The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Timothy — Section 61

Vera. 8-15.-The sexes in the Christian assembly. I. THB PART OF THE MEN--'l'O LEAD IN PBA YER. " I desire therefore that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands, without wrath a.nd disputing." The mind of the apostle, a.s here expressed, is that in every place where men and women assemble for Divine worship, the duty of conducting the public devotions shall devolve upon the men. They, o.nd not the women, as appears from the following contrast, are to be the m01J,th of the congregation in prayer offered to God. This assignment of lea.ding in prayer to them is mentioned a.long "ith the appropriate bodily posture, viz. the lifting up of the hands (as toward heaven) in the way of invuking the Divine blessing upon the congregation. With this is connected the inward qualification-lifting up holy hands, i.e. that do things that accord with their being engaged in so sacred a service. It is not the place that is to hallow the hands, but it is the hands that a.re to be holy, to be in keeping with the place. The orderliness implied in the men having their proper place would tend to prevent the use of unholy perturbation of feeling, and the breaking forth of unseemly disputing, such as would unfit the congregation for engaging in prayer. "He that pro.ye to God," says Jeremy Taylor, in • The Return of Prayers,' "with an angry, that is, with a troubled and discomposed spirit, is like him that retires into a battle to meditate, and sets up his closet in the out-quarters of an a.rmy, a.nd chooses o. frontier garrison to be wise in. Anger is a perfect alienation of the mind from prayer, and therefore is con- trary to that attention which presents our prayers in a right line to God. For so have I seen a la.rk rising from its bed of gra.ss, and soaring upwards, and singing o.s he rises, a.nd hopes to get to heaven, and rise a.hove the clouds; but the poor bird was beaten back with the loud sigh.ings of an ea.stern wind, a.nd his motion ma.de irregular a.nd inconsistent, descending more at every breath of the tempest tho.n it could recover by the libration and frequent weighing of his wings, till the little creature was forced to sit down and pa.nt, a.nd sta.y till the storm was over; and then it ma.de a prosperous flight, a.nd did rise and sing, as if it had learned music and motion from an angel." IL THE PAIIT OF THE WOMEN. 1. To be becomingly dressed. "In like manner, that women a.dorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefastness, o.nd sobriety; not with braided ha.ir, a.nd gold or pearls or costly raiment; but (which becometh women professing godliness) through good works." It is with regard to dress that the apostle charges the women. They are not forbidden to adorn themselves. In nature God ha.s a regard to adornment; the flowers a.re painted chiefly in the way of appealing to the sense of the beautiful. So the apostle regards it a.s particularly appropriate to the women that they a.re to a.dorn themselves; but they are to a.dorn themselves in modest appwrd. There seems to be a wider reference tha.n modest, and a twufold reference. It is apparel, that is ,uitable to women as such. Th.is certainly oxcludes dress tha.t shocks the womanly feeling of modesty. But it also includes dress tha.t is ta.ateful Apa.rt from wha.t is expen~ive, good taste ma.y be displayed in dress, as in the proper blending of colours. There is no religion in negligence as to dress. A wom.e.n should never be a.bove attending to what is clea.n a.nd whole o.nd neo.t in dress; and esJ)".-cially should she attend to this in appearing ill the house of God. it is apparel that is suitable to women in respect of their circumstances. Age, ra.nk, mea.ne, demands of religion, come ill as modifying conditions. A brightness of colour that is in place in youth, 1.B out of place in a.ge. 'fhe servant is not to drees o.s her mistrees. She wbo dres11e11 upon a small income is not to be u ahe who dresses upon • large income. OIi. u.1-16.) THE "FIRST EPJSTLE TO TIMOTHY. 49