| ←Issue 13 | Star of the West Volume 6 - Issue 14 |
Issue 15→ |
 Proofread onceReturn to PDF view
|
We are working hard to have proofread and nicely formatted text for you to read. Here is our progress on this section:
|
STAR OF THE WEST
"We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; that all nations shall become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men shall be strengthened; that diversity of religion shall cease and differences of race be annulled. So it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come."—BAHA'O'LLAH.
Vol. VI Kowl 1, 71 (November 23, 1915) No. 14
[Following its usual custom, this issue of the STAR OF THE WEST emphasizes "The Center of The Covenant" in the person and function of ABDUL-BAHA, inasmuch as the Twenty-sixth of November is the "Feast of the Appointment of The Center of The Covenant."—The Editors]
"These Great Days are swiftly passing and once gone can never be recalled; so while the rays of the Sun of Truth are still shining, and the "CENTER of the COVENANT of GOD" is manifest, let us go forth to work, for after a while the night will come and the way to the Vineyard will not then be so easy to find." —ABDUL-BAHA
The Covenant of God*
By GEORGE O. LATIMER
IN all the Holy Scriptures the "Covenant and Testament" of God has been given to man through the prophets and in order to clearly and fully comprehend the Bahai Revelation it is necessary to understand the meaning and purpose of this Covenant and Testament as it has existed in past ages as well as its importance in this present day. As the term implies, a "covenant" means a compact or an agreement and a "testament" is a document by which one disposes of his property after his death. In legal phraseology the term, covenant, is used in the sense of a mutual promise and necessarily implies that there are two parties to the agreement: the promisor and the promisee. The promisor agrees to fulfill certain conditions upon the performing of certain acts by the promisee.
Now the "Covenant of God" is a promise, with the Creator as the party of the first part and the people of the world as the party of the second, that "at the 'end of the days,' God will establish His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven." In each successive cycle this Covenant or promise has been renewed with man by the Word of God speaking through His Manifestations, but each time it has been given in a different testamentary form. A testament requires two witnesses to make it valid, and the preceeding and succeeding prophet in each dispensation have been these witnesses. For example, Moses promised the coming of Christ and Christ said that he fulfilled the prophecy of Moses, thus these two were the witnesses to God's Covenant, and in like manner, this has been the case in every age.
The subject is clearly explained in the following tablet from the pen of Abdul-Baha:
"His holiness Abraham—On him be peace—made a covenant concerning his holiness Moses and gave the glad-tidings of his coming. His holiness Moses made a covenant concerning the 'promised one,' i. e., his holiness Christ, and announced
*Note—Compiled in Stuttgart, Germany, during August, 1914. This manuscript was presented to Abdul-Baha personally by Mr. Latimer while in Akka in October of the same year. Abdul-Baha gave consent to its publication.—The Editors.
the good news of his Manifestation to the world. His holiness Christ made a covenant concerning the Paraclete and gave the tidings of his coming. His holiness the prophet Mohammed made a covenant concerning his holiness the Bab, and the Báb Was the one promised by Mohammed—for Mohammed gave the glad-tidings of his coming. The Bab made a covenant concerning Baha'o'llah and gave the glad-tidings of his coming, and Baha'o'llah was the one promised by his holiness the Bab. Baha'o'llah made a covenant concerning a promised one who will become manifest after one thousand, or thousands of years. He likewise, with his Supreme Pen, entered into a great covenant and testament with all the Bahais whereby they were all commanded to follow the Center of the Covenant after his (Baha'o'llah's) departure, and turn not away, even to a hairsbreadth, from obeying him."
In reality, there has been but one Covenant. Each prophet has renewed this Covenant in a different manner and to distinguish the promise of one from that of the other, it is spoken of as the covenant of Abraham, the covenant of Moses, etc., and in this 'latter day" it has been referred to by Jeremiah (31:31) as the "new covenant."
