"I will therefore that...women adorn themselves in MODEST apparel, with SHAMEFACEDNESS AND SOBRIETY..." --I Timothy 2:8,9a

M.R.DeHaan, M.D.

The Bible teaches that the matter of dress has a moral application. I am going to give you a verse that will be unpopular with many of you, but I am not aiming at being popular with you; I have one desire: that I may be popular with Him who sent me to preach the Gospel. This verse pertains to the dress of men and women. You will find it in Deuteronomy 22:5:

The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth to a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abominations unto the Lord thy God.

God emphatically declares that He wants the distinction of the sexes sacredly maintained. Man was created for a different purpose than the woman, and the woman has a unique function separate from the man. It is the decree of God that man should be the toiler and the woman the homebuilder. God commanded the man, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread." Anything which draws the woman away from the home and breaks down the unique separate position of the woman and motherhood is an abomination of the Lord. To safeguard the dignity of womanhood and to emphasize her entire separate function, God gave this injunction against women wearing men’s clothes. And whenever this fundamental law is violated that nation decays morally and spiritually. No nation can continue in the blessing of the Lord that perils the breakdown of the distinction between the sexes. The current custom of women’s dress is a greater menace to the welfare of America than invasion from a foreign power. It is an evil within our gates, and I call upon all Christian women to be faithful to God and to "rather be a horse and buggy than stoop to the vile and pagan practice of modern woman’s dress."

May I speak plainly? God meant that a woman’s body and the man’s, too, should be covered. God made the first garments for man and they are specifically called "coats", a word which signifies that they covered the body from the shoulders down, to remind us that the upper part of the body should be covered as well as the rest. The modern dress of our women on the beaches, the streets and even in our business places is an invitation to moral decay, social collapse and the judgment of the Lord. Shorts, my friend, are still nothing else than undergarments, and beach pajamas should only be worn on the street if you intend to sleep there. This applies to men as well. To see men, even preachers, running about in public with only a pair of shorts is a disgrace to civilization, a return to the jungle and an abomination to the Lord. And except on those occasions where the emergency of special work demands it, the woman, according to Scripture, is never to be seen in man’s dress no matter how stylish and "natty" the derby and the breeches [and the ‘stylish’ pantsuit] may look on "milady". Old-fashioned?

I hear someone say, "That is all 0ld Testament and law. We are living in the new dispensation of grace." Listen to Paul in the

New Testament:

I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully (I Timothy 5:14).

The woman’s place is in the home and there is nothing more Godlike than Mother-hood. The breakup of the home and the refusal of the blessings of parenthood are the curse of modern civilization.

In regard to dress, Paul also has something to say. In I Timothy 2:9 we read:

Or listen to Peter as he speaks of women adorning themselves.

But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of the meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of God is of great price (I Peter 3:4).

Oh, Christian men and women. "DARE TO BE DIFFERENT." I do not mean that you must wear "peculiar dress" but rather that, while you dress neatly and beautifully, you do it modestly because of Him who, when you were naked through sin, clothed you from head to foot with the garments of salvation and His own precious righteousness.

"THEY ARE NOT WORTHY OF TRUTH WHO DO NOT ESTEEM TRUTH TO BE PRECIOUS."

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1, 1490—Italy. Jerome Savonarola preaches in St. Mark’s church following a lecture. The service is "crowded to suffocation" as Florence reels in the wake of a mighty revival. Men can be seen to tremble and women sob. The city is going wild. He proclaims, "God forgives man his sin and justifies him in the way of mercy. For every justified person existing on the earth, there has been an act of mercy in Heaven, for no man is saved by his works. None can glory in Himself, and if in the presence of God the question were put to all the righteous, ‘Have you been saved by your own strength?’ They would all with one voice exclaim, ‘Not unto us, 0 Lord, but unto Thy name be the glory.’ Wherefore, 0 God, I seek Thy mercy, and I bring Thee not my own righteousness: the moment Thou justifiest me by grace, Thy righteousness belongs to me; for grace is the righteousness of God. So long, 0 man, as thou believest not, thou art because of sin, deprived of grace. 0 God, save me by Thy righteousness, that is, by Thy Son, Who alone was found righteous among men."

5, 304--Germany. It is a time of great persecution, and at Augsburg, Afra boldly confesses her faith, and for it will be burned today. As a child, her mother dedicated her to the service of the goddess Venus. Here in Augsburg, she has lived as a prostitute until a bishop and a deacon, fleeing persecution, took refuge in her house quite unaware of her reputation. She was converted and today boldly confesses her faith in Christ.

5, 1620--England. The Pilgrims set sail from Southampton aboard the Mayflower and the Speedwell. But after a few days of sailing, the Speedwell will be found to be shattered, old and leaky. Both ships will anchor in the port of Dartmouth for eight days of repair work. When they again set sail, the captain of the Speedwell will declare his ship to be unfit to cross the ocean and will put back to Plymouth. The ship will be abandoned. The Pilgrims will board the Mayflower on September 5.

6, 1651--France. Francois de Salignac de la Mothe Fenelon is born at the chateau of Fenelon in Perigord, France. He is from a family of 13 other children and will become the leader of the mysticism that is popular at this time. He will correspond with Madam Guyon, while she is in prison. Fenelon will be of tender sentiments toward the Huguenots who at that time are sorely persecuted. For this reason, he will be closely watched by the Papists. He is himself a Romanist.

6, 1801 --American Frontier. Revival breaks out. It lasts six days and is noted for its emotionalism. Peter Cartright, the circuit rider, will be converted in this revival. It is predominantly a Presbyterian revival though some Baptists and Methodists are active.

8, 1789--Virginia. The General Committee of Virginia Baptists sends a letter to President George Washington expressing fears liberty of conscience is not adequately provided for in the recently adopted National Constitution. President Washington will reply that he will do all in his power to guarantee complete liberty of conscience.

This same committee adopts a resolution drafted by John Leland calling slavery, "a violent deprivation of the rights of nature, and inconsistent with a republican government."

14, 1431 ---Bohemia. Pope Eugenius IV has proclaimed a fifth crusade against the Hussites. At Nuremberg, an host of 130,000 men have assembled. Today the Bohemians advance to meet their invaders. Procopius who leads them has sowed reports the Hussites have quarreled among themselves and are retreating. This he hopes will lure the enemy farther into the country that they might fall upon them on all sides.

The enemy is encamped near the town of Reisenburg when they hear the approach of the Hussites chanting their war-hymn. Cardinal Cesarini with a friend mounts a hill to which the impending battle. Suddenly they are startled by a sudden movement in their company which appears to break up and scatter. The enemy has been seized by a sudden panic. Casting away their armor, emptying their wagons they set off across the plain at full gallop. Some of the fugitives rally a moment only until the Hussites are within a short distance, and then they again panic.

The Cardinal leaves his hat, his cross, his bell, and the Pope’s Bull proclaiming the crusade. The Bohemians are enriched with wagonloads of coin, arms, clothes, and utensils of all kinds.