Editorial September 6, 1919 Issue

Obedience

Ella W. Hoag

From cover to cover the Bible proclaims one necessity. "Hear my voice and obey it," is God's perpetual demand of the children of men. Never has the world been without such constant admonition. Never has it been left in ignorance as to what the command involves. At one time it has been stated with all the authority of Deity, "Walk before me, and be thou perfect." At another with the tenderness of infinite Love it has declared, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Again the demand for obedience to infinite good has been presented in the "Thou shalt nots" of the Mosaic Decalogue; and yet again there has been the care of the loving Father pointing out the dangers which must result from disobedience. Never has it been other than the divine voice declaring the omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience of the one infinite God, the All-good, always caring perfectly for His creation.

To obey God is a harmony-producing activity. Mrs. Eddy tells us (Science and Health, p. 183): "Divine Mind rightly demands man's entire obedience, affection, and strength. No reservation is made for any lesser loyalty. Obedience to Truth gives man power and strength. Submission to error superinduces loss of power." Obedience to God is the law of freedom. Law seems prohibitive only to the disobedient. The obedient are never conscious of any restraint from law. Law is protective to them and is welcomed as a beneficent provision. It is a strong tower of defense where one may hide from the assaults of the enemy.

But the question has always been, What constitutes the voice of God? How can one know when God is speaking? Christian Science answers this with wonderful clearness. Starting as it does with the truth that God is infinite Mind, it immediately deduces the conclusion that man must know God through His thoughts. In Science and Health (p. 462) we find: "Anatomy, when conceived of spiritually, is mental self-knowledge, and consists in the dissection of thoughts to discover their quality, quantity, and origin. Are thoughts divine or human? That is the important question." And again, on page 581, we have the definition of Angels: "God's thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality."

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