October, 1932
T H ET K I N G ’ S ' BU'SINTE'S'S
■588'
Chr istian s ' A t t itu d e Tow ard The S e v e n -D a y W e e k
A Symposium
cerning the present subject he makes these observations: “Many years ago, when drivers of the great plains of the West, in the absence of railroads in that day, were compelled to drive their sheep and cattle long distances to market, they found that those who stopped one day in every seven and let their cattle and sheep rest, arrived at the market with their animals in better condition and ahead of those who were driven con tinuously. “ It is a significant fact that even machinery works better and lasts longer if it is given periodic rest. Therefore the locomotive, on the com pletion of its trip, is not immediately driven out, but is placed in the round house to cool off and become prepared for another trip. “However; over and above the mat ter of preserving the body are even greater values—moral and spiritual— that can only be maintained by an observance of God’s laws. “ Rationalistic France, a century and a half ago, struck at God’s law of the Sabbath as she struck at everything else that was holy in that day 'when skepticism and atheism were in the ascendancy in that nation. France proposed to change God’s command ment, appointing one day in ten in stead of one day in seven as a day of rest, but it did not work, and France, disobeying this and others of God’s laws, became a moral cesspool. “ Rationalistic Germany today has also defied all the holy laws of God, including the Lord’s Day. Should Ger? many win the war, who would want to live amid the moral and spiritual darkness of that unhappy land? “There has been.a great breakdown in recent years in the moral and spiritual values in our own America. Just how much the breakdown of the observance of the Lord’s Day has had to do with this, only God knows.” Facts to Ponder •R. E. Neighbour, whose Bible-teach- ing and writing ministry has extended
Recognizing Man’s Need for Worship
The people of any nation at war may expect to make adjustments to new schedules of work. When the United States entered the present world war, and when the President, soon after that event, declare^ the necessity for an observance of a seven-day week In order to speed wartime production, the seriousness of the situation was apparent. Naturally, Christian people would View with alarm any program that threatened either the maintenance of health and vigor with which God Himself is concerned (1 Cor. 6:19, 20) or that overlooked God’s right to receive the worship of every in dividual (Psa. 45:11b). In the intervening months since the original order was given, there has come, in many industrial cen ters, a readjustment of schedules so that at least one free day in seven is granted to each workman. A t the same time, production is intensive and continuous. In these rearranged programs of work many individuals feel they have found their own questions answered regarding their relation to the seven-day week. For m a n y others, however, perplexity still exists. The comments that follow are in tended merely to stimulate prayer ful thought among the Lord’s peo ple; they do not purport to present a full discussion of this many-sided problem. Each reader must make his own personal deductions. — THE EDITORS.
“I am not a Sabbatarian,” declares W. L. Pettingill, one of the foremost Bible teachers of the country. “I am not under law, but under grace. The weekly Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, was given to Israel along with the rest of the Law at Sinai, but it was a temporary covenant, endur ing only until the Seed (the Lord Jesus. Christ) should come, to whom the promise was made (Gal. 3:19). “Therefore, the first day of the week is not a Sabbath. The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day, on which we celebrate His resurrection by assem bling for worship and for feeding to gether upon His Word. We are com manded to thus assemble, and of course we could not do so unless a common time were agreed upon; and from the beginning of the Christian era the Lord’s Day has been the time set apart for the purpose of worship. I believe that the setting apart of such a day for rest and worship is according to God’s will, and that to neglect it is displeasing to Him.” Authority to be Respected Arnold Grunigen, Jr., Executive Manager of the U. S. Treasury Victory Fund Committee, San Francisco, Calif., and himself an outstanding Christian leader, sends this straightforward comment: “To rest from all or any labors or pursuits on the Lord’s Day means bet ter work done on the other six days. I believe this with all my heart. On the other hand, let us take a realistic, common sense approach. We are cit izens of the United States of America. Our beloved country is at war. Our President is Commander in Chief. We are to be subject to the powers that be.” Lessons from History . Known to most KING’S BUSINESS readers is Louis S. Bauman, Pastor of the First Brethren Church, Long Beach, California. His articles on prophecy have been widely appreciated. Con
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