As the Christian Science movement plunges into the second century of its healing mission, the Manual of The Mother Church provided by Mary Baker Eddy for its government becomes more and more important to the maturing church membership. The members know that obedience to its By-Laws will help determine the speed with which the world progresses out of the fog of materialism into the atmosphere of Spirit where divine Love governs absolutely.
Article I, Section 9, of the Manual includes these words: "Law constitutes government, and disobedience to the laws of The Mother Church must ultimate in annulling its Tenets and By-Laws. Without a proper system of government and form of action, nations, individuals, and religion are unprotected; hence the necessity of this ByLaw and the warning of Holy Writ: 'That servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.'" While the By-Law from which these words are taken is captioned, "Duties of Church Officers," these general statements concern all members. Obedience and protection are significantly connected. Animal magnetism, or evil mind, cannot break into and upset the state of consciousness that obeys God's will.
Disobedience to divine law forfeits the protection of that law, for it shuts the culprit out of the realm of Spirit, where God's law is invariably enforced. And this is equally true of disobedience to a body of law that represents divine requirements such as the Manual. True laws protect when they are obeyed.
