Article October 17, 1914 Issue

Way of the Lord

INEZ KOCH

It is recorded in the books of Moses that "the Lord went before them [the children of Israel] by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light." In all their pilgrimage through the wilderness, "he took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people." Spiritually interpreted, this may mean that divine Love is guiding us all the time through the material wilderness of false beliefs, in the way of understanding. The spiritual interpretation of light is understanding. Jesus pointed this out clearly when in answer to Thomas' query, "Lord, we know not wither thou goest; and how can we know the way?" he said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Manifestly the human personality of Jesus could not in itself be regarded as the way of infinite Mind, and we understand this pregnant saying only when we recognize the great fact that Mind, or Spirit, can be manifested through spiritual consciousness alone. Everything that is not Mind, is opposed to it, and therefore, to reach the way of God, or Truth, through material thinking, is impossible.

In face of the supposed actuality of a material universe, our efforts at spiritual thinking all seem frustrated by so-called laws of nature, heredity, etc., but Jesus' work was never frustrated by these laws. He annulled every one of them by understanding the law of God. Moreover, he was the Wayshower. He taught us that we also should know this law, the truth that makes us free. It seems, therefore, that our primal necessity in following the Master is to understand what this way is. Jesus proved that he understood God's nature and law by his works, healing the sick, saving the sinner, and raising the dead. This he did simply through his spiritual ascendency, and by absolutely discrediting all and every material evidence; that is, through his scientific knowledge of spiritual causation.

In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy points this out when she says (p. 170), "Spiritual causation is the one question to be considered, for more than all others spiritual causation relates to human progress." To recognize God, Spirit, as the only cause, means to recognize that the effect, the universe including man, is spiritual, It does not require a great deal of learning to grasp this; it requires only an honest desire to understand it. So long as we persist in honoring man-made laws and material theories, we are not honestly desiring to follow the Christ, Truth. It is the carnal mind, the "enmity against God," which would rob us of our birthright of dominion and power over sin, disease, and death. Our protection from its evil influence lies in the knowledge that it "profiteth nothing." It is always based on the supposition that matter is an intelligent entity, with power to create or destroy. This, it is clear, cannot be true, for God, Spirit, is the only cause, and all real effects are in the divine Mind. All the claims of material sense are but the manifested beliefs in falsity. In proportion as we gain the true understanding of being, or God, in that measure are we freed from the illusion of mortal sense, and we find that this understanding is leading us in paths of righteousness, in the way of right thinking.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

"The night shineth"