thou seest and knowest Him not: Can any
soul be found to elucidate these words with such convincing arguments,
clear testimonies, and unmistakable allusions as to appease the heart of
the seeker and relieve the soul of the listener? Nay, by the One in Whose
hand is My soul! Unto none is given to quaff even a dewdrop thereof unless
he entereth within this city, a city whose foundations rest upon mountains
of crimson-coloured ruby, whose walls are hewn of the chrysolite of divine
unity, whose gates are made of the diamonds of immortality, and whose
earth sheddeth the fragrance of divine bounty.

21 Having imparted unto thee, beneath countless veils of concealment,
certain hidden mysteries, We now return to Our elucidation of the Books of
old, that perchance thy feet may not slip and thou mayest receive with
complete certitude the portion which We shall bestow upon thee of the
billowing oceans of life in the realm of the names and attributes of God.

22 It is recorded in all the Books of the Gospel that He Who is the
Spirit(15) spoke in words of pure light unto His disciples, saying: "Know
that heaven and earth may pass away, but my words shall never pass
away."(16) As is clear and evident to thine eminence, these words
outwardly mean that the Books of the Gospel will remain in the hands of
people till the end of the world, that their laws shall not be abrogated,
that their testimony shall not be abolished, and that all that hath been
enjoined, prescribed, or ordained therein shall endure forever.

23 O My brother! Sanctify thy heart, illumine thy soul, and sharpen thy
sight, that thou mayest perceive the sweet accents of the Birds of Heaven
and the melodies of the Doves of Holiness warbling in the Kingdom of
eternity, and perchance apprehend the inner meaning of these utterances
and their hidden mysteries. For otherwise, wert thou to interpret these
words according to their outward meaning, thou couldst never prove the
truth of the Cause of Him Who came after Jesus, nor silence the opponents,
nor prevail over the contending disbelievers. For the Christian divines
use this verse to prove that the Gospel shall never be abrogated and that,
even if all the signs recorded in their Books were fulfilled and the
Promised One appeared, He would have no recourse but to rule the people
according to the ordinances of the Gospel. They contend that if He were to
manifest all the signs indicated in the Books, but decree aught besides
t