Thus God has entered into this Covenant with all His Manifestations and each in turn has given it to the world, but always in a new form according to the understanding of the people. The story of Adam and the Garden of Eden is an account of this Covenant. Again the Ark of Noah represents this Covenant. The "everlasting covenant" with Abraham that "his seed would inherit the earth" explains the promise, Moses fulfilled this Covenant on Mount Sinai. Christ referred to this Covenant when he spoke of Peter as the "rock" upon which the church was to be built. Again the account of Fama-Gadeer (where Mohammed told the people to turn to his successor, Ali) relates to this Covenant. The Book of Beyan, in which the Bab commanded his followers to turn to Baha'o'llah as the one Whom God shall Manifest," is this same Covenant, and the Kitab-el-Ahd (Book of the Covenant), written by Baha'o'llah, is the establishment of this same Covenant.
This Covenant is the source of order in the world. In the words of Abdul-Baha: "The Covenant is an Orb which shines and gleams forth unto the universe. Verily, its lights will dispel darkness, its sea. will cast out the froth of suspicion upon the shores of perdition. Verily, naught in the world can resist the power of the Kingdom. Should all mankind assemble, could they prevent the sun from giving its light, the winds from their blowing, the clouds from their showers, the mountains from their firmness or the stars from their beaming? No! by the Lord, the Clement. Everything (in the world) is subject to corruption, but the Covenant of thy Lord shall continue to pervade all regions."
Each one of the prophets testified to the renewal of this Covenant by the one who was to come after him and at the same time pointed to the final Covenant which would be a culmination of all the preceding ones and which would be the establishment of God's Kingdom in the hearts of mankind. In the Old Testament this Covenant has been symbolized by salt. Moses commanded that all offerings be seasoned with the "salt of the covenant of God." In Numbers 18:19, it is referred to as "a covenant of salt forever before the Lord." In Chronicles II, 13:5, it is stated that the Lord gave the kingdom of Israel over to David and his sons by "a covenant of salt." Again Christ says to his disciples (Matt. 5:13): "Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt hath lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted?" Salt has been used to characterize the spiritual power which gives life to humanity and if one is deprived of its savor by losing hold of the Covenant his spiritual sustenance is cut off.
Today, the symbol of the spiritual power of the Covenant is love. All through the biblical scriptures the wrath
STAR OF THE WEST
PUBLISHED NINETEEN TIMES A YEAR
By the BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, 515 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
Entered as second-class matter April 9, 1911, at the post office at Chicago, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Editorial Staff: ALBERT R. WINDUST — GERTRUDE BUIKEMA — DR. ZIA M. BAGDADI
Honorary Member: MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Terms: $1.50 per year; 10 cents per copy.
Note—Until further notice, distribution in the Orient is through Agents.
Make Money Orders payable to BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
To personal checks please add sufficient to cover the bank exchange.
Address all communications to BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill., U.S.A.
TABLET FROM ABDUL-BAHA.
HE IS GOD!
O thou Star of the West!
Be thou happy! Be thou happy! Shouldst thou continue to remain firm and eternal, ere long, thou shalt become the Star of the East and shalt spread in every country and clime. Thou art the first paper of the Bahais which is organized in the country of America. Although for the present thy subscribers are limited, thy form is small and thy voice weak, yet shouldst thou stand unshakable, become the object of the attention of the friends and the center of the generosity of the leaders of the faith who are firm in the Covenant, in the future thy subscribers will become hosts after hosts like unto the waves of the sea; thy volume will increase, thy arena will become vast and spacious and thy voice and fame will be raised and become world-wide—and at last thou shalt become the first paper of the world of humanity. Yet all these depend upon firmness, firmness, firmness!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Vol. VI
No. 14
of God is called down upon those who violate the Covenant of God or loose hold thereof, but His protection is guaranteed to all who come under its divine power. In the present day, the Covenant has again been the means of illuminating mankind. Abdul-Baha says: "The Covenant has such a sway that it astonishes the minds. In every region the sign of the power of the Covenant is apparent and manifest. For instance, in Persia the fire of revolution blazed in such wise that all communities, government and nation became afflicted with the most severe trials; but the power of the Covenant protected the Bahai friends to such a degree that in this turbulent storm no dust fell upon them, except in one locality, which became the cause of the spreading of the Religion of God and the diffusion of the Word of God. Now all the parties in Persia are wondering how the people of Baha' were guarded and protected." (Extract from a Tablet.)
Thus in every age the people have been commanded to "remain firm in this Covenant," i. e., to perform their part of the agreement, for unless both parties carry out their side of the agreement, the Covenant becomes invalid and cannot be established. The way in which the people are to fulfill their side of this compact is to turn to God with open hearts and to follow His commandments and abide in His love. When they do this the confirmations of heaven will reach them; all their desires and longings will be fulfilled by the establishment of this very same Covenant.
