O thou who art dear, and wise! Thy letter dated 27 May 1906 hath been
received and its contents are most pleasing and have brought great joy.
Thou didst ask whether this Cause, this new and living Cause, could take
the place of the dead religious rites and ceremonials of England; whether
it would be possible, now that various groups have appeared, whose members
are highly placed divines and theologians, far superior in their
attainments to those of the past, for this new Cause so to impress the
members of such groups as to gather them and the rest into its
all-protecting shade.
O thou dear friend! Know thou that the distinguished Individual of every
age is endowed according to the perfections of His age. That Individual
who in past ages was set above His fellows was gifted according to the
virtues of His time. But in this age of splendours, this era of God, the
pre-eminent Personage, the luminous Orb, the chosen Individual will shine
out with such perfections and such power as ultimately to dazzle the minds
of every community and group. And since such a Personage is superior to
all others in spiritual perfections and heavenly attainments, and is
indeed the focal centre of divine blessings and the pivot of the circle of
light, He will encompass all others, and there is no doubt whatsoever that
He will shine out with such power as to gather every soul into His
sheltering shade.
When ye consider this matter with care, it will become apparent that this
is according to a universal law, which one can find at work in all things:
the whole attracteth the part, and in the circle, the centre is the pivot
of the compasses. Ponder thou upon the Spirit(27) : because He was the
focal centre of spiritual power, the wellspring of divine bounties,
although at the beginning He gathered unto Himself only a very few souls,
later on He was able, because of that all-subduing power that He had, to
unite within the sheltering Tabernacle of Christendom all the differing
sects. Compare the present with the past, and see how great is the
difference; thus canst thou arrive at truth and certitude.
The differences among the religions of the world are due to the varying
types of minds. So long as the powers of the mind are various, it is
certain that men's judgements and opinions will differ one from another.
If, however, one single, universal perceptive power be introduced--a power
encompassing all the rest--those differing opinions will merge, and a
spiritual harmony and oneness will become apparent. For example, when the
Christ was made manifest, the minds of the various contemporary peoples,
their views, their emotional attitudes, whether they were Romans, Greeks,
Syrians, Israelites, or others, were at variance with one another. But
once His universal power was brought to bear, it gradually succeeded,
after the lapse of three hundred years, in gathering together all those
divergent minds under the protection, and within the governance, of one
central Point, all sharing the same spiritual emotions in their hearts.
To use a metaphor, when an army is placed under various commanders, each
with his own strategy, they will obviously differ as to battle lines and
movements of the troops; but once the Supreme Commander, who is thoroughly
versed in the arts of war, taketh over, those other plans will disappear,
for the supremely gifted general will bring the whole army under his
control. This is intended only as a metaphor, not an exact comparison. Now
if you should say that each and every one of those other generals is
highly skilled in the military art, is thoroughly proficient and
experienced, and therefore will not subject himself to the rule of one
individual, no matter how indescribably great, your statement is
untenable, for the above situation is demonstrably what cometh to pass,
and there is no doubt thereof whatever.
Such is the case with the holy Manifestations of God. Such in particular
is the case with the divine reality of the Most Great Name, the Abha
Beauty. When once He standeth revealed unto the assembled peoples of the
world and appeareth with such comeliness, such enchantments--alluring as a
Joseph in the Egypt of the spirit--He enslaveth all the lovers on earth.
As to those souls who are born into this life as ethereal and radiant
entities and yet, on account of their handicaps and trials, are deprived
of great and real advantages, and leave the world without having lived to
the full--certainly this is a cause for grieving. This is the reason why
the universal Manifestations of God unveil Their countenances to man, and
endure every calamity and sore affliction, and lay down Their lives as a
ransom; it is to make these very people, the ready ones, the ones who have
capacity, to become dawning points of light, and to bestow upon them the
life that fadeth never. This is the true sacrifice: the offering of
oneself, even as did Christ, as a ransom for the life of the world.
As to the influence of holy Beings and the continuance of Their grace to
mankind after They have put away Their human form, this is, to Baha'is, an
indisputable fact. Indeed, the flooding grace, the streaming splendours of
the holy Manifestations appear after Their ascension from this world. The
exaltation of the Word, the revelation of the power of God, the conversion
of God-fearing souls, the bestowal of everlasting life--it was following
the Messiah's martyrdom that all these were increased and intensified. In
the same way, ever since the ascension of the Blessed Beauty, the
bestowals have been more abundant, the spreading light is brighter, the
tokens of the Lord's might are more powerful, the influence of the Word is
much stronger, and it will not be long before the motion, the heat, the
brilliance, the blessings of the Sun of His reality will encompass all the
earth.
Grieve thou not over the slow advance of the Baha'i Cause in that land.
This is but the early dawn. Consider how, with the Cause of Christ, three
hundred years had to go by, before its great influence was made manifest.
Today, not sixty years from its birth, the light of this Faith hath been
shed around the planet.
Regarding the health society of which thou art a member, once it cometh
under the shelter of this Faith its influence shall increase a
hundredfold.
Thou dost observe that love among the Baha'is is very great, and that love
is the main thing. Just as love's power hath been developed to such a high
degree among the Baha'is, and is far greater than among the people of
other religions, so is it with all else as well; for love is the ground of
all things.
Regarding the translation of the Books and Tablets of the Blessed Beauty,
erelong will translations be made into every tongue, with power, clarity
and grace. At such time as they are translated, conformably to the
originals, and with power and grace of style, the splendours of their
inner meanings will be shed abroad, and will illumine the eyes of all
mankind. Do thy very best to ensure that the translation is in conformity
with the original.
The Blessed Beauty proceeded to Haifa on many occasions. Thou beheldest
Him there, but thou didst not know Him at that time. It is my hope that
thou wilt attain unto the true meeting with Him, which is to behold Him
with the inner, not the outer eye.
The essence of Baha'u'llah's Teaching is all-embracing love, for love
includeth every excellence of humankind. It causeth every soul to go
forward. It bestoweth on each one, for a heritage, immortal life. Erelong
shalt thou bear witness that His celestial Teachings, the very glory of
reality itself, shall light up the skies of the world.
The brief prayer which thou didst write at the close of thy letter was
indeed original, touching and beautiful. Recite thou this prayer at all
times.