Testimonials: highly important

In the Manual of The Mother Church, the Discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, gives clear instructions regarding testimonies. She writes: "Testimony in regard to the healing of the sick is highly important." 

Here is the complete section:

Testimonials. Sect. 24. “Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (St. Paul). Testimony in regard to the healing of the sick is highly important. More than a mere rehearsal of blessings, it scales the pinnacle of praise and illustrates the demonstration of Christ, “who healeth all thy diseases” (Psalm 103:3). This testimony, however, shall not include a description of symptoms or of suffering, though the generic name of the disease may be indicated. This By-Law applies to testimonials which appear in the periodicals and to those which are given at the Wednesday evening meeting.
(Manual of The Mother Church, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 47:11)

The next section further states that "whenever God calls a member to bear testimony to Truth and to defend the Cause of Christ, he shall do it with love and without fear. (Manual of The Mother Church, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 48:2)

Further study of the word "testimony" as used in Christian Science highlights the difference between the testimony of the material senses (false) and the testimony of the spiritual senses (true). One is untrustworthy; the other is completely trustworthy.

A lovely example of the power of convincing testimony is shared by Mrs. Eddy in an essay titled "Hints to the Clergy". Here is the first section:

HINTS TO THE CLERGY

At the residence of Mr. Rawson, of Arlington, Massachusetts, a happy concourse of friends had gathered to celebrate the eighty-second birthday of his mother — a friend of mine, and a Christian Scientist.

Among the guests, were an orthodox clergyman, his wife and child.

In the course of the evening, conversation drifted to the seventh modern wonder, Christian Science; whereupon the mother, Mrs. Rawson, who had drunk at its fount, firmly bore testimony to the power of Christ, Truth, to heal the sick.

(Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 225:1–12)

The following passage from the mighty apostle Paul offers lovely guidance as we bear witness to "the power of Christ, Truth, to heal the sick":

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
(I Corinthians 2:1–5)

I well remember giving my first testimonies in First Church of Christ, Scientist, Perth. I had shared healings in my former branch church, but here the auditorium was large and the full-some congregation consisted of many seasoned and articulate Christian Scientists. I definitely had something to praise God about, but my heart pounded as I pondered the prospect of actually standing up and speaking into the microphone.

It took me quite a few weeks before I realised that this was God-impelled, not Julie-impelled. And as I began speaking, the healing experience and its logic became clearer, ensuring that the spiritual lessons learned were revealed to me to share in a way I had not anticipated.

Over the years, testimonies shared on Wednesday evenings (and more recently afternoons at my branch church) have buoyed, inspired, gladdened and strengthened me and I'm sure everyone present.

I’m sure that’s why Mary Baker Eddy included so many testimonies in her book. The blessings of this Science are so sharable.

Julie Swannell

Background to "Fruitage" chapter

The computer questions the word fruitage by underlining it in red! It obviously hasn’t read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy!

I have worked with many editions of the Christian Science textbook in some 60 years of studying it in conjunction with the Bible. They get shabby, you know, for they have to work hard.

One very early copy I marked in the margins all the testimonies which spoke of sight. I will now do the same with my current beautiful leather-bound and silver-edged Bible Lesson reading copy. I guess at 17. (Although I could use my paper-back copy. Which I consult in a more general way and for reading consecutively. I think I will, after all, the Bible Lesson one is bristling with lesson markers.) …

I have now read all of the chapter Fruitage. I did indeed use the paper-back Science and Health. I found 19 testimonies which referred to eyes and sight. Perhaps all of the testimonies really referred to an improved vision of what is true about God and man.

As I recall, Mrs. Eddy appointed William McKenzie and Edward Kimball to choose convincing testimonies from the Christian Science periodicals to make up this Fruitage chapter’s fruit.

Bless The Mary Baker Eddy Library. I find I was not accurate with the foregoing statement.

Here is what the Library has to say:

What is the background to the chapter titled “Fruitage” in “Science and Health”?

August 30, 2017

The chapter first appeared in the 226th edition of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which was announced as ready for distribution in the Christian Science Sentinel dated January 30, 1902. Two of Mary Baker Eddy’s students, Edward A. Kimball and William P. McKenzie, oversaw the production of this edition and compiled “Fruitage” from testimonies Mrs. Eddy sent them for that purpose.

