THE DUTY OF KINDNESS AND SYMPATHY TOWARDS STRANGERS AND FOREIGNERS

October 16th and 17th, 1911

When a man turns his face to God he finds sunshine
everywhere. All men are his brothers. Let not conventionality cause
you to seem cold and unsympathetic when you meet strange people from
other countries. Do not look at them as though you suspected them of
being evil-doers, thieves and boors. You think it necessary to be
very careful, not to expose yourselves to the risk of making
acquaintance with such, possibly, undesirable people.

I ask you not to think only of yourselves. Be kind to
the strangers, whether come they from Turkey, Japan, Persia, Russia,
China or any other country in the world.

Help to make them feel at home; find out where they are
staying, ask if you may render them any service; try to make their
lives a little happier.

In this way, even if, sometimes, what you at first
suspected should be true, still go out of your way to be kind to
them—this kindness will help them to become better.

After all, why should any foreign people be treated as
strangers?

Let those who meet you know, without your proclaiming
the fact, that you are indeed a Bahá’í.

Put into practice the Teaching of Bahá’u’lláh,
that of kindness to all nations. Do not be content with showing
friendship in words alone, let your heart burn with loving kindness
for all who may cross your path.

Oh, you of the Western nations, be kind to those who
come from the Eastern world to sojourn among you. Forget your
conventionality when you speak with them; they are not accustomed to
it. To Eastern peoples this demeanour seems cold, unfriendly. Rather
let your manner be sympathetic. Let it be seen that you are filled
with universal love. When you meet a Persian or any other stranger,
speak to him as to a friend; if he seems to be lonely try to help
him, give him of your willing service; if he be sad console him, if
poor succour him, if oppressed rescue him, if in misery comfort him.
In so doing you will manifest that not in words only, but in deed and
in truth, you think of all men as your brothers.

What profit is there in agreeing that universal
friendship is good, and talking of the solidarity of the human race
as a grand ideal? Unless these thoughts are translated into the world
of action, they are useless.

The wrong in the world continues to exist just because
people talk only of their ideals, and do not strive to put them into
practice. If actions took the place of words, the world’s
misery would very soon be changed into comfort.

A man who does great good, and talks not of it, is on
the way to perfection.

The man who has accomplished a small good and magnifies
it in his speech is worth very little.

If I love you, I need not continually speak of my
love—you will know without any words. On the other hand if I
love you not, that also will you know—and you would not believe
me, were I to tell you in a thousand words, that I loved you.

People make much profession of goodness, multiplying
fine words because they wish to be thought greater and better than
their fellows, seeking fame in the eyes of the world. Those who do
most good use fewest words concerning their actions.

The children of God do the works without boasting,
obeying His laws.

My hope for you is that you will ever avoid tyranny and
oppression; that you will work without ceasing till justice reigns in
every land, that you will keep your hearts pure and your hands free
from unrighteousness.

This is what the near approach to God requires from you,
and this is what I expect of you.

THE POWER AND VALUE OF TRUE THOUGHT
DEPEND UPON ITS MANIFESTATION IN ACTION

October 18th

The reality of man is his thought, not his material
body. The thought force and the animal force are partners. Although
man is part of the animal creation, he possesses a power of thought
superior to all other created beings.

If a man’s thought is constantly aspiring towards
heavenly subjects then does he become saintly; if on the other hand
his thought does not soar, but is directed downwards to centre itself
upon the things of this world, he grows more and more material until
he arrives at a state little better than that of a mere animal.

Thoughts may be divided into two classes:

(1st) Thought that belongs to the world of thought
alone.

(2nd) Thought that expresses itself in action.

Some men and women glory in their exalted thoughts, but
if these thoughts never reach the plane of action they remain
useless: the power of thought is dependent on its manifestation in
deeds. A philosopher’s thought may, however, in the world of
progress and evolution, translate itself into the actions of other
people, even when they themselves are unable or unwilling to show
forth their grand ideals in their own lives. To this class the
majority of philosophers belong, their teachings being high above
their actions. This is the difference between philosophers who are
Spiritual Teachers, and those who are mere philosophers: the
Spiritual Teacher is the first to follow His own teaching; He brings
down into the world of action His spiritual conceptions and ideals.
His Divine thoughts are made manifest to the world. His thought is
Himself, from which He is inseparable. When we find a philosopher
emphasizing the importance and grandeur of justice, and then
encouraging a rapacious monarch in his oppression and tyranny, we
quickly realize that he belongs to the first class: for he thinks
heavenly thoughts and does not practise the corresponding heavenly
virtues.

This state is impossible with Spiritual Philosophers,
for they ever express their high and noble thoughts in actions.

GOD IS THE GREAT COMPASSIONATE
PHYSICIAN WHO ALONE GIVES TRUE HEALING

October 19th

All true healing comes from God! There are two causes
for sickness, one is material, the other spiritual. If the sickness
is of the body, a material remedy is needed, if of the soul, a
spiritual remedy.

If the heavenly benediction be upon us while we are
being healed then only can we be made whole, for medicine is but the
outward and visible means through which we obtain the heavenly
healing. Unless the spirit be healed, the cure of the body is worth
nothing. All is in the hands of God, and without Him there can be no
health in us!

There have been many men who have died at last of the
very disease of which they have made a special study. Aristotle, for
instance, who made a special study of the digestion, died of a
gastronomic malady. Aviseu was a specialist of the heart, but he died
of heart disease. God is the great compassionate Physician who alone
has the power to give true healing.

All creatures are dependent upon God, however great may
seem their knowledge, power and independence.

Behold the mighty kings upon earth, for they have all
the power in the world that man can give them, and yet when death
calls they must obey, even as the peasants at their gates.

Look also at the animals, how helpless they are in their
apparent strength! For the elephant, the largest of all animals, is
troubled by the fly, and the lion cannot escape the irritation of the
worm. Even man, the highest form of created beings, needs many things
for his very life; first of all he needs air, and if he is deprived
of it for a few minutes, he dies. He is also dependent on water,
food, clothing, warmth, and many other things. On all sides he is
surrounded by dangers and difficulties, against which his physical
body alone cannot cope. If a man looks at the world around him, he
will see how all created things are dependent and are captive to the
laws of Nature.

Man alone, by his spiritual power, has been able to free
himself, to soar above the world of matter and to make it his
servant.

Without the help of God man is even as the beasts that
perish, but God has bestowed such wonderful power upon him that he
might ever look upward, and receive, among other gifts, healing from
His divine Bounty.

But alas! man is not grateful for this supreme good, but
sleeps the sleep of negligence, being careless of the great mercy
which God has shown towards him, turning his face away from the light
and going on his way in darkness.

It is my earnest prayer, that ye be not like unto this,
but rather that ye keep your faces steadfastly turned to the light,
so that ye may be as lighted torches in the dark places of life.

THE NEED FOR UNION BETWEEN THE
PEOPLES OF THE EAST AND WEST

Friday, October 20th

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:

In the past, as in the present, the Spiritual Sun of
Truth has always shone from the horizon of the East.

Abraham appeared in the East. In the East Moses arose to
lead and teach the people. On the Eastern horizon arose the Lord
Christ. Muḥammad was sent to an Eastern nation. The Báb
arose in the Eastern land of Persia. Bahá’u’lláh
lived and taught in the East. All the great Spiritual Teachers arose
in the Eastern world. But although the Sun of Christ dawned in the
East the radiance thereof was apparent in the West, where the
effulgence of its glory was more clearly seen. The divine light of
His Teaching shone with a greater force in the Western world, where
it has made a more rapid headway than in the land of its birth.

In these days the East is in need of material progress
and the West is in want of a spiritual idea. It would be well for the
West to turn to the East for illumination, and to give in exchange
its scientific knowledge. There must be this interchange of gifts.

The East and the West must unite to give to each other
what is lacking. This union will bring about a true civilization,
where the spiritual is expressed and carried out in the material.

Receiving thus the one from the other the greatest
harmony will prevail, all people will be united, a state of great
perfection will be attained, there will be a firm cementing, and this
world will become a shining mirror for the reflection of the
attributes of God.

We all, the Eastern with the Western nations, must
strive day and night with heart and soul to achieve this high ideal,
to cement the unity between all the nations of the earth. Every heart
will then be refreshed, all eyes will be opened, the most wonderful
power will be given, the happiness of humanity will be assured.

We must pray that by the Bounty of God, Persia will be
enabled to receive the material and mental civilization of the West,
and by Divine Grace to give in return her spiritual light. The
devoted energetic work of the united peoples, occidentals and
orientals, will succeed in establishing this result, for the force of
the Holy Spirit will aid them.

The principles of the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh
should be carefully studied, one by one, until they are realized and
understood by mind and heart—so will you become strong
followers of the light, truly spiritual, heavenly soldiers of God,
acquiring and spreading the true civilization in Persia, in Europe,
and in the whole world.

This will be the paradise which is to come on earth,
when all mankind will be gathered together under the tent of unity in
the Kingdom of Glory.

GOD COMPREHENDS ALL: HE CANNOT BE
COMPREHENDED

Friday evening, October 20th

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:

Numerous meetings are held in Paris every day for
different purposes, to discuss politics, commerce, education, art,
science and many other subjects.

All these meetings are good: but this assembly has met
together to turn their faces towards God, to learn how best to work
for the good of humanity, to seek how prejudices may be abolished,
and the seed of love and universal brotherhood sown in the heart of
man.

God approves of the motive of our gathering together and
gives us His blessing.

In the Old Testament we read that God said, ‘Let
us make man in Our own image’. In the Gospel, Christ said, ‘I
am in the Father, and the Father in Me’.1
In the Qur’án, God says, ‘Man is my Mystery and I
am his’. Bahá’u’lláh writes that God
says, ‘Thy heart is My home; purify it for My descent. Thy
spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation’.

All these sacred words show us that man is made in God’s
image: yet the Essence of God is incomprehensible to the human mind,
for the finite understanding cannot be applied to this infinite
Mystery. God contains all: He cannot be contained. That which
contains is superior to that which is contained. The whole is greater
than its parts.

Things which are understood by men cannot be outside
their capacity for understanding, so that it is impossible for the
heart of man to comprehend the nature of the Majesty of God. Our
imagination can only picture that which it is able to create.

The power of the understanding differs in degree in the
various kingdoms of creation. The mineral, vegetable, and animal
realms are each incapable of understanding any creation beyond their
own. The mineral cannot imagine the growing power of the plant. The
tree cannot understand the power of movement in the animal, neither
can it comprehend what it would mean to possess sight, hearing or the
sense of smell. These all belong to the physical creation.

Man also shares in this creation; but it is not possible
for either of the lower kingdoms to understand that which takes place
in the mind of man. The animal cannot realize the intelligence of a
human being, he only knows that which is perceived by his animal
senses, he cannot imagine anything in the abstract. An animal could
not learn that the world is round, that the earth revolves round the
sun, or the construction of the electric telegraph. These things are
only possible to man. Man is the highest work of creation, the
nearest to God of all creatures.

All superior kingdoms are incomprehensible to the
inferior; how therefore could it be possible that the creature, man,
should understand the almighty Creator of all?

That which we imagine, is not the Reality of God; He,
the Unknowable, the Unthinkable, is far beyond the highest conception
of man.

All creatures that exist are dependent upon the Divine
Bounty. Divine Mercy gives life itself. As the light of the sun
shines on the whole world, so the Mercy of the infinite God is shed
on all creatures. As the sun ripens the fruits of the earth, and
gives life and warmth to all living beings, so shines the Sun of
Truth on all souls, filling them with the fire of Divine love and
understanding.

The superiority of man over the rest of the created
world is seen again in this, that man has a soul in which dwells the
divine spirit; the souls of the lower creatures are inferior in their
essence.

There is no doubt then, that of all created beings man
is the nearest to the nature of God, and therefore receives a greater
gift of the Divine Bounty.

The mineral kingdom possesses the power of existing. The
plant has the power of existing and growing. The animal, in addition
to existence and growth, has the capacity of moving about, and the
use of the faculties of the senses. In the human kingdom we find all
the attributes of the lower worlds, with much more added thereto. Man
is the sum of every previous creation, for he contains them all.

To man is given the special gift of the intellect by
which he is able to receive a larger share of the light Divine. The
Perfect Man is as a polished mirror reflecting the Sun of Truth,
manifesting the attributes of God.

The Lord Christ said, ‘He that hath seen Me hath
seen the Father’—God manifested in man.

The sun does not leave his place in the heavens and
descend into the mirror, for the actions of ascent and descent,
coming and going, do not belong to the Infinite, they are the methods
of finite beings. In the Manifestation of God, the perfectly polished
mirror, appear the qualities of the Divine in a form that man is
capable of comprehending.

This is so simple that all can understand it, and that
which we are able to understand we must perforce accept.

Our Father will not hold us responsible for the
rejection of dogmas which we are unable either to believe or
comprehend, for He is ever infinitely just to His children.

This example is, however, so logical that it can easily
be grasped by all minds willing to give it their consideration.

May each one of you become a shining lamp, of which the
flame is the Love of God. May your hearts burn with the radiance of
unity. May your eyes be illumined with the effulgence of the Sun of
Truth!

The city of Paris is very beautiful, a more civilized
and well-appointed town in all material development it would be
impossible to find in the present world. But the spiritual light has
not shone upon her for a long time: her spiritual progress is far
behind that of her material civilization. A supreme power is needed
to awaken her to the reality of spiritual truth, to breathe the
breath of life into her dormant soul. You must all unite in this work
of arousing her, in reanimating her people by the help of that
Superior Force.

When an illness is slight a small remedy will suffice to
heal it, but when the slight illness becomes a terrible disease, then
a very strong remedy must be used by the Divine Healer. There are
some trees that blossom and bear fruit in a cool climate, others
there are which need the hottest rays of the sun to bring them to
perfect maturity. Paris is one of those trees for whose spiritual
unfoldment a great flaming Sun of the Divine Power of God is needed.

I ask you all, each one of you, to follow well the light
of truth, in the Holy Teachings, and God will strengthen you by His
Holy Spirit so that you will be enabled to overcome the difficulties,
and to destroy the prejudices which cause separation and hatred
amongst the people. Let your hearts be filled with the great love of
God, let it be felt by all; for every man is a servant of God, and
all are entitled to a share of the Divine Bounty.

Especially to those whose thoughts are material and
retrograde show the utmost love and patience, thereby winning them
into the unity of fellowship by the radiance of your kindness.

If you are faithful to your great work, following the
Holy Sun of Truth without swerving, then will the blessed day of
universal brotherhood dawn on this beautiful city.

THE PITIFUL CAUSES OF WAR, AND THE
DUTY OF EVERYONE TO STRIVE FOR PEACE

October 21st

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:

I hope you are all happy and well. I am not happy, but
very sad. The news of the Battle of Benghazi grieves my heart. I
wonder at the human savagery that still exists in the world! How is
it possible for men to fight from morning until evening, killing each
other, shedding the blood of their fellow-men: And for what object?
To gain possession of a part of the earth! Even the animals, when
they fight, have an immediate and more reasonable cause for their
attacks! How terrible it is that men, who are of the higher kingdom,
can descend to slaying and bringing misery to their fellow-beings,
for the possession of a tract of land!

The highest of created beings fighting to obtain the
lowest form of matter, earth! Land belongs not to one people, but to
all people. This earth is not man’s home, but his tomb. It is
for their tombs these men are fighting. There is nothing so horrible
in this world as the tomb, the abode of the decaying bodies of men.

However great the conqueror, however many countries he
may reduce to slavery, he is unable to retain any part of these
devastated lands but one tiny portion—his tomb! If more land is
required for the improvement of the condition of the people, for the
spread of civilization (for the substitution of just laws for brutal
customs)—surely it would be possible to acquire peaceably the
necessary extension of territory.

But war is made for the satisfaction of men’s
ambition; for the sake of worldly gain to the few, terrible misery is
brought to numberless homes, breaking the hearts of hundreds of men
and women!

How many widows mourn their husbands, how many stories
of savage cruelty do we hear! How many little orphaned children are
crying for their dead fathers, how many women are weeping for their
slain sons!

There is nothing so heart-breaking and terrible as an
outburst of human savagery!

I charge you all that each one of you concentrate all
the thoughts of your heart on love and unity. When a thought of war
comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred
must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love. Thoughts of war
bring destruction to all harmony, well-being, restfulness and
content.

Thoughts of love are constructive of brotherhood, peace,
friendship, and happiness.

When soldiers of the world draw their swords to kill,
soldiers of God clasp each other’s hands! So may all the
savagery of man disappear by the Mercy of God, working through the
pure in heart and the sincere of soul. Do not think the peace of the
world an ideal impossible to attain!

Nothing is impossible to the Divine Benevolence of God.

If you desire with all your heart, friendship with every
race on earth, your thought, spiritual and positive, will spread; it
will become the desire of others, growing stronger and stronger,
until it reaches the minds of all men.

Do not despair! Work steadily. Sincerity and love will
conquer hate. How many seemingly impossible events are coming to pass
in these days! Set your faces steadily towards the Light of the
World. Show love to all; ‘Love is the breath of the Holy Spirit
in the heart of Man’. Take courage! God never forsakes His
children who strive and work and pray! Let your hearts be filled with
the strenuous desire that tranquillity and harmony may encircle all
this warring world. So will success crown your efforts, and with the
universal brotherhood will come the Kingdom of God in peace and
goodwill.

In this room today are members of many races, French,
American, English, German, Italian, brothers and sisters meeting in
friendship and harmony! Let this gathering be a foreshadowing of what
will, in very truth, take place in this world, when every child of
God realizes that they are leaves of one tree, flowers in one garden,
drops in one ocean, and sons and daughters of one Father, whose name
is love!

THE SUN OF TRUTH

October 22nd

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:

It is a lovely day, the sun shines brightly upon the
earth, giving light and warmth to all creatures. The Sun of Truth is
also shining, giving light and warmth to the souls of men. The sun is
the life-giver to the physical bodies of all creatures upon earth;
without its warmth their growth would be stunted, their development
would be arrested, they would decay and die. Even so do the souls of
men need the Sun of Truth to shed its rays upon their souls, to
develop them, to educate and encourage them. As the sun is to the
body of a man so is the Sun of Truth to his soul.

A man may have attained to a high degree of material
progress, but without the light of truth his soul is stunted and
starved. Another man may have no material gifts, may be at the bottom
of the social ladder, but, having received the warmth of the Sun of
Truth his soul is great and his spiritual understanding is
enlightened.

A Greek philosopher living in the days of the youth of
Christianity, being full of the Christian element, though not a
professing Christian, wrote thus: ‘It is my belief that
religion is the very foundation of true civilization’. For,
unless the moral character of a nation is educated, as well as its
brain and its talents, civilization has no sure basis.

As religion inculcates morality, it is therefore the
truest philosophy, and on it is built the only lasting civilization.
As an example of this, he points out the Christians of the time whose
morality was on a very high level. The belief of this philosopher
conforms to the truth, for the civilization of Christianity was the
best and most enlightened in the world. The Christian Teaching was
illumined by the Divine Sun of Truth, therefore its followers were
taught to love all men as brothers to fear nothing, not even death!
To love their neighbours as themselves, and to forget their own
selfish interests in striving for the greater good of humanity. The
grand aim of the religion of Christ was to draw the hearts of all men
nearer to God’s effulgent Truth.

If the followers of the Lord Christ had continued to
follow out these principles with steadfast faithfulness, there would
have been no need for a renewal of the Christian Message, no
necessity for a re-awakening of His people, for a great and glorious
civilization would now be ruling the world and the Kingdom of Heaven
would have come on earth.

But instead of this, what has taken place! Men turned
away their faces from following the divinely illuminated precepts of
their Master, and winter fell upon the hearts of men. For, as the
body of man depends for life upon the rays of the sun, so cannot the
celestial virtues grow in the soul without the radiance of the Sun of
Truth.

God leaves not His children comfortless, but, when the
darkness of winter overshadows them, then again He sends His
Messengers, the Prophets, with a renewal of the blessed spring. The
Sun of Truth appears again on the horizon of the world shining into
the eyes of those who sleep, awaking them to behold the glory of a
new dawn. Then again will the tree of humanity blossom and bring
forth the fruit of righteousness for the healing of the nations.
Because man has stopped his ears to the Voice of Truth and shut his
eyes to the Sacred Light, neglecting the Law of God, for this reason
has the darkness of war and tumult, unrest and misery, desolated the
earth. I pray that you will all strive to bring each child of God
into the radiance of the Sun of Truth, that the darkness may be
dissipated by the penetrating rays of its glory, and the winter’s
hardness and cold may be melted away by the merciful warmth of its
shining.

THE LIGHT OF TRUTH IS NOW SHINING
UPON THE EAST AND WEST

Monday, October 23rd

When a man has found the joy of life in one place, he
returns to that same spot to find more joy. When a man has found gold
in a mine, he returns again to that mine to dig for more gold.

This shows the internal force and natural instinct which
God has given to man, and the power of vital energy which is born in
him.

The West has always received spiritual enlightenment
from the East. The Song of the Kingdom is first heard in the East,
but in the West the greater volume of sound bursts upon the listening
ears.

The Lord Christ arose as a bright Star in the Eastern
sky, but the light of His Teaching shone more perfectly in the West,
where His influence has taken root more firmly and His Cause has
spread to a greater degree than in the land of His birth.

The sound of the Song of Christ has echoed over all the
lands of the Western World and entered the hearts of its people.

The people of the West are firm, and the foundations on
which they build are of rock; they are steadfast, and do not easily
forget.

The West is like a strong sturdy plant; when the rain
falls gently upon it to give it nourishment and the sun shines upon
it, then does it blossom in due time and bring forth good fruit. It
is a long time since the Sun of Truth mirrored forth by the Lord
Christ has shed its radiance upon the West, for the Face of God has
been veiled by the sin and forgetfulness of man. But now again,
praise be to God, the Holy Spirit speaks anew to the world! The
constellation of love and wisdom and power is once more shining from
the Divine Horizon to give joy to all who turn their faces to the
Light of God. Bahá’u’lláh has rent the veil
of prejudice and superstition which was stifling the souls of men.
Let us pray to God that the breath of the Holy Spirit may again give
hope and refreshment to the people, awakening in them a desire to do
the Will of God. May heart and soul be vivified in every man: so will
they all rejoice in a new birth.

Then shall humanity put on a new garment in the radiance
of the love of God, and it shall be the dawn of a new creation! Then
will the Mercy of the Most Merciful be showered upon all mankind and
they will arise to a new life.

My earnest desire is that you will all strive and work
for this glorious end; that you will be faithful and loving workers
in the building of the new spiritual civilization; the elect of God,
in willing joyful obedience carrying out His supreme design! Success
is truly near at hand, for the Flag of Divinity has been raised
aloft, and the Sun of the Righteousness of God appeareth upon the
horizon in the sight of all men!

THE UNIVERSAL LOVE

October 24th

An Indian said to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

‘My aim in life is to transmit as far as in me
lies the message of Krishna to the world.’

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: The Message of
Krishna is the message of love. All God’s prophets have brought
the message of love. None has ever thought that war and hate are
good. Every one agrees in saying that love and kindness are best.

Love manifests its reality in deeds, not only in
words—these alone are without effect. In order that love may
manifest its power there must be an object, an instrument, a motive.

There are many ways of expressing the love principle;
there is love for the family, for the country, for the race, there is
political enthusiasm, there is also the love of community of interest
in service. These are all ways and means of showing the power of
love. Without any such means, love would be unseen, unheard,
unfelt—altogether unexpressed, unmanifested! Water shows its
power in various ways, in quenching thirst, causing seed to grow,
etc. Coal expresses one of its principles in gas-light, while one of
the powers of electricity is shown in the electric light. If there
were neither gas nor electricity, the nights of the world would be
darkness! So, it is necessary to have an instrument, a motive for
love’s manifestation, an object, a mode of expression.

