FATHER DIVINE Speaking at Tarrytown, N. Y.
In a world of confusion, of wars and undesirable conditions of every kind, PEACE is extended this way to the people of GOD, for GOD Himself is with us -- HE is our GOD and we are His people! His people being those of every so-called race, creed, color and nationality, for those who have chosen and will choose GOD are His chosen people. We are daily enjoying that which was guaranteed us by the Constitution of the United States of America -- Life, Liberty and, not only the pursuit of Happiness, but we enjoy the reality of it. For this cause we rejoice continually and give thanks to the Almighty, for it was HE Who brought such to us, and not only to those who are called His followers alone but it is free for one and all, if they will but come and partake of same! Thank YOU, our Great Redeemer!
After the proofreading of one of FATHER'S Messages given recently, FATHER arose to deliver these Lectures herein recorded for the enjoyment of all living creatures! (The foregoing statements come from the transcriber, after which FATHER speaks as follows:)
PEACE EVERYONE: Here we all are again just as I have been. As a reproduction I AM reiterating the identical Message as proofread. I may not repeat every word, I may not repeat very many of the words, as I believe you all are convinced that it has been well said.
Even though this was a transcript of My Message merely being proofread, many typographical errors and mistakes, but I believe it was enough said and explained explicit enough for you to understand what I AM endeavoring for the benefit of all humanity, is well worth considering!
As I said in that Message, we shall have a Righteous Government! Our conscious conviction and actual realization is that each and every person who lives soberly, righteously and GODLY, such a person and such persons should endeavor to bring his or her Religion conviction to fruition and should endeavor to bring it into legalization that it might be legalized and recorded and recognized by all mankind. Aren't you glad?
For this cause I do, nationally and politically stress the Constitution of the United States of America. The Constitution and its Amendments, I stress them vividly among this people continually that they might realize such documents as the Constitution and its Amendments and as the Declaration of Independence, the spirit and the meaning of both it and them must be established in us effectively to be real American citizens!
What a privilege to live under the influence of such a supernatural phenomenon! Naturally it is supernatural because it is a phenomenon, it is something that transcends the power of men, it goes into infinitude -- the end you cannot vision but you can see the outward expression and the actual results of your Religious conviction. Oh, it is something to consider!
When you can live soberly and GODLY and honest and competent and true, until your conviction can affect others politically, socially and morally, such a conviction is well worth considering. Hence you believe sincerely it is the law of the spirit of life that was in CHRIST JESUS! Aren't you glad? This Life of CHRIST and the law thereof transmitted to the children of men to be reincarnated in each and everyone of them that this law might govern men and their affairs.
When this shall have been established nationally, the very Government under which we are living will be converted into perfection and the fruition of Americanism shall be true Evangelism, and when Americanism shall have been converted into Evangelism, it will be the reproduction of that spirit that came to this country seeking religious liberty before the Declaration of Independence!
Those men that came to this Country seeking Religious liberty, they were paving out the way for this democracy under which we are now living. The Constitution guarantees, grants the privilege of every American citizen to serve GOD to the dictates of his own conscience; therefore it gives her subjects Religious liberty and this Religious liberty is not given merely to be lived superstitiously. This Religious liberty was given by the Constitution and its Amendments that we might produce and bring to fruition the Nature and the Characteristics of Jesus in Government. Can you not see the mystery? When the Nature and the Characteristics of JESUS CHRIST shall have been brought to fruition in Government, in all of this democracy, we will have a Righteous Government according to the spirit and the meaning of the Constitution and according to the Declaration of Independence.
Then and only then will we express our real citizenry of this Democracy, by being absolutely independent according to the declaration of it! Why not each and every subject of this Democracy produce the spirit and the meaning of the Declaration of Independence individually, severally and collectively and nationally, and manifest a real democracy?
Oh, how glorious it is to live in such a Recognition! I shall not be discouraged until I shall have brought the spirit and the characteristics and the very nature of true Religion into perfection and fruition in this democracy, and this democracy itself expresses true Evangelism such as I AM daily expressing, and Americanism as this democracy becomes to be Evangelized so effectively until the spirit of America in its own nature politically and nationally will be an international Evangelist, evangelizing all humanity! I thank you. I thank you. I thank you!
PEACE EVERYONE! I did not arise to speak. I first arose merely to repeat the announcement in the act of making it known, our visiting friends are welcome to speak in this dining room and in all of these audiences wheresoever I AM. I meant to repeat that which was said. We have visiting friends with us -- they are welcome to speak by moving volitionally as we do, as it is My custom to give them such a privilege.
If they do not care to move volitionally as we do, give us their names, addresses and professions -- we will gladly introduce them with such homage and honor according to custom. I thank you!
