ilst the second letter was pronounced they fell
down, one and all, upon the dust. At that moment a voice was heard from
the inmost shrine: "Thus far and no farther." Verily, We bear witness unto
that which they have done, and now are doing.

XLIII: O AFNAN, O THOU THAT HAST BRANCHED FROM...

O Afnan, O thou that hast branched from Mine ancient Stock! My glory and
My loving-kindness rest upon thee. How vast is the tabernacle of the Cause
of God! It hath overshadowed all the peoples and kindreds of the earth,
and will, erelong, gather together the whole of mankind beneath its
shelter. Thy day of service is now come. Countless Tablets bear the
testimony of the bounties vouchsafed unto thee. Arise for the triumph of
My Cause, and, through the power of thine utterance, subdue the hearts of
men. Thou must show forth that which will ensure the peace and the
well-being of the miserable and the down-trodden. Gird up the loins of
thine endeavor, that perchance thou mayest release the captive from his
chains, and enable him to attain unto true liberty.

Justice is, in this day, bewailing its plight, and Equity groaneth beneath
the yoke of oppression. The thick clouds of tyranny have darkened the face
of the earth, and enveloped its peoples. Through the movement of Our Pen
of glory We have, at the bidding of the omnipotent Ordainer, breathed a
new life into every human frame, and instilled into every word a fresh
potency. All created things proclaim the evidences of this world-wide
regeneration. This is the most great, the most joyful tidings imparted by
the Pen of this wronged One to mankind. Wherefore fear ye, O My
well-beloved ones? Who is it that can dismay you? A touch of moisture
sufficeth to dissolve the hardened clay out of which this perverse
generation is molded. The mere act of your gathering together is enough to
scatter the forces of these vain and worthless people....

Every man of insight will, in this day, readily admit that the counsels
which the Pen of this wronged One hath revealed constitute the supreme
animating power for the advancement of the world and the exaltation of its
peoples. Arise, O people, and, by the power of God's might, resolve to
gain the victory over your own selves, that haply the whole earth may be
freed and sanctified from its servitude to the gods of its idle
fancies--gods that have inflicted such loss upon, and are responsible for
the misery of, their wretched worshipers. These