FATHER DIVINE at the 115th Street Extension
Waiting for FATHER'S personal return from a Righteous Government Forum at Sixty-third Street, thousands filled His 115th Street Headquarters, Wednesday evening, September 4th. It was well after Midnight, however before FATHER returned from this enthusiastic meeting. Alderman Lambert Fairchild of the City of New York had been the guest speaker of the evening, and after his remarks FATHER permitted this part of the program to continue until a later hour, as questions were asked from the floor and the alderman, who is noted for his independent views, gave interesting highlights on the political and administrative affairs of the city government.
The questions and answers dealt with better housing, elimination of obscene language in the streets, use of obscene language by Police, removal of stables from residential districts, the rule that only those on Home Relief may get work on Relief Projects, Policemen smoking while on duty, mistreatment of individuals by the Police, and the present sales tax.
Arriving at 115th Street HE was greeted with such love and devotion as the
Invisible Presence of GOD could never command, when the eager thousands hailed
that Holy Tabernacle declared by twenty-two million to be the Body of GOD.
They would gladly have sat and stood all night in His Holy Presence, had HE
not had a Word to say, but HE knew they were hungering and thirsting for the
Bread of Life, which is every Word that proceedeth out of the Mouth of GOD,
according to the Scripture, and after serving the Banquet Table, HE Spoke again
as follows:
PEACE, EVERYONE! RIGHTEOUSNESS, JUSTICE and TRUTH in action among you, with GOOD MANNERS and GOOD BEHAVIOR with all SUCCESS and all PROSPERITY, and all WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING for you! While listening to the song, I thought of what I Said this evening in other words the last evening, since the morning has come when we were down at Sixty-third Street. I Said, 'If I be serving the Banquet around twelve o'clock, no doubt around here at 115th Street in the Dining Room you would not be able to find standing room! I believe I told the Truth there. ('YES FATHER' came enthusiastically from thousands.) I like to predict anything; when it is fulfilled it confirms it in the minds of those that Believe, and will cause those that do not believe, to be convinced to believe and see and know that I can tell the Truth. A little shows what a whole lot means, and a little more shows what a whole lot more means, etc. This is to show you exactly what I will do throughout the Universe. Just as it is under My Personal Jurisdiction, so shall it be universally. Throughout the length and breadth of this Land and Country it shall be just as it is here. Now, is not that wonderful!
It is marvelous to realize, every positive Spoken Word can become a Reality. If the Words are spoken from the heart of sincerity they will come forth into expression, the very Words you have spoken, for Jesus the great Love Master Said:
'If you have the Faith of a grain of mustard seed you can say unto yonder sycamine tree, be thou plucked up and cast into the depths of the sea, and it will obey thee.'
If this is true, and I am sure you understand it is,
'Speak Lord and Thy servant heareth.'
The words that have been Spoken in sincerity, they are established once and forever.
I have spoken into actuality, RIGHTEOUSNESS. I have Spoken into the consciousness
of the people, the very Spirit of Justice and of Truth. These qualities shall
become to be a Living Reality for others, as well as they are for you. I shall
not be discouraged until all the Earth sees and knows, GOD deals in the affairs
of men and none shall hinder Him. As it is with ME Personally, so shall it be
with thee, when you shall have completely and wholeheartedly surrendered, and
lived Evangelically whole-heartedly.
It is a privilege for each and every individual to enter into this State of Consciousness where the Tree of Life is Blooming, where there is Rest for the weary. Where you have been toiling, where you have been laboring and heavy laden, you find the Yoke is easy, you find the Burden is light, and after awhile you will get on Easy Street. Now aren't you glad! The time cometh when you shall enter into this State of Consciousness where the wicked shall cease to trouble you, and your weary soul can and will be at rest. This is the place that Job spoke of Oh it is indeed Wonderful where the wicked shall cease to trouble you and your weary soul can be at rest. Even though the skin worms destroyed the body that was called Job, he declared,
'Even though the skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh I shall see GOD.'
He caught a glimpse of this by revelation, and by inspiration he spoke as one
being deeply inspired
'I know that my Redeemer Liveth, for He Liveth in my soul.'
Those days were days when men were inspired. They could not and did not see and
know from an intellectual point of view as you do, for they had not read of the
Life of Jesus, neither the Name of the One that was called the Babe of Bethlehem.
That Name had not yet been given that Name that was called the Babe of Bethlehem
had not yet been given, but yet by inspiration Job caught the thought and declared,
'I know that my Redeemer Liveth.'
