I have come from distant lands of the East to visit you, crossing the
great ocean and traveling a long distance upon this continent. Consider
how I have longed to meet you, for my body is frail and weak, incapable of
long endurance, yet--praise be to God!--we have at last reached Denver. Such
a gathering as this is worthy of thanksgiving; it is peerless and unique
among meetings. Other meetings are held from motives of material
interests--such as social, political, commercial, educational--but this
assemblage has no other purpose than attainment to the divine Kingdom;
therefore, it is unique, unequaled. The hearts have turned to God; spirits
are exalted through the glad tidings of God; the intentions of all are
directed to God. What better meeting could be imagined than this?
Such a gathering is fundamentally spiritual, sincere and most important.
But we must arise in the accomplishment of its purposes, for our attention
is directed toward the heavenly Kingdom unto which we must render faithful
service. Therefore, all individuals present here must be in the attitude
of perfect love and fellowship, manifesting the utmost humility and
self-sacrifice, turning our thoughts toward the Kingdom of God so that our
meeting may be an expression of the glorified hosts of the Supreme
Concourse.
Praise be to God! We are living in a century of light. Praise be to God!
We are upon earth in the day of divine effulgence. Praise be to God! We
are alive in this time of the manifestation of divine love. Praise be to
God that we live in the day of the outpouring of heavenly bounty. Praise
be to God! This is a day wherein the lights and splendors have awakened
progress throughout the East and the West. Many holy souls in former times
longed to witness this century, lamenting night and day, yearning to be
upon the earth in this cycle; but our presence and privilege is the
beneficent gift of the Lord. In His divine mercy and absolute virtue He
has bestowed this upon us, even as Christ declared, "Many are called but
few are chosen." Verily, God has chosen you for His love and knowledge;
God has chosen you for the worthy service of unifying mankind; God has
chosen you for the purpose of investigating reality and promulgating
international peace; God has chosen you for the progress and development
of humanity, for spreading and proclaiming true education, for the
expression of love toward your fellow creatures and the removal of
prejudice; God has chosen you to blend together human hearts and give
light to the human world. The doors of His generosity are wide, wide open
to us; but we must be attentive, alert and mindful, occupied with service
to all mankind, appreciating the bestowals of God and ever conforming to
His will.
Observe how darkness has overspread the world. In every corner of the
earth there is strife, discord and warfare of some kind. Mankind is
submerged in the sea of materialism and occupied with the affairs of this
world. They have no thought beyond earthly possessions and manifest no
desire save the passions of this fleeting, mortal existence. Their utmost
purpose is the attainment of material livelihood, physical comforts and
worldly enjoyments such as constitute the happiness of the animal world
rather than the world of man.
The honor of man is through the attainment of the knowledge of God; his
happiness is from the love of God; his joy is in the glad tidings of God;
his greatness is dependent upon his servitude to God. The highest
development of man is his entrance into the divine Kingdom, and the
outcome of this human existence is the nucleus and essence of eternal
life. If man is bereft of the divine bestowals and if his enjoyment and
happiness are restricted to his material inclinations, what distinction or
difference is there between the animal and himself? In fact, the animal's
happiness is greater, for its wants are fewer and its means of livelihood
easier to acquire. Although it is necessary for man to strive for material
needs and comforts, his real need is the acquisition of the bounties of
God. If he is bereft of divine bounties, spiritual susceptibilities and
heavenly glad tidings, the life of man in this world has not yielded any
worthy fruit. While possessing physical life, he should lay hold of the
life spiritual, and together with bodily comforts and happiness, he should
enjoy divine pleasures and content. Then is man worthy of the title man;
then will he be after the image and likeness of God, for the image of the
Merciful consists of the attributes of the heavenly Kingdom. If no fruits
of the Kingdom appear in the garden of his soul, man is not in the image
and likeness of God, but if those fruits are forthcoming, he becomes the
recipient of ideal bestowals and is enkindled with the fire of the love of
God. If his morals become spiritual in character, his aspirations heavenly
and his actions conformable to the will of God, man has attained the image
and likeness of his Creator; otherwise, he is the image and likeness of
Satan. Therefore, Christ hath said, "Ye shall know them by their fruits."
What are the fruits of the human world? They are the spiritual attributes
which appear in man. If man is bereft of those attributes, he is like a
fruitless tree. One whose aspiration is lofty and who has developed
self-reliance will not be content with a mere animal existence. He will
seek the divine Kingdom; he will long to be in heaven although he still
walks the earth in his material body, and though his outer visage be
physical, his face of inner reflection will become spiritual and heavenly.
Until this station is attained by man, his life will be utterly devoid of
real outcomes. The span of his existence will pass away in eating,
drinking and sleeping, without eternal fruits, heavenly traces or
illumination--without spiritual potency, everlasting life or the lofty
attainments intended for him during his pilgrimage through the human
world. You must thank God that your efforts are high and noble, that your
endeavors are worthy, that your intentions are centered upon the Kingdom
of God and that your supreme desire is the acquisition of eternal virtues.
You must act in accordance with these requirements. A man may be a Baha'i
in name only. If he is a Baha'i in reality, his deeds and actions will be
decisive proofs of it. What are the requirements? Love for mankind,
sincerity toward all, reflecting the oneness of the world of humanity,
philanthropy, becoming enkindled with the fire of the love of God,
attainment to the knowledge of God and that which is conducive to human
welfare.
This evening we were speaking of the fellowship and unity of the Persian
Baha'is. They can truly be called lovers. For example, if one of the
friends of God arrived in their city, all the friends would rejoice and
assemble together in a meeting with him. If he were ill, they would care
for him; if sad, they would comfort him. They would care for him in every
way and give unmistakable evidence that there is a spiritual relationship
amongst them.
Strangers and outsiders are astonished at this love and radiant affection
existing among the Baha'is. They inquire about it. They observe the unity
and agreement manifest among them. They say, "What a beautiful spirit
shines in their faces!" All envy it and wish that such a bond of love
might be witnessed everywhere. Therefore, to you my first admonition is
this: Associate most kindly with all; be as one family; pursue this same
pathway. Let your intentions be one that your love may permeate and affect
the hearts of others so that they may grow to love each other and all
attain to this condition of oneness.
The world of humanity is filled with darkness; you are its radiant
candles. It is very poor; you must be the treasury of the Kingdom. It is
exceedingly debased; you must be the cause of its exaltation. It is bereft
of divine graces; you must give it impetus and spiritual quickening.
According to the teachings of Baha'u'llah you must love and cherish each
individual member of humanity.
The first sign of faith is love. The message of the holy, divine
Manifestations is love; the phenomena of creation are based upon love; the
radiance of the world is due to love; the well-being and happiness of the
world depend upon it. Therefore, I admonish you that you must strive
throughout the human world to diffuse the light of love. The people of
this world are thinking of warfare; you must be peacemakers. The nations
are self-centered; you must be thoughtful of others rather than
yourselves. They are neglectful; you must be mindful. They are asleep; you
should be awake and alert. May each one of you be as a shining star in the
horizon of eternal glory. This is my wish for you and my highest hope. I
have come long distances that you may attain these attributes and divine
favors. Praise be to God! I have attended this meeting which has for its
purpose the commemoration of God.
25 September 1912
Talk at Second Divine Science Church
3929 West Thirty-eighth Avenue, Denver, Colorado