I have very great reason to be grateful to Christian Science for the wonderful help and guidance I have received through its teachings. I first attended a Christian Science Sunday School about six and a half years ago, when I was sixteen, and since then have relied on the truth to overcome my every problem, whether mental or physical.
Since joining the army two and a half years ago, I have proved, over and over again, the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of God, and now on looking back cannot conceive how I would have fared without this wonderful teaching. I had a very remarkable demonstration of God's protecting care whilst I was on service in France in April, 1917. My company was moved forward one night in preparation for advancing next morning. We were in good time and halted a little way behind our own firing line. The other platoons managed to get some cover, but my platoon had to stay out in the open for the time being. While waiting there, the enemy seemed to get wind of something and put over an artillery barrage. I immediately began to declare the truth of being and realize God's protecting power. It was wonderful—shells landed everywhere except where I was with my platoon. This lasted for about half an hour, and I held on to the truth. I was indeed grateful, for not one of us (and we had about thirty men there) received a scratch.
Next morning my battalion attacked and gained their objective, and whilst holding our position I was wounded in the chest and the right forefinger. The place we were in became too hot to hold and my comrades had to give ground a little. Meantime I had lost consciousness, and I do not know what happened for a little while, but i seemed to awaken on hearing voices. On looking up I saw a German leading off two boys I knew as prisoners. Being unable to do anything I lay still and noticed that there seemed to be a number of Germans about. My first thought was that it would be my turn to be picked up next; then I got over this fear and started to realize the truth of the omnipotence and omnipresence of God. The chief thought I had was of safety in the protection of the everlasting arms of divine Love. I held on to this thought and worked, as we are taught in Christian Science, to know God's allness. Three times that day my equipment, which was lying at my side, was searched by the enemy, but I was left severely alone. None of them laid a finger on me or paid any attention to me whatever.
As it drew on toward night I began to wonder how I would manage to get back to my own people. The country was strange to me and I did not know whether I would have to get through the German line before I could reach our own. Then I remembered I was in God's care and ceased making plans, but realized that the way would be shown me and I would be guided in this as in any other problem by divine Mind. Darkness came on, and just as I was about to make a move a verey light (star shell) was put up in front of me. This showed me that the German line was about two hundred yards in front and the British line somewhere behind, so I was lying in what is known as "No Man's Land." Placing myself under God's protection I was guided in a direction I had not dreamed of taking, back to my own people in the safest and shortest way.
I can never express my gratitude sufficiently for all the wonderful blessings I have received and for the splendid work Christian Scientists are doing all the world over in sending out the pure and loving thought of God and man. I am also very grateful for the work of our literature distribution committees. No matter whether I am on service at home or abroad I can always get the literature sent on.
I feel the deepest gratitude for the purity and love of our dear Leader which enabled her to rediscover this new-old truth.
Glasgow, Scotland
[From April 1918 Journal]
To say that I am grateful for Christian Science is to express very inadequately the gratitude I feel, and which I can only show in living so as to be worthy of the name Christian Scientist. I learned of this teaching in the first place through my parents, about eight or nine years ago, but at the time did not appreciate the necessity of studying it faithfully. Since then I have come to value the divine message contained in our textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by our dear Leader, Mrs. Eddy, to whom my gratitude is beyond words.
Five years ago I was a prey to many forms of error, such as selfishness, self-righteousness, drink, and dissatisfaction with the world's forms of society and justice. The drink habit left me three years ago, and I am learning more and more every day that God is Love. When I married, in 1915, my wife and I were both in a state of slavery to adverse conditions of every sort, but through the realization of God's power as taught in Christian Science our every need has been supplied. Today I can say with conviction that I cannot estimate the depths wherein I should have been now, had not this Science been our guardian all the way.
Since the commencement of the war I have been in the Royal Navy, and have had many beautiful proofs of the fact that "underneath are the everlasting arms." Apart from having been preserved unharmed throughout the whole three years and a half of work at sea, I was brought through the thick of the battle of Jutland in a destroyer, at times in a rain of shell, without feeling the slightest trace of fear and without anything more than a few small splinters touching the boat ... I was conscious of God's loving protection throughout, and Truth was provided to me a veritable "shield and buckler."
On four occasions, whilst in the submarine service I was, according to the false laws of mortal mind, in positions where complete destruction was inevitable, but through the knowledge of Truth as taught in Christian Science, the statement in the twelfth chapter of Exodus, "The Lord ... will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you," was realized in its true meaning,—in one case, to the complete mystification of the others as to how death had failed to find us.
Christian Science has indeed been an inestimable blessing to my wife and myself in every case of need that has beset us, in the overcoming of illness, sorrow, fear, and inharmony of all kinds. My only aim is to advance in the understanding of the truth, and continue in increasing measure to manifest the signs which Jesus tells us "shall follow them that believe," that others may thereby see and believe.
Royal Navy
[From September 1918 Journal]
