Besides the persons above enumerated, four others embraced the Sabbath in 1666, but in 1668 they renounced it. These four were also members of the first-day Baptist church of Newport. Though the Sabbath-keepers who retained their integrity thought that they might lawfully commune with the members of the church who were fully persuaded to observe the first day, yet they felt otherwise with respect to these who had clearly seen the Sabbath, and had for a time observed it, and then apostatized from it. These persons “both wrote and spoke against it, which so grieved them that they could not sit down at the table of the Lord with them, nor with the church because of them.” But as they were members of a first-day church, and had “no power to deal with them as of themselves without the help of the church,” they “found themselves barred as to proceeding with them, as being but private brethren. So they concluded not to bring the case to the church to judge of the fact, viz., in turning from the observation of the seventh day, being contrary-minded as to that.” They therefore sent to the London Sabbath-keepers for advice, and in the mean time refrained from communing with the church.
Dr. Edward Stennet wrote them in behalf of the London Sabbath-keepers: “If the church will hold communion with these apostates from the truth, you ought then to desire to be fairly dismissed from the church; which if the church refuse, you ought to withdraw yourselves.”[1090] They decided, however, not to leave the church. But they told “the church publicly that they could not have comfortable communion with those four persons that had sinned.” “And thus for several months they walked with little or no offense from the church; after which the leading or ministering brethren began to declare themselves concerning the ten precepts.” Mr. Tory “declared the law to be done away.” Mr. Luker and Mr. Clarke “made it their work to preach the non-observation of the law, day after day.” But the Sabbath-keepers replied “that the ten precepts were still as holy, just, good, and spiritual, as ever.” Mr. Tory “with some unpleasant words said ‘that their tune was only the fourth precept,’ to which they answered, ‘that the whole ten precepts were of equal force with them, and that they did not plead for one without the other.’ And they for several years, went on with the church in a halvish kind of fellowship.”[1091]
Mr. Bailey thus states the result:—
“At the time of their change of sentiment and practice, [respecting the Bible Sabbath], they had no intention of establishing a church with this distinctive feature. God, evidently, had a different mission for them, and brought them to it, through the severe trial of persecution. They were forced to leave the fellowship of the Baptist church, or abandon the Sabbath of the Lord their God.”[1092]
“These left the Baptist church on December 7, 1671.”[1093]
“On the 23d of December, just sixteen days after withdrawing from the Baptist church, they covenanted together in a church organization.”[1094]
Such was the origin of the first Sabbath-keeping church in America.[1095] The second of these churches owes its origin to this circumstance: About the year 1700, Edmund Dunham of Piscataway, N. J., reproved a person for labor on Sunday. He was asked for his authority from the Scriptures. On searching for this, he became satisfied that the seventh day is the only weekly Sabbath in the Bible, and began to observe it.
“Soon after, others followed his example, and in 1707 a Seventh-day Baptist church was organized, with seventeen members. Edmund Dunham was chosen pastor and sent to Rhode Island to receive ordination.”[1096]
The S. D. Baptist General Conference was organized in 1802. At its first annual session, it included in its organization eight churches, nine ordained ministers, and 1130 members.[1097] The Conference was organized with only advisory powers, the individual churches retaining the matters of discipline and church government in their own hands.[1098] The Conference now embraces some eighty churches, and about 8000 members. These churches are found in most of the northern and western States, and are divided into five associations, which, however, have no legislative nor disciplinary power over the churches which compose them. There are, belonging to the denomination, five academies, one college, “and a university with academic, collegiate, mechanical, and theological departments in operation.”[1099] The S. D. Baptist missionary society sustains several home missionaries who labor principally on the western and southern borders of the denomination. They have within a few years past met with a good degree of success in this work. It has also a missionary station at Shanghai, China, and a small church there of faithful Christians.