the dictates of thy desires. Fear the
sighs of this Wronged One, and shield Him from the darts of such as act
unjustly. For what thou hast done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into
confusion, and thine empire shall pass from thine hands, as a punishment
for that which thou hast wrought. Then wilt thou know how thou hast
plainly erred. Commotions shall seize all the people in that land, unless
thou arisest to help this Cause, and followest Him Who is the Spirit of
God [Jesus] in this, the straight Path. Hath thy pomp made thee proud? By
My Life! It shall not endure; nay, it shall soon pass away, unless thou
holdest fast by this firm Cord. We see abasement hastening after thee,
while thou art of the heedless.... Abandon thy palaces to the people of
the graves, and thine empire to whosoever desireth it, and turn, then,
unto the Kingdom. This, verily, is what God hath chosen for thee, wert
thou of them that turn unto Him.... Shouldst thou desire to bear the
weight of thy dominion, bear it then to aid the Cause of thy Lord.
Glorified be this station which whoever attaineth thereunto hath attained
unto all good that proceedeth from Him Who is the All-Knowing, the
All-Wise.... Exultest thou over the treasures thou dost possess, knowing
they shall perish? Rejoicest thou in that thou rulest a span of earth,
when the whole world, in the estimation of the people of Baha, is worth as
much as the black in the eye of a dead ant? Abandon it unto such as have
set their affections upon it, and turn thou unto Him Who is the Desire of
the world. Whither are gone the proud and their palaces? Gaze thou into
their tombs, that thou mayest profit by this example, inasmuch as We made
it a lesson unto every beholder. Were the breezes of Revelation to seize
thee, thou wouldst flee the world, and turn unto the Kingdom, and wouldst
expend all thou possessest, that thou mayest draw nigh unto this sublime
Vision."

REVEALED TO THE POPE

To Pope Pius IX, Baha'u'llah revealed the following: "O Pope! Rend the
veils asunder. He Who is the Lord of Lords is come overshadowed with
clouds, and the decree hath been fulfilled by God, the Almighty, the
Unrestrained.... He, verily, hath again come down from Heaven even as He
came down from it the first time. Beware that thou dispute not with Him
even as the Pharisees disputed with Him [Jesus] without a clear token or
proof. On His right hand flow the living waters of grace, and on His left
the choice Win