Also in our Colony there is an ample “after discovery” of it by the name of Sabbath or Lord’s day, which exceeds the four other “after discoveries;” with a famous law to torture the bodies of them that break this pretended Sabbath, by whipping, not exceeding 20 stripes if they refuse to pay a fine; and doubtless there has been more “after discoveries” by express commands, for this pretended Sabbath, in Rome, France and Spain. Therefore if M. B. will preach up this pretended Sabbath, which he says the apostles left to “after discoveries,” he ought to have taken his text out of the forementioned “after discoveries,” where there are express commands to build their 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 this 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.”
How fully Mr. Byles had endeavored to stir up the authorities to take the offenders strenuously in hand will be inferred from the following, from the same pamphlet.
... He calls us deluded, blind, obstinate, because we suffer persecution for breaking a Sabbath which he says the apostles left to “after discoveries.” But it is this sort of ministers that preach to our General Court to suppress or persecute them that walk by the apostle’s doctrine, for not observing this Sabbath which he says the apostles left to “after discoveries.”
He further says:
“Take away the Sabbath and what will be the consequence?”
Ans. He speaks like the idolaters of old. Judges XVIII. 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 corruption in practice is already broken in upon us like a flood, 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, fulness of bread and abundance of idleness.... Also the observers of this pretended Sabbath do allow that there is more immorality amongst themselves than there is among us who do not observe it. 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,[[193]] which they know God hath not sent to teach them.