A New Discovery by A. S. Hutchins

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 24, 1872

A New Discovery.

By A. S. Hutchins

Our friends who claim that the first day of the week should be observed as the Sabbath instead of the seventh, present quite a variety of reasons in defense of this position. Some maintain that Christ changed the Sabbath; others, that it was changed by the apostles; while there is another class who think this day has so long been observed as the Sabbath that no further warrant is needed, even though no requirement for its observance can be drawn from the Bible.

Now, as “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works,” it is reasonable to conclude, if Christ or the apostles made so important an amendment or alteration of the law of God, as the change of the Bible Sabbath, that this volume would contain the record of it.

But right here a new discovery has been made. Said a minister in this State, not long since, to a Sabbath keeper, You are wrong on this point. I have light on the subject which I am to present in a sermon. The sermon was preached, and the promised light looked for. And when it came, it was as follows:—

Christ changed the Sabbath, and it is evident the apostles so understood the matter, yet there is no record of the fact, as this stands in the catalogue of the “many other things which Jesus did,” which are not written. John 21: 25.

Now, who can possibly conceive why a transaction of so great magnitude, one which was to affect the future course of the entire church of God, to the end of time, and more or less the whole world, should be passed in silence by the pen of inspiration? What an inexcusable turning of things upside down, and of putting light for darkness, and darkness for light! But really, there is one redeeming feature here. The scriptural record is relieved from all responsibility in vindicating the first-day Sabbath, nothing but assumption being claimed in its behalf, while those who hallow the Sabbath of the decalogue can say, “It is written,” “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.”

“O thou holy book divine, Precious treasure, thou art mine.”

A. S. HUTCHINS.

Irasburgh, Vt.