O Son of Bounty! Out of the wastes of nothingness, with the
clay of My command I made thee to appear, and have ordained for thy training
every atom in existence and the essence of all created things. Thus, ere thou
didst issue from thy mother’s womb, I destined for thee two founts of gleaming
milk, eyes to watch over thee, and hearts to love thee. Out of My
loving-kindness, ’neath the shade of My mercy I nurtured thee, and guarded thee
by the essence of My grace and favor. And My purpose in all this was that thou
mightest attain My everlasting dominion and become worthy of My invisible
bestowals. And yet heedless thou didst remain, and when fully grown, thou didst
neglect all My bounties and occupied thyself with thine idle imaginings, in
such wise that thou didst become wholly forgetful, and, turning away from the
portals of the Friend didst abide within the courts of My enemy.
- Baha’u’llah (‘The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah’)
