Article July 24, 1926 Issue

Spiritual Law

FRANCES KASTEN

On page 259 of "Miscellaneous Writings" Mrs. Eddy says: "Whatever appears to be law, but partakes not of the nature of God, is not law, but is what Jesus declared it, 'a liar, and the father of it.' God is the law of Life, not of death; of health, not of sickness; of good, not of evil." In this brief statement our Leader has set forth two important points. First, she has shown that law is spiritual, emanating from God; secondly, she has provided the way whereby every individual may with absolute certainty distinguish between that which is law—unchanging, divine, eternal—and that which is only material belief, the opposite, the counterfeit, of law. Since true law must partake of the nature of God, naturally one's first step will be to find out what God is—to become so familiar with His divine nature that one may readily discern and obey the enactments or decrees of God and reject the spurious demands of a so-called power utterly opposed to God.

In her various writings Mrs. Eddy has used a number of synonyms for God which reveal and explain His nature or character, and among these are Life, Mind, Love. When we think of God as Life, can we ever be deceived into accepting as law that which claims the ability to weaken, incapacitate, and finally destroy that which is eternal, unchanging Being? When we think of God as Mind, the creator of the infinite universe of ideas, wholly spiritual, is it reasonable to believe that matter, which is only illusion, the opposite of divine Mind, could formulate a law which could affect in any way these ideas of Mind? Truly, matter with its claims and beliefs is nonexistent, since Mind, God, fills all space. When we learn to know God as Love, can we classify anything that causes unhappiness, discord, poverty, sickness, disaster, and sorrow as law, as that which partakes of the gentle, compassionate nature of God, our Father? So, by following the simple, practical teaching given by Mrs. Eddy in the quotation above referred to, we begin to get a glimpse of the only law there is, the law of Spirit, God, good. We begin to see that only the righteous, just commands of God, which bring health, holiness, and happiness, are entitled to be classified as law, and that our only duty is to obey and apply these laws and so reap the blessings which are inseparable from them.

But, one may say, what of the laws of heredity, environment, sin, sickness, death, which for ages have played such havoc in men's lives, forcing upon them the burdens of weakness, deformity, incurable diseases, discordant surroundings, evil impulses and desires? How is one to break the fetters of these remorseless powers that seem to shackle him in spite of his every sincere effort to escape their bondage? What steps may be taken to bring one's self under the control of the laws of God, and thus be freed from these taskmasters, who, as the Egyptians of old, make "the children of Israel to serve with rigour"?

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