Mike Fletcher by George Moore (ebook pc reader .txt) 📕

Whoso Ariseth To Teach Our Cause Must Needs Detach Himself From All

Earthly Things,  And Regard,  At All Times,  The Triumph Of Our Faith As His

Supreme Objective. This Hath,  Verily,  Been Decreed In The Guarded Tablet.

And When He Determineth To Leave His Home,  For The Sake Of The Cause Of

His Lord,  Let Him Put His Whole Trust In God,  As The Best Provision For

His Journey,  And Array Himself With The Robe Of Virtue. Thus Hath It Been

Decreed By God,  The Almighty,  The All-Praised.

If He Be Kindled With The Fire Of His Love,  If He Forgoeth All Created

Things,  The Words He Uttereth Shall Set On Fire Them That Hear Him.

Verily,  Thy Lord Is The Omniscient,  The All-Informed. Happy Is The Man

That Hath Heard Our Voice,  And Answered Our Call. He,  In Truth,  Is Of Them

That Shall Be Brought Nigh Unto Us.

Clviii: God Hath Prescribed Unto Every One The...

God Hath Prescribed Unto Every One The Duty Of Teaching His Cause. Whoever

Ariseth To Discharge This Duty,  Must Needs,  Ere He Proclaimeth His

Message,  Adorn Himself With The Ornament Of An Upright And Praiseworthy

Character,  So That His Words May Attract The Hearts Of Such As Are

Receptive To His Call. Without It,  He Can Never Hope To Influence His

Hearers.

Clix: Consider The Pettiness Of Men's Minds. They...

Consider The Pettiness Of Men's Minds. They Ask For That Which Injureth

Them,  And Cast Away The Thing That Profiteth Them. They Are,  Indeed,  Of

Those That Are Far Astray. We Find Some Men Desiring Liberty,  And Priding

Themselves Therein. Such Men Are In The Depths Of Ignorance.

Liberty Must,  In The End,  Lead To Sedition,  Whose Flames None Can Quench.

Thus Warneth You He Who Is The Reckoner,  The All-Knowing. Know Ye That The

Embodiment Of Liberty And Its Symbol Is The Animal. That Which Beseemeth

Man Is Submission Unto Such Restraints As Will Protect Him From His Own

Ignorance,  And Guard Him Against The Harm Of The Mischief-Maker. Liberty

Causeth Man To Overstep The Bounds Of Propriety,  And To Infringe On The

Dignity Of His Station. It Debaseth Him To The Level Of Extreme Depravity

And Wickedness.

Regard Men As A Flock Of Sheep That Need A Shepherd For Their Protection.

This,  Verily,  Is The Truth,  The Certain Truth. We Approve Of Liberty In

Certain Circumstances,  And Refuse To Sanction It In Others. We,  Verily,

Are The All-Knowing.

Say: True Liberty Consisteth In Man's Submission Unto My Commandments,

Little As Ye Know It. Were Men To Observe That Which We Have Sent Down

Unto Them From The Heaven Of Revelation,  They Would,  Of A Certainty,

Attain Unto Perfect Liberty. Happy Is The Man That Hath Apprehended The

Purpose Of God In Whatever He Hath Revealed From The Heaven Of His Will,

That Pervadeth All Created Things. Say: The Liberty That Profiteth You Is

To Be Found Nowhere Except In Complete Servitude Unto God,  The Eternal

Truth. Whoso Hath Tasted Of Its Sweetness Will Refuse To Barter It For All

The Dominion Of Earth And Heaven.

Clx: He Is Indeed A True Believer In The Unity Of...

He Is Indeed A True Believer In The Unity Of God Who,  In This Day,  Will

Regard Him As One Immeasurably Exalted Aboveliever In The Unity Ofe All The Comparisons And

Likenesses With Which Men Have Compared Him. He Hath Erred Grievously Who

Hath Mistaken These Comparisons And Likenesses For God Himself. Consider

The Relation Between The Craftsman And His Handiwork,  Between The Painter

And His Painting. Can It Ever Be Maintained That The Work Their Hands Have

Produced Is The Same As Themselves? By Him Who Is The Lord Of The Throne

Above And Of Earth Below! They Can Be Regarded In No Other Light Except As

Evidences That Proclaim The Excellence And Perfection Of Their Author.

O _Sh_Ay_Kh_,  O Thou Who Hast Surrendered Thy Will To God! By

Self-Surrender And Perpetual Union With God Is Meant That Men Should Merge

Their Will Wholly In The Will Of God,  And Regard Their Desires As Utter

Nothingness Beside His Purpose. Whatsoever The Creator Commandeth His

Creatures To Observe,  The Same Must They Diligently,  And With The Utmost

Joy And Eagerness,  Arise And Fulfil. They Should In No Wise Allow Their

Fancy To Obscure Their Judgment,  Neither Should They Regard Their Own

Imaginings As The Voice Of The Eternal. In The Prayer Of Fasting We Have

Revealed: "Should Thy Will Decree That Out Of Thy Mouth These Words

Proceed And Be Addressed Unto Them,  'Observe,  For My Beauty's Sake,  The

Fast,  O People,  And Set No Limit To Its Duration,' I Swear By The Majesty

Of Thy Glory,  That Every One Of Them Will Faithfully Observe It,  Will

Abstain From Whatsoever Will Violate Thy Law,  And Will Continue To Do So

Until They Yield Up Their Souls Unto Thee." In This Consisteth The

Complete Surrender Of One's Will To The Will Of God. Meditate On This,

That Thou Mayest Drink In The Waters Of Everlasting Life Which Flow

Through The Words Of The Lord Of All Mankind,  And Mayest Testify That The

One True God Hath Ever Been Immeasurably Exalted Above His Creatures. He,

Verily,  Is The Incomparable,  The Ever-Abiding,  The Omniscient,  The

All-Wise. The Station Of Absolute Self-Surrender Transcendeth,  And Will

Ever Remain Exalted Above,  Every Other Station.

