The Auditorium of The Unity Mission Church, Philadelphia, PA.
It was during the impressive Commencement Exercises of the accredited Commercial Business School of the FATHER DIVINE Peace Mission Free Schools that FATHER gave this profound address of enlightenment and encouragement to the graduates as well as to one and all present, and thence to the universe, for as His Words are impersonal as well as Spirit and Life, truly what HE says to one, HE says to all.
Awards of achievement and efficiency given by the Gregg Writer Company were presented by MOTHER DIVINE, and the diplomas were awarded by Attorney J. Austin Norris, representative of the Board of Revision of Taxes and Newspaper Editor. A detailed account of this program may be found elsewhere for your edification.
Almighty GOD, we humbly thank THEE!
(The foregoing statements are those of the transcriber, and the following is FATHER'S Address with FATHER speaking as follows:)
PEACE EVERYONE! At this instance I would just like to say, Peace to the world at large, but especially to those of you assembled here tonight for the purpose of seeing, observing and hearing the graduation exercise! I think you heard one say a little while ago, in the year about nineteen hundred and thirty-five I called for all the adults, those who had not received sufficient education to pass the literacy test for registering and voting; those who had not received the desired education they had desired from infancy, but grew up and thought they could not acquire an education at the age a good many of them were, when I called for the people to turn out to school, over night as so to speak, there were three thousand turned out to school in New York City.
They were obliged to call for other teachers, and since that time not only those who are adhering to My Teaching religiously, but men in all profession as far as they could be, and different religions have endeavored to seek a better education. Aren't you glad? ("So glad, LORD!" came the eager response.)
By this, thousands of people have gone to school even as these, the new graduates; many of whom had passed the age of expectancy, but yet they did acquire an expectation and did imagine they could acquire an education and a good many of them did acquire it. Aren't you glad? ("So glad!" again came the happy response.)
But at this time I would like to say, we are happy indeed to have these representatives of the commercial world, having taken up a commercial course under the Peace Mission Movement's commercial schools, having passed the necessary requirements and now having received their diplomas and are eligible to go out and fill responsible professional positions.
We are happy to present to you and to the world a slight sketch and a reflection of a percent of a fraction of a grain of what we shall have all over this wide extended plane. Not necessarily confined to those of My Churches and connections, but of every religious affiliation. All are welcome to participate in all of our work and mission. We are happy to have those who have graduated tonight; some of whom do not claim to be members of our churches. Aren't you glad? ("So glad, Almighty GOD!" echoed the throng.)
But we can present to our fellow citizens and friends a way and means whereby they can qualify themselves to go out in the world and demand decent and respectable positions as you have seen a good many of My students and followers and hearers and friends here tonight. It is a blessing and a blessing indeed to have that privilege and to know you are not confined to religion of any special kind and you are not even bound to that which is called religion alone, for you must meet the issues of life in every field of activity.
Therefore, when you are qualified legitimately and evangelically, you can fill any position that is legitimate and evangelical and you will not be obliged to feel as if though you are bound to any special creed or dogma or anything of that sort. Aren't you glad? ("Yes, LORD, so glad!" again came the happy reply.)
For this cause we do rejoice and we are happy to present to you tonight this sketch of a reflection of a percent of a fraction of a grain of what we are actually doing. Those of whom you heard called as a witness of this Truth to encourage these new candidates, in other words, these new graduates, the proof of the pudding is the tasting thereof! Aren't you glad? ("So glad, Almighty GOD!" exclaimed the assembly.)
Those Rosebuds have decent and respectable positions, even they say they have decent and respectable positions whose who are on My immediate Staff, and they are rejoicing as others are to find themselves qualified to fill professional positions from every walk of life!
As you heard one say, they have the hope or prospect of advancing, not only to be stenographers and bookkeepers and office keepers and executives or representatives as employees of government and the like, but you have the chance to yet advance and become to be executives of city, state and even federal government!
