FATHER DIVINE
I further wish to say, in reference to a remark I heard directly and indirectly a little while ago, —on this Banquet Table daily we serve the divers foods; in other words, the divers dishes of food. We serve a variety of food. Why is it we serve a variety of food? It is for the purpose of each and every individual getting something to suit his or her appetite. I do not coerce you into eating especially, some special dish I eat; neither some special dish some other individual eats; but I endeavor to supply you with the divers foods, which is to say, the variety of dishes; that you might have your choice to eat whatsoever you may desire as it is passed around to you.
If you notice carefully, the different courses of the variety of bread—we serve many courses of the variety of bread for the purpose of giving all of the diners a chance to take whatsoever he or she wishes to eat. I will not force nor coerce you into eating something you are not accustomed to eating, unless you wish to. You are privileged to eat whatsoever I serve at this Banquet Table when it is passed around to you, without comment or without criticism.
If you do not desire certain dishes or certain courses of the variety of dishes and of food, you are not obliged to do so. This is according to the Gospel. What said the Gospel, yea, the Epistle concerning the mystery?
"Where the Spirit of God is there is liberty."
I have given you liberty and a privilege, according to the Gospel . . .
"He whom the Son sets free is free indeed."
Therefore, in the name of the Sonship Degree, you and whatsoever is passed around to you, you are free to eat just whatsoever is set before without comment or without criticism or without accusation.
Therefore I say, as in the experience of the variety of foods, consider the mystery of our Work and our Mission among this people. Mentally and spiritually you are not obliged to, nor are you especially required to take what we take here or what I take as an individual. If you choose to serve G in the name of Buddha, so long as you are true to your GOD according to your religious conviction, you are welcome to do so—and this without criticism. So long as you are true and faithful according to tour religious conviction and your religious conviction will not run in collision or conflict with others as persons, you are welcome to speak and express yourself accordingly.
If you are of the Jewish faith, if you choose to adhere especially to the teachings of Moses and the Prophets, you are welcome to do so. B e governed by your highest intuition and be true to your individual religious conviction and I will lead you on to victory; for I AM The Victory Getter. That is the mystery.
As this is true with ME, those who are of ME will not criticize another. Some individual back here said to a lady coming in a little while ago something about her religious belief. I wish to say, I rebuke such a spirit and mind! . . . It is not of ME! If you have the Spirit of Christ, you would be loving and kind to each other. If a stranger comes in your midst, you would know how to be mindful how you entertain strangers. You would not speak a word that would embarrass an individual: for,
"That which you sow you must also reap."
Jot these thoughts down in your vocabularies and stamp them in your memories once and forever; for MY Words shall stand throughout eternity, even though you as individuals—without a change you will be a failure. I mention this because it is not only embarrassing, if it could be, but it is ridiculous—claiming to be in the Kingdom of GOD and claiming to believe in GOD and trying to criticize another individual's religious conviction! You are not of ME if you do it.
What did you do before you knew ME? How did you live and what did you believe before you knew ME? I have forewarned you all from time to time, almost every day two or three times a day, or at times more than that:
"Be mindful how you entertain strangers, whereby some have entertained angels unaware."
Therefore, you should be mindful and watchful and be careful how you treat each and every individual; for,
"That which you sow you must also reap."
This does not mean merely here and now, but it means throughout eternity; for GOD's Words shall stand, even though the heaven and the earth pass away.
How glorious it would be if those of you who claim to be of ME would be true as you claim to be believers in ME. If everyone would be true and honest and competent in words, deeds and actions, and produce the Spirit of sincerity, if you please, you would live eternally in Joy and Peace and your soul and body would be at ease.
Oh, what a privilege it is to be in the actual Presence of GOD . . . But just think of what such erroneous and ignorant mind can do! Just think of what they can do if individuals would come here and hear you speak as you do. You pretend to be MY real followers, claiming to be true and faithful, claiming to be angels of the Kingdom, and then speak as you have spoken to others! They would think I AM false, even as you are false, if they do not know ME by the Spirit.
Now, jot these thoughts down in your vocabularies. As I have afore said, "Men may come and men may go, but I will go on forever." Those of you who ca11 yourselves angels may come and angels may go, but I AM the Word of GOD. The heaven and the earth may pass away, but the Word of GOD stands firm forever. It is a matter of impossibility for ME to be a failure. Even though you may cause others to be losers, you will be the bigger or the greater loser! Oh, it is a privilege to observe the mystery and to see what GOD is here for and what HE is endeavoring to do for you.
I mentioned this afternoon, there are those who come in contact with ME, some may smoke, some may wear glasses, some may do many things—I do not Personally interfere with them. I did not Personally interfere with you, a good many of you, in your vice and in your crimes. Whilst you were committing vices and crimes and sin of every kind, I did not Personally tell you, "Do not do it." That is the reason why I could stop you from doing those things—because I did not depend on the words of men. MY Spirit has accomplished that for which I came; therefore I brought you your real delivery.
