Chapter 18: 'Science and Health with Key to The Scriptures' by Mary Baker Eddy

Chapter XVIII - Fruitage

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the birth of my first child, and at one time necessitated

an operation. I suffered with about all the ills that

flesh is heir to: I had trouble with my eyes from a child;

wore glasses for fourteen years, several oculists saying

I would go blind, one declaring I would be blind in less

than a year if I did not submit to an operation, which I

refused to do.

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But thanks be to God whose Truth reached me through

the study of our textbook. Words fail to express what

Christian Science has done for me in various ways, for

my children, my home, my all. The physical healing

is but a small part; the spiritual unfolding and uplifting

is the "pearl of great price," the half that has never been

told. – Mrs. J. P. M., Kansas City, Mo.

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TEXTBOOK APPRECIATED

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It has been my privilege to have interviews with

representatives of more than sixty per cent of the na-

tions of this earth, under their own vine and fig-tree.

I had never heard a principle understandingly ad-

vanced that would enable mankind to obey the apos-

tolic command, "prove all things," until Science and

Health with Key to the Scriptures was placed in my

hands. I believe that the honest study of this book

in connection with the Bible will enable one to "prove

all things."

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I make this unqualified statement because of what

my eyes have seen and my ears heard from my fellow‑

men of unquestioned integrity, and the positive proofs

I have gained by the study of these books. Many

supposed material laws that had been rooted and

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grounded in my mentality from youth have been over-

come. It required some time for me to wake up to

our Leader's words in Miscellaneous Writings, p. 206:

"The advancing stages of Christian Science are gained

through growth, not accretion." I had many disappoint-

ments and falls before I was willing to do the scientific

work required to prove this statement; yet notwithstanding

the cost to ourselves, I am convinced that we cannot do

much credit to the cause we profess to love until we place

ourselves in a position to prove God as He really is to us

individually, and our relation to Him, by scientific work.

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I wish to express loving gratitude to our Leader for

the new edition of Science and Health. In studying

this new edition one cannot help seeing the wisdom,

love, and careful and prayerful thought expressed in

the revision. Often the changing of a single word in

a sentence makes the scientific thought not only more

lucid to him who is familiar with the book, but also to

those just coming into the blessed light. All honor to

that God-loving, God-fearing woman, Mary Baker G.

Eddy, whose only work is the work of love in the helping

of mankind to help themselves; who has placed before her

fellow-men understandingly, what man's divine rights are,

and what God really is. – H. W. B., Hartford, Conn.

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RUPTURE AND OTHER SERIOUS ILLS HEALED

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When I took up the study of Christian Science

nearly three years ago, I was suffering from a very

bad rupture of thirty-two years' standing. Sometimes

the pain was so severe that it seemed as if I could not

endure it. These spells would last four or five hours,

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and while everything was done for me that could be

done, no permanent relief came to me until I com-

menced reading Science and Health with Key to the

Scriptures. After I had once looked into it I wanted to

read all the time. I was so absorbed in the study of

the "little book" that I hardly realized when the healing

came, but I was healed, not only of the rupture, but also

of other troubles, – inflammatory rheumatism, catarrh,

corns, and bunions.

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I would never part with the book if I could not get

another. I am seventy-seven years old, and am enjoy-

ing very good health. – Mrs. M. E. P., St. Johnsbury, Vt.

648:13
MOTHER AND DAUGHTER HEALED

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When Christian Science came to me, I had been tak-

ing medicine every day for twenty years, on account of

constipation. I had been treated by doctors and spe-

cialists; had taken magnetic treatments and osteopathy;

had tried change of climate; had an operation in a hospital,

and when I came out was worse than before. I was

so discouraged, after I had tried everything I ever heard

of, and was no better but rather grew worse, that it seemed

as though I must give up trying to get well, when a friend

suggested that I try Christian Science. I had heard

that Christian Scientists healed by prayer, and I thought

this must be the way Jesus had healed. I felt that this

was all there was left for me to try. I sent for the book,

Science and Health, and commenced to read it out of

curiosity, not thinking or knowing that I could be helped

by the reading, but thinking I must still take medicine

and that I must also have treatment by a Scientist. I,

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however, dropped my medicine and read for three days;

then a light began to shine in the darkness. I was healed

of the trouble and have never had to take medicine since.

I have studied Science and Health faithfully ever since,

and other ailments have disappeared. My little daughter

has also been healed and has learned to use this knowledge

in her school work. – Mrs. O. R., Leadville, Col.

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LIVER COMPLAINT HEALED

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As my thoughts go back to the time when I believed

I had nothing to live for, and when each morning's awak-

ing from sleep brought a sense of disappointment to find

myself still among the living (for I had hoped each night

that I closed my eyes in sleep that it would be the last

time), my heart overflows with love and gratitude to

God for our dear Leader who discovered this blessed

truth and to the dear ones who have helped me so lov-

ingly and patiently over many rough places.

649:18
Twelve years ago, I consulted a physician because I

had noticed some odd-looking spots on one of my arms.

He said they were liver spots, but that it was not worth

while prescribing for those few, that I should wait until

I was covered with them. About three months later,

with the exception of my face and hands, I was covered

with them. Then I became alarmed and called on

another physician who prescribed for me, but he finally

said he could do no more for me. Other physicians

were consulted with no better results. Six years ago,

friends advised me to see their family physician, and

when I called on him he said he was positive he could

cure me, so I asked him to prescribe for me. At the

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end of two years, after prescribing steadily, he said I

was so full of medicine that he was afraid to have me

take any more, and advised a rest. After having paid

out a small fortune, I was no better, and very much

discouraged.

650:6
Two years ago, having failed in business, I applied to

one of my patrons for a furnished room where I could

meet the few I still had left. This lady, who is a Christian

Scientist, loaned me Science and Health, and because

she asked me so often how I was getting on with the

book, I began reading it. I also attended the Wednes-

day evening meetings which I found very interesting.

After hearing the testimonies at the meetings, I decided

to speak to some practitioner about these spots, but

not until I had at least a hundred dollars on hand, be-

cause I thought I would require that amount for treat-

ments, as I had been accustomed to paying high prices.

I had not inquired about prices, and in fact did not speak

to any one about my intentions, because I felt sensitive

on this subject. When I had read about half of Science

and Health, I missed the spots, and upon searching

could find no trace of them. They had entirely dis-

appeared without treatment. In a few weeks the read-

ing of that book had accomplished what materia medica

had failed to accomplish in ten years. It is impossible

to express the feeling of relief and happiness which came

over me then. – C. K., Astoria, N. Y.

650:28
A CONVINCING INVESTIGATION

650:29
While I have testified to those around me and in many

localities, of my healing in Christian Science, I feel that

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it is high time I put the candle in the candlestick where

all who will may see. My earliest recollection was a day

of suffering, – a physical inheritance from my mother,

which gave simple interest for a time until years ad-

vanced and compound interest was added. My father

was a physician, and material remedies were used for

my mother without avail, consequently his confidence

in them for me was shaken, – in fact he often told me

it was better to suffer without medicine than become a

chronic doser, without pain.

651:11
I began teaching in early life and continued for more

than twenty years, and during that time not a day passed

without pain, or fear of pain, and only for my innate

love of life it would have become an intolerable burden.

For five years oatmeal was my chief food and I became

almost as attached to it as Kaspar Hauser to his crust.

I was early taught to have faith in God, and many times

was relieved of pain only to have it appear again in an

aggravated form.

651:20
At last my heart cried out for the living God, and

the answer came by one of His messengers, who told

me of Christian Science. I replied that I believed God

could heal, but that I had no faith in the healing of Chris-

tian Science, but would like to investigate its theology,

as it might aid in giving me some clue to the meaning

of life. For three years I had searched the works of

the most scientific writers to find the origin of life; many

times I would think I had traced it to the beginning,

but it would elude my grasp every time. One day in

talking with my friend, she said she would like to loan

me the textbook, Science and Health, which I very will-

ingly accepted. Not long afterward I felt a severe

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attack of suffering. I opened the book for the first

time and found a paragraph near the middle which

attracted my attention. I read the same paragraph over

and over for nearly two hours. When the tea bell rang

I closed the book and I shall never forget my per-

ception of the new heaven and the new earth, – every-

thing in nature that I could see seemed to have been

washed and made clean. The flowers that I have

always loved so much, and that from childhood had

told me such sweet stories, now spoke to me of the

All-in-all, the hearts of my friends seemed kinder, – I

had touched the hem of the garment of healing.

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I ate my supper that evening forgetful of the prepa-

rations I had made for suffering, and when the next

day began I was more zealous of good work than ever

before. Since closing Science and Health at my first

reading I have never been able to find the paragraph

which I had read so many times over, the words seemed

to have slipped away from me, but my joy knew no

bounds at having found the pearl of great price. By

the continued reading of the book I was entirely

healed, and for fourteen years I have not seen a day

of physical suffering. – Miss L. M., Rome, N. Y.

652:24
DEAFNESS AND DROPSY HEALED

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I had been deaf from childhood. I suffered intensely

after eating, and dropsy was another of my complaints.

