, 1904-05-19

spirituality is not subject to law Is
perhap. natural for wherever law has
been overlooked or NOT studied. it
seems never to have existed.
In nature we know that sudien,c "A
mountain range will appear where
once was "a level plain. Some mighty
upheaval of nature tears mp the level
surface and mighty crags and rocky
peaks are thrown up and instead Of
the level plain the swelling hills out
line the horizon. Once man thought
it was arbitrary, disorderly, unex-
pected, and outside the law of evolu-
ton. But a study of the law shows
us that there is nothing disorderly in
the outburst of "A volcano any more
than there is disorder in the slow and
even growth of the sea bottom. We
now know that all natural processes
whether slow and gradual or Gala
! clysmic, are orderly in their happen
ing.
1t is the same in the spiritual
world. A sudden change happens
in the spiritual life of IA man, the
whole character becomes wholly al
tered, the whole nature changed to
all outward appearances But those
who observe and study know that
even here law is supreme. In this
there is nothing more disorderly or
contrary to law than is felt in the
hurricane, or the roar of the ocean
after a storm or in the storm itself
We know this because we are begin
ming to realize that Sin the spiritual
universe as well as in the physical,
there is one Supreme Life manifest
ing in an infinite variety OF ways, and
that that life is ever orderly in its
workings, no matter how strange, no
matter how unexpected, they may
seem to he to our dim and purbIind
ewes.
What does the word Law
mean? The law of the land is Il
term understood by every one.
1t is an everchanging thing,
changing with the ideas of the people
who make it, whether it be the will of
the Car or the voice of the people
who frames it. 1t is always made.
1t is a command issued. The will of
a
whoever made it can change it and
enforce it and also exact the penalty.
If such and such "A law is broken,
such and such "a law is broken. such
and such will be the penalty.
Further the penalties for the same
infraction differ i'll different ages
as well as in diff rent countries at
the same time. The penalties are as
arbitrary and changing as the laws
themselves. The one thing to re-
member is that the penalties are not
results of the act which has broken
the law. The penalty is artiiicially
attached to the crime and can be
changed at the within of the law max
er. If a mar steals. in one nation he
will be imprisoned, in another he will
be punished with the whip, in ano
ther the knife will cut off the offend.
ing hand, and in another capital pun
Ishment will follow the theft. In ev.
cry case the penalty has nothing to
do with the act.
But the Laws of Nature are differ.
ent. They are not commands issued
by any authority. A Law of Nature
is a statement oG conditions under
which Il certain thing invariably oc-
%curs-not a command but a statement
of certain conditions which are al
ways the precursor of the result.
The Laws of Nature are unchanging
and immutable nor can they be re.
pealed. The reason of this is that
they are expressions of the Divine
Nature i'll which there is no variable
ness or shadow of turning. Nature
never says do this" "Do that"
The Law says "If such and such con
ditions arise, such and such results
will follow" when the conditions
change, the results will change with
them.
Nature does not punish. She has
no arbitrary punishments, There is
nothing more than the conditions and
the sequence.
To carry the analogy further, the
law of man can be broken, but the
Law OF Nature can not be broken
There is no violation to the Laws of
Nature. The law Of man can be- brok.
on but the Law of Nature can not be
broken. 1t remains the same what
ever you may do. Dash yourself in.
to pieces against it but it remains un-
changed-iirm as a rock. Thus is
the Law invariable, inviolable, I'M