A dewdrop out of the fathomless ocean of My mercy I have shed upon the
peoples of the world, yet found none turn thereunto, inasmuch as every one
hath turned away from the celestial wine of unity unto the foul dregs of
impurity, and, content with mortal cup, hath put away the chalice of immortal
beauty. Vile is that wherewith he is contented.

Turn not away thine eyes from the matchless wine of the immortal Beloved,
and open them not to foul and mortal dregs. Take from the hands of the divine
Cup-bearer the chalice of immortal life, that all wisdom may be thine, and that
thou mayest hearken unto the mystic voice calling from the realm of the
invisible. Cry aloud, ye that are of low aim! Wherefore have ye turned away
from My holy and immortal wine unto evanescent water?

Know, verily, that an unforeseen calamity followeth you, and grievous
retribution awaiteth you. Think not that which ye have committed hath been
effaced in My sight. By My beauty! All your doings hath My pen graven with
open characters upon tablets of chrysolite.

Withdraw your hands from tyranny, for I have pledged Myself not to forgive any
man's injustice. This is My covenant which I have irrevocably decreed in the
preserved tablet and sealed with My seal.

My forbearance hath emboldened you and My long-suffering hath made you
negligent, in such wise that ye have spurred on the fiery charger of passion
into perilous ways that lead unto destruction. Have ye thought Me heedless or
that I was unaware?

The tongue I have designed for the mention of Me, defile it not with detraction.
If the fire of self overcome you, remember your own faults and not the faults of
My creatures, inasmuch as every one of you knoweth his own self better than
he knoweth others.

Know, verily, that while the radiant dawn breaketh above the horizon of eternal
holiness, the satanic secrets and deeds done in the gloom of night shall be
laid bare and manifest before the peoples of the world.

Wherefore have not these soiled hands of thine touched first thine own
garment, and why with thine heart defiled with desire and passion dost thou
seek to commune with Me and to enter My sacred realm? Far, far are ye from
that which ye desire.

Holy words and pure and goodly deeds ascend unto the heaven of celestial
glory. Strive that your deeds may be cleansed from the dust of self and
hypocrisy and find favor at the court of glory; for ere long the assayers of
mankind shall, in the holy presence of the Adored One, accept naught but
absolute virtue and deeds of stainless purity. This is the daystar of wisdom
and of divine mystery that hath shone above the horizon of the divine will.
Blessed are they that turn thereunto.

Pleasant is the realm of being, wert thou to attain thereto; glorious is the
domain of eternity, shouldst thou pass beyond the world of mortality; sweet is
the holy ecstasy if thou drinkest of the mystic chalice from the hands of the
celestial Youth. Shouldst thou attain this station, thou wouldst be freed from
destruction and death, from toil and sin.

Call ye to mind that covenant ye have entered into with Me upon Mount
Paran, situate within the hallowed precincts of Zaman. I have taken to witness
the concourse on high and the dwellers in the city of eternity, yet now none
do I find faithful unto the covenant. Of a certainty pride and rebellion have
effaced it from the hearts, in such wise that no trace thereof remaineth. Yet
knowing this, I waited and disclosed it not.

Thou art even as a finely tempered sword concealed in the darkness of its
sheath and its value hidden from the artificer's knowledge. Wherefore come
forth from the sheath of self and desire that thy worth may be made
resplendent and manifest unto all the world.

Thou art the daystar of the heavens of My holiness, let not the defilement of
the world eclipse thy splendor. Rend asunder the veil of heedlessness, that
from behind the clouds thou mayest emerge resplendent and array all things
with the apparel of life.

For a fleeting sovereignty ye have abandoned My imperishable dominion, and
have adorned yourselves with the gay livery of the world and made of it your
boast. By My beauty! All will I gather beneath the one-colored covering of the
dust and efface all these diverse colors save them that choose My own, and
that is purging from every color.

Set not your affections on mortal sovereignty and rejoice not therein. Ye are
even as the unwary bird that with full confidence warbleth upon the bough; till
of a sudden the fowler Death throws it upon the dust, and the melody, the
form and the color are gone, leaving not a trace. Wherefore take heed, O
bondslaves of desire!

Guidance hath ever been given by words, and now it is given by deeds. Every
one must show forth deeds that are pure and holy, for words are the property
of all alike, whereas such deeds as these belong only to Our loved ones.
Strive then with heart and soul to distinguish yourselves by your deeds. In this
wise We counsel you in this holy and resplendent tablet.

In the night-season the beauty of the immortal Being hath repaired from the
emerald height of fidelity unto the Sadratu'l-Muntahá, and wept with such a
weeping that the concourse on high and the dwellers of the realms above
wailed at His lamenting. Whereupon there was asked, Why the wailing and
weeping? He made reply: As bidden I waited expectant upon the hill of
faithfulness, yet inhaled not from them that dwell on earth the fragrance of
fidelity. Then summoned to return I beheld, and lo! certain doves of holiness
were sore tried within the claws of the dogs of earth. Thereupon the Maid of
heaven hastened forth unveiled and resplendent from Her mystic mansion, and
asked of their names, and all were told but one. And when urged, the first
letter thereof was uttered, whereupon the dwellers of the celestial chambers
rushed forth out of their habitation of glory. And whilst 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 to that which they have done and now are doing.

How long wilt thou soar in the realms of desire? Wings have I bestowed upon
thee, that thou mayest fly to the realms of mystic holiness and not the
regions of satanic fancy. The comb, too, have I given thee that thou mayest
dress My raven locks, and not lacerate My throat.

Ye are the trees of My garden; ye must give forth goodly and wondrous fruits,
that ye yourselves and others may profit therefrom. Thus it is incumbent on
every one to engage in crafts and professions, for therein lies the secret of
wealth, O men of understanding! For results depend upon means, and the
grace of God shall be all-sufficient unto you. Trees that yield no fruit have
been and will ever be for the fire.

The basest of men are they that yield no fruit on earth. Such men are verily
counted as among the dead, nay better are the dead in the sight of God than
those idle and worthless souls.

The best of men are they that earn a livelihood by their calling and spend upon
themselves and upon their kindred for the love of God, the Lord of all worlds.