This, with consumption, caused one doctor to say, "It

puzzles me; I have never seen such a case before as

yours."

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I met a friend who had been cured in Christian

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Science, and she said, "Try Christian Science." I got

a copy of Science and Health and in three weeks I

was entirely cured. I felt uplifted. It seemed as if

God's arms were around and about me. I felt as if

heaven had come down to earth for me. After five

years of suffering can any one wonder at my unspeak-

able gratitude? – A. B., Pittsburg, Pa.

653:8
GRATEFUL FOR MANY BLESSINGS

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In 1894 I began the study of Christian Science. At

that time I was greatly in need of its healing truth.

For a number of years previous I had been a semi‑

invalid with no hope of ever being well and strong

again. Several years before this time I had undergone

an operation which resulted in peritonitis. For three

years previous to my study of Science and Health

by Mrs. Eddy, I was scarcely ever free from headache

caused by the weakened and diseased condition of the

internal organs. At the time I began the study of

Christian Science I was taking five kinds of medicine.

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I began to read Science and Health, and did not

take treatment, for I thought, "If this is truth, I shall

be healed; if it is not, I shall be able to detect it,

and will have nothing to do with it." I became a

devoted student and gradually my bodily diseases left

me, – I was free, and since that time, nearly ten

years ago, neither my two children nor myself have

taken any medicine; and our understanding of truth

has been able to meet and overcome any suggestion of

illness.

653:30
I was a devoted member of an orthodox church,

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but as I grew older I began to question my beliefs,

and to my questions I could find no satisfactory an-

swer. I became dissatisfied and finally ceased attend-

ing church. I could not accept the idea of God taught

there, and at last my friends looked sadly upon me as

an atheist. There I stood until I learned to know God

as revealed in Science and Health, and then all my

questionings were answered. In my girlhood I had

always prayed to the God I held in mind, and when

the shadows of sickness pain, and death came to my

family, I prayed as only those can who know that if

He helps not, there is none; but my prayers were

unanswered. Then I closed my Bible, saying, "There

is a mistake somewhere, perhaps some time I may

know."

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Only those who know the attitude of mind that I

was in can understand the joy that came to me as I

began to learn of God in Christian Science, and of my

relation to Him.

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Many proofs of the healing power of Truth and of

His protecting care throng my thoughts. Seven years

ago, when we were in a far distant country, where

Christian Science was then unknown, my little daughter

came in one morning from her school, saying, "Mother,

I have measles; twenty of the girls are sick in bed and I

am afraid they will put me there also." Her face, hands,

and chest were covered with a deep red rash, throat sore,

and eyes inflamed. We began immediately to do our work

in Science and at night, when I left her at the door of the

college, her face was clear, her eyes bright, and all fear

destroyed. That was the end of the disease. – F. M. P.,

Boston, Mass.

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A JOYFUL EXPERIENCE

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In love and gratitude to God, and to Mrs. Eddy, the

interpreter of Jesus' beautiful teachings, I wish to tell

of some of the benefits which I have received from

Christian Science. It is a little over a year since

Science found me in a deplorable condition, physically

as well as mentally. I had ailments of many years'

standing, – chronic stomach trouble, severe eye trouble,

made almost unbearable from the constant fear of

losing my sight (a fate which had befallen my

mother), also a painful rupture of twenty-five years'

standing. These ailments, combined with unhappy

conditions in my home, made me very despondent. I

had entirely lost my belief in an all-merciful God, and

I did not know where to turn for help. At that time

Christian Science was brought to my notice, and I shall

never forget the sublime moment when I perceived that

an all-loving Father is always with me. Forgotten was

all sorrow and worry, and after four weeks' reading in

Science and Health all my ailments had disappeared.

I am today a healthy, contented woman.

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All this has come to pass in one short year, and my

earnest desire is to be more and more worthy to be

called a child of God. This is in loving gratitude for

an understanding of this glorious truth. – Mrs. R. J.,

Chicago, Ill.

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AN EVER-PRESENT HELP

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It is a year since I began to read Science and Health,

and I will now try to outline what a knowledge of its

teachings has done for me.

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My condition was then very trying; my eyes, which

had caused me much trouble since childhood, were

very painful. For these I had been treated by some

of the best specialists in my native land, and after

coming to the United States I had been doctored

much and had worn glasses for four years. I also had

catarrh, for which I had taken much medicine without

being relieved. In addition to this I was an excessive

smoker, using tobacco in some form almost constantly.

I had contracted a smoker's heart, and used liquors

freely.

656:12
The one who brought to me that which I now prize

so highly, was a book agent. I told him that I should

be forced to leave my trade on account of my eyes.

He then told me of having been healed of a cancer,

through Christian Science treatment. He showed me

a copy of Science and Health, which had the signs of

much use, and after being assured that if I did my part

I would be healed of all my diseases, I sent for a copy of

the book.

656:21
My recovery was very rapid, for after reading the

book only three weeks I was completely healed of the

tobacco habit. I will say, in regard to this healing,

that it did not require even as much as a resolution

on my part. I was smoking a cigar, while reading

Science and Health, when all the desire to continue

smoking left me, and I have never had a desire to use

tobacco in any form since then. My eyes were the

next to manifest the influence of the new knowledge

gained, and had soon so far recovered that I could go

about my work with ease, and I have had no more

use for glasses. To-day my heart is normal, the catarrh

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has totally disappeared, and I am not addicted to the

use of liquor.

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Christian Science has proved to be an ever-present

help, not only in overcoming physical ailments, but in

business and daily life. It has also overcome a great

sense of fear. The Bible, which I regarded with

suspicion, has become my guide, and Christianity has

become a sweet reality, because the Christian Science

textbook has indeed been a "Key to the Scriptures" and

has breathed through the Gospel pages a sweet sense of

harmony. – A. F., Sioux City, Iowa.

657:12
SEVERE EYE TROUBLE OVERCOME

657:13
After hearing Christian Science lightly spoken of,

from a Christian pulpit, I decided to go to one of the

services and hear for myself. From infancy I had

been devoted to my church, and as soon as I was old

enough I was ever active in the work. Feeling it to

be my duty to attend every service held in my own

church, I took advantage of the Wednesday evening

meetings. My first visit was not my last, I am thank-

ful to say, for I saw immediately that these people

not only preached Christianity, but practised and lived

it. At that time I was wearing glasses and had worn

them for sixteen years. At times I suffered the most

intense pain, and for this phase of the trouble, one

specialist after another had been consulted. All gave

me very much the same advice; each one urged ex-

treme carefulness and gave me glasses that seemed to

relieve for a time. None of them held out any hope

that my sight would ever be restored, saying that the

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defect had existed since infancy, and that in time I should

be blind.

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The thought of blindness was very distressing to me,

but I tried to bear it with Christian resignation, since

I thought that God had seen fit to afflict me; but since

I have learned that He is a loving Father, who gives

only good, I regret that I ever charged Him with my

affliction. I had no treatment, but I read Science and

Health, and my eyes were healed and glasses laid aside.

I can never find words to express my thanks to our dear

Leader, through whose teachings my sight has been re-

gained. I can truthfully say that "whereas I was blind,

now I see" – through an understanding of Truth I

have found my sight perfect as God gave it. – Miss

B. S., Wilmington, N. C.

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A TESTIMONY FROM IRELAND

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It is with a heart full of love and gratitude to God,

and to our dear Leader, that I send this testimony to

the Field. I had never been a strong girl; had always

been subject to colds and chills, and suffered all my

life from a delicate throat. Seven years ago I had a

very severe attack of rheumatic fever and subsequently

two less severe ones. These left all sorts of evils be-

hind them, – debility, chronic constipation, and several

others, so that with these ills my life was often a

burden to me and I used to think I never should re-

ceive relief or health. I had also lost all love for

God and faith in Him. I could not accept a God who,

as I then believed, visited sickness and sorrow upon

His children as a means for drawing them to Him.

659:1
I was in this state of mind and body when Christian

Science found me. A dear friend, seeing my suffering,

presented the truth to me, and though at first I did not

believe that there could be healing for me, the Chris-

tian Scientists' God seemed to be the one I had been

looking for all my life. I began to read Science and

Health, and shall never forget my joy at finding that

I could love and trust God. I took to studying the

Bible, and read nothing but Science and Health and

other Christian Science literature for a year. After

studying the "little book" for about six weeks, I one

day realized that I was a well woman, that I had taken

no medicine for three weeks, and that my body was

perfectly harmonious. The reading of Science and

Health had healed me. The wonderful joy and spirit-

ual uplifting which came to me then no words of mine

can describe. I had also suffered from astigmatism

and had for several years been obliged to use special

glasses when reading or working, and could never use

my eyes for more than half an hour; but from the first

reading of Science and Health I found that I could read

in any light and for any length of time without the slight-

est discomfort. I am not only grateful for the physi-

cal healing but for the mental regeneration. I rejoice

that I am now able to help others who are sick and sor-

rowing. – E. E. L., Curragh Camp, County Kildare,

Ireland.

