Concealment and Revelation

S. ah. í f i y - i - Shat. t. í yy ih (Book of the Ri ver )

59

God createth what He pleaseth through the power of His command. No God is there save God, the Lord of all the worlds. Similarly, ponder upon the mysteries of divine decree and destiny. Whatever hath appeared or will appear is like this river. Each thing moveth or reposeth in its proper place. But if something contrary to this natural flow of events is manifested, the order of the world becometh gravely disrupted. Couldst thou but grasp this subtle mystery, which is more hidden than any other mystery, thou wouldst find thyself independent of this and all other questions. It is for this reason that, in every age and century, as He desireth, the Unique Hidden One and the Eternal Essence manifesteth that true River and real Sea and causeth it to flow, adorning it with a new temple and a new vesture. All those structures of vain imaginings and palaces of the ungodly are then swept away and destroyed in its waters. With utmost desire and thirst they drown and perish, lacking even the faintest awareness that they could quaff a draught thereof. Thus doth God bestow life upon whom He willeth, and taketh it away from whom He willeth, and confirmeth whom He pleaseth, and denieth whom He pleaseth, could ye but perceive it. This is especially true if the Eastern Winds begin to blow upon the flood of this heavenly river, which is rushing forth from the North of divine unity. How many exalted souls and possessors of true understanding, how many mighty castles and firm lofty edifices, will be destroyed and perish. By Him Who holdeth the heavens by His might and moveth the oceans by His command! Were it not for fear of the malice hidden in the hearts, I would have assuredly unveiled all the inmost divine analogies and all the subtleties of the heavenly principles with regard to the course of this outward river. Yet, alas, I am disinclined to approach any matter. On account of the intensity of My anguish and sorrow, in these days I am sore tried between the Gog of silence and the Magog of utterance. I beseech God to send down an Alexander who will raise an insurmountable barrier. Hidden allusions are concealed within these verses and holy letters are treasured up within these words. Blessed is the one who hath seized these pearls, recognized their value, and attained the presence of their Supreme Meaning. It is clear and evident that the root of differences, from the farthest worlds of meaning to the nearest degrees of expression, is caused by the diversity of the forms of the mirrors. Each person speaketh and expresseth himself according to that which is reflected within him. For example, with reference to the same analogy of the flooding river, observe that it floweth forward in one manner and its relationship to all buildings and structures is the same, yet any valley that hath more capacity is able to take in more of it, and any dam whose foundation is weaker is less able to resist it. These differences, therefore, have arisen from the diversity of recipients. In like manner, consider the rays of the Eternal Sun, which shine with the same illumination in the