The Heart
Exported from Holy-Writings.com on 2026-07-04 - 1 clipping

Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Emma Maxie Jones, The Heart, bahai-library.com.
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THE HEART
By Emma Jones

J would like to share with you this afternoon some thoughts on the heart of man. The heart is
something we take for granted until something goes wrong - this applies to our spiritual heart as well as
our physical heart.
The heart is a small muscular organ situated in the left side of the chest. It is a single organ - we
have two eyes, two ears, two lungs, two kidneys, etc. but only one heart. Without it's functioning we
could not live. It is a single organ, but it has two halves - inlet and outlet. It's function is to pump the life
force carried in the bloodstream throughout the entire body. If not sufficient force or energy is
forthcoming from the heart's action, we see conditions of disease or imperfection become manifest. It       iJ
"ecessary for it to be constantly nourished in order to perform perfectly. The lungs take in the breath of
fife or oxygen but it is the heart's job to force it throughout the body                    . -.1
There is a poiarity in the body - the negati vt! and the positive and an inlet and outlet. This applies
.to thespiritual consciousness as well.
The scriptures teach us about the two worlds - the physical and the spiritual - as above as below -
"Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven". The Kingdom couldn't be on earth as it is áin heaven if
the earth and Heaven were not similar - similar conditions common to both.
The scriptures teach also that the Kingdom of God is within us. Now how can the Kingdom of God
be within us - man?
In our search for the answer we find that the heart is used as a symbol for the love of God manifest
to and through mankind. 7£{ t '-"                                                         : ;, (
in Romans 10 _!'9&10-we are told the heart of man believeth - Peter 3 -3 &4 .....         the hidden man
-0f the heart in that whi~1s not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet s'j;lrit.
ln this day the same truth is stated by Baha'u'llah- 0 Son of Dust All that is in heaven and earth I
~ave ordained for thee_,except the human heart, which I have made the habitation of my Beauty and
Glory.
lt is interesting to note in the old and new Testaments the kinds of heart man is subject to. There is
the, hard heart, the stony heart, the double heart, the bitter heart, the fearful heart, the adamant heart and
the understanding heart, the large heart, the soft heart, the meek and lowly heart, the sound heart.
These are all qualities of the heart - qualities that being expressed, color the actions and re-actions
of the one giving out.
Baha;u'Uah shows us some of the functions of the heart as well as describing the qualitie of th
heart. He likens it unto a tablet upon which thin .scan be inscribed- it can al o be a mirror -refl ting
whatever it is focusing on. He likewise likens    r fan in which can be planted seeds that will bring forth
their kind. He al o refers to the cities of men's heart,s. In analyzing this analogy we disco er a citá i a
center of great activity - has mllch light and energy; ti the hub or heart f r th urrounding area. It i a
(oca1 point from which i generated many ideas and activities.                               ~the phy ical heart and the spiritual heart are one. The human heart is one in that h art in      ry
roan, has the ame mu cular formation, the ame purpo e, th am n d and i obj l t th am
THE HEART
qualiti . It doe not matter what. part of the earth one lives in or what color of kin the body may be
wra\)ped in. The hearts are one in nature and function.
We speak of the heart of mankind- kind means species - so we speak of the species of man. There
are atl kinds of men - just like we have all kinds of trees. There's a kind of man that has a short body and
tong legs, or the reverse, there's the fat kind of man, or the thin kind of man, the tall, the short, the selfish,
the generous kind of man- all kinds of man. These men all have the same kind of heart subject to the
same kinds of qualities. We have all kinds of color in these various kinds of men. The long legs or the red
color do not keep him from being man. He still belongs to the species and is one of the various kinds of
inen.
Also we find all kinds of qualities amongst mankind - loving, honest, generous, lazy, lying. These
qualities show the color of the heart of men. "As a man thinketh, in his heart, so is he". Let's say this
tlifferently - As a man thinketh in his hearc"o is he. Both give the-same coloring to the quality of the man.
His heart's nature discloses the nature of the man. His every act, or thought expressed is colored by his
feelings.
The heart is the seat of emotions. We cannot give out what we do not have stored within. It is not
ours to give because we do not have it. We cannot give out selfishness if we are free from that quality.
We discover through our study of the scriptures the heart of man and it's condition has been the
theme of all the messages given by the prophets. From the time of Adarfi •p until now the prophets have
all come for the purpose of enlightening the hearts of men and lifting them up and away from the earthly
