MR. brown' S SECOND REPLT. 47 



A daj Jixed by miracle, may be cJianged by miracle. Sabbath in Eden. 



I fuUy concur with my friend that, " if once ascertained, it be- 

 comes the exclusive object of the law's consideration, and en- 

 grosses its entire authority/' (p. 21.) But I must at the same 

 time remind him that this very mode of fixing the particular 

 day of the week by miracle is a circumstance applicable alike 

 to any change of dispensation. He has spent much labor in 

 defending what I never denied, thatybr the JewSj it was fixed 

 to the last day of our week. Granted. But then it was not 

 fixed by the Decalogue ; therefore the whole authority of the 

 Sabbath enjoined in the Decalogue may, for sufficient reasons, 

 by the "Lord of the Sabbath'^ be transferred to ih.Q first day 

 of our week. This is the very thing for which I have contend- 

 ed. And if by sufficient evidence 'Hhis is once ascertained/' 

 then the first day (to use his own words) ''beeomes the ex- 

 clusive object of the law's cousideration, and engrosses its en- 

 tire authority. '' 



From this point I might proceed at once to the proof from 

 the Scriptures, that such a change has actually been made. 

 But it will clear the ground under this first head, to notice 

 what W. B. T. has said of the Origin of the Sabbath. He 

 denies its existence in Eden, and regrets that I, in affirming it, 

 have made " so important an addition to the testimony of 

 Scripture!'^ (p. 22.) I had referred to Gen. ii. in proof; on 

 which he remarks that 'Ho assume that the declaration in Gen. 

 ii. 3, ' God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it,' means 

 that man ' sanctified it,' requires rather too great an exercise 

 of 'fancy' for a sober logician.'' {p. 22.) I answer, that the 

 meaning of that verse is not the proper work of the logician, 

 but of the interpreter ; determining the true sense, by the 

 usage of words, context, scope, and other circumstances. Truly 

 this is no business for "fancy," but for sober judgment. 

 Does then my friend soberly , think these words mean that 

 God set apart the seventh day and blessed it, for himseJf to 

 observe, and not man ? Of all " fancies," this seems to me 

 the most singular. I had almost said, the most ludicrous. If 



