About twenty-four years ago I was a mental and physical wreck. One of my sister's friends, a student of Mrs. Eddy, proposed my trying Christian Science, but having been a member of a so-called orthodox church for a number of years, I did not want to hear a word about it.
One of the best doctors in the city attended me. He called one evening and, noting my condition, decided to give me a stronger medicine as a last resort. He said the medicine was very poisonous and cautioned me to take a very small dose, but sensing his fear I decided not to take the medicine. He said he did not think I could possibly live until morning. After pondering a while I decided to send for Mrs. Eddy's book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." After I got it my sister commenced to read the chapter on Prayer, and when she came to the passage on page 14, "Become conscious for a single moment that Life and intelligence are purely spiritual, —neither in nor of matter,—and the body will then utter no complaints. If suffering from a belief in sickness, you will find yourself suddenly well," I could not help seeing how like it was to Paul's saying, "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." This thought healed me.
In the morning the doctor saw my great improvement, but could not understand how it happened, as I told him I had not taken the medicine. After he was gone I got up feeling like a new creature, dressed, and went to breakfast, something I had not done for months. My stomach had been in such a bad condition that I had been able to eat scarcely anything, and had been afraid even to drink water. Now I never thought whether anything would hurt me; and nothing did.
