MOTHER DIVINE in Her Wedding Dress, 1946
Doctor: Peace, FATHER.
FATHER: Peace, Doctor. Take a seat for a few seconds.
Doctor: FATHER, I came because I am leaving Saturday.
FATHER: I see.
Doctor: I am staying over Friday. I want to be present at the Youth meeting. And in reference to the manuscript and what I should lecture on out of that manuscript in the subject matter that I have written on, I want to know definitely, because I do not want to jeopardize my soul salvation in saying something that is not authorized to meet Your approval. When I wrote YOU about two years ago in connection with the work that I was doing in teaching and metaphysics, we found that my teachings were not fundamentally deep and sufficient to do the good work in helping in the matter of human relations.
FATHER: I see.
Doctor: And at that time, when I unfolded to YOU, YOU showed me in the communication I had with YOU, that it did lack something, and that something was the fact that I hadn't come into the conscious recognition of the Spirit and Mind of GOD being Present in the BODY! And since coming in that recognition, of course, that necessitated a change in the fundamentals of my teaching. Now in my teaching in metaphysics -- now I am a graduate metaphysician; I studied a long time and I have degrees in metaphysics and Doctor of Divinity. Now, I taught in an organization of my own founding, known as the Society of the Sacred Seven, Inc., chartered under the State of Illinois and also registered in the Sate of California. Now, in connection with that teaching, we had a system of love offerings. Now, coming into this newer and higher unfoldment of the Truth with the Body of GOD that I have come to realize that is in the Body, and it is Your Body, FATHER DIVINE, and through The New Day I have learned that YOU do not, in any of Your Administrations, have anything to do with collections and love offerings or anything like that; and I was just wondering in my work now, I have got to mention the new unfoldment and new recognition and I am conscious of the Spirit and Mind of GOD in the Body of FATHER DIVINE; I want to know if it is going to be contrary to Your Teaching if I continue in that method of work I have been doing?
Now, if it is contrary, I don't have to do it, and I would be glad to surrender that entire program as far as that goes! And as to the publication of the book, or if it is to be a publication of the book, or if it is to be a lecture from that book along that line, and if that doesn't meet with Your approval, I am willing to let that go! I don't want a penny's profit or anything in connection with that work. I just wanted to do it!
FATHER: I see.
Doctor: And that is the understanding I want to get before I leave here. And I want to get it from YOU, just what I should do or if I can do any of that! Then I want YOU in Your Spirit and Mind to inspire me with some work that I can do that will be beneficial.
FATHER: Yes, it is wonderful!
Doctor: Now, that is all the time I want to take up. I am so impressed with the honor that has been bestowed upon me just to come in Your Presence. That in itself is sufficient!
FATHER: My Spirit will do it. It is a common phrase quite often used as a quotation and yet it is a quotation rehearsed over and over again:
'He that puts his trust in ME shall never be confounded.'
That is a simple phrase quite often used. So far as yet I have never taken up
a collection in the act of asking for anything as a free will offering, donation
or anything of that sort for the spiritual work and service rendered to mankind.
But as you see and know, in our connections we do allow people to donate for
the material things of life they receive, as that is something that can be bought
with a price.
Doctor: I see.
FATHER: But we do not consider the Gospel to be something to be made merchandise of!
Doctor: True, FATHER, I realize it.
FATHER: And because of this, at the time I went South and even before that time, about the time the Jim-crow law came out in the South many years ago, I said, I am going to break down that wall of partition and bring an abolition to the division of races and colors and I AM going to preach to the world and prove to the world the Gospel can be preached without money and without price!
Doctor: True, FATHER, I believe it.
FATHER: I said, I AM going to fulfill that quotation in the Scripture where it says, go without purse and without scrip and take nothing for your journey!
Doctor: Yes, Sir.
FATHER: I did that and have been doing it until now, as far as the ordinary system of taking collections or receiving donations and love offerings for My Spiritual Work and Service!
Doctor: Yes, Sir.
FATHER: Coming a little nearer now, today I was talking with a young man -- you may have seen him -- from Africa; one of whom was here and he said -- was telling about his mission to the United States was sponsored by the Government to bring about a closer relationship between the people of other countries to this one, or this country to others, and he said how he came here, he was sponsored by the Government, but he was going in the name of "Trade Union"; I think it was something like that.
Doctor: I see.
FATHER: But in talking with him, he was speaking of his people in his native land -- Africa. As I have some following in Africa, Nigeria, the same part of Africa he came from, West Africa, and I said to him, that as I know and as I knew, there are lots of people in some of the other countries, they delight in using the system of soliciting and begging.
Doctor: Yes, Sir.
