235 



A day of worship, and " work." 1 Corinthians xvi. — A day of " Charity." 



our grasp, is not Tiere. J. N. B. himself can hardlj derive an 

 evidence of Sabbath observance from the natural circumstance 

 of Jews measuring their time by iveeks! How frequently do 

 we ourselves find our movements unconsciously regulated by 

 the '^week/^ even when no reference whatever is had to an in- 

 tervening Sabbath. It is unavoidable. In the case before us 

 we may safely grant, however, that, if any day of the week 

 was distinguished as a Christian Sabbath, it most probably oc- 

 curred some time during the short sojourn of Paul and Luke 

 with the disciples of Tyre ! Unfortunately for my friend, the 

 only act of worship hinted at in his text occurred on the dat/ 

 of departure. This day might have been, as before, "the first 

 of the week 3'' it certainly was not a "Sabbath." 



11. The eleventh text is 1 Corinthians xvi. 1, 2: "Now 

 concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order 

 to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day 

 of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God 

 hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.'' 



And what is the important "facf' which my friend^s highly 

 refractive vision discovers in this passage, bearing on the institu- 

 tion or sanctification of the Sahhath? He informs us (p. 187) 

 that Paul here "gives order for the observance of the first day 

 of the week, as the day sacred to — Christian Charity!" And 

 consequently Sunday must be the day required by the fourth 

 commandment! 1^ ih.\^ i^iQ sequittir f This is "transubstan- 

 tiation'' with a witness! If J. N. B. can establish these three 

 assumptions, — 1, that "Charity" is one of the things exacted by 

 the statute; 2, that a "day of Christian Charity" is necessa- 

 rily a day in which "thou shalt not do any work;" and 3, that 

 this in any way excludes "the seventh day" from the appro- 

 priate operation of the Decalogue, — I will freely assent to the 

 " consequence." Till he does, I tell him, with emphatic and 

 defiant assurance, "the thing" is not here! A day of Christian 

 charity should be a worhing day. Will J. N. B. prove it to 

 be a resting day? " Giving my friend the benefit of the most 



