INTRODUCTION.

...that you are a hidden God and wrapped in your own glory; but you do not want your existence to be unknown, and you only seek to make your powers shine before us, to teach us to revere you and to love you. The author alludes to the concept of the "Hidden God" (Deus Absconditus), a common theme in mystical theology where God is beyond human comprehension yet chooses to reveal Himself through His creation.

Be then the master of my will and of my work! Be the master of those who will come to be instructed by my words!

Why are you not the master of all the movements of human souls, as you are, through your powers, of all the movements of nature, and of all the regions that have not pushed away your benevolent hand! »

He who is about to publish this work has sometimes shared the anxieties of men of desireoriginal: "hommes de desir." This is the author's signature term for those who feel a profound, active longing for spiritual truth and a return to their divine origin.; he shares their wishes for the happiness of the human family, and he will attempt to direct the gaze of mortals toward the picture of what he regards as being the source of their evils, and toward the purpose they were meant to fulfill in the universe, in their capacity as images of the supreme principleoriginal: "principe suprême." A philosophical and mystical term for God as the first cause and ultimate source of all being.; it is therefore to man that he addresses the fruit of his vigilsoriginal: "veilles." This refers to the many hours of night-time study, contemplation, and spiritual work dedicated to producing this manuscript..

Yes, man, who are now but a source of bitterness, since you only shed a light of pain; man, the object most dear to my heart after that sovereign source—which is undoubtedly composed only of love itself, since its most eloquent witness is this sweet and sublime privilege it has given me to be able to love you—it is you yourself whom I call upon today to support my undertaking; it is you whom I summon to the most legitimate as to...