attachments.
They have livedfught and pleaded for the regeneration of men's hearts - for the second birth, the
awareness or consciousness of the world beyond. If you start on ajoumeyjou should have an idea of
where you are going.
Baha'u'llah said one of the paradoxes was that man was to live in the world, but not be of it. Our
struggle is to keep our hearts or the centers of our affections, from being attached to the earth. The
pl"ophets have given us many teachings on this subject. They have always drawn their followers, by word
and life toward a higher affection. Man was created for love, and because he is a manifestation of love he
has to express love. Love is the motivating _powerof the world. It is expressed by cohesion in the mineral
realm~ and in other forms in the other realms. Man is the highest expression of love, so;therefor to be true
to his kind, he has to express the highest love, and that is to love without any barriers or limitations.
In order to have love to express we must open up the receptacles of love in our heart and tum them
toward the source of the outpouring of love - as we would open up our hands and lift up our face toward
the sky if we wanted to catch rain or sunshine. We have to connect with the source in order to have a
supply. And if we do this just now and then, we have love to give out only now and then. In order to have
love to enjoy within ourselves and to express to others, we have to keep the channel open in order for it to
come into our hearts and pass through on to others.
God sets the standard for us in our expression of love. All men regardles of their type or color,
have access to the same sunshine, rain, wind, cold, heat, need for shelter and clothing - all can call n
His Divine Mercy for forgiveness, all can rely upon Him for guidance, all can pray to Him, aJl rec i his
THJ~HEART
outpouring of love. And when one expr ásses love to anoth r by thought, xpression or deed, the ihrntion
is the same. It is lo c expressed, regardless of the type of person.
God's love is the same in the east as it i in the west. All the prophets have told o • the On God,
one creation, one earth, one humanity and love summons people to the one God. The heart of all th~
Religions has been love, and r ligion is the attitude toward God reflecting in Jif . Religion is lov
expressed.
In the scriptures we find many references to the conditions that will exist al the time of fulfillment,
nnd the condition of men's hearts is dwelt upon. Mentjon was made earlier of the hard heart. and the stone
heart. Also the scriptures tell us of the failing of the hearts in the latter days because of fear. Heart disea
is the number one killer in our country, not the world. We consider ourselves a leader among the nations
be~~auseof our material progr,s, and we have become perhaps the most materialisti nation - thereby
being the least concerned with pour spiritual condition or progress. Hearts are afflicted with fear - the fear
of not having enough money, or having security - and affiicted because we do not have faith and
confidence in the Almighty provider. We do not know God's love. The world is full of fear and hate. This
is the age of suspicion and mistrust - because the amalgamating force - love which binds together - is no
longer present. Conflict and combat are the products of fear.
Men have come to fear everything, 0th.er religions, other cultures, other classes, other races. There
is no Jove of God being expressed today, so we have suspicion and fear to combat. If we had love we
would have understanding.
Our own country is in strife today because because we do not understand that color of skin does
not have anything to do with the color of the heart, neither does it qualify the love expressed by the heart
encased in a colored skin.
Nowhere in the scriptures do we read about God creating the different races and which one was
created first and which one was more important. All we can find is a statement of His having created man.
ls it not possible to realize that grief is just as real to a yellow mother who has lost her babe as it is to a
white mother'? When they both cry out in ang11ishand say "Oh God spare my little one", have we any
reason to believe there is any difference in God's response? Aren't the tears shed by a redskin just as wet
as those shed by the black skin?
1n a family I know, there is a set of twins - one is very dark and the other is blonde. Was this a
cause for discord? Is either one discriminated against because of the difference in coloring? No - we think
because they were born into the same family they should be equally loved and cared for. Cannot we apply
trus on a wider area?
The Divine teachings tell of the separating of the families or tribes and their scattering over the
face of the earth. They also tell the time when these families shall be re-united again into one fold with
one shepard.
This is the time of fulfillment. There are not many who doubt it or even th se who professedly know little
of the scriptures, are aware of the time in whkh we live. This js the tim when the prophc-cie~are to be
fulfilled, when the spirit is to ouide us unto all truth. The time when we will have one fold and one
shepard one lord and his name one. You see the criptures say it will be the time of onene , - ne fold •
./           1              •

