MR. taylor's second reply. 137 



The proclamation — " I work" Testimony of John — decisive. 



but he " made clay/' he '* anointed the eyes," he ordered 

 " washing" for the blind. By word and by deed he solemnly 

 proclaimed, "I work 1" His very claim of being "Lord of 

 the Sabbath" fully establishes the fact of its violation. How 

 could he exercise " lordship" over the institution except by 

 resisting its control? If bis authorify were his vindication, 

 it certainly could not have been a vindication of his ohedience 

 to the law ! 



The " surprise" formerly expressed at this " charge" of vio- 

 lation has been modified by my friend, to the exclusion of 

 those " Pharisaic Jews" — "who had murder in their hearts.'* 

 (p. 67.) He will have to modify it still further. " Thafc 

 disciple whom Jesus loved'' has expressly asserted that his 

 Master "broke the Sabbath !"■ -" But Jesus answered them, 

 ^ My Father worketh hitherto, and / vorh F Therefore the 

 Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had 

 hroken the Sahhath, but said also that God was his Father, 

 making himself equal with Grod." (John v. 17, 18.) " A 

 Pharisaic construction" will not here avail my friend. His 

 last refuge is tåken away. It was not the false accusation of 

 " making himself equal with God ;" it was not the false 

 accusation of having " broken the Sabbath ;'' it was the 

 avowed and unquestioned truth, in both cases, that stirred up 

 " murder in the hearts'' of these Sabbath-keeping Pharisees. 

 I trust that this solemn declaration will be received as a satisfac- 

 tory answer to the former query: "Can any man in his sober 

 senses helleve such a proposition ?" (p. 16.) A far more startling 

 question presents itself : Where would J. N. B. have been 

 found in that day, with his present views of Sabbath obligation ? 

 Holding that this law " was certainly binding on the Jews, of 

 whom our Lord was one according to the flesh,"* and that 

 " every Jew, including Jesus himself was then bound by it,'' 



* " Simply as man, Christ himself was ' made under the law.' [Gal. 

 iv. 4.) But as the Messiah, who is also son of God, he has power over 



12* 



