MR. TAYLOR' S FIRST REPLY. 41 



The text conclusive, unless "limitedl" Erasmus. Gill. Mackxight. 



the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord 

 he doth not regard it.'' (xiv. 1, 5, 6.) To this J. N. B. 

 replies : '^ If PauFs language in that chapter be tåken with- 

 out any limitation, as affirming that everi/ day is to he es- 

 teemed alike by enlightened Christians^ it goes beyond the 

 apostle's aim, and strikes equally against the Christians* 

 ^ Lord's day/ as against the Sabbath of the Decalogue !" 

 This is certainly an original mode of argument ; and deserves 

 a copyright ! If our recognized authority " be tåken withont 

 any limitation/' it entirely overthrows me, and therefore I 

 must limit it I — to what extent, we are not informed. Humbly 

 supposing that the apostle really meant pretty much what he 

 said, I am disposed to accept his language as it is. 



Erasmus illustrates the text thus : ^^ For he that is weak 

 and of unperfect faith, maketh a difference betwixt day and 

 day, as though one were ' holy/ and the other not. 

 On the other side, he that is perfeet and strong in his faith, 

 conceiveth in days no such difference, but rather thinketh all 

 the space of his life consecrate and hallowed to godly conyer- 

 sation.'' (^Paraphrase on Rom. xiv.) 



■ Dr. GriLL remarks, concerning this passage, that it must be 

 understood as including, among the various Jewish festivals, 

 '^ one day in a week, the seventh day Sabbath ; now there were 

 some,'' he adds, ^'who thought that the laws respecting these 

 days were still in force, particularly the latter, and therefore 

 esteemed it above another." {^Comment. in loco.^ 



" With respect to days,'' says Macknight, paraphrasing 

 the same passage, " the Jewish Christian indeed thinketh one 

 day more holy than another ; the new-moons, for example, and 

 Sabbaths; but the Grentile Christian, hetter in/ormed, thinketh 

 every day alike holy, because the law of Moses is not the law 

 of Chrisfs kingdom." {On the Epistles^ Rom. xiv. 5.) 



"Whatever vaKd grounds then there may be for weekly wor- 



ship, and for Sunday commemoration, I sincerely hope they 



are perfectly satisfactory to my friend : if not, he deserves 



4* 



