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"Know thou that, according to what thy Lord... hath decreed..., the favors vouchsafed by Him unto mankind have been, and will ever remain, limitless in their range. First and foremost among these favors... is the gift of understanding. His purpose in conferring such a gift is none other except to enable His creature to know and recognize the one true God... This gift giveth man the power to discern the truth in all things... That which is preeminent above all other gifts, is incorruptible in nature, and pertaineth to God Himself, is the gift of Divine Revelation. Every bounty conferred by the Creator upon man, be it material or spiritual, is subservient unto this. It is, in its essence, and will ever so remain, the Bread which cometh down from Heaven. It is God's supreme testimony, the clearest evidence of His truth.. the proof of His most loving providence." (Bwf 121- 2) (16:1) "Thou hast inspired the Pen with the mysteries of Thine eternity, and bidden it teach man that which he knoweth not, and caused him to partake of the living waters of truth from the cup of Thy Revelation and Thine inspiration." (Bwf 91) (16:2) "Thou art surely aware of the... idle contention, that all Revelation is ended, that the portals of Divine mercy are closed, that from the daysprings of eternal holiness no Sun shall rise again, that the Ocean of everlasting bounty is forever stilled, and that out of the Tabernacle of ancient glory the Messengers of God have ceased to be made manifest. Such is the measure of the understanding of... small- minded contemptible people." (Bwf 16- 7) (16:3) "From the beginning that hath no beginning the portals of Divine mercy have been flung open to the face of all created things, and the clouds of Truth will continue to the end that hath no end to rain on the soil of human capacity, reality and personality, their favors and bounties. Such hath been God's method continued from everlasting to everlasting." (Bwf 104- 5)
(16:4)
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