We must find a way of spreading love among the sons of
humanity.

Love is unlimited, boundless, infinite! Material things
are limited, circumscribed, finite. You cannot adequately express
infinite love by limited means.

The perfect love needs an unselfish instrument,
absolutely freed from fetters of every kind. The love of family is
limited; the tie of blood relationship is not the strongest bond.
Frequently members of the same family disagree, and even hate each
other.

Patriotic love is finite; the love of one’s
country causing hatred of all others, is not perfect love!
Compatriots also are not free from quarrels amongst themselves.

The love of race is limited; there is some union here,
but that is insufficient. Love must be free from boundaries!

To love our own race may mean hatred of all others, and
even people of the same race often dislike each other.

Political love also is much bound up with hatred of one
party for another; this love is very limited and uncertain.

The love of community of interest in service is likewise
fluctuating; frequently competitions arise, which lead to jealousy,
and at length hatred replaces love.

A few years ago, Turkey and Italy had a friendly
political understanding; now they are at war!

All these ties of love are imperfect. It is clear that
limited material ties are insufficient to adequately express the
universal love.

The great unselfish love for humanity is bounded by none
of these imperfect, semi-selfish bonds; this is the one perfect love,
possible to all mankind, and can only be achieved by the power of the
Divine Spirit. No worldly power can accomplish the universal love.

Let all be united in this Divine power of love! Let all
strive to grow in the light of the Sun of Truth, and reflecting this
luminous love on all men, may their hearts become so united that they
may dwell evermore in the radiance of the limitless love.

Remember these words which I speak unto you during the
short time I am amongst you in Paris. I earnestly exhort you: let not
your hearts be fettered by the material things of this world; I
charge you not to lie contentedly on the beds of negligence,
prisoners of matter, but to arise and free yourselves from its
chains!

The animal creation is captive to matter, God has given
freedom to man. The animal cannot escape the law of nature, whereas
man may control it, for he, containing nature, can rise above it.

The power of the Holy Spirit, enlightening man’s
intelligence, has enabled him to discover means of bending many
natural laws to his will. He flies through the air, floats on the
sea, and even moves under the waters.

All this proves how man’s intelligence has been
enabled to free him from the limitations of nature, and to solve many
of her mysteries. Man, to a certain extent, has broken the chains of
matter.

The Holy Spirit will give to man greater powers than
these, if only he will strive after the things of the spirit and
endeavour to attune his heart to the Divine infinite love.

When you love a member of your family or a compatriot,
let it be with a ray of the Infinite Love! Let it be in God, and for
God! Wherever you find the attributes of God love that person,
whether he be of your family or of another. Shed the light of a
boundless love on every human being whom you meet, whether of your
country, your race, your political party, or of any other nation,
colour or shade of political opinion. Heaven will support you while
you work in this in-gathering of the scattered peoples of the world
beneath the shadow of the almighty tent of unity.

You will be servants of God, who are dwelling near to
Him, His divine helpers in the service, ministering to all Humanity.
All Humanity! Every human being! never forget this!

Do not say, he is an Italian, or a Frenchman, or an
American, or an Englishman, remember only that he is a son of God, a
servant of the Most High, a man! All are men! Forget nationalities;
all are equal in the sight of God!

Remember not your own limitations; the help of God will
come to you. Forget yourself. God’s help will surely come!

When you call on the Mercy of God waiting to reinforce
you, your strength will be tenfold.

Look at me: I am so feeble, yet I have had the strength
given me to come amongst you: a poor servant of God, who has been
enabled to give you this message! I shall not be with you long! One
must never consider one’s own feebleness, it is the strength of
the Holy Spirit of Love, which gives the power to teach. The thought
of our own weakness could only bring despair. We must look higher
than all earthly thoughts; detach ourselves from every material idea,
crave for the things of the spirit; fix our eyes on the everlasting
bountiful Mercy of the Almighty, who will fill our souls with the
gladness of joyful service to His command ‘Love One Another’.

THE IMPRISONMENT OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ

4 Avenue de Camöens,
Wednesday, October 25th

I regret much that I have kept you waiting this morning,
but I have so much to do in a short time for the Cause of the love of
God.

You will not mind having waited a little to see me. I
have waited years and years in prison, that I might come to see you
now.

Above all, God be praised, our hearts are always in
unison, and with one aim are drawn to the love of God. By the Bounty
of the Kingdom our desires, our hearts, our spirits, are they not
united in one bond? Our prayers, are they not for the gathering
together of all men in harmony? Therefore are we not always together?

Yesterday evening when I came home from the house of
Monsieur Dreyfus I was very tired—yet I did not sleep, I lay
awake thinking.

I said, O God, Here am I in Paris! What is Paris and who
am I? Never did I dream that from the darkness of my prison I should
ever be able to come to you, though when they read me my sentence I
did not believe in it.

They told me that ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd
had ordered my everlasting imprisonment, and I said, ‘This is
impossible! I shall not always be a prisoner. If ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd
were immortal, such a sentence might possibly be carried out. It is
certain that one day I shall be free. My body may be captive for a
time, but ‘Abdu’l-Ḥamíd has no power over my
spirit—free it must remain—that can no man imprison’.

Released from my prison by the Power of God I meet here
the friends of God, and I am thankful unto Him.

Let us spread the Cause of God, for which I suffered
persecution.

What a privilege it is for us to meet here in freedom.
How happy for us that God has so decided that we may work together
for the coming of the Kingdom!

Are you pleased to receive such a guest, freed from his
prison to bring the glorious Message to you? He who never could have
thought such a meeting possible! Now by the Grace of God, by His
wonderful Power, I, who was condemned to perpetual imprisonment in a
far off town of the East, am here in Paris talking with you!

Henceforward we shall always be together, heart and soul
and spirit, pressing forward in the work till all men are gathered
together under the tent of the Kingdom, singing the songs of peace.

GOD’S GREATEST GIFT TO MAN

Thursday, October 26th

God’s greatest gift to man is that of intellect,
or understanding.

The understanding is the power by which man acquires his
knowledge of the several kingdoms of creation, and of various stages
of existence, as well as of much which is invisible.

Possessing this gift, he is, in himself, the sum of
earlier creations—he is able to get into touch with those
kingdoms; and by this gift, he can frequently, through his scientific
knowledge, reach out with prophetic vision.

Intellect is, in truth, the most precious gift bestowed
upon man by the Divine Bounty. Man alone, among created beings, has
this wonderful power.

All creation, preceding Man, is bound by the stern law
of nature. The great sun, the multitudes of stars, the oceans and
seas, the mountains, the rivers, the trees, and all animals, great or
small—none is able to evade obedience to nature’s law.

Man alone has freedom, and, by his understanding or
intellect, has been able to gain control of and adapt some of those
natural laws to his own needs. By the power of his intellect he has
discovered means by which he not only traverses great continents in
express trains and crosses vast oceans in ships, but, like the fish
he travels under water in submarines, and, imitating the birds, he
flies through the air in airships.

Man has succeeded in using electricity in several
ways—for light, for motive power, for sending messages from one
end of the earth to the other—and by electricity he can even
hear a voice many miles away!

By this gift of understanding or intellect he has also
been able to use the rays of the sun to picture people and things,
and even to capture the form of distant heavenly bodies.

We perceive in what numerous ways man has been able to
bend the powers of nature to his will.

How grievous it is to see how man has used his God-given
gift to frame instruments of war, for breaking the Commandment of God
‘Thou shalt not kill’, and for defying Christ’s
injunction to ‘Love one another’.

God gave this power to man that it might be used for the
advancement of civilization, for the good of humanity, to increase
love and concord and peace. But man prefers to use this gift to
destroy instead of to build, for injustice and oppression, for hatred
and discord and devastation, for the destruction of his
fellow-creatures, whom Christ has commanded that he should love as
himself!

I hope that you will use your understanding to promote
the unity and tranquillity of mankind, to give enlightenment and
civilization to the people, to produce love in all around you, and to
bring about the universal peace.

Study the sciences, acquire more and more knowledge.
Assuredly one may learn to the end of one’s life! Use your
knowledge always for the benefit of others; so may war cease on the
face of this beautiful earth, and a glorious edifice of peace and
concord be raised. Strive that your high ideals may be realized in
the Kingdom of God on earth, as they will be in Heaven.

THE CLOUDS THAT OBSCURE THE SUN OF
TRUTH

4 Avenue de Camöens,
Morning of Friday, October
27th

The day is fine, the air is pure, the sun shines, no
mist nor cloud obscures its radiance.

These brilliant rays penetrate into all parts of the
city; so may the Sun of Truth illumine the minds of men.

Christ said, ‘They shall see the Son of Man coming
in the clouds of Heaven’.2
Bahá’u’lláh said, ‘When Christ came
for the first time He came upon the clouds’.3
Christ said that He had come from the sky, from Heaven—that He
came forth from God—while He was born of Mary, His Mother. But
when He declared that He had come from Heaven, it is clear that He
did not mean the blue firmament but that He spoke of the Heaven of
the Kingdom of God, and that from this Heaven He descended upon the
clouds. As clouds are obstacles to the shining of the sun, so the
clouds of the world of humanity hid from the eyes of men the radiance
of the Divinity of Christ.

Men said, ‘He is of Nazareth, born of Mary, we
know Him and we know his brethren. What can He mean? What is He
saying? That He came forth from God?’

The Body of Christ was born of Mary of Nazareth, but the
Spirit was of God. The capacities of His human body were limited but
the strength of His spirit was vast, infinite, immeasurable.

Men asked, ‘Why does He say He is of God?’
If they had understood the reality of Christ, they would have known
that the body of His humanity was a cloud that hid His Divinity. The
world only saw His human form, and therefore wondered how He could
have ‘come down from Heaven’.

Bahá’u’lláh said, ‘Even
as the clouds hide the sun and the sky from our gaze, even so did the
humanity of Christ hide from men His real Divine character’.

I hope that you will turn with unclouded eyes towards
the Sun of Truth, beholding not the things of earth, lest your hearts
be attracted to the worthless and passing pleasures of the world; let
that Sun give you of His strength, then will not the clouds of
prejudice veil His illumination from your eyes! Then will the Sun be
without clouds for you.

Breathe the air of purity. May you each and all share in
the Divine Bounties of the Kingdom of Heaven. May the world be for
you no obstacle hiding the truth from your sight, as the human body
of Christ hid His Divinity from the people of His day. May you
receive the clear vision of the Holy Spirit, so that your hearts may
be illumined and able to recognize the Sun of Truth shining through
all material clouds, His splendour flooding the universe.

Let not the things of the body obscure the celestial
light of the spirit, so that, by the Divine Bounty, you may enter
with the children of God into His Eternal Kingdom.

This is my prayer for you all.

RELIGIOUS PREJUDICES

October 27th

The basis of the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh
is the Unity of Mankind, and his greatest desire was that love and
goodwill should live in the heart of men.

As He exhorted the people to do away with strife and
discord, so I wish to explain to you the principal reason of the
unrest among nations. The chief cause is the misrepresentation of
religion by the religious leaders and teachers. They teach their
followers to believe that their own form of religion is the only one
pleasing to God, and that followers of any other persuasion are
condemned by the All-Loving Father and deprived of His Mercy and
Grace. Hence arise among the peoples, disapproval, contempt, disputes
and hatred. If these religious prejudices could be swept away, the
nations would soon enjoy peace and concord.

I was once at Tiberias where the Jews have a Temple. I
was staying in a house just opposite the Temple, and there I saw and
heard a Rabbi speaking to his congregation of Jews, and he spoke
thus:

‘O Jews, you are in truth the people of God! All
other races and religions are of the devil. God has created you the
descendants of Abraham, and He has showered His blessings upon you.
Unto you God sent Moses, Jacob and Joseph, and many other great
prophets. These prophets, one and all, were of your race.

‘It was for you that God broke the power of
Pharaoh and caused the Red Sea to dry up; to you also He sent manna
from above to be your food, and out of the stony rock did He give you
water to quench your thirst. You are indeed the chosen people of God,
you are above all the races of the earth! Therefore, all other races
are abhorrent to God, and condemned by Him. In truth you will govern
and subdue the world, and all men shall become your slaves.

‘Do not profane yourselves by consorting with
people who are not of your own religion, make not friends of such
men.’

When the Rabbi had finished his eloquent discourse, his
hearers were filled with joy and satisfaction. It is impossible to
describe to you their happiness!

Alas! It is misguided ones like these who are the cause
of division and hatred upon earth. Today there are millions of people
who still worship idols, and the great religions of the world are at
war among themselves. For 1,300 years, Christians and Mussulmans have
been quarrelling, when with very little effort their differences and
disputes could be overcome and peace and harmony could exist between
them and the world could be at rest!

In the Qur’án we read that Muḥammad
spoke to his followers, saying:

‘Why do you not believe in Christ, and in the
Gospel? Why will you not accept Moses and the Prophets, for surely
the Bible is the Book of God? In truth, Moses was a sublime Prophet,
and Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. He came to the world
through the Power of God, born of the Holy Spirit and of the blessed
Virgin Mary. Mary, His mother, was a saint from Heaven. She passed
her days in the Temple at prayer and food was sent to her from above.
Her father, Zacharias, came to her and asked her from whence the food
came, and Mary made answer, “From on high.” Surely God
made Mary to be exalted above all other women.’

This is what Muḥammad taught His people concerning
Jesus and Moses, and He reproached them for their lack of faith in
these great Teachers, and taught them the lessons of truth and
tolerance. Muḥammad was sent from God to work among a people as
savage and uncivilized as the wild beasts. They were quite devoid of
understanding, nor had they any feelings of love, sympathy and pity.
Women were so degraded and despised that a man could bury his
daughter alive, and he had as many wives to be his slaves as he
chose.

Among these half animal people Muḥammad was sent
with His divine Message. He taught the people that idol worship was
wrong, but that they should reverence Christ, Moses and the Prophets.
Under His influence they became a more enlightened and civilized
people and arose from the degraded state in which He found them. Was
not this a good work, and worthy of all praise, respect and love?

Look at the Gospel of the Lord Christ and see how
glorious it is! Yet even today men fail to understand its priceless
beauty, and misinterpret its words of wisdom.

Christ forbade war! When the disciple Peter, thinking to
defend his Lord, cut off the ear of the servant of the High Priest,
Christ said to him: ‘Put up thy sword into the sheath’.4
Yet, in spite of the direct command of the Lord they profess to
serve—men still dispute, make war, and kill one another, and
His counsels and teaching seem quite forgotten.

But do not therefore attribute to the Masters and
Prophets the evil deeds of their followers. If the priests, teachers
and people, lead lives which are contrary to the religion they
profess to follow, is that the fault of Christ or the other Teachers?

The people of Islám were taught to realize how
Jesus came from God and was born of the Spirit, and that He must be
glorified of all men. Moses was a prophet of God, and revealed in His
day and for the people to whom He was sent, the Book of God.

Muḥammad recognized the sublime grandeur of Christ
and the greatness of Moses and the prophets. If only the whole world
would acknowledge the greatness of Muḥammad and all the
Heaven-sent Teachers, strife and discord would soon vanish from the
face of the earth, and God’s Kingdom would come among men.

The people of Islám who glorify Christ are not
humiliated by so doing.

Christ was the Prophet of the Christians, Moses of the
Jews—why should not the followers of each prophet recognize and
honour the other prophets also? If men could only learn the lesson of
mutual tolerance, understanding, and brotherly love, the unity of the
world would soon be an established fact.

Bahá’u’lláh spent His life
teaching this lesson of Love and Unity. Let us then put away from us
all prejudice and intolerance, and strive with all our hearts and
souls to bring about understanding and unity between Christians and
Mussulmans.

THE BENEFITS OF GOD TO MAN

4 Avenue de Camöens,
October 27th

God alone ordereth all things and is all-powerful. Why
then does He send trials to His servants?

The trials of man are of two kinds. (a) The consequences
of his own actions. If a man eats too much, he ruins his digestion;
if he takes poison he becomes ill or dies. If a person gambles he
will lose his money; if he drinks too much he will lose his
equilibrium. All these sufferings are caused by the man himself, it
is quite clear therefore that certain sorrows are the result of our
own deeds. (b) Other sufferings there are, which come upon the
Faithful of God. Consider the great sorrows endured by Christ and by
His apostles!

Those who suffer most, attain to the greatest
perfection.

Those who declare a wish to suffer much for Christ’s
sake must prove their sincerity; those who proclaim their longing to
make great sacrifices can only prove their truth by their deeds. Job
proved the fidelity of his love for God by being faithful through his
great adversity, as well as during the prosperity of his life. The
apostles of Christ who steadfastly bore all their trials and
sufferings—did they not prove their faithfulness? Was not their
endurance the best proof?

These griefs are now ended.

Caiaphas lived a comfortable and happy life while
Peter’s life was full of sorrow and trial; which of these two
is the more enviable? Assuredly we should choose the present state of
Peter, for he possesses immortal life whilst Caiaphas has won eternal
shame. The trials of Peter tested his fidelity. Tests are benefits
from God, for which we should thank Him. Grief and sorrow do not come
to us by chance, they are sent to us by the Divine Mercy for our own
perfecting.

While a man is happy he may forget his God; but when
grief comes and sorrows overwhelm him, then will he remember his
Father who is in Heaven, and who is able to deliver him from his
humiliations.

Men who suffer not, attain no perfection. The plant most
pruned by the gardeners is that one which, when the summer comes,
will have the most beautiful blossoms and the most abundant fruit.

The labourer cuts up the earth with his plough, and from
that earth comes the rich and plentiful harvest. The more a man is
chastened, the greater is the harvest of spiritual virtues shown
forth by him. A soldier is no good General until he has been in the
front of the fiercest battle and has received the deepest wounds.

The prayer of the prophets of God has always been, and
still is: Oh God, I long to lay down my life in the path to Thee! I
desire to shed my blood for Thee, and to make the supreme sacrifice.

BEAUTY AND HARMONY IN DIVERSITY

October 28th

The Creator of all is One God.

From this same God all creation sprang into existence,
and He is the one goal, towards which everything in nature yearns.
This conception was embodied in the words of Christ, when He said, ‘I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end’. Man is
the sum of Creation, and the Perfect Man is the expression of the
complete thought of the Creator—the Word of God.

Consider the world of created beings, how varied and
diverse they are in species, yet with one sole origin. All the
differences that appear are those of outward form and colour. This
diversity of type is apparent throughout the whole of nature.

Behold a beautiful garden full of flowers, shrubs, and
trees. Each flower has a different charm, a peculiar beauty, its own
delicious perfume and beautiful colour. The trees too, how varied are
they in size, in growth, in foliage—and what different fruits
they bear! Yet all these flowers, shrubs and trees spring from the
self-same earth, the same sun shines upon them and the same clouds
give them rain.

So it is with humanity. It is made up of many races, and
its peoples are of different colour, white, black, yellow, brown and
red—but they all come from the same God, and all are servants
to Him. This diversity among the children of men has unhappily not
the same effect as it has among the vegetable creation, where the
spirit shown is more harmonious. Among men exists the diversity of
animosity, and it is this that causes war and hatred among the
different nations of the world.

Differences which are only those of blood also cause
them to destroy and kill one another. Alas! that this should still be
so. Let us look rather at the beauty in diversity, the beauty of
harmony, and learn a lesson from the vegetable creation. If you
beheld a garden in which all the plants were the same as to form,
colour and perfume, it would not seem beautiful to you at all, but,
rather, monotonous and dull. The garden which is pleasing to the eye
and which makes the heart glad, is the garden in which are growing
side by side flowers of every hue, form and perfume, and the joyous
contrast of colour is what makes for charm and beauty. So is it with
trees. An orchard full of fruit trees is a delight; so is a
plantation planted with many species of shrubs. It is just the
diversity and variety that constitutes its charm; each flower, each
tree, each fruit, beside being beautiful in itself, brings out by
contrast the qualities of the others, and shows to advantage the
special loveliness of each and all.

Thus should it be among the children of men! The
diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and
harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together
in the making of a perfect chord. If you meet those of different race
and colour from yourself, do not mistrust them and withdraw yourself
into your shell of conventionality, but rather be glad and show them
kindness. Think of them as different coloured roses growing in the
beautiful garden of humanity, and rejoice to be among them.

Likewise, when you meet those whose opinions differ from
your own, do not turn away your face from them. All are seeking
truth, and there are many roads leading thereto. Truth has many
aspects, but it remains always and forever one.

Do not allow difference of opinion, or diversity of
thought to separate you from your fellow-men, or to be the cause of
dispute, hatred and strife in your hearts.

Rather, search diligently for the truth and make all men
your friends.

Every edifice is made of many different stones, yet each
depends on the other to such an extent that if one were displaced the
whole building would suffer; if one is faulty the structure is
imperfect.

Bahá’u’lláh has drawn the
circle of unity, He has made a design for the uniting of all the
peoples, and for the gathering of them all under the shelter of the
tent of universal unity. This is the work of the Divine Bounty, and
we must all strive with heart and soul until we have the reality of
unity in our midst, and as we work, so will strength be given unto
us. Leave all thought of self, and strive only to be obedient and
submissive to the Will of God. In this way only shall we become
citizens of the Kingdom of God, and attain unto life everlasting.

THE TRUE MEANING OF THE PROPHECIES
CONCERNING THE COMING OF CHRIST

October 30th

In the Bible there are prophecies of the coming of
Christ. The Jews still await the coming of the Messiah, and pray to
God day and night to hasten His advent.

When Christ came they denounced and slew Him, saying:
‘This is not the One for whom we wait. Behold when the Messiah
shall come, signs and wonders shall testify that He is in truth the
Christ. We know the signs and conditions, and they have not appeared.
The Messiah will arise out of an unknown city. He shall sit upon the
throne of David, and behold, He shall come with a sword of steel, and
with a sceptre of iron shall He rule! He shall fulfil the law of the
Prophets, He shall conquer the East and the West, and shall glorify
His chosen people the Jews. He shall bring with Him a reign of peace,
during which even the animals shall cease to be at enmity with man.
For behold the wolf and the lamb shall drink from the same spring,
and the lion and the doe shall lie down in the same pasture, the
serpent and the mouse shall share the same nest, and all God’s
creatures shall be at rest’.

According to the Jews, Jesus the Christ fulfilled none
of these conditions, for their eyes were holden and they could not
see.

He came from Nazareth, no unknown place. He carried no
sword in His hand, nor even a stick. He did not sit upon the Throne
of David, He was a poor man. He reformed the Law of Moses, and broke
the Sabbath Day. He did not conquer the East and the West, but was
Himself subject to the Roman Law. He did not exalt the Jews, but
taught equality and brotherhood, and rebuked the Scribes and
Pharisees. He brought in no reign of peace, for during His lifetime
injustice and cruelty reached such a height that even He Himself fell
a victim to it, and died a shameful death upon the cross.

Thus the Jews thought and spoke, for they did not
understand the Scriptures nor the glorious truths that were contained
in them. The letter they knew by heart, but of the life-giving spirit
they understood not a word.

Hearken, and I will show you the meaning thereof.
Although He came from Nazareth, which was a known place, He also came
from Heaven. His body was born of Mary, but His Spirit came from
Heaven. The sword He carried was the sword of His tongue, with which
He divided the good from the evil, the true from the false, the
faithful from the unfaithful, and the light from the darkness. His
Word was indeed a sharp sword! The Throne upon which He sat is the
Eternal Throne from which Christ reigns for ever, a heavenly throne,
not an earthly one, for the things of earth pass away but heavenly
things pass not away. He re-interpreted and completed the Law of
Moses and fulfilled the Law of the Prophets. His word conquered the
East and the West. His Kingdom is everlasting. He exalted those Jews
who recognized Him. They were men and women of humble birth, but
contact with Him made them great and gave them everlasting dignity.
The animals who were to live with one another signified the different
sects and races, who, once having been at war, were now to dwell in
love and charity, drinking together the water of life from Christ the
Eternal Spring.

