The Practicality of GOD, the Cooperative System

Peace, everyone:

I would just like to say at this instance, I am sure there are some of our visiting friends to whom I may apparently be a stranger, but as they are visiting this state of consciousness even though I am visiting their city, to me they are visitors and I must respect them. I must respect visitors and strangers according to the gospel and the Scripture, therefore I am mindful how I entertain strangers.

If any of our visiting friends who are as visitors to me in this state of consciousness desire to have a word to say, or if you are not acquainted with me, so much or so well personally, and if you are not even visitors in this state of consciousness, you are welcome to speak, move volitionally as we do if you care to; I will be pleased to hear from you. If you desire an introduction according to custom, I will be glad to introduce you. I thank you.

(Following the testimony of a follower, in which she stated that Philadelphia was blessed to have Father’s presence, since the visitors were hesitant, Father arose again to further extend his invitation.)

Peace, everyone: Again I say to our visiting friends, we are pleased to have you with us, and we are endeavoring to continue to show just what a whole lot means by showing you just a little of my spirit and mt presence. If any of our visiting friends care to have a word to say, you are welcome to speak. As I afore said, as I am so can you be, and I desire to have you even as I am, if you will but let me.

I believe that you all would desire to be successful, desire to be prosperous, desire to be healthy, desire to be happy, and desire to accomplish your divers endeavors in whatsoever you may desire. This can be with you as well as with me if you will allow it to be. Then I say you are welcome to speak even as I do if you care to, for the Christ within brought to fruition will give you your real emancipation from barriers and limitations and prohibitions and whatsoever it may be that would try to prohibit you. I thank you.

Here we all are again; one in all and all in one to you I still remain. I would just like to say to our visiting friends and strangers and others who are not so well acquainted with our Righteous Government Platform, you heard the Righteous Government Platform rehearsed a little while ago.

About three years and a half ago according to the calendar years, when our Righteous Government Convention was held in New Your City and this Righteous Government was sent forth into all civilization, my followers at that time had the recognition and the consideration of my following being at least around twenty million–but I would like to say to our hearers and friends who do not know definitely, India has been added since that time, East India. By a representative of India they sought me diligently. They accepted of me theoretically, mentally and spiritually. Since that time I brought about prohibition in India, according to the dictates of the conscience of that people. India with three hundred and fifty million and a great portion of Africa by her representative has also accepted of me, aside from thousands and thousands and millions of others throughout all civilization being converted into this recognition yearly and even weekly.

Then I say, it is not confined to the twenty million as it was when this Righteous Government Platform was founded. It is a privilege to realize just what has been declared and what I have described. I am not merely describing the truth of our experience in words but in deeds and in actions and in every expression for the benefit of this people who can see just what is wheresoever I am.

In the City of New York the high officials of New York City have declared if we had a Peace Mission Extension in every block and I would be free to express in all of them as I do in the different extensions where I am functioning daily as I am here tonight, we would not need a policeman in New York City except to direct traffic; and the spirit of my presence would regulate the traffic situation and would also adjust matters satisfactorily from that angle of expression. That which I could deem or you could deem as today, leaving New York City with a small number of sixteen coaches filled with followers, was only a small number, because thousands of them could come as they desired by automobile and by bus instead of coming by rail. Nevertheless this was just a slight sketch and a reflection of a percent of a fraction of a grain of what I will do for men of business, profession, labor and trade.

I will help them in all of their activities if they will allow me to. The railroad company can tell you. The boat companies can tell you that my spirit is causing followers of mine, believers and friends to repay old bills such as they had never intended to pay, for riding on the boats, for riding on the train, for being stowaways, being stowaways in time that is past and gone–but the spirit of honesty, competence and truth will cause you all to adjust matters satisfactorily and deal justly and be honest to all your fellowmen.

This is only a little sketch, but in business, profession, labor and trade you find wheresoever I am represented, matters are adjusted satisfactorily.

Take it from me, these of my true followers in Philadelphia here, those who run the restaurants, those who have trade shops, those who have barber shops and other places of business wherein they are expressing the mystery of my presence, as yet my followers, for every shoeshine my spirit, my presence must be a blessing to your customer.

They get shoe shines for three cents because of my spirit and my presence and because of my religious conviction and theirs. You can get your hair trimmed in the divers barber shops under the Name of Divine Shops because they are owned and operated by followers who believe in me and who are willing to live according to my teaching – you can get your hair trimmed in those barber shops for ten cents, and get a shave for only five cents.

In Divine gas stations you can buy gas at only one cent profit to the dealer and to you as a consumer three cents profit – I mean three cents on every gallon of gasoline you buy–for the ordinary dealer is willing to sell the gasoline for four cents profit on the gallon, but as I said, my followers will express my presence, my love, and cause my presence to be a blessing to the consumer, to give the consumer three cents on a gallon for every gallon of gas for my name’s sake. Now, isn’t that wonderful!

Now I would like to say in reference to your meals, whatsoever you would pay elsewhere for meals, subtract the amount that you have to pay for meals in the Peace Mission Restaurants from the amount you would have to pay elsewhere and that is what my spirit is giving to the people. That is what my spirit is giving to each consumer, to every customer, to every diner! Can you not see what it really means to have Father Divine among the children of men, for I have solved the economic problem!