659:28
THE TEXTBOOK MAKES OPERATION UNNECESSARY

659:29
In the early part of the year 1895 my physician said I

must undergo a surgical operation in order ever to be well.

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While in great fear, and dreading the operation, a kind

neighbor called, and after telling me of Christian Science

gave me a copy of Science and Health. She said I must

put aside all medicine, and by reading faithfully she knew

I could be healed. The book became my constant com-

panion, and in a short time I was healed. Besides the

relief from an operation, I was completely healed of severe

headaches and stomach trouble. Physicians could give

me no help for either of these ailments. For ten years I

have not used medicine of any kind, and have not missed

a Christian Science service on account of sickness during

this period. I am perfectly well. To say that I am grate-

ful to God for all this does not express my feelings. The

physical healing was wonderful, but the understanding

given me of God, and the ability to help others out-

weigh all else. I also love our dear Leader. – Mrs.

V. I. B., Concord, N. H.

660:18
KIDNEY DISEASE AND EYE TROUBLE HEALED

660:19
Early in 1904 I was teaching in a private boarding‑

school. I was a very unhappy, discontented woman; I

had kidney disease, besides sore eyes, and my general

health was very bad. The doctor said that the climate

did not suit me, and that I certainly should have a change.

The best thing, he said, was to go back to France (my

own country); but I did not like to leave the school, so I

struggled on until July, when we went travelling for a

month, but I came home worse than ever. I had a lot

of worry, one disappointment after another, and I often

thought that life was not worth living. In September,

1904, we heard for the first time of Christian Science

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through a girl who was attending our boarding-school,

and who was healed through Christian Science treatment.

We bought the textbook, "Science and Health with Key

to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, and what a revelation

it was and is to us; it is indeed the fountain of Truth. I

had read Science and Health but a very short time when

I took off my glasses, began to sleep well, and soon found

myself well in mind and body. Besides this, it has brought

harmony into our school, where there had been discord,

and everything is changed for the better. I cannot de-

scribe the happiness that has come to me through Chris-

tian Science; I can only exclaim with the psalmist: "Bless

the Lord, O my soul;" and may God bless Mrs. Eddy.

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My one aim now is to live Christian Science, not in words

only, but in deeds; loving God more and my neighbor as

myself, and following meekly and obediently all our

Leader's teachings. Words cannot express my gratitude

to Mrs. Eddy for Christian Science. – S. A. K., Van-

couver, B. C.

661:20
DISEASE OF BOWELS HEALED

661:21
When I first heard of Christian Science I had been

afflicted for nine years with a very painful disease of the

bowels, which four physicians failed even to diagnose,

all giving different causes for the dreadful sufferings I

endured. The last physician advised me to take no more

medicine for these attacks, as drugs would not reach the

cause, or do any good. About this time I heard of

Christian Science, and had the opportunity of reading

"Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs.

Eddy, a few minutes every day for about a week, and I

662:1
was thereby healed. In looking back I found I had not

suffered in the least from the time I began reading this

book. It has been nearly seventeen years since this won-

derful healing, and I have had no return of the disease.

My gratitude is endless and can be best expressed by

striving mightily to walk in the path our Leader has so

lovingly shown us in Science and Health. – Mrs.

J. W. C., Scranton, Pa.

662:9
HEALED BY READING THE TEXTBOOK

662:10
After doctoring about a year, I was obliged to give

up school and was under medical care for two years;

but grew worse instead of better. I was then taken to

specialists, who pronounced my case incurable, saying

I was in the last stages of kidney disease and could

live only a short time. Shortly afterward my uncle

gave me a copy of "Science and Health with Key to

the Scriptures," and asked me to study it. After study-

ing a short time I was able to walk a distance of several

miles, which I had not been able to do for three years.

I also laid aside glasses which I had worn seven years,

having been told I would become blind if my eyes did

not receive proper care. It is over a year since I re-

ceived God's blessing, and I am now enjoying perfect

health and happiness. I have never had my glasses on

since I first began reading Science and Health, and I have

not used any medicine. – L. R., Spring Valley, Minn.

662:27
A TESTIMONY FROM SCOTLAND

662:28
I came to Christian Science purely for physical healing.

I was very ill and unhappy; very cynical and disbeliev-

ing in regard to what I heard of God and religion.

663:1
I tried to live my life in my own way and put religion

aside. I was a great believer in fate and in will-power,

and thought to put them in the place of God, with

the consequence that I was led to do many rash and

foolish things. I am now thankful to say that my out-

look on life is entirely changed; I have proved God's

wisdom and goodness so often that I am willing and

thankful to know my future is in His hands and that

all things must work out for the best. I have found a

God whom I can love and worship with my whole

heart, and I now read my Bible with interest and

understanding.

663:13
I was healed of very bad rheumatism simply by read-

ing Science and Health. I had tried many medicines,

also massage, with no result, and the doctors told me

that I would always suffer from this disease, as it

was inherited, and also because I had rheumatic fever

when a child. I suffered day and night, and nothing

relieved me until Science proved to me the falseness

of this belief by removing it. I gave up all the medi-

cines I was taking and have never touched any since,

and that is more than two years ago. Before this I

had often tried to do without a medicine that I had

taken every day for ten years, but was always ill and had

to return to it, until I found out that one Mind is the only

medicine, and then I was freed from the suffering.

663:27
I had also suffered constantly from bilious attacks,

colds, and a weak chest, and had been warned not to

be out in wet weather, etc., but now, I am glad to say,

I am quite free from all those material laws and go

out in all sorts of weather. – R. D. F., Edinburgh,

Scotland.

664:1
CURING BETTER THAN ENDURING

664:2
For eight years I was a great sufferer from weak

lungs and after being treated by ten different physi-

cians, in the States of Illinois, Missouri, and Colo-

rado, I was told there was no hope of my recovery

from what they pronounced tuberculosis, which was

hereditary, my father having been afflicted with it. I

was greatly emaciated and hardly able to be about.

My general condition was aggravated by what the doc-

tors said was paralysis of the bowels. Three physi-

cians so diagnosed it at different times, and assured

my husband that I could never get more than tem-

porary relief. This indeed I found difficult to obtain,

in spite of my almost frantic efforts. At times I was

nearly insane from suffering, and after eight years of

doctoring I found myself steadily growing worse. For

four years I did not have a normal action of the bowels,

and it was only by extreme effort and by resort to pow-

erful drugs or mechanical means, with resultant suffering,

that any action whatever could be brought about.

664:21
I had heard nothing of the curative power of Chris-

tian Science, and only to oblige a friend I went one

night, about three years ago, to one of their mid-week

testimonial meetings, in Boulder, Colorado. I was much

impressed by what I heard there, and determined at once

to investigate this strange religion, in the hope that it

might have something good for me. I bought the text-

book, Science and Health, and from the first I found

myself growing stronger and better, both physically and

mentally, as I acquired a better understanding and en-

deavored toput into practice what I learned. In one week

665:1
I was able to get along better without drugs than I had for

years with them, and before three months had passed I

was better than I had been any time in my life, for I

had always suffered more or less from bowel trouble.

Since that time I have taken no medicine whatever, and

rely wholly upon Christian Science. My lungs are now

sound, my bowels normally active, my general health

excellent, and I am able to endure without fatigue

tasks that before would have prostrated me. The

study of our textbook was the sole means of my healing.

– L. M. St. C., Matachin, Canal Zone, Panama.

665:12
SEVERE ECZEMA DESTROYED

665:13
It is only two years since I came from darkness into

the light of Christian Science, and to me the spiritual

uplifting has been wonderful, to say nothing of the

physical healing. Words cannot express my gratitude

for benefits I have received in that time. For five

years I suffered with that dreaded disease, eczema, all

over my body. Five doctors said there was no help

for me. The suffering seemed as terrible as the hell

fire that I had been taught to believe in. When Christian

Science came to me two years ago through a dear friend,

she gave me a copy of Science and Health and asked

me to read it. I told her that I would, for I was like a

drowning man grasping at a straw. I had been a Bible

student for twenty-eight years, but when I commenced

reading Science and Health with the Bible I was healed

in less than a week. I never had a treatment. A case

of measles was also destroyed in twenty-four hours after

it appeared. – Mrs. M. B. G., Vermilion, Ohio.

666:1
SCIENCE AND HEALTH A PRICELESS BOON

666:2
I am a willing witness to the healing power of Chris-

tian Science, having had a lifetime's battle with dis-

ease and medical experiments. Various doctors finally

admitted that they had exhausted their resources, and

could only offer me palliatives, saying that a cure was

impossible. I had paralysis of the bowels, frequent

sick headaches with unutterable agony, and my mortal

career was nearly brought to an end by a malignant

type of yellow fever. Many were the attending evils of

this physical inharmony, but God confounds the wis-

dom of men, for while studying Science and Health

two years ago, the veil of ignorance was lifted and

perfect health was shown to me to be my real con-

dition, and to such there is no relapse. The constant

use of glasses, which were apparently a necessity to

me for years, was proven needless, and they were laid

aside. Mrs. Eddy has made Scripture reading a never‑

failing well of comfort to me. By her interpretation

"the way of the Lord" is made straight to me and

mine. It aids us in our daily overcoming of the tyr-

anny of the flesh and its rebellion against the blessed

leading of Christ, Truth. The daily study of the Bible

and our textbook is bringing more and more into our con-

sciousness the power of God unto salvation. – J. C.,

Manatee, Fla.

