God Arises
Religion and Society
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but there will be no such escape route when we
stand before God. There will be no escaping the
infinitely greater punishment that awaits us in the
next world.
An incident, which occurred during the reign of
King James I of England, is a good illustration of
how indispensable religious faith is to justice. King
James has proclaimed himself an absolute monarch,
which meant that he could decide cases himself,
without having recourse to courts of law. The Lord
Chancellor, Lord Coke—a religious man, famed for
the long hours he spent in worship—cautioned the
King that he had no right to take final decision, and
that all cases should be decided in courts of law. “It
is my opinion,” the monarch countered, “and I have
heard as much from others, that your laws are
based on common sense. Tell me, do I have less of
that than judges?” “There is no doubt of your
masterly intellect and statesmanship,” said the Lord
Chancellor; “but one has to have much practical
experience and specialist knowledge in order to
dispense justice.