Thus, all the spiritual prophecies concerning the coming
of Christ were fulfilled, but the Jews shut their eyes that they
should not see, and their ears that they should not hear, and the
Divine Reality of Christ passed through their midst unheard, unloved
and unrecognized.

It is easy to read the Holy Scriptures, but it is only
with a clean heart and a pure mind that one may understand their true
meaning. Let us ask God’s help to enable us to understand the
Holy Books. Let us pray for eyes to see and ears to hear, and for
hearts that long for peace.

God’s eternal Mercy is immeasurable. He has always
chosen certain souls upon whom He has shed the Divine Bounty of His
heart, whose minds He has illumined with celestial light, to whom He
has revealed the sacred mysteries, and kept clear before their sight
the Mirror of Truth. These are the disciples of God, and His goodness
has no bounds. You who are servants of the Most High may be disciples
also. The treasuries of God are limitless.

The Spirit breathing through the Holy Scriptures is food
for all who hunger. God Who has given the revelation to His Prophets
will surely give of His abundance daily bread to all those who ask
Him faithfully.

THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE INTERMEDIARY
POWER BETWEEN GOD AND MAN

4 Avenue de Camöens,
October 31st

The Divine Reality is Unthinkable, Limitless, Eternal,
Immortal and Invisible.

The world of creation is bound by natural law, finite
and mortal.

The Infinite Reality cannot be said to ascend or
descend. It is beyond the understanding of man, and cannot be
described in terms which apply to the phenomenal sphere of the
created world.

Man, then, is in extreme need of the only Power by which
he is able to receive help from the Divine Reality, that Power alone
bringing him into contact with the Source of all life.

An intermediary is needed to bring two extremes into
relation with each other. Riches and poverty, plenty and need:
without an intermediary power there could be no relation between
these pairs of opposites.

So we can say there must be a Mediator between God and
Man, and this is none other than the Holy Spirit, which brings the
created earth into relation with the ‘Unthinkable One’,
the Divine Reality.

The Divine Reality may be likened to the sun and the
Holy Spirit to the rays of the sun. As the rays of the sun bring the
light and warmth of the sun to the earth, giving life to all created
beings, so do the ‘Manifestations’5
bring the power of the Holy Spirit from the Divine Sun of Reality to
give light and life to the souls of men.

Behold, there is an intermediary necessary between the
sun and the earth; the sun does not descend to the earth, neither
does the earth ascend to the sun. This contact is made by the rays of
the sun which bring light and warmth and heat.

The Holy Spirit is the Light from the Sun of Truth
bringing, by its infinite power, life and illumination to all
mankind, flooding all souls with Divine Radiance, conveying the
blessings of God’s Mercy to the whole world. The earth, without
the medium of the warmth and light of the rays of the sun, could
receive no benefits from the sun.

Likewise the Holy Spirit is the very cause of the life
of man; without the Holy Spirit he would have no intellect, he would
be unable to acquire his scientific knowledge by which his great
influence over the rest of creation is gained. The illumination of
the Holy Spirit gives to man the power of thought, and enables him to
make discoveries by which he bends the laws of nature to his will.

The Holy Spirit it is which, through the mediation of
the Prophets of God, teaches spiritual virtues to man and enables him
to attain Eternal Life.

All these blessings are brought to man by the Holy
Spirit; therefore we can understand that the Holy Spirit is the
Intermediary between the Creator and the created. The light and heat
of the sun cause the earth to be fruitful, and create life in all
things that grow; and the Holy Spirit quickens the souls of men.

The two great apostles, St Peter and St John the
Evangelist, were once simple, humble workmen, toiling for their daily
bread. By the Power of the Holy Spirit their souls were illumined,
and they received the eternal blessings of the Lord Christ.

THE TWO NATURES IN MAN

November 1st

Today is a day of rejoicing in Paris! They are
celebrating the Festival of ‘All Saints’. Why do you
think that these people were called ‘Saints’? The word
has a very real meaning. A saint is one who leads a life of purity,
one who has freed himself from all human weaknesses and
imperfections.

In man there are two natures; his spiritual or higher
nature and his material or lower nature. In one he approaches God, in
the other he lives for the world alone. Signs of both these natures
are to be found in men. In his material aspect he expresses untruth,
cruelty and injustice; all these are the outcome of his lower nature.
The attributes of his Divine nature are shown forth in love, mercy,
kindness, truth and justice, one and all being expressions of his
higher nature. Every good habit, every noble quality belongs to man’s
spiritual nature, whereas all his imperfections and sinful actions
are born of his material nature. If a man’s Divine nature
dominates his human nature, we have a saint.

Man has the power both to do good and to do evil; if his
power for good predominates and his inclinations to do wrong are
conquered, then man in truth may be called a saint. But if, on the
contrary, he rejects the things of God and allows his evil passions
to conquer him, then he is no better than a mere animal.

Saints are men who have freed themselves from the world
of matter and who have overcome sin. They live in the world but are
not of it, their thoughts being continually in the world of the
spirit. Their lives are spent in holiness, and their deeds show forth
love, justice and godliness. They are illumined from on high; they
are as bright and shining lamps in the dark places of the earth.
These are the saints of God. The apostles, who were the disciples of
Jesus Christ, were just as other men are; they, like their fellows,
were attracted by the things of the world, and each thought only of
his own advantage. They knew little of justice, nor were the Divine
perfections found in their midst. But when they followed Christ and
believed in Him, their ignorance gave place to understanding, cruelty
was changed to justice, falsehood to truth, darkness into light. They
had been worldly, they became spiritual and divine. They had been
children of darkness, they became sons of God, they became saints!
Strive therefore to follow in their steps, leaving all worldly things
behind, and striving to attain to the Spiritual Kingdom.

Pray to God that He may strengthen you in divine virtue,
so that you may be as angels in the world, and beacons of light to
disclose the mysteries of the Kingdom to those with understanding
hearts.

God sent His Prophets into the world to teach and
enlighten man, to explain to him the mystery of the Power of the Holy
Spirit, to enable him to reflect the light, and so in his turn, to be
the source of guidance to others. The Heavenly Books, the Bible, the
Qur’án, and the other Holy Writings have been given by
God as guides into the paths of Divine virtue, love, justice and
peace.

Therefore I say unto you that ye should strive to follow
the counsels of these Blessed Books, and so order your lives that ye
may, following the examples set before you, become yourselves the
saints of the Most High!

MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL PROGRESS

November 2nd

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:

How beautiful the weather is today, the sky is clear,
the sun shines, and the heart of man is made glad thereby!

Such bright and beautiful weather gives new life and
strength to man, and if he has been sick, he feels once more in his
heart the joyous hope of health renewed. All these gifts of nature
concern the physical side of man, for it is only his body that can
receive material benefits.

If a man is successful in his business, art, or
profession he is thereby enabled to increase his physical wellbeing
and to give his body the amount of ease and comfort in which it
delights. All around us today we see how man surrounds himself with
every modern convenience and luxury, and denies nothing to the
physical and material side of his nature. But, take heed, lest in
thinking too earnestly of the things of the body you forget the
things of the soul: for material advantages do not elevate the spirit
of a man. Perfection in worldly things is a joy to the body of a man
but in no wise does it glorify his soul.

It may be that a man who has every material benefit, and
who lives surrounded by all the greatest comfort modern civilization
can give him, is denied the all important gift of the Holy Spirit.

It is indeed a good and praiseworthy thing to progress
materially, but in so doing, let us not neglect the more important
spiritual progress, and close our eyes to the Divine light shining in
our midst.

Only by improving spiritually as well as materially can
we make any real progress, and become perfect beings. It was in order
to bring this spiritual life and light into the world that all the
great Teachers have appeared. They came so that the Sun of Truth
might be manifested, and shine in the hearts of men, and that through
its wondrous power men might attain unto Everlasting Light.

When the Lord Christ came He spread the light of the
Holy Spirit on all around Him, and His disciples and all who received
His illumination became enlightened, spiritual beings.

It was to manifest this light that Bahá’u’lláh
was born, and came into the world. He taught Eternal Truth to men,
and shed the rays of Divine Light in all lands.

Alas! behold how man disregards this Light. He still
goes on his way of darkness, and disunity, and quarrels and fierce
war are still rife.

He uses material progress to gratify his lust for war,
and he makes destructive implements and appliances to destroy his
brother man.

But let us rather exert ourselves for the attainment of
spiritual advantages, for this is the only way of true progress, that
which cometh from God and is alone Godly.

I pray for you one and all that you may receive the
Bounties of the Holy Spirit; so will you become in truth enlightened,
and progress ever onward and upward to the Kingdom of God. Then shall
your hearts be prepared to receive the glad tidings, your eyes shall
be opened and you will see the Glory of God; your ears shall be
unstopped and you will hear the call of the Kingdom, and with tongue
made eloquent shall you call men to the realization of the Divine
Power and Love of God!

THE EVOLUTION OF MATTER AND
DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUL

November 3rd

Paris is becoming very cold, so cold that I shall soon
be obliged to go away, but the warmth of your love still keeps me
here. God willing, I hope to stay among you yet a little while;
bodily cold and heat cannot affect the spirit, for it is warmed by
the fire of the Love of God. When we understand this, we begin to
understand something of our life in the world to come.

God, in His Bounty, has given us a foretaste here, has
given us certain proofs of the difference that exists between body,
soul and spirit.

We see that cold, heat, suffering, etc, only concern the
body, they do not touch the spirit.

How often do we see a man, poor, sick, miserably clad,
and with no means of support, yet spiritually strong. Whatever his
body has to suffer, his spirit is free and well! Again, how often do
we see a rich man, physically strong and healthy, but with a soul
sick unto death.

It is quite apparent to the seeing mind that a man’s
spirit is something very different from his physical body.

The spirit is changeless, indestructible. The progress
and development of the soul, the joy and sorrow of the soul, are
independent of the physical body.

If we are caused joy or pain by a friend, if a love
prove true or false, it is the soul that is affected. If our dear
ones are far from us—it is the soul that grieves, and the grief
or trouble of the soul may react on the body.

Thus, when the spirit is fed with holy virtues, then is
the body joyous; if the soul falls into sin, the body is in torment!

When we find truth, constancy, fidelity, and love, we
are happy; but if we meet with lying, faithlessness, and deceit, we
are miserable.

These are all things pertaining to the soul, and are not
bodily ills. Thus, it is apparent that the soul, even as the body,
has its own individuality. But if the body undergoes a change, the
spirit need not be touched. When you break a glass on which the sun
shines, the glass is broken, but the sun still shines! If a cage
containing a bird is destroyed, the bird is unharmed! If a lamp is
broken, the flame can still burn bright!

The same thing applies to the spirit of man. Though
death destroy his body, it has no power over his spirit—this is
eternal, everlasting, both birthless and deathless.

As to the soul of man after death, it remains in the
degree of purity to which it has evolved during life in the physical
body, and after it is freed from the body it remains plunged in the
ocean of God’s Mercy.

From the moment the soul leaves the body and arrives in
the Heavenly World, its evolution is spiritual, and that evolution
is: The approaching unto God.

In the physical creation, evolution is from one degree
of perfection to another. The mineral passes with its mineral
perfections to the vegetable; the vegetable, with its perfections,
passes to the animal world, and so on to that of humanity. This world
is full of seeming contradictions; in each of these kingdoms
(mineral, vegetable and animal) life exists in its degree; though
when compared to the life in a man, the earth appears to be dead, yet
she, too, lives and has a life of her own. In this world things live
and die, and live again in other forms of life, but in the world of
the spirit it is quite otherwise.

The soul does not evolve from degree to degree as a
law—it only evolves nearer to God, by the Mercy and Bounty of
God.

It is my earnest prayer that we may all be in the
Kingdom of God, and near Him.

THE SPIRITUAL MEETINGS IN PARIS

November 4th

All over Europe today one hears of meetings and
assemblies, and societies of all kinds are formed. There are those
interested in commerce, science, and politics, and many others. All
these are for material service, their desire being for the progress
and enlightenment of the world of matter. But rarely does a breath
from the spirit world breathe upon them. They seem unconscious of the
Divine Voice, careless concerning the things of God. But this meeting
in Paris is a truly spiritual one. The Divine Breath is poured forth
in your midst, the light of the Kingdom is shining in all hearts. The
Divine love of God is a power among you, and with souls athirst, ye
receive the glad tidings of great joy.

You are all met here with one accord, heart drawn to
heart, souls overflowing with Divine love, working and longing for
the unity of the world.

Verily this assembly is a spiritual one! It is like unto
a beautiful perfumed garden! On it the Heavenly Sun sheds the golden
rays, and the warmth thereof penetrates and gladdens each waiting
heart. The love of Christ, which passeth all knowledge, is among you,
the Holy Spirit is your help.

Day by day this meeting will grow and become more
powerful until gradually its spirit will conquer the whole world!

Try with all your hearts to be willing channels for
God’s Bounty. For I say unto you that He has chosen you to be
His messengers of love throughout the world, to be His bearers of
spiritual gifts to man, to be the means of spreading unity and
concord on the earth. Thank God with all your hearts that such a
privilege has been given unto you. For a life devoted to praise is
not too long in which to thank God for such a favour.

Lift up your hearts above the present and look with eyes
of faith into the future! Today the seed is sown, the grain falls
upon the earth, but behold the day will come when it shall rise a
glorious tree and the branches thereof shall be laden with fruit.
Rejoice and be glad that this day has dawned, try to realize its
power, for it is indeed wonderful! God has crowned you with honour
and in your hearts has He set a radiant star; verily the light
thereof shall brighten the whole world!

THE TWO KINDS OF LIGHT

November 5th

Today the weather is gloomy and dull! In the East there
is continual sunshine, the stars are never veiled, and there are very
few clouds. Light always rises in the East and sends forth its
radiance into the West.

There are two kinds of light. There is the visible light
of the sun, by whose aid we can discern the beauties of the world
around us—without this we could see nothing.

Nevertheless, though it is the function of this light to
make things visible to us, it cannot give us the power to see them or
to understand what their various charms may be, for this light has no
intelligence, no consciousness. It is the light of the intellect
which gives us knowledge and understanding, and without this light
the physical eyes would be useless.

This light of the intellect is the highest light that
exists, for it is born of the Light Divine.

The light of the intellect enables us to understand and
realize all that exists, but it is only the Divine Light that can
give us sight for the invisible things, and which enables us to see
truths that will only be visible to the world thousands of years
hence.

It was the Divine Light which enabled the prophets to
see two thousand years in advance what was going to take place and
today we see the realization of their vision. Thus it is this Light
which we must strive to seek, for it is greater than any other.

It was by this Light that Moses was enabled to see and
comprehend the Divine Appearance, and to hear the Heavenly Voice
which spoke to him from the Burning Bush.6

It is of this Light Muḥammad is speaking when he
says, ‘Alláh is the light of the Heavens, and of the
Earth’.

Seek with all your hearts this Heavenly Light, so that
you may be enabled to understand the realities, that you may know the
secret things of God, that the hidden ways may be made plain before
your eyes.

This light may be likened unto a mirror, and as a mirror
reflects all that is before it, so this Light shows to the eyes of
our spirits all that exists in God’s Kingdom and causes the
realities of things to be made visible. By the help of this effulgent
Light all the spiritual interpretation of the Holy Writings has been
made plain, the hidden things of God’s Universe have become
manifest, and we have been enabled to comprehend the Divine purposes
for man.

I pray that God in His mercy may illumine your hearts
and souls with His glorious Light, then shall each one of you shine
as a radiant star in the dark places of the world.

SPIRITUAL ASPIRATION IN THE WEST

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:

You are very welcome! From Eastern lands I have come to
the West to sojourn awhile among you. In the East it is often said
that the people of the West are without spirituality, but I have not
found it thus. Thank God, I see and feel that there is much spiritual
aspiration among the Western peoples, and that in some cases their
spiritual perception is even keener than among their Eastern
brothers. If the teaching given in the East had been conscientiously
spread in the West the world today would be a more enlightened place.

Although in the past all the great Spiritual Teachers
have arisen in the East, there are still many men there who are quite
devoid of spirituality. With regard to the things of the spirit they
are as lifeless as a stone; nor do they wish to be otherwise, for
they consider that man is only a higher form of animal and that the
things of God concern him not.

But man’s ambition should soar above this—he
should ever look higher than himself, ever upward and onward, until
through the Mercy of God he may come to the Kingdom of Heaven. Again,
there are men whose eyes are only open to physical progress and to
the evolution in the world of matter. These men prefer to study the
resemblance between their own physical body and that of the ape,
rather than to contemplate the glorious affiliation between their
spirit and that of God. This is indeed strange, for it is only
physically that man resembles the lower creation, with regard to his
intellect he is totally unlike it.

Man is always progressing. His circle of knowledge is
ever widening, and his mental activity flows through many and varied
channels. Look what man has accomplished in the field of science,
consider his many discoveries and countless inventions and his
profound understanding of natural law.

In the world of art it is just the same, and this
wonderful development of man’s faculties becomes more and more
rapid as time goes on. If the discoveries, inventions and material
accomplishments of the last fifteen hundred years could be put
together, you would see that there has been greater advancement
during the last hundred years than in the previous fourteen
centuries. For the rapidity with which man is progressing increases
century by century.

The power of the intellect is one of God’s
greatest gifts to men, it is the power that makes him a higher
creature than the animal. For whereas, century by century and age by
age man’s intelligence grows and becomes keener, that of the
animal remains the same. They are no more intelligent today then they
were a thousand years ago! Is there a greater proof than this needed
to show man’s dissimilarity to the animal creation? It is
surely as clear as day.

As for the spiritual perfections they are man’s
birthright and belong to him alone of all creation. Man is, in
reality, a spiritual being, and only when he lives in the spirit is
he truly happy. This spiritual longing and perception belongs to all
men alike, and it is my firm conviction that the Western people
possess great spiritual aspiration.

It is my fervent prayer that the star of the East will
shed its brilliant rays on the Western world, and that the people of
the West may arise in strength, earnestness, and courage, to help
their brethren in the East.

LECTURE GIVEN AT A STUDIO IN PARIS

November 6th

This is in truth a Bahá’í house.
Every time such a house or meeting place is founded it becomes one of
the greatest aids to the general development of the town and country
to which it belongs. It encourages the growth of learning and science
and is known for its intense spirituality and for the love it spreads
among the peoples.

The foundation of such a meeting-place is always
followed by the greatest prosperity. The first Bahá’í
Assembly that existed in Ṭihrán was singularly blessed!
In one year it had grown so rapidly that its members had increased to
nine times their original number. Today, in far-away Persia, there
are many such assemblies where the friends of God meet together in
the fulness of joy, love and unity. They teach the Cause of God,
educate the ignorant, and draw heart to heart in brotherly kindness.
It is they who help the poor and needy and give to them their daily
bread. They love and care for the sick and are messengers of hope and
consolation to the desolate and oppressed.

Oh, ye in Paris, strive that your assemblies may be like
unto this, and may bear even greater fruits!

Oh, friends of God! If ye will trust in the Word of God
and be strong; if ye will follow the precepts of Bahá’u’lláh
to tend the sick, raise the fallen, care for the poor and needy, give
shelter to the destitute, protect the oppressed, comfort the
sorrowful and love the world of humanity with all your hearts, then I
say unto you that ere long this meeting-place will see a wonderful
harvest. Day by day each member will advance and become more and more
spiritual. But ye must have a firm foundation and your aims and
ambitions must be clearly understood by each member. They shall be as
follows:

1. To show compassion and goodwill to all mankind.

2. To render service to humanity.

3. To endeavour to guide and enlighten those in
darkness.

4. To be kind to everyone, and show forth affection to
every living soul.

5. To be humble in your attitude towards God, to be
constant in prayer to Him, so as to grow daily nearer to God.

6. To be so faithful and sincere in all your actions
that every member may be known as embodying the qualities of honesty,
love, faith, kindness, generosity, and courage. To be detached from
all that is not God, attracted by the Heavenly Breath—a divine
soul; so that the world may know that a Bahá’í is
a perfect being.

Strive to attain this at these meetings. Then, indeed
and in truth will ye, the friends of God, come together with great
joy! Render help one to the other, become as one man, having reached
perfect unity.

I pray to God that daily ye may advance in spirituality,
that God’s love may be more and more manifested in you, that
the thoughts of your hearts may be purified, and that your faces may
be ever turned towards Him. May you one and all approach to the
threshold of unity, and enter into the Kingdom. May each of you be
like unto a flaming torch, lighted and burning bright with the fire
of the Love of God.

BAHÁ’U’LLÁH

November 7th

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:

I will speak to you today of Bahá’u’lláh.
In the third year after the Báb had declared his Mission,
Bahá’u’lláh, being accused by fanatical
Mullás of believing in the new doctrine, was arrested and
thrown into prison. The next day, however, several ministers of the
Government and other influential men caused him to be set free. Later
on he was again arrested, and the priests condemned him to death! The
Governor hesitated to have this sentence carried out for fear of a
revolution. The priests met together in the Mosque, before which was
the place of execution. All the people of the town gathered in crowds
outside the Mosque. The carpenters brought their saws and hammers,
the butchers came with their knives, the bricklayers and builders
shouldered their spades, all these men, incited by the frenzied
Mullás, were eager to share in the honour of killing Him.
Inside the Mosque were assembled the doctors of religion. Bahá’u’lláh
stood before them, and answered all their questions with great
wisdom. The chief sage in particular, was completely silenced by
Bahá’u’lláh, who refuted all his arguments.

A discussion arose between two of these priests as to
the meaning of some words in the writings of the Báb; accusing
Him of inaccuracy, they challenged Bahá’u’lláh
to defend Him if He were able. These priests were entirely
humiliated, for Bahá’u’lláh proved before
the whole assembly that the Báb was absolutely right, and that
the accusation was made in ignorance.

The defeated ones now put Him to the torture of the
bastinado, and more infuriated than before brought Him out before the
walls of the Mosque unto the place of execution, where the misguided
people were awaiting His coming.

Still the Governor feared to comply with the demand of
the priests for His execution. Realizing the danger in which the
dignified prisoner was placed, some men were sent to rescue Him. In
this they succeeded by breaking through the wall of the Mosque and
leading Bahá’u’lláh through the opening
into a place of safety, but not of freedom; for the Governor shifted
the responsibility from off his own shoulders by sending him to
Ṭihrán. Here He was imprisoned in an underground
dungeon, where the light of day was never seen. A heavy chain was
placed about his neck by which He was chained to five other Bábís;
these fetters were locked together by strong, very heavy bolts, and
screws. His clothes were torn to pieces, also His fez. In this
terrible condition He was kept for four months.

During this time none of His friends were able to get
access to Him.

A prison official made an attempt to poison Him but,
beyond causing Him great suffering, this poison had no effect.

After a time the Government liberated Him and exiled Him
and His family to Baghdád, where He remained for eleven
years. During this time He underwent severe persecutions, being
surrounded by the watchful hatred of His enemies.

He bore all evils and torments with the greatest courage
and fortitude. Often when He arose in the morning, He knew not
whether He would live until the sun should set. Meanwhile, each day,
the priests came and questioned Him on religion and metaphysics.

