Article December 30, 1922 Issue

God's Beneficent Law

JOHN ELLIS SEDMAN

On page 381 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy writes, "God is the lawmaker, but He is not the author of barbarous codes." Christian Science makes plain the fact that God's law is and must at all times and in all its operations be the law of wisdom, because God, who sustains the law, is unchanging Principle, divine Mind. Likewise, because God is Love, His law is always the law of kindness. Consequently, divine law can operate in no other way than to promote the true well-being of God's creation. It is the law of peace, of health, of happiness, of prosperity, of joy and freedom to all.

Could a law proceed from, and be sustained by, nonintelligent matter, it would inevitably operate in a blind, foolish, and cruel way. Just so, the false law of matter seems to operate in human affairs. It is supposed to have the power suddenly to incapacitate a useful individual impelled by the noblest of motives, and thus to deprive the community, the state, or the nation of his labors when they are most needed. In like manner, this law is deemed able to separate, with ruthless cruelty, the loving mother from her children, who need the tender care that only a mother can give.

Now, this so-called law of matter can never be reconciled to the beneficent law of God, and it was utterly repudiated and proved to be spurious and powerless by the prophets and by the Master and his followers. Indeed, most of the miracles recorded in the Bible are simply clear-cut proofs of the false nature of material law and of the blessed nature of God's true law, which always operates to bring to pass in human affairs whatever is in accord with this perfect law of divine Principle. It was right for the Hebrew people, fleeing from Pharaoh's army, to escape even by the parting of the waters of the Red Sea. It was right that Daniel, who was faithful to God and His work, and filled with good-will toward all men, should be safe, even in the lions' den. It was right for the three young Hebrews, who refused to pretend to worship false gods, to be unharmed in the burning, fiery furnace. In each of these instances, material so-called law seemed to raise insurmountable obstacles to prevent the occurrence of a right result; but in each instance the law of God swept aside all these obstacles: the Hebrew people passed safely through the Red Sea; Daniel came unharmed through the lions' den; and the three Hebrew captives were untouched by the fierce heat of the fiery furnace.

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