Father Divine’s message at the banquet table in New Paltz, the Promised Land, New York City on Sunday, July 10th, 1938 at 1:00 p.m.
PEACE, EVERYONE! Here I AM again as I have always been, yet I apparently arose at this time to convey that thought to one and to all:
An open confession is good for the soul,
Is good for the soul, it is good for the soul
By it you can be made whole.
This is in answer to the last testimony. It is a message to be considered, if you will consider it and be broad-minded enough or be courageous enough to make an open confession, whatsoever your sins may be.
To the second to the last speaker I repeat; to be impersonal is the great essential, for without being impersonal it is impossible to please GOD; for it is written, “They that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Hence it is essential for each and every individual who desires to follow Christ, to take on the Christ characteristics, to live and walk in this Light. The Christ Characteristics must be your portion, and GOD’S Nature and GOD’S Mind must also be inculcated and reincarnated in you, or else you cannot follow GOD perfectly. To follow GOD, it means following in the way the Spirit leads, in the way of Righteousness, in the way of Truth, and in the way of Justice, the way of consecration, the way of self-denial, and the way of sacrifice.
Then I say, the Nature and the Characteristics of God must be your portion and you must take them on as though they are your own, and live and express in them from every angle expressible by making a complete surrender and recognizing GOD’S actual Presence.
The recognition of GOD’S Presence will give you victory over many difficulties, for you observe GOD as being present as an Adjuster of matters, to adjust matters satisfactorily and to right all the wrongs for you and for all mankind if you will allow HIM to. As the light dispels darkness, automatically the Presence of GOD adjusts matters satisfactorily. The very Presence of GOD without the act of HIS doings, by nature GOD’S Presence will dispel undesirable conditions and will adjust matters and cause all things to come forth into expression in their respective places if you will but let it.
Be Absolutely Impersonal
Then I say, it is a privilege to live in such a recognition, and as the second to the last speaker said, be impersonal. The impersonal stand is the place where all should stand. All should stand in this place of being absolutely impersonal, that you might be completely once and forever unselfish. If you are personal, you are selfish, and if you are selfish you are personal. Therefore, it is a matter of impossibility to please GOD if you are selfish or if you are personal, for GOD is impersonal.
Then, for this development of Love to take place and be in you and to be your real experience, you must get away from personality and all of your individualities, and forge through the psychics directly to GOD in consciousness, that you might be partakers of GOD’S Nature, of GOD’S Mind, and of GOD’S Spirit. When I say, forge through the psychics directly to GOD, this does not mean going some place geographically, but going through the psychics place, through the mortal versions, and theories, and doctrines, and ideas and opinions of men. Forge through them to get to the ideas and the opinions, and the theory and the doctrine of GOD. That is the mystery!
As men have theories, as men have doctrines and dogmas, they have ideas and they have opinions, they have fancies, they have pleasures, and they have tendencies, and so does GOD. But you forge through those of men, and go home to GOD where GOD is. That is the mystery! And when this is done, you will be partakers of GOD’S Nature and of GOD’S Characteristics. Then and only then can you be happy and happy indeed. Personality will rob you of all of your happiness. Individuality will rob you of all of your happiness, for individuality and personality, each of these two expressions is selfish. They are seeking things selfishly, the Honor and the Glory of the Almighty. But when you forge through the psychic plane, through all of those psychics such as selfish tendencies, selfish fancies, selfish pleasures, and all of the mortal versions; when you forge through all personalities and all individualities, then and only then can you contact your GOD and get the real essence of the substance of life, of Life Eternal that is absolutely impersonal and really is infinite.
Nature of the Psychic Plane
Life is not infinite that is limited to the moral version, to the theories and doctrines and the dogmas of men, but as you live in this recognition and put off your mortal versions, and all ideas and opinions of men on the mortal human psychic planes ─ the mortal, the human, and the psychic plane ─ for the psychic plane itself is an expression merely between the mortal concept of the physical expression─yea, it is the observation of an expression in the psychics bringing forth personalities and individualities into consideration, causing mortality and the mortals in the mortal world to observe the moral individualities and personalities of men.