FATHER: And as it was a thought once to build a church there in Africa, as the government had given a grant to a number of our church representatives to a piece of ground to build a church there.
Doctor: I see.
FATHER: But it did seem to be a matter of the system of soliciting and begging among them, among the natives there.
Doctor: Yes, Sir, I see.
FATHER: And it seemed that they would want to write here and beg all of the people -- just like lots of the so-called churches do.
Doctor: I see.
FATHER: So I silenced My actions there in the act of building a church! I mean a church building, because of such, but I did not go into all of the details to tell him that he had not and did not know the group that I had there in Nigeria; but I said today, I said in My discourse with him -- I said that I believe in the Declaration of Independence.
Doctor: Yes, Sir.
FATHER: And he spoke of, as if though this was a so-and-so man's country.- - a light man's country, as if though our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution were drafted by those of a different complexion from him, and he seemed to have been impressed with the thought as if though our Constitution being drafted by someone of a different complexion -- holding slaves at the time it was drafted, that it was not founded upon the Fundamental Principle.
Doctor: I see.
FATHER: But I brought out to him, as it was in the days of those very same people who were as the Founding Fathers of this country, were oppressed by the British Government and their representatives, our Declaration of Independence here declared her independence and threw off the oppression of Great Britain and other representatives and declared our American Independence!
Doctor: Yes, Sir, that's right.
FATHER: I said, and that Declaration of Independence was declared as an evidence that they were Independent to Great Britain!
Doctor: I see. That is true.
FATHER: And I said, though a good many of the people here in this country as slaves and ex-slaves and slave descendants under the oppression of those who drafted the Declaration of Independence and drafted the Constitution and its Amendments, though they drafted the Declaration of Independence, those documents, and even though they were slave holders, a good many of them, they declared their independence and threw off the yoke of the oppression of Great Britain and her representatives!
Doctor: Yes, Sir.
FATHER: Aren't you glad!
Doctor: I am glad!
FATHER: And I said, yet it was drafted by those or some in line, and the thought was, whether they were exactly the slave holders or not, they were in line and in keeping with those of the slave owners that had come here, I said that it was applicable to them in their experience to break that yoke of oppression that was imposed upon them by Great Britain. I said, we find that same Declaration of Independence applicable to us!
Doctor: True! True!
FATHER: And we use it even against those who may have drafted it if they do not give every man his unalienable rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness!
Doctor: I see. Yes, Sir.
FATHER: Or words to that effect. That was the thought I was conveying to him. I said, so far as yet, I have never taken up a collection, neither have I done any soliciting! I said, all of My true following, yea, all of My church members and believers, express their individual independence even as our country declared her independence as a nation!
Doctor: Yes, Sir.
FATHER: I said, therefore, I AM braking that alien yoke of bondage that has been imposed upon those of the Africans and the Afro-American subjects and descendants.
Doctor: I see.
FATHER: I AM causing them to individually declare their independence even as our country declared her independence as a nation!
Doctor: True.
FATHER: I said, for it is applicable to an individual as to a nation!
Doctor: Yes, Sir!
FATHER: Therefore, I use the Declaration of Independence in our experiences individually, severally and collectively as a means to free them from limitations by breaking the alien yoke of bondage and limitations and giving them their real emancipation!
Doctor: I see.
FATHER: Now coming to your point of view. I have never done any soliciting, neither do I take up collections in any of our church services, only those who supply food and shelter and such as that in the Peace Mission Movement.
Doctor: And material things.
FATHER: Yes. For the material things they get compensation or remuneration -- for the material things that they dispense with the public, but they dare not do it for the spiritual work and teaching.
Doctor: I understand.
FATHER: As you see in all of our connections and in all of our churches, we have the Peace Center and Nazareth Missions' Home for the Aged, Church and Training School, and we have teachers the same as yourself and others, many of whom have their degrees to teach, and preachers and the like who are giving their service absolutely gratis! Doctor: That is wonderful!
FATHER: And will not take remuneration! Now, as far as lights and heat and such as that in our churches and schools, we do not receive remuneration for that!
Doctor: Yes, Sir.
FATHER: Neither for the teaching and instruction, neither for the preaching and sermons or the choir singing or any such as that! Therefore, we swing clear of all of those sings, and all who desire to co-operate and function with ME, they can be blessed equivalently, for what I have done for Myself and for Mine, I can do for others even as I have done for these! That is the Mystery.
Doctor: That is wonderful! And I can and will be very happy to eliminate that love offering or anything like that!
FATHER: Because it is a psychological Mystery! CHRIST said in the Sonship Degree:
No man has forsaken all of these things, lest he gain an hundredfold more in this present time, and in the world to come, Life Everlasting.'
See the Mystery?
Doctor: I do, FATHER.
