Meredith’s Lucifer looked up at the army of unalterable law and his heart sank. He knew he had bitten off more than he could chew. ‘The stars in their courses fought against Sisera,’ sang Deborah and Barak after their victory. In both poems we have questions of law, inflexible and intimidating, and the part played by the array of stars. Every generation has pondered these matters.
We have rejected astrology and we are sceptical about the claims of supernatural assistance given to one side or another in great and little wars. We have decided that for good or for ill God is on the side of the big battalions. At least we think that way when we look back. In times of trouble we may yet be resolute. We think the little man may stand a chance.
But the laws that govern the universe we inhabit are not only inflexible and intimidating; they are guarantees of security. We can rely on solstice and equinox, on gravity and inertia generation after generation. If that is the case, we have an expression of the mind of the Creator that inspires us to explore the consequences of such design.
From the heights of a Maker’s cosmic design we come down to law constructed by humans. This is different territory. Laws covering human behaviour are subject to change and are contingent. They are related to the kind of society that brought them into being. They are imperfect, partial and subject to appeal.
Our laws are, however, to be respected. See Romans 13.1. Without laws society is a jungle. We may not always see the point of particular legislation or its enforcement but law-keeping is a duty. In the quaint terms of our BCP catechism we know that we are to keep our hands from picking and stealing and to do our duty ‘in that state of life, unto which it shall please God to call me.’ It is easy to understand how, from such provisos, religion can be seen as a means of social control. But the BCP goes wider than petty theft and contentment with one’s lot. It points the way to a society in which we get on with each other and are true and just in our dealings.
Due respect requires consent. And this is right and proper. That respect is given on the basis of the clarity and justice achieved by the legislators. It is important that we do not lose sight of this aspect of what is due.
REMEMBER PEEL
Everybody knows one thing about Bury, now part of Greater Manchester. It was Robert Peel’s birthplace and there is a statue of him in the town centre. There is also a monument, an imposing but bare tower, giving a commanding view of the town. The bronze statue was designed by Edward Hodges Baily, who had previously designed the statue of Nelson in Trafalgar Square. The parish church is enormous, with a touch of French influence in its loftiness. The Rector is Julian Heaton.
Peel was not only Prime Minister. He also gave rise to the police service as we know it today, members of which were, of course, referred to as bobbies and peelers. This puts him on the same level as Lord Reith as a founder of one of our national institutions. He came round to favour Catholic Emancipation in 1829.
‘TEN MINUTES WITH GOD’
Another grand building not far from Bury is Christ Church, Wilshaw. This is an uncompromising neo-gothic structure that dominates the skyline. In 2019 it underwent a transformation, losing its pews, gaining chairs, a kitchen and toilets. The Vicar is Steve Openshaw. He has produced a ‘Ten minutes with God’ series of videos.
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