For this cause it is essential for you to forge through the psychic plane directly to GOD, for in the psychics and on those planes you observe things from the mortal point of view according to the mortal concept of things, as you have seen others and as others have seen you. The personalities of individuals, and the individualities of personalities, those things are in evidence in your consideration, and they are only mythological expressions merely robbing you of GOD’S Actual Presence, causing you to observe the likeliness or the image of some natural person.
Oh, how marvelous it is to rise above those things and revel into the glorious liberty of the Sons of GOD, where in the Kingdom of GOD you stand as one and as all and yet not knowing any but GOD. In the Kingdom of Heaven they are known only as Angels, no longer as persons nor personalities; no longer observed as individuals and individualities but observed as Angels, as the spirits of GOD, as ministering spirits that are Angels transcending the mortal versions of men; only known as ministering spirits, only known as the expression of GOD expressed, conveying HIMSELF to the children of men and to HIMSELF again, that mankind from the psychics and from the mortal version of things might observe, and see, and know HIM.
The Only State of Real Happiness
How glorious it is then, to live in such a place in consciousness, where you can in reality lay aside all of your mortal concept of things and become to be absolutely impersonal; for this is the only place of real happiness, it is the only place of real pleasure ─ to revel into the glorious liberty of the Sons of GOD, and get home where your Saviour is, free from all personalities and individualities. You cannot be free from personalities so long as you are personal, so long as all things are not immaterial to you. So long as things are material to you it is a matter of impossibility for you to observe ME distinctly and be absolutely impersonal and live in this state of happiness once and forever. Lay aside mortality’s versions; lay aside personalities and individualities; lay aside all of the mortal concepts of things and their divers expressions; for they are merely the mortal versions that are clouding the way for you from Heaven. These will prohibit you from being happy. These will prohibit you from seeing your Saviour, for these things will darken and gloom the way that you cannot see distinctly until those things are passed away.
Truly might have one brought out a composition many years ago:
“When the mist is rolled away.”
When the mist of doubts and fears, of all human versions, all sighs and tears, and all cares for yourself by being selfish, shall have passed away completely, then and only then can you see ME distinctly and be exceedingly happy. That is the mystery! “If you hear of any man inquiring after me, tell him I said, first deny himself.” Make preparation for the coming of Christ within his life, and for himself coming into the Life of Christ, that his life might be dispelled completely through eradification and through dispellation, until his life shall no longer be observed nor even considered, but that the Life of GOD might be seen, heard, and understood distinctly.
“Our GOD Is One GOD”
How glorious it is then, to live in such a recognition. The first step for your consideration is self-denial; denying yourself as an individual and caring for something else instead of yourself; caring for someone else instead of yourself. For this cause I said: “Hear, O Israel, our God is one God.” It is for you to hear the Voice, and the Message conveyed by GOD. Hear means to heed. “Heed, O Israel, our God is one God.” In other words, “Obey, O Israel, for our God is one God,” . . . understand, “our God is one God.” If this be true, then the GOD for others is the GOD for you. If this be true, the GOD of yours is the GOD of others, and has as much right to others as you have to HIM, and you have as much right as others, according to your faith in HIM, according to your consecration, self-denial, an according to the sacrifices you are making. Then I say, “Hear, O Israel, our God, is one God.” That is the thought for your first consideration. When you realize, GOD for you, of Whom we speak, is one GOD and the one GOD for all of the people, there and then you have laid the foundation by such a positive and an unselfish recognition.
In that recognition that GOD is one GOD for all of the people, why, there and then you will express a sense of unselfishness, by such a recognition, and you will not claim HIM for yourself as an individual. Therefore, individual self as a person or personality is left out there and then in the beginning, and also your individuality as an individual is left out, while you are considering everybody else. “Our God is one God.”