(Among those to testify was a lady from Brooklyn, N.Y., who had come with another lady friend of hers who was seeking healing of the body, as well as seeking help from FATHER otherwise. The first individual brought with her a little child whom she asked FATHER to heal of such a mean disposition and condition of the body. She said she had heard so much of FATHER and what HE had done for others and it was because she had faith that FATHER could heal her and her child, that she had come to HIM. Speaking for the benefit of this individual and also for others, FATHER rose Personally and spoke as follows:)
PEACE EVERYONE! For the benefit of the last speaker and for all who may be in the same condition, for all who may be connected with anyone else who may be in such an undesirable condition, I would just like to say -- it is not anything that I do Personally to reach your condition, else I might be called an M.D. physician, but make your mental and spiritual contact by having unadulterated faith and being substantiated in confidence that you cannot be shaken by the oppositions or criticisms! Your prayers, which are your desires, will be heard and answered. It is written:
'Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.'
Your prayers and others' who have testified, desiring blessings, have been heard
before you made your supplication, before you made your request; for GOD knows
the secrets of your heart and GOD knows before you speak, if you can and will
but believe.
Live in this Recognition! Dial in on this Fundamental continually and do not allow your minds to observe things mortal-mindedly. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you might
'prove what is that good and acceptable Will of GOD.'
When this is done, your life is changed within and your bodies will outwardly
manifest and will declare in the actuated words of expression, you are a new
creature, for you have been regenerated and born again into this recognition!
I would just like to say to the gentleman who mentioned the Christian Life as stressed and emphasized here: it is true, as I said, the reproduction of the identical Nature and the Characteristics of your Savior should be a reality. The very Characteristics of Jesus transmitted should be reincarnated, should be reproduced and should be brought to fruition within you and should be the actual demonstrators and the duplicators of the identical expression of your LORD and your Savior and be new creatures in reality.
When this is established within, you will not study war anymore, for as with the Spirit and the Nature of Jesus in His Own Temple, His Own Body before He was crucified -- you would not desire to harm another! Can you not see the mystery?
Therefore, your thoughts, your energy and your ambition will be constructive. You will not use your mentality, your intelligence, your skillful ability, your scientific and intellectual and social ability destructively. You will not use those things or those expressions to destroy, but to build up, to bring about a close relationship between man and man.
The only destruction you will endeavor, is to destroy all division from among us, to destroy all prejudices, all maliciousness and all violence, and seek Justice by Righteousness but not by violence! Men have been taught to seek Justice by violence. "If I cannot get that which is justly due me," they say, "I will declare WAR against the other nation! It matters not if I bring all civilization to the point of everlasting woe -- if I bring it to a pitch in consciousness where our civilization, not only this democracy, but even all civilization itself shall have been threatened!" It matters not with the war gods of violence and of intolerance, of selfishness, of graft and of greed!
But oh, how glorious it is to know the Truth that I have brought to you! And I declare to the inhabitants of the earth universally -- this Truth is as contagious as the negative and as contagious diseases and other germs of affliction! If those things have been contagious, the positive shall be just as contagious and expressive as the negative. Aren't you glad?
We do not think it; we know it! This shall no longer be considered as superstition, shall no longer be considered as fanaticism, but it shall be understood by all civilization, it is the only piece of real legislation to be considered universally as a standard that I have lifted for all humanity, and all will eventually seek after it if there is no other Savior, saving this light of understanding. I thank you. I thank you. I thank you!
(After this most enlightening and inspiring Message delivered by our beloved FATHER, a visitor -- Mr. Ross D. Brown, of Chicago, Illinois, arose and spoke as follows:)
I should be pleased to say something if it is permissible. I arrived in the City of New York one week ago last Monday. This, however, is not my first trip to the City of New York. On one previous occasion I remember of seeing FATHER DIVINE in a parade down Seventh Avenue, and on Forrestville Avenue in the City of Chicago between Forty- fifth and Forty-sixth Streets they have a Mission in greater Chicago.
I have visited that Mission on one occasion and it was among the many things I had in mind upon my coming to the City of New York on this trip, not only to come to this Mission of FATHER DIVINE, but to eat a meal at Your Table, and to also listen to FATHER DIVINE in what HE had to say to His angels and to those who were in the audience and in the congregation. And I feel as though I should not come here and go back to Chicago without giving vent to my expressions and my feelings.
I first would like to say something that I have not heard touched upon in this room today, and yet I have been here for perhaps for about three hours. I have noticed the street speakers up and down Lennox and Seventh Avenue, the numbers of preachers whose names they have called in their various methods of vilification on the ministry, and I have heard quite clearly that every time I have heard the name of a minister or man of the cloth mentioned, that just contrary to what I heard in New York from four or five years ago, I have not yet heard the name of FATHER DIVINE mentioned in derision as I have the names of many other men.
