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