Today, this Covenant is fulfilled by the Manifestation of the three Bahai teachers: the Bab, Baha'o'llah and Abdul-Baha. The coming of the three to establish the Covenant in this day—one as the "Forerunner," one as the "Lord of Hosts," and one as the "Center of the Covenant"—was promised by God in the clearest of terms through the prophet Malachi (3:1) : "Behold I will send my [1] messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; [2] and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple; [3] even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in, behold he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts." It is not meant however, that these three holy personages are to be considered as separate manifestors of the Word of God in this day, for the Word of God is
ever given in its oneness and singleness, i. e., it is made manifest through only one channel or individual at a time.
The reality of their Manifestation is likened unto that of a tree: the Bab, known as the "First Point" of this Revelation, is the first off-shoot from the seed of the Tree; Baha'o'llah is the "Pre-existent Root" of the same Tree, and Abdul-Baha, is the "Greatest Branch" of that Tree. All parts of the Tree are nourished by the same osmosis (the Word of God), and each is dependent on the other for sustenance. In the botanical kingdom, the direct, upward growing branch of the tree is known as the main or greatest branch of the tree while all the other branches are considered as offshoots from this main branch. The seed of the tree is its manifestation, for it is the seed itself which appears in the form of branches, leaves and fruits. The fruit cannot be ripened and perfected save through the branch, and without the fruit the potentiality of the seed ceases to exist. The people of the world are the leaves of this tree and the leaves receive their nourishment through the branch. When the connection with the branch is severed they drop off from the tree and wither up. The purpose of the tree is to produce fruit and while the root may live for awhile without its branch, yet it is not able to complete its existence; therefore the root and the trunk are one and each is subservient to the other for the perfection of their manifestation. "The essential object is the Tree, the foundation is the Tree, and the Universal Reality is the Tree."
The perfection of this "Branch" has been foretold by God through Zechariah (3:7): "For, behold, I will bring forth my servant, the Branch"; and the promise was also given through Isaiah (11:1): "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse. [Baha'o'llah descended from Jesse, the son of Abraham—not Jesse, the father of David], and a Branch shall grow out of his root, and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him." Again Isaiah said (4:2): "In that day shall the Branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely."
The branch is the center of the tree's existence; likewise in this world of creation there is a center for everything and all the bounties of existence come from that center. For example, everything in this physical world is dependent for its existence upon the center of gravity which holds all the physical bodies together. If anything should detach itself for one instant from this center of attraction it will immediately fall off into space, and so far as part of the life of this planet is concerned it will cease to exist. In our solar system the sun is the center of illumination. All forms of genesis appear through its light and heat, without which there would be no growth and development; there would be no vegetable kingdom, no animal kingdom, and all life in the world would cease to exist. The earth, the moon and all the planets receive their illumination from this same sun, and if deprived of its rays they would be in eternal darkness. In the mineral kingdom the elements are held together by a center known as chemical affinity, and likewise there is a center for all life in the vegetable world. Again the human organism is a unit composed of various organs all dependent upon one center—the heart—for life and sustenance. As long as all the different parts are in perfect connection with the heart, they co-ordinate and perform their separate functions in harmony and accord, and life will be manifest in its fullest perfection; but if the supply of life-giving blood is cut off from one of the members of the body, immediately that organ begins to disintegrate and die. In turn its death will cause the contamination of the other members, and eventually the entire body will become diseased, and death will be the result. In our commercial life there is a focusing point that controls affairs. The heart of the city is the business
center which regulates the life of the entire city. In a like manner there are units of centralization for the social, civic and political welfare of the community. In fact, everything in the material world demands a centralizing of forces for the well-being and progress of humanity.
Now, the material world is a counterpart or reflection of the spiritual world and as there is a center of attraction for everything in the terrestrial globe—this being an universal law of nature—likewise, there must be a center of attachment in the spiritual world. In every age the absence of this center in the spiritual world has been the cause of the decline and departure of the spirit from religion. Differences and misunderstandings have crept in and falsehood has supplanted truth, creating new sects and thus destroying the very foundations of religion. Strife and contention makes division, and separation is the cause of death, for every creation is an organized unit, the members of which are held together by the center of attraction.
