A Question for Sunday-keepers by Dudley Marvin Canright

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 5, 1867

A Question for Sunday-keepers.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

THE book of Acts contains the history of the early Christians for about thirty years after the resurrection of Christ. It records the severe persecutions which they suffered at the hands of the Jews, and the different accusations which the latter brought against them. The Jews sought every pretext that they could find to get some accusation against the Christians whereby they might destroy them. By their malice Paul was kept a prisoner several years. They trumped up every thing that they could think of by which to get him condemned. But he said, “Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.” Acts xxiv, 13. On another occasion he said, “Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Cæsar, have I offended any thing at all.” Acts xxv, 8.

Now if Paul and others have taught that the Sabbath was abolished, and that another day had become the Sabbath, and had labored on the Jew's (?) Sabbath,

why did not the Jews accuse them of this? They were very forward to accuse Christ of breaking the Sabbath when he did no more than to heal the sick on that day. By their civil law it was death to work on the Sabbath. Their greatest desire was to get something against the Christians by which they might kill them. Now what a fair opportunity this would have been had the Christians been accustomed to break their Sabbath. How quickly the Jews would have improved it! But did they? Was any such accusation brought against Paul, or the others? All know that there is not a lisp of it in the whole thirty years' history of the church. Numerous other accusations were brought against them on different occasions, but this, not once! Is it reasonable to suppose that so important a change as this could have been taught and practised by the Christians, right in the midst of the Jewish nation, and yet nothing said about it, either by Jews or Christians? A flourishing church existed in the city of Jerusalem, and this was the head quarters of the apostles. Imagine them teaching in the temple and synagogues, that the ancient Sabbath was abolished; imagine them at work on that day, and what would have been the result? Nothing would have created an uproar so soon as that. Yet not a single word is said about any disturbance or disagreement between the Jews and Christians concerning the Sabbath. How Sunday-keepers can reconcile these facts with the supposed change of the Sabbath at the resurrection, I do not see!

D. M. CANRIGHT.

Canaan, Me., Jan. 21, 1867.