ry trace of sinfulness from the world, and a single breath from the
breezes of the Day of Thy Revelation is enough to adorn all mankind with a
fresh attire.

Vouchsafe Thy strength, O Almighty One, unto Thy weak creatures, and
quicken them who are as dead, that haply they may find Thee, and may be
led unto the ocean of Thy guidance, and may remain steadfast in Thy Cause.
Should the fragrance of Thy praise be shed abroad by any of the divers
tongues of the world, out of the East or out of the West, it would,
verily, be prized and greatly cherished. If such tongues, however, be
deprived of that fragrance, they assuredly would be unworthy of any
mention, be they words or thoughts.

We beg of Thee, O Providence, to show Thy way unto all men, and to guide
them aright. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful, the
All-Knowing, the All-Seeing.

CLXI: "PRAISE BE TO THEE, O MY GOD, INASMUCH AS THOU..."

Praise be to Thee, O my God, inasmuch as Thou hast turned the faces of Thy
servants towards the right-hand of the throne of Thy gifts, and hast
caused them to be detached from all else besides Thee, that they may
recognize Thy sovereignty and acknowledge Thy glory. I testify to the
potency of Thy Cause, the pervasive influence of Thy decree, the
immutability of Thy will, the endlessness of Thy purpose. All things lie
prisoned within the grasp of Thy might, and the whole creation is
destitute when brought face to face with the evidences of Thy wealth.

Deal Thou, therefore, O my God, my Beloved, my supreme Desire, with Thy
servants and with all that were created by Thee as would beseem Thy beauty
and Thy greatness, and would be worthy of Thy generosity and gifts. Thou
art, in truth, He Whose mercy hath encompassed all the worlds, and Whose
grace hath embraced all that dwell on earth and in heaven. Who is there
that hath cried after Thee, and whose prayer hath remained unanswered?
Where is he to be found who hath reached forth towards Thee, and whom Thou
hast failed to approach? Who is he that can claim to have fixed his gaze
upon Thee, and toward whom the eye of Thy loving-kindness hath not been
directed? I bear witness that Thou hadst turned toward Thy servants ere
they had turned toward Thee, and hadst remembered them ere they had
remembered Thee. All grace is Thine, O Thou in Whose hand is the kingdom
of Divine gifts and the source of every irrevocable decree.

Send down, therefore, O my God, upon all th