At length the Turkish Governor exiled Him to
Constantinople, whence He was sent to Adrianople; here He stayed for
five years. Eventually, He was sent to the far off prison fortress of
St. Jean d’Acre. Here He was imprisoned in the military portion
of the fortress and kept under the strictest surveillance. Words
would fail me to tell you of the many trials He had to suffer, and
all the misery He endured in that prison. Notwithstanding, it was
from this prison that Bahá’u’lláh wrote to
all the Monarchs of Europe, and these letters with one exception were
sent through the post.

The Epistle of Náṣiri’d-Dín
Sháh was confided to a Persian Bahá’í,
Mírzá Badí Khurásání,
who undertook to deliver it into the Sháh’s own
hands. This brave man waited in the neighbourhood of Ṭihrán
for the passing of the Sháh, who had the intention to
journey by that way to his Summer Palace. The courageous messenger
followed the Sháh to his Palace, and waited on the road
near the entrance for several days. Always in the same place was he
seen waiting on the road, until the people began to wonder why he
should be there. At last the Sháh heard of him, and
commanded his servants that the man should be brought before him.

‘Oh! servants of the Sháh, I bring a
letter, which I must deliver into his own hands’, Badí
said, and then Badí said to the Sháh, ‘I
bring you a letter from Bahá’u’lláh!’

He was immediately seized and questioned by those who
wished to elicit information which would help them in the further
persecutions of Bahá’u’lláh. Badí
would not answer a word; then they tortured him, still he held his
peace! After three days they killed him, having failed to force him
to speak! These cruel men photographed him whilst he was under
torture.7

The Sháh gave the letter from Bahá’u’lláh
to the priests that they might explain it to him. After some days
these priests told the Sháh that the letter was from a
political enemy. The Sháh grew angry and said, ‘This
is no explanation. I pay you to read and answer my letters, therefore
obey!’

The spirit and meaning of the Tablet to Náṣiri’d-Dín
Sháh was, in short, this: ‘Now that the time has
come, when the Cause of the Glory of God has appeared, I ask that I
may be allowed to come to Ṭihrán and answer any
questions the priests may put to Me.

‘I exhort you to detach yourself from the worldly
magnificence of your Empire. Remember all those great kings who have
lived before you—their glories have passed away!’

The letter was written in a most beautiful manner, and
continued warning the King and telling him of the future triumph of
the Kingdom of Bahá’u’lláh, both in the
Eastern and in the Western World.

The Sháh paid no attention to the warning
of this letter and continued to live in the same fashion until the
end.

Although Bahá’u’lláh was in
prison the great Power of the Holy Spirit was with Him!

None other in prison could have been like unto Him. In
spite of all the hardships He suffered, He never complained.

In the dignity of His Majesty, He always refused to see
the Governor, or the influential people of the town.

Although the surveillance was unremittingly strict He
came and went as He wished! He died in a house situated about three
kilometers from St. Jean d’Acre.

GOOD IDEAS MUST BE CARRIED INTO
ACTION

November 8th

All over the world one hears beautiful sayings extolled
and noble precepts admired. All men say they love what is good, and
hate everything that is evil! Sincerity is to be admired, whilst
lying is despicable. Faith is a virtue, and treachery is a disgrace
to humanity. It is a blessed thing to gladden the hearts of men, and
wrong to be the cause of pain. To be kind and merciful is right,
while to hate is sinful. Justice is a noble quality and injustice an
iniquity. That it is one’s duty to be pitiful and harm no one,
and to avoid jealousy and malice at all costs. Wisdom is the glory of
man, not ignorance; light, not darkness! It is a good thing to turn
one’s face toward God, and foolishness to ignore Him. That it
is our duty to guide man upward, and not to mislead him and be the
cause of his downfall. There are many more examples like unto these.

But all these sayings are but words and we see very few
of them carried into the world of action. On the contrary, we
perceive that men are carried away by passion and selfishness, each
man thinking only of what will benefit himself even if it means the
ruin of his brother. They are all anxious to make their fortune and
care little or nothing for the welfare of others. They are concerned
about their own peace and comfort, while the condition of their
fellows troubles them not at all.

Unhappily this is the road most men tread.

But Bahá’ís must not be thus; they
must rise above this condition. Actions must be more to them than
words. By their actions they must be merciful and not merely by their
words. They must on all occasions confirm by their actions what they
proclaim in words. Their deeds must prove their fidelity, and their
actions must show forth Divine light.

Let your actions cry aloud to the world that you are
indeed Bahá’ís, for it is actions that speak to
the world and are the cause of the progress of humanity.

If we are true Bahá’ís speech is not
needed. Our actions will help on the world, will spread civilization,
will help the progress of science, and cause the arts to develop.
Without action nothing in the material world can be accomplished,
neither can words unaided advance a man in the spiritual Kingdom. It
is not through lip-service only that the elect of God have attained
to holiness, but by patient lives of active service they have brought
light into the world.

Therefore strive that your actions day by day may be
beautiful prayers. Turn towards God, and seek always to do that which
is right and noble. Enrich the poor, raise the fallen, comfort the
sorrowful, bring healing to the sick, reassure the fearful, rescue
the oppressed, bring hope to the hopeless, shelter the destitute!

This is the work of a true Bahá’í,
and this is what is expected of him. If we strive to do all this,
then are we true Bahá’ís, but if we neglect it,
we are not followers of the Light, and we have no right to the name.

God, who sees all hearts, knows how far our lives are
the fulfilment of our words.

THE TRUE MEANING OF BAPTISM BY WATER
AND FIRE

November 9th

In the Gospel according to St John, Christ has said:
‘Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter
into the Kingdom of Heaven.’8
The priests have interpreted this into meaning that baptism is
necessary for salvation. In another Gospel it is said: ‘He
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire’.9

Thus the water of baptism and the fire are one! It
cannot mean that the ‘water’ spoken of is physical water,
for it is the direct opposite of ‘fire’, and one destroys
the other. When in the Gospels, Christ speaks of ‘water’,
He means that which causes life, for without water no worldly
creature can live—mineral, vegetable, animal and man, one and
all, depend upon water for their very being. Yes, the latest
scientific discoveries prove to us that even mineral has some form of
life, and that it also needs water for its existence.

Water is the cause of life, and when Christ speaks of
water, He is symbolizing that which is the cause of Everlasting Life.

This life-giving water of which He speaks is like unto
fire, for it is none other than the Love of God, and this love means
life to our souls.

By the fire of the Love of God the veil is burnt which
separates us from the Heavenly Realities, and with clear vision we
are enabled to struggle onward and upward, ever progressing in the
paths of virtue and holiness, and becoming the means of light to the
world.

There is nothing greater or more blessed than the Love
of God! It gives healing to the sick, balm to the wounded, joy and
consolation to the whole world, and through it alone can man attain
Life Everlasting. The essence of all religions is the Love of God,
and it is the foundation of all the sacred teachings.

It was the Love of God that led Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, that strengthened Joseph in Egypt and gave to Moses courage
and patience.

Through the Love of God, Christ was sent into the world
with His inspiring example of a perfect life of self-sacrifice and
devotion, bringing to men the message of Eternal Life. It was the
Love of God that gave Muḥammad power to bring the Arabs from a
state of animal degradation to a loftier state of existence.

God’s Love it was that sustained the Báb
and brought him to his supreme sacrifice, and made his bosom the
willing target for a thousand bullets.

Finally, it was the Love of God that gave to the East
Bahá’u’lláh, and is now sending the light
of His teaching far into the West, and from Pole to Pole.

Thus I exhort each of you, realizing its power and
beauty, to sacrifice all your thoughts, words and actions to bring
the knowledge of the Love of God into every heart.

DISCOURSE AT ‘L’ALLIANCE
SPIRITUALISTE’

Salle de l’Athenée,
St Germain, Paris,

November 9th

I wish to express my gratitude for your hospitality, and
my joy that you are spiritually minded. I am happy to be present at a
gathering such as this, assembled together to listen to a Divine
Message. If you could see with the eye of truth, great waves of
spirituality would be visible to you in this place. The power of the
Holy Spirit is here for all. Praise be to God that your hearts are
inspired with Divine fervour! Your souls are as waves on the sea of
the spirit; although each individual is a distinct wave, the ocean is
one, all are united in God.

Every heart should radiate unity, so that the Light of
the one Divine Source of all may shine forth bright and luminous. We
must not consider the separate waves alone, but the entire sea. We
should rise from the individual to the whole. The spirit is as one
great ocean and the waves thereof are the souls of men.

We are told in the Holy Scripture that the New Jerusalem
shall appear on earth. Now it is evident that this celestial city is
not built of material stones and mortar, but that it is a city not
made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.

This is a prophetic symbol, meaning the coming again of
the Divine Teaching to enlighten the hearts of men. It is long since
this Holy Guidance has governed the lives of humanity. But now, at
last, the Holy City of the New Jerusalem has come again to the world,
it has appeared anew under an Eastern sky; from the horizon of Persia
has its effulgence arisen to be a light to lighten the whole world.
We see in these days the fulfilment of the Divine Prophecy. Jerusalem
had disappeared. The heavenly city was destroyed, now it is rebuilt;
it was razed to the ground, but now its walls and pinnacles have been
restored, and are towering aloft in their renewed and glorious
beauty.

In the Western world material prosperity has triumphed,
whilst in the East the spiritual sun has shone forth.

I am very glad to see such an assembly as this in Paris,
where spiritual and material progress are met together in unity.

Man—the true man—is soul, not body; though
physically man belongs to the animal kingdom, yet his soul lifts him
above the rest of creation. Behold how the light of the sun
illuminates the world of matter: even so doth the Divine Light shed
its rays in the kingdom of the soul. The soul it is which makes the
human creature a celestial entity!

By the power of the Holy Spirit, working through his
soul, man is able to perceive the Divine reality of things. All great
works of art and science are witnesses to this power of the Spirit.

The same Spirit gives Eternal Life.

Those alone who are baptized by the Divine Spirit will
be enabled to bring all peoples into the bond of unity. It is by the
power of the Spirit that the Eastern World of spiritual thought can
intermingle with the Western realm of action, so that the world of
matter may become Divine.

It follows that all who work for the Supreme Design are
soldiers in the army of the Spirit.

The light of the celestial world makes war against the
world of shadow and illusion. The rays of the Sun of Truth dispel the
darkness of superstition and misunderstanding.

You are of the Spirit! To you who seek the truth, the
Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh will come as a
great joy! This teaching is of the Spirit, in it is no precept which
is not of the Divine Spirit.

Spirit cannot be perceived by the material senses of the
physical body, excepting as it is expressed in outward signs and
works. The human body is visible, the soul is invisible. It is the
soul nevertheless that directs a man’s faculties, that governs
his humanity.

The soul has two main faculties. (a) As outer
circumstances are communicated to the soul by the eyes, ears, and
brain of a man, so does the soul communicate its desires and purposes
through the brain to the hands and tongue of the physical body,
thereby expressing itself. The spirit in the soul is the very essence
of life. (b) The second faculty of the soul expresses itself in the
world of vision, where the soul inhabited by the spirit has its
being, and functions without the help of the material bodily senses.
There, in the realm of vision, the soul sees without the help of the
physical eye, hears without the aid of the physical ear, and travels
without dependence upon physical motion. It is, therefore, clear that
the spirit in the soul of man can function through the physical body
by using the organs of the ordinary senses, and that it is able also
to live and act without their aid in the world of vision. This proves
without a doubt the superiority of the soul of man over his body, the
superiority of spirit over matter.

For example, look at this lamp: is not the light within
it superior to the lamp which holds it? However beautiful the form of
the lamp may be, if the light is not there its purpose is
unfulfilled, it is without life—a dead thing. The lamp needs
the light, but the light does not need the lamp.

The spirit does not need a body, but the body needs
spirit, or it cannot live. The soul can live without a body, but the
body without a soul dies.

If a man lose his sight, his hearing, his hand or his
foot, should his soul still inhabit the body he lives, and is able to
manifest divine virtues. On the other hand, without the spirit it
would be impossible for a perfect body to exist.

The greatest power of the Holy Spirit exists in the
Divine Manifestations of the Truth. Through the power of the Spirit
the Heavenly Teaching has been brought into the World of Humanity.
Through the power of the Spirit life everlasting has come to the
children of men. Through the power of the Spirit the Divine Glory has
shone from East to West, and through the power of the same Spirit
will the divine virtues of humanity become manifest.

Our greatest efforts must be directed towards detachment
from the things of the world; we must strive to become more
spiritual, more luminous, to follow the counsel of the Divine
Teaching, to serve the cause of unity and true equality, to be
merciful, to reflect the love of the Highest on all men, so that the
light of the Spirit shall be apparent in all our deeds, to the end
that all humanity shall be united, the stormy sea thereof calmed, and
all rough waves disappear from off the surface of life’s ocean
henceforth unruffled and peaceful. Then will the New Jerusalem be
seen by mankind, who will enter through its gates and receive the
Divine Bounty.

I thank God that I have been present amongst you this
afternoon, and I thank you for your spiritual feeling.

I pray that you may grow in Divine fervour, and that the
power of unity in the Spirit will augment, so that the prophecies may
be fulfilled, and that in this great century of the Light of God all
the glad tidings written in the Sacred Books may come to pass. This
is the glorious time of which the Lord Jesus Christ spoke when He
told us to pray ‘Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as
it is in Heaven’. I hope that this is also your expectation and
great desire.

We are united in the one aim and hope that all shall be
as one and every heart illumined by the Love of our Divine Father,
God!

May all our actions be spiritual, and all our interests
and affections be centred in the Kingdom of Glory!

THE EVOLUTION OF THE SPIRIT

15 Rue Greuze, Paris,
November 10th

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:

Tonight I will speak of the evolution or progress of the
spirit.

Absolute repose does not exist in nature. All things
either make progress or lose ground. Everything moves forward or
backward, nothing is without motion. From his birth, a man progresses
physically until he reaches maturity, then, having arrived at the
prime of his life, he begins to decline, the strength and powers of
his body decrease, and he gradually arrives at the hour of death.
Likewise a plant progresses from the seed to maturity, then its life
begins to lessen until it fades and dies. A bird soars to a certain
height and having reached the highest possible point in its flight,
begins its descent to earth.

Thus it is evident that movement is essential to all
existence. All material things progress to a certain point, then
begin to decline. This is the law which governs the whole physical
creation.

Now let us consider the soul. We have seen that movement
is essential to existence; nothing that has life is without motion.
All creation, whether of the mineral, vegetable or animal kingdom, is
compelled to obey the law of motion; it must either ascend or
descend. But with the human soul, there is no decline. Its only
movement is towards perfection; growth and progress alone constitute
the motion of the soul.

Divine perfection is infinite, therefore the progress of
the soul is also infinite. From the very birth of a human being the
soul progresses, the intellect grows and knowledge increases. When
the body dies the soul lives on. All the differing degrees of created
physical beings are limited, but the soul is limitless!

In all religions the belief exists that the soul
survives the death of the body. Intercessions are sent up for the
beloved dead, prayers are said for their progress and for the
forgiveness of their sins. If the soul perished with the body all
this would have no meaning. Further, if it were not possible for the
soul to advance towards perfection after it had been released from
the body, of what avail are all these loving prayers, of devotion?

We read in the sacred writings that ‘all good
works are found again’.10
Now, if the soul did not survive, this also would mean nothing!

The very fact that our spiritual instinct, surely never
given in vain, prompts us to pray for the welfare of those, our loved
ones, who have passed out of the material world: does it not bear
witness to the continuance of their existence?

In the world of spirit there is no retrogression. The
world of mortality is a world of contradictions, of opposites; motion
being compulsory everything must either go forward or retreat. In the
realm of spirit there is no retreat possible, all movement is bound
to be towards a perfect state. ‘Progress’ is the
expression of spirit in the world of matter. The intelligence of man,
his reasoning powers, his knowledge, his scientific achievements, all
these being manifestations of the spirit, partake of the inevitable
law of spiritual progress and are, therefore, of necessity, immortal.

My hope for you is that you will progress in the world
of spirit, as well as in the world of matter; that your intelligence
will develop, your knowledge will augment, and your understanding be
widened.

You must ever press forward, never standing still; avoid
stagnation, the first step to a backward movement, to decay.

The whole physical creation is perishable. These
material bodies are composed of atoms; when these atoms begin to
separate decomposition sets in, then comes what we call death. This
composition of atoms, which constitutes the body or mortal element of
any created being, is temporary. When the power of attraction, which
holds these atoms together, is withdrawn, the body, as such, ceases
to exist.

With the soul it is different. The soul is not a
combination of elements, it is not composed of many atoms, it is of
one indivisible substance and therefore eternal. It is entirely out
of the order of the physical creation; it is immortal!

Scientific philosophy has demonstrated that a simple
element (‘simple’ meaning ‘not composed’) is
indestructible, eternal. The soul, not being a composition of
elements, is, in character, as a simple element, and therefore cannot
cease to exist.

The soul, being of that one indivisible substance, can
suffer neither disintegration nor destruction, therefore there is no
reason for its coming to an end. All things living show signs of
their existence, and it follows that these signs could not of
themselves exist if that which they express or to which they testify
had no being. A thing which does not exist, can, of course, give no
sign of its existence. The manifold signs of the existence of the
spirit are for ever before us.

The traces of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the influence
of His Divine Teaching, is present with us today, and is everlasting.

A non-existent thing, it is agreed, cannot be seen by
signs. In order to write a man must exist—one who does not
exist cannot write. Writing is, in itself, a sign of the writer’s
soul and intelligence. The Sacred Writings (with ever the same
Teaching) prove the continuity of the spirit.

Consider the aim of creation: is it possible that all is
created to evolve and develop through countless ages with this small
goal in view—a few years of a man’s life on earth? Is it
not unthinkable that this should be the final aim of existence?

The mineral evolves till it is absorbed in the life of
the plant, the plant progresses till finally it loses its life in
that of the animal; the animal, in its turn, forming part of the food
of man, is absorbed into human life.

Thus, man is shown to be the sum of all creation, the
superior of all created beings, the goal to which countless ages of
existence have progressed.

At the best, man spends four-score years and ten in this
world—a short time indeed!

Does a man cease to exist when he leaves the body? If
his life comes to an end, then all the previous evolution is useless,
all has been for nothing! Can one imagine that Creation has no
greater aim than this?

The soul is eternal, immortal.

Materialists say, ‘Where is the soul? What is it?
We cannot see it, neither can we touch it’.

This is how we must answer them: However much the
mineral may progress, it cannot comprehend the vegetable world. Now,
that lack of comprehension does not prove the non-existence of the
plant!

To however great a degree the plant may have evolved, it
is unable to understand the animal world; this ignorance is no proof
that the animal does not exist!

The animal, be he never so highly developed, cannot
imagine the intelligence of man, neither can he realize the nature of
his soul. But, again, this does not prove that man is without
intellect, or without soul. It only demonstrates this, that one form
of existence is incapable of comprehending a form superior to itself.

This flower may be unconscious of such a being as man,
but the fact of its ignorance does not prevent the existence of
humanity.

In the same way, if materialists do not believe in the
existence of the soul, their unbelief does not prove that there is no
such realm as the world of spirit. The very existence of man’s
intelligence proves his immortality; moreover, darkness proves the
presence of light, for without light there would be no shadow.
Poverty proves the existence of riches, for, without riches, how
could we measure poverty? Ignorance proves that knowledge exists, for
without knowledge how could there be ignorance?

Therefore the idea of mortality presupposes the
existence of immortality—for if there were no Life Eternal,
there would be no way of measuring the life of this world!

If the spirit were not immortal, how could the
Manifestations of God endure such terrible trials?

Why did Christ Jesus suffer the fearful death on the
cross?

Why did Muḥammad bear persecutions?

Why did the Báb make the supreme sacrifice and
why did Bahá’u’lláh pass the years of his
life in prison?

Why should all this suffering have been, if not to prove
the everlasting life of the spirit?

Christ suffered, He accepted all His trials because of
the immortality of His spirit. If a man reflects he will understand
the spiritual significance of the law of progress; how all moves from
the inferior to the superior degree.

It is only a man without intelligence who, after
considering these things, can imagine that the great scheme of
creation should suddenly cease to progress, that evolution should
come to such an inadequate end!

Materialists who reason in this way, and contend that we
are unable to see the world of spirit, or to perceive the blessings
of God, are surely like the animals who have no understanding; having
eyes they see not, ears they have, but do not hear. And this lack of
sight and hearing is a proof of nothing but their own inferiority; of
whom we read in the Qur’án, ‘They are men who are
blind and deaf to the Spirit.’ They do not use that great gift
of God, the power of the understanding, by which they might see with
the eyes of the spirit, hear with spiritual ears and also comprehend
with a Divinely enlightened heart.

The inability of the materialistic mind to grasp the
idea of the Life Eternal is no proof of the non-existence of that
life.

The comprehension of that other life depends on our
spiritual birth!

My prayer for you is that your spiritual faculties and
aspirations may daily increase, and that you will never allow the
material senses to veil from your eyes the glories of the Heavenly
Illumination.

THE DESIRES AND PRAYERS OF
‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ

November 15th

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:

You are all very welcome, and I love you all most
dearly.

Day and night I pray to Heaven for you that strength may
be yours, and that, one and all, you may participate in the blessings
of Bahá’u’lláh, and enter into the Kingdom.

I supplicate that you may become as new beings,
illumined with the Divine Light, like unto shining lamps, and that
from one end of Europe to the other the knowledge of the Love of God
may spread.

May this boundless love so fill your hearts and minds
that sadness may find no room to enter and may you with joyful hearts
soar like birds into the Divine Radiance.

May your hearts become clear and pure like unto polished
mirrors in which may be reflected the full glory of the Sun of Truth.

May your eyes be opened to see the signs of the Kingdom
of God, and may your ears be unstopped so that you may hear with a
perfect understanding the Heavenly Proclamation sounding in your
midst.

May your souls receive help and comfort, and, being so
strengthened, may they be enabled to live in accordance with the
teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.

I pray for each and all that you may be as flames of
love in the world, and that the brightness of your light and the
warmth of your affection may reach the heart of every sad and
sorrowing child of God.

May you be as shining stars, bright and luminous for
ever in the Kingdom.

I counsel you that you study earnestly the teachings of
Bahá’u’lláh, so that, God helping you, you
may in deed and truth become Bahá’ís.

CONCERNING BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT

4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris,
Friday morning,
November 17th

There are in the world of humanity three degrees; those
of the body, the soul, and spirit.

The body is the physical or animal degree of man. From
the bodily point of view man is a sharer of the animal kingdom. The
bodies alike of men and animals are composed of elements held
together by the law of attraction.

Like the animal, man possesses the faculties of the
senses, is subject to heat, cold, hunger, thirst, etc.; unlike the
animal, man has a rational soul, the human intelligence.

This intelligence of man is the intermediary between his
body and his spirit.

When man allows the spirit, through his soul, to
enlighten his understanding, then does he contain all Creation;
because man, being the culmination of all that went before and thus
superior to all previous evolutions, contains all the lower world
within himself. Illumined by the spirit through the instrumentality
of the soul, man’s radiant intelligence makes him the
crowning-point of Creation.

But on the other hand, when man does not open his mind
and heart to the blessing of the spirit, but turns his soul towards
the material side, towards the bodily part of his nature, then is he
fallen from his high place and he becomes inferior to the inhabitants
of the lower animal kingdom. In this case the man is in a sorry
plight! For if the spiritual qualities of the soul, open to the
breath of the Divine Spirit, are never used, they become atrophied,
enfeebled, and at last incapable; whilst the soul’s material
qualities alone being exercised, they become terribly powerful—and
the unhappy, misguided man, becomes more savage, more unjust, more
vile, more cruel, more malevolent than the lower animals themselves.
All his aspirations and desires being strengthened by the lower side
of the soul’s nature, he becomes more and more brutal, until
his whole being is in no way superior to that of the beasts that
perish. Men such as this, plan to work evil, to hurt and to destroy;
they are entirely without the spirit of Divine compassion, for the
celestial quality of the soul has been dominated by that of the
material. If, on the contrary, the spiritual nature of the soul has
been so strengthened that it holds the material side in subjection,
then does the man approach the Divine; his humanity becomes so
glorified that the virtues of the Celestial Assembly are manifested
in him; he radiates the Mercy of God, he stimulates the spiritual
progress of mankind, for he becomes a lamp to show light on their
path.

