of heaven and earth!
Wherefore hast Thou left Thyself in the hands of the dwellers of this
prison-city of Akka? Hasten Thou to other dominions, to Thy retreats
above, whereon the eyes of the people of names have never fallen." We
smiled and spake not. Reflect upon these most exalted words, and
comprehend the purpose of this hidden and sacred mystery.'

O ye beloved of the Lord! Beware, beware lest ye hesitate and waver. Let
not fear fall upon you, neither be troubled nor dismayed. Take ye good
heed lest this calamitous day slacken the flames of your ardour, and
quench your tender hopes. Today is the day for steadfastness and
constancy. Blessed are they that stand firm and immovable as the rock and
brave the storm and stress of this tempestuous hour. They, verily, shall
be the recipients of God's grace; they, verily, shall receive His divine
assistance, and shall be truly victorious. They shall shine amidst mankind
with a radiance which the dwellers of the Pavilion of Glory laud and
magnify. To them is proclaimed this celestial call, revealed in His Most
Holy Book: 'Let not your hearts be perturbed, O people, when the glory of
My Presence is withdrawn, and the ocean of My utterance is stilled. In My
presence amongst you there is a wisdom, and in My absence there is yet
another, inscrutable to all but God, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing.
Verily, We behold you from Our realm of glory, and shall aid whosoever
will arise for the triumph of Our Cause with the hosts of the Concourse on
high and a company of Our favoured angels.'

The Sun of Truth, that Most Great Light, hath set upon the horizon of the
world to rise with deathless splendour over the Realm of the Limitless. In
His Most Holy Book He calleth the firm and steadfast of His friends: 'Be
not dismayed, O peoples of the world, when the day-star of My beauty is
set, and the heaven of My tabernacle is concealed from your eyes. Arise to
further My Cause, and to exalt My Word amongst men.'

6: O YE PEOPLES OF THE KINGDOM! HOW MANY A SOUL ...

O ye peoples of the Kingdom! How many a soul expended all its span of life
in worship, endured the mortification of the flesh, longed to gain an
entry into the Kingdom, and yet failed, while ye, with neither toil nor
pain nor self-denial, have won the prize and entered in.

It is even as in the time of the Messiah, when the Pharisees and the pious
were left without a portion, while Peter, John and Andrew, given neithe