January 8. On this date in 1901, May Ellis Bolles, the future wife of Hand of the Cause of God William Sutherland Maxwell and mother of 'Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, wrote Agnes Baldwin Alexander a letter stating "Praise be God that He has enlightened your heart in these wonderful days of the Coming of His Kingdom, and that He has in His Mercy guided you to the Truth...My Lord appeared to me in a vision twice, two years before I heard the Great Message...I feel by your beautiful letter that God has chosen you to be a servant in His blessed Vineyard, and that you will be greatly blessed...I am longing with great love to see you, to greet you in, the Truth that you may enter with your brothers and sisters in this city into the full joy and peace."
January 8, 1901
My precious Sister:
Praise be God that He has enlightened your heart in these wonderful days of the Coming of His Kingdom, and that He has in His Mercy guided you to the Truth.
Please God we may soon welcome you in our midst in Paris and that you may then receive the full Revelation, and much help and instruction. In the meantime, I send you the enclosed pamphlets, Tablets and prayers, which by the Grace of God will illumine your understanding and fill you with the Breath of Life. I also enclose my photograph of our Great and Glorious Lord, which was given to me when I made the pilgrimage to Acca, at the foot of Mount Carmel, the New Holy Jerusalem.
My Lord appeared to me in a vision twice, two years before I heard the Great Message, and when, by the great bounty of God, and without regard to my unworthiness, I was permitted to be among the first Americans to visit Acca -- I beheld my dear Lord, I knew Him by my visions.
The picture I send you of Him was taken about twenty years ago and does not give any adequate idea of His Greatness, Majesty and Power, which are beyond any words to describe -- while His wonderful unspeakable love and kindness to everyone is unlike anything we have ever known or dreamed of: Since that time my whole life has been devoted to His service, to teaching and spreading the Cause of God.
I feel by your beautiful letter that God has chosen you to be a servant in His blessed Vineyard, and that you will be greatly blessed.
I am longing with great love to see you, to greet you in, the Truth that you may enter with your brothers and sisters in this city into the full joy and peace.
As to the writings concerning this great religion, they are now being translated slowly from the Arabic and Persian, and each year diffuses more widely the teachings and knowledge, for we are the pioneers and are believers in the most wonderful time of His Appearance.
... Read Isaiah which contains wonderful prophecies of these the "latter days", "the end of the world" which means the end of the power of evil - for this is the dawn of Most Great Peace, the "Day of God" which is not followed by the night, and already the Sun of Truth has risen and is shining from the zenith.
One thing dearest spiritual sister, I would say to you. Although the fire of the love of God is burning in your heart, and you are longing to spread the glad tidings, be very careful - for every soul is not ripe - and our dear Lord has told us never to give to drink of this pure water of Life, but to the thirsty. I know just how you feel, for I was just so myself - but I quickly learned that the Truth is a Spirit which only God can impart, and when it is in us then it is imparted thro [sic] us, for we are nothing - God is all - the Wonderful, the Mighty. He is sufficient for everything.
I do not know if dear Mrs. D. gave you the prayers. We should learn them by heart, and say them 2 or 3 times daily, then we grow spiritually with great power and rapidity, for these prayers are unlike any others, they are from God Himself.
May God shower upon you like His greatest blessings and confirm you in the Glorious Truth.
I am your loving and devoted Sister in the love and service of our Lord.
May Ellis Bolles
100, rue du Bac, Paris.
No comments:
Post a Comment