You Need Not Observe the Second Commandment
“Thou shalt love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” ─ this is the first and the great Commandment; and the second is like unto it ─ “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” The very first statement, or the first clause of the first and the great Commandment included the second that reads as follows: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself;” for the very first clause of the first, is in the inclusion of loving your neighbor as yourself, when you realize “Our God is one God,” one for yourself and everybody else. You need not observe the second Commandment if you observe the first distinctly and fulfill it completely, and get away from self and selfish tendencies, which is to say, get away from persons and personalities and be absolutely impersonal even as your Saviour. That is the request of the Almighty. If you do not, you will be unhappy, you will be miserable; you will be perturbed and disturbed, here and there and everywhere; for the impersonality of GOD being a living reality in expression, the personality of yourself and others will come in conflict with HIM and will make you unhappy for the lack of the endorsement of the Almighty, as GOD does not have a personality neither as individuality to cooperate with your personality nor with your individuality, therefore it will make you very unhappy.
If GOD had a personality to cooperate with your personality and if you would be personal, why, then you could love HIM and be happy; but as GOD does not have a personality and does not have any individuality, it is a matter of impossibility for you to be happy if you have a personality. As GOD is impersonal, if you are personal it is a matter of impossibility for you to be with ME if you are personal, for I AM impersonal. The two extreme reverses are as far apart as the east and the west. One is in one direction and the other is in another. Therefore, it is a matter of impossibility for you to be happy if you are personal and GOD is impersonal, for you cannot be with GOD if you are personal, for GOD is in the impersonal state of expression, it is a matter of impossibility for you to be with HIM. That is the mystery!
Undesirable Conditions in Personalities
Then I say, it is a glorious privilege to harmonize with ME, and to revel into the glorious liberty as being the Sons of GOD with ME, by harmonizing with the fundamentals and becoming to be absolutely impersonal. In personalities and in individualities you will find misery, you will find disappointment, you will find failure, you will find every adverse and undesirable condition, if you live in any of these divers mortal expressions. But when you get away from personalities, get away from individualities and be impersonal, there is where you will find your GOD.
To contact GOD, it means to contact HIM mentally and spiritually and characteristically. That is the way to contact ME. It is a matter of impossibility for you to contact ME merely by saying, “I thank YOU, FATHER,” unless you get ME characteristically, and dispositionally, mentally and spiritually and “thinkingly,” if I must speak in MY Own Language. You must reach ME and meet ME thinkingly, by thinking according to the way I AM thinking, and by having the Characteristics and the Nature in evidence that I AM expressing, that you might be with ME in those different expressions. That is the only way you can contact ME.
The impersonality of GOD has been declared, and I have declared it continually, that you might get it distinctly, for I do not want nor wish for you to observe ME Personally, neither observe the Individuality of MYSELF as a Person, or as an Individual. If this be true, how can you expect to be with ME unless you become to be impersonal and individual; yea, you must become to be unindividuated, no longer influenced nor contagionized with individuality, no longer infected with your and mortality’s versions by your personalities, but by becoming to be absolutely impersonal. Then and only then can you contact ME and live with ME in harmony.
Expressing the Brotherhood of Man
As it was mentioned, the Message as given last evening concerning the mystery of the Universal Brotherhood of Man ─ this is true, as the second to the last speaker said; mankind fails to observe the reality of the Brotherhood as described. They think it means merely to say, “I am one with all mankind.” Just the word, those words, profit nothing unless you unify yourselves together in the unity of the spirit, of mind, of aim and of purpose, and express the Universal Brotherhood in deeds and in actions, mentally, spiritually, intellectually and materially from every angle expressible. Then and only then can you express the real Brotherhood of man which I AM stressing.
