The story of Nehemiah's successful completion of the walls of Jerusalem is a most comforting one to the student of Christian Science. It portrays distinctly the different ways in which suggestion tries to impose itself as thought, activity, and causation, and shows how it must inevitably fail in the presence of a pure and vigorous realization of the fact stated by Mrs. Eddy in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" on page 93, "Whatever contradicts the real nature of the divine Esse, though human faith may clothe it with angelic vestments, is without foundation.-' Nehemiah's experience is thoroughly familiar to every Christian Scientist even though he may never have heard of Nehemiah. Upon beginning the study of Christian Science, we have all discovered "how Jerusalem lieth waste," how very unprofitable most of our thinking has been. Like the Jews under Nehemiah's leadership, we feel the urge of Principle, "Let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach," and like them, we strengthen our hands "for this good work" of learning what God is, and by that knowledge destroying the lie about Him.
Very soon we encounter Sanballat and Tobiah who come calling themselves our own thoughts, arguing the absurdity and futility of our efforts. "Will ye rebel against the king?" they ask; that is, will you foolishly endeavor to separate yourself from the belief of life in matter, which is the very essence of your thinking and living, which constitutes your past, present, and future, and determines your character and temperament? It is at this point that we need to understand what Mrs. Eddy means when she writes on page 213 of Miscellany: "Unless one's eyes are opened to the modes of mental malpractice, working so subtly that we mistake its suggestions for the impulses of our own thought, the victim will allow himself to drift in the wrong direction without knowing it. Be ever on guard against this enemy. Watch your thoughts, and see whether they lead you to God and into harmony with His true followers. Guard and strengthen your own citadel more strongly. Thus you will grow wiser and better through every attack of your foe, and the Golden Rule will not rust for lack of use or be misinterpreted by the adverse influence of animal magnetism."
We have probably been going about declaring frequently that God is Love and have wondered why in spite of this we have become confused and discouraged. Here we are told the reason why and what to do about it, and in Nehemiah's experience we have an excellent illustration of the results which follow right handling of the arguments of evil. When Sanballat and Tobiah taunted him, he did not accept their suggestions and reply mournfully something after this manner: "Yes, I remember that the ruins of Jerusalem are certainly overwhelming. I have a great deal to meet there, — more than anybody realizes; it is a terrible responsibility for me; I never built a wall before and besides there are so many mortal laws connected with wall building which make it peculiarly difficult." Such an answer was just what his enemies were suggesting,— that there is an "I," or ego, apart from God, which remembers evil, is compounded of good and evil elements, and is subject to mortal laws so inexorable that it is absurd to try to act contrary to them. In Nehemiah's reply he does not mention himself except as one of the people; he only talks about God,— about what He is and what He is not. He gives Sanballat and Tobiah the only answer which ever effectually silences them, an understanding affirmation of "the real nature of the divine Esse." He says, "The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build." It is not difficult, it is not futile to "arise and build;" it is the natural consequence of the fact that God does prosper His idea, making it rich in reflected activity. We cannot imagine Him prospering man by endowing him with impoverishing faults of character, hereditary weaknesses, and subjection to the caprice of matter. Nehemiah goes on to make this clear, "But ye [evil suggestions] have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem." He has just spoken of the "God of heaven," using the term Jerusalem in the last meaning which Mrs. Eddy gives for it on page 589 of Science and Health, "Home, heaven." Nehemiah is saying, then, that evil has no portion, right, nor memorial in true consciousness. In reality he completed his own wall when he understandingly made this statement, before work on the structure of stone and brick had even begun. It was this correct knowledge of God which enabled him on all subsequent occasions to help the people and to withstand successfully all the efforts of Sanballat and Tobiah to paralyze the good work. In fact, all their efforts were foredoomed to failure from the moment Nehemiah realized the truth he sets forth in this first short, complete statement.
