It has come to me very clearly of late that possibly the slow healing of the troubles for which I principally took treatment in Christian Science, may be due to the fact that I have never yet publicly testified to all the many blessings this glorious Truth has brought to me. Hitherto I have always listened to the promptings of error, "Wait till the healing is perfect;" but realizing how very much pleasure I always obtain from reading the experiences of others in the Journal and Sentinel, I am filled with shame to think that I have not written long ago to try to tell a little of all that Christian Science has done for me.
I do not remember the time when I was not under materia medica, and, despite all the dosing, changes of climate, and loving care, getting worse all the time. I had been under specialists for various different diseases, but instead of making me better, each one seemed to find a few more ills to add to the already long list. When Christian Science was first presented to me four and one half years ago, I was indeed in a sorry plight. I had been away from my home for several months, under a spine specialist, but my general condition was much worse, and I was then on the eve of again having to leave home for a long period to reside in a London specialist's home so as to be under his constant care and to undergo a very severe form of treatment for chronic dyspepsia. At the same time other doctors were assuring us that in the state of my lungs and throat, and extreme weakness from anæmia and all the many other maladies, another winter in England must not be risked, but that I should be taken abroad to a warm and sunny Spa where the air is supposed to have blood producing properties. I myself was in such a state of constant suffering and utter dejection with almost chronic sleeplessness, neuralgia, sore throat, etc., and was always feeling so tired out, that every morning I earnestly prayed I might die before night, and at night that I might die in my sleep. My poor young husband was distracted, and knew not where to turn next, as we had by that time tried about everything. How true it is that often the darkest hour is just before the dawn, for it was at this point of my experiences that Christian Science was quite casually mentioned to me during an afternoon call. I never had even heard of it before. Many years of suffering had made me quite ready for it, so that I eagerly drank in every word and at once realized this must be the Truth I was always longing for. It seemed to answer satisfactorily many of the questions which had perplexed me always, for I had been brought up by deeply religious parents and I honestly tried to live up to the teachings of the Church of England and loved my Bible, although I could not understand much of it, but constantly wondered why Jesus Christ's many beautiful promises were not fulfilled to his children now. Why, if we had implicit faith in God's power to heal, our prayers should remain unanswered. I at once bought Science and Health by Mary Baker G. Eddy, and put myself under Christian Science treatment (absent). Gradually one after the other the claims first lessened, and then most of them disappeared, and in a very short time I was able to prove for myself the practicability of this wonderful Science by making demonstrations both for myself and others. It was a great joy and help to me that my husband and little son both came into Science soon after I did. Five months after first hearing of Christian Science, my husband had given up smoking and all wine, beer, or spirits of any form, without treatment, merely by reading the above book. About the same time he had sufficient understanding of its teachings to heal me in two treatments of a severe claim of influenza, which in the old thought I had already had three times. The last time I had all but died despite all materia medica, could do for me. Although the chiefest of the ailments has not yielded as yet, how can I express my love and gratitude to the dear Teacher whose life of consecration, purity, and unselfishness fitted her to be the one chosen to give this wonderful book, Science and Health, to a suffering and sin-laden world, which indeed proves to us that "God is Love," and that He is not the author of discord of any sort, but that He is an ever-present help in every time of need. Grateful as I am for the physical help, words are powerless to describe what the spiritual uplifting and help have been, and how this book teaches one to lean solely on God and to turn to Him for everything, and shows us that "Perfect Love casteth out fear."
London, England.