666:27
A CRITIC CONVINCED

666:28
With gratitude to God I acknowledge my lifelong

debt to Christian Science. In 1895 I attended my first

667:1
Christian Science meeting, and was deeply impressed

with the earnestness of the people and the love re-

flected, but as for the spiritual healing of the physical

body, I did not believe such a thing to be possible.

I bought Science and Health and studied it to be

able to dispute intelligently with the supposedly de-

luded followers of Christian Science. I pursued the

study carefully and thoroughly, and I have had abun-

dant reason since to be glad that I did, for through this

study, and the resultant understanding of my rela-

tion to God, I was healed of a disease with which I

had been afflicted since childhood and for which there

was no known remedy. Surely my experience has

been the fulfilling in part of the Scripture:

"He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from

their destructions." I believe that Science and Health

reveals the Word referred to by David. – C. A. B. B.,

Kansas City, Mo.

667:19
BORN AGAIN

667:20
It was in April, 1904, that I first heard the "still,

small voice" of the Christ and received healing through

Christian Science; and the blessings have been so

many since, that it would take too much space to

name them. Reared from childhood in an intellectual

atmosphere, my paternal grandfather having been an

orthodox minister of the old school for forty years,

and my father a deep student, ever seeking for the

truth of all things, I began early to ponder and to

study into the meaning of life, and came to the con-

clusion before I was twenty that though God probably

668:1
existed in some remote place, still it was impossible to

connect Him with my present living. My highest

creed, therefore, became, "Do right because it is right

and not for fear of being punished." Then began the

suffering. Sorrow after sorrow followed each other

in rapid succession; for ten long years there was no

rest, the road was indeed long and hard and had no

turning, until finally the one thing that had stood by

me all through the trials, namely, my health, gave

way, and with that went my last hope. But the last

hour of the night had come, the dawn of day was at

hand; a dear friend left Science and Health upon my

piano one day, saying that I would gain much good by

reading it.

668:15
Glad to get away from my own poor thoughts, I

opened the "little book" and began to read. I had

read only a short time when such a wonderful trans-

formation took place! I was renewed; born again.

Mere words cannot tell the story of the mighty up-

lifting that carried me to the very gates of heaven.

When I began to read the book, life was a burden, but

before I had finished reading it the first time, I was doing

all my housework and doing it easily; and since that

glorious day I have been a well woman. My health

is splendid, and I am striving to let my light so shine

that others may be led to the truth. There have been

some mighty struggles with error, and I have learned

that we cannot reach heaven with one long stride or

easily drift inside the gate, but that the "asking" and

the "seeking" and the "knocking" must be earnest and

persistent.

668:32
For a long time I was always looking back to see if

669:1
the error had gone, until one day when I realized

that to catch a glimpse of what spiritual sense means

I must put corporeal sense behind me. I then set to

work in earnest to find the true way. I opened

Science and Health and these words were before me,

"If God were understood, instead of being merely be-

lieved, this understanding would establish health" (p. 203).

I saw that I must get the right understanding of God!

I closed the book and with head bowed in prayer I

waited with longing intensity for some answer. How

long I waited I do not know, but suddenly, like a won-

derful burst of sunlight after a storm, came clearly

this thought, "Be still, and know that I am God." I

held my breath – deep into my hungering thought

sank the infinite meaning of that "I." All self‑

conceit, egotism, selfishness, everything that constitutes

the mortal "I," sank abashed out of sight. I trod, as

it were, on holy ground. Words are inadequate to con-

vey the fullness of that spiritual uplifting, but others

who have had similar experiences will understand.

669:21
From that hour I have had an intelligent consciousness

of the ever-presence of an infinite God who is only good.

– C. B. G., Hudson, Mass.

669:24
A RESTLESS SENSE OF EXISTENCE DESTROYED

669:25
Through reading Science and Health and the illu-

mination which followed, I was healed of ulceration of

the stomach and kindred troubles, a restless sense of

existence, agnosticism, etc. The torture I endured with

the stomach trouble I will not attempt to describe. The

attending physician declared that I could live but a short

670:1
time, and I felt there would be a limit to my endur-

ance of the torture, but the disease was dissipated into

nothingness through Christian Science, which brought

me peace.

670:5
Like many others I had been seemingly lost in the

sea of error, without a compass, yet earnestly and hon-

estly seeking a haven. I had investigated all kinds of

religions and philosophies that came under my notice,

with the exception of Christian Science, which was

not then deemed worthy of inquiry, and yet it held

the very truth I was searching for – the light which

"shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comp-

rehended it not." Three years of stubborn resist-

ance to Truth, with increasing suffering, followed –

then the light came, and with it a new experience.

Now, after nine years of Christian Science experience,

under severe tests, it can be truthfully said that it

has not failed me in any hour of need. – J. F. J.,

Cincinnati, Ohio.

670:20
MORALLY AND PHYSICALLY HEALED

670:21
I did not accept Christian Science on account of any

healing of my own, but after seeing my mother, who was

fast drifting toward helplessness with rheumatism, restored

to perfect health with only a few treatments in Christian

Science, I thought surely this must be the truth as Jesus

taught and practised it, and if so it was what I had been

longing for.

670:28
This was about ten years ago and was the first I had

ever heard of Christian Science. We soon got a copy

of Science and Health and I began in the right way to

671:1
see if Christian Science were the truth. I had no thought

of studying it for bodily healing; in fact, I did not think

I needed it for that, but my soul cried out for something

I had not yet found. This book was indeed a key to the

Scriptures.

671:6
It was not long after I began reading before I dis-

covered that my eyes were good and strong, I could

read as much as I wished, and at any time, which was

something I could not do before, as my eyes had always

been weak. The doctors said they never would be very

strong, and that if I did not wear glasses, I might lose

my sight altogether. I never gave up to wearing glasses,

and now, thanks to Christian Science, I do not need them,

my work for the past two years as a railway mail clerk

being a good test. At the same time my eyes were healed,

I also noticed that I was entirely healed of another ail-

ment which had been with me all my life, and which was

believed to be inherited. Since that time my growth

has seemed to me slow, yet when I look back and view

myself as I was before Christian Science found me, and

compare it with my life as it now is, I can only close my

eyes to the picture and rejoice that I have been "born

again" and that I have daily been putting off "the

old man with his deeds," and putting on "the new

man."

671:26
Some of the many things that have been overcome

through the study of Science and Health, and through

realizing and practising the truth it teaches, are pro-

fanity, the use of tobacco, a very quick temper, which

made both myself and those around me at times very

miserable, and such thoughts as malice, revenge, etc. –

O. L. R., Fort Worth, Tex.

672:1
HEALTH AND UNDERSTANDING GAINED

672:2
Most of my boyhood days were spent in the hands

of physicians. From birth I was considered a very

weakly child, but my mother was brave, and being

much devoted to me did everything within her knowl-

edge and power for my comfort. Sickness and medi-

cine were continually before me, and by the time I

reached my teens I thought I knew a material remedy

for every ill. I continued in my delusion, because I

was never told the real cause of my trouble. Besides

being under a leading specialist for two years, I was

also an outdoor patient at a noted hospital, but I was

not healed. It is wonderful how the "little ones" are

cared for in the face of all these seeming difficulties.

I always used the prayers that I had been taught, and

as I grew older I began to ask for wisdom. Little by

little I gained a desire for freedom, and my prayers

finally led me to the truth. The first week that I

heard of Christian Science, I visited the home of dear

Christian Science friends, and was at once refreshed

by their purity of thought and example. I bought

a copy of Science and Health, and, after studying it

a little while with the Bible, I saw that if the Bible

was true, Science and Health must also be true. I

began to demonstrate over my physical and mental

condition, and as soon as the fear and pain began

to leave me I felt encouraged to go on. I was healed,

and stopped complaining. I kept on studying our

textbook, and when I got an understanding in a

small degree of the Science of Mind, my first thought

was to help others. I was guided where I could pro-

673:1
gress in Science, and was no longer "carried about with

every wind of doctrine," but held to Principle as closely

as possible. From the time the healing came into my

consciousness, the desire for material remedies left me,

because Christian Science at once pointed out the way to

get at the cause of discord and disease. All that I had to

give up were the false beliefs of mortal mind. Christian

Science then taught me to love the church, and to appre-

ciate what it had already done for mankind. I often

thought of the old adage, "Charity begins at home,"

and after three years' preparation I felt able to take Chris-

tian Science to my home, where it found, in due time,

ready acceptance and willing disciples. This gave me

even greater joy than my own healing. The more good

I saw accomplished, the more love I had for the truth.

Christian Science changed my course from the first, and

gave me a nobler aim and purpose in life. I was not

so easily influenced by other people's shortcomings,

when I learned that evil has neither personality nor place.

I was not so ready to take offence, when I found out the

way to work unselfishly for the upbuilding of the Cause.