Now is not that Wonderful!
You have the privilege to be on this side of the Birth, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of the Body called Jesus. You have the privilege to know from a literary point of view from your studies, that Jesus was the Son of GOD. You believe He was, you believe it mentally, you believe it theoretically, even without the Resurrection of the Spirit within you, but when the Spirit shall have been resurrected within, then and there you can declare, as Job did, 'I know that my Redeemer Liveth.' You will not have to go by thoughts, neither by the theories and doctrines nor versions of men, but you will know for yourself by the Spirit within. You can declare to the children of men, 'My Redeemer LIVETH, for He liveth within my soul.' This is the mystery all will eventually understand. GOD is not confined to a Body, to an individual person or man, but GOD transcends the man plane of expression, going into Infinitude, the end you cannot vision; for GOD'S Infiniteness will carry Him as He has been, in all places, and where He has not apparently been He shall be discerned. Now is not that Wonderful!
Because of this you can see the true Believers gathered together wheresoever My Name is lifted up and Honored, you find Success and prosperity, you find Peace and Joy, you find Harmony. All of this cometh through the recognition of GOD'S Presence. Through the conscious realization of the same it actually attracts and draws others to you, for the Spirit of GOD'S Presence in His Magneticness will attract and draw all things to you. Everything that is necessary can and will be drawn, and none shall lack in GOD'S Abundance, for there is a-full and a-plenty for all.
Listening to one of the Songs we sung this morning, I Thought of how marvelous
it is to recognize the Ever-presence of Love, for where Love is, GOD is there;
and where GOD is, there is the Abundance of the Fullness. No lacks, no limitations,
no wants, no adverse and undesirable conditions can stand where GOD is recognized
to be, and surmised as being the same. GOD is Present everywhere. I am not
denying the Omnipresence of GOD, but I am stressing the significance of the
recognition of GOD'S Presence. It is just a link that prohibits those that
are not in the Consciousness of GOD'S Presence, from enjoying these Limitless
Blessings, and that link is the recognition, it could be called the realization
of GOD'S Presence and the lack of living accordingly.
Because you are conscious of GOD'S Presence, GOD can Act accordingly, but
if you are not conscious of GOD'S Presence and do not recognize His Presence
as a Living Reality because of the lack of observing His Personality, it is
a matter of impossibility for you to receive the Limitless Blessings that others
receive, that are conscious of GOD'S Presence. The very Consciousness of GOD'S
Presence I have striven to stress vividly, and convince you conclusively of
the significance of the recognition of GOD'S Presence. I have striven by the
way of a Motto composed for your consideration years ago. I have called your
attention to it hundreds, yea thousands of times, that you might discern the
significance and that you might come into this recognition, that you might
come into this realization, that you might enjoy the Abundance of the Fullness.
That recognition and realization is the very Key to the Kingdom of Heaven,
the Key to all of the hidden treasures. It is the Key to all the Blessings
that are flowing so freely. Now is not that Wonderful! 'The Spirit of the Consciousness
of the Presence of GOD is the Source of all supply, and it will satisfy every
good desire.' If you stamp this Thought in your memory, quicken it in your
mentality once and forever and keep this recognition active, you will have
the Spirit of GOD'S Presence, and you will be supplied with everything you
desire.
If you are in lacks, or wants, or limitations, it is because you are not conscious of GOD'S Presence and living accordingly. While being conscious of GOD'S Presence, you must harmonize your ideas and opinions with the Spirit of the Consciousness, and you will unify yourselves with the Infinite and become to be one with the Infinite mentally and spiritually, and GOD will bestow His Blessings upon you till there will not be room to receive them. Truly might have one said GOD Said,
'Try Me and see if I will not open you the windows of Heaven and pour you out such a blessing you will not have room to receive it.'
This is the fulfillment of it, when you shall have come to the place in consciousness
where you are Conscious of GOD'S Presence and consciously recognizing it at all
times. When you are living according to the same by bringing your bodies into
subjection, you are harmonizing with the Infinite and the Infinite is unifying
Himself with you.
'Simon, Whom say the people that I Am,'Said He.
'Some say you are Moses.'
If you only believe to the Moses-ship degree of your conscious conviction, you
cannot receive the Infinite Blessings. It is a matter of impossibility for you
to receive all of your rightful inheritance just by believing in the Moses-ship
degree of expression.
'Some say Thou art Elias, the Prophet.'
