Editorial April 7, 1917 Issue

Law and Gospel

Annie M. Knott

Throughout the gospels we find a clear distinction made between law as humanly conceived and expressed, and law as spiritually understood and demonstrated,—law as expressed in Paul's inspired words, "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." However regarded,—whether in relation to human history in the past, or present-day experience,—law is regarded in widely different ways, which on close analysis seem very strange to the spiritual thinker. For instance, it is believed by the majority of people outside of Christian Science that "the law of sin and death" to which Paul refers, has its origin in a divine purpose; and, what is more, it is popularly believed that cataclysms in nature, which destroy human life and cause untold suffering, are the direct expression of divine law, and human codes have exonerated mankind from all responsibility for such occurrences by recording on the statute books the decision that these are due to "the act of God." With strange inconsistency mortal mind has, however, condemned the healing of the sick by the understanding of spiritual law, and insisted that man-made laws may by the consent of the majority rule the divine law of healing, demonstrated by Christ Jesus, out of court.

An instance of this kind is to be found in the experience of Paul and Silas at Philippi. They were teaching the power of divine law to overcome evil of every sort, but it appears that a Roman law existed which made punishable any religious innovations that threatened to unsettle the minds of the populace, and on this ground it was very easy to arouse the passions of those whose sense of justice was in no wise even a human expression of divine Principle. Condemned by public sentiment, Paul and Silas were terribly scourged and thrust into "the inner prison," without even being permitted to make any defense at the travesty of a trial which had been gone through.

We however find that their acquaintance with spiritual law met their need even in this great ordeal, and the completeness of this demonstration may well inspire us today to greater effort in our work in Christian Science. We read that all sense of suffering was overcome by the apostles, nor were they faint from the loss of blood which followed their scourging by the Roman lictor. The next step was their complete liberation. Although their feet had been made fast in the stocks, we are told that "every one's bands were loosed;" and we further read that this spiritual liberation reached out to all the surrounding thought, so that even the jailer became their tender ministrant; and what is more, that "he and all his, straightway" accepted the truth.

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