This can and will eventually be established, and all humanity will eventually recognize it, for in the Brotherhood of Man as brought to the surface in your consideration, I AM unifying all languages, all tongues, and all people together. I AM causing them to be in the unity of spirit, of mind, of aim and of purpose, in deeds and in actions, and in all they say, and in all they do. They should and they actually do, express the Brotherhood of Man when they are expressing it in spirit and in mind. It comes forth in your daily actions, no longer merely limited to sociality, no longer merely limited to organizationalism, no longer merely limited to any of these limited, divided, denominated expressions, but unified together from every angle, producing and bringing together the spirit and the meanings, and the impersonality of each and every individual, yea, bringing to fruition in each and all of yourselves as individuals, the love of the Brotherhood of Man with the recognition of GOD being your FATHER, the FATHER of you all.
You Will Be as God Is
Upon this foundation if you will stand, you will take on GOD’S Characteristics, GOD’S Nature, GOD’S Mind. You will think as GOD has been thinking, and you will believe as GOD believes. You will feel as GOD feels, and you will be as GOD is. This and this alone can bring about the real Brotherhood of Man and the conscious realization of the FATHERHOOD of GOD, for the FATHERHOOD of GOD will be expressing supremely over you all, and you will feel the Presence of your GOD.
Live in this recognition. Dial in on the Fundamental continually, and when the very Characteristics and the Nature of your Saviour shall have been exemplified, all mankind shall realize. GOD is no longer merely a supposition but a living reality to all humanity.
Oh, it is a privilege to live in such a recognition! The first step is in denying yourselves wholeheartedly, getting away from selfish tendencies, selfish fancies and selfish pleasures; getting away from selfishness, from the first step in your own selfish feelings. When you get away from those things through denying yourself completely, you will eventually take on the Nature and the Characteristics of your Saviour. When this is accomplished, to you and to everybody these things will be added, for the Characteristics and the Nature of your Saviour will do it for you.
The Yolk Is Easy
You need not do a thing. When this shall have been fulfilled you can still yourself as an individual, and relax completely, and GOD will work automatically for you by and through HIS own Characteristics transmitted. It will become to be a part of your nature to express lovingly, to express kindness, to express faithfulness, and to express the Impersonality of your Saviour by nature. You will express it automatically without your conscious thoughts to consider it. Therefore MY yoke is in reality easy, and MY burden is light for the people. You can see it is easy, it is no longer hard. The yoke is easy and the burden is light. Al you must needs do is to trust, and rely, and depend on your GOD. Be impersonal; the impersonal contact will react with the result that you will be with your GOD.
But so long as you be personal, and selfish, and “individuated,” it is a matter of impossibility for you to contact ME distinctly, and it is a matter of impossibility for you to be harmoniously with ME. If you be with ME Personally it will not be an harmonious sojourn. It will not be harmonious, it will be conflicting. As the waves on the sea, you will be up and down, you will be unhappy the most of the time. Even though you be right with ME Personally, you will be unhappy the most of the time; for personality and individuality cannot be happy with the Impersonal, and with the undividuality of the Almighty. You must be happy by expressing what GOD expresses, and by producing what God produces, and by reflecting what GOD reflects, and by being both it and them. Then and there, and only then, are you with HIM.
Study Both Human and Divine Nature
If you have thoughts that GOD does not have, it is a matter of impossibility for you to be with HIM as far as that is concerned. You must study human nature, to be one with humanity, but you must study Divine Nature to be one with your Saviour. Aren’t you glad! Studying human nature is a psychology well worth considering. It is a course that should be taken by all of the people, but there is a higher psychology. When you study it and shall have taken the course completely, you will know and understand Divine Nature, for GOD will express it in you by harmonization.
