23 May 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Francis W. Breed
367 Harvard Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts
From Stenographic Notes
Scientific knowledge is the highest attainment upon the human plane, for
science is the discoverer of realities. It is of two kinds: material and
spiritual. Material science is the investigation of natural phenomena;
divine science is the discovery and realization of spiritual verities. The
world of humanity must acquire both. A bird has two wings; it cannot fly
with one. Material and spiritual science are the two wings of human uplift
and attainment. Both are necessary -- one the natural, the other
supernatural; one material, the other divine. By the divine we mean the
discovery of the mysteries of God, the comprehension of spiritual realities,
the wisdom of God, inner significances of the heavenly religions and
foundation of the law.
This is 23 May, the anniversary of the message and Declaration of the Báb.
It is a blessed day and the dawn of manifestation, for the appearance of the
Báb was the early light of the true morn, whereas the manifestation of the
Blessed Beauty, Bahá'u'lláh, was the shining forth of the sun. Therefore, it
is a blessed day, the inception of the heavenly bounty, the beginning of the
divine effulgence. On this day in 1844 the Báb was sent forth heralding and
proclaiming the Kingdom of God, announcing the glad tidings of the coming of
Bahá'u'lláh and withstanding the opposition of the whole Persian nation.
Some of the Persians followed Him. For this they suffered the most grievous
difficulties and severe ordeals. They withstood the tests with wonderful
power and sublime heroism. Thousands were cast into prison, punished,
persecuted and martyred. Their homes were pillaged and destroyed, their
possessions confiscated. They sacrificed their lives most willingly and
remained unshaken in their faith to the very end. Those wonderful souls are
the lamps of God, the stars of sanctity shining gloriously from the eternal
horizon of the will of God.
The Báb was subjected to bitter persecution in Shiraz, where He first
proclaimed His mission and message. A period of famine afflicted that
region, and the Báb journeyed to Isfahan. There the learned men rose against
Him in great hostility. He was arrested and sent to Tabriz. From thence He
was transferred to Maku and finally imprisoned in the strong castle of
Chihriq. Afterward He was martyred in Tabriz.
This is merely an outline of the history of the Báb. He withstood all
persecutions and bore every suffering and ordeal with unflinching strength.
The more His enemies endeavored to extinguish that flame, the brighter it
became. Day by day His Cause spread and strengthened. During the time when
He was among the people He was constantly heralding the coming of
Bahá'u'lláh. In all His Books and Tablets He mentioned Bahá'u'lláh and
announced the glad tidings of His manifestation, prophesying that He would
reveal Himself in the ninth year. He said that in the ninth year "you will
attain to all happiness"; in the ninth year "you will be blessed with the
meeting of the Promised One of Whom I have spoken." He mentioned the Blessed
Perfection, Bahá'u'lláh, by the title "Him Whom God shall make manifest." In
brief, that blessed Soul offered His very life in the pathway of
Bahá'u'lláh, even as it is recorded in historical writings and records. In
His first Book, the Best of Stories, He says, "O Remnant of God! I am wholly
sacrificed to Thee; I am content with curses in Thy path; I crave nought but
to be slain in Thy love; and God, the Supreme, sufficeth as an eternal
protection."
Consider how the Báb endured difficulties and tribulations; how He gave His
life in the Cause of God; how He was attracted to the love of the Blessed
Beauty, Bahá'u'lláh; and how He announced the glad tidings of His
manifestation. We must follow His heavenly example; we must be
self-sacrificing and aglow with the fire of the love of God. We must partake
of the bounty and grace of the Lord, for the Báb has admonished us to arise
in service to the Cause of God, to be absolutely severed from all else save
God during the day of the Blessed Perfection, Bahá'u'lláh, to be completely
attracted by the love of Bahá'u'lláh, to love all humanity for His sake, to
be lenient and merciful to all for Him and to upbuild the oneness of the
world of humanity. Therefore, this day, 23 May, is the anniversary of a
blessed event.
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 139)
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