GOOD GOVERNMENT

               A Sermon by Rev. Michael D. Gladish

"...The kingdom is the Lord's and He rules over the nations..."
(Psalm 22:28).

"Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God
the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21).

     When the Lord was betrayed and brought before Pilate in the
familiar story of the events leading up to His crucifixion He told
the Roman governor His kingdom is not of this world (see John
18:36). Still, it is true as everywhere stated in the Word that all
kingdoms are His for He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is
the Supreme Being, the Supreme Ruler of the universe.
     As such, however, His rule (or government) is unique. For He
rules over the nations of the world with unfailing, infinite
wisdom, omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence. It is not
possible for Him to make any errors of judgment, or any bad laws,
or to carry out the requirements of justice in any but the most
perfect ways. In fact, His government is so refined, so complete
and so sublime that for the most part we do not even feel or
perceive its effect on us. The whole system is so wonderfully
balanced and integrated from internals to externals it is almost as
if it didn't exist þ at least not as any outside authority above
and beyond creation itself. So any of us, especially when we
undergo periods of great stress, is apt to think þ at least
momentarily þ that perhaps it doesn't exist; perhaps it is all just
a cruel joke or at best a superstitious misunderstanding. And
certainly many people carry their doubts to the level of disbelief
and contemptuous rejection.
     Of course none of that changes the Divine government itself.
If the Lord's presence is so comprehensive and inclusive that we
cannot even see it, that is no reason to deny it. We might as well
deny the existence of air or of electromagnetic forces. Besides,
the Lord works in mysterious and secret ways for the added reason
that He wants us to be free þ free to be who or what we want to be
and not just what we think somebody wants us to be. And this
situation can only exist when there is a possibility of doubt about
God, God's authority, or God's power.

     The situation is different with human forms of government.
None of us can see or undertake anything as God does, and every one
of us in our limitations tends to restrict and constrain the focus
of good from a universal to a particular view þ often an exclusive
view, like the woman who while shopping hears the fire siren on her
street and says, "Oh, I hope it's not at my house," as if it should
be someone else's house! In human governments we have the perfect
illustration of the whole being no better, or perhaps we should
say, no other, than the sum of its parts. True, it may be greater
than the sum of its parts, but if the parts are imperfect, then
what can we expect of the whole? Like a machine with gears and
cogs, if each piece is just slightly malformed, when it all goes
together it may not function at all. And even if it does function
it will be so full of problems it will require constant attention.
So unlike the perfect system of Divine government, the machinery of
government by human insight and the so-called "balance" of selfish
interests is forever before us needing adjustment, correction,
refinement and control.
     We are periodically faced with that perennial issue. We are
being asked to exercise our judgment, constrained and limited as it
is, to make adjustments in our system and to grant or withdraw the
authority of some to govern. So the question of the day is, "How
can we improve our chances of success with this?" or "How can we
more closely follow the pattern of Divine government in our
national, state or local district?"
     The answer is, first of all, in looking to improve the whole
we must first improve the parts. There can be no charity in
government if there is no charity among those who authorize and
carry it out; there can be no wisdom in the nation as a whole if
there is no wisdom among its citizens; and no government can be
really useful if the individual members are not willing to be
useful, and this for the sake of use, not just for the sake of
reward. So in the end, contrary to the old adage, politics and
religion do mix. They must mix, they cannot be separated. Each one
of us has a clear religious duty to explore the issues with as much
insight as possible from the Lord, that is to say, with as much
charity, as much wisdom and as much of an orientation to genuine
uses as we can for the good of all groups, not just ourselves or
our own.
     Ironically, of course, this means that we cannot use the
church itself as a platform for political reform, because each one
of us is at a different state or level of development within the
church, and each one of us may see a legislative issue in a
different light. For example, the death penalty and the supreme
court: while the Bible and the teachings of this New Christian
Church clearly condone the death penalty as a necessary means of
preserving order in the world, nothing is said about how it should
be carried through the courts in a democratic system. So each one
of us must consider the problem of application with as much wisdom
as we can derive from our knowledge of spiritual, moral and natural
truths. Wonderfully, though, this outward separation and diversifi-
cation of the church should not cause internal division because we
will maintain essential unity in the goals we seek, namely justice,
sound judgment and use. And each one of us will respect the views
of the others in humility because we all know that no one sees the
whole picture but God.
     What, then, does God say about government? What principles
does He reveal to help us wade through the confusion?
     There are two things I would ask you to consider today: the
first is "the general good" of any kingdom, and the second is the
good or evil person performing a use.
     In the little work called The Doctrine of Charity we read, "It
is well known that every man is born to perform uses, and that he
does perform uses to others. He who does not is, indeed, called a
useless member and is rejected; he who performs uses to himself
alone is also a useless member, although not so called. In a well-
constituted commonwealth, therefore, provision is made that no one
shall be useless; if anyone is useless, he is driven to some work;
even a beggar is if he is healthy" (128).
     We also read that the general good of any society or kingdom
consists of these things, that there should be:
     1. what is Divine among the members;
     2. what is just among them;
     3. what is moral among them;
     4. diligence, skill and uprightness among them;
     5. the necessities for life;
     6. the necessities for all kinds of work;
     7. the necessities for protection, and
     8. sufficient wealth (see #132).

