The Splendour of God, by Eric Hammond, [1909], at sacred-texts.com
THE COMMANDS OF THE BLESSED MASTER ABDUL-BAHA
As Revealed in Tablets and Instructions for the Beloved in America
"To live the life.
To be no cause of grief to any one.
To love each other fully.
To be kind to all people and to love them with a pure spirit.
Should opposition or injury happen, we must bear it and be kind, and, through all, we must love the people. Should calamity exist in the greatest degree, we must rejoice, for these things are the Gifts and Favours of God.
To be silent concerning the faults of others; to pray for them; and help them, through kindness, to correct their faults.
To look always at the good and not at the bad. If a man has ten good qualities and one bad one, we must look at the ten and forget the one. And if a man has ten bad qualities and one good one, we must look at the one and forget the ten.
To never allow ourselves to speak one unkind word about another; even though that other be our enemy. To rebuke those who speak to us of the faults of others.
All of our deeds must be done in kindness.
To be occupied in spreading the Teachings; for only through obedience to this Command, our Master has said, will we receive the power and confirmation of the Spirit; and that whosoever is granted this power and confirmation of the Spirit, is under the Favour of God; but, otherwise, he is as a lamp without light. The Master has also said that 'Every seed cast in this great and magnificent period will be cultivated by God, and produce plants, through the abundance of the clouds of His Mercy.'
To cut our hearts from ourselves and from the world.
To be humble.
To be servants of each other, and to know that we are less than any one else.
To be as one soul in many bodies; for the more we love each other the nearer we shall be to God; but that our love, our unity, our
obedience, must not be by confession but of reality.
To act with caution and wisdom.
To be truthful.
To be hospitable.
To be reverent.
To be a cause of healing for every sick one; a comforter for every sorrowful one; a pleasant water for every thirsty one; a Heavenly Table for every hungry one; a guide for every seeker; rain for cultivation; a star to every . horizon; a light for every lamp; a herald to every yearning one for the Kingdom of God.
Our Blessed Master said:
'By these things you know the faithful servant of God.'"
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Printed by Hazell, Watson & Viney, London and Aylesbury.