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Shake off, O heedless ones, the slumber
of negligence that ye may behold the radiance which
His glory hath spread through the world. How foolish
are those who murmur against the premature
birth of His light. O ye who are inly blind! Whether
too soon or too late, the evidences of His effulgent
glory are now actually manifest. It behoveth you to
ascertain whether or not such a light hath appeared.
It is neither within your power nor mine to set the
time at which it should be made manifest. God's inscrutable
Wisdom hath fixed its hour beforehand. Be
content, O people, with that which God hath desired
for you and predestined unto you.... O my ill-wishers!
The Day Star of eternal Guidance beareth
me witness: Had it been in my power, I would have,
under no circumstances, consented to distinguish myself
amongst men, for the Name I bear utterly disdaineth
to associate itself with this generation whose
tongues are sullied and whose hearts are false. And
whenever I chose to hold my peace and be still, lo,
the voice of the Holy Ghost, standing on my right
hand, aroused me, and the Supreme Spirit appeared
before my face, and Gabriel overshadowed me, and
the Spirit of Glory stirred within my bosom, bidding
me arise and break my silence. If your hearing be
purged and your ears be attentive, ye will assuredly
perceive that every limb of my body, nay all the
atoms of my being, proclaim and bear witness to this
call: "God, besides Whom is none other God, and He,
Whose beauty is now manifest, is the reflection of
His glory unto all that are in heaven and on earth." |