Those who keep the seventh day as the sabbath. They are to be found principally, if not wholly among the Baptists. They object to the reasons which are generally alleged for keeping the first day; and assert, that the change from the seventh to the first was affected by Constantine on his conversion to Christianity. The three following propositions contain a summary of their principles as to this article of the sabbath, by which they stand distinguished.
1. That God hath required the observation of the seventh, or last day of every week, to be observed by mankind universally for the weekly sabbath.
2. That this command of God is perpetually binding on man till time shall be no more.
And,
3. That this sacred rest of the seventh-day sabbath is not (by divine authority) changed from the seventh and last to the first day of the week, or that the Scripture doth no where require the observation of any other day of the week for the weekly sabbath, but the seventh day only. They hold, in common with other Christians, the distinguishing doctrines of Christianity. There are two congregations of the Sabbatarians in London; one among the general Baptists, meeting in Mill Yard; the other among the particular Baptists, in Cripplegate. There are, also, a few to be found in different parts of the kingdom, and some it is said, in America. A tract, in support of this doctrine, was published by Mr. Cornthwaite, in 1740.
See Evans's Sketch of the Denominations of the Christian World; and books under next article.
Despite a stated reliance on the plain meaning of the Bible and the dictates of common sense, Buck's Theological Dictionary, first published in London in 1802, seeks to provide a textual basis for the evangelical community. By combining brief essays on orthodox belief and practice with historical entries on various denominations, Buck provided an interpretive lens that allowed antebellum Protestants to see Christianity's almost two millennia as their own history.Wikipedia
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