Testimony of Healing November 23, 1912 Issue

Having put aside all orthodox beliefs as of no use, as...

W. D. Lewis

Having put aside all orthodox beliefs as of no use, as they had failed to bring either health, peace, or comfort, and having read some of the writings of noted agnostics, I accepted their teaching and believed that all of life lay between birth and death, and proceeded to "make the most of it" by drinking, gambling, and leading an immoral life. Without God, without hope, without even honesty—I can now see what a dark dream of evil it all was. Attacks of serious illness and periods of heavy drinking would entirely incapacitate me for days at a time, and leave me more disgusted and discouraged than ever. When finally on the verge of delirium tremens, a friend came to visit in our home, and she told me I could be healed by Christian Science. I had taken great pleasure in deriding religion, and especially Christian Science, because some of the most influential citizens and prominent business men of the town had been healed and were following its teaching. I had been approached by some of them on this very subject, but one and all they were unkindly rebuked.

This friend had, however, a copy of Science and Health with her, and I became so interested in reading it that I felt encouraged to continue, for the terrible condition I was in became more burdensome and the only relief I could see was death, a prospect which was far from satisfying. As the truth of God's unchanging love and of man's immortality dawned on my consciousness, the liquor habit gradually left, though the last few days before its final destruction the battle was a fierce one. The craving was such that the usual stimulants could not satisfy it, and the last day I drank a large quantity of vanilla. I prayed for deliverance as I never had prayed before, and my prayer was answered! I could at last walk in the blessed light of Truth, a free man. Profanity and the tobacco habit were the next to go, and here I would say to those who are struggling with this form of evil, Do not try to fight it as a reality, but by growing in grace and in the understanding of God, let it quit you. Finally the physical complaints grew less, until their nothingness was proven. I had worn glasses for about twelve years, and the condition which required their use seemed stubborn, but I asked for help for this, and it was quickly proven that sight is an eternal fact of divine Mind and never can be lost or grow dim; and so the glasses were laid aside.

Words fail to express the good that has come to me through the study of our text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy. I can only sum it up briefly: It has transformed my home and family; it has lifted us out of sorrow and trouble into joy and peace; it has brought us out of poverty and sickness into the understanding of the unlimited supply of good, and through the application of divine law, health and wholeness have been demonstrated, and I find that Truth meets our every need. It has taught me to see my fellow man in a different light and to deal with him honestly. I am truly grateful to Mrs. Eddy for showing us how to apply the rule of healing as Jesus did. Surely this book has been the "key" that has unlocked for us the treasures of the kingdom and made it possible for us to understand that God's will is done "on earth, as it is in heaven."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Testimony of Healing

It is with deep gratitude that I give the particulars of my...