Seventh-day Sabbath-keepers were among those who came to Rhode Island seeking religious freedom. Stephen Mumford and his wife, who came to Newport, Rhode Island in 1665, were the first Christian Sabbath-keepers documented to have settled in Rhode Island. Others followed, and by 1729 their group had expanded so much it needed a larger meeting hall. That hall, built in 1729, is still being preserved by the Newport Historical Society.
If you are ever in Newport, Rhode Island, you may want to visit that historic building. Inside the hall is a raised pulpit. Behind the pulpit are two large plaques, inscribed with the Ten Commandments. At the bottom of the second plaque is the Apostle Paul’s bold statement, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31, KJV). Yes, these New Testament Christians affirmed their allegiance to Christ’s statement, “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” These Christians correctly understood that Jesus’ teachings insist on His followers’ observing and obeying the Ten Commandments!
Sabbatarian church records, preserved in the Newport Historical Museum, contain members’ names and contributions. Significantly, the church describes itself in those records as “keeping the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus, and in particular the Lord’s Seventh-Day Sabbath.”
Some seventh-day Sabbath-keepers were prominent citizens of Rhode Island in the 18th century. Two of the colony’s governors—Richard Ward and his son Samuel—were seventh-day Sabbath-keepers. Even the first president of Brown University—James Manning—was a Sabbatarian!