The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 264
THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI the worship of human beings, the eating of swine's flesh, and the free use of wine as if it were harmless like water. Since they depend too much on material means, and seek no help from God they are dead; and the heavenly spirit has flown out of them as a dove flies away from its nest. The leprosy of the worship of Mammon has taken a hold on the inside of their hearts and cut to pieces the organs of their inner spiritual life. Beware ye of this leprosy. I do not forbid you to think of material means within proper limits; what I forbid is that like. other nations you become wholly the slaves of material means, altogether forgetting God Who controls material means as well. Only if you had the eyes to see, you would find there is only God and God alone, everything else being worthless. You can neither stretch out your arm nor fold it, except with His permission. A person spiritually dead would laugh at this, but it would be better for him if he died before he indulged in this laughter. . Beware! Having seen other nations, how they have attained a considerable measure of success in their worldly plans, you should not begin to wish to follow in their footsteps. Listen carefully and take heed that they are aliens to and unmindful of that God Who calls you all to Himself. What is their God but a frail human being, this being the reason why they have been left in such a complacent error. I do not wish to stop you from striving for worldly good, but you should not follow the ways of those who think this present world is all. In everything you do, whether it pertains to things of this world or of the next, you should seek help and succour from God alone, and this should remain the guiding principle of your life for ever and ever. Do not fail to wondering why other peoples are meeting with success although they have not the slightest idea of your Most Perfect and All-Powerful God. The answer is this, and this alone, that having forsaken God, they have been put to trial in the matter of material means. Often a trial from God takes the form that whoever forsakes. Him, giving himself up to carnal pleasure, setting his mind wholly on material wealth, the doors of worldly advancement are opened upon him; though from the religious and spiritual point of view he is 264