If you only believe in the Prophet-ship degree, it is a matter of impossibility
for you to receive all the Fullness of the Blessings, for they are limited in
the Prophets.
'Some say You are one that has Risen from the dead.'
It is a matter of impossibility to receive all the Abundance of the Fullness
if you are believing in the limited degree of one that has risen from the dead,
aside from the Infinite. You can only receive blessings according to your version
and according to the Infiniteness of the individual that you are concentrating
on. According to the one that you believe, and according to the individual you
believe on, that far only can you receive blessings from that one. It is indeed
wonderful!
'But Whom do YOU say I AM?'
'I say Thou Art the CHRIST, the Son of the Living GOD'...
'Flesh and blood did not reveal this'
to Peter, neither was he limited to the degree of the blessings that flesh and
blood could give him. If he would have only stayed in that state of mind and
in that degree of Faith that he first explained, he would have only been in the
place wherein flesh and blood could give him things.
That is why men cannot get anything from Heaven, because they believe 'limitly' in flesh and blood, and get their revelations and inspirations from flesh and blood, from mankind, and from the degrees that are given in this world of affairs. They are limited so long as they see themselves from that angle and from that degree, and seek to get the blessings and have the Faith in those that are limited to the manship degree. Peter would not allow himself to remain in the world of the version, and theories and doctrines of men. He ascended and transcended them, and declared,
'I say that Thou Art the CHRIST, the Son of the Living GOD.'
'Upon this Rock,'
after making it plain to him that flesh and blood did not reveal it ,
'Upon this Rock,'
Said CHRIST,
'I shall build My Church, and the very gates of 'the other place,'
better known by the Religions as you know what He Said
'shall not prevail against it.'
Do you not see the lack of the Faith, and the lack of the Birth in the CHRIST Consciousness and the Christ recognition of the people? That is why they are limited, and that is why the gates of 'the other place' can prevail against them. It is a matter of impossibility for the gates of 'the other place' itself to prevail against Me. Now is not that Wonderful! This recognition, this Belief, this Faith, and this substantiatedness substantiated in this Faith and unshaken in confidence it is a matter of impossibility for the gates of 'the other place' to prevail against it. This recognition is the Keys to the Kingdom. I can open doors that no man can shut, and I can shut doors no man can open.
'Simon, I give you the Keys to the Kingdom, whatsoever you shall loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven, and whatsoever you shall bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven.'
The hidden treasures are part of the Blessings of GOD'S rightful Inheritance
to you He has given. Think of it! Live in this recognition, live in this realization,
and I will declare to you, you will no longer think a person can take your property
from you. You will no longer think it is possible for you to lose. There is nothing
lost in the great Universal Mind Substance. It is a matter of impossibility for
you to lose your rightful Inheritance. In GOD you live, move and have your being.
If you allow GOD to Live, and Move, and have His Being in you, naught will be
able to harm nor hurt you, neither to sever you from your blessings that are
in storehouse for you.
I am mentioning this for your sakes, that you might discern the significance of the recognition of GOD'S Presence, and retrace your thoughts back to the original Composition, the mystery of the Answer to those that I have answered by the millions 'Where do you get your money from?' 'The Spirit of the Consciousness of the Presence of GOD is the source of all supply, and will satisfy, and actually does satisfy, every good desire.' This is not a supposition, this is not an imagination, it is a Declaration made by the Almighty.
'And His Name shall be called Immanuel, being interpreted, GOD is with us.'
Being conscious of GOD' Presence will actually create for you the Keys to the
Kingdom, and the Spirit of the Source of it will be the way through which the
doors of all hidden treasures and all mental and spiritual blessings are opened
and you will be able to enter and enjoy them. Though all Earth may oppose, it
is a matter of impossibility for all of the powers of darkness from the mortal
world of thinking, from all the negative individuals as persons, to hinder this
Fundamental or to prevail against this Foundation upon which you are now standing.
Do you not see the mystery? Doors have been opened and none can shut them. It is indeed Wonderful! Time and seasons shall be no more. Time has passed away.
