28 ABROGATION OF THE SABBATH. 



A curious syllogism. " Tbe Lm-d of the Sabbath." 



just the contrary. It was Jesus who was the '^ Sabbath- 

 breaker" (no ofFence to my friend this time, I hope; — no 

 great harm in breaking " shadows/' you know), and he was 

 endeavoring to satisfy the clamors of its rigid observers, by 

 teaching them that it had not this supreme authority over 

 man which they supposed, but that it was " made for man." 

 Now what sad nonsense does your correspondent make of this 

 important passage : " You accuse me of breaking the Sabbath, 

 but it was made, ^ not for the benefit of the Jews alone, * but 

 for the good of the whole human race!' Therefore your 

 charge is groundless/' This is logic, with a vengeance. The 

 truth is, this much perverted quotation was pronounced — not 

 as a check upon the Anti-sabbatarian, but to counteract the 

 Sahbatarian ; and honesty requires that it should not be 

 employed for an opposite purpose. 



Lastly, after Jesus had thus most distinctly and emphati- 

 cally denied the morality of the Sabbath by asserting, first, 

 that hunger excused its breach, and secondly, that it was en- 

 tirely subservient to man (neither of which could possibly be 

 the case with any moral duty), he concluded his lesson with 

 the memorable declaration, '' Therefore the Son of man is 

 Lord even of the Sabbath V That is hecause it was a posi- 

 tive ordinance. How was he Lord of the Sabbath, except by 

 having authority to alter or control it ?* And how would 

 this reply have any force to the charge against him, unless 

 he designed to teach that, being Master of the institution, he 

 could justly do that which, without such authority, he could 

 not lawfully do ? To what purpose did he assert his right 

 to disobey the commandment, if the very claim did not ne- 

 cessarily infer an exertion of that right? ^' If I have done 



* "The Sabbath day was instituted for inen's caiise, and not men 

 made for the Sabbath day. The Son of man came not to destroy men, 

 but to save them : and for that cause hath he power — yea, clean to 

 take away the Sabbath, so oft as man's health so requireth." — (Para- 

 phrase of Erasmus on Mark ii.) 



