November 9, 1911
I am very grateful for the words and sentiments expressed by the general secretary. I give thanks to God to find myself in Paris in such a spiritual assembly.
If we look at the atmosphere of this meeting, we see that the spirit floats in it, the bounties of God descend, the aid of the Holy Spirit is seen. Thanks to God, these hearts are endowed with spiritual sentiments; the vibrations of the soul make themselves felt.
The spirit is like the sea, this assembly like the waves -- though they are numerous, they all come from the same sea; though they apparently have different forms and aspects, the unity of the spirit is manifest.
All the prophets and Divine Manifestations have come to educate men, in order that the unity of the human world may shine clearly and distinctly, so that there remain no authority to the waves; that the authority be peculiar to the sea, for the spirit is like the sea and the bodies are like the waves.
It is said in the Gospels, “Jerusalem will come down out of heaven from God." This heavenly Jerusalem is not made of stone, of lime and of clay, but it is made of the divine teachings which shine among men by the power of the spirit. For a long time, the divine teachings had been forgotten, no trace remained of the light of the heavenly Jerusalem. When Baha’u’llah manifested Himself from the Orient, the light of His divine teachings shone forth in Persia unto otherer parts of the world. This divine teaching is the heavenly Jerusalem which has again “come down out of heaven." Although that edifice had fallen to pieces, it is founded anew. The corporal and material forces ruled over the Orient; now the spiritual forces have taken their place.