Before my arrival in New York, however, it was my pleasure to stop in Philadelphia and visit the Baptists' Convention there; and a gentleman -- and incidentally he happens to be the Secretary of the State of Pennsylvania -- and he and many others were objecting to FATHER DIVINE'S stay in Philadelphia during the period of the National Baptists' Convention there. It was erroneously published in many of the papers in Chicago that FATHER DIVINE on the tenth of this month was to appear in Chicago, and despite the fact that in reality I don't suppose that HE was to appear; nevertheless, a certain organization of ministers in Chicago began to fight against the coming of FATHER DIVINE.
Now, I should like to say something. There is a great writer whose name I don't remember just now, but who made this assertion; but I hope if you disremember a lot of the things I say, you will remember this that I say and take it of the coinage of his lips and the meditations of his soul; that when you hear dogs bark, you know you are traveling. I hope you get the significance of what I am saying. I think that men of the cloth are fighting FATHER DIVINE because HE is doing more for the people than they have seen fit to do. We talk about equality, we talk about increase of arms, we talk about internationalism and we talk about tolerance and we talk about being true to our fellowman; but this is the one place in the United States of America where I have seen men and women of various races, so-called, and various creeds and so-called various colors, related in PEACE and harmony, working together and seemingly like clockwork, well lubricated with some unknown Spirit, and seemingly getting along very fine.
I am of course more of the opinion that in reality there is but one race and that is the human race. It does not matter about the color of your skin or the texture of your hair or the size of your foot; it does not matter where you were born, when you were born, how you were born or why you were born; the thing is not where you came from, but where you are going, and what you are going to do.
Just another word and then I shall close. This great international conflict that is going on in Europe -- it seems to that over in Europe, if today they had this placidity of the heart, this PEACE in mind, this clarity of consciousness, this lack of the thing we call human prejudice, that there would be no room in Europe tonight for a world-wide war; that everything would be lovely, everything would be fine and we could live in PEACE and harmony and actually have an honest-to-goodness well developed brotherhood of man.
I want to thank you all for this very fine opportunity, and I say, may you live a thousand times a thousand lives of usefulness; may the sunshine never fall on your tears and the darkness never overtake your laughter. There is but one FATHER DIVINE!
(At the close of Mr. Brown's remarks, the lady accompanying him rose and thanked FATHER for His teaching and also requested an interview. FATHER at this point arose to leave when an artist stating that he had come three thousand miles just to sing to FATHER, requested that FATHER listen to just one selection. The singer asked for accompaniment, but the pianos because of the lack of space were in the reception hall and other parts of the building. FATHER stood patiently while he rendered two selections and then at the conclusion of the songs, FATHER spoke as follows:)
PEACE EVERYONE! Here we all are once again the same as I have always been. In the unity of the Spirit, of Mind, of Aim and of Purpose I come. I AM unifying all people together in ONE! I would just like to say, in the great universal mind substance time is eternity and eternity has no end; nevertheless, according to the mortal version and according to the mortal custom of men the time seems to be quite well expired.
This is midday Banquet as usual; it is around five o'clock now -- Eastern Daylight Saving time -- but I do not regret making a seeming sacrifice to meet My visiting friends to co-operate and endorse them. But had I been as an ordinary man I would not have stayed, I would have been gone already this morning before eight o'clock.
For this cause I do not make appointments and engagements because if I do, matters not what comes I will obliged to stick to My promise. By sticking to My promises it will cause ME to act rudely at times, get up and walk away, but as a matter of course this is today, it is three hundred and sixty-five days to the year and every once in a while it is three hundred and sixty-six days -- just the same as it is here now.
This is My private Dining Room. This is My private residence for the City. I cannot accommodate the people. We extended the Dining Room to accommodate as many as possible, who would come around when we serve our immediate daily meals, but the Dining Room is small. For this cause we do not have even so much as a piano in the Dining Room -- we have pianos in the other part of the building, up in the reception hall. There is a piano up in the reception room -- there is a piano up there.
If I could regret I would regret because I know the singer would have felt much more expressive, had he had the opportunity or pleasure of having someone to accompany him at the piano. Nevertheless, I have afore said, as this is a private home, private affair, yet it looks like it is public. It is true it has been said,
'GOD is of no private interpretation,'
and the news casts and the news press, the Associated Press -- they also have
declared that I AM not a private Figure. I AM NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL!
Therefore I cannot confine nor bind Myself, but I do wish to say -- apparently I should have been gone. When I came over here, deciding to serve the Banquet with the immediate followers, instead of going away around noon time, it was as if though I would have gone in just a short time after I arrived, by serving briefly and getting away as I have been called off. But I refrained from going and the Spirit of My Presence and the Presence of My Spirit in others and all of you combined, seem to bind ME! It is a true saying, "I AM your Prisoner of Love!"
