When about ten years of age I heard a lad recite at a...

Mary V. Hartley

When about ten years of age I heard a lad recite at a Sunday school entertainment the following beautiful words from the Bible; and although I remembered only a part of them, they impressed me very much and were the beginning of my spiritual awakening: "How shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" Also, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." "Heal the sick."

I felt that there was something wrong with the preaching of the Scriptures, as only part of the gospel was being fulfilled; and I also felt that in some way a great revelation would be given me and the gospel preached in full, with the healing of the sick. I had not as yet heard of Christian Science. That afternoon I asked my mother why the sick were not healed, as we were told in the Bible to heal the sick as well as to preach the gospel to every creature. She replied that the ability to heal the sick had been lost many years ago; and I replied that it would not always be lost.

From that time on, the more I went to church and Sunday school the more dissatisfied I became, and I finally stopped going altogether and became an infidel, no longer reading the Bible, although I had read it through a dozen times. This state continued for thirteen years, and I only began reading the Bible again at the request of a Christian Science practitioner. During these years I had desired to know what truth was; and as Mrs. Eddy says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 1), "Desire is prayer," my prayer was answered.

I had been a semi-invalid almost all my life and had seemed much worse for a few years prior to learning of Christian Science, which came to me in a very dark hour. During that time four doctors and a dentist asked me why

I did not try Christian Science. They admitted they could do nothing for me, but were friends of the family and wanted to help me get well.

After taking up Christian Science I called a practitioner for treatment, and within half an hour had a beautiful healing of a very painful floating kidney from which I had suffered for twenty years. I was also healed of bad stomach trouble, constipation, lover trouble, attacks of malarial fever, corns, and many other ills. I then weighed eighty-five pounds; now I weigh one hundred and twenty.

Some time later I seemed to have blood poisoning in my foot, which was badly swollen. When I called upon a practitioner I was told that God's Word "is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword," and was asked to read "Creation" in Science and Health, and not to watch my foot. I did as I was told, and that night about ten o'clock I had such a clear realization that I was healed that I looked at my foot. The swelling had gone, the flesh was normal in color, and a skin had formed over the sore. I had called practitioner at half past two in the afternoon.

No words can express my thankfulness to God and also to Mrs. Eddy, God's messenger; also to my dear brother and the loving practitioners who have helped me from time to time with their understanding of the great healing truth.

(Mrs.) Mary V. Hartley, Miami, Florida.

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Testimony of Healing

Christian Science, the revelator of to-day and for all...

September 28, 1929

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