has destined for you, and what bounties
He has prepared for you! Should we become intoxicated with this cup, the
sovereignty of this globe of earth will become lower in our estimation
than the children's plays. Should they place in the arena the crown of the
government of the whole world, and invite each one of us to accept it,
undoubtedly we shall not condescend, and shall refuse to accept it.

To attain to this supreme station is, however, dependent on the
realization of certain conditions.

The first condition is firmness in the Covenant of God. For the power of
the Covenant will protect the Cause of Baha'u'llah from the doubts of the
people of error. It is the fortified fortress of the Cause of God and the
firm pillar of the religion of God. Today no power can conserve the
oneness of the Baha'i world save the Covenant of God; otherwise
differences like unto a most great tempest will encompass the Baha'i
world. It is evident that the axis of the oneness of the world of humanity
is the power of the Covenant and nothing else. Had the Covenant not come
to pass, had it not been revealed from the Supreme Pen and had not the
Book of the Covenant, like unto the ray of the Sun of Reality, illuminated
the world, the forces of the Cause of God would have been utterly
scattered and certain souls who were the prisoners of their own passions
and lusts would have taken into their hands an axe, cutting the root of
this Blessed Tree. Every person would have pushed forward his own desire
and every individual aired his own opinion! Notwithstanding this great
Covenant, a few negligent souls galloped with their chargers into the
battlefield, thinking perchance they might be able to weaken the
foundation of the Cause of God: but praise be to God, all of them were
afflicted with regret and loss, and ere long they shall see themselves in
poignant despair. Therefore, in the beginning one must make his steps firm
in the Covenant--so that the confirmations of Baha'u'llah may encircle from
all sides, the cohorts of the Supreme Concourse may become the supporters
and the helpers, and the exhortations and advices of 'Abdu'l-Baha, like
unto the pictures engraved on stone, may remain permanent and ineffaceable
in the tablets of the hearts.

The second condition: Fellowship and love amongst the believers. The
divine friends must be attracted to and enamored of each other and ever be
ready and willing to sacrifice their own lives for each other. Sh