One word in conclusion to those to whom the Tablets of so stupendous a
Plan have been addressed, to whose care the destinies of so prodigious an
enterprise have been committed, and of whom such titanic efforts are now
demanded. I can do no better than recall, nor can I sufficiently
emphasize, or refrain from quoting anew, those stirring and pregnant
passages that illuminate the pages of 'Abdu'l-Baha's epoch-making Tablets.
In one of these Tablets, addressed to the believers in the Northeastern
States, these weighty and highly significant words are recorded: "All
countries, in the estimation of the one true God, are but one country, and
all cities and villages are on an equal footing... Through faith and
certitude, and the precedence achieved by one over another, however, the
dweller conferreth honor upon the dwelling, some of the countries achieve
distinction, and attain a preeminent position. For instance,
notwithstanding that some of the countries of Europe and of America are
distinguished by, and surpass other countries in, the salubrity of their
climate, the wholesomeness of their water, and the charm of their
mountains, plains and prairies, yet Palestine became the glory of all
nations inasmuch as all the holy and Divine Manifestations, from the time
of Abraham until the appearance of the Seal of the Prophets (Muhammad),
have lived in, or migrated to, or traveled through, that country.
Likewise, Mecca and Medina have achieved illimitable glory, as the light
of Prophethood shone forth therein. For this reason Palestine and Hijaz
have been distinguished from all other countries." "Likewise," is His
remarkable disclosure, "the continent of America is, in the eyes of the
one true God, the land wherein the splendors of His light shall be
revealed, where the mysteries of His Faith shall be unveiled, the home of
the righteous, and the gathering-place of the free."
To those of His followers, dwelling in that enviable and blessed
continent, He has chosen to address these no less inspiring words, as
recorded in one of those Tablets revealed in honor of the believers of the
United States and Canada: "O ye apostles of Baha'u'llah! May my life be
sacrificed for you!... Behold the portals which Baha'u'llah hath opened
before you! Consider how exalted and lofty is the station you are destined
to attain, how unique the favors with which you have been endowed... My
thoughts are turned towards you, and my heart leaps within me at your
mention. Could ye know how my soul gloweth with your love, so great a
happiness would flood your hearts as to cause you to become enamored with
each other." "The full measure of your success," He, in another Tablet,
addressed to the entire company of His followers in the North American
continent these prophetic words: "is as yet unrevealed, its significance
unapprehended. Erelong ye will with your own eyes witness how brilliantly
every one of you, even as a shining star, will radiate in the firmament of
your country the light of divine guidance, and will bestow upon its people
the glory of an everlasting life... I fervently hope that in the near
future the whole earth may be stirred and shaken by the results of your
achievements. The hope which 'Abdu'l-Baha cherishes for you is that the
same success which has attended your efforts in America may crown your
endeavors in other parts of the world, that through you the fame of the
Cause of God may be diffused throughout the East and the West, and the
advent of the Kingdom of the Lord of Hosts be proclaimed in all the five
continents of the globe. The moment this Divine Message is carried forward
by the American believers from the shores of America, and is propagated
through the continents of Europe, of Asia, of Africa and of Australia, and
as far as the islands of the Pacific, this community will find itself
securely established upon the throne of an everlasting dominion. Then will
all the peoples of the world witness that this community is spiritually
illumined and divinely guided. Then will the whole earth resound with the
praises of its majesty and greatness... Know ye of a certainty that
whatever gathering ye enter, the waves of the Holy Spirit are surging over
it, and the heavenly grace of the Blessed Beauty encompasseth that
gathering... O that I could travel, even though on foot and in the utmost
poverty, to these regions, and, raising the call of Ya-Baha'u'l-Abha in
cities, villages, mountains, deserts and oceans promote the divine
teachings! This, alas, I cannot do. How intensely I deplore it! Please
God, ye may achieve it... Thus far ye have been untiring in your labors.
Let your exertions henceforth increase a thousandfold. Summon the people
in these countries, capitals, islands, assemblies and churches to enter
the Abha Kingdom. The scope of your exertions must needs be extended. The
wider its range, the more striking will be the evidence of divine
assistance."