It is with a deep sense of gratitude for the blessings that have come to me through the study of Christian Science that I give this testimony regarding the help I have received in the past twenty years.
The Christian Science textbook was first handed to me when I was very sick. My physician, a good friend, had said he did not know what to do next. I began reading this interesting book, and by the time I had finished the first chapter I was ready to get up and dress for lunch, which I enjoyed. I have not taken medicine since that day. I continued to read, but no one living near me was interested in Science, and I found that my friends felt that I had taken up a study that would lead me astray. In a few months I had a case of mumps to overcome, and went to bed with a high fever. I could not sleep until these verses from Proverbs came to my thought: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." I repeated these verses over and over again, and at about four in the morning I went to sleep; and when I awoke I was free except for a slight swelling, which disappeared during the day. My two small boys sleeping in the same room were protected. This was a proof to me that "the word of God is quick, and powerful."
Later, with the help of a practitioner, I was healed in three days of what appeared to be a serious case of influenza; and I attended a church meeting on the fourth day, with no after effects, though the weather was extremely cold. During a period of seven years, while living on a farm in the Middle West, I had many proofs of the power of God to heal, not only in my family, but with the cattle. On one occasion when a cow was ill a neighbor said that the trouble was black tongue, for which there was no cure. I called a practitioner for help, and in less than an hour the animal was up and walking about. I am thankful for Mrs. Eddy's statement on page 550 of Science and Health, "God is the Life, or intelligence, which forms and preserves the individuality and identity of animals as well as of men."
