es
and fruits, and cast its shade over the East and the West. This Tree of
Life is the Book of the Covenant.

In America, in these days, severe winds have surrounded the Lamp of the
Covenant, hoping that this brilliant Light may be extinguished, and this
Tree of Life may be uprooted. Certain weak, capricious, malicious and
ignorant souls have been shaken by the earthquake of hatred, of animosity,
have striven to efface the Divine Covenant and Testament, and render the
clear water muddy so that in it they might fish. They have arisen against
the Center of the Covenant like the people of Bayan who attacked the
Blessed Beauty and every moment uttered a calumny. Every day they seek a
pretext and secretly arouse doubts, so that the Covenant of Baha'u'llah
may be completely annihilated in America.

O friends of God! Be awake, be awake; be vigilant, be vigilant! His
Holiness, the Bab, made a Covenant for Baha'u'llah with all the people of
the Bayan, so that on the day of appearance of "Him Whom God shall
manifest"--and of the radiation of the Light of Baha'u'llah, they might
believe and be assured, arise in service and promulgate the Word of God.
Later the people of the Bayan, like Mirza Yahya and many others, arose
against the Blessed Beauty, invented every sort of calumny, aroused doubt
in the minds of the people, and from the Books of His Holiness the
Bab--that were full of references to "Him Whom God shall manifest"--tried to
prove Baha'u'llah false. Every day they wrote and spread a pamphlet
opposing Baha'u'llah, caused trouble and perplexity among the people; they
inflicted the greatest injury and cruelty, yet counted themselves firm in
the Covenant of His Holiness, the Bab. However, when the light of the
Covenant of His Holiness, the Bab, lighted the universe, then all the
faithful and sincere souls were freed from the darkness of the violation
of the people of the Bayan and shone like brilliant candles.

Baha'u'llah, in all the Tablets and Epistles, forbade the true and firm
friends from associating and meeting the violators of the Covenant of His
Holiness, the Bab, saying that no one should go near them because their
breath is like the poison of the snake that kills instantly.

In the Hidden Words, He says: "Esteem the friendship of the just, but
withhold both mind and hand from the company of the wicked."

Addressing one of the friends, He says: "It is clear to your honor that
before long Satan, in the garb of ma