You perceive how the soul is the intermediary between
the body and the spirit. In like manner is this tree11
the intermediary between the seed and the fruit. When the fruit of
the tree appears and becomes ripe, then we know that the tree is
perfect; if the tree bore no fruit it would be merely a useless
growth, serving no purpose!

When a soul has in it the life of the spirit, then does
it bring forth good fruit and become a Divine tree. I wish you to try
to understand this example. I hope that the unspeakable goodness of
God will so strengthen you that the celestial quality of your soul,
which relates it to the spirit, will for ever dominate the material
side, so entirely ruling the senses that your soul will approach the
perfections of the Heavenly Kingdom. May your faces, being
steadfastly set towards the Divine Light, become so luminous that all
your thoughts, words and actions will shine with the Spiritual
Radiance dominating your souls, so that in the gatherings of the
world you will show perfection in your life.

Some men’s lives are solely occupied with the
things of this world; their minds are so circumscribed by exterior
manners and traditional interests that they are blind to any other
realm of existence, to the spiritual significance of all things! They
think and dream of earthly fame, of material progress. Sensuous
delights and comfortable surroundings bound their horizon, their
highest ambitions centre in successes of worldly conditions and
circumstances! They curb not their lower propensities; they eat,
drink, and sleep! Like the animal, they have no thought beyond their
own physical well-being. It is true that these necessities must be
despatched. Life is a load which must be carried on while we are on
earth, but the cares of the lower things of life should not be
allowed to monopolize all the thoughts and aspirations of a human
being. The heart’s ambitions should ascend to a more glorious
goal, mental activity should rise to higher levels! Men should hold
in their souls the vision of celestial perfection, and there prepare
a dwelling-place for the inexhaustible bounty of the Divine Spirit.

Let your ambition be the achievement on earth of a
Heavenly civilization! I ask for you the supreme blessing, that you
may be so filled with the vitality of the Heavenly Spirit that you
may be the cause of life to the world.

THE BAHÁ’ÍS MUST
WORK WITH HEART AND SOUL TO BRING ABOUT A BETTER CONDITION IN THE
WORLD

November 19th

How joyful it is to see such a meeting as this, for it
is in truth a gathering together of ‘heavenly men’.

We are all united in one Divine purpose, no material
motive is ours, and our dearest wish is to spread the Love of God
throughout the world!

We work and pray for the unity of mankind, that all the
races of the earth may become one race, all the countries one
country, and that all hearts may beat as one heart, working together
for perfect unity and brotherhood.

Praise be to God that our efforts are sincere and that
our hearts are turned to the Kingdom. Our greatest longing is that
truth may be established in the world, and in this hope we draw near
to one another in love and affection. Each and all are whole-hearted
and selfless, willing to sacrifice all personal ambition to the grand
ideal towards which they strive: Brotherly love and peace and union
among men!

Doubt not that God is with us, on our right hand and on
our left, that day by day He will cause our numbers to increase, and
that our meetings will grow in strength and usefulness.

It is my dearest hope that you may all become a blessing
to others, that you may give sight to the spiritually blind, hearing
to the spiritually deaf and life to those who are dead in sin.

May you help those sunk in materiality to realize their
Divine son-ship, and encourage them to arise and be worthy of their
birthright; so that by your endeavour the world of humanity may
become the Kingdom of God and of His elect.

I thank God that we are at one in this grand ideal, that
my longings are also yours and that we work together in perfect
unity.

Today, upon the earth, one sees the sad spectacle of
cruel war! Man slays his brother man for selfish gain, and to enlarge
his territories! For this ignoble ambition hate has taken possession
of his heart, and more and more blood is shed!

Fresh battles are fought, the armies are increased, more
cannon, more guns, more explosives of all kinds are sent out—so
does bitterness and hate augment from day to day!

But this assembly, thank God, longs only for peace and
unity, and must work with heart and soul to bring about a better
condition in the world.

You who are the servants of God fight against
oppression, hate and discord, so that wars may cease and God’s
laws of peace and love may be established among men.

Work! Work with all your strength, spread the Cause of
the Kingdom among men; teach the self-sufficient to turn humbly
towards God, the sinful to sin no more, and await with glad
expectation the coming of the Kingdom.

Love and obey your Heavenly Father, and rest assured
that Divine help is yours. Verily I say unto you that you shall
indeed conquer the world!

Only have faith, patience and courage—this is but
the beginning, but surely you will succeed, for God is with you!

ON CALUMNY

Monday, November 20th

From the beginning of the world until the present time
each ‘Manifestation’12
sent from God has been opposed by an embodiment of the ‘Powers
of Darkness’.

This dark power has always endeavoured to extinguish the
light. Tyranny has ever sought to overcome justice. Ignorance has
persistently tried to trample knowledge underfoot. This has, from the
earliest ages, been the method of the material world.

In the time of Moses, Pharaoh set himself to prevent the
Mosaic Light being spread abroad.

In the day of Christ, Annas and Caiaphas inflamed the
Jewish people against Him and the learned doctors of Israel joined
together to resist His Power. All sorts of calumnies were circulated
against Him. The Scribes and Pharisees conspired to make the people
believe Him to be a liar, an apostate, and a blasphemer. They spread
these slanders throughout the whole Eastern world against Christ, and
caused Him to be condemned to a shameful death!

In the case of Muḥammad also, the learned doctors
of His day determined to extinguish the light of His influence. They
tried by the power of the sword to prevent the spread of His
teaching.

In spite of all their efforts the Sun of Truth shone
forth from the horizon. In every case the army of light vanquished
the powers of darkness on the battlefield of the world, and the
radiance of the Divine Teaching illumined the earth. Those who
accepted the Teaching and worked for the Cause of God became luminous
stars in the sky of humanity.

Now, in our own day, history repeats itself.

Those who would have men believe that religion is their
own private property once more bring their efforts to bear against
the Sun of Truth: they resist the Command of God; they invent
calumnies, not having arguments against it, neither proofs. They
attack with masked faces, not daring to come forth into the light of
day.

Our methods are different, we do not attack, neither
calumniate; we do not wish to dispute with them; we bring forth
proofs and arguments; we invite them to confute our statements. They
cannot answer us, but instead, they write all they can think of
against the Divine Messenger, Bahá’u’lláh.

Do not let your hearts be troubled by these defamatory
writings! Obey the words of Bahá’u’lláh and
answer them not. Rejoice, rather, that even these falsehoods will
result in the spread of the truth. When these slanders appear
inquiries are made, and those who inquire are led into a knowledge of
the Faith.

If a man were to declare, ‘There is a lamp in the
next room which gives no light’, one hearer might be satisfied
with his report, but a wiser man goes into the room to judge for
himself, and behold, when he finds the light shining brilliantly in
the lamp, he knows the truth!

Again, a man proclaims: ‘There lies a garden in
which there are trees with broken branches bearing no fruit, and the
leaves thereof are faded and yellow! In that garden, also, there are
flowering plants with no blooms, and rose bushes withered and
dying—go not into that garden!’ A just man, hearing this
account of the garden, would not be content without seeing for
himself whether it be true or not. He, therefore, enters the garden,
and behold, he finds it well tilled; the branches of the trees are
sturdy and strong, being also loaded with the sweetest of ripe fruits
amongst the luxuriance of beautiful green leaves. The flowering
plants are bright with many-hued blossoms; the rose bushes are
covered with fragrant and lovely roses and all is verdant and well
tended. When the glory of the garden is spread out before the eyes of
the just man, he praises God that, through unworthy calumny, he has
been led into a place of such wondrous beauty!

This is the result of the slanderer’s work: to be
the cause of guiding men to a discovery of the truth.

We know that all the falsehoods spread about Christ and
His apostles and all the books written against Him, only led the
people to inquire into His doctrine; then, having seen the beauty and
inhaled the fragrance, they walked evermore amidst the roses and the
fruits of that celestial garden.

Therefore, I say unto you, spread the Divine Truth with
all your might that men’s intelligence may become enlightened;
this is the best answer to those who slander. I do not wish to speak
of those people nor to say anything ill of them—only to tell
you that slander is of no importance!

Clouds may veil the sun, but, be they never so dense,
his rays will penetrate! Nothing can prevent the radiance of the sun
descending to warm and vivify the Divine Garden.

Nothing can prevent the fall of the rain from Heaven.

Nothing can prevent the fulfilment of the Word of God!

Therefore when you see books and papers written against
the Revelation, be not distressed, but take comfort in the assurance
that the cause will thereby gain strength.

No one casts stones at a tree without fruit. No one
tries to extinguish a lamp without light!

Regard the former times. Had the calumnies of Pharaoh
any effect? He affirmed that Moses was a murderer, that he had slain
a man and deserved to be executed! He also declared that Moses and
Aaron were fomenters of discord, that they tried to destroy the
religion of Egypt and therefore must be put to death. These words of
Pharaoh were vainly spoken. The light of Moses shone. The radiance of
the Law of God has encircled the world!

When the Pharisees said of Christ that He had broken the
Sabbath Day, that He had defied the Law of Moses, that He had
threatened to destroy the Temple and the Holy City of Jerusalem, and
that He deserved to be crucified—We know that all these
slanderous attacks had no result in hindering the spread of the
Gospel!

The Sun of Christ shone brilliantly in the sky, and the
breath of the Holy Spirit wafted over the whole earth!

And I say unto you that no calumny is able to prevail
against the Light of God; it can only result in causing it to be more
universally recognized. If a cause were of no significance, who would
take the trouble to work against it!

But always the greater the cause the more do enemies
arise in larger and larger numbers to attempt its overthrow! The
brighter the light the darker the shadow! Our part it is to act in
accordance with the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh
in humility and firm steadfastness.

THERE CAN BE NO TRUE HAPPINESS AND
PROGRESS WITHOUT SPIRITUALITY

November 21st

Ferocity and savagery are natural to animals, but men
should show forth the qualities of love and affection. God sent all
His Prophets into the world with one aim, to sow in the hearts of men
love and goodwill, and for this great purpose they were willing to
suffer and to die. All the sacred Books were written to lead and
direct man into the ways of love and unity; and yet, in spite of all
this, we have the sad spectacle of war and bloodshed in our midst.

When we look into the pages of history, past and
present, we see the black earth reddened by human blood. Men kill
each other like the savage wolves, and forget the laws of love and
tolerance.

Now this luminous age has come, bringing with it
wonderful civilization and material progress. Men’s intellects
have widened, their perceptions grown, but alas, in spite of all
this, fresh blood is being spilt day by day. Look at the present
Turco-Italian war; consider for a moment the fate of these unhappy
people! How many have been killed during this sad time? How many
homes are ruined, wives desolate, and children orphans! And what is
to be gained in exchange for all this anguish and heartache? Only a
corner of the earth!

This all shows that material progress alone does not
tend to uplift man. On the contrary, the more he becomes immersed in
material progress, the more does his spirituality become obscured.

In times gone by progress on the material plane was not
so rapid, neither was there bloodshed in such profusion. In ancient
warfare there were no cannons, no guns, no dynamite, no shells, no
torpedo boats, no battleships, no submarines. Now, owing to material
civilization, we have all these inventions, and war goes from bad to
worse! Europe itself has become like one immense arsenal, full of
explosives, and may God prevent its ignition—for, should this
happen, the whole world would be involved.

I want to make you understand that material progress and
spiritual progress are two very different things, and that only if
material progress goes hand in hand with spirituality can any real
progress come about, and the Most Great Peace reign in the world. If
men followed the Holy Counsels and the Teachings of the Prophets, if
Divine Light shone in all hearts and men were really religious, we
should soon see peace on earth and the Kingdom of God among men. The
laws of God may be likened unto the soul and material progress unto
the body. If the body was not animated by the soul, it would cease to
exist. It is my earnest prayer that spirituality may ever grow and
increase in the world, so that customs may become enlightened and
peace and concord may be established.

War and rapine with their attendant cruelties are an
abomination to God, and bring their own punishment, for the God of
love is also a God of justice and each man must inevitably reap what
he sows. Let us try to understand the commands of the Most High and
to order our lives as He directs. True happiness depends on spiritual
good and having the heart ever open to receive the Divine Bounty.

If the heart turns away from the blessings God offers
how can it hope for happiness? If it does not put its hope and trust
in God’s Mercy, where can it find rest? Oh, trust in God! for
His Bounty is everlasting, and in His Blessings, for they are superb.
Oh! put your faith in the Almighty, for He faileth not and His
goodness endureth for ever! His Sun giveth Light continually, and the
Clouds of His Mercy are full of the Waters of Compassion with which
He waters the hearts of all who trust in Him. His refreshing Breeze
ever carries healing in its wings to the parched souls of men! Is it
wise to turn away from such a loving Father, Who showers His
blessings upon us, and to choose rather to be slaves of matter?

God in His infinite goodness has exalted us to so much
honour, and has made us masters over the material world. Shall we
then become her slaves? Nay, rather let us claim our birthright, and
strive to live the life of the spiritual sons of God. The glorious
Sun of Truth has once again risen in the East. From the far horizon
of Persia its radiance is spreading far and wide, dispersing the
dense clouds of superstition. The light of the unity of mankind is
beginning to illumine the world, and soon the banner of Divine
harmony and the solidarity of nations will be flying high in the
Heavens. Yea, the breezes of the Holy Spirit will inspire the whole
world!

Oh, peoples and nations! Arise and work and be happy!
Gather together under the tent of the unity of mankind!

PAIN AND SORROW

November 22nd

In this world we are influenced by two sentiments, Joy
and Pain.

Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more
vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We
seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of
usefulness. But when sadness visits us we become weak, our strength
leaves us, our comprehension is dim and our intelligence veiled. The
actualities of life seem to elude our grasp, the eyes of our spirits
fail to discover the sacred mysteries, and we become even as dead
beings.

There is no human being untouched by these two
influences; but all the sorrow and the grief that exist come from the
world of matter—the spiritual world bestows only the joy!

If we suffer it is the outcome of material things, and
all the trials and troubles come from this world of illusion.

For instance, a merchant may lose his trade and
depression ensues. A workman is dismissed and starvation stares him
in the face. A farmer has a bad harvest, anxiety fills his mind. A
man builds a house which is burnt to the ground and he is straightway
homeless, ruined, and in despair.

All these examples are to show you that the trials which
beset our every step, all our sorrow, pain, shame and grief, are born
in the world of matter; whereas the spiritual Kingdom never causes
sadness. A man living with his thoughts in this Kingdom knows
perpetual joy. The ills all flesh is heir to do not pass him by, but
they only touch the surface of his life, the depths are calm and
serene.

Today, humanity is bowed down with trouble, sorrow and
grief, no one escapes; the world is wet with tears; but, thank God,
the remedy is at our doors. Let us turn our hearts away from the
world of matter and live in the spiritual world! It alone can give us
freedom! If we are hemmed in by difficulties we have only to call
upon God, and by His great Mercy we shall be helped.

If sorrow and adversity visit us, let us turn our faces
to the Kingdom and heavenly consolation will be outpoured.

If we are sick and in distress let us implore God’s
healing, and He will answer our prayer.

When our thoughts are filled with the bitterness of this
world, let us turn our eyes to the sweetness of God’s
compassion and He will send us heavenly calm! If we are imprisoned in
the material world, our spirit can soar into the Heavens and we shall
be free indeed!

When our days are drawing to a close let us think of the
eternal worlds, and we shall be full of joy!

You see all round you proofs of the inadequacy of
material things—how joy, comfort, peace and consolation are not
to be found in the transitory things of the world. Is it not then
foolishness to refuse to seek these treasures where they may be
found? The doors of the spiritual Kingdom are open to all, and
without is absolute darkness.

Thank God that you in this assembly have this knowledge,
for in all the sorrows of life you can obtain supreme consolation. If
your days on earth are numbered, you know that everlasting life
awaits you. If material anxiety envelops you in a dark cloud,
spiritual radiance lightens your path. Verily, those whose minds are
illumined by the Spirit of the Most High have supreme consolation.

I myself was in prison forty years—one year alone
would have been impossible to bear—nobody survived that
imprisonment more than a year! But, thank God, during all those forty
years I was supremely happy! Every day, on waking, it was like
hearing good tidings, and every night infinite joy was mine.
Spirituality was my comfort, and turning to God was my greatest joy.
If this had not been so, do you think it possible that I could have
lived through those forty years in prison?

Thus, spirituality is the greatest of God’s gifts,
and ‘Life Everlasting’ means ‘Turning to God’.
May you, one and all, increase daily in spirituality, may you be
strengthened in all goodness, may you be helped more and more by the
Divine consolation, be made free by the Holy Spirit of God, and may
the power of the Heavenly Kingdom live and work among you.

This is my earnest desire, and I pray to God to grant
you this favour.

THE PERFECT HUMAN SENTIMENTS AND
VIRTUES

November 23rd

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:

You should all be very happy and thankful to God for the
great privilege that is yours.

This is purely a spiritual meeting! Praise be to God,
your hearts are turned to Him, your souls are attracted to the
Kingdom, you have spiritual aspirations, and your thoughts soar above
the world of dust.

You belong to the world of purity, and are not content
to live the life of the animal, spending your days in eating,
drinking, and sleeping. You are indeed men! Your thoughts and
ambitions are set to acquire human perfection. You live to do good
and to bring happiness to others. Your greatest longing is to comfort
those who mourn, to strengthen the weak, and to be the cause of hope
to the despairing soul. Day and night your thoughts are turned to the
Kingdom, and your hearts are full of the Love of God.

Thus you know neither opposition, dislike, nor hatred,
for every living creature is dear to you and the good of each is
sought.

These are perfect human sentiments and virtues. If a man
has none of these, he had better cease to exist. If a lamp has ceased
to give light, it had better be destroyed. If a tree bear no fruit,
it had better be cut down, for it only cumbereth the ground.

Verily, it is better a thousand times for a man to die
than to continue living without virtue.

We have eyes wherewith to see, but if we do not use them
how do they profit us? We have ears wherewith to hear, but if we are
deaf of what use are they?

We have a tongue wherewith to praise God and proclaim
the good tidings, but if we are dumb how useless it is!

The All-loving God created man to radiate the Divine
light and to illumine the world by his words, action and life. If he
is without virtue he becomes no better than a mere animal, and an
animal devoid of intelligence is a vile thing.

The Heavenly Father gave the priceless gift of
intelligence to man so that he might become a spiritual light,
piercing the darkness of materiality, and bringing goodness and truth
into the world. If ye will follow earnestly the teachings of
Bahá’u’lláh, ye shall indeed become the
light of the world, the soul for the body of the world, the comfort
and help for humanity, and the source of salvation for the whole
universe. Strive therefore, with heart and soul, to follow the
precepts of the Blessed Perfection, and rest assured that if ye
succeed in living the life he marks out for you, Eternal Life and
everlasting joy in the Heavenly Kingdom will be yours, and celestial
sustenance will be sent to strengthen you all your days.

It is my heartfelt prayer that each one of you may
attain to this perfect joy!

THE CRUEL INDIFFERENCE OF PEOPLE
TOWARDS THE SUFFERING OF FOREIGN RACES

November 24th

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:

I have just been told that there has been a terrible
accident in this country. A train has fallen into the river and at
least twenty people have been killed. This is going to be a matter
for discussion in the French Parliament today, and the Director of
the State Railway will be called upon to speak. He will be
cross-examined as to the condition of the railroad and as to what
caused the accident, and there will be a heated argument. I am filled
with wonder and surprise to notice what interest and excitement has
been aroused throughout the whole country on account of the death of
twenty people, while they remain cold and indifferent to the fact
that thousands of Italians, Turks, and Arabs are killed in Tripoli!
The horror of this wholesale slaughter has not disturbed the
Government at all! Yet these unfortunate people are human beings too.

Why is there so much interest and eager sympathy shown
towards these twenty individuals, while for five thousand persons
there is none? They are all men, they all belong to the family of
mankind, but they are of other lands and races. It is no concern of
the disinterested countries if these men are cut to pieces, this
wholesale slaughter does not affect them! How unjust, how cruel is
this, how utterly devoid of any good and true feeling! The people of
these other lands have children and wives, mothers, daughters, and
little sons! In these countries today there is hardly a house free
from the sound of bitter weeping, scarcely can one find a home
untouched by the cruel hand of war.

Alas! we see on all sides how cruel, prejudiced and
unjust is man, and how slow he is to believe in God and follow His
commandments.

If these people would love and help one another instead
of being so eager to destroy with sword and cannon, how much nobler
would it be! How much better if they would live like a flock of doves
in peace and harmony, instead of being like wolves and tearing each
other to pieces.

Why is man so hard of heart? It is because he does not
yet know God. If he had knowledge of God he could not act in direct
opposition to His laws; if he were spiritually minded such a line of
conduct would be impossible to him. If only the laws and precepts of
the prophets of God had been believed, understood and followed, wars
would no longer darken the face of the earth.

If man had even the rudiments of justice, such a state
of things would be impossible.

Therefore, I say unto you pray—pray and turn your
faces to God, that He, in His infinite compassion and mercy, may help
and succour these misguided ones. Pray that He will grant them
spiritual understanding and teach them tolerance and mercy, that the
eyes of their minds may be opened and that they may be endued with
the gift of the spirit. Then would peace and love walk hand in hand
through the lands, and these poor unhappy people might have rest.

Let us all strive night and day to help in the bringing
about of better conditions. My heart is broken by these terrible
things and cries aloud—may this cry reach other hearts!

Then will the blind see, the dead will be raised, and
Justice will come and reign upon the earth.

I beseech you all to pray with heart and soul that this
may be accomplished.

WE MUST NOT BE DISCOURAGED BY THE
SMALLNESS OF OUR NUMBERS

November 25th

When Christ appeared He manifested Himself at Jerusalem.
He called men to the Kingdom of God, He invited them to Eternal Life
and He told them to acquire human perfections. The Light of Guidance
was shed forth by that radiant Star, and He at length gave His life
in sacrifice for humanity.

All through His blessed life He suffered oppression and
hardship, and in spite of all this humanity was His enemy!

They denied Him, scorned Him, ill-treated Him and cursed
Him. He was not treated like a man—and yet in spite of all this
He was the embodiment of pity and of supreme goodness and love.

He loved all humanity, but they treated Him as an enemy
and were incapable of appreciating Him. They set no value on His
words and were not illumined by the flame of His love.

Later they realized who He was; that He was the Sacred
and Divine Light, and that His words held Eternal Life.

His heart was full of love for all the world, His
goodness was destined to reach each one—and as they began to
realize these things, they repented—but He had been crucified!

It was not until many years after His ascension that
they knew who He was, and at the time of His ascension He had only a
very few disciples; only a comparatively small following believed His
precepts and followed His laws. The ignorant said, ‘Who is this
individual; He has only a few disciples!’ But those who knew
said: ‘He is the Sun who will shine in the East and in the
West, He is the Manifestation who shall give life to the world’.

What the first disciples had seen the world realized
later.

Therefore, you who are in Europe, do not be discouraged
because you are few or because people think that your Cause is of no
importance. If few people come to your gatherings do not lose heart,
and if you are ridiculed and contradicted be not distressed, for the
apostles of Christ had the same to bear. They were reviled and
persecuted, cursed and ill-treated, but in the end they were
victorious and their enemies were found to be wrong.

