Christian Sabbath by M. E. Cornell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 19, 1870

Christian Sabbath.

By M. E. Cornell

[I FOUND a sermon with the above title, published in 1759, by one Mather Byles, pastor of 1st Church of Christ, of New London, to which is a reply by one Joseph Bolles, in behalf of others who suffered persecution with himself for breaking the so called “Christian Sabbath.” Though a no-Sabbath man, he sharply criticized the Sunday arguments and completely vanquished his opponent. I will give an extract from the reply. M. E. CORNELL.]

We have been imprisoned, twenty-three at a time, eight of about seven months, and some of the best of our cattle, and horses, and other goods taken away, and three of us cruelly whipped, near twenty stripes apiece, for doing the business of our ordinary calling, on the first day of the week, which he calls Sabbath, all within nine months. And in these persecutions we have continually desired our persecutors to show any scripture warrant for their practice; we have also sent forth advertisements promising Ten Dollars reward, to any person that could show us one word in the Bible, that forbids labor on this pretended Sabbath; which we suppose he calls a challenge; and because he can’t find a word, in the Bible, that forbids labor on his pretended Sabbath, he has preached a sermon, instead thereof, and though he calls it the Christian Sabbath, it is not called so in the Scriptures; by which it is evident, it was not the Christian Sabbath in the apostles’ time; for if it had been the Christian Sabbath in their days, they would have called it so. Also his text is part of the commandment to labor six days, and rest the seventh; so that his own text, that he builds his Sabbath upon, requires labor, on his pretended Sabbath; for it says, Six days shalt thou labor, and we know that this pretended Sabbath is the first of the six days, so that this first-day Sabbath, being built on this commandment must be vain deceit. Col. 2: 8: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men.” In page 18 he says, “And lastly to assign a reason why there is no command for this Sabbath, in the New Testament;” and in the next page he says, “THE APOSTLES LEFT IT TO AFTER DISCOVERIES;” but neither God nor man can require us to keep a Sabbath without a law. For where there is no law there is no transgression. Rom. 4: 15. And sin is not imputed when there is no law. Rom. 5: 13. And the confession of faith of this Colony, requires a command for all the worship we perform to God; and there is no discovery of this pretended Sabbath in the Bible, for he says, “The apostles left it to after discoveries,” and the first command we have discovered for it, was more than three hundred years after Christ, by Constantine the Emperor, recorded in Fox’s Acts and Monuments, vol. i, p. 134, in these words: “The Sunday he commanded to be kept holy of all men, and free from all judiciary causes, from markets, marts, fairs, and other manual labors, only husbandry excepted.” Here we may observe, no husbandry labor is forbidden, in this “after discovery.” Also King Inas, who reigned in England in the year of our Lord 712, commanded that infants should be baptized within thirty days, and that no man should labor on Sunday. Fox’s Acts, vol. i, p. 1016. Observe, in this “after discovery,” all labor is forbidden; as popish darkness increased, this Sabbath strengthened, and infant baptism was also discovered. Also King Edgar, who began his reign in England

in A. D. 959, “He ordained that Sunday should be kept holy from Saturday noon, till Monday morning, and he ordained and decreed for holy days, and fasting days.” Fox’s Acts, vol. i, p. 1017. Observe, this “after discovery” being in midnight popish darkness, this Sabbath was kept more strict, and they also discovered half a day more, and holy days and fasting days to be observed. Also King Canutus, who began to reign in England, in the year 1016, “He commanded celebration of the Sabbath, from Saturday noon, till Monday morning.”—Ib. This King discovered it by the name “Sabbath;” but the other three, discovered it only by the name “Sunday.”

Also in our Colony there is an ample “after discovery,” of it, by the name of Sabbath, or Lord’s day; which exceeds the other four after discoveries, with a famous law, to torture the bodies of them that break this pretended Sabbath, by whipping, not exceeding twenty stripes, if they refuse to pay a fine; and doubtless there have been more after discoveries, by express command, for this pretended Sabbath, which he says the apostles left to after discoveries; he ought to take his text out of the forementioned “after discoveries,” where there are express commands to build his Sabbath upon; but as he builds it on God’s commandment, which commands labor on his pretended Sabbath, it has no foundation to stand upon, and therefore stands upon nothing. No after discovery, neither his pretended Sabbath, infant baptism, nor the mass, nor purgatory, ought to be built on any text in the Bible. But, whoever preaches up any of these after discoveries, they ought to take a text out of the law book, where they are instituted and commanded, and not out of the Bible, where they are “not discovered.” *

But who would have thought such a thing that a pretended minister of Christ would undertake to vindicate a Sabbath that there is not one word of Bible for; and to affirm that the practice of the world, which the Scripture says, the devil hath deceived, is a sufficient evidence; including papists, Turks and Indians, even the most barbarous and uncivilized nations, which worship dumb idols, * some of which are openly familiar with the devil. He calls their worship divine, their assemblies solemn, their festivals sacred. By which it appears that his divine worship and theirs, is all in one spirit. Ps. 106: 35 “Were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.”

Again he says, “Take away the Sabbath, and what will be the consequence?”

He speaks like the idolaters of old, Judges 18: 24, “Ye have taken away my gods, which I made; and the priests, and what have I more?” Here we may see the idolaters speak all with one voice; their heart is after their idols, and their priests, more than after God.

Next he says, “Errors in doctrine, and corruption in practice, would break in upon us like a flood, immorality would triumph without control.”

Ans. It is such a time now; for there are errors in doctrine, manifest errors indeed in this and other sermons; and that corruption in practice, is already broken in upon us like a flood, is evident by the people giving such vast sums of money to their priests, for preaching such wretched stuff, as we see in some of their sermons: and immorality triumphs almost without control, among the people who are encouraged to it by the example of their priests; which live immoral lives; in covetousness, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness; Sodom like. Eze. 16: 49. Immorality triumphs in a high degree, even in gathering money for the priests, of many poor people, to whom there is more need to give; and casting some into prison, to force them against their conscience to pay money, to maintain such priests in idleness, which they know God hath not sent to teach them, and the hirelings take the money, and preach but little against this immorality; but whether a receiver is not as bad a thief, let the reader judge.

In pages 5, 6: “A party of deluded visionaries, blinded by prejudice and obstinate in their errors, &c.”

Ans. He may take this to himself also: for he is so blinded by prejudice, that he preaches, that men ought not to labor on the Sabbath which he says the apostles left to after discoveries, notwithstanding Christ commanded his disciples, to labor thereon, and he is so obstinate in his errors, that he brings the practice of the barbarous nations, and the practice of the world, which the Scripture says the devil has deceived, to help to prove his invented Sabbath, and it being still too short, he tried to alter the translation of the Bible, in page 18, to make it prove his pretended Sabbath, and when he saw it was all too short, he undertook to assign a reason why there is no express command for this pretended Sabbath, in the New Testament, and with much ado, at last, he confesses that the apostles left it to after discoveries! so then it was left to be discovered in popish darkness.