Oh, it is a privilege to know your GOD. You have heard ME say hundreds and thousands of times, it is a privilege to know your GOD, and you have heard ME say it is a privilege to be in the Presence of GOD. This is it of which I AM speaking when I say it is a privilege to know your GOD. Study human nature until you know Divine Nature. Study your GOD until you know HIM, and travel on until you find HIM, and be with HIM in words, deeds and actions, and be with HIM in all you think and in all HE is thinking. Let GOD be with you and you be with HIM. Then and only then will you be at a place where you cannot be condemned.
How glorious it is, I say, to live in the Actual Presence of GOD; to live in harmony with GOD’S Thoughts, with GOD’S Mind, GOD’S Ideas and GOD’S Opinions! That is what I mean ─ in the Presence of GOD. GOD is on active duty and at home at all times, for GOD works by the Spirit and by the Mind. There is where GOD is, in Spirit and in Mind, a state of consciousness. There is where you will find your GOD.
You may wonder, “Why is it some are more harmonious apparently, and more pleasing to the Saviour, than some others?” It is because of the contact they make with HIM mentally and spiritually by being with HIM in thoughts, in mind, in ideas and in opinions; in short, being with HIM mentally completely from every angle expressible. In all of your thoughts, and ideas, and opinions, if you are with ME, then you can be with ME Personally.
This does not say you are not with ME at times when you are not giving ME all of your thoughts, your ideas and opinions. You may be with ME at times in person, when you are not one in reality, but the contact will not last continually. Therefore you cannot accompany ME very long at a time unless you are one with ME in Mind.
Now you may wonder why it is that it is antagonistic. It is because you are mentally conflicted and conflicting, and mentally conflicted by conflicting with the Infinite, by not being in harmony with HIM. That is what it is all about. It is not matter! What do I care about matter! Your beautiful, sinful bodies! Your beautiful, corruptible, and stinking bodies! Your artificiated, sweet-smelling bodies, filled with corruption and sin, absolutely impure and unclean, and think GOD wants you with HIM as men do with them! I say nay! Cleanse your hearts and cleanse your minds! Put away all of the filthiness of your mortal concept of things, and all of your inharmonious fancies, inharmonious tendencies and inharmonious pleasures, and live in the recognition of your Saviour, and think even as I AM thinking from every angle expressible, or think along the lines that are in harmony with ME. Why, then your presence will be pleasing.
This is done by the mind and by the spirit; it is not by the flesh as you see it. Mortality would seek out its own according to the mortal version, by sight; but what said the Scripture concerning the mystery as the inspirationic prediction in the Prophetic Age? I through the individual was speaking when I said, “It is not by sight nor with hearing, but with a Righteous judgment.” I judge, in other words, “He judges, not with sight nor with hearing, but with a righteous judgment.” I AM not judging you by your multitude of words, by your perfectionable lineage, by your grammatical perfection, neither by your grammatical erroneousness or errors. None of those things move ME. If you are with ME in spirit and in mind, in word and in deed, you are with ME mentally and spiritually. If this is true from every angle expressible, I AM with you Personally. That is the mystery!
He judges not with sight nor with hearing but with a Righteous Judgment, for what said I concerning the mystery when the Children of Israel were seeking a great King? When they sought out Saul as a mighty and great man because he was broad-shouldered, and tall, and beautiful to be looked upon, this was according to the mortal versions of men. That is the way they seek them. But I say, look not upon his appearance, neither on the height of this stature, for I have refused him. I have refused the abstract expression of the person as in the parable concerning Saul at that particular time. The abstract expression of the appearance of all person, I have refused them. This was an inspirationic and actuated call or prediction in the action of the call. They called Saul in person as one for consideration, as a prediction of all humanity seeking mortality’s version, something to be looked upon as good and great according to the concept or versions of men. I said, I have refused him, and that prediction was for each and all generations, even for this one in which we are now living. I have refused the looks and the beauty of all men. They are not the ones in whom I may be rightfully found. Tat is what I AM talking about! That is not the one I have chosen! I have refused such a one!