Almost all the testimonies were replaced in 1906 and 1907, although it’s not clear why these changes occurred.

In October 1906 Eddy sent her student Edward Norwood a group of testimonies and asked him to select some for “Fruitage,” stating: “Please read carefully all the Testimonials in the copy and select those which you consider the best and place the most attractive testimonials at the commencement of the chapter on ‘Fruitage.’”¹ Norwood was responsible at this time for supervising the proofreading of the plates for the new 1907 edition of Science and Health. He received a package of testimonies clipped from the Christian Science Sentinel and the Journal, and individually pasted onto sheets. He records in his reminiscence: “A large number of pages of Sentinel testimonies was sent me, and I was directed to select the best of them, revise them, prune them, mentioning not more than two diseases, and giving each a title. In fact, a new ‘Fruitage’ was put in. This, itself, was quite a job, but of course I was glad to do it.”²

We have in our files Norwood’s accepted and rejected testimonies. The earliest date on any of them is October 1901. None of the testimonies he edited came from the 1902 edition, and most appeared in the Christian Science periodicals between 1902 and 1907. The bulk was from the Sentinel, with a few also from the Journal. Only one testimony from the 1902 edition of “Fruitage” also appeared in 1907 edition, titled “Desire for Liquor and Tobacco Disappeared.” It appears on pages 693-694 of today’s edition. We don’t know why this single testimony appears in both editions, and Norwood’s papers do not include a draft of it.

When announcements of the new 1907 edition began to appear, they made no special mention of the changes to “Fruitage.”

¹ Mary Baker Eddy to Edward Norwood, 3 November 1906, L11135

² Edward Everett Norwood, “Reminiscences of my relations with Rev. Mary Baker Eddy…”, 10 March 1924, Reminiscence, Edward Everett Norwood, 25.

How exciting is that!

Joyce Voysey

Let us get up early to the vineyards

 The third Scriptural passage chosen by Mary Baker Eddy to introduce her chapter Fruitage in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, comes from Solomon's Song, chapter 7, verse 12:

"Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth..."

"Let us" indicates both an invitation and a response. The invitation includes sharing some sort of experience, and the response demands cooperation, willingness, acquiescence and expectation of a satisfactory outcome. We see it's a demand for participation by more than one. It's a call to united action. Is this an invitation from God to see His work, Her vineyard, full of ripened fruit?

A quick look in the concordances indicates that there are 187 instances of "let us" in the Bible, 26 in Science & Health, 28 in the Christian Science Hymnal and 65 in Mrs. Eddy's Prose Works. Genesis employs the word "let" throughout chapter one and verse 26 is translated in the King James Version as: "And God said, Let us make man in our image..." 

We might now ponder the word "early". Does that mean at the start of the day? Probably. I'm sure the farmers of the world know the meaning of the word early. Might it also refer to no delay, excuse, meandering or procrastination? Truth is present right now.

And what about the vineyard? It's all God's. Mrs. Eddy writes: "When God called the author to proclaim His Gospel to this age, there came also the charge to plant and water His vineyard." (SH xi: 22). Our work, done unselfishly, consistently, appropriately, lovingly, and in fulfilment of God's purpose, takes wings and bears fruit, because it is God working through us and with us. "...in Him we live, and move, and have our being" Paul assures us (Acts 17: 28). I am reminded of Ruth in the Bible. She and Naomi were starting life over. They arrived at "the beginning of barley harvest" (Ruth 1: 22). Ruth was led to work in the field of Boaz and she got in early to the field.

Flourish is a marvellous word. The Psalmist assures us that "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon" (Ps. 92:7). But the Psalmist also warns that the wicked might also flourish. Farmers and gardeners are on the alert for pests which don't belong. Jesus' parable of the tares and the wheat includes the admonition to "let both grow together until the harvest...." and then when it is easy to distinguish which are the tares, then let them be burned. (See Matthew 13.)

The inclusion of this verse from Solomon's Song to introduce chapter XVIII gives the reader encouragement and expectation of good results. I love it, because it assures us that the vineyard is God's and therefore the fruit is assured.

