Cut into the stone below the cornice of a beautiful public building, situated in one of our large cities, is the inscription, "Obedience To Law Is Liberty." Now this structure, devoted in great part to the courts of law, overlooks a lake shore, and it is on the lake side that the inscription is placed, where perhaps few people read it because on this side of the building the land falls away to a multiplicity of railroad tracks and newly made land beyond. A walk along the top of the embankment is the only point of vantage from which to make out the lettering, and this promenade is rarely used. The city dwellers who visit the building enter it from the street side, and it is safe to say that few of these know of the words of profound wisdom inscribed upon the opposite facade of their courthouse.

One day a Christian Scientist explored the lake front of this building, and his first glance upward presented to him the legend, "Obedience To Law Is Liberty." Then there began a train of thought. The irrefutable truth of that statement was inspiringly clear. Here was an eternal fact beside which the duration of a stone edifice was as nothing; and yet, as the very presence of the courthouse proved, it was a fact not uniformly practiced.

"Obedience To Law Is Liberty"! How simple it is; and yet at first glance a seeming paradox, because obedience implies some measure of restriction, and liberty suggests lack of restraint! Advocates of "personal liberty"—often a misleading term for license—would be reluctant to accept such a definition of liberty. Where is the freedom, they might ask, in being forced to obey hampering laws? But careful consideration of everyday life will reveal that there could be no true liberty, no untroubled enjoyment of peace, happiness, and harmony, in a lawless land. In the effort to spread their discord, error, vice, and crime can see no liberty in obedience to law; but what good citizen wants to give free rein to this undesirable triad?

If one contemplates the branches of so-called human knowledge, it will be seen that there can be no freedom to express success in them without obedience to the rules that govern them. To learn a language correctly its rules must be adhered to; to write a poem, to paint a picture, to produce music of the required standard for good work, definite laws must be obeyed. Such is also the case in such activities as navigation, engineering, and business. Laws governing the social mingling of peoples have been set up to make possible an orderly manner of living; and as long as one obeys them he is free to enjoy success and happiness. He who breaks these laws, however, finds that, instead of liberty, he has incurred for himself a very serious loss of freedom of action; and, instead of being freer than those of his fellows who obey the laws, he finds himself in the predicament of having no personal freedom whatever.

Now, humanly considered, this legend concerning obedience to law refers only to what is known as material living. To the Christian Scientist who studied the inscription on the courthouse came the thought that if this rule is unerringly true for so-called human existence, how much truer it is in the real or spiritual sense of being, wherein the law to be obeyed is the law of God. As true followers of Christ Jesus know, God's law is supreme, and obedience to it brings the realization of true liberty. Man-made laws often vary according to race and country, but the law of God is unchanging, eternal, and universal.

As recorded in the eighth chapter of John, Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." The truth here referred to by the Master is the knowledge of God as Spirit and of man's spiritual sonship. It is the exact knowledge of the perfect relationship existing between the real man and God, and obedience to that relationship, which makes possible the demonstration of harmonious living. That Christ Jesus knew the truth and possessed the freedom which went with it, is obvious. His works are proof of this. Jesus gave further enlightenment on the subject of true liberty when he said, as recorded in the fourteenth chapter of John, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." Here is a plain stipulation that freedom from the bondage of material belief, such as was experienced by Christ Jesus himself, must be gained by believing on him. So in these two statements the Christian Scientist, in his endeavor to attain freedom, recognizes two commands to obey: to know the truth and to believe on Christ Jesus.

Knowing the truth and believing on, or understanding, Christ, Truth, is preeminently the work of the Christian Scientist. He must constantly know the truth in order to bring it to bear on the affairs of daily living; and he believes on the Christ, Truth, whenever he lets that Mind be in him "which was also in Christ Jesus." As one persists in doing these two things, one can experience real freedom, true liberty, deliverance from the woes and ills which in belief haunt the human race. Being in earnest, such a one will not be deceived by the delusion of so-called personal liberty. Instead of revolting against these laws and the many others that are set forth in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, he will seek them out, learn them, and strive to obey them. On his way he will be encouraged by the words of his Leader (Science and Health, p. 183), "Obedience to Truth gives man power and strength;" and according to his patience will be his reward.

Obeying the laws of God and attaining a greater measure of the freedom whereof Jesus spoke was the great work at which Mrs. Eddy labored for many fruitful years. The results of her consecration are left to mankind in the worldwide activity of the Christian Science movement which is based upon the omnipotence of God revealed in her writings. Mrs. Eddy acknowledged Christ Jesus as our example. Christian Scientists follow their Leader in her obedience to Christ, Truth; and as they do this they find themselves tasting of true liberty, because they are learning to obey the same laws of God that Jesus obeyed. What an inspiration to know that the liberty which was realized by Jesus and by Mrs. Eddy may also be realized by the Christian Scientist in the measure of his obedience to the law of God!