If history should repeat itself and all these same
things should happen to you, do not be saddened but be full of joy,
and thank God that you are called upon to suffer as holy men of old
suffered. If they oppose you be gentle with them, if they contradict
be firm in your faith, if they desert you and flee from before you,
seek them out and treat them kindly. Do harm to nobody; pray for all;
try to make your light shine in the world and let your banner fly
high in the Heavens. The beautiful perfume of your noble lives will
permeate everywhere. The light of truth kindled in your hearts will
shine out to the distant horizon!

The indifference and scorn of the world matters not at
all, whereas your lives will be of the greatest importance.

All those who seek truth in the Heavenly Kingdom shine
like the stars; they are like fruit trees laden with choice fruit,
like seas full of precious pearls.

Only have faith in the Mercy of God, and spread the
Divine Truth.

WORDS SPOKEN BY ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
IN PASTOR WAGNER’S CHURCH (FOYER DE L’AME) IN PARIS

November 26th

I am deeply touched by the sympathetic words which have
been addressed to me, and I hope that day by day true love and
affection may grow among us. God has willed that love should be a
vital force in the world, and you all know how I rejoice to speak of
love.

All down the ages the prophets of God have been sent
into the world to serve the cause of truth—Moses brought the
law of truth, and all the prophets of Israel after him sought to
spread it.

When Jesus came He lighted the flaming torch of truth,
and carried it aloft so that the whole world might be illumined
thereby. After Him came His chosen apostles, and they went far and
wide, carrying the light of their Master’s teaching into a dark
world—and, in their turn, passed on.

Then came Muḥammad, who in His time and way spread
the knowledge of truth among a savage people; for this has always
been the mission of God’s elect.

So, at last, when Bahá’u’lláh
arose in Persia, this was His most ardent desire, to rekindle the
waning light of truth in all lands. All the holy ones of God have
tried with heart and soul to spread the light of love and unity
throughout the world, so that the darkness of materiality might
disappear and the light of spirituality might shine forth among the
children of men. Then would hate, slander and murder disappear, and
in their stead love, unity and peace would reign.

All the Manifestations of God came with the same
purpose, and they have all sought to lead men into the paths of
virtue. Yet we, their servants, still dispute among ourselves! Why is
it thus? Why do we not love one another and live in unity?

It is because we have shut our eyes to the underlying
principle of all religions, that God is one, that He is the Father of
us all, that we are all immersed in the ocean of His mercy and
sheltered and protected by His loving care.

The glorious Sun of Truth shines for all alike, the
waters of Divine Mercy immerse each one, and His Divine favour is
bestowed on all His children.

This loving God desires peace for all His creatures—why,
then, do they spend their time in war?

He loves and protects all His children—why do they
forget Him?

He bestows His Fatherly care on us all—why do we
neglect our brothers?

Surely, when we realize how God loves and cares for us,
we should so order our lives that we may become more like Him.

God has created us, one and all—why do we act in
opposition to His wishes, when we are all His children, and love the
same Father? All these divisions we see on all sides, all these
disputes and opposition, are caused because men cling to ritual and
outward observances, and forget the simple, underlying truth. It is
the outward practices of religion that are so different, and it is
they that cause disputes and enmity—while the reality is always
the same, and one. The Reality is the Truth, and truth has no
division. Truth is God’s guidance, it is the light of the
world, it is love, it is mercy. These attributes of truth are also
human virtues inspired by the Holy Spirit.

So let us one and all hold fast to truth, and we shall
be free indeed!

The day is coming when all the religions of the world
will unite, for in principle they are one already. There is no need
for division, seeing that it is only the outward forms that separate
them. Among the sons of men some souls are suffering through
ignorance, let us hasten to teach them; others are like children
needing care and education until they are grown, and some are sick—to
these we must carry Divine healing.

Whether ignorant, childish or sick, they must be loved
and helped, and not disliked because of their imperfection.

Doctors of religion were instituted to bring spiritual
healing to the peoples and to be the cause of unity among the
nations. If they become the cause of division they had better not
exist! A remedy is given to cure a disease, but if it only succeeds
in aggravating the complaint, it is better to leave it alone. If
religion is only to be a cause of disunion it had better not exist.

All the Divine Manifestations sent by God into the world
would have gone through their terrible hardships and sufferings for
the single hope of spreading Truth, unity and concord among men.
Christ endured a life of sorrow, pain and grief, to bring a perfect
example of love into the world—and in spite of this we continue
to act in a contrary spirit one towards the other!

Love is the fundamental principle of God’s purpose
for man, and He has commanded us to love each other even as He loves
us. All these discords and disputes which we hear on all sides only
tend to increase materiality.

The world for the most part is sunk in materialism, and
the blessings of the Holy Spirit are ignored. There is so little real
spiritual feeling, and the progress of the world is for the most part
merely material. Men are becoming like unto beasts that perish, for
we know that they have no spiritual feeling—they do not turn to
God, they have no religion! These things belong to man alone, and if
he is without them he is a prisoner of nature, and no whit better
than an animal.

How can man be content to lead only an animal existence
when God has made him so high a creature? All creation is made
subject to the laws of nature, but man has been able to conquer these
laws. The sun, in spite of its power and glory, is bound by the laws
of nature, and cannot change its course by so much as a hair’s
breadth. The great and mighty ocean is powerless to change the ebb
and flow of its tides—nothing can stand against nature’s
laws but man!

But to man God has given such wonderful power that he
can guide, control and overcome nature.

The natural law for man is to walk on the earth, but he
makes ships and flies in the air! He is created to live on dry land,
but he rides on the sea and even travels under it!

He has learnt to control the power of electricity, and
he takes it at his will and imprisons it in a lamp! The human voice
is made to speak across short distances, but man’s power is
such that he has made instruments and can speak from East to West!
All these examples show you how man can govern nature, and how, as it
were, he wrests a sword from the hand of nature and uses it against
herself. Seeing that man has been created master of nature, how
foolish it is of him to become her slave! What ignorance and
stupidity it is to worship and adore nature, when God in His goodness
has made us masters thereof. God’s power is visible to all, yet
men shut their eyes and see it not. The Sun of Truth is shining in
all His splendour, but man with fast shut eyes cannot behold His
glory! It is my earnest prayer to God that by His Mercy and Loving
Kindness you may all be united, and filled with the utmost joy.

I beseech you, one and all, to add your prayers to mine
to the end that war and bloodshed may cease, and that love,
friendship, peace and unity may reign in the world.

All down the ages we see how blood has stained the
surface of the earth; but now a ray of greater light has come, man’s
intelligence is greater, spirituality is beginning to grow, and a
time is surely coming when the religions of the world will be at
peace. Let us leave the discordant arguments concerning outward
forms, and let us join together to hasten forward the Divine Cause of
unity, until all humanity knows itself to be one family, joined
together in love.

The Eleven Principles out of the
Teaching of Bahá’u’lláh, Explained by
‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Paris.

I.—The Search after Truth.

II.—The Unity of Mankind.

III.—Religion ought to be the Cause of Love and
Affection. (Not given separately.)

IV.—The Unity of Religion and Science.

V.—Abolition of Prejudices.

VI.—Equalization of Means of Existence.

VII.—Equality of Men before the Law.

VIII.—Universal Peace.

IX.—Non-Interference of Religion and Politics.

X.—Equality of Sex—Education of Women.

XI.—The Power of the Holy Spirit.

THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, PARIS

Since my arrival in Paris, I have been told of the
Theosophical Society, and I know that it is composed of honoured and
respected men. You are men of intellect and thought, men with
spiritual ideals, and it is a great pleasure for me to be among you.

Let us thank God who has drawn us together this evening.
It gives me great joy, for I see that you are seekers after truth.
You are not held in bondage by the chains of prejudice, and your
greatest longing is to know the truth. Truth may be likened to the
sun! The sun is the luminous body that disperses all shadows; in the
same way does truth scatter the shadows of our imagination. As the
sun gives life to the body of humanity so does truth give life to
their souls. Truth is a sun that rises from different points on the
horizon.

Sometimes the sun rises from the centre of the horizon,
then in summer it rises farther north, in winter farther south—but
it is always the self-same sun, however different are the points of
its rising.

In like manner truth is one, although its manifestations
may be very different. Some men have eyes and see. These worship the
sun, no matter from which point on the horizon it may dawn; and when
the sun has left the winter sky to appear in the summer one, they
know how to find it again. Others there are who worship only the spot
from which the sun arose, and when it arises in its glory from
another place they remain in contemplation before the spot of its
former rising. Alas! these men are deprived of the blessings of the
sun. Those who in truth adore the sun itself will recognize it from
whatsoever dawning-place it may appear, and will straightway turn
their faces towards its radiance.

We must adore the sun itself and not merely the place of
its appearance. In the same way men of enlightened heart worship
truth on whatever horizon it appears. They are not bound by
personality, but they follow the truth, and are able to recognize it
no matter from whence it may come. It is this same truth which helps
humanity to progress, which gives life to all created beings, for it
is the Tree of Life!

In His teaching Bahá’u’lláh
gives us the explanation of truth, and I wish to speak to you briefly
about this, for I see that you are capable of understanding. I.—The
first principle of Bahá’u’lláh is:

The Search for Truth

Man must cut himself free from all prejudice and from
the result of his own imagination, so that he may be able to search
for truth unhindered. Truth is one in all religions, and by means of
it the unity of the world can be realized.

All the peoples have a fundamental belief in common.
Being one, truth cannot be divided, and the differences that appear
to exist among the nations only result from their attachment to
prejudice. If only men would search out truth, they would find
themselves united.

II.—The second principle of Bahá’u’lláh
is:

The Unity of Mankind

The one all-loving God bestows His divine Grace and
Favour on all mankind; one and all are servants of the Most High, and
His Goodness, Mercy and loving Kindness are showered upon all His
creatures. The glory of humanity is the heritage of each one.

All men are the leaves and fruit of one same tree, they
are all branches of the tree of Adam, they all have the same origin.
The same rain has fallen upon them all, the same warm sun makes them
grow, they are all refreshed by the same breeze. The only differences
that exist and that keep them apart are these: there are the children
who need guidance, the ignorant to be instructed, the sick to be
tended and healed; thus, I say that the whole of humanity is
enveloped by the Mercy and Grace of God. As the Holy Writings tell
us: All men are equal before God. He is no respecter of persons.

III.—The third principle of Bahá’u’lláh
is:

Religion should be the Cause of Love and Affection

Religion should unite all hearts and cause wars and
disputes to vanish from the face of the earth, give birth to
spirituality, and bring life and light to each heart. If religion
becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division, it were better to be
without it, and to withdraw from such a religion would be a truly
religious act. For it is clear that the purpose of a remedy is to
cure; but if the remedy should only aggravate the complaint it had
better be left alone. Any religion which is not a cause of love and
unity is no religion. All the holy prophets were as doctors to the
soul; they gave prescriptions for the healing of mankind; thus any
remedy that causes disease does not come from the great and supreme
Physician.

IV.—The fourth principle of Bahá’u’lláh
is:

The Unity of Religion and Science

We may think of science as one wing and religion as the
other; a bird needs two wings for flight, one alone would be useless.
Any religion that contradicts science or that is opposed to it, is
only ignorance—for ignorance is the opposite of knowledge.

Religion which consists only of rites and ceremonies of
prejudice is not the truth. Let us earnestly endeavour to be the
means of uniting religion and science.

‘Alí, the son-in-law of Muḥammad,
said: ‘That which is in conformity with science is also in
conformity with religion’. Whatever the intelligence of man
cannot understand, religion ought not to accept. Religion and science
walk hand in hand, and any religion contrary to science is not the
truth.

V.—The fifth principle of Bahá’u’lláh
is:

Prejudices of Religion, Race or Sect destroy the
foundation of Humanity

All the divisions in the world, hatred, war and
bloodshed, are caused by one or other of these prejudices.

The whole world must be looked upon as one single
country, all the nations as one nation, all men as belonging to one
race. Religions, races, and nations are all divisions of man’s
making only, and are necessary only in his thought; before God there
are neither Persians, Arabs, French nor English; God is God for all,
and to Him all creation is one. We must obey God, and strive to
follow Him by leaving all our prejudices and bringing about peace on
earth.

VI.—The sixth principle of Bahá’u’lláh
is:

Equal opportunity of the means of Existence

Every human being has the right to live; they have a
right to rest, and to a certain amount of well-being. As a rich man
is able to live in his palace surrounded by luxury and the greatest
comfort, so should a poor man be able to have the necessaries of
life. Nobody should die of hunger; everybody should have sufficient
clothing; one man should not live in excess while another has no
possible means of existence.

Let us try with all the strength we have to bring about
happier conditions, so that no single soul may be destitute.

VII.—The seventh principle of Bahá’u’lláh
is:

The Equality of Men—equality before the Law

The Law must reign, and not the individual; thus will
the world become a place of beauty and true brotherhood will be
realized. Having attained solidarity, men will have found truth.

VIII.—The eighth principle of Bahá’u’lláh
is:

Universal Peace

A Supreme Tribunal shall be elected by the peoples and
governments of every nation, where members from each country and
government shall assemble in unity. All disputes shall be brought
before this Court, its mission being to prevent war.

IX.—The ninth principle of Bahá’u’lláh
is:

That Religion should not concern itself with Political
Questions

Religion is concerned with things of the spirit,
politics with things of the world. Religion has to work with the
world of thought, whilst the field of politics lies with the world of
external conditions.

It is the work of the clergy to educate the people, to
instruct them, to give them good advice and teaching so that they may
progress spiritually. With political questions they have nothing to
do.

X.—The tenth principle of Bahá’u’lláh
is:

Education and Instruction of Women

Women have equal rights with men upon earth; in religion
and society they are a very important element. As long as women are
prevented from attaining their highest possibilities, so long will
men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs.

XI.—The eleventh principle of Bahá’u’lláh
is:

The Power of the Holy Spirit, by which alone Spiritual
Development is achieved

It is only by the breath of the Holy Spirit that
spiritual development can come about. No matter how the material
world may progress, no matter how splendidly it may adorn itself, it
can never be anything but a lifeless body unless the soul is within,
for it is the soul that animates the body; the body alone has no real
significance. Deprived of the blessings of the Holy Spirit the
material body would be inert.

Here are, very briefly explained, some of the principles
of Bahá’u’lláh.

In short, it behoves us all to be lovers of truth. Let
us seek her in every season and in every country, being careful never
to attach ourselves to personalities. Let us see the light wherever
it shines, and may we be enabled to recognize the light of truth no
matter where it may arise. Let us inhale the perfume of the rose from
the midst of thorns which surround it; let us drink the running water
from every pure spring.

Since I arrived in Paris, it has given me much pleasure
to meet such Parisians as you are, for praise be to God, you are
intelligent, unprejudiced, and you long to know the truth. You have
in your hearts the love of humanity, and as far as you are able, you
exert yourselves in the cause of charitable work and in the bringing
about of unity; this is especially what Bahá’u’lláh
desired.

It is for this reason that I am so happy to be among
you, and I pray for you, that you may be receptacles for the
Blessings of God, and that you may be the means of spreading
spirituality throughout this country.

You already have a wonderful material civilization and
in like manner shall spiritual civilization be yours.

Monsieur Bleck thanked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
and he replied:

‘I am very grateful to you for the kind sentiments
which you have just uttered. I hope that these two movements will ere
long be spread all over the earth. Then will the unity of humanity
have pitched its tent in the centre of the world.’

THE FIRST PRINCIPLE—SEARCH
AFTER TRUTH

4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris
November 10th

The first principle of the Teaching of Bahá’u’lláh
is:

The Search after Truth

If a man would succeed in his search after truth, he
must, in the first place, shut his eyes to all the traditional
superstitions of the past.

The Jews have traditional superstitions, the Buddhists
and the Zoroastrians are not free from them, neither are the
Christians! All religions have gradually become bound by tradition
and dogma.

All consider themselves, respectively, the only
guardians of the truth, and that every other religion is composed of
errors. They themselves are right, all others are wrong! The Jews
believe that they are the only possessors of the truth and condemn
all other religions. The Christians affirm that their religion is the
only true one, that all others are false. Likewise the Buddhists and
Muḥammadans; all limit themselves. If all condemn one another,
where shall we search for truth? All contradicting one another, all
cannot be true. If each believe his particular religion to be the
only true one, he blinds his eyes to the truth in the others. If, for
instance, a Jew is bound by the external practice of the religion of
Israel, he does not permit himself to perceive that truth can exist
in any other religion; it must be all contained in his own!

We should, therefore, detach ourselves from the external
forms and practices of religion. We must realize that these forms and
practices, however beautiful, are but garments clothing the warm
heart and the living limbs of Divine truth. We must abandon the
prejudices of tradition if we would succeed in finding the truth at
the core of all religions. If a Zoroastrian believes that the Sun is
God, how can he be united to other religions? While idolaters believe
in their various idols, how can they understand the oneness of God?

It is, therefore, clear that in order to make any
progress in the search after truth we must relinquish superstition.
If all seekers would follow this principle they would obtain a clear
vision of the truth.

If five people meet together to seek for truth, they
must begin by cutting themselves free from all their own special
conditions and renouncing all preconceived ideas. In order to find
truth we must give up our prejudices, our own small trivial notions;
an open receptive mind is essential. If our chalice is full of self,
there is no room in it for the water of life. The fact that we
imagine ourselves to be right and everybody else wrong is the
greatest of all obstacles in the path towards unity, and unity is
necessary if we would reach truth, for truth is one.

Therefore it is imperative that we should renounce our
own particular prejudices and superstitions if we earnestly desire to
seek the truth. Unless we make a distinction in our minds between
dogma, superstition and prejudice on the one hand, and truth on the
other, we cannot succeed. When we are in earnest in our search for
anything we look for it everywhere. This principle we must carry out
in our search for truth.

Science must be accepted. No one truth can contradict
another truth. Light is good in whatsoever lamp it is burning! A rose
is beautiful in whatsoever garden it may bloom! A star has the same
radiance if it shines from the East or from the West. Be free from
prejudice, so will you love the Sun of Truth from whatsoever point in
the horizon it may arise! You will realize that if the Divine light
of truth shone in Jesus Christ it also shone in Moses and in Buddha.
The earnest seeker will arrive at this truth. This is what is meant
by the ‘Search after Truth’.

It means, also, that we must be willing to clear away
all that we have previously learned, all that would clog our steps on
the way to truth; we must not shrink if necessary from beginning our
education all over again. We must not allow our love for any one
religion or any one personality to so blind our eyes that we become
fettered by superstition! When we are freed from all these bonds,
seeking with liberated minds, then shall we be able to arrive at our
goal.

‘Seek the truth, the truth shall make you free.’
So shall we see the truth in all religions, for truth is in all and
truth is one!

THE SECOND PRINCIPLE—THE UNITY
OF MANKIND

November 11th

I spoke yesterday of the first principle of the Teaching
of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘The Search for
Truth’; how it is necessary for a man to put aside all in the
nature of superstition, and every tradition which would blind his
eyes to the existence of truth in all religions. He must not, while
loving and clinging to one form of religion, permit himself to detest
all others. It is essential that he search for truth in all
religions, and, if his seeking be in earnest, he will assuredly
succeed.

Now the first discovery which we make in our ‘Search
after Truth’, will lead us to the second principle, which is
the ‘Unity of Mankind’. All men are servants of the One
God. One God reigns over all the nations of the world and has
pleasure in all His children. All men are of one family; the crown of
humanity rests on the head of every human being.

In the eyes of the Creator all His children are equal;
His goodness is poured forth on all. He does not favour this nation
nor that nation, all alike are His creatures. This being so, why
should we make divisions, separating one race from another? Why
should we create barriers of superstition and tradition bringing
discord and hatred among the people?

The only difference between members of the human family
is that of degree. Some are like children who are ignorant, and must
be educated until they arrive at maturity. Some are like the sick and
must be treated with tenderness and care. None are bad or evil! We
must not be repelled by these poor children. We must treat them with
great kindness, teaching the ignorant and tenderly nursing the sick.

Consider: Unity is necessary to existence. Love is the
very cause of life; on the other hand, separation brings death. In
the world of material creation, for instance, all things owe their
actual life to unity. The elements which compose wood, mineral, or
stone, are held together by the law of attraction. If this law should
cease for one moment to operate these elements would not hold
together, they would fall apart, and the object would in that
particular form cease to exist. The law of attraction has brought
together certain elements in the form of this beautiful flower, but
when that attraction is withdrawn from this centre the flower will
decompose, and, as a flower, cease to exist.

So it is with the great body of humanity. The wonderful
Law of Attraction, Harmony and Unity, holds together this marvellous
Creation.

As with the whole, so with the parts; whether a flower
or a human body, when the attracting principle is withdrawn from it,
the flower or the man dies. It is therefore clear that attraction,
harmony, unity and Love, are the cause of life, whereas repulsion,
discord, hatred and separation bring death.

We have seen that whatever brings division into the
world of existence causes death. Likewise in the world of the spirit
does the same law operate.

Therefore should every servant of the One God be
obedient to the law of love, avoiding all hatred, discord, and
strife. We find when we observe nature, that the gentler animals
group themselves together into flocks and herds, whereas the savage,
ferocious creatures, such as the lion, the tiger, and the wolf, live
in wild forests, apart from civilization. Two wolves, or two lions,
may live amicably together; but a thousand lambs may share the same
fold and a large number of deer can form one herd. Two eagles can
dwell in the same place, but a thousand doves can gather into one
habitation.

Man should, at least, be numbered among the gentler
animals; but when he becomes ferocious he is more cruel and malicious
than the most savage of the animal creation!

Now Bahá’u’lláh has proclaimed
the ‘Unity of the World of Mankind’. All peoples and
nations are of one family, the children of one Father, and should be
to one another as brothers and sisters! I hope that you will
endeavour in your lives to show forth and spread this teaching.

Bahá’u’lláh said that we
should love even our enemies and be to them as friends. If all men
were obedient to this principle, the greatest unity and understanding
would be established in the hearts of mankind.

THIRD PRINCIPLE

[‘That religion ought to be a Cause of Love and
Affection’ is much emphasized in many of the Discourses of
which the Notes are given in this book, as well as in the explanation
of several of the other Principles.]

FOURTH PRINCIPLE—THE
ACCEPTANCE OF THE RELATION BETWEEN RELIGION AND SCIENCE

4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris,
November 12th

‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:

I have spoken to you of some of the principles of
Bahá’u’lláh: The Search after Truth and The
Unity of Mankind. I will now explain the Fourth Principle, which is
The Acceptance of the Relation between Religion and Science.

There is no contradiction between true religion and
science. When a religion is opposed to science it becomes mere
superstition: that which is contrary to knowledge is ignorance.

How can a man believe to be a fact that which science
has proved to be impossible? If he believes in spite of his reason,
it is rather ignorant superstition than faith. The true principles of
all religions are in conformity with the teachings of science.

The Unity of God is logical, and this idea is not
antagonistic to the conclusions arrived at by scientific study.

All religions teach that we must do good, that we must
be generous, sincere, truthful, law-abiding, and faithful; all this
is reasonable, and logically the only way in which humanity can
progress.

All religious laws conform to reason, and are suited to
the people for whom they are framed, and for the age in which they
are to be obeyed.

Religion has two main parts:

(1) The Spiritual.

(2) The Practical.

The spiritual part never changes. All the Manifestations
of God and His Prophets have taught the same truths and given the
same spiritual law. They all teach the one code of morality. There is
no division in the truth. The Sun has sent forth many rays to
illumine human intelligence, the light is always the same.

