The record-union., 1899-12-09
Sunday for Rest.

Sunday for Rest.
Eds. Record Union: An appeal to
employers of labor from the Ministerial
Union of this city appeared in the
"Record- Union" of November Both,
under the above heading asking help to
get a better observance of Sunday as a
day of rest Some of the reasons given
for it are, Church life and health de-
mand it. Gods law, the common law
of nature, the statute law of most
States command Sunday rest
The church, nature and God demand
Sunday rest" Let us consider some of
these statements. First the church
demand The true church is composed
OF ambassadors of the government Of
heaven where their citizenship is.
(Phil. 800, r. VI The government of
heaven is founded on love. It's citi-
zens obey God from choice voluntarily.
The commission to it's ambassadors is
to persuade men by the word of God,
through the power of the Holy Ghost,
with love on the part of the embassa-
dor. 'Now then We are ambassadors
for Christ, as though God did beseech
you by us; we pray you in ChriStS
stead, be We reconciled to God."-QI.
Cor. 5:20) Christ commissioned his rep
reSentativeS to preach the gospel; he
gave them no authority to demand, or
enforce it by human laws. Civil govern
mentS are for the enforcement of civil
rights between man and his fellows.
God has not delegated to them any au-
thority to enforce upon each other, or
any citizen, the observance of either of
the first four commandments, which
pertain to their duty to Him. The en-
bassadors for Christ are therefore
working outside of their commission
when they are working for union of
church and State in advocating either
Sabbath or Sunday laws
We will ask for the proof of where
God in His law or anywhere in His
word gives even hint that He demands
Sunday rest? There are thousands Of
people that would be glad to be pointed
to a text with a '"Thus saith the Lord"
to that effect. The apostle Paul an in
spired Christian, writing A. D. Co.
twenty years this side of the cross
says: Now we know that what things
soever the law saith, it speaketh to
them that are under the law; that every
mouth may be stopped, and all the
world may be brought under the judg-
ment of God; = for through the
law cometh the knowledge of SIM
Rom. 3:19, 20, R. W Here we learn
that the law means what it says That
it condemns all that have gone contrary
to what it says, for it is the instrument
by which is the knowledge of sin. We
will now examine what the only Sab
bath law of the Bible says. eek 20:
X \ c, lnr Co 1l,< I, Il 10,
keep it holy. Six days shalt thou
la Dor, and do all thy work; but the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord,
thy God; in it thou shalt not do any
work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daugh-
ter, thy man servant, nor thy maid
servant, nor thy cattle nor thy stranger
that is within thy gates; for in six days
the Lord made heaven and earth, the
sea, and all that in them is, and rested
the seventh day; wherefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed
it," 1t says "he rested on the seventh
day. of the weekly cycle that was thus
established and still exists. He blessed
the day, after he had rested upon it,
because he had rested upon it, be. also
sanctified it, the day, because he had
rested upon it.-(Gen. 2:2-3) The COM
mandment says, and hallowed it,
made it holy. He then made definite
day holy, did he not? The day on which
he rested. Where do we find this COM
mand repealed? Where is the chapter,
and the text in the Bible, our guide
book? Where in it does He demand
rest on Sunday? He says remember
the day He rested to keep it holy. Does
He mean what he says?
Sunday was instituted by pagans long
before the Christian era. The first State
law to observe it was made A. D. 81
by Constantine. The Catholic Church
adopted the day, and through the de-
crees of Emperors, Popes and councils,
and the Sunday laws of States, have es-
tablished the custom of it's general OBJ
servance. Catholic leaders have the
honesty to freely admit that it is con-
trary to the law of God and the prac-
tice or example of Christ and the
apostles. They make no claim to found
it on Gods law, or the example of
Christ or the apostles, but solely on
the authority of the Catholic Church
Here we have two powers claiming
the obedience of the world The appeal
says, Sunday laws of most States de-
mand it"-Sunday rest Yes, Sunday
laws make it a crime against the State
to do what Gods law says, six days
shalt thou labor, and do all thy work,
but the seventh day is the Sabbath of
the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not
do any work. So God-fearing men in
some of the States have had to choose
between obeying God or working in the
chain gang as criminal. God save
California from Sunday laws that make
it a crime to obey God. When the
Lord comes to reap the harvest of the
earth. He will find two classes, one keep.
ing His commandments, and the faith
of Jesus, and another engaged in max
ing and enforcing Sunday laws. See
Rev. 10: 15-11; IA: 9-14) Which side
will it be for, the moral good of the en-
ployers of labor of this city, and those
whom they employ at that time to be
on? M. C. ISRAEL.
Oak Park, Sacramento.