Truly might have one said:
"It is not by power nor by might, but by my spirit."
Permit MY Spirit to Express Permit MY Spirit to speak and express and act and you keep silent. MY Spirit can and will save the universe if you get out of the way and let MY Spirit have its free access.
Oh, it is a privilege to observe the mystery and to be in the Actual Presence of your Savior, where the Joy that flows like a river will be at your disposal and at your service and will take you safely over all undesirable conditions.
Take these thoughts to consideration and live in this Presence! You will not have an occasion to fret nor worry; neither will you continue in the spirit of criticism, accusation or the spirit of condemnation; for you will consider if you condemn another, no doubt you are more condemnable! Many times you stir up antagonism in others and cause them to express what you would express because they might be free to express it.
MY Spirit will keep you from doing many things—things you might desire to do or would do if it was not for your faith you have in ME. What a privilege it is to be in the Actual Presence of GOD, I say, where you will find
"rest for the weary, over on this side of Jordan, in the sweet field of Eden."
Here is a Tree of Life blooming. Here is a Tree of Life blooming—it is blooming for everyone.
As I said, I do not interfere with individuals with whom I come in contact. Those who are smoking or any such thing as that, those who may be wearing glasses; even if they are drinking, Personally I do not interfere with them so long as they behave themselves orderly, even if they come in our audiences. Why is it I do not interfere with them? It is because I know MY Spirit is sufficient and quite efficient to meet the issues of life from every angle expressible and to adjust matters satisfactorily; and when it is through with the individual, that individual will go away converted.
There are those who claim to know ME, they do not trust ME. That is not trusting ME when you are trying to force individuals to do something, trying to force individuals to believe in ME? It is evidently known you do not believe in ME effectively yourself, if you are trying to coerce someone else. That is why you do not believe in ME! It is because you are trying to coerce someone else into believing the thing you should believe. For if you sincerely believe and believe with all your heart, you would know GOD is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent, and can and will answer every problem and will adjust matters satisfactorily with or without you as an individual.
But when you think GOD is limited to HIS own Tabernacle—HIS Body—it is an open expression that you are not conscious of MY Actual Presence and you do not really know ME. I need not say a Word, I need not be anything Personally; for the Spirit of MY Presence, with or without MY Person, is Omnipotent. The Spirit of MY Presence, with or without MY Person, is Omniscient, and MY Presence is a reality universally, as Omnipresent I stand.
Oh, what a privilege it is to live in such a recognition, where you can still yourselves as individuals and bring your body into subjection and allow GOD to speak and act for you, by the relaxation of your conscious mentality.
"He who seeks to save his life shall lose it; he who loses his life for my sake shall preserve it."
The sacrifice of all of your self as an individual is the great essential, that GOD might speak and act in the fullness of HIS Power, when you shall have come to your destination, your extremity! I have stressed it over and over again:
"Man's extremity is God's opportunity."
If this is true, then permit yourself as an individual and as individuals collectively to come to your extremity, that GOD might be in evidence and come forth into expression.
When this shall have been once established in your memory, when you learn to deny yourself wholeheartedly, when you adhere to MY Teaching continually, the Spirit of Love will come upon you and you will be hospitable to each and all of the friends with whom you come in contact. You will express it in deeds. You will express it in actions. You will express it in words; and even in your emotions you will also reflect and express love and kindness one towards the other, and especially to those of our visiting friends as strangers.
I further wish to say in reference to the ministers of the Gospel; you have not heard ME say ministers should not speak saving as I have spoken.
"God Alone Shall Reign."
... which is to say, the silencing of the conscious mentality of men, the stilling of them as mortals and from the mortal concept of things and allowing the Spirit of the Christ within to speak in them and in their language—there and then all people are welcome to speak and explain themselves.
When they come in these different audiences, we want them to have free access to speak; speak and move volitionally if they wish to. If they do not care to move volitionally as I do, they are welcome to be introduced by their friends or by those of MY coworkers here; for this is our custom to do according to custom if necessary; therefore, I have the variety of food on the Table to suit everyone's appetite.
So do I, in the custom of our assemblies, accustom ourselves to meet the issues of life to adjust matters satisfactorily, to speak to each and every individual and give them a chance to speak according to their respective customs.
For this cause I continue to say daily, if there are any visiting friends, they are welcome to speak, move volitionally as we do, if they care to; if not, give us your name, address and profession and we will gladly introduce you according to custom. We mean to cover every space in the world of things with which we are connected. We mean to fill a11 spaces and be absent from none, and answer every problem and give each and all of the people the same chance as I have given you. I thank you.