FATHER: I have had the offer of one song I composed many years ago -- at that time I had the offer of a guarantee contract of fifty thousand dollars for that one composition plus the royalty that would come by it being put on a phonograph record at that time, before the radio was so much in operation as it is today. But I refused it! For I said, if I make the sacrifice of that prospective fifty thousand dollars for that one composition, and I composed thousands of songs and music and have them written in music and the like -- the sacrifice of fifty thousand dollars prospectively for that one song, I have gained an hundred times as much for the same over and over again.
Doctor: Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!
FATHER: I said, I AM making the sacrifice of the fifty thousand dollars for that one song; I AM going to gain an hundred times as much as that for that which I have sacrificed! That was the prospect of the fifty thousand dollars! I sacrificed it though I did not have it for the purpose exactly then, but I had the prospect of gaining it, and I made the sacrifice of it. I said, I gain an hundredfold more now! And I told Wall Street brokers and others, in reference to the Wall Street business, I said, you or they may have dividends or stock or and exchange of stocks and the like, they may get fifteen percent or twenty-five percent or even fifty percent, but I get ten thousand percent, for I get an hundredfold more -- an hundred times as much as that which I sacrifice, for the sacrifice of that which I have sacrificed!
Doctor: It is wonderful!
FATHER: It is wonderful!
Doctor: It is truly wonderful, FATHER!
FATHER: As I said, it is a psychological Mystery! That is actually promised by Jesus and you will gain an hundredfold more!
Doctor: Wonderful.
FATHER: Irrespective to what others may say and what I may say Myself as a Person, what I have said through the Mouth of Jesus as a Prophet, Priest and King, I AM declaring, the same still remains regardless to how things may come or times may change!
Doctor: That is wonderful! Well, FATHER, that is surely the same! Now the manuscript, I can preach from it or publish it, and if it is published, it can be sold or YOU can have it or the organization, and I will not proceed in the love offerings or take up collections or anything of that sort!
FATHER: A better point -- pardon ME for ignoring your question there -- but I want to say in reference to what I have said, you can also verify it, what I said to the young man from Africa today, I want to convey the thought that it will be no doubt, in next week's issue of The New Day, and you will have first-hand information and a record of what I have said and what I AM saying to you as well. What I AM saying at this time will be, no doubt, in next week's issue of The New Day if we can get it in.
Doctor: That's fine.
FATHER: Now, in reference to the point of which you said, I highly appreciate your willingness to make the sacrifice of what you have seen, for what you hope to and no doubt will gain by trusting in ME implicitly and sincerely, whole- heartedly and completely!
Doctor: I will most surely do that, FATHER.
FATHER: I AM glad you are willing to do that.
Doctor: I am. I am.
FATHER: I know you cannot lose by so doing, for I did say:
'No man has forsaken all these things lest he gain an hundredfold more in this present time, and in the world to come, Life Everlasting.'
Doctor: That's wonderful!
FATHER: Now there are some points of view in your book in reference to human relationship in marriage, and point out the point of view as soulmate or helpmate . . .
Doctor: Yes, Sir.
FATHER: I AM striving to get humanity to know your helpmate, your soul mate and yourself are unified wheresoever you may go!
Doctor: That is wonderful!
FATHER: As I explained to you in part, I have asked the world to transcend My Personality, My Individuality, but Impersonally and unindividually I can be to you all who accept of ME, whatsoever they may desire and take ME to be!
Doctor: That is wonderful!
FATHER: Therefore, they make the sacrifice of all of these things and they will gain an hundredfold more in this present time! GOD IS A FATHER TO THE FATHERLESS AND A HUSBAND TO THE WIDOW!
Doctor: That is wonderful!
FATHER: I further wish to substantiate that thought as I just said, being everything to you, even though it is not written in the exact words of the language I AM about to use now, but GOD is a FATHER for the fatherless and a Husband to the widow! GOD is also a Wife to and for the widower! I thank you.
Doctor: Oh, it is wonderful! Oh, I thank YOU, FATHER!
FATHER: It is wonderful!
Doctor: Just let Your Staff eliminate what they don't want in the manuscript.
FATHER: Keep the faith and I AM sure you cannot lose, for I have thought deeply on your co-operation . . .
Doctor (reverently): Oh, thank YOU, FATHER.
FATHER: And I AM giving you My Co-operation mentally and spiritually and even organizationally, if necessary.
Doctor: Oh, thank YOU, FATHER. Thank YOU, FATHER. And I will get the manuscript from the Staff when they eliminate what they want. Thank YOU, FATHER.
FATHER: Yes.
Doctor: Thank YOU, FATHER. Oh, it is wonderful!
FATHER: Peace, and many blessings.
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