We are living in Eternity. This is merely a slight sketch and a reflection of a percent of a percent of a percent of a percent of a fraction of a grain of what shall be done universally. The actual doors of our Service Places will be open twenty-four hours a day. This is just the beginning as a Sample and as an Example, as a sketch and a reflection of a percent of a percent of a percent of a percent of a fraction of a grain of what GOD shall do universally among all Nations as well as among you. Think of it gambling dens can be open al night long; all night cabarets open, men and women dancing, swearing and gambling, murdering and doing everything else that vice and crime calls for. It is indeed Wonderful! It has been having its access, but I must neutralize it with the Presence of My Holy Spirit. The neutralization of those negative conditions must be re-established in their place and the Kingdom of God must abound where wickedness did abound. It is Written,
'Where wickedness abounded, much more did Grace abound.'
In this very Dining Room and Auditorium, it once was commonly known as a place
that such as that went on in many instances, but today the transposed version
of the activities in this building, it has neutralized those negative expressions
bringing them into subjection to RIGHTEOUS GOVERNMENT, JUSTICE and TRUTH; and
the establishment of the RIGHTEOUS GOVERNMENT Forum from this Auditorium and
from this Dining Room shall go forth. From this Dining Room and from this Auditorium
the Constitution of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, as a universal expression
expressing the Fundamentals of Life for all mankind, shall go forth as a Living
Reality. Now is not that Wonderful!
Remember, when I Speak of these things being accomplished, they are not confined to a Person or persons. Whatsoever I have Spoken, with or without My Personal Presence I am endeavoring, and I will put that through, with or without you, and with or without My Personal Presence. It is a matter of impossibility for Me to be a failure. Oh it is such a privilege, dear ones, to know, when the Words are Spoken they are Spoken into action, they shall be conceived and become to be tangible. Some individual shall tangibilate every positive Spoken Word. Someone shall be the fulfiller of every Word I Say. Now is not that Wonderful! When this is understood, you will not have an occasion to fret nor worry as to whether you are active personally or inactive, or whether I am Active Personally or Inactive. My Spirit and My Presence Infinitely shall remain, and the very Spirit of My Presence shall be Infinitely Active. Now is not that Wonderful! Jot these thoughts down in your minds. Substantiate yourselves in these Words I have Said, and 'Lo I will be with you.' You will not have an occasion to fret nor worry. With or without My Personal Presence you can relax your conscious mentality, and rest assured the Spirit of My Presence and the Presence of My Spirit will accomplish that for which I Came, for this is the Mission, and this is the Work of the Infinite One, without and within. I Thank you.
PEACE EVERYONE! I will not detain you longer. At this juncture I wish to Say, we are going to Bridgeport on September Nineteenth going by the way of boat, and by the way of buses, private cars and otherwise. The boat will be leaving here at eight or nine o'clock. Of course if we get a load we may go before nine. It is indeed Wonderful! However, as Bridgeport is a small city, it would not do to carry the millions in a small city like Bridgeport. It is indeed Wonderful! However, we will carry at least a couple of thousand more. All are welcome to go if you wish to as many as we will have accommodation for. The first ones to purchase their tickets will no doubt be the first, or the main ones to have a chance, for we do not anticipate selling more tickets than the boat can accommodate. Tickets will be sold at the different Auditoriums, or Dining Rooms, whichever. The price round trip is only seventy-five cents. Refreshments will be had on the boats on the boat, I should not Say boats because I did not tell you I would have a second boat the refreshments will be sold on the boat the same as they are sold in these Auditoriums. Soda pops three cents and no more. If any person charges more than what they should, and what they are required to, they are not of Me. You may know you are risking your money and your time with them when they are violating My Rule and My Regulation, when I am Working for the common good of all the people, cutting the cost of living from every angle, even to the Trip and going to Bridgeport by water. I don't bear record exactly how many miles it is, down the Hudson and up the East River, and up the Sound, and across the Sound why you see it is quite a distance, all for seventy-five cents, and return.
These are just a few of the Blessings GOD has bestowed upon His Children, giving you the chance to have a beautiful outing on such a day if you are in perfect harmony with Me in every way. If you are NOT in perfect harmony with Me in every way an inharmonious condition may arise in the ether to cause you to be disappointed, but if you are in perfect harmony with Me and with the Movement from every angle expressible, regardless of how the critics and the adverse may be, I will cause the Cosmic Forces of Nature to work in harmony with Me. The very weather will be in perfect harmony, and we will have the blessing of a glorious trip, a pleasant trip without storm or anything that would cause us to be disappointed, or not to enjoy it just as we should. Now this is what you are assured. I will assure you we will have a pleasant trip if you all are in perfect harmony with Me, for My Desire or Will, will have all things harmonious when you are in perfect harmony. I thank you. (The New Day, August 16th, 1966, pp. 1-2, 17).
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