Christian Science was presented to me at a most opportune time. After two years spent in studying Mrs. Eddy's writings, much relief was experienced; and a desire to help others to learn of the same healing truth caused me to seek church membership as a regular step of progress. When inquiry was made, it was learned that Christian Science churches do not usually receive applicants who have not been healed of smoking; but cigars and cigarettes had been my close companions for years, and self-justifying arguments were many. To keep away from tobacco seemed to me to involve merely the use of human will-power; whereas I honestly desired that this unfortunate belief of pleasure in matter should be destroyed through a right application of Christian Science.
We read on page 327 of our textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, "Reason is the most active human faculty." It was through this avenue of right reasoning that a few words from a Christian Science practitioner started my thought to working helpfully. Jesus' words, "Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." corrected the false concept of will-power, and showed me that the effort to do God's will is, indeed, an expression of right desire, even that kind of desire which our Leader describes on the first page of our textbook as constituting prayer. It was seen that such right thinking is in harmony with God's eternal law, whereas it could be only a depraved and selfish human will that would express itself in clinging to the false belief of pleasure in matter, thus breaking the second commandment of the Decalogue. In two weeks all desire for tobacco had vanished, and it has never returned.
I am very grateful to Christ Jesus, the Way-shower, for his example in proving by demonstration the healing power of Truth; also to our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, for her unselfish and untiring efforts, which led to her rediscovery of the eternal truth, which has thus been made available to all mankind for every need.— Sacramento, Calif.
