{"id":2232,"date":"2012-01-28T07:48:21","date_gmt":"2012-01-28T07:48:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/"},"modified":"2017-10-24T06:50:18","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T06:50:18","slug":"manifestations-of-god","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/manifestations-of-god\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dawning-Points of Light (continued)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

On 17 September (2011), the local Baha'i community of Westminster hosted a meeting of prayers, music and stories at St. John's, Smith Square, 100 years to the day after \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Baha spoke at the church. Pictured center, wearing a chain of office, is Councillor Cyril Nemeth, who represented the Mayor of Westminster at the gathering. Dr. Nemeth informed the group of Westminster Council's policy to support religious diversity and good interfaith relations. (Copyright The Baha'i World News)<\/p><\/div>\n

In the following lines the exact talk, as published by Wad\u00ed Al-Nil is reproduced: [The English below is as published in the book, \u201c\u2019Abdu\u2019l-Bah\u00e1 in London,\u201d first published in 1912.]*<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

Discourse of \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Bah\u00e1 at St. John\u2019s, Westminster
\nSeptember 17th, 1911<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cO NOBLE Friends! O Seekers for the Kingdom of God! Man all over the world is seeking for God. All that exists is God; but the Reality of Divinity is holy above all understanding.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cThe pictures of Divinity that come to our mind are the product of our fancy; they exist in the realm of our imagination. They are not adequate to the Truth; truth in its essence cannot be put into words.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cDivinity cannot by comprehended because it is comprehending.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

“Man, who has also a real existence, is comprehended by God; therefore, the Divinity which man can understand is partial; it is not complete. Divinity is actual Truth and real existence, and not any representation of it. Divinity itself contains All, and is not contained.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

“Although the mineral, vegetable, animal and man all have actual being, yet the mineral has no knowledge of the vegetable. It cannot apprehend it. It cannot imagine nor understand it.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the same with the vegetable. Any progress it may make, however highly it may become developed, it will never apprehend the animal, nor understand it. It is, so to speak, without news of it. It has no ears, no sight, no understanding.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the same with the animal. However much it may progress in its own kingdom, however refined its feelings may become, it will have no real notion of the world of man or of his special intellectual faculties.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cThe animal cannot understand the roundness of the earth, nor its motion in space, nor the central position of the sun, nor can it imagine such a thing as the all-pervading ether.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough the mineral, vegetable, animal and man himself are actual beings, the difference between their kingdoms prevents members of the lower degree from comprehending the essence and nature of those of the superior degree. This being so, how can the temporal and phenomenal comprehend the Lord of Hosts?<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is clear that this is impossible!<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cBut the Essence of Divinity, the Sun of Truth, shines forth upon all horizons and is spreading its rays upon all things. Each creature is the recipient of some portion of that power, and man, who contains the perfection of the mineral, the vegetable and animal, as well as his own distinctive qualities, has become the noblest of created beings. It stands written that he is made in the Image of God.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cMysteries that were hidden he discovers; and secrets that were concealed he brings into the light. By Science and by Art he brings hidden powers into the region of the visible world. Man perceives the hidden law in created things and co-operates with it.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cLastly the perfect man, the Prophet, is one who is transfigured, one who has the purity and clearness of a perfect mirror\u2014one who reflects the Sun of Truth. Of such a one\u2014of such a Prophet and Messenger\u2014we can say that the Light of Divinity with the heavenly Perfections dwells in him.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we claim that the sun is seen in the mirror, we do not mean that the sun itself has descended from the holy heights of his heaven and entered into the mirror! This is impossible. The Divine Nature is seen in the Manifestations and its Light and Splendor are visible in extreme glory.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, men have always been taught and led by the Prophets of God. The Prophets of God are the Mediators of God. All the Prophets and Messengers have come from One Holy Spirit and bear the Message of God, fitted to the age in which they appear. The One Light is in them and they are One with each other. But the Eternal does not become phenomenal; neither can the phenomenal become Eternal.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cSaint Paul, the great Apostle, said: \u2018We all, with open face beholding as in a mirror the glory of God, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord.\u2019<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cO GOD the Forgiver! O Heavenly Educator! This assembly is adorned with the mention of thy holy Name. Thy children turn their face towards thy Kingdom, hearts are made happy and souls are comforted.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cMerciful God! cause us to repent of our shortcomings! Accept us in thy heavenly Kingdom and give unto us an abode where there shall be no error. Give us peace; give us knowledge, and open unto us the gates of thy heaven.<\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

\u201cThou art the Giver of all! Thou art the Forgiver! Thou art the Merciful! Amen.\u201d3<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n

<\/br>
\n
<\/br><\/p>\n

Notes<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n

* The introduction to the address notes that Archdeacon Wilberforce \u201chad the Bishop\u2019s chair placed for his Guest on the Chancel steps, and standing beside him read the translation of \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Bah\u00e1\u2019s address himself.\u201d The translated text (reproduced here) must therefore have been prepared ahead of time.
\n
\n1. \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Bah\u00e1 in London: Addresses and Notes of Conversations (UK Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed Publishing Trust, 1982 reprint), p. 21.<\/p>\n

2. Selections from the Writings of \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Bah\u00e1, (Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed World Centre, 1978), no. 15, pp. 31-32. Also cited in Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come (US Bah\u00e1\u2019\u00ed Publishing Trust, 1980 revised edition), pp. 120-21.<\/p>\n

3. \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Bah\u00e1 in London, pp. 22-25.<\/p>\n

<\/br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the following lines the exact talk, as published by Wad\u00ed Al-Nil is reproduced: [The English below is as published in the book, \u201c\u2019Abdu\u2019l-Bah\u00e1 in London,\u201d first published in 1912.]* Discourse of \u2018Abdu\u2019l-Bah\u00e1 at St. John\u2019s, Westminster September 17th, 1911 \u201cO NOBLE Friends! O Seekers for the Kingdom of God! Man all over the world […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2232","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2232"}],"version-history":[{"count":47,"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2232\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3049,"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2232\/revisions\/3049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.farstretchingriver.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}