eat distress, and, overcome with anguish, fell upon the dust, and was
borne away by a company of the invisible angels to its habitation in the
realms above.

By Myself, the True One, O 'Ali! The fire that hath inflamed the heart of
Baha is fiercer than the fire that gloweth in thine heart, and His
lamentation louder than thy lamentation. Every time the sin committed by
any one amongst them was breathed in the Court of His Presence, the
Ancient Beauty would be so filled with shame as to wish He could hide the
glory of His countenance from the eyes of all men, for He hath, at all
times, fixed His gaze on their fidelity, and observed its essential
requisites.

The words thou hadst written have, as soon as they were read in My
Presence, caused the ocean of My fidelity to surge within Me, and the
breeze of My forgiveness to be wafted over thy soul, and the tree of My
loving-kindness to overshadow thee, and the clouds of My bounty to rain
down upon thee their gifts. I swear by the Day Star that shineth above the
horizon of eternity, I sorrow for thee in thy grief, and lament with thee
in thy tribulation.... I bear witness to the services thou hast rendered
Me, and testify to the various troubles thou hast sustained for My sake.
All the atoms of the earth declare My love for thee.

The call thou didst raise, O 'Ali, is highly acceptable in My sight.
Proclaim with both thy pen and tongue My Cause. Cry out and summon the
people to Him Who is the Sovereign Lord of all worlds, with such zeal and
fervor that all men may be set on fire by thee.

Say: O my Lord, my Best-Beloved, the Mover of my actions, the Lode Star of
my soul, the Voice that crieth in mine inmost being, the Object of mine
heart's adoration! Praise be to Thee for having enabled me to turn my face
towards Thee, for having set my soul ablaze through remembrance of Thee,
for having aided Me to proclaim Thy Name and to sing Thy praises.

My God, my God! If none be found to stray from Thy path, how, then, can
the ensign of Thy mercy be unfurled, or the banner of Thy bountiful favor
be hoisted? And if iniquity be not committed, what is it that can proclaim
Thee to be the Concealer of men's sins, the Ever-Forgiving, the
Omniscient, the All-Wise? May my soul be a sacrifice to the trespasses of
them that trespass against Thee, for upon such trespasses are wafted the
sweet savors of the tender mercies of Thy Name, the Compassionate, the
All-Merciful. May my life be laid d