Julie Swannell

Relief and happiness

We will now turn to the second Biblical quote chosen by Mary Baker Eddy to introduce the final chapter, Fruitage, in her master work Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. — PAUL.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 600:-5)

This passage is from Colossians 1:10. The Message (by Eugene Peterson) paraphrases it like this:

"We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work."

One might ask what a fruitful life looks like. Can one even quantify such an idea?

In a recent episode of Sentinel Watch titled “This book healed me: Science and Health”, the interviewee shared that they had the idea to read Fruitage anew by noting the attitude of each of the testifiers.

The testimony which appears on pages 649-650 of Science and Health may serve as an example. The person—Carrie Kruses*—is disappointed and discouraged. 

At a very low ebb, she began reading Science and Health mainly because her landlady kept asking how she was getting along with it! Her thought moved from disappointment and discouragement to relief and happiness in the “few weeks” during which she read Science and Health in its entirety. The testimony concludes with a prayer for “more wisdom and understanding and more love for all mankind”.

What lovely fruitage!

Julie Swannell

PS One could also wonder about the attitude of the landlady. ☺

*See original testimony Jan. 14, 1904, Christian Science Sentinel.

Prejudice against Christian Science melts

 How wonderful it is to learn about the way reading Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy has transformed lives. 

This year's Annual Meeting of The Mother Church included the testimony of Laura Leigh Robinson (about 49 minutes from the beginning of the recording) whose healing occurred after four days of reading Science and Health.

Another example of a life transformed is that of Nellie Eveleth, Mrs. Eddy's long-time dressmaker. This month's newsletter from the Longyear Foundation includes her story, as retold by Stacy Teicher. Here's a portion of the Longyear article, which includes a portion of Nellie's testimony, printed in the Dec. 1904 edition of The Christian Science Journal: 

As Mary Baker Eddy’s seamstress from 1907 to 1910, Nellie Eveleth made many dresses, wraps, and other clothing with materials ranging from taffeta to velvet...

Years before Miss Eveleth began making beautiful clothes, she was struck by “the beauty of the truth” in Mrs. Eddy’s book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which she explored after decades of invalidism:

“I began at the beginning, and never shall I forget the beauty of the truth I saw there,” Miss Eveleth wrote in a testimony. “[I]t was logical, every part fitted every other part. After reading a hundred pages I arose from my bed practically well, better than I had ever been in my life, and my joy knew no bounds. Then began the work of demonstrating this truth.”

Nellie's full testimony is quite lovely and is available on jsh-online. If you don't currently have a subscription, your local Christian Science Reading Room will be very happy to furnish you with a free copy. It's noteworthy that her thought transformation was not quick. She was quite prejudiced against Christian Science and had determined never to read Science and Health. She decided to read four pages ... and then just kept reading. 

Julie Swannell 

Results

According to the dictionary, fruitage connotes a yield of fruit. It can also mean "the product or result of any action, effect, good, or ill". Thus, fruitage is "the outcome or result of an endeavour or undertaking" (Webster).

Chapter eighteen of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy is titled Fruitage. Clearly, her textbook was written with results in mind. In fact, without results, a textbook would be of no use at all.

Eddy begins the chapter with quotations from Jesus, Paul and Solomon. Today, we will look at the first quote.

Jesus

"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (Matthew 7: 20) 

One fruit tree mentioned in the Bible is the fig tree. Figs are tender, tasty, and look beautiful! I'm sure they could stand, metaphorically, for beauty, bounty, nourishment, hospitality, abundance etc. A fig tree without fruit or with bad fruit would be a waste of a tree--metaphorically standing for waste, disappointment, failure, a personal sense of responsibility. (I Corinthians 3: 6 "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.")

I've always enjoyed the parable of the fig tree in Luke 13. Instead of giving up on the apparently fruitless tree, the farmer promises to put in extra effort to "dig about it, and dung it" (Luke 13: 8), indicating a willingness to persist, to dig deeper, to love the work of nurturing the promise.

Mrs. Eddy was realistic in her expectation of results: 

"I have never supposed the world would immediately witness the full fruitage of Christian Science, or that sin, disease, and death would not be believed for an indefinite time; but this I do aver, that, as a result of teaching Christian Science, ethics and temperance have received an impulse, health has been restored, and longevity increased" (348: 26-32, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures).

That sounds like pretty good fruit to me.

Julie Swannell