The achievement of peace in human affairs is dependent upon conformity to divine law. The Psalmist said, "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." As it is natural to obey that which we love and understand, a pure affection for the law of God will unfold the right motive which impels obedience to His law; and obedience to God's law constitutes a sure pathway to peace.

To those laboring for the establishment of greater harmony in the affairs of mankind Christian Science brings a message of genuine comfort because it presents the one logical, scientific, and Christian method whereby beliefs of misunderstanding or contention may be overcome. This religion shows men the way of peace by unfolding to them an understanding of the law of God in its application to human problems.

The peace which follows the application of the law of God to our problems is permanent and good, because everything which emanates from God is in agreement with His nature, and God is eternal good. In order to be Godlike, peace must be based on Principle, for there can be no peace independent of God, divine Principle. Hence, that which is not based on Principle is not peace, even though it may be so designated. The word "Principle," employed by Mary Baker Eddy to define God, along with other terms she has used in her definition of Deity, conveys the idea of the Science of being, which includes spiritual, fundamental law.

The Science of being was best expressed by the beloved Christ Jesus, who proved the truth of everything which he taught by demonstration, such as healing the sick, reforming the sinful, and raising the dead. It is because of these wonderful works that the Master's teaching, setting forth his understanding of the Science of being, is so valuable to those who would follow in his footsteps. Speaking of that portion of Jesus' teaching which is called the Sermon on the Mount, and which may be said to epitomize all that he taught, our Leader says (Message to The Mother Church for 1901, p. 11), "To my sense the Sermon on the Mount, read each Sunday without comment and obeyed throughout the week, would be enough for Christian practice." The key, then, to the demonstration of "the peace of God" among men lies in an understanding and application of the several rules of conduct which constitute this sermon.

One such rule, which is known as the Golden Rule, would do much toward establishing greater harmony in business, government, church, and home, if it were better understood and more intelligently applied. It reads, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." The loving desire to conform to the high standard expressed in this rule may be said to constitute a prayer for peace; and this prayer is answered in proportion as one's consciousness is filled with thoughts which reflect the one Mind, God, and which exhale an atmosphere of love and kindliness to all mankind. In this right state of thought one cannot act toward his neighbor in a manner contrary to his mode of thinking, for he will not be handled by errors leading to misunderstanding, contention, or trouble. Rather will he demonstrate the truth that, as our Leader says (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 213), "The natural fruits of Christian Science Mind-healing are harmony, brotherly love, spiritual growth and activity."

Sometimes the meaning of the Golden Rule is unwittingly misconstrued by those who, rather than cause a stir as the result of the effort to uncover and correct an error, would permit it to go unchallenged or uncorrected. As this false sense of peace has no Principle to sustain it, it needs to be recognized as a phase of mesmerism. If we would do unto other men as we would have them do unto us, then, when called upon to do so, we must lovingly administer a needed correction, even as we would fulfill any other demand made upon us by divine Love. Certainly we would want another to share with us in a Christian manner any idea of Principle which he might see more clearly than we did, especially if, in belief, some false sense about God or His law were hindering our perception and reflection of good.

The enforcement of discipline requires the exercise of moral courage based, not on human will, wish, or desire, but on an understanding of the divine Mind, whose law does not under any circumstance excuse or overlook error. When one is striving to handle the serpents of error or to cast out evil, it is well to be patient and persistent in expressing the specific truth, which will replace mere human opinion or personal prejudice with that which is based on Principle. This effort to establish in our thought that which is right and good, actuated by pure motives of love, will meet with success in proportion as the law of God is understood, loved, and faithfully applied to each case.

The more the Golden Rule is used, the more will it be seen that there are indeed few problems to which it may not in some way be properly and successfully applied. This is true also of many of the other rules of conduct which Christ Jesus presents in the Sermon on the Mount. So that, if we would do our part toward the establishment of greater peace in human relationships, it is essential that we become more faithful in the application of the law of God to the little, as well as to the bigger things of life. As we do this, we shall appreciate in an ever increasing degree what the Psalmist perceived, for we shall realize and demonstrate the truth of his statement. Truly, as he said, "great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them."