Testimony of Healing August 10, 1907 Issue

For fifteen years I suffered from stomach trouble...

W. H. Decker

For fifteen years I suffered from stomach trouble. Having some knowledge of medicine, I treated myself, but at last was compelled to call a doctor. I was told that I had an affection of the liver, etc., but I received no relief from his treatment. Other distressing conditions began to appear, sleeplessness, spinal trouble, nervous and mental trouble,—so that I could not even write a letter. The doctor changed my medicine frequently, and said that I might pull through. I was residing in San Francisco during this treatment. About a year before this, while residing in San Jose, my sight began to fail. Thinking it was the natural result of age, I procured glasses, but obtained no relief. I then called on a physician, who treated me for six weeks, four of which were passed in a dark room with my eyes bandaged so as to exclude all light. He then told me that the eyes were well and ordered a pair of dark glasses until they regained their strength. Just about this time it became necessary to remove to San Francisco, and instead of my sight being healed I soon found that it was worse than before taking treatment, and one evening I found myself temporarily unable to see. I then went to the best oculist in San Francisco, who told me that I had a serious trouble, that I had two out of five chances of being healed, but must submit to an operation. I went to two other oculists, who told me the same, only one gave me three out of five chances. I then had three operations performed and was ordered to report for the fourth, when two of my friends, who had been healed by Christian Science, persuaded me to go to a practitioner. I went with very little faith, but because I knew of no other place to go.

This was what seemed to be my condition: A physical wreck, fast becoming a mental one; with liver, stomach, and spinal trouble; nearly blind; very positive and quicktempered, with no faith in God or man—the story of Christ to me an Oriental fable. From the first I began to get better; the second treatment gave me the first good sleep I had had for many a night. I slept eleven hours and did not turn over in bed but once. I do not think that any one ever looked (to me at least) quite so much like an angel as did my practitioner when I saw her next. Away went the medicine bottles and instruments, and pill boxes which I had carried in my pockets for years were thrown into the fire. One by one the troubles disappeared. Away went goggles and reading glasses, fear, positiveness, temper, and self-conceit—a regular house-clearing. A new man began to appear, and one day he went home in peace to thank God for what He had done.

My wife was healed of long-standing stomach and bowel trouble, the latter in four treatments. Both of my daughters were healed of throat trouble. We are all members of First Church of Christ, Scientist, in San Francisco, as happy, loving, contented a family as there is in the city. No one need tell me Christian Science does not heal; I know better. This is my experience, and I ought to know whereof I speak. I am sixty years of age. I have written this testimony without glasses; do not use them at all, although I work nights, and there is no man young or old that turns out in the morning from his work fresher or stronger than myself.

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