nt 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 erelong they shall see themselves in
poignant despair. Therefore, in the beginning the believers must make
their steps firm in the Covenant so that the confirmations of Baha'u'llah
may encircle them from all sides, the cohorts of the Supreme Concourse may
become their supporters and 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 all hearts.

9 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. Should one
soul from amongst the believers meet another, it must be as though a
thirsty one with parched lips has reached to the fountain of the water of
life, or a lover has met his true beloved. For one of the greatest divine
wisdoms regarding the appearance of the holy Manifestations is this: The
souls may come to know each other and become intimate with each other; the
power of the love of God may make all of them the waves of one sea, the
flowers of one rose garden, and the stars of one heaven. This is the
wisdom for the appearance of the holy Manifestations! When the most great
bestowal reveals itself in the hearts of the believers, the world of
nature will be transformed, the darkness of the contingent being will
vanish, and heavenly illumination will be obtained. Then the whole world
will become the Paradise of Abha, every one of the believers of God will
become a blessed tree, producing wonderful fruits.

10 O ye friends! Fellowship, fellowship! Love, love! Unity, unity!--so that
the power of the Baha'i Cause may appear a