     Now here are eight things we really need to think about in
relation to the issues we must address on voting day. How will any
proposition or candidate for public office aid in the provision of
each or all of these essential goods in our civil society? How will
they detract? If necessary, what is the lesser of two evils? True,
we cannot legislate religion or morality, but we can through
legislation provide for such things, and the truth is we must or
our society will end in chaos, tearing itself apart. While we
cannot force people to act from goodwill, nevertheless we must
ensure that it is rewarding to do so, or in other words, that it is
not more rewarding to be selfish or uninvolved.
     Having seen this we should also note that through the Word in
all its forms the Lord has made clear that there are various levels
of use in human life. An older person no longer able to ply a trade
as such is for example not useless but performs uses on a plane
above the merely physical in realms of wisdom and innocence and
bonding of relationships among those who interact with them. An
unemployed person who has skill and ambition for the world may feel
useless if his potential isn't being tapped, but he can and does
contribute to society whether he wants to or not according to his
attitude and disposition, his judgment and his moral and ethical
behavior; in these and other areas he can make a good or bad
impression in the world, job or no job as such, until the right
work-situation becomes available - and it will become available if
the rest of the society's members individually and collectively
look to full employment as a vital goal.
     By the same token even an evil man can help to provide what is
good for society on the civil plane. We read often in the Bible and
in the teachings for the New Church how evil men are constantly
used by the Lord to bring about circumstances that are good for the
church or for the general welfare of the world. In fact what
happens typically is that the Lord inspires them through their love
of themselves, thus through their love of reputation, honor and
gain, to do what is best in civic or social life, if only to get
that reward. And many of the evil of this world do more outward
good than the pure in heart because they are so driven by their
love for reward. Surely this is another vital point to keep in mind
as we sort through election issues.
     Ultimately, though, all questions of really good and lasting
government come back to the moral and spiritual integrity of the
individuals who are involved. Government itself is not kind, it is
not generous, it is not wise or industrious; but those who govern
and/or those who give authority or statutes to govern may be kind
and generous and wise and industrious - which of course is
especially the case if they are spiritually minded, sincere and
humble people.
     The Lord through His Divine Providence, that is, the govern-
ment of His Divine love and wisdom, is so wonderfully, profoundly
and intimately involved in all of our lives that we are blithely
unaware of His presence most of the time. Wouldn't it be nice if
our civil servants and administrators could be so subtle, so
refined and so dedicated to our freedoms! Well, there is one way,
and only one way, that they can become such, and that is for each
one of us to take our own spiritual growth and our own spiritual
responsibilities in the world seriously enough to really work at
them, to labor and fight unceasingly for human freedom and
integrity, to make sure our little part of the machinery is formed
as well as it can be, and to stand up and be counted when we have
an opportunity to do so.
     Freedom is of love, and whereas we may be free within
ourselves in self-love, we can only be free among one another when
the spirit of mutual love reigns supreme. This is the Lord's own
Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, and in this Spirit the greatest goods
for all mankind can flourish. Let us pray and work - let us do what
we can to this end. Amen.

Lessons; I Samuel 8; Luke 20:1-8; Doctrine of Charity 127-133 

Preached in La Crescenta, California November 2, 1986
     Doctrine of Charity 127-133
     
 127. The general good exists from the goods of use which individu-
als perform; and the goods of use that individuals perform subsist
from the general good. They are called goods of use because all
goods which are of love to the neighbor or charity are uses, and
all uses are goods. They are therefore in a word called goods of
use. They are also called the fruits of use.
 128. It is known that every man is born to be of use, and that he
may perform uses to others; and he who does not is called a useless
member and is cast off. He who performs uses for himself alone is
also useless, though not called so. In a well constituted common-
wealth, therefore, provision is made that no one shall be useless.
If useless, he is compelled to some work; and a beggar is compelled
if he is in health.
 129. Infants and boys, so long as they are under nurses and
masters, do not indeed perform goods of use; but yet they learn to
perform them, and must have them for an end; thus the good of use
is in the end. That a house may be built, the materials must first
be provided, and the foundation laid, and the walls erected; and so
finally it is inhabited. The good of a house is the dwelling in it.
 130. The general good consists in these things: That in the
society or kingdom there shall be, I. What is Divine with them. II.
That there shall be justice with them. III. That there shall be
morality with them. IV. That there shall be industry, knowledge,
and uprightness with them. V. That there shall be the necessaries
of life. VI. That there shall be the things necessary to their
occupations. VII. That there shall be the things necessary for
protection. VIII. That there shall be a sufficiency of wealth,
because from this come the three former necessaries.
 131. From these arises the general good; and yet it does not come
of these themselves but from the individuals there, and through the
goods of use which individuals perform; as that what is Divine is
there through ministers, and justice through magistrates and
judges, so morality exists by means of the Divine and of justice,
and necessaries by means of industrial occupations and commerce,
and so on.
 132. It is known that every general thing is from particulars; and
for that reason it is called general. Whatever, therefore, is the
quality of the parts, such is that of the general; a garden in
general is of such quality as its trees and their fruits; meadows
in general, of such quality as their crops of grass; fields in
general, such as their grains and plants and flowers; a ship in
general is such as all its many parts. The order among the parts
and quality of the parts make the general more perfect or more
imperfect.
 133. That the goods of use which individuals perform subsist from
the general good is known; for each one derives his particular good
of use from the general. All things necessary to life, and also for
occupations, and the wealth by which these necessaries are procured
are from this source. For by the general is meant not only the city
and its society, but the country, and also the government. But as
these are subjects of wide extent, they will be more clearly set
forth in what follows; for there are many varieties, which yet are
in agreement with this law.