triven to unite
humanity so that all may be accounted as one soul. The function and
purpose of a shepherd is to gather and not disperse his flock. The
Prophets of God have been divine Shepherds of humanity. They have
established a bond of love and unity among mankind, made scattered peoples
one nation and wandering tribes a mighty kingdom. They have laid the
foundation of the oneness of God and summoned all to universal peace. All
these holy, divine Manifestations are one. They have served one God,
promulgated the same truth, founded the same institutions and reflected
the same light. Their appearances have been successive and correlated;
each One has announced and extolled the One Who was to follow, and all
laid the foundation of reality. They summoned and invited the people to
love and made the human world a mirror of the Word of God. Therefore, the
divine religions They established have one foundation; Their teachings,
proofs and evidences are one; in name and form They differ, but in reality
They agree and are the same. These holy Manifestations have been as the
coming of springtime in the world. Although the springtime of this year is
designated by another name according to the changing calendar, yet as
regards its life and quickening it is the same as the springtime of last
year. For each spring is the time of a new creation, the effects,
bestowals, perfections and life-giving forces of which are the same as
those of the former vernal seasons, although the names are many and
various. This is 1912, last year was 1911 and so on, but in fundamental
reality no difference is apparent. The sun is one, but the dawning points
of the sun are numerous and changing. The ocean is one body of water, but
different parts of it have particular designations--Atlantic, Pacific,
Mediterranean, Antarctic, etc. If we consider the names, there is
differentiation; but the water, the ocean itself, is one reality.

Likewise, the divine religions of the holy Manifestations of God are in
reality one, though in name and nomenclature they differ. Man must be a
lover of the light, no matter from what dayspring it may appear. He must
be a lover of the rose, no matter in what soil it may be growing. He must
be a seeker of the truth, no matter from what source it come. Attachment
to the lantern is not loving the light. Attachment to the earth is not
befitting, but enjoyment of the rose which develops from the soil is
worthy. Devotion to the tree i