p. 293 | Worship Due to God by Hampton W. Cottrell

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · May 19, 1914

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 41, No. 19.

Worship Due to God

By Hampton W. Cottrell

Three Classes of Worshipers — The State Has Not the Right to Prescribe Our Religion

By HAMPTON W. COTTRELL

CIVIL government, according to both the Constitution of the United States and the gospel of the Christ of Calvary, has no rights but civil rights, therefore no right to abridge or enforce the worship of almighty God by any person.

The first amendment to the Constitution of the United States declares, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Jesus Christ says, "Render therefore unto Cæsar [civil government] the things which are Cæsar's; and unto God the things that are God's." Matt. 22:21. The worship of every man is due the Lord, and should be rendered to Him, without molestation or interference in the least from the state.

IT IS RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION

It has often been averred by would-be advocates of religious liberty, who are in spirit religious despots, that to prohibit common labor upon the first day of the week, even by fine and imprisonment, although the supposed offenders had rested the seventh day, both physically and spiritually, according to the example of our divine Lord, is not religious persecution or an abridgment of individual liberty.

THREE CLASSES OF WORSHIPERS

There are three classes of worshipers. The heathen are true worshipers of false gods; the hypocrite is a false worshiper of the true God; the real Christian is a true worshiper of the true God.

The Christian knows that his religion is good for seven days in each week. It is not a removable thing that can be worn one day in the week, like a Sunday dress, and laid aside the other six, but is kept in daily and hourly use.

RIGHT TO REST SPIRITUALLY AND TO LABOR PHYSICALLY

To illustrate: When the consistent Christian has worshiped upon the seventh day, according to his God-educated conscience and the divine Textbook, by resting both physically and spiritually, then there remain six days in which he is in duty bound, and has a God-given right, to worship, according to both conscience and the example of Christ Jesus. His worship thenceforth consists in continuing to rest spiritually in Christ, and laboring physically, as did the great Exemplar. Paul, the great apostle, says, "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God"; and surely to do thus is worship.

TO BE RENDERED TO GOD ONLY

The Sabbath is the Lord's day, and all men are divinely obligated to render it to God and not to men.

Now, for civil government to prohibit any one from working upon the first day of the week, after he has rested upon the seventh day, is truly religious persecution, and an invasion of inherent rights.

If Sunday were the day that men ought to observe sacredly, the above-mentioned principle would still remain,—that the day should be rendered to God, not to civil government.

"Every one of us shall give account of himself to God." Rom. 14:12.