Because in former times there was no distinct center of the Covenant of God, after each renewal, decay set in and the Word of God became contaminated by man-made creeds and dogmas which in turn caused disagreement, opposition and bitter struggle throughout the centuries, down to the present time; and now this strife in the spiritual world, as well as in the physical world is at its height for the very reason that this Center is unknown.
In former ages no distinct personage had been appointed to be the Center which was to differentiate between truth and falsehood and thus eradicate all differences arising in the mind of man. Many have thought that Peter was made the expounder of the Book, when Christ said, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my church"; but this was only an indication and confirmation of Peter's faith, for the word "rock" was used as a symbol of faith, and the Christian church was established through the faith of the people in Christ. Yet there were dissentions in the time of Christ because there was no Center, and men began to interpret and explain his teachings in the way that most benefited themselves. The separation between Roman and Greek church was due to a small question of interpretation—whether a word meant "by" or "through." Today the signs of man are far more evidence in the church, than the signs of Christ.
Therefore, in order to have accord and harmony in the spiritual world, and the establishment of God's Kingdom of love and peace on earth, and the uniting of all peoples under the tent of oneness, a Center is necessary, and Abdul-Baha has been appointed that Center. He is the Explainer of the Word and the Expounder of the Book of God revealed to the world in this day through Baha'o'llah. In the Kitab-el-Ahd (Book of the Covenant) the Tablet of the Branch, and in numerous writings, Baha'o'llah clearly appoints Abdul-Baha, the Greatest Branch, as the one to whom all should turn for spiritual guidance and knowledge after his departure. He writes in his Will and Testament: "When the Ocean of My Presence hath disappeared and the Book of Origin is achieved to the end, turn your faces toward Him-Whom-God-hath-purposed, who hath branched from this Pre-Existent Root. The aim of this blessed verse hath been the Greatest Branch." Again he commanded: "After My departure turn to the Branch for what ye do not understand," and in a tablet to Abdul-Baha addressed "O Thou My Greatest Branch," he said, "Verily, We have ordained Thee the guardian of all the creatures, and a Protection to all those in the heavens and earths, and a Fortress to those who believe in God, the One, the Omniscient! I beg of God to protect them by Thee; to enrich them by Thee, to nourish them by Thee; and to reveal to Thee that which is the Dawning-point of riches to the people of Creation, and the Ocean of Generosity to
those in the world, and the Rising-point of favor to all nations. Verily, He is the Powerful, the All-knowing, the Wise! I beg of Him to water the earth and all that is in it by Thee, that there may spring up from it the Flowers of Wisdom and Revelation and the Hyacinths of science and knowledge." Also in another tablet: "Thou knowest, O my God, that, verily I have chosen Him, only because Thou hast chosen Him; I have elected Him, only because Thou hast elected Him. Therefore assist Him by the Hosts of Thy Heaven and earth. Help Thou, O My God, whosoever may help Him! choose, whosoever may choose Him! strengthen whosoever may advance toward Him! and reject whosoever may deny Him and desire Him not!"
These are a few of the many utterances of Baha'o'llah referring to the appointment of Abdul-Baha as the Center of His Covenant. This does not mean that Abdul-Baha is the "Promised One" of Baha'o'llah, for that One will not appear until after one thousand or thousands of years, but it means that Abdul-Baha has been made the Standard differentiating falsehood from truth, and his explanations of the meanings of the texts and verses are the truth.
Therefore, again in this day, all the people are exhorted to firmness in God's Covenant, and this is accomplished by turning to Abdul-Baha for enlightenment and guidance in all affairs. He says: "Firmness in the Covenant means obedience, so that no one may say, 'This is my opinion'; nay rather, he must obey that which proceeds from the Pen and Tongue of the Covenant. Any explanation which does not accord with the Covenant will have no effect whatsoever. Therefore, whosoever heralds the Covenant of God, unquestionably he is confirmed. Know this for a certainty that today, the penetrative power in the arteries of the world of humanity, is the power of the Covenant. The body of the world will not be moved through any power except through the power of the Covenant. There is no other power like unto this. This Spirit of the Covenant, is the real Center of love and is reflecting its rays to all parts of the globe, which are resuscitating and regenerating man and illuminating the path to the Divine Kingdom."