The practical part of religion deals with exterior forms
and ceremonies, and with modes of punishment for certain offences.
This is the material side of the law, and guides the customs and
manners of the people.

In the time of Moses, there were ten crimes punishable
by death. When Christ came this was changed; the old axiom ‘an
eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’ was converted into
‘Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you’, the
stern old law being changed into one of love, mercy and forbearance!

In the former days the punishment for theft was the
cutting off of the right hand; in our time this law could not be so
applied. In this age, a man who curses his father is allowed to live,
when formerly he would have been put to death. It is therefore
evident that whilst the spiritual law never alters, the practical
rules must change their application with the necessities of the time.
The spiritual aspect of religion is the greater, the more important
of the two, and this is the same for all time, it never changes! It
is the same, yesterday, today, and for ever! ‘As it was the
beginning, is now, and ever shall be.’

Now, all questions of morality contained in the
spiritual, immutable law of every religion are logically right. If
religion were contrary to logical reason then it would cease to be a
religion and be merely a tradition. Religion and science are the two
wings upon which man’s intelligence can soar into the heights,
with which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly
with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of
religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of
superstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science
alone he would also make no progress, but fall into the despairing
slough of materialism. All religions of the present day have fallen
into superstitious practices, out of harmony alike with the true
principles of the teaching they represent and with the scientific
discoveries of the time. Many religious leaders have grown to think
that the importance of religion lies mainly in the adherence to a
collection of certain dogmas and the practice of rites and
ceremonies! Those whose souls they profess to cure are taught to
believe likewise, and these cling tenaciously to the outward forms,
confusing them with the inward truth.

Now, these forms and rituals differ in the various
churches and amongst the different sects, and even contradict one
another; giving rise to discord, hatred, and disunion. The outcome of
all this dissension is the belief of many cultured men that religion
and science are contradictory terms, that religion needs no powers of
reflection, and should in no wise be regulated by science, but must
of necessity be opposed, the one to the other. The unfortunate effect
of this is that science has drifted apart from religion, and religion
has become a mere blind and more or less apathetic following of the
precepts of certain religious teachers, who insist on their own
favourite dogmas being accepted even when they are contrary to
science. This is foolishness, for it is quite evident that science is
the light, and, being so, religion truly so-called does not oppose
knowledge.

We are familiar with the phrases ‘Light and
Darkness’, ‘Religion and Science’. But the religion
which does not walk hand in hand with science is itself in the
darkness of superstition and ignorance.

Much of the discord and disunion of the world is created
by these man-made oppositions and contradictions. If religion were in
harmony with science and they walked together, much of the hatred and
bitterness now bringing misery to the human race would be at an end.

Consider what it is that singles man out from among
created beings, and makes of him a creature apart. Is it not his
reasoning power, his intelligence? Shall he not make use of these in
his study of religion? I say unto you: weigh carefully in the balance
of reason and science everything that is presented to you as
religion. If it passes this test, then accept it, for it is truth!
If, however, it does not so conform, then reject it, for it is
ignorance!

Look around and see how the world of today is drowned in
superstition and outward forms!

Some worship the product of their own imagination: they
make for themselves an imaginary God and adore this, when the
creation of their finite minds cannot be the Infinite Mighty Maker of
all things visible and invisible! Others worship the sun or trees,
also stones! In past ages there were those who adored the sea, the
clouds, and even clay!

Today, men have grown into such adoring attachment to
outward forms and ceremonies that they dispute over this point of
ritual or that particular practice, until one hears on all sides of
wearisome arguments and unrest. There are individuals who have weak
intellects and their powers of reasoning have not developed, but the
strength and power of religion must not be doubted because of the
incapacity of these persons to understand.

A small child cannot comprehend the laws that govern
nature, but this is on account of the immature intellect of that
child; when he is grown older and has been educated he too will
understand the everlasting truths. A child does not grasp the fact
that the earth revolves round the sun, but, when his intelligence is
awakened, the fact is clear and plain to him.

It is impossible for religion to be contrary to science,
even though some intellects are too weak or too immature to
understand truth.

God made religion and science to be the measure, as it
were, of our understanding. Take heed that you neglect not such a
wonderful power. Weigh all things in this balance.

To him who has the power of comprehension religion is
like an open book, but how can it be possible for a man devoid of
reason and intellectuality to understand the Divine Realities of God?

Put all your beliefs into harmony with science; there
can be no opposition, for truth is one. When religion, shorn of its
superstitions, traditions, and unintelligent dogmas, shows its
conformity with science, then will there be a great unifying,
cleansing force in the world which will sweep before it all wars,
disagreements, discords and struggles—and then will mankind be
united in the power of the Love of God.

THE FIFTH PRINCIPLE—THE
ABOLITION OF PREJUDICES

4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris,
November 13th

All prejudices, whether of religion, race, politics or
nation, must be renounced, for these prejudices have caused the
world’s sickness. It is a grave malady which, unless arrested,
is capable of causing the destruction of the whole human race. Every
ruinous war, with its terrible bloodshed and misery, has been caused
by one or other of these prejudices.

The deplorable wars going on in these days are caused by
the fanatical religious hatred of one people for another, or the
prejudices of race or colour.

Until all these barriers erected by prejudice are swept
away, it is not possible for humanity to be at peace. For this reason
Bahá’u’lláh has said, ‘These
Prejudices are destructive to mankind’.

Contemplate first the prejudice of religion: consider
the nations of so-called religious people; if they were truly
worshippers of God they would obey His law which forbids them to kill
one another.

If priests of religion really adored the God of love and
served the Divine Light, they would teach their people to keep the
chief Commandment, ‘To be in love and charity with all men’.
But we find the contrary, for it is often the priests who encourage
nations to fight. Religious hatred is ever the most cruel!

All religions teach that we should love one another;
that we should seek out our own shortcomings before we presume to
condemn the faults of others, that we must not consider ourselves
superior to our neighbours! We must be careful not to exalt ourselves
lest we be humiliated.

Who are we that we should judge? How shall we know who,
in the sight of God, is the most upright man? God’s thoughts
are not like our thoughts! How many men who have seemed saint-like to
their friends have fallen into the greatest humiliation. Think of
Judas Iscariot; he began well, but remember his end! On the other
hand, Paul, the Apostle, was in his early life an enemy of Christ,
whilst later he became His most faithful servant. How then can we
flatter ourselves and despise others?

Let us therefore be humble, without prejudices,
preferring others’ good to our own! Let us never say, ‘I
am a believer but he is an infidel’, ‘I am near to God,
whilst he is an outcast’. We can never know what will be the
final judgment! Therefore let us help all who are in need of any kind
of assistance.

Let us teach the ignorant, and take care of the young
child until he grows to maturity. When we find a person fallen into
the depths of misery or sin we must be kind to him, take him by the
hand, help him to regain his footing, his strength; we must guide him
with love and tenderness, treat him as a friend not as an enemy.

We have no right to look upon any of our fellow-mortals
as evil.

Concerning the prejudice of race: it is an illusion, a
superstition pure and simple! For God created us all of one race.
There were no differences in the beginning, for we are all
descendants of Adam. In the beginning, also, there were no limits and
boundaries between the different lands; no part of the earth belonged
more to one people than to another. In the sight of God there is no
difference between the various races. Why should man invent such a
prejudice? How can we uphold war caused by an illusion?

God has not created men that they should destroy one
another. All races, tribes, sects and classes share equally in the
Bounty of their Heavenly Father.

The only difference lies in the degree of faithfulness,
of obedience to the laws of God. There are some who are as lighted
torches, there are others who shine as stars in the sky of humanity.
The lovers of mankind, these are the superior men, of whatever
nation, creed, or colour they may be. For it is they to whom God will
say these blessed words, ‘Well done, My good and faithful
servants’. In that day He will not ask, ‘Are you English,
French, or perhaps Persian? Do you come from the East, or from the
West?’

The only division that is real is this: There are
heavenly men and earthly men; self-sacrificing servants of humanity
in the love of the Most High, bringing harmony and unity, teaching
peace and goodwill to men. On the other hand there are those selfish
men, haters of their brethren, in whose hearts prejudice has replaced
loving kindness, and whose influence breeds discord and strife.

To which race or to which colour belong these two
divisions of men, to the White, to the Yellow, to the Black, to the
East or to the West, to the North or to the South? If these are God’s
divisions, why should we invent others? Political prejudice is
equally mischievous, it is one of the greatest causes of bitter
strife amongst the children of men. There are people who find
pleasure in breeding discord, who constantly endeavour to goad their
country into making war upon other nations—and why? They think
to advantage their own country to the detriment of all others. They
send armies to harass and destroy the land, in order to become famous
in the world, for the joy of conquest. That it may be said: ‘Such
a country has defeated another, and brought it under the yoke of
their stronger, more superior rule’. This victory, bought at
the price of much bloodshed, is not lasting! The conqueror shall one
day be conquered; and the vanquished ones victorious! Remember the
history of the past: did not France conquer Germany more than
once—then did not the German nation overcome France?

We learn also that France conquered England; then was
the English nation victorious over France!

These glorious conquests are so ephemeral! Why attach so
great importance to them and to their fame, as to be willing to shed
the blood of the people for their attainment? Is any victory worth
the inevitable train of evils consequent upon human slaughter, the
grief and sorrow and ruin which must overwhelm so many homes of both
nations? For it is not possible that one country alone should suffer.

Oh! why will man, the disobedient child of God, who
should be an example of the power of the spiritual law, turn his face
away from the Divine Teaching and put all his effort into destruction
and war?

My hope is that in this enlightened century the Divine
Light of love will shed its radiance over the whole world, seeking
out the responsive heart’s intelligence of every human being;
that the light of the Sun of Truth will lead politicians to shake off
all the claims of prejudice and superstition, and with freed minds to
follow the Policy of God: for Divine Politics are mighty, man’s
politics are feeble! God has created all the world, and bestows His
Divine Bounty upon every creature.

Are we not the servants of God? Shall we neglect to
follow our Master’s Example, and ignore His Commands?

I pray that the Kingdom shall come on Earth, and that
all darkness shall be driven away by the effulgence of the Heavenly
Sun.

THE SIXTH PRINCIPLE—MEANS OF
EXISTENCE

4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris

One of the most important principles of the Teaching of
Bahá’u’lláh is:

The right of every human being to the daily bread
whereby they exist, or the equalization of the means of livelihood.

The arrangements of the circumstances of the people must
be such that poverty shall disappear, that everyone, as far as
possible, according to his rank and position, shall share in comfort
and well-being.

We see amongst us men who are overburdened with riches
on the one hand, and on the other those unfortunate ones who starve
with nothing; those who possess several stately palaces, and those
who have not where to lay their head. Some we find with numerous
courses of costly and dainty food; whilst others can scarce find
sufficient crusts to keep them alive. Whilst some are clothed in
velvets, furs and fine linen, others have insufficient, poor and thin
garments with which to protect them from the cold.

This condition of affairs is wrong, and must be
remedied. Now the remedy must be carefully undertaken. It cannot be
done by bringing to pass absolute equality between men.

Equality is a chimera! It is entirely impracticable!
Even if equality could be achieved it could not continue—and if
its existence were possible, the whole order of the world would be
destroyed. The law of order must always obtain in the world of
humanity. Heaven has so decreed in the creation of man.

Some are full of intelligence, others have an ordinary
amount of it, and others again are devoid of intellect. In these
three classes of men there is order but not equality. How could it be
possible that wisdom and stupidity should be equal? Humanity, like a
great army, requires a general, captains, under-officers in their
degree, and soldiers, each with their own appointed duties. Degrees
are absolutely necessary to ensure an orderly organization. An army
could not be composed of generals alone, or of captains only, or of
nothing but soldiers without one in authority. The certain result of
such a plan would be that disorder and demoralization would overtake
the whole army.

King Lycurgus, the philosopher, made a great plan to
equalize the subjects of Sparta; with self-sacrifice and wisdom was
the experiment begun. Then the king called the people of his kingdom,
and made them swear a great oath to maintain the same order of
government if he should leave the country, also that nothing should
make them alter it until his return. Having secured this oath, he
left his kingdom of Sparta and never returned. Lycurgus abandoned the
situation, renouncing his high position, thinking to achieve the
permanent good of his country by the equalization of the property and
of the conditions of life in his kingdom. All the self-sacrifice of
the king was in vain. The great experiment failed. After a time all
was destroyed; his carefully thought-out constitution came to an end.

The futility of attempting such a scheme was shown and
the impossibility of attaining equal conditions of existence was
proclaimed in the ancient kingdom of Sparta. In our day any such
attempt would be equally doomed to failure.

Certainly, some being enormously rich and others
lamentably poor, an organization is necessary to control and improve
this state of affairs. It is important to limit riches, as it is also
of importance to limit poverty. Either extreme is not good. To be
seated in the mean13
is most desirable. If it be right for a capitalist to possess a large
fortune, it is equally just that his workman should have a sufficient
means of existence.

A financier with colossal wealth should not exist whilst
near him is a poor man in dire necessity. When we see poverty allowed
to reach a condition of starvation it is a sure sign that somewhere
we shall find tyranny. Men must bestir themselves in this matter, and
no longer delay in altering conditions which bring the misery of
grinding poverty to a very large number of the people. The rich must
give of their abundance, they must soften their hearts and cultivate
a compassionate intelligence, taking thought for those sad ones who
are suffering from lack of the very necessities of life.

There must be special laws made, dealing with these
extremes of riches and of want. The members of the Government should
consider the laws of God when they are framing plans for the ruling
of the people. The general rights of mankind must be guarded and
preserved.

The government of the countries should conform to the
Divine Law which gives equal justice to all. This is the only way in
which the deplorable superfluity of great wealth and miserable,
demoralizing, degrading poverty can be abolished. Not until this is
done will the Law of God be obeyed.

SEVENTH PRINCIPLE—EQUALITY OF
MEN

‘The Laws of God are not imposition of will, or of
power, or pleasure, but the resolutions of truth, reason and
justice.’

All men are equal before the law, which must reign
absolutely.

The object of punishment is not vengeance, but the
prevention of crime.

Kings must rule with wisdom and justice; prince, peer
and peasant alike have equal rights to just treatment, there must be
no favour shown to individuals. A judge must be no ‘respecter
of persons’, but administer the law with strict impartiality in
every case brought before him.

If a person commit a crime against you, you have not the
right to forgive him; but the law must punish him in order to prevent
a repetition of that same crime by others, as the pain of the
individual is unimportant beside the general welfare of the people.

When perfect justice reigns in every country of the
Eastern and Western World, then will the earth become a place of
beauty. The dignity and equality of every servant of God will be
acknowledged; the ideal of the solidarity of the human race, the true
brotherhood of man, will be realized; and the glorious light of the
Sun of Truth will illumine the souls of all men.

THE EIGHTH PRINCIPLE—UNIVERSAL
PEACE

4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris

A Supreme Tribunal shall be established by the peoples
and Governments of every nation, composed of members elected from
each country and Government. The members of this Great Council shall
assemble in unity. All disputes of an international character shall
be submitted to this Court, its work being to arrange by arbitration
everything which otherwise would be a cause of war. The mission of
this Tribunal would be to prevent war.

One of the great steps towards universal peace would be
the establishment of a universal language. Bahá’u’lláh
commands that the servants of humanity should meet together, and
either choose a language which now exists, or form a new one. This
was revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas forty years ago. It is there
pointed out that the question of diversity of tongues is a very
difficult one. There are more than eight hundred languages in the
world, and no person could acquire them all.

The races of mankind are not isolated as in former days.
Now, in order to be in close relationship with all countries it is
necessary to be able to speak their tongues.

A universal language would make intercourse possible
with every nation. Thus it would be needful to know two languages
only, the mother tongue and the universal speech. The latter would
enable a man to communicate with any and every man in the world!

A third language would not be needed. To be able to talk
with a member of any race and country without requiring an
interpreter, how helpful and restful to all!

Esperanto has been drawn up with this end in view: it is
a fine invention and a splendid piece of work, but it needs
perfecting. Esperanto as it stands is very difficult for some people.

An international Congress should be formed, consisting
of delegates from every nation in the world, Eastern as well as
Western. This Congress should form a language that could be acquired
by all, and every country would thereby reap great benefit.

Until such a language is in use, the world will continue
to feel the vast need of this means of intercourse. Difference of
speech is one of the most fruitful causes of dislike and distrust
that exists between nations, which are kept apart by their inability
to understand each other’s language more than by any other
reason.

If everybody could speak one language, how much more
easy would it be to serve humanity!

Therefore appreciate ‘Esperanto’, for it is
the beginning of the carrying out of one of the most important of the
Laws of Bahá’u’lláh, and it must continue
to be improved and perfected.

NINTH PRINCIPLE—THE
NON-INTERFERENCE OF RELIGION WITH POLITICS

4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris,
November 17th

In the conduct of life, man is actuated by two main
motives: ‘The Hope for Reward’ and ‘The Fear of
Punishment’.

This hope and this fear must consequently be greatly
taken into account by those in authority who have important posts
under Government. Their business in life is to consult together for
the framing of laws, and to provide for their just administration.

The tent of the order of the world is raised and
established on the two pillars of ‘Reward and Retribution’.

In despotic Governments carried on by men without Divine
faith, where no fear of spiritual retribution exists, the execution
of the laws is tyrannical and unjust.

There is no greater prevention of oppression than these
two sentiments, hope and fear. They have both political and spiritual
consequences.

If administrators of the law would take into
consideration the spiritual consequences of their decisions, and
follow the guidance of religion, ‘They would be Divine agents
in the world of action, the representatives of God for those who are
on earth, and they would defend, for the love of God, the interests
of His servants as they would defend their own’. If a governor
realizes his responsibility, and fears to defy the Divine Law, his
judgments will be just. Above all, if he believes that the
consequences of his actions will follow him beyond his earthly life,
and that ‘as he sows so must he reap’, such a man will
surely avoid injustice and tyranny.

Should an official, on the contrary, think that all
responsibility for his actions must end with his earthly life,
knowing and believing nothing of Divine favours and a spiritual
kingdom of joy, he will lack the incentive to just dealing, and the
inspiration to destroy oppression and unrighteousness.

When a ruler knows that his judgments will be weighed in
a balance by the Divine Judge, and that if he be not found wanting he
will come into the Celestial Kingdom and that the light of the
Heavenly Bounty will shine upon him, then will he surely act with
justice and equity. Behold how important it is that Ministers of
State should be enlightened by religion!

With political questions the clergy, however, have
nothing to do! Religious matters should not be confused with politics
in the present state of the world (for their interests are not
identical).

Religion concerns matters of the heart, of the spirit,
and of morals.

Politics are occupied with the material things of life.
Religious teachers should not invade the realm of politics; they
should concern themselves with the spiritual education of the people;
they should ever give good counsel to men, trying to serve God and
human kind; they should endeavour to awaken spiritual aspiration, and
strive to enlarge the understanding and knowledge of humanity, to
improve morals, and to increase the love for justice.

This is in accordance with the Teaching of Bahá’u’lláh.
In the Gospel also it is written, ‘Render unto Caesar the
things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things which are
God’s’.

In Persia there are some amongst the important Ministers
of State who are religious, who are exemplary, who worship God, and
who fear to disobey His Laws, who judge justly and rule their people
with Equity. Other Governors there are in this land who have no fear
of God before their eyes, who think not of the consequences of their
actions, working for their own desires, and these have brought Persia
into great trouble and difficulty.

Oh, friends of God, be living examples of justice! So
that by the Mercy of God, the world may see in your actions that you
manifest the attributes of justice and mercy.

Justice is not limited, it is a universal quality. Its
operation must be carried out in all classes, from the highest to the
lowest. Justice must be sacred, and the rights of all the people must
be considered. Desire for others only that which you desire for
yourselves. Then shall we rejoice in the Sun of Justice, which shines
from the Horizon of God.

Each man has been placed in a post of honour, which he
must not desert. A humble workman who commits an injustice is as much
to blame as a renowned tyrant. Thus we all have our choice between
justice and injustice.

I hope that each one of you will become just, and direct
your thoughts towards the unity of mankind; that you will never harm
your neighbours nor speak ill of any one; that you will respect the
rights of all men, and be more concerned for the interests of others
than for your own. Thus will you become torches of Divine justice,
acting in accordance with the Teaching of Bahá’u’lláh,
who, during His life, bore innumerable trials and persecutions in
order to show forth to the world of mankind the virtues of the World
of Divinity, making it possible for you to realize the supremacy of
the spirit, and to rejoice in the Justice of God.

By His Mercy, the Divine Bounty will be showered upon
you, and for this I pray!

THE TENTH PRINCIPLE—EQUALITY
OF SEX

4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris,
November 14th

The Tenth Principle of the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh
is the equality of the sexes.

God has created all creatures in couples. Man, beast, or
vegetable, all the things of these three kingdoms are of two sexes,
and there is absolute equality between them.

In the vegetable world there are male plants and female
plants; they have equal rights, and possess an equal share of the
beauty of their species; though indeed the tree that bears fruit
might be said to be superior to that which is unfruitful.

In the animal kingdom we see that the male and the
female have equal rights; and that they each share the advantages of
their kind.

Now in the two lower kingdoms of nature we have seen
that there is no question of the superiority of one sex over the
other. In the world of humanity we find a great difference; the
female sex is treated as though inferior, and is not allowed equal
rights and privileges. This condition is due not to nature, but to
education. In the Divine Creation there is no such distinction.
Neither sex is superior to the other in the sight of God. Why then
should one sex assert the inferiority of the other, withholding just
rights and privileges as though God had given His authority for such
a course of action? If women received the same educational advantages
as those of men, the result would demonstrate the equality of
capacity of both for scholarship.

In some respects woman is superior to man. She is more
tender-hearted, more receptive, her intuition is more intense.

It is not to be denied that in various directions woman
at present is more backward than man, also that this temporary
inferiority is due to the lack of educational opportunity. In the
necessity of life, woman is more instinct with power than man, for to
her he owes his very existence.

If the mother is educated then her children will be well
taught. When the mother is wise, then will the children be led into
the path of wisdom. If the mother be religious she will show her
children how they should love God. If the mother is moral she guides
her little ones into the ways of uprightness.

It is clear therefore that the future generation depends
on the mothers of today. Is not this a vital responsibility for the
woman? Does she not require every possible advantage to equip her for
such a task?

Therefore, surely, God is not pleased that so important
an instrument as woman should suffer from want of training in order
to attain the perfections desirable and necessary for her great
life’s work! Divine Justice demands that the rights of both
sexes should be equally respected since neither is superior to the
other in the eyes of Heaven. Dignity before God depends, not on sex,
but on purity and luminosity of heart. Human virtues belong equally
to all!

Woman must endeavour then to attain greater perfection,
to be man’s equal in every respect, to make progress in all in
which she has been backward, so that man will be compelled to
acknowledge her equality of capacity and attainment.

In Europe women have made greater progress than in the
East, but there is still much to be done! When students have arrived
at the end of their school term an examination takes place, and the
result thereof determines the knowledge and capacity of each student.
So will it be with woman; her actions will show her power, there will
no longer be any need to proclaim it by words.

It is my hope that women of the East, as well as their
Western sisters, will progress rapidly until humanity shall reach
perfection.

God’s Bounty is for all and gives power for all
progress. When men own the equality of women there will be no need
for them to struggle for their rights! One of the principles then of
Bahá’u’lláh is the equality of sex.

Women must make the greatest effort to acquire spiritual
power and to increase in the virtue of wisdom and holiness until
their enlightenment and striving succeeds in bringing about the unity
of mankind. They must work with a burning enthusiasm to spread the
Teaching of Bahá’u’lláh among the peoples,
so that the radiant light of the Divine Bounty may envelop the souls
of all the nations of the world!

