Magnum a Deo per Theodolindam Reginam confecutos effe beneficinm.

Willlam Tindal the Martyr, term'd the English Apoftle, fays in his Answer to Sir Thomas Moor, p. 252. If Hiftory be true, Women have Preached fince the Opening of the New Teftament And Martin Luther, the famous Reformer in Germany, afferted, that every good Chriftian is a Preacher, not only Men but even Women alfo, and that it was wickedly done of the Romish Clergy, to affume to themselves only this Authority to Teach, and be Priefts and Minifters.*

Hieronymi in Sophoniam Prologus. Qui fi fcirent Holclay's Apol. dam Viris tacentibus prophetaffe.Dominum refurgentem primum apparuiffe Mulieribus, & Apoftolorum illas fuiffe Apoftolas: ut erubefcerent Viri non quaerere, quem jam fragilior Sexus invenerat.

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