Testimony of Healing June 22, 1907 Issue

Standing one evening at twilight on a low hill, a range...

J. E. Rhein with contributions from C. A. Hamilton

Standing one evening at twilight on a low hill, a range of which fringes the Colorado Desert in the State of California, I was trying to find my way through an opening in a large mountain, which it seemed should be just beyond. I had been over the ground a number of times and felt that to lose my way in this section was entirely out of the question; but after a fruitless search I felt compelled to conclude, though very reluctantly, that I was lost on the desert. As these words revolved themselves in my mind, the whole horror of the situation seemed to dawn upon me. Was I to be left there to suffer and die of thirst as so many others had done? I tried to think differently, but my fears overcame me. Every canyon I had traversed seemed the right one, and every hill, tree, and shrub seemed to be just like those I had picked out as landmarks to guide me back to camp; but each time I was deceived, and the hills and brush appeared to mock me. I had searched, it seemed, in every direction, and each way proved the wrong one.

As I thought of home, my mind reverted to my boyhood days, when a Christian mother taught me to pray at her knee. I remembered vaguely a part of the 23rd Psalm, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me," and it gave me new courage. It seemed to be more than the mere repeating of the words, and I began to feel that it could be made practical. Once more I tried to find the way. Looking to the north I saw an opening in the mountains. "That is the way," I cried, and started; but no, I had been there several times and it was not the way; yet I resolved as a last and seemingly forlorn hope to try again. Meantime the Psalm kept passing through my thoughts, and I soon forgot my parched tongue, my limbs ceased to quake. As I drew nearer I began to see familiar objects; no mistaking them this time! I moved forward with a sprightly step; I had found the true way, the only opening in the mountain which led to camp, and at last I found my desert home and settled down to a night of rest. I had escaped the fear of thirst and death; and awoke in the morning refreshed and happy.

The incident related above prefigured the writer's experience in coming into Christian Science, and it seems to him the comparison may help some wanderer on the great desert of error and despair to take new hope and reach out, as he has done, for the true way. When a young man I embraced, at a revival meeting, the religious faith held by an orthodox church. I had been raised by Christian parents, though I had ceased to believe as they had taught me, but finally under the excitement of a moment I started anew, in what seemed to be the only way to find the truth. I was taken into the church on probation for six months, at the end of which time, if faithful, I was to be made a member of that church. There were some sins which seemed to be very difficult of eradication, and some doubts from which I could not free my thoughts, but assurance always came to me that all would be made clear in time. All seemed to go well until the question of eternal punishment came up in our Bible class. Our teacher a theological student, asked us individually if we believed in eternal punishment. I remained silent. Finally the question was asked me if I did not believe that if we disobeyed God's will He was justified in punishing us throughout all eternity. I did not and could not. I separated from the church. Years went by, and I found myself sick; tired of life; full of aches and pains; hating all mankind; finding no enjoyment in anything; indulging in sin, and dying, as it seemed, with lung trouble. All the world seemed to be against me. Poor in every sense of the word, I had given up hope. I even feared that hope might spring up only to be dashed to the ground, and that that very hope would mock me in my distress.

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