THE ELEVENTH PRINCIPLE—THE
POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris,
November 18th

In the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh,
it is written: ‘By the Power of the Holy Spirit alone is man
able to progress, for the power of man is limited and the Divine
Power is boundless.’ The reading of history brings us to the
conclusion that all truly great men, the benefactors of the human
race, those who have moved men to love the right and hate the wrong
and who have caused real progress, all these have been inspired by
the force of the Holy Spirit.

The Prophets of God have not all graduated in the
schools of learned philosophy; indeed they were often men of humble
birth, to all appearance ignorant, unknown men of no importance in
the eyes of the world; sometimes even lacking the knowledge of
reading and writing.

That which raised these great ones above men, and by
which they were able to become Teachers of the truth, was the power
of the Holy Spirit. Their influence on humanity, by virtue of this
mighty inspiration, was great and penetrating.

The influence of the wisest philosophers, without this
Spirit Divine, has been comparatively unimportant, however extensive
their learning and deep their scholarship.

The unusual intellects, for instance, of Plato,
Aristotle, Pliny and Socrates, have not influenced men so greatly
that they have been anxious to sacrifice their lives for their
teachings; whilst some of those simple men so moved humanity that
thousands of men have become willing martyrs to uphold their words;
for these words were inspired by the Divine Spirit of God! The
prophets of Judah and Israel, Elijah, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Ezekiel,
were humble men, as were also the apostles of Jesus Christ.

Peter, the chief of the apostles, used to divide the
proceeds of his fishing into seven parts, and when, having taken one
part for each day’s use, he arrived at the seventh portion, he
knew it was the Sabbath day. Consider this! and then think of his
future position; to what glory he attained because the Holy Spirit
wrought great works through him.

We understand that the Holy Spirit is the energizing
factor in the life of man. Whosoever receives this power is able to
influence all with whom he comes into contact.

The greatest philosophers without this Spirit are
powerless, their souls lifeless, their hearts dead! Unless the Holy
Spirit breathes into their souls, they can do no good work. No system
of philosophy has ever been able to change the manners and customs of
a people for the better. Learned philosophers, unenlightened by the
Divine Spirit, have often been men of inferior morality; they have
not proclaimed in their actions the reality of their beautiful
phrases.

The difference between spiritual philosophers and others
is shown by their lives. The Spiritual Teacher shows His belief in
His own teaching, by Himself being what He recommends to others.

An humble man without learning, but filled with the Holy
Spirit, is more powerful than the most nobly-born profound scholar
without that inspiration. He who is educated by the Divine Spirit
can, in his time, lead others to receive the same Spirit.

I pray for you that you may be informed by the life of
the Divine Spirit, so that you may be the means of educating others.
The life and morals of a spiritual man are, in themselves, an
education to those who know him.

Think not of your own limitations, dwell only on the
welfare of the Kingdom of Glory. Consider the influence of Jesus
Christ on His apostles, then think of their effect upon the world.
These simple men were enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit to
spread the glad tidings!

So may you all receive Divine assistance! No capacity is
limited when led by the Spirit of God!

The earth of itself has no properties of life, it is
barren and dry, until fertilized by the sun and the rain; still the
earth need not bewail its own limitations.

May you be given life! May the rain of the Divine Mercy
and the warmth of the Sun of Truth make your gardens fruitful, so
that many beautiful flowers of exquisite fragrance and love may
blossom in abundance. Turn your faces away from the contemplation of
your own finite selves and fix your eyes upon the Everlasting
Radiance; then will your souls receive in full measure the Divine
Power of the Spirit and the Blessings of the Infinite Bounty.

If you thus keep yourselves in readiness, you will
become to the world of humanity a burning flame, a star of guidance,
and a fruitful tree, changing all its darkness and woe into light and
joy by the shining of the Sun of Mercy and the infinite blessings of
the Glad Tidings.

This is the meaning of the power of the Holy Spirit,
which I pray may be bountifully showered upon you.

4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris,
November 28th

4 Avenue de Camöens, Paris,
November 28th

In these gatherings where we have met and spoken
together you have all become acquainted with the principles of this
dispensation, and with the reality of facts. Unto you it has been
given to know these things, but there are many still unenlightened
and submerged in superstition. They have heard but little of this
great and glorious Cause, and the knowledge they have is for the most
part based only on hearsay. Alas, poor souls, the knowledge they have
is not based on truth, the foundation of their belief is not the
teaching of Bahá’u’lláh! There is,
assuredly, a certain amount of truth in what they have been told, but
for the most part their information has been inaccurate.

The true principles of the blessed Cause of God are the
eleven rules which I have given you, and I have carefully explained
these, one by one.

You must endeavour always to live and act in direct
obedience to the teachings and laws of Bahá’u’lláh,
so that every individual may see in all the acts of your life that in
word and in deed you are followers of the Blessed Perfection.

Exert yourselves so that this glorious teaching may
encircle the globe, and that spirituality may be infused into the
hearts of men.

The breath of the Holy Spirit shall confirm you, and
although many will arise against you, they shall not prevail!

When the Lord Christ was crowned with thorns, He knew
that all the diadems of the world were at His feet. All earthly
crowns, however brilliant, powerful and resplendent, bowed in
adoration before the crown of thorns! It was from this sure and
certain knowledge He spoke, when He said: ‘All power is given
unto Me, in Heaven and in earth’.14

Now I say unto you, bear this on your hearts and in your
minds. Verily your light shall illumine the whole world, your
spirituality shall affect the heart of things. You shall in truth
become the lighted torches of the globe. Fear not, neither be
dismayed, for your light shall penetrate the densest darkness. This
is the Promise of God, which I give unto you. Rise! and serve the
Power of God!

THE LAST MEETING

15 Rue Greuze, Paris,
December 1st

When I arrived in Paris some time ago for the first
time, I looked around me with much interest, and in my mind I likened
this beautiful city to a large garden.

With loving care and much thought I examined the soil,
and found it to be very good and full of possibility for steadfast
faith and firm belief, for a seed of God’s love has been cast
into the ground.

Clouds of Heavenly Mercy showered their rain upon it,
and the Sun of Truth fell warmly upon the young seeds, and today one
can see in your midst the birth of belief. The seed cast into the
ground has begun to spring up, and day by day you will see it grow.
The bounties of the Kingdom of Bahá’u’lláh
shall indeed bring forth a wondrous harvest!

Behold! I bring you glad and joyful tidings! Paris will
become a garden of roses! All kinds of beautiful flowers will spring
up and flourish in this garden, and the fame of their fragrance and
beauty will be spread in all lands. When I think of Paris in the
future, I seem to see her bathed in the light of the Holy Spirit!
Verily, the day is dawning when Paris will receive her illumination,
and the Goodness and Mercy of God will be visible to every living
creature.

Do not allow your minds to dwell on the present, but
with eyes of faith look into the future, for in truth the Spirit of
God is working in your midst.

Since my arrival a few weeks ago, I can see the growth
of spirituality. At the beginning only a few souls came to me for
Light, but during my short sojourn among you the numbers have
increased and doubled. This is a promise for the future!

When Christ was crucified and left this world, He had
only eleven disciples and a very few followers; but as He served the
Cause of truth, look today at the result of His life’s work! He
has illumined the world, and given life to dead humanity. After His
ascension little by little His Cause grew, the souls of His followers
became more and more luminous, and the exquisite perfume of their
saintly lives spread on all sides.

Now today, thank God, a similar condition has begun in
Paris. There are many souls who have turned to the Kingdom of God,
and who are attracted to unity, love and truth.

Try so to work that the goodness and mercy of Abhá
may enfold the whole of Paris. The Breath of the Holy Spirit will
help you, the Celestial Light of the Kingdom will shine in your
hearts, and the blessed angels of God from Heaven will bring you
strength and will succour you. Then thank God with all your hearts
that you have attained to this supreme benefit. A great part of the
world is plunged in sleep, but you have been awakened. Many are
blind, but you see!

The call of the Kingdom is heard in your midst. Glory be
to God, you have been born again, you have been baptized by the fire
of the Love of God; you have been plunged in the Sea of Life and
regenerated by the Spirit of Love!

Having received such favour be thankful unto God, and
never doubt His Goodness and Loving Kindness but have undying faith
in the Bounties of the Kingdom. Consort together in brotherly love,
be ready to lay down your lives one for the other, and not only for
those who are dear to you, but for all humanity. Look upon the whole
human race as members of one family, all children of God; and, in so
doing, you will see no difference between them.

Humanity may be likened to a tree. This tree has
branches, leaves, buds and fruit. Think of all men as being flowers,
leaves or buds of this tree, and try to help each and all to realize
and enjoy God’s blessings. God neglects none: He loves all.

The only real difference that exists between people is
that they are at various stages of development. Some are
imperfect—these must be brought to perfection. Some are
asleep—they must be awakened; some are negligent—they
must be roused; but one and all are the children of God. Love them
all with your whole heart; no one is a stranger to the other, all are
friends. Tonight I come to say farewell to you—but bear this in
your minds, that although our bodies may be far apart, in spirit we
shall always be together.

I bear you one and all in my heart, and will forget none
of you—and I hope that none of you will forget me.

I in the East, and you in the West, let us try with
heart and soul that unity may dwell in the world, that all the
peoples may become one people, and that the whole surface of the
earth may be like one country—for the Sun of Truth shines on
all alike.

All the Prophets of God came for love of this one great
aim.

Look how Abraham strove to bring faith and love among
the people; how Moses tried to unite the people by sound laws; how
the Lord Christ suffered unto death to bring the light of love and
truth into a darkened world; how Muḥammad sought to bring unity
and peace between the various uncivilized tribes among whom he dwelt.
And last of all, Bahá’u’lláh has suffered
forty years for the same cause—the single noble purpose of
spreading love among the children of men—and for the peace and
unity of the world the Báb gave up his life.

Thus, strive to follow the example of these Divine
Beings, drink from Their fountain, be illumined by Their Light, and
to the world be as symbols of the Mercy and Love of God. Be unto the
world as rain and clouds of mercy, as suns of truth; be a celestial
army, and you shall indeed conquer the city of hearts.

Be thankful unto God that Bahá’u’lláh
has given us a firm and solid foundation. He left no place for
sadness in hearts, and the writings of His sacred pen contain
consolation for the whole world. He had the words of truth, and
anything that is contrary to His teaching is false. The chief aim of
all His work was to do away with division.

The testament of Bahá’u’lláh
is a Rain of Goodness, a Sun of Truth, Water of Life, the Holy
Spirit. Thus open your hearts to receive the full power of His
Beauty, and I will pray for you all that this joy may be yours.

Now I say ‘Good-bye’.

This I say only to your outer selves; I do not say it to
your souls, for our souls are always together.

Be comforted, and rest assured that day and night I
shall turn to the Kingdom of Abhá in supplication for you,
that day by day you may grow better and holier, nearer to God, and
more and more illumined by the radiance of His Love.

ADDRESS BY ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
AT THE FRIENDS’ MEETING HOUSE, ST MARTIN’S LANE, LONDON,
W.C.

Sunday, January 12th, 1913

About one thousand years ago a society was formed in
Persia called the Society of the Friends, who gathered together for
silent communion with the Almighty.

They divided Divine philosophy into two parts: one kind
is that of which the knowledge can be acquired through lectures and
study in schools and colleges. The second kind of philosophy was that
of the Illuminati, or followers of the inner light. The schools of
this philosophy were held in silence. Meditating, and turning their
faces to the Source of Light, from that central Light the mysteries
of the Kingdom were reflected in the hearts of these people. All the
Divine problems were solved by this power of illumination.

This Society of Friends increased greatly in Persia, and
up to the present time their societies exist. Many books and epistles
were written by their leaders. When they assemble in their
meeting-house they sit silently and contemplate; their leader opens
with a certain proposition, and says to the assembly ‘You must
meditate on this problem’. Then, freeing their minds from
everything else, they sit and reflect, and before long the answer is
revealed to them. Many abstruse divine questions are solved by this
illumination.

Some of the great questions unfolding from the rays of
the Sun of Reality upon the mind of man are: the problem of the
reality of the spirit of man; of the birth of the spirit; of its
birth from this world into the world of God; the question of the
inner life of the spirit and of its fate after its ascension from the
body.

They also meditate upon the scientific questions of the
day, and these are likewise solved.

These people, who are called ‘Followers of the
inner light’, attain to a superlative degree of power, and are
entirely freed from blind dogmas and imitations. Men rely on the
statements of these people: by themselves—within
themselves—they solve all mysteries.

If they find a solution with the assistance of the inner
light, they accept it, and afterwards they declare it: otherwise they
would consider it a matter of blind imitation. They go so far as to
reflect upon the essential nature of the Divinity, of the Divine
revelation, of the manifestation of the Deity in this world. All the
divine and scientific questions are solved by them through the power
of the spirit.

Bahá’u’lláh says there is a
sign (from God) in every phenomenon: the sign of the intellect is
contemplation and the sign of contemplation is silence, because it is
impossible for a man to do two things at one time—he cannot
both speak and meditate.

It is an axiomatic fact that while you meditate you are
speaking with your own spirit. In that state of mind you put certain
questions to your spirit and the spirit answers: the light breaks
forth and the reality is revealed.

You cannot apply the name ‘man’ to any being
void of this faculty of meditation; without it he would be a mere
animal, lower than the beasts.

Through the faculty of meditation man attains to eternal
life; through it he receives the breath of the Holy Spirit—the
bestowal of the Spirit is given in reflection and meditation.

The spirit of man is itself informed and strengthened
during meditation; through it affairs of which man knew nothing are
unfolded before his view. Through it he receives Divine inspiration,
through it he receives heavenly food.

Meditation is the key for opening the doors of
mysteries. In that state man abstracts himself: in that state man
withdraws himself from all outside objects; in that subjective mood
he is immersed in the ocean of spiritual life and can unfold the
secrets of things-in-themselves. To illustrate this, think of man as
endowed with two kinds of sight; when the power of insight is being
used the outward power of vision does not see.

This faculty of meditation frees man from the animal
nature, discerns the reality of things, puts man in touch with God.

This faculty brings forth from the invisible plane the
sciences and arts. Through the meditative faculty inventions are made
possible, colossal undertakings are carried out; through it
governments can run smoothly. Through this faculty man enters into
the very Kingdom of God.

Nevertheless some thoughts are useless to man; they are
like waves moving in the sea without result. But if the faculty of
meditation is bathed in the inner light and characterized with divine
attributes, the results will be confirmed.

The meditative faculty is akin to the mirror; if you put
it before earthly objects it will reflect them. Therefore if the
spirit of man is contemplating earthly subjects he will be informed
of these.

But if you turn the mirror of your spirits heavenwards,
the heavenly constellations and the rays of the Sun of Reality will
be reflected in your hearts, and the virtues of the Kingdom will be
obtained.

Therefore let us keep this faculty rightly
directed—turning it to the heavenly Sun and not to earthly
objects—so that we may discover the secrets of the Kingdom, and
comprehend the allegories of the Bible and the mysteries of the
spirit.

May we indeed become mirrors reflecting the heavenly
realities, and may we become so pure as to reflect the stars of
heaven.

PRAYER

97 Cadogan Gardens, London,
December 26th, 1912

‘Should Prayer take the form of action?’

‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘Yes: In
the Bahá’í Cause arts, sciences and all crafts
are (counted as) worship. The man who makes a piece of notepaper to
the best of his ability, conscientiously, concentrating all his
forces on perfecting it, is giving praise to God. Briefly, all effort
and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is
worship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to do
service to humanity. This is worship: to serve mankind and to
minister to the needs of the people. Service is prayer. A physician
ministering to the sick, gently, tenderly, free from prejudice and
believing in the solidarity of the human race, he is giving praise’.

‘What is the purpose of our lives?’

‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘To acquire
virtues. We come from the earth; why were we transferred from the
mineral to the vegetable kingdom—from the plant to the animal
kingdom? So that we may attain perfection in each of these kingdoms,
that we may possess the best qualities of the mineral, that we may
acquire the power of growing as in the plant, that we may be adorned
with the instincts of the animal and possess the faculties of sight,
hearing, smell, touch and taste, until from the animal kingdom we
step into the world of humanity and are gifted with reason, the power
of invention, and the forces of the spirit.’

EVIL

‘What is evil?’

‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘Evil is
imperfection. Sin is the state of man in the world of the baser
nature, for in nature exist defects such as injustice, tyranny,
hatred, hostility, strife: these are characteristics of the lower
plane of nature. These are the sins of the world, the fruits of the
tree from which Adam did eat. Through education we must free
ourselves from these imperfections. The Prophets of God have been
sent, the Holy Books have been written, so that man may be made free.
Just as he is born into this world of imperfection from the womb of
his earthly mother, so is he born into the world of spirit through
divine education. When a man is born into the world of phenomena he
finds the universe; when he is born from this world to the world of
the spirit, he finds the Kingdom.’

THE PROGRESS OF THE SOUL

‘Does the soul progress more through sorrow or
through the joy in this world?’

‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘The mind
and spirit of man advance when he is tried by suffering. The more the
ground is ploughed the better the seed will grow, the better the
harvest will be. Just as the plough furrows the earth deeply,
purifying it of weeds and thistles, so suffering and tribulation free
man from the petty affairs of this worldly life until he arrives at a
state of complete detachment. His attitude in this world will be that
of divine happiness. Man is, so to speak, unripe: the heat of the
fire of suffering will mature him. Look back to the times past and
you will find that the greatest men have suffered most.’

‘He who through suffering has attained
development, should he fear happiness?’

‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘Through
suffering he will attain to an eternal happiness which nothing can
take from him. The apostles of Christ suffered: they attained eternal
happiness.’

‘Then it is impossible to attain happiness without
suffering?’

‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘To attain
eternal happiness one must suffer. He who has reached the state of
self-sacrifice has true joy. Temporal joy will vanish.’

‘Can a departed soul converse with someone still
on earth?’

‘Abdu’l-Bahá.—‘A
conversation can be held, but not as our conversation. There is no
doubt that the forces of the higher worlds interplay with the forces
of this plane. The heart of man is open to inspiration; this is
spiritual communication. As in a dream one talks with a friend while
the mouth is silent, so is it in the conversation of the spirit. A
man may converse with the ego within him saying: “May I do
this? Would it be advisable for me to do this work?” Such as
this is conversation with the higher self.’

THE FOUR KINDS OF LOVE

97 Cadogan Gardens, London,
Saturday, January 4th,
1913

What a power is love! It is the most wonderful, the
greatest of all living powers.

Love gives life to the lifeless. Love lights a flame in
the heart that is cold. Love brings hope to the hopeless and gladdens
the hearts of the sorrowful.

In the world of existence there is indeed no greater
power than the power of love. When the heart of man is aglow with the
flame of love, he is ready to sacrifice all—even his life. In
the Gospel it is said God is love.

There are four kinds of love. The first is the love that
flows from God to man; it consists of the inexhaustible graces, the
Divine effulgence and heavenly illumination. Through this love the
world of being receives life. Through this love man is endowed with
physical existence, until, through the breath of the Holy Spirit—this
same love—he receives eternal life and becomes the image of the
Living God. This love is the origin of all the love in the world of
creation.

The second is the love that flows from man to God. This
is faith, attraction to the Divine, enkindlement, progress, entrance
into the Kingdom of God, receiving the Bounties of God, illumination
with the lights of the Kingdom. This love is the origin of all
philanthropy; this love causes the hearts of men to reflect the rays
of the Sun of Reality.

The third is the love of God towards the Self or
Identity of God. This is the transfiguration of His Beauty, the
reflection of Himself in the mirror of His Creation. This is the
reality of love, the Ancient Love, the Eternal Love. Through one ray
of this Love all other love exists.

The fourth is the love of man for man. The love which
exists between the hearts of believers is prompted by the ideal of
the unity of spirits. This love is attained through the knowledge of
God, so that men see the Divine Love reflected in the heart. Each
sees in the other the Beauty of God reflected in the soul, and
finding this point of similarity, they are attracted to one another
in love. This love will make all men the waves of one sea, this love
will make them all the stars of one heaven and the fruits of one
tree. This love will bring the realization of true accord, the
foundation of real unity.

But the love which sometimes exists between friends is
not (true) love, because it is subject to transmutation; this is
merely fascination. As the breeze blows, the slender trees yield. If
the wind is in the East the tree leans to the West, and if the wind
turns to the West the tree leans to the East. This kind of love is
originated by the accidental conditions of life. This is not love, it
is merely acquaintanceship; it is subject to change.

Today you will see two souls apparently in close
friendship; tomorrow all this may be changed. Yesterday they were
ready to die for one another, today they shun one another’s
society! This is not love; it is the yielding of the hearts to the
accidents of life. When that which has caused this ‘love’
to exist passes, the love passes also; this is not in reality love.

Love is only of the four kinds that I have explained.
(a) The love of God towards the identity of God. Christ has said God
is Love. (b) The love of God for His children—for His servants.
(c) The love of man for God and (d) the love of man for man. These
four kinds of love originate from God. These are rays from the Sun of
Reality; these are the Breathings of the Holy Spirit; these are the
Signs of the Reality.

TABLET REVEALED BY ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ

August 28th, 1913

O Thou my beloved daughter!

Thine eloquent and fluent letter was perused in a
garden, under the cool shade of a tree, while the gentle breeze was
wafting. The means of physical enjoyment was spread before the eyes
and thy letter became the cause of spiritual enjoyment. Truly, I say,
it was not a letter but a rose-garden adorned with hyacinths and
flowers.

It contained the sweet fragrance of paradise and the
zephyr of Divine Love blew from its roseate words.

As I have not ample time at my disposal, I will give
herein a brief, conclusive and comprehensive answer. It is as
follows:

In this Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh,
the women go neck and neck with the men. In no movement will they be
left behind. Their rights with men are equal in degree. They will
enter all the administrative branches of politics. They will attain
in all such a degree as will be considered the very highest station
of the world of humanity and will take part in all affairs. Rest ye
assured. Do ye not look upon the present conditions; in the not far
distant future the world of women will become all-refulgent and
all-glorious, For His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh
Hath Willed It so! At the time of elections the right to vote is the
inalienable right of women, and the entrance of women into all human
departments is an irrefutable and incontrovertible question. No soul
can retard or prevent it.

But there are certain matters, the participation in
which is not worthy of women. For example, at the time when the
community is taking up vigorous defensive measures against the attack
of foes, the women are exempt from military engagements. It may so
happen that at a given time warlike and savage tribes may furiously
attack the body politic with the intention of carrying on a wholesale
slaughter of its members; under such a circumstance defence is
necessary, but it is the duty of men to organize and execute such
defensive measures and not the women—because their hearts are
tender and they cannot endure the sight of the horror of carnage,
even if it is for the sake of defence. From such and similar
undertakings the women are exempt.

As regards the constitution of the House of Justice,
Bahá’u’lláh addresses the men. He says: ‘O
ye men of the House of Justice!’

But when its members are to be elected, the right which
belongs to women, so far as their voting and their voice is
concerned, is indisputable. When the women attain to the ultimate
degree of progress, then, according to the exigency of the time and
place and their great capacity, they shall obtain extraordinary
privileges. Be ye confident on these accounts. His Holiness
Bahá’u’lláh has greatly strengthened the
cause of women, and the rights and privileges of women is one of the
greatest principles of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Rest ye
assured! Ere long the days shall come when the men addressing the
women, shall say: ‘Blessed are ye! Blessed are ye! Verily ye
are worthy of every gift. Verily ye deserve to adorn your heads with
the crown of everlasting glory, because in sciences and arts, in
virtues and perfections ye shall become equal to man, and as regards
tenderness of heart and the abundance of mercy and sympathy ye are
superior’.