ar, O King, unto
the Voice that calleth from the Fire which burneth in this Verdant Tree,
upon this Sinai which hath been raised above the hallowed and snow-white
Spot, beyond the Everlasting City: 'Verily, there is none other God but
Me, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful!' We, in truth, have sent Him
Whom We aided with the Holy Spirit [Jesus], that He may announce unto you
this Light that hath shone forth from the horizon of the will of your
Lord, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, and Whose signs have been
revealed in the West, that ye may set your faces towards Him
[Baha'u'llah], on this Day which God hath exalted above all other days,
and whereon the All-Merciful hath shed the splendor of His effulgent glory
upon all who are in heaven and all who are on earth. Arise thou to serve
God and help His Cause. He, verily, will assist thee with the hosts of the
seen and unseen, and will set thee king over all that whereon the sun
riseth. Thy Lord, in truth, is the All-Powerful, the Almighty.... Attire
thy temple with the ornament of My Name, and thy tongue with remembrance
of Me, and thine heart with love for Me, the Almighty, the Most High. We
have desired for thee naught except that which is better for thee than
what thou dost possess and all the treasures of the earth. Thy Lord,
verily, is knowing, informed of all....

"O King! We heard the words thou didst utter in answer to the Czar of
Russia, concerning the decision made regarding the war [Crimean War]. Thy
Lord, verily, knoweth, is informed of all. Thou didst say: 'I lay asleep
upon my couch, when the cry of the oppressed, who were drowned in the
Black Sea, wakened me.' This is what we heard thee say, and, verily, thy
Lord is witness unto what I say. We testify that that which wakened thee
was not their cry, but the promptings of thine own passions, for We tested
thee, and found thee wanting. Comprehend the meaning of My words, and be
thou of the discerning.... Hadst thou been sincere in thy words, thou
wouldst have not cast behind thy back the Book of God, when it was sent
unto thee by Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Wise. We have proved thee
through it, and found thee other than that which thou didst profess.
Arise, and make amends for that which escaped thee. Erelong the world and
all that thou possessest will perish, and the kingdom will remain unto
God, thy Lord and the Lord of thy fathers of old. It behooveth thee not to
conduct thine affairs according to