MR. brown' S SECOND REPLY. 55 



The " Second Proposition" most important. Already overthrown. 



the tempest may indeed envelop and obscure it for a moment; 

 yet it soon reappears, stripped haply of its decayed brancbes 

 and redundant foliage, but intact in every vital part, more 

 perfect in beauty, corroborated in strength, and rejoicing in 

 the radiant light of day. Such I cannot but believe will, 

 through God's grace, be the result of the present Discussion. 

 If the Sabbath be no part of the Law of God, let it perish. 

 If it be, one must indeed be " weak in faith'^ to fear its over- 

 throw by any fair discussion, when he hears Him, who is 

 Truth itself, declaring, " It is easier for heaven and earth to 

 pass, than one tittle of the Law to MV — (Luke xvi. 17.) 



II. The main strength and sole hope of my friend W. B. 

 T. lies in the Second of the '' Six Propositions" he defends, 

 viz., that " the Sabbath was strictly a ceremonial and Jewish 

 institution.'^ All his other Propositions in reality rest upon 

 this, and stand or fall with it. I wish this point to be 

 distinctly understood, marked, remembered, and inwardly 

 digested. It was in fact in vol ved in the preceding Proposi- 

 tion, according to its real import, as I have shown. If, then, 

 I have succeeded in my argument there, and have proved that 

 the Law of the Sabbath, like that of Marriage, dates ^^ from 

 the beginning'' of the world, and belongs to the whole race, 

 then I have in fact already demolished this '^ Second Proposi- 

 tion,'' andj with it, all the rest. My friend W. B. T. may 

 exclaim against this summary conclusion, in reply to his length- 

 ened argument; but I submit it even to him as a ^^ good logi- 

 cian,^' if the entire consequence does not legitimately follow. I 

 know he may attempt to escape the consequence ; but it will 

 be solely by challenging the proof I have presented of the 

 premises. Of such challenge, however, I feel no fear. Why 

 should I ? I live for Truth. 



It may, however, be satisfactory to him, as a lover of truth 

 and consistency, if I examine all his remaining Propositions 

 and reasonings in detail, and show that the principles I have 

 established already under the First Proposition pervade the 