– A. E. J., Toledo, Ohio.

673:23
AN EVER-PRESENT HELP FOUND

673:24
On the 23rd of March, 1900, I received from one of my

daughters a copy of Science and Health on my seventy-first

birthday. Although a constant reader of all kinds of papers

and books, I had never heard anything of Christian Sci-

ence, except a short notice that spring in a San Francisco

newspaper, from an orthodox clergyman, referring to the

Christian Science people in not very complimentary style.

674:1
In Mrs. Eddy's book I came across a great deal of

thought that was not readily understood at the first read-

ing, but by continued and careful study, and a good deal

of help from my knowledge of chemistry and natu-

ral philosophy, I soon shook off the belief of sensation

in matter, – the so-called elementary substance. One

afternoon I put the belt on my circular saw to cut blocks

of firewood and also to split a small stick of frame tim-

ber. In doing this the stick closed and pinched the saw.

I picked up a small wooden wedge and tried to drive

it into the saw kerf, but a bit of ice let the stick on to the

back of the saw and instantly it flew, with heavy force,

into my face, and bouncing off my left cheek fell about

twenty feet off on the snow. The blood spattered on the

snow next the saw table, and on feeling with my hand

there were two wounds, one on the lock of the jaw and

another forward, as big as a dollar, on the cheek bone.

"Now," I thought to myself, "there is a case of surgery

for you," and without further ceremony, I began to

treat the case to the best of my knowledge, with the

result that the bleeding stopped almost instantly, and

so did a thumping pain, which had commenced. I

paid no more attention to the matter, but finished my

work, and then went to supper. When I washed my

face, I felt a big lump on the jawbone where the block

of wood struck, but after my usual reading I went to

bed and slept all night until near daylight, when a pain

on the right side awoke me. On feeling with my hand

there was another big lump on the right side, but I

treated it and went to sleep again. I never lost an

hour from the hurt, although I found out that my jaw

was broken. There is no scar, only a little red spot on

675:1
the cheek, and the lumps on the bone have long since

disappeared.

675:3
In summing up the benefits I have received from

the reading of Science and Health, I can but refer to

a condition of sickness dating back to the war (1862),

when chronic and malignant diarrhea came near

making an end of my material existence. My hearing,

also, was seriously impaired from the effect of cannon

firing at Shiloh, but it has come back to me, and where

I formerly dared not eat an orange, or grapes, I can now

eat anything without being hurt. My peace of mind

is giving me a rest which I never experienced before

during my life, and I have ceased to look away off for

the divine presence that was always near, though I did

not know it. – L. B., Baldy, N. M.

675:16
MANY PHYSICAL AND MENTAL TROUBLES OVERCOME

675:17
Less than a year ago, when nothing but trouble seemed

to encompass me, I was led to Christian Science. My

mother's copy of Science and Health was always lying

on the table, but I scarcely ever read it. One day, how-

ever, the mental conflict was so great I commenced read-

ing in the hope of obtaining peace. Every day since

then my companions have been the Bible and Science

and Health. At that time I had a very serious eruption

on my face, which had been there two years. We had

consulted several physicians, and used every remedy

suggested to eradicate it, but they proved useless. I

had given up all hopes of its ever being healed, as the

physician we last consulted pronounced it tuberculosis

of the skin and incurable. A few weeks after I com-

676:1
menced reading, I was amazed to see it almost healed

over, and to-day my cheek is perfectly smooth, while the

scar is disappearing.

676:4
In April my baby was born with only the practitioner

and a woman friend present. I suffered little pain, and

the third day I went down-stairs. I am able to nurse

him, – a privilege of which I was deprived with my first

child. He is a picture of health, having never been

sick a day since he was born. – K. E. W. L., Mt.

Dora, Fla.

676:11
A NEW LIFE GAINED

676:12
Leaving home when a young man, I carried with me

a protection against the temptation of a great city, – a

mother's prayers and a small Bible. For a time I read

the Bible and prayed, but without understanding. This

did not suffice, and evil seemed to gain the victory. I

soon omitted to read my Bible; forgot to go to God in

prayer for guidance and help, and looked to the world

for that which it never has and never can give, – health,

peace, and joy.

676:21
Thus, years later, when Christian Science came into

my home, it found me prayerless, churchless, godless;

a home discordant, and with no thought or knowledge

of spiritual things. Up to this time, my wife had for

years been seeking health through the physicians,

but without success, and as a last resort had been

sent to Christian Science. The help received was so

wonderful that I commenced the study of Science and

Health. The first effect which I realized from the

reading of our textbook, was a great love for the Bible

and a desire to read it, something which I had not done

677:1
for years. I went in silent prayer to God, that I might

see the light and truth which would enable me to be-

come a better man. "Ye must be born again." Thus

again, and as a child, was I taught to pray "the effectual

fervent prayer" which "availeth much." In a few

weeks' study of Science and Health together with the

Bible, and without other help, I was healed of a desire

for liquor, of years' standing, and of the use of tobacco.

Ten years have passed and these appetites have never

returned. I have never used either liquor or tobacco

in any form from that time to the present. Surely this

Scripture is fulfilled in our home: "Old things are passed

away; behold, all things are become new." How can

we estimate the value of a book, the study of which brings

such transformation and regeneration? Only as we

endeavor to live, and strive to practise what it teaches,

can we begin to pay our debt to God, and to her whom

He has sent to make plain to human understanding the

life and teaching of Christ Jesus. – W. H. P., Boston,

Mass.

677:21
A VOICE FROM ENGLAND

677:22
For a number of years I was a weary woman, not ill

enough in health to, be called an invalid, but suffering

more than could be told with fatigue and weakness.

Feeling that this was God's will, I did not ask to be healed,

although I was constantly doctoring. I suffered with dys-

pepsia, congestion of the liver, and many other things,

including weak eyesight. With all the medicine, and

with different changes for rest, I never regained health,

and thought I never should, so I prayed for grace to bear

my cross patiently for others' sake. One day, while

678:1
lying on my couch exhausted, which had become a fre-

quent experience, the words came to me, "Whatsoever

ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." I

rose, knelt down and said, O God, make me well. I

was telling a friend this and she kindly gave me a Sen-

tinel. Imagine my joy when I saw the testimonies of heal-

ing! I believed them, remembering our Lord's words,

"Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have be-

lieved." I obtained a copy of Science and Health and

before a week had passed I realized that if God was my

all I needed no glasses. My eyes were healed in a few

days, and since then I have never thought of glasses.

I was also cured of dyspepsia, and nothing that I have

eaten has hurt me since then. The belief in health laws

was next destroyed, by knowing that our heavenly Father

did not make them, and from this has come the beautiful

experience of the overcoming of fatigue.

678:18
For this alone I can never be thankful enough. True

indeed are the words, "They shall run, and not be weary."

This was more than a year ago, and I can say that not

once have I felt inclined to lie on the couch, nor have I

had a headache, although I am doing more work than

ever before. Fear has also been overcome in many ways.

– A. L., Chelmsford, England.

678:25
DEPRAVED APPETITES OVERCOME

678:26
When Christian Science first came to me, or rather,

when I first came to Christian Science, I did not have

a very bad opinion of myself. I thought I was a pretty

good fellow. I had no religious views. I seemed to be

getting along as well as, if not better than, some who

679:1
professed Christianity. So I drifted along until I was

led to investigate Christian Science.

679:3
As I progressed in the understanding as gained from

the study of both Science and Health and the Bible,

and commenced to know myself, I found that a great

change had been wrought in me. For fifteen years I

had used tobacco, both chewing and smoking; for ten

years I had been a victim of the drink habit, sometimes

to excess; I was also addicted to profanity. Christian

Science removed these appetites. A stomach trouble

and other lesser ills, such as headache, a bad temper, an

inordinate love of money, etc., disappeared under the

same benign influence. Those things that seemed to be

pleasure do not give me pleasure now. They were not

real pleasure. I have lost nothing, I have sacrificed

nothing; but I have gained everything, and not yet the

whole, for I can see plenty yet to be done.

679:18
The condition of mind before investigating and after

is as different as black and white. As Mrs. Eddy

says, "Not matter, but Mind, satisfieth." – G. B. P.,

Henry, S. D.

679:22
CATARRH OF THE STOMACH HEALED

679:23
I should like to express my gratitude for the many

benefits I have received through Christian Science, and

to mention the great joy brought to me in the thought

that man is not the helpless victim of sin, disease, and

death. Through its teachings I have been able to over-

come many errors.

679:29
When Christian Science found me, one year ago

last April, in Chicago, I was suffering from catarrh

680:1
of the stomach, which had been very persistent, and I

had been a slave to the cigarette habit for eighteen

years. Pain and weakness had robbed me of all that

one holds dear. The first symptoms of the disease

appeared about five years ago in the form of severe

cramps of the stomach, which finally developed into

other symptoms of that painful disease. I doctored

continually, my diet daily becoming more rigid, until

three slices of toast became my daily allowance of food.

