**An Active Condition.** Obedience is an active condition or it could not be a principle of consequence. It is closely akin to repentance. Obedience simply means that whenever a truth is revealed, it is obeyed, which by our previous definition is a phase of repentance. The man who is active in carrying out what he knows is truth, is an obedient man. His active obedience to authority is based on intelligence; and the more knowledge a man has concerning the nature of the law in question, the more thoroughly obedient is he. Obedience is not a characteristic of ignorance. **The Restraint of Man.** Obedience to the invariable laws of nature is, usually, considered to be a self-evident necessity. The question of obedience is commonly raised when man exercises authority. Shall a man obey a man? The first consideration in the answer to this question is whether the system which the man in authority represents is based on truth. If so, then intelligent man will be bound to render obedience to the system, even if it is exercised through imperfect man. The second consideration is whether the man is acting within his authority in the organization. This can always be determined, simply, by laying the matter before the bodies constituted to settle such matters. With the exception of the First Presidency, every officer in the Church has a limited jurisdiction. The third consideration is whether the matter to which authority has been applied is at all under the discipline of the organization. No officer in the Church has authority beyond matters that pertain to the Church. Any authority exercised beyond that field is accepted only at the discretion of the individual members of the Church, and should come only in the form of counsel. If yes is the answer to these three considerations, obedience must be rendered by a progressing man. If no is the answer, obedience should not be yielded, but the matter should be tried before the proper courts. The restraint of man in the exercise of authority derived from eternal laws, is as compelling as the restraint of nature, because they are parts of the same whole. **The Life of Law.** Obedience is nothing more than a compliance with truth. Truth is of no consequence to a man if it is not used. The moment truth is used, obedience begins. Man, and the Church to which he belongs, are active organisms, interested in progress. When truth is given them, promises to use that truth should be required, else all is in vain. Lives conforming to law, alone, are moving onward. For that reason, for every gift to man a promise is required, and usually a statement of the punishment that will follow the non-use or misuse of it. Obedience to truth means progress; refusal to use truth means retrogression.