It has been quite often sung in Christendom, "It is LOVE that moved the ALMIGHTY GOD!" IT IS LOVE THAT BROUGHT ME HERE! You have heard them sing even so much as to say --
'It is LOVE that rules the ALMIGHTY GOD!'
LOVE controls the universe, even GOD HIMSELF! Can you not see the mystery? For
this cause we are rejoicing and are exceedingly glad. We regret if we could regret,
that it will not be possible to see all our visiting friends and others who are
not our visiting friends, those who are here daily -- they all want to see ME!
We are up all night practically every night and still those who are around, THEY NEVER GET TIRED LOOKING AT ME -- do you? Therefore those who are called MY immediate staff, MY immediate followers, coworkers and participators in this great Cause are just as anxious to see ME. It is the same every day to them, I NEVER GROW OLD! To them this LOVE NEVER GROWS OLD!
For this cause we are rejoicing and we are exceedingly glad! I further wish to say and verify the thoughts or minds of those who have spoken and have caught a glimpse of the mystery of what we are enjoying -- if you read the Revelationic prediction of John in the twenty-first chapter of Revelation, you will see definitely this is it of which the Revelationic prediction of John was predicting in that particular chapter:
'I saw a NEW HEAVEN and a NEW EARTH, for the first Heaven and the first earth are passed away."
'I, John, saw the HOLY CITY and the New Jerusalem coming down from GOD out of Heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.'
John declared in his prediction there,
'The Tabernacle of GOD is with men and HE shall dwell with them, and GOD HIMSELF shall be with them and shall be their GOD and they shall be HIS people."
'GOD shall wipe all tears from their eyes!'
You do not see such an audience and such people as these, who are conscientious
and sincere, who would not be crying and shedding tears. You have never seen
such a devout Religious Movement so devout and conscientious and sincere as these,
who are not shedding briny tears. But oh, how glorious it is to know that GOD
has wiped all tears from their eyes. There is no more sorrow, there is no more
crying, there is no more pain and there is no more death, for the former things
are passed away. Aren't you glad? Daily I AM serving Banquets. I say daily I
AM serving Banquets, but an ordinary business suit is My custom of serving in.
The formal things are passed away! You do not see us all around here in our full
dress suits going to serve a Banquet, and you all know definitely as far as what
we care to eat and drink, we have everything necessary for a Banquet at all times
-- comfort and the convenience -- and this is a matter of course, I say, it is
every day, and yet we do not accustom ourselves to the formal customs. Everything
is very informal.
For this cause I conveyed the thought to Mrs. Roosevelt when the king and the queen were here. They decided to have things somewhat as I have them, to bring them down on the common level where the common people can reach them. They even had hot dogs, to reach the common people, you see, as an expression of sympathy -- with the spirit of sympatheticness expressed in her spirit of love for humanity!
A good many do not, nor did not know the mystery of her endeavors. Even if she did not know it herself, I KNEW for what cause she did it -- to express the spirit of this Democracy, to express the true spirit of Americanism, E PLURIBUS UNUM! To express the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! Americanism! United together in one band of unity to meet the common people. Through her condescension she presented and expressed her real democracy, this democracy whichever, and showed her democratic spirit! Can you not see the mystery?
What a privilege to live in such a Recognition as the Real Interpreter as you have heard them say,
'GOD is His Own Interpreter and HE will make it plain.'
From all of the different angles of expression wheresoever something is exhibited,
GOD is His Own Interpreter of His inspirationic expressions -- HE will make them
plain.
I need not say more but I wish for you all to know why you do not see such sincere and conscientious Religious believers who have sacrificed every mortal versionated human concept for Righteousness' Sake, even to the extent not one of My real followers would smoke a cigarette! Not one of My real followers would indulge in human affection as you heard one say a little while ago -- human love they did not know. THE LOVE OF GOD has been substituted, in other words, the human love was the substitution, and the substitute has been taken away and the reality of the DIVINE LOVE has taken its place!
Therefore they do not express human affection and human love! They have sacrificed such as those things for GOD, and yet you do not see one of them shedding a tear. They do not shed tears unless they happen to get something in their eyes, unless they happen to look at the sun or get in the strength of the wind or something of that sort, to cause their eyes to get watery.
GOD has wiped all tears from their eyes. "There is no more sorrow, no more crying, no more pain and no more death; for the former things are passed away!" "AND GOD HIMSELF IS WITH THEM!" Hard sayings but yet it is true -- GOD HIMSELF! It did not say CHRIST, it did not say the holy prophets, the saints nor the angels in that particular quotation, but -- "GOD HIMSELF shall be with them and shall be their GOD and they shall be HIS people."
I thank you! I thank you! I thank you!
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