680:10
In this condition I left the East for my home in

Chicago, hoping that a change of climate might benefit

me. After spending six weeks there and finding no re-

lief, I concluded to return East. The Sunday morning

before leaving I picked up a Sunday paper, and glanc-

ing through the religious items my eyes fell on the notices

of Christian Science church services. Curiosity led me

to a service and I shall never forget that morning or the

surprise and joy it gave me to find that beautiful church,

and to know that so great a number actually believed

that God does heal the sick to-day. This brought a first

ray of hope. The evening service found me there again.

Among the notices read was that of a reading room,

giving the location and time of opening. Monday morn-

ing found me there promptly, and the first book I picked

up was Science and Health which opened a new

world to me.

680:27
I had dieted so long and suffered so much that I had

a morbid fear of food. When I had reached and read

"neither food nor the stomach, without the consent of

mortal mind, can make one suffer" (Science and Health,

p. 221), I left the reading room for something to eat. I

found a bakery near by, and bought a bag of cakes

681:1
which I ate, and shortly after I had a hearty dinner with-

out the least complaint from my stomach.

681:3
From that time until now I have eaten anything that I

wished, and the craving for cigarettes, which I had for

many years, has entirely vanished. The understanding

of Truth, which entirely relieved the diseased stomach,

healed also the morbid appetite for smoking. After

coming back East, I bought a copy of Science and Health,

which I have read daily, and find it a continual help in

all the affairs of life.

681:11
In my home and at work I find this Science a com-

fort and source of strength. I have had many difficulties

in the way, but it has helped me out of them all. – W. E.

B., New Britain, Conn.

681:15
SPINAL DISEASE HEALED

681:16
When I first heard of Christian Science, seven years

ago, I supposed that it was some old fad under a new

name. In the little Texas town where we then lived

there were two or three Christian Scientists who met

at the home of one of their number to read the Lesson‑

Sermon. Meeting one of them one day, I asked if un-

believers could come to their meetings. She said that

they could if they wanted to. I went, expecting them

to do something that I could laugh at when telling my

friends about it. How surprised I was to find out that

they didn't do anything but read the Bible and another

book which they called Science and Health. I still

thought it all foolishness, but resolved to go to their meet-

ings until I found out all they believed. I continued to

go until I began to understand a little of what they knew,

682:1
not what they believed; and instead of spending my

time telling others what a silly thing Christian Science

is, I am now trying to find words to tell what a great

and wonderful thing it is. I have been healed of so‑

called incurable spinal disease of ten years' standing

by studying the Bible and Science and Health. Science

and Health has been my only teacher, and I wish to send

my thanks to our dear Leader.

682:9
There are no other Scientists near where we now live,

but I have the Quarterly and study the lessons by myself.

I have five small children, and Christian Science is in-

valuable to me in controlling them, and in overcoming

their common ills. They often help themselves and

each other to destroy their little hurts and fears. – Mrs.

M. H., Oleta, Okla.

682:16
MANY TROUBLES OVERCOME

682:17
In the second chapter of First Peter, ninth verse, I

read "that ye should show forth the praises of him who

hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous

light." The periodicals so wisely established by our

Leader give us one means of showing forth the praises

of Truth.

682:23
From the darkness of physical pain and weariness into

the light of wholeness and joyousness in work and

living, – from the darkness of a clouded sight into the

light of clearer vision, – from the darkness of doubt

and discord into the marvellous light of the reality of

good, – this is what a reading of the Christian Science

textbook has done for me.

682:30
At the time the book was lent to me, I was teach-

683:1
ing in the public schools of Chicago, and absences from

my work on account of illness were of frequent occurrence.

For five weeks I had been under the care of a specialist

for an organic trouble, and he said I would have to come

as many more months before a cure could be effected.

At this time, Science and Health was brought to my

notice. I never thought of such a thing as being healed

by the reading of the book, but my thought was so changed

that I was healed, not only of the organic trouble, but of

blurred eyesight, fatigue, and a train of other discordant

manifestations. I did not go back to the physician

until four months later to pay my bill (which, by the

way, was more than five times the price of the Science

and Health I had purchased). From the time I read

the book I taught steadily without losing time from my

work. I was helped, too, with my work in many other

ways.

683:18
Through reading the textbook I learned that God has

given us strength to do all we have to do, and that it is

the things we do not have to do (the envying, strife, emu-

lating, vainglorying, and so on) that leave in their wake

fatigue and discord.

683:23
Gratitude to our beloved Leader, Mrs. Eddy, and

to her faithful students, with whom I afterwards be-

came associated, can be expressed only by daily efforts

to put into practice what has been taught. – T. H. A.,

Madison, Wis.

683:28
PREJUDICE OVERCOME

683:29
I became interested in Christian Science somewhat

over three years ago when in much need of help. I

had never been strong, and as I grew older I grew

684:1
weaker and at last became so ill that life was a burden

to me. Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy was sent

to me, in answer to prayer, as I thought. I was a little

afraid of all these new fads, as I thought them, but I

had not read far before I felt that I had found the truth

which makes us free. I was healed of stomach trouble,

inward weakness, and bilious attacks.

684:8
One physician said I might have to undergo an opera-

tion before I could get well, but, thanks to this Truth, I

have found that the only operation needed was the re-

generation of this so-called human mind by learning to

know God. In many cases I have been able to help

myself and others.

684:14
Words cannot express my thanks to Mrs. Eddy, and

to all who are bringing these great truths to the help of

the whole world. – E. E. M., Huntington, W. Va.

684:17
A CONVINCING TESTIMONY

684:18
I became interested in Christian Science some five

years ago, the practical nature of its statements appeal-

ing to me, and I must say, at the outset, that with my

little experience I have found it all and more than I ever

dreamt of realizing on this plane of existence. I am

satisfied that I have found Truth. God is indeed to me

an ever-present help.

684:25
My little girl, some ten months old, was afflicted

with constipation. It was so severe I dreaded to go

out anywhere with her, as I knew not when she would

be taken with a convulsion. I had tried all the usual

remedies in such cases, but it seemed to grow more ob-

stinate. There was a Christian Scientist living in

685:1
the same house with us, a Scientist who let her light

shine, and while she said little, I felt the reflection of

Love. I had no knowledge of the teachings of Chris-

tian Science, save that God was the physician at all

times. In my own way I believed He was all-power-

ful, and I said to my husband one day, "I am through

with medicine for baby. I am just going to leave her

in God's care and see what He will do. I have done

all I can." I did as I said, laid my burden at God's

feet, and did not pick it up again. In two days the

child was perfectly natural, and has since been free

from the trouble. She is now six years of age. Some

months later a second test came. She woke up at nine

o'clock at night crying and holding her ear. There

was to sense a gathering. I was alone. I took up my

Science and Health and Bible, but the more I worked

the louder she screamed. Error kept suggesting ma-

terial remedies, but I said firmly: "No; I shall not go

back to error. God will help me." Just then I thought

of my own fear, how excessive it was, and a conversation

I had with the Scientist who first voiced the truth to me,

came to mind. She said she always found it helpful

to treat herself and cast out her own fear before treat-

ing a patient. I put baby down and again took up

my Science and Health, and these were the words I

read: –

685:27
"Every trial of our faith in God makes us stronger.

The more difficult seems the material condition to be

overcome by Spirit, the stronger should be our faith

and the purer our love. The Apostle John says: 'There

is no fear in Love, but perfect Love casteth out fear'"

(Science and Health, p. 410). I looked up, the crying

686:1
had ceased, the child was smiling, and in a few minutes

asked to be put to bed. There has been no further

trouble of that kind.

686:4
I have since seen the power of Truth overcome error

of many forms, including croup, whooping-cough, ton-

silitis, etc. I am thankful for all these proofs, but far

more grateful am I for the spiritual teaching to love, to

forgive, to curb my tongue, and cease my criticism. –

M. A. H., Brockton, Mass.

686:10
HEALED PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY

686:11
I had been taking medicine continually for many

years. Finally I was taken suddenly ill and could not

leave my room for about two months, then I went away

for three months, thinking that I should come back

and be able to continue my work. I improved very much,

but the fear of quick consumption was with my doctor

and my family and friends, and I was warned about the

coming winter. Only too soon the fear manifested

itself. I had worked just three weeks when all the pains

and aches returned, and I had to go to bed as soon as I

got home, so there was no pleasure in living. My em-

ployer advised me to see my physician, and said perhaps

I should not work that winter. I then and there turned

to Christian Science. I could not afford to give up work

and live away from home, neither did I want to depend

on doctors and medicine any longer. I took the book

and read it on my way to work, and at noon I lay down

on a couch instead of going out for luncheon and fell

asleep. When I awoke I was a different person, all

pains and aches had gone, and I was free. I was so

687:1
happy I could hardly contain myself; to material

sense it was wonderful. As I walked I kept saying,

"Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful," and tried to un-

derstand "the scientific statement of being" by repeat-

ing portions at a time, then pondering over them. I

read the book four times in succession, and every

time I found more and more to aid in the under-

standing.