Through all His Prophets, God has urged the people to firmness and obedience so that His Everlasting Covenant may be established: It is His universal law that all things which are not attached to their life-giving Center, disintegrate and die, and in order to preserve the oneness of all humanity, He has made known that spiritual Center which will unite all and establish His Kingdom in the hearts of men.
When the electric light bulb loses its connection with the power-house it becomes extinct and ceases to give forth light. The Center of the Covenant is the Divine Magno which is illuminating the world, dispelling the darkness of racial and religious hatred, and lighting up the way made dark by the superstitions and blind imitations of former ages. It is the Magnet which is attracting the hearts of men to God. This awakening is being accomplished by the Servitude of Abdul-Baha to mankind. His whole life has been one of sacrifice and service so that man might become mindful of God's wishes. After a life of imprisonment and trials and at an advanced age, he travelled throughout Europe and America, undergoing many hardships, in order to serve the people by rending asunder the veils of ignorance and disclosing the realities of all things, thus illuminating this dark world of materialism.
Assuredly, the words of Jesus (Matt. 23:11) to the multitude: "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant," are being fulfilled today by Abdul-Baha, the "Servant of God." His greatest wish is: "To be a faithful servant and a sincere slave at the Threshold of Baha'o'llah. Whosoever entertains perfect love for me and is firm in the Covenant must know and believe that I am the Servant of the Threshold
of the Blessed Perfection (Baha'o'llah). But the Center of the Covenant is the Point toward which all the people of the world must turn their faces. He is the Interpreter of the Books and all the Bahais are beneath his protection. Therefore, if any soul by himself, interprets the Books of God contrary to the clear text emanating from the pen of the Covenant, it is not acceptable and this will become the cause of differences amongst the believers of God" (From a recent Tablet of Abdul-Baha).
The fruit appears upon the branch and not upon the root of the tree, therefore the fruits of Baha'o'llah's teachings are being ripened and brought to fruition through Abdul-Baha. He is ushering in the new harvest of Universal Peace and the Oneness of the World of Humanity—which means the cessation of fruitless strife and ruinous warfare. Thus the antagonism of faiths and religions and the racial and patriotic differences will be eradicated and for all there will be one religion, one faith, one race, one people and one home, and the din and clamor caused by warfare and discordant revelry will be changed to the beautiful and harmonious melodies of the kingdom of paradise.
These blessings are coming to man through his firmness in the Covenant. Abdul-Baha has said: "Today firmness in the Covenant is the means of the promotion of the Word of God and conducive to the effect of the word of man," for the fulfillment of this Covenant it is necessary for the believers of God to imitate the conduct and manner of Abdul-Baha, that is they must engage in teaching and spreading the Cause of God; their words must be like the flame of fire, burning away the veils of dogmas, passion and desire and they must be in the utmost state of humility and self-renunciation so that others may be mindful. In order to accomplish this fulfillment of the Covenant, one has only to follow out the following admonition of Abdul-Baha:
"Through the protection and help of the Blessed Perfection (Baha'o'llah), you must conduct and deport yourselves in such a manner that you may stand out among other souls distinguished by a brilliancy like unto the sun. If any one of you enters a city he must become the center of attraction because of the sincerity, faithfulness, honesty, fidelity, truthfulness, and loving-kindness of his disposition and nature toward all the inhabitants of the world. That the people of the city may cry out: 'This person is unquestionably a Bahai. For his manners, his behavior, his conduct, his morals, his nature and his disposition are of the attributes of the Bahais.' Until you do attain to this station, you have not fulfilled the Covenant and Testament of God."
Concluding paragraph of "The Daily Prayer" revealed by Baha'o'llah
[Then sitting down, say:] "I confess Thy Oneness and Singleness and that Thou art God: There is no God but Thee! Thou hast manifested Thy Command, FULFILLED THY COVENANT, and opened the gate of Thy Bounty to all who are in the Heavens and upon the earth. Prayer and peace, praise and glory be upon Thy beloved, who were not prevented by the deeds of the people from turning unto Thee, and who offered what they had for the hope of what Thou hast. Verily Thou art the Merciful, the Forgiving!"