You heard our honored speaker say a little while ago, Mr. Austin Norris, representative of the Board of Tax Revision of Philadelphia, Attorney and Newspaper publisher say, "Education is something that you need!" Education is something that will help you when nothing else can help you from an economic point of view and from a business point of view! Therefore, I rejoice to present to the world a slight sketch of what I AM going to do! I have not done anything yet to what I AM going to do! I have declared scripturally as it was declared prophetically, yea, even in the beginning of our biblical history:
'And the Lord said, behold, the people is One, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.'
I cannot stress these thoughts too vividly, for I have shown you all conclusively by the Unity of the Spirit, of Mind, of Aim and of Purpose I have broken every barrier and every limitation for you! I have proven to you conclusively once and forever, GOD is in the midst of you, when you are UNITED together consolidated and will not be severed, there is nothing impossible for you to do! What said the Gospel, yea, the recorded Words of Jesus concerning the mystery?
'Wheresoever two or three are gathered together in My Name, touching and agreeing upon the one thing that is needful, there I will be in the midst of them to bless the needy.'
I AM proving conclusively, whether it be business, profession, labor or trade or if it is politics or whatsoever it may be, if you UNITE consolidatedly and refuse to be severed and have One Mind, One Aim and One Purpose, All things will be Possible for you!
As I was telling some people, a young man of a recent date, Mr. Henry Ford Senior, he did not start on his career such as he is known to be, the international magnate of the universe, until after forty years of age!
Mr. Norris said a while ago, there are those who have been of a great age, have been educated, qualified themselves, have received degrees and have received diplomas!
So then I say, let us live in this recognition and build upon this foundation and refuse to be severed whatsoever! Do not allow your religious affiliation, even if it is with ME to cause you to be bigoted, to cause you to be prejudiced to others, but live evangelically, soberly, righteously and Godly and above all, socially and live democratically! By this, we shall have a Righteous Government! All of the nations of the earth shall eventually see and know, when you are unified together as I have you, nothing will be restrained from you to do, that which I have commanded you to do! Aren't you glad? ("So glad, Almighty GOD!" exclaimed the happy throng.)
Just look about yourselves! True followers of Mine are independent and they express their independence individually even as our country declared her independence as a nation! So then, be of good courage and be persistent in your ambition and determined in your resolve and it will be a matter of impossibility for anything to prevent you from doing whatsoever you may imagine to do!
Once again I say to our new graduates, even though you may apparently be few in number at this time and you have witnesses, those of whom have been called to the platform here, showing you that they are filling responsible and respectable and decent positions through accepting of My Teaching; if only through by living according to the Message given, and graduating from the schools as they had been required to do each of those you saw rise and come forth, they are but a sketch and a reflection of what thousands and millions are doing throughout this and other countries of whom have not been mentioned.
In Switzerland, in New Zealand, in Germany, in Australia, in Panama, in Nigeria, Africa, and in Liberia, Africa and even in the furthest parts of the earth, wheresoever they live soberly, righteously and Godly and recognize GOD'S Actual Presence Supernaturally, the very Spirit of the Consciousness of GOD'S Presence to them is the Source of all supply and it actually satisfies every good desire!
It is something like a party said to ME of a recent date, they had something on them. They feared it was a tumor, in other words, they feared it was something like a cancer and after I talked with them, when they returned, they said they did not feel that condition any more. I said, when you get it out of your consciousness, it is out of your system, for it is written scripturally:
'As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.'
If you think negative conditions upon yourself and negative things, negative conditions will result, but if you think just to the extreme reverse, think the positive, you will find positive results! For the benefit of all of My hearers and friends, if you just read one of My letters of correspondence, I have told you I AM Well, Healthy, Happy, Successful, Prosperous in Spirit, Body and Mind! Because I tell you I AM, it looks as though I AM Healthy! Because I believe it, I receive it! I AM Successful, Prosperous and I have unlimited Blessings at My Disposal because I have declared it before you!
I was telling a party just yesterday, I said, if you go around saying "I am having a hard time, money is scarce," money will be scarce! (FATHER laughs heartily.) If you say, "I can hardly make ends meet," you will not make ends meet! I Have a Plenty and to Spare! Read My letters of correspondence and the conclusion thereof, all of them, they are not mere affirmations! You may use them as affirmations until you come to the recognition they are no longer affirmations, but declarations and realizations! I thank you.
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