This was a prediction in the actuated words of expression that were expressed at that particular instance. It was an eventual prediction of all generations, concerning the Almighty. Those who are looked upon to be good, and great, and mighty, they are the ones I have refused, now, henceforth and forever. I thank you.
How Glorious It Is to Follow the Lamb
(After a few moments FATHER arose again and concluded this most wonderful Message as follows:)
PEACE, EVERYONE! Here I AM, the same One as I always have been, although at times I may veil MYSELF to keep from being so distinctly seen. At this instance I have arisen to further say in accord with the Message just given, “These are they who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.” I thought when I sat down, how glorious it is to follow the Lamb; and yet at times HE may lead you apparently down. But if you follow on, HE will carry you home.
I mention this point because the way GOD leads at times, it may not be the perfect way according to the mortal mind. I had some Personal followers who followed ME many years ago. They would believe anything I said even as they now do. If I said anything that did not appear to be true to others, to them it was true, for GOD could not lie. Therefore, whatsoever GOD declares is true, regardless of how it may appear to you, the things that we call things; all things that we call humanly speaking by a name, even in the divers human languages, those same things are not called the same thing nor the same name in some of the different languages and some of the different countries. This is an expression I AM making from a national point of view, but more expressedly should it be understood in you, that you might be able to express it to others. That which is called something by men, even if it is called the same thing by all of the human languages of all of the human nationalities, it may not be called that by GOD. Hence if GOD wills to call it something else, man named it and GOD can change it.
Hence, knowing GOD is right, make all things right in your consideration concerning GOD, and be with HIM in all HE says and in all HE does. By so doing and by so being, things will come to be in expression according to your personal version that those things are right, for GOD said them.
Following the Lamb
Take these thoughts to consideration. I thought of how those have been with ME for years ─ some of them ─ some have been with ME for years and years, being illiterate mentally, intellectually, and being ignorant psychologically, metaphysically, Biblically, and even socially and otherwise, just believing in GOD. Others who have been with ME were wise intellectually, socially and otherwise, from every angle. They being wise and very understandable, others could understand them, but they could not understand ME. They could not believe words or things that I might say. But every one who did not and would not, they are all dead, maybe some twenty, thirty, and some forty and fifty years ago, while others that were illiterate, ignorant, and did not have any better sense than to believe ME and be with ME and follow ME if I go up or down, in thoughts, in words, in deeds, and in their ideas and opinions, they would follow ME mentally and in every way expressible, following the Lamb whithersoever He goeth, they are living to-day; and many others are dead and have been dead, some as far back as fifty years. From away back up to the present time, those who were intelligent, those who told the truth, those who would not follow ME in all things, who were led by their own minds because they knew better than GOD; because they knew just what was right and what was wrong, therefore they went ahead in their own minds and would not follow GOD.
“These are they who follow the Lamb.” At times HE may seemingly go down, I say; go down mentally, go down spiritually, go down grammatically, intellectually and otherwise. Regardless to how I go, you better go with ME, for “These are they who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth; they are redeemed from among men.” They would not abide by their versions, their ideas and their opinions, and by what they told them, but they went by MINE. Therefore, they were apparently wrong and apparently went down, but I raised them up again. “He that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I have overcome,” said One, “and sit with my Father in his throne.”
So the Spirit is speaking, and that which has been spoken is applicable to each and every one of you if you will stop and consider the mystery, express it and live it, and do as I told you by following the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. I thank you.
There are so many things I could say along this line, for as with ME so with MINE, if I choose to go up or down it is just the same, for GOD will make the perfection of things in evidence, wheresoever I AM. Therefore it does not make any difference, though I follow MY own Mind and MY own leading, I carry within MYSELF the Victory, up or down or whithersoever I AM. That is the only hope of redemption of the children of men, that they might be redeemed from among men and be not defiled with women, and inherit GOD’S Kingdom. I thank you.
Rev. M. J. Divine, Ms.D., D.D.
(Better known as FATHER DIVINE)