2. When it is once settled, that in a very early period of the church the first day was observed as a festival; when our opponents have fairly jaded themselves to a "weariness of the flesh," in their "much study" of the old fathers, to find proof of it;--though we never called it in question;--then the issue is, whether this festival was _ordained_ by _Christ_?--whether the New Testament furnishes _inspired example_ of such festival? Our opponents affirm; we deny. We maintain that in every passage of the New Testament, where the first day of the week is mentioned, the context furnishes a sufficient reason why it is mentioned, without the least necessity of supposing it to have been a festival season. No exception can be made to this, unless in regard to 1 Cor. 16:2. The reason why the Apostle in this place specifies the first, rather than any other day of the week, does not so clearly appear from the context; but the peculiar phraseology employed, "let each one of you lay by him," [himself,] is against the idea of any public meeting; and if no public meeting, of course no festival season. As every allusion to the first day of the week is sufficiently explained by other circumstances noticed in the context, the _inferential_ proof of its festival character is thereby destroyed. As for _clear_, _positive_ proof of it, such as express precept or command, no person of modesty pretends it. Still less is there any proof of its _Sabbatic_ character. 3. Another point wherein we are necessarily at issue with great numbers of Christians, is whether the _institution_ of the Sabbath is separable from the particular _day_ to be observed. They affirm; we deny. We maintain that God's blessing and sanctifying a particular day is the very thing in which the institution consists. To render this plain matter yet more plain, we invite close attention to the wording of the fourth commandment; premising, however, that the word Sabbath is not _translated_ from a Hebrew word, but is the Hebrew word itself anglicized, just as baptism is an anglicized Greek word. The proper translation of the word is _Rest_. Now let the word Rest be substituted for Sabbath, and how clear it becomes--