onr shepard on Lord one home.
}
THE HEART
Baha'u'llah, the Glory of God, prodaim tbi to be the time of oneness. He proclaims, among
other things, we must become conscious of our oneness. All the barriers of differences that man has bujlt
up over the past centuries - differences such as languages, boundari s, cultures, custom~ etc. - these
barriers have fallen one after another in approximately 100 year .
Do we think we can hold out against God? God deer ed centuries ago that at a certain time this
oneness would come about. Does not history record the futility of man in trying to escape the Divine
Decree. Why not acquiesce and say Thy will be done. The urge of the age is oneness. Why are people so
afraid of the color of the skin? It does not rub off. We should be more concerned with the coloring of
hearts, becau e that coloring does rub off.
As a man thinketh, in his heart, so is he. Let us think loving thoughts. Let our hearts be mirrors and
reflect love to our fell ow men that God bestows upon us.
The Holy writings state:
Love is of God
Love worketh no ill
There. is no fear in love
Love is as stron~ as death
Owe no man anything, but to love
Love covereth all sins
J
Let us think about our hearts. W e have been told we are to be called to account for our doings.
Can we freely respond? Are our hearts filled with love - are they the fortified city?
Let us beware e;s our hearts become fearful and contracted - the blood cannot flow throughá       ,f

_ olherwis~we become ill physically and spirilually. If oul hearls are opRn, generous, loving, we have a .c::::,_
large heart.                                                         A.
A Tablet Abdu'I-Baha wrote to a Baha'i in Paris. Quote~
When we acquiesce - when we have faith or confidence all things we be right in the ultimate, we
are relaxed, free, content. However this is not a passive state where we sit and wait for God to
work it out. Life is expressed in forms of action. Doubt is stillness. We have to do our part and
show interest by asking for guidance and then doing as we are bidden and then the miracle of
experiencin~ the working out of a difficult problem or situation is our own. We have to ha e faith.
patience. For everything there is a sign, a season, a time we have been told by the Divine
Messengers.
Mrs. Hazelton. This soul demonstrated Faith and acquiescence.

Love is universal Hearts are universal. There is not a person without one. In order to be in tune
with the urge of the age. we have to be universal in our concepts. To grow we have to become bigger and
to become bigger we have to grow. Growth is our expansion and enlargement. Let's trive to enlarge our
hearts to see how much love we can put into them. Of course we won't be able to hold onto it, because
love ii;; a force and it moves. But we can see how large we can make our hearts, and how far and\ ide \ e

PrHr<> 4 ,..f7
THEIIEART
can seen"' tbc lo\át (ot\"t no~,o~ 1hroup u$. Tbc moro wt uw- ,;the W'Ollicr 11will be0omt' II 11dN
~~ ror« 10tbc ,.o,111, IItnunlr,h o,cr fc&n ~ bak~ No nun can •1lh1taod 1L
--
62 & 6.' ICilld I ,chn31J
~ ..,.;thP 78. (Gl.td TidjnpJ

