s clear and evident that until a fire is kindled the lamp will never be
ignited, and unless the dross is blotted out from the face of the mirror
it can never represent the image of the sun nor reflect its light and
glory.

And since there can be no tie of direct intercourse to bind the one true
God with His creation, and no resemblance whatever can exist between the
transient and the Eternal, the contingent and the Absolute, He hath
ordained that in every age and dispensation a pure and stainless Soul be
made manifest in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. Unto this subtle, this
mysterious and ethereal Being He hath assigned a twofold nature; the
physical, pertaining to the world of matter, and the spiritual, which is
born of the substance of God Himself. He hath, moreover, conferred upon
Him a double station. The first station, which is related to His innermost
reality, representeth Him as One Whose voice is the voice of God Himself.
To this testifieth the tradition: "Manifold and mysterious is My
relationship with God. I am He, Himself, and He is I, Myself, except that
I am that I am, and He is that He is." And in like manner, the words:
"Arise, O Muhammad, for lo, the Lover and the Beloved are joined together
and made one in Thee." He similarly saith: "There is no distinction
whatsoever between Thee and Them, except that They are Thy Servants." The
second station is the human station, exemplified by the following verses:
"I am but a man like you." "Say, praise be to my Lord! Am I more than a
man, an apostle?" These Essences of Detachment, these resplendent
Realities are the channels of God's all-pervasive grace. Led by the light
of unfailing guidance, and invested with supreme sovereignty, They are
commissioned to use the inspiration of Their words, the effusions of Their
infallible grace and the sanctifying breeze of Their Revelation for the
cleansing of every longing heart and receptive spirit from the dross and
dust of earthly cares and limitations. Then, and only then, will the Trust
of God, latent in the reality of man, emerge, as resplendent as the rising
Orb of Divine Revelation, from behind the veil of concealment, and implant
the ensign of its revealed glory upon the summits of men's hearts.

From the foregoing passages and allusions it hath been made indubitably
clear that in the kingdoms of earth and heaven there must needs be
manifested a Being, an Essence Who shall act as a Manifestation and
Vehicle for th