687:9
This healing was in October, 1901, with no other

help than Science and Health, and soon I was relieved

of other chronic ailments. In February I was able to

put away eyeglasses, which I had worn ten years and

a half for astigmatism. Oculists told me I would always

have to wear them. A month later my father asked

me to help him, as he was suffering so much from con-

stipation, dyspepsia, and neuralgia. He had been sub-

sisting on bran, nearly starving himself until be was most

miserable, and his limbs seemed so cold that they were

kept wrapped in blankets. I felt very humble as he

asked me, and told him I would have a practitioner help

him, as I had never treated any one; but he would not

consent to have any one but myself, and I finally told

him I would try, but that he must not hold Science respon-

sible if he were not benefited, for my lack of understand-

ing, and not Science, would be at fault. At my request

he read Science and Health, ate whatever he wanted,

and used no medicine in any form. After two treat-

ments I received word from him that he was healed

of that bondage of thirty years' standing. In view of

all these signs which followed my acceptance of Chris-

tian Science, I knew it must be true. – R. L. A.,

Chicago, Ill.

688:1
A VOICE FROM THE SOUTH

688:2
I was delicate from childhood, and my parents did

not think it was possible for me to live more than a

few years. I lived, however, although there was not

much improvement in my health. Travel and change

of climate brought only temporary relief, and the physi-

cians gave me no hope that I would ever be well.

688:8
As a last resort I began the study of Science and

Health, and before I had finished reading the book I

realized that its author was divinely commissioned to

bring this spiritual message to a waiting world. Through

this reading my health was restored, and I was healed

of one disease that has been called incurable by all

physicians.

688:15
For this, together with the greater and higher bles-

sing of having the spiritual fact of being unfolded to me,

I am most grateful.

688:18
What shall be rendered for such benefits received and

made possible by the consecrated life of our revered

Leader? Only by following the teachings of our text-

book, and by loving obedience to her gentle and timely

admonitions can we show our true sense of gratitude. –

F. H. D., De Funiak Springs, Fla.

688:24
HEALED AFTER MUCH SUFFERING

688:25
A testimony given in the Journal led me to investi-

gate Christian Science, and I hope in return to be the

means of leading some one else to see the beauty of this

saving truth, and to learn to know God aright and

man's relationship to Him. I know from experience

689:1
that it is prejudice and misapprehension of what Christian

Science is, that keeps many from enjoying the blessings

it bestows.

689:4
I had been taking patent medicines for several years,

and had been to one of the best sanitariums in this country,

but was not healed, although I received some benefit, for

which I shall always feel grateful, for I know the physi-

cians did all they could for me. I sometimes thought

I had exhausted all remedies, but did not give up, for

I felt there must be something to heal me if I could

find it.

689:12
When in this state of mind Christian Science came to

my notice, and after reading several Journals, I pur-

chased a copy of Science and Health. I read for several

days at odd times. I commenced to improve, and in

about a week I was healed of most of my ills, among

which were dyspepsia and nervous debility.

689:18
Although I had heard about Christian Science before,

I had never heard that the reading of the Christian

Science textbook had ever effected the healing of anybody.

I commenced reading to find out what Christian Science

was, but was surprised to find myself improving, and was

soon assured that it was the theology of Science and

Health that healed me, just as it was the theology of

Jesus that healed the sick.

689:26
It has also proved to me that there can be no

Christian Science Church that does not heal the sick

and sinful, for healing follows as the natural result of the

teaching of Christian Science. The Bible has become

a new revelation to me, and I can read it much more

understandingly by the light received through the reading

of Science and Health. – A. F. M., Fairmont, Minn.

690:1
THROUGH GREAT TRIBULATIONS

690:2
When I attempt to make plain what Christian Science

has done for me, words fail me. For twenty years

I was a constant sufferer, my spine having been

injured when I was very young. As a little child I

suffered so much that I would look up to the stars

and beg God, who I thought might be up there

somewhere, to take me away from the earth, – I was

so tired. A great wall of pain seemed to separate me

from the pleasures enjoyed by others, and I could not

explain how I felt, because no one could understand.

Years passed, and I saw my earthly happiness swept

away; my heart was broken and I did not know what

to do. I cried for help, day after day and night after

night, although I was not sure what God was, nor where

He was. I only knew that I suffered, and was

in need of help, and that there was no earthly help

for either mind or body. I loved purity, truth, and

right always, and this made evil seem a most terrible

reality. I was unable to cope with it, and so found

myself in despair. This was my condition when I com-

menced reading Science and Health. I was ready for

its message, and in about ten days there came a won-

derful insight into the truth which heals the sick and

binds up the broken-hearted. All pain left me, I had

a glimpse of the new heavens and the new earth, and

was beginning to be fed by Love divine.

690:28
I had suffered for years with insomnia. That night

I rested like a child, and awoke the next morning well

and happy. A flood of light daily illumined the pages

of the "little book," and the revelation it holds for all

691:1
came to my waiting heart. "The peace which passeth

all understanding" rested upon me, and joy too deep for

words transformed my life. My prayers were answered,

for I had found God in Christian Science.

691:5
The Bible, which I knew very little about, became

my constant study, my joy, and my guide. The copy

which I bought at the time of my healing is marked

from Genesis to Revelation. It was so constantly

in my hands for three years that the cover became

worn and the leaves loose, so it has been laid away

for a new one. Two and three o'clock in the morning

often found me poring over its pages, which grew

more and more sacred to me every day, and the help

I received therefrom was wonderful, for which I can

find no words to express iny gratitude. – I. L., Los

Angeles, Cal.

691:17
A HELPFUL TESTIMONY

691:18
Words cannot express my gratitude to God for

Christian Science. When I first read Science and

Health, I had tried every remedy I had ever heard of.

I felt no change in mind or body that I was conscious

of until I read page 16 of the chapter on "Prayer," in

Science and Health. The first words of the "spiritual

sense of the Lord's Prayer," telling of our Father‑

Mother God, gave me a glimpse of heavenly light. I

stopped and reasoned, and remembered the teachings

of Jesus. The truth of man's spiritual being dawned

on my consciousness. I realized I was not subject to

mortal laws, as I had been taught all my life. I could

not explain how I knew this, but I knew it. Through

Christian Science, Mrs. Eddy had given me what

692:1
I had longed for all my life, – a Mother, a perfect

"Father-Mother God." I had known there was a

great lack, and at that time I believe the orthodox

world had but half of the truth which Jesus came to

establish. When I read, "Give us this day our daily

bread," and its spiritual interpretation, my tears began

to flow; all the years of bitterness, hate, and fear melted

away. I knew then, as I know now, that nothing satisfies

but Love. That day began the outward and inward

conscious healing, – mental and physical. There never

came a doubt! I absolutely knew that Christian Science

was and is the truth. Money, friends, materiality, are

nothing beside the conscious knowledge of God, man,

and the universe.

692:15
I did not need treatment from any one, – Science

and Health was so clear and beautiful. I could not

understand the Bible before, but I found it illumined

now that I had a little understanding of Christian

Science. For ten years I have not had to lie down in

the daytime from any sickness. I am now, and have

been all these years, the picture of perfect health.

When I first read Science and Health I weighed one

hundred and four pounds; I now weigh over one hun-

dred and sixty. This physical health is not to be com-

pared to my happiness, – my harmony that nothing

can take away, – because it is the gift of God. Nothing

has shown me the perversity of the human mind more

than in its conclusions in regard to my healing. Even

when I felt and knew that I was healed, people con-

stantly said, because I was thin and delicate looking,

"You are not well, any one could look at you and know

it." Now that I am fleshy, they say, "You don't look

693:1
as if you ever had a pain in all your life. You could not

have had consumption."

693:3
When I think what my life was before I had Christian

Science, of the six years of colds, suffering, and cough-

ing, not to mention the unhappiness, I want to "work,

watch, and pray" for the Mind of Christ, that I may work

rightly in God's vineyard, and to know that in truth, what

belongs to one belongs to all, – that one God, one Life,

Truth, and Love is all. – A. C. L., Kansas City, Kans.

693:10
DESIRE FOR LIQUOR AND TOBACCO DISAPPEARED

693:11
I first heard of Christian Science four years ago. At

that time drinking and smoking were my comforters. I

had no other companionship. I had lived almost con-

stantly from childhood in an evil atmosphere. Though

I was far from being satisfied with my condition, I failed

to see how to better it until I read Science and Health.

I used occasionally to listen to a sermon, but sermons

did not give me any more comfort than I derived from

my pipe, hence I concluded that church-going could not

satisfy me and I preferred drinking and smoking. When

I began to read Science and Health, I saw it offered some-

thing substantial. After a few months' study all desire

for drinking and smoking disappeared. I did not give

them up; I made no sacrifices, I simply found some-

thing better. I might mention that I had smoked ever

since I can remember. I used to smoke years before I

left school, and, like most Englishmen, loved my pipe, and

would almost prefer to miss a meal rather than to go

without my smoke. I used to think it gave me comfort.

693:30
During my four years' study of Christian Science I

694:1
have not spent a cent for doctors or medicine, neither

have I lost a day from my work on account of sickness,

which compares wonderfully with the previous four years.

I take a great interest and pleasure in reading the Bible

and studying the lessons in the Quarterly. The Bible

used to be a most mysterious book to me, but Science

and Health makes it a most precious book, making its

meaning clearer, plainer, and simpler.

