Matthew Henry on Women

From Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary, Genesis 3, emphasis mine: 

The person tempted was the woman, now alone, and at a distance from her husband, but near the forbidden tree. It was the devil’s subtlety, 1. To assault the weaker vessel with his temptations. Though perfect in her kind, yet we may suppose her inferior to Adam in knowledge, and strength, and presence of mind.

Henry also says this of the Fall’s effect on the woman:

She is here put into a state of subjection. The whole sex, which by creation was equal with man, is, for sin, made inferior, and forbidden to usurp authority, 1 Tim. 2:11, 12.

The wife particularly is hereby put under the dominion of her husband, and is not sui juris—at her own disposal, of which see an instance in that law, Num. 30:6-8, where the husband is empowered, if he please, to disannul the vows made by the wife. This sentence amounts only to that command, Wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; but the entrance of sin has made that duty a punishment, which otherwise it would not have been. If man had not sinned, he would always have ruled with wisdom and love; and, if the woman had not sinned, she would always have obeyed with humility and meekness; and then the dominion would have been no grievance: but our own sin and folly make our yoke heavy. If Eve had not eaten forbidden fruit herself, and tempted her husband to eat it, she would never have complained of her subjection; therefore it ought never to be complained of, though harsh; but sin must be complained of, that made it so. Those wives who not only despise and disobey their husbands, but domineer over them, do not consider that they not only violate a divine law, but thwart a divine sentence.

Again, like Calvin, these theologians seem to consider female subjection a divine sentance over which the Cross had no effect—a seperate issue of sin, for which Christ did not die (if I’m understanding them right) and the Cross did not (or could not?) remove.  

III. Observe here how mercy is mixed with wrath in this sentence. The woman shall have sorrow, but it shall be in bringing forth children, and the sorrow shall be forgotten for joy that a child is born, Jn. 16:21. She shall be subject, but it shall be to her own husband that loves her, not to a stranger, or an enemy: the sentence was not a curse, to bring her to ruin, but a chastisement, to bring her to repentance.

Repentance?  See, this really confuses me, because it appears that female subjection is never taken away, so bringing her into repentance does…what?  Repentance so that she might live meekly under a curse that is never lifted?  I’m not sure I understand.  With Fatherly discipline, one would see repentance and the discipline would be lifted.  But, it would seem to these theologians (again, if I’m understanding them correctly), the punishment of Eve never ends.  The best one can do is to bear it patiently with meekness, for being born female is to be born under a special sentance that the Cross could not fully atone for. 

Here it is again, in Henry’s commentary on 1 Timothy 2:

They must be silent, submissive, and subject, and not usurp authority. The reason given is because Adam was first formed, then Eve out of him, to denote her subordination to him and dependence upon him; and that she was made for him, to be a help-meet for him. And as she was last in the creation, which is one reason for her subjection, so she was first in the transgression, and that is another reason. Adam was not deceived, that is, not first; the serpent did not immediately set upon him, but the woman was first in the transgression (2 Co. 11:3), and it was part of the sentence, Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee, Gen. 3:16.

But it is a word of comfort (v. 15) that those who continue in sobriety shall be saved in child-bearing, or with child-bearing—the Messiah, who was born of a woman, should break the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15); or the sentence which they are under for sin shall be no bar to their acceptance with Christ, if they continue in faith, and charity, and holiness, with sobriety.

Oh, goody.  Yes, even we womenfolk can be saved by the work of the Cross, though, of course, we will have to work to keep that acceptance, being that we are Eve’s daughters.