In like manner also
Let the women pray likewise; though they are not to lead in
prayer, or be the mouth of the church, which would be indecent,
yet they are to join with the church in public prayer; see (
Acts 1:14 ) and
in like manner as the men, with purity of heart and hand, without
murmuring and impatience towards God, and without wrath and anger
towards others, and in faith, without doubting and distrust: and
the apostle proceeds to point out what sort of dress he would
have them appear in at the time of prayer, and at any part of
public worship; and thus the Ethiopic version renders it, "so let
the women be clothed in prayer", namely, as follows;
that women adorn themselves in modest apparel:
the word rendered "apparel" signifies a long robe, which reaches
down to the feet; and the word translated "modest" signifies that
which is clean, neat, and decent, yea, beautiful and ornamental;
and the sense of the apostle is, that he would not have them to
come to public worship in rags, and in dirty and filthy garments,
but that their bodies should be covered with clean and decent
raiment; so the Israelites washed their clothes that they might
be ready to meet the Lord at Mount Sinai, ( Exodus 19:14
) . The Jews always appeared in their best clothes on the sabbath
day; this is one of their rules: F14
``for the honour of the sabbath, every man must be clothed, (hyyqn twok) , "with clean or neat apparel" and clothing on the weekday must not be as clothing on the sabbath day; and if a man can make no change, he must let down his talith (or upper garment, his cloak); so that his clothing may not be as the clothing of the weekdays, when that was girt up about him.''The apostle adds,
with shamefacedness and sobriety:
these are the two general rules by which dress is to be
regulated; it is right and proper, when it is consistent with
chastity, when it is not immodest and impudent, and more like the
attire of an harlot than of a woman professing godliness; and
when it is moderate as well as modest, and suitable to a person's
age and station, and is not beyond the circumstances of life in
which they are. There is no religion or irreligion in dress,
provided pride and luxury are guarded against, and modesty and
moderation preserved.
Not with broidered hair,
or plaited, as in ( 1 Peter 3:3 ) , (See
Gill on 1
Peter 3:3). The Jews had women on purpose for this
business; Mary Magdalene is thought to have her name from hence;
(See Gill on Matthew
27:56). Or gold, or pearls, or costly array: not that the
apostle forbids all use or wear of such things by proper persons,
whose circumstances would admit of it, and upon proper occasions,
and at proper times: certain it is, that earrings and bracelets
of gold, and jewels set in silver and gold, and raiment, costly
raiment, were sent by Abraham, and given to Rebekah, and wore by
her, who was a woman professing godliness so the church in (
Psalms 45:9
Psalms
45:13 Psalms 45:14
) though in figurative expressions, yet in allusion to what is
literal, and honourable, and commendable, is said to be in gold
of Ophir, and her clothing to be of wrought gold, and to be
brought to the king in raiment of needlework: but however
justifiable such a dress may be at other seasons, the apostle
judged it very improper at the time of public prayer, or at the
time of public worship; seeing it might swell the heart of the
wearer with pride, so as to forget herself and the business she
was come about, and draw the eyes of others upon her; and so
cause a general inattention. It was a complaint of Chrysostom's
many hundreds of years ago, that some who came to public worship,
appeared in such a dress, as if they came rather to dance than to
pray; such apparel should be avoided: it is said of Pythagoras
F15, that he taught the inhabitants of
Crotona, the men literature, and the women chastity and modesty;
and by his disputations so far prevailed upon the latter, as to
lay aside their garments of gold and other ornaments of their
dignity, as instruments of luxury; all which they brought into
the temple of Juno, and dedicated them to that goddess;
declaring, that shamefacedness or chastity, and not garments, are
the true ornaments of matrons.