694:9
I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Mrs.

Eddy and to the friend who invited me to attend the ser-

vice held in the Auditorium years ago. I also wish to

acknowledge the benefit I have had from the Journal

and the Sentinel. They have helped me wonderfully. If

the value of Science and Health and these publications

were measured as business men value things, by the

results or benefits they bring, they certainly would be

priceless to me. It would be impossible to measure

their value, as I have got something from Science and

Health that all the money in the world could not buy. –

H. P. H., Chicago, Ill.

694:21
AN EXPRESSION OF LOVING GRATITUDE

694:22
In the spring of 1893, while studying for the minis-

try, Science and Health was placed in my hands, and

the truth contained therein at once became to me the

pearl of great price. I literally devoured the book,

reading it about eighteen hours a day. Its originality

was startling, upsetting my preconceived opinions of

God, man, and creation. Two sentences especially

appealed to me: "The foundation of mortal discord is a

false sense of man's origin" (p. 262), and, "For right

695:1
reasoning, there should be but one fact before the thought,

namely, spiritual existence" (p. 492). I had found the

keynote to the Science of being as taught in this marvel-

lous book, and persevered until a glimpse of the new heav-

ens and new earth came, for the old were passing away.

With this spiritual uplifting came also physical health.

695:7
All my life had been spent in semi-invalidism, and

I seemed destined to a life of suffering. In three

weeks after beginning Science and Health, to my joy-

ful surprise I found myself a well man, sound physi-

cally, and uplifted spiritually. Life was being lived

from a new basis, the old things of personal sense

were passing away and all things becoming new. I

learned that the infinite good is the one Friend upon

whom we can call at all times, an all-powerful, ever‑

present help in every time of trouble; that His children

are really governed in peace and harmony by spiritual

law, and as the right understanding of it is gained, the

other things soon follow, bringing a peace the human

concept can never know.

695:21
For the last twelve years my whole time has been

devoted to Christian Science practice, and I have seen

nearly every so-called incurable disease healed by its

beneficent influence. God bless our dear Leader! She

has set before us an open door, which no man can shut,

and it is but a question of time when the world will know

her better and love her more. – E. E. N., Washington,

D. C.

695:29
HEALED OF BRIGHT'S DISEASE

695:30
August 18, 1902, I was taken down with what three

doctors pronounced Bright's disease, and they stated

696:1
that I would not live a year, or if I did succeed in liv-

ing longer, I would be mentally unbalanced. On Decem-

ber 6, 1902, my wife presented me with Science and

Health as a birthday gift, and it was indeed the

best present I ever received. Since that time I have

been reading it and attending the Second Church

here. I have not used any medicine since, nor has any

one in our home. I am in the finest of health and have

lost all my bad habits. This truth has brought a great

spiritual uplifting to all of us, and words cannot express

my gratitude to Mrs. Eddy and to all who have helped

me to the same. – T. V., Chicago, Ill.

696:13
FIBROID TUMOR DESTROYED

696:14
When quite young I was impressed that the Bible

was not properly interpreted by the preachers, for I

could not conceive of a God of wrath who was unjust

enough to allow His little ones to suffer pain, misery, and

death. I had hope, however, that some day the truth

would be revealed to an awakening world, but little did

I dream that even then there was one of God's noble

women who reflected sufficient purity and holiness to

entertain the "angel of his presence," and commune with

the true God.

696:24
I was believed to be predisposed to scrofula, so that

I was not a strong or attractive child, and my girlhood

and womanhood were scarcely ever free from dread of

the laws of matter and lack of strength. The climax

was reached when a physician informed me, after weeks

of treatment, that I had a fibroid tumor, which required

an operation. The conditions were most trying and I

697:1
was heartsick and discouraged when, in January, 1893,

I heard of Christian Science through a letter from a dear

sister who had been greatly benefited thereby, and I re-

solved to go at once to a practitioner, for I believed it

to be the long-lost truth that would make me free. It

meant a great effort and sacrifice for me to go to Chicago

at that time, but divine Love opened the way and I reached

there in March. I had been in my sister's home but

a few days, reading Science and Health almost con-

stantly, when I asked her if I had not better have

treatment for the tumor, which had given me so much

trouble. She said to me, "You feel well, do you not?"

I assured her that I never had felt so well as I had since

reaching there. "Well," she said with decision, "your

tumor is gone, for God never made it," and her statements

were true, for it has never been heard of from that day.

Since then I have been healed of chronic sore throat,

hay fever, and other troubles, and I know that Christian

Science is the truth. – B. W. S., Coldwater, Mich.

697:21
LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS

697:22
I have received so much benefit from the testimonies

in the Sentinel and Journal that I send mine, hoping

it may cheer some struggling heart. I was reared by

kind and loving Christian parents and was a member

of an orthodox church for over twenty years, but I was

never satisfied. I was filled with fear and bound down

by the false gods of this world, – sin, disease, and pov-

erty; consequently every way I turned, and in everything

I attempted to do, I was met with disappointment and

failure; but God was leading me into a different life.

698:1
My interest was first awakened to Christian Science

about thirteen years ago, and I have been a willing dis-

ciple ever since. Through the reading of Science and

Health I was healed of chronic catarrh and laryngitis,

and it also enabled me to lay off my glasses. Christian

Science has not only helped me mentally, morally, and

physically, but the greatest blessing of all is the spirit-

ual uplifting which enabled me to know that God is both

able and willing to care for His children, if we are but

willing to do our part and bear the cross which, though

it seems heavy at times, always brings a sure reward.

Christian Science has not only helped me, but it has

enabled me to help others.

698:14
The Bible is a new book to me. I now see what

Jesus meant when he said, "Come unto me, all ye that

labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

698:17
My heart goes out in gratitude to Mrs. Eddy for the

work she has done and is still doing for the world, and

to God I am most grateful that He has guided me into the

truth, that I may have life, and have it more abundantly.

– Mrs. M. M., Chicago, Ill.

698:22
A PRICELESS BOON

698:23
I have long desired to express my gratitude for what

Christian Science has done, through reading Science

and Health, for me and my family. I was healed of

profanity, the tobacco habit, and a bad temper, through

the understanding that man is the image and likeness of

God. I was also healed of kidney disease and rheuma

tism. What surprised me most, however, was this; I

had had one finger thrown out of place some fifteen years

699:1
before. It was crooked, but it became straight and use-

ful. A bone in my foot had also been broken, leaving

a bunch, which disappeared after I studied Christian

Science and received class instruction. I am an entirely

well man and for this I am very grateful. I am also

glad that I have learned enough of Truth and love to

be able to heal others. I wish to express my thankful

appreciation of our Leader, also of the Sentinel and the

Journal. – N. R. F., Salina, Kans.

699:10
HEALED OF CONSUMPTION AND ASTHMA

699:11
It is a pleasure to acknowledge the great benefits which

have come to me through Christian Science. It is nearly

ten years since I began the investigation of the subject by

borrowing a copy of Science and Health. I had become

a hopeless sufferer from asthma, – the disease being so

aggravated at times as to make breathing almost impos-

sible. I was also a victim of that dread disease, consump-

tion. It was hereditary, nearly all my family on both

sides having passed away with it. I took up Christian

Science very much as a drowning man catches at a straw.

However, I was much interested as soon as I began to

understand it, and having read the book nearly all my

waking hours for a few weeks, I became so much better

and so convinced of its truth, that myself and wife de-

stroyed all the medicines in the home, and have never

since used any remedy except Christian Science. I con-

tinued to study and to put into practice the teaching as

best I knew, and was restored to health in a few months.

699:29
Prior to my investigation of Christian Science I had

been from boyhood an outspoken infidel, had read that

700:1
class of literature extensively, and had no desire for

anything of a religious nature, – the orthodox teaching

never having appealed to me as a rational exposition of

an all-wise God. I now have no more doubt of the truth

of the teaching of the great Way-shower, Jesus of Naza-

reth, than I doubt the correctness of the basic law of

mathematics or music. I have no doubt whatever that

Christian Science saved me from the grave, and thus

proved a most practicable and efficient help in time of

greatest need. However great my physical suffering has

been, I can but feel glad that through it the door of con-

sciousness was opened to let in the light of Truth. Thus

I have progressed a little way in the knowledge of God,

good, as revealed in Christian Science. – C. B., Webb

City, Mo.

700:16
A GRATEFUL TESTIMONY

700:17
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto

my path."

700:19
This has been proven to me in every way. When

Christian Science came to me, I was a wreck, physically,

mentally, and financially; but since the reading of Sci-

ence and Health turned my thought toward the light, I

have found that, as far as I am willing to receive the word

and live it, all comforts are supplied me. I am especially

grateful for the spiritual help. I know that things which

I did and thought last year I would not do or think this

year, and am satisfied. Through the careful and prayer-

ful study of Science and Health I have been lifted from

sickness to health, from sorrow to peace, from lack to

plenty, and, the most beautiful of all, from darkness to

light. – Mrs. H. S. C., Seattle, Wash.

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