California Presbyterians and Local Sunday Laws
The California Synod of the Presbyterian Church recently convened at Santa Rosa. It comprised representatives of all the congregations of that denomination in both California and Nevada. They voted to affiliate with the Weekly Rest Day League in a state-wide movement for a municipal Sunday closing ordinance, as expressed in the following resolution: “Resolved, That we cooperate with other churches, under the leadership of the Weekly Rest Day League, to secure municipal Sunday closing ordinances and a general state-wide Sunday rest law, and that we approve of the appointment of Dr. G. G. Eldredge and Prof. Lorin Handley as members of the central committee of the league.” If Sunday were the Sabbath of the Bible, it would be a very proper thing to seek to persuade men to observe the day religiously; but as the Bible has no law whatever in favor of Sunday observance, there is no divine reason for seeking to get men to observe it. The name of the Weekly Rest Day League would seem to indicate that all it cares for is to secure one day out of the week as a day of rest for the laboring man. But our Presbyterian friends propose to make this rest day fall on Sunday; and we will find, before we are through with the proposition, that all those who are working to secure one day out of the week for rest, will unite in asking that that one day be Sunday. In bygone days, men thought they had divine approval for Sunday observance; but a large part of the world has been educated to the point where they know that God has given no command whatever for the observance of that day, neither has either Christ or the apostles given any authority for changing the rest of the divine Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week. And when we come to the final analysis of this controversy, it is not a question of securing a weekly day of rest for the laboring685man, but rather it is a question of loyalty to the word of God. Will we accept what God says, or will we insist upon setting aside His word, and putting in place of it a man-made institution? California has been a great battle-ground over this question of Sunday laws, and it would seem that the agitation is to continue with renewed activity. As this discussion goes on, as is planned, in every municipality throughout the state, there will be a great opportunity for men to become fully enlightened concerning what the Bible actually teaches upon this Sabbath question. In all the history of the past, the men who have stood squarely upon the clear teaching of God's word, even though they have been vastly in the minority, have in the end come out on the safe side, because the right side is always the safe side, for the omnipotent God is with the right, and will fully vindicate every utterance of His word.