It Behoveth Thee To Consecrate Thyself To The Will Of God. Whatsoever Hath

Been Revealed In His Tablets Is But A Reflection Of His Will. So Complete

Must Be Thy Consecration,  That Every Trace Of Worldly Desire Will Be

Washed From Thine Heart. This Is The Meaning Of True Unity.

Do Thou Beseech God To Enable Thee To Remain Steadfast In This Path,  And

To Aid Thee To Guide The Peoples Of The World To Him Who Is The Manifest

And Sovereign Ruler,  Who Hath Revealed Himself In A Distinct Attire,  Who

Giveth Utterance To A Divine And Specific Message. This Is The Essence Of

Faith And Certitude. They That Are The Worshipers Of The Idol Which Their

Imaginations Have Carved,  And Who Call It Inner Reality,  Such Men Are In

Truth Accounted Among The Heathen. To This Hath The All-Merciful Borne

Witness In His Tablets. He,  Verily,  Is The All-Knowing,  The All-Wise.

Clxi: Gird Up The Loins Of Thine Endeavor,  That...

Gird Up The Loins Of Thine Endeavor,  That Haply Thou Mayest Guide Thy

Neighbor To The Law Of God,  The Most Merciful. Such An Act,  Verily,

Excelleth All Other Acts In The Sight Of God,  The All-Possessing,  The Most

High. Such Must Be Thy Steadfastness In The Cause Of God,  That No Earthly

Thing Whatsoever Will Have The Power To Deter Thee From Thy Duty. Though

The Powers Of Earth Be Leagued Against Thee,  Though All Men Dispute With

Thee,  Thou Must Remain Unshaken.

Be Unrestrained As The Wind,  While Carrying The Message Of Him Who Hath

Caused The Dawn Of Divine Guidance To Break. Consider,  How The Wind,

Faithful To That Which God Hath Ordained,  Bloweth Upon All The Regions Of

The Earth,  Be They Inhabited Or Desolate. Neither The Sight Of Desolation,

Nor The Evidences Of Prosperity,  Can Either Pain Or Please It. It Bloweth

In Every Direction,  As Bidden By Its Creator. So Should Be Every One That

Claimeth To Be A Lover Of The One True God. It Behoveth Him To Fix His

Gaze Upon The Fundamentals Of His Faith,  And To Labor Diligently For Its

Propagation. Wholly For The Sake Of Gonce John Norton's Intention To Build A Monastery.

"He Would Have Founded A Monastery Had He Lived Two Centuries Ago,"

Said Harding; "But This Is An Age Of Concessions,  And Instead He Puts

Up A Few Gargoyles. Time Modifies But Does Not Eradicate,  And The

Modern King Cophetua Marries Not The Beggar,  But The Bar-Maid."

The Conversation Fell In Silence,  Full Of Consternation; And All

Wondered If The Two Ladies In Front Had Understood,  And They Were

Really Bar-Maids. Be This As It May,  They Maintained Their

Unalterable Reserve; And With Suppressed Laughter,  Mike Persuaded

Dicky,  Who Had Resumed The Ribbons,  To Turn Into The Lodge-Gates.

"Who Is This Johnny?" Shouted Muchross. "If He Won't Stand A Drink,

We Don't Want None Of His Blooming Architecture."

"And I Wouldn't Touch A Man With A Large Pole Who Didn't Like Women,"

Said Laura. At Which Emphatic But Naïve Expression Of Opinion,  The

Whole Coach Roared;--Even The Bar-Girls Smiled.

"Architecture! It Is A Regular Putty Castle," Said Kitty,  As They

Turned Out Of An Avenue Of Elms And Came In View Of The House.

Not A Trace Of The Original Italian House Remained. The Loggia Had

Been Replaced By A Couple Of Gothic Towers. Over The Central Hall He

Had Placed A Light Lantern Roof,  And The Billiard-Room Had Been

Converted Into A Chapel. A Cold And Corpse-Like Sky Was Flying; The

Shadows Falling Filled The Autumn Path With Sensations Of Deep

Melancholy. But The Painted Legend Of St. George Overthrowing The

Dragon,  Which John Had Placed In Commemoration Of His Victories Over

Himself,  In The Central Hall,  Glowed Full Of Colour And Story; And In

The Melodious Moan Of The Organ,  And In The Resonant Chord Which

Closes The Awful Warning Of The _Dies Iræ_,  He Realized The Soul Of

His Friend. Castle,  Window,  And Friend Were Now One In His Brain,  And

Seized With Dim,  Undefinable Weariness Of His Companions,  And An

Irritating Longing To See John,  Mike Said--

"I Must Go And See Him."

"We Can't Wait Here While You Are Paying Visits; Who Doesn't Like

Getting Drunk Or Singing,  'What Cheer,  Ria?' Let's Give Him A Song."

Then The Whole Coach Roared: Even The Bar-Girls Joined In.

  "What Cheer,  Ria?

     Ria's On The Job;

   What Cheer,  Ria?

     Speculate A Bob."

As Soon As He Could Make Himself Heard,  Mike Said--

"You Need Not Wait For Me. We Are Only Five Minutes From Brighton.

I'll Ride Over In An Hour's Time. Do You Wait For Me At The Ship,

Kitty."

"I Don't Think This At All Nice Of You."

Mike Waved His Hand; And As He Stood On The Steps Of This Gothic

Mansion,  Listening To The Chant,  Watching The Revellers Disappearing

In The Gray And Yellow Gloom Of The Park,  He Said--

"The Man Here Is The One Who Has Seized What Is Best In Life; He

Alone