FATHER DIVINE
John Lamb and FATHER DIVINE
Editor's Note: Late Sunday evening, November 15, 1931, a very spirited praise meeting was in progress at FATHER DIVINE'S Sayville home on Macon Street. Disturbed neighbors called police. Mr. Lamb describes the scene.
'If one could die for the Truth they would live on in the Truth expressive through all mankind.' This statement was made by FATHER at the morning meal after the Kingdom had been raided by local, state and county police, and we had all been arrested and held in court all night. The raid was made about midnight Sunday night in the midst of a great demonstration of the Spirit, while various Angels were singing in foreign tongues, dancing and praising GOD. The vibrations were very high and everyone was moved, until all were standing with their hands in the air. This demonstration at such a late hour was contrary to the usual custom, as we usually do not sing after eight o'clock in the evening, and not only that, the windows were open and the blinds were not drawn. This is the first time, in my recollection, that this has happened, as the curtains are usually pulled down and the windows closed at ten o'clock. Thus it was apparently FATHER'S Will, as HE was present at the table continually.
The house was first surrounded and hose lines were laid so that water could be poured in, if necessary, to quiet us down. The troopers came in several times by the front door, but could get no further than the front room for nearly an hour, as they were apparently held beck by FATHER'S Will to witness the demonstration. Finally, one went around and came in to the dining room by the back door and said he wanted to speak to FATHER. FATHER turned and said in a loud voice, 'SPEAK' and the trooper bolted out the door like a flash. FATHER then quieted the demonstration and we all stood silent in the room for about ten minutes. FATHER said,
'I will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on me,'
and quietly led us into the front part of the house. There we found the State Troopers waiting, and they said we were all under arrest but preferred not to use any force.
We all got our wraps and were taken to the court in buses with the understanding that we would be there only fifteen minutes. FATHER was meekness itself and spoke in a low voice but never lost HIS authority for one moment. On the way out of the house, two of the men Angels were beaten up by the officers, one because he resisted, and the other because he would not obey. At the court I was locked in a cell and finally beaten up because I gave my new name while they found an automobile license in my pocket with the old name on it. I was finally released with the others, however, after about two-thirds had pleaded guilty and been fined five dollars each, and the others had pleaded not guilty, the case to come up for trial in a few days. FATHER was charged separately, with maintaining a nuisance and let out on fifteen hundred dollars bail for trial before the grand jury. FATHER says HE may choose to go to jail rather than pay a fine and that it is all for a purpose.
'God is not limited to material and visible expressions and yet in the Infinite Truth, when you sacrifice your body and your mind, through the sacrifice of both it and them, you live eternally in that Truth, manifest and expressive through all mankind. The CHRIST in the person of Jesus as an individuality, will express Himself in all mankind who will tune in on the Life or Principle called Jesus, and HE will declare again unto you with the `Abundance of the Fullness of the Consciousness of GOD' in the severest difficulty of yours or anyone else, the greatest seeming demonstration of prejudice, the greatest seeming demonstration of bigotry, resentfulness, hatred, malice, that just beyond all these still lies the `Abundance of the Fullness of the Consciousness of Good,' waiting and ready to be revealed.
'For this cause GOD raised up Pharaoh that HE might spread HIS Holy Name throughout the earth. HE has raised him up. Did not the LORD both raise him up and they that were adverse to HIM? Did not GOD raise up both him and them that worked against HIM?
`It is God that worketh both to will and to do of his own good pleasure,'
to manifest HIMSELF. In this I have established MYSELF in the hearts and in the minds of many, and it cannot be abolished. With or without a Body I Am one hundred percent multiplied within you alive. I Am in your consciousness and in humanity's consciousness to live forever and ever. If I had no Body it would be the same. I would live on in the consciousness of the children of men eternally, for I have not advocated unto you the personality, but I have manifested the Spirit of the Presence of GOD--the impersonal Life of GOD that is incorruptible, undefiled and that fadeth not away, Omnipotent, Omnipresent and a present help in every need; and you have enjoyed the results thereof.
'If this be true, with or without a Body, the Impersonal Life is just as operative and just as effective: it is just the same, it is no different, for the 'Spirit of the Consciousness of the Presence of GOD is the Source of all Supply and will satisfy every good desire,' and the abundance of Omnipotence and the Omniscience of that which is Omnipresent. If one body stands alone in Truth, that body stands with the power of all of the powers of the earth and also of the heaven, for
`All power is given unto ME in heaven and in earth,'
declares the CHRIST Consciousness expressive in all. `Just beyond your highest affirmation lie the fields of endless joys beyond degree,' and again I say that all power is given unto ME in heaven and in earth, declares the CHRIST Consciousness expressive in one and all as individuals. All intelligence, all classification, all clarification, all that you may know is in CHRIST and CHRIST is in you, and CHRIST is both it and them, expressive in one and all. And as soon as you still your conscious mentality, your personal activities and be still and know, the expression of that which is expressive in all will be expressed in all its fullness and its entirety.
'`How great and marvelous are thy works O God, for great and holy is thy name.'
The Gospel of CHRIST, of it I AM not ashamed, for all power is in HIS Name. It is Wonderful! Realize that when I AM not saying anything in Person, when I AM silent, I AM one hundred percent expressing and expressive as I AM what I AM without Personally uttering words. Remember that this is something you can draw upon at any time of the day or night if you will make your mental and spiritual contact, and you will be blessed. You will be blessed of the LORD. I have not requested mankind to make a personal contact, for the personal will fail you, but the Impersonal is incorruptible, undefiled and fadeth not away. It is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and it is that Infinite Love beyond all imagination. With or without a Body GOD is the same. GOD can veil HIMSELF and pass from shore to shore and from land to land. GOD can pass from body to body and translate the likeness of HIS Body from one to another. GOD is Omnipotent and Omnipresent and is right here at this particular juncture.
`In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.'
'So it is a great blessing to realize that for each, the Spirit of the Christ came. He was always in you, with you and in you. The Word says,
`He dwelleth with you and shall be in you.'
It says, `He was with you and was in you,'but yet it says, `He dwelleth in you and shall be with you.' That was a pre-evidence, or in other words, a prediction that He dwelleth in you more readily or more expressively in your consciousness, and thereby men will be able to see and realize that GOD is in the midst of thee. That is what all of this is about.
'You must detach yourselves from every mortal human version and attach yourself to the great Universal Mind Substance, to the cosmic forces of nature, and know there is no other,, and know that within dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead Bodily. And you subject your personality to all the attributes of GOD for they `are one and no more twain.' The forces that are around you, they are within you. It is no more twain, but one. It is Wonderful! When you realize that, you will be able to make your mental and spiritual contact effective, and you will be able to demonstrate and show it unto the world that GOD is within you, with you and about you and has `you-lated' HIMSELF as you are the One.
'All of the blood that in righteousness has been shed has atoned for someone. It is Wonderful! Blood typifies the life, for the life is in the blood. When one is willing to sacrifice life, or when they are willing to sacrifice anything that pertains unto their personal life, it is universal, and you do not lose anything by making the sacrifice. I AM glad because every one of you can make your mental and spiritual contact here in America, Central America, South America, in all parts of Asia and all parts of Europe and Africa. So I AM glad to say that as charity, or love, begins at home and spreads abroad, we are going to manifest this mighty love right here in this dining room and from here we are going to manifest this Truth from shore to shore and from land to land, and it all comes about through those who are willing to sacrifice even unto death.'