biddeth you the King of
the Day of Reckoning. Seclude yourselves in the stronghold of My love.
This, verily, is a befitting seclusion, were ye of them that perceive it.
He that shutteth himself up in a house is indeed as one dead. It behooveth
man to show forth that which will profit all created things, and he that
bringeth forth no fruit is fit for fire. Thus counseleth you your Lord,
and He, verily, is the Almighty, the All-Bounteous. Enter ye into wedlock,
that after you someone may fill your place. We have forbidden you
perfidious acts, and not that which will demonstrate fidelity. Have ye
clung to the standards fixed by your own selves, and cast the standards of
God behind your backs? Fear God, and be not of the foolish. But for man,
who would make mention of Me on My earth, and how could My attributes and
My name have been revealed? Ponder ye, and be not of them that are veiled
and fast asleep. He that wedded not [Jesus] found no place wherein to
dwell or lay His head, by reason of that which the hands of the
treacherous had wrought. His sanctity consisteth not in that which ye
believe or fancy, but rather in the things We possess. Ask, that ye may
apprehend His station which hath been exalted above the imaginings of all
that dwell on earth. Blessed are they who perceive it." And again: "O
concourse of monks! If ye choose to follow Me, I will make you heirs of My
Kingdom; and if ye transgress against Me, I will, in My long-suffering,
endure it patiently, and I, verily, am the Ever-Forgiving, the
All-Merciful. ...Bethlehem is astir with the Breeze of God. We hear her
voice saying: 'O Most Generous Lord! Where is Thy great glory established?
The sweet savors of Thy presence have quickened me, after I had melted in
my separation from Thee. Praised be Thou in that Thou hast raised the
veils, and come with power in evident glory.' We called unto her from
behind the Tabernacle of Majesty and Grandeur: 'O Bethlehem! This Light
hath risen in the orient, and traveled towards the occident, until it
reached thee in the evening of its life. Tell Me then: Do the sons
recognize the Father, and acknowledge Him, or do they deny Him, even as
the people aforetime denied Him [Jesus]?' Whereupon she cried out saying:
'Thou art, in truth, the All-Knowing, the Best-Informed." And again:
"Consider, likewise, how numerous at this time are the monks who have
secluded themselves in their churches, in My name, and who, when the
appointed tim