ACC0\1~A YING NO'I bS
We ~nc 1$ .. Oood tc for IO\C Tbc 'IQICf qu.inlll)" "C t.akc •~C ITIOK lhc wall• o( our hcat1"'-;
~ c,pmdtn~. Thi~rnun (Of us 3 $(tl)QJ phy~cal hc.u1 a.,.,.               ell as o 6lt0Dg ,pint~  cood1t1on. Wbco e
IO\c, &r\' .a•1tt o( be~ to,cct and c:an'-''c 001 IO\"C,.c ha\c no (car - only confidcoce or faith.
111:a,,t'
\1/c ll.l't &<airc: .and \\hen a ,ácu,cl 1~ (ull)'OU c&Q.OOt
pul llll)'lh10, cl~ 111it - 11,pell• out Fe.ataousa ooe lo
dtl• up - I.be-muscl(S 10contnK't )(I t&rc is a rcune11on on the nowof rbc bfood - the hfc fon:c. tbe
ellefl)' Then "C b«omc weu. dcbth.ated, l~c\: of cn1huua.,m no 11mbl11onThe life,~                      h1, bttn
~ l"'-liJac bo..,,yourhc.t.11,~ opcocd '"''ck. Ilic blood begao, lO arc,.,t..1c ,note fr«I) &ad ,..,lb ao
<12CfJ1t1ngfon.-c You become \UOOJ and rou~icou, fc:chn11\.ombiuou..; You 11ra_01                10 ,o out aDd cooqucr
~n~.           Th\" t.bc~od111ono( a 10,,ag bc.a11.Do we-not ~pea). o( people-& bc1n, bi, hearted Ilg.ht
bQJted. de.~ B«a~ lhc) it.n they hJ,c 1umed 10 lbe power house of love, aDd tbc) h.a,c Of)CJ)c:d                 up 11II
tbc doon and 111\JUIJ.loi thtoud) tbcni l'bey uc b3ppicr, bea.11.lucr            3.Ddla~• hcattcd bcclu~ the) att {M,lJ
ol~          q~11.trs 8ah.t u UahQ)'!i I\\Jcd~cannot grasp mr. men•~ bcaru cootlln me
-               IA'o-cbu.aids II ttca:.C$. II geocnies the quahtJcs o( lovr workclb no 111b1s no fear. tJ as w-oni u
dQl.h.keeps lhc u111tyo( !be $pint

RF.A.r-tENCES
GIAdT1d111p
De~     o( J>(dect1onp ire bouom pp
a-nep78
flurt U A lllllTOt p 98
Trucsc-ckcr-banu,c::uo(Rc,ct.1,on           p88&     Pcrnlln IZ1 H\V
TaN~ cl he3n p 76
Smt-tiried ~3n p 72
Sm, C ~lJi ~ :and_, p 69
BhDIIN's.,of bc.ut, p 6-1
RadLAA!  ~ p 6J & 52
llldinc hc::uu. p 63
rá1amc& ~rch ,n beam p 62
~dhe.rt,      p61 &62
FAO!o~<n1cl be-anp 60
HW1,     p61
~ hc.ln p'.SS
C1tit, cl mtn ~ Mtm. p s,
TJ{EHEART
addened heart, p 49
Differ n sin apacit of individuals, p 36 lop
Maturity of man, p 26
Purp se & shepard, p 21

Gleanings - - -
The heart p. 323 - very good

Hidden Words - - -
1am within thee p 14
#:2Pond.er this in thy heart, how it behooveth thee to be
-& 43 & 44 & 76 Persian 81?
1/36Gladness of heart
148 For everything there is a sign - patience
#66 Hearts cannot contain me
#68 all created from same dust

Bible - - -
Hard heart - Mk 8: 17
Double heart - Chr 12:33
Understanding heart - Kng 3:9, 12
Largeness of heart - Kng 4:29
Heavy heart - Prov 25:20
Soft heart - Job 23: 16
Heart is deep - Ps 64:6
Sound heart - Ps 119:88
Better heart - Prov 14: 10
Fearful heart - Isa 35:4
Stone heart - Ezek 11: 19
Adamant - Zach 7: 12
Meek & lowly - Mat 11:29
Discerning heart - Eccl 8:5
With the heart man believeth - Rom 10: 10
Hi-dden man of heart Peter l :3,4
When fear shall be in the way - ,eel 12:5
Ht>~rtsfailing hec.nuseof fe~r - rAlke J2:26
Fca1 uf man brir1geth a. narc- Pwv 29.25
Fear of Lord tcndeth to life - Prov I :23
Not high minded hut prayerfull - R m l :20
Lov • is of the Lord - 1 John 4:7
THE HEART
Love worketh no ill - Rom 13: 10
No fear in love - 1 Jn 4: 18
Love is as strong as death - Song of S 8:6 (?)
Own no man anything, but to love - Rom 13:8
Love covereth all sin - Prov 10: 12
None other name given among men - Acts 4: 12
New Name which mouth of Lord shall name - Isa 62:20
One Lord and his name one -Zech 14:9
Keep the uruty of spirit - Eph 4:J
One fold one shepard - John 10:16
-- The Heart (Used by permission of the curator)