If, however, it develops that this abridgement
produces favorable results, We shall, God willing, write a number of books
dealing at length and usefully with fundamental principles of the Divine
wisdom in its relation to the phenomenal world.
No power on earth can prevail against the armies of justice, and every
citadel must fall before them; for men willingly go down under the
triumphant strokes of this decisive blade, and desolate places bloom and
flourish under the tramplings of this host. There are two mighty banners
which, when they cast their shadow across the crown of any king, will
cause the influence of his government quickly and easily to penetrate the
whole earth, even as if it were the light of the sun: the first of these
two banners is wisdom; the second is justice. Against these two most
potent forces, the iron hills cannot prevail, and Alexander’s wall will
break before them. It is clear that life in this fast-fading world is as
fleeting and inconstant as the morning wind, and this being so, how
fortunate are the great who leave a good name behind them, and the memory
of a lifetime spent in the pathway of the good pleasure of God.
It is all one, if it be a throne
Or the bare ground under the open sky,
Where the pure soul lays him
Down to die.(44)
A conquest can be a praiseworthy thing, and there are times when war
becomes the powerful basis of peace, and ruin the very means of
reconstruction. If, for example, a high-minded sovereign marshals his
troops to block the onset of the insurgent and the aggressor, or again, if
he takes the field and distinguishes himself in a struggle to unify a
divided state and people, if, in brief, he is waging war for a righteous
purpose, then this seeming wrath is mercy itself, and this apparent
tyranny the very substance of justice and this warfare the cornerstone of
peace. Today, the task befitting great rulers is to establish universal
peace, for in this lies the freedom of all peoples.
The fourth phrase of the aforementioned Utterance which points out the way
of salvation is: “obedient to the commandments of his Lord.” It is certain
that man’s highest distinction is to be lowly before and obedient to his
God; that his greatest glory, his most exalted rank and honor, depend on
his close observance of the Divine commands and prohibitions. Religion is
the light of the world, and the progress, achievement, and happiness of
man result from obedience to the laws set down in the holy Books. Briefly,
it is demonstrable that in this life, both outwardly and inwardly the
mightiest of structures, the most solidly established, the most enduring,
standing guard over the world, assuring both the spiritual and the
material perfections of mankind, and protecting the happiness and the
civilization of society—is religion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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