Chapter 17- Traces of Early Sabbath Keeping

HAVING traced the Sunday Sabbath from its first beginnings through the Dark Ages to its full adoption by the Protestant churches, we now return to the true Sabbath, to notice briefly its status since the Roman Catholic Church caused it to be discontinued where it had the power to do so. It will be remembered that we gave clear proof that it was kept in the early church for centuries, even till the Catholic Council of Laodicea, in AD. 364, abrogated it by an anathema. From that time forward it gradually disappeared from view in those countries where the Catholic Church had supreme influence. That church has made the most persistent efforts, in every way possible, to crush out the ancient Sabbath, seeming to realize that those who clung to it struck at the very foundation of her claims.ChSa 139.1

Sunday stands upon the authority of tradition; the Sabbath stands upon the authority of the commandments of God. When Sunday is observed, one really recognizes the ground-work of Catholic authority, viz., tradition, and, logically speaking, would be bound to accept her other festivals, ordinances, etc., which stand on precisely the same authority. But when a person ignores Sunday and keeps the Sabbath of the Lord, he sets aside every scrap of Catholic tradition, so that the whole Catholic stock in trade is gone, together with their strongest hold on Protestants. Hence we shall ever find Catholics stoutly opposed to the true Sabbath.ChSa 139.2

We shall now inquire whether the Sabbath did not continue to be observed in various places where the Roman Church had not influence enough to suppress it. If this be so, it will afford strong additional evidence that the change of the Sabbath was wrought by the power of the Catholic Church. We shall be able to give only brief historical references in proof of this point, referring those who wish to investigate the matter thoroughly to the work before noticed, Andrews’s History of the Sabbath.ChSa 140.1