I have Come to your “City of Brotherly Love” to give you a practical course in psychology of this mighty love of the Almighty! I have come to give you a course in economics! I will demonstrate it to you a little better no doubt, before I leave the city, the same as cooking schools and cooking representatives come in your respective communities and hold meetings and give you courses in their teaching, domestic teaching in the expression of cooking. I will give you a more distinct course, absolutely gratis, on economics.

Today – I say today now – up at the Park we are anticipating serving the regular banquet at around one o’clock, from one to two o’clock. I desire to show the Philadelphians a real sketch and a real reflection of the victory over the economic condition, and a slight sketch and a reflection of the mystery of a practical course in psychology on the subject of supply. I desire to see humanity lifted from lacks, wants and limitations.

Jesus showed the people of his day a slight sketch of the reflection of the mystery of economics, yet he said: “Take up the fragments that nothing be wasted”. The same spirit is speaking today.

In a land of plenty why live in lacks, wants and limitations? Why should our City Government be obliged to put out millions of dollars yearly for the public when they have their health and strength and physical ability to earn a livelihood by physical activity? I give them physical ability! I give them mental ability and I give them the virtues of modesty, of honesty, of competence and of truth, that they might be the real producers of something that is good for you. By this they are eligible to be independent by living economically according to the cooperative system that my spirit, my presence and my actual coworkers have established under my Righteous Government Section on Economics in our Righteous Government Platform.

There are so many things I could say, beloved ones, but I will show you better than I can tell you. Words of the human language of all of the divers nationalities and languages in civilization, with all of the dialects, accents and other expressions of them, are inadequate to explain the mystery; but I will show you better than I can tell you. I will teach, whilst I am in your City, the significance of being honest, the significance of being competent, the significance of bringing an abolition to all segregation, that you, whosoever you might be, might have all power with me, even as I have it with all men because I am not bound by the barriers of the mortal version.

So long as you live in a segregated state of consciousness, segregating yourselves, even if you think you are superior, if you think you are expressing supremacy, if you are expressing supremacy, if you are segregated in consciousness or in the actuated words of expression from others, it is a matter of impossibility for you to express the omnipotence of the Almighty; for you need the union of all power of the great, of the small, of the high and of the low, of the rich and of the poor, that you might be real american citizens by declaring your at-one-ment with your fellow brethren – E Pluribus Unum – One Composed of Many.

We might vice-versalate such an expression and come forth into the recognition of the omnifariousness of this great Phenomenon, and men will see the mystery both on the right hand and on the left–in each and every way that can be expressed.

Then I say, Beloved Ones, those of you who are open-minded enough to receive my message, permit me in the name of God, Whom my followers declare I am, to be your redeemer and your savior from undesirable conditions, to give you your real emancipation from all undesirable conditions whatsoever they may be.

If you do, you will no longer fear the terrors of war, for war will not come to you. You will no longer fear the terrors of depression, for depressions will not come to you.

I desire to lift this whole government from the depressions and misery, lacks, wants and limitations this government has been laboring under; for as with an individual, so with a nation; therefore I have expressed the sample and the example in emancipating millions from such conditions. I can emancipate each and all of the nations from lacks, wants and limitations. You heard one of the speakers say a little while ago what God would do for you. You heard her say how you can be lifted from such undesirable conditions as you have been undergoing, or words to that effect. I would like to say to our hearers and friends, when you bring yourself to your extremity, to your destination, or words to that effect, God will have a chance, have an opportunity to express, and God will appear and express for you.

Is it not said and has it not long since been said, as a common phrase quite often used here in America

If this phrase is true among you as a phrase in the world of phraseology, how about the reality of it from a psychological point of view? Bring yourselves to your extremity and God will have an opportunity, for God will express for you, through you and by you and you will no longer be seen nor heard.

I would like to say to our ministers of the gospel, leaders and teachers of the divers philosophies, those of you who are scripturally inspired by the spirit of God’s presence and by reading his word, is it not written –

Your life should be hid – no longer hid in vice and crime, but your life should be hid in Christ, in God! Aren’t you glad! If your life is hid, you are no longer seen, and when you are no longer seen, God alone is seen and heard, and the often rehearsed song as a composition is a reality in your experience. There and then where it says:

Select and elect the Christ! Enthrone him on the throne of your minds in deeds and in actions, in honesty, in competence and in truth mentally and spiritually, establish him in you and God alone will be heard to speak, and Christ will reign in you. When this is done, it will be a matter of impossibility for anything to be impossible with you, for God in you and in his own Name can do all things for you, and nothing is impossible; for God Almighty is omnipotent and omnipresent!

Now, when you are no longer seen, when you are no longer heard, when you shall have worked cancellation on yourself as a person to its lowest terms, when you can work it no longer, then work dispellation on yourself as far as in your remembrance you can remember. You no longer will be represented, for you will have brought yourself to your extremity, and there and then God will have an opportunity for expression and you will be dead and your life will be hid with Christ in God; and God alone will speak and act in your stead, and God will be on earth among men where you are and where you have been. I thank you. I thank you. I thank you.

Peace, everyone: I would just like to say, I will not bore you longer, but in the Park this morning–this early afternoon at one o’clock, we will serve the banquet. All of our City officials are invited to our banquet, as many as choose to participate. Our public speakers and other representatives of our civic and social service work, and all ministers of the gospel whose minds are open to receive this phenomenon, I will show you the mystery if you choose to participate with me and will bless the City abundantly. I thank you.

Father Divine