Father Divine’s sermon given at the holy communion table of the Circle Mission Church [764-772 Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa] on Monday night and Tuesday Morning of July 31 and August 1, 1950 at 2:06 a.m.
Love one another even as I have loved you! How can you say you love GOD Whom you have never seen and hate your fellow brethren? This little thought of Love should be stressed in your memory and in your conscious mentality vividly to remember subconsciously and keep uppermost in consciousness that your only hope of salvation is to love one another without restraint…
Behold, behold, behold, the people is One
The people is One!
And they have all one language,
And they have all one language,
And this they begin to do;
And now nothing, nothing, nothing will be restrained from them
Which they have imagined to do!
And now nothing, nothing, nothing will be restrained from them,
Nothing will be restrained from them
Which they have imagined to do!
FATHER speaks as follows:
PEACE, EVERYONE! At this instance I have arisen to say, it is good to be here and to hear the inspirational compositions in songs and in praise as a forecast and as a guide to lead and to direct you on your way.
That little composition which says, “The People is One,” I have sung it constantly and preached it continually in the hearts and lives of the children of men until they have been convinced, yea, converted into the recognition of the Truth concerning the Mystery I gave them. But another thought for consideration, while sitting and thinking the People is One; and the Commission of CHRIST on earth among men was;
“His Name shall be called Immanuel, which is being interpreted, GOD is with us.”
To be conscious of GOD’S Presence, all of your problems and questions I will solve them! To be conscious that GOD is actually in the midst of you and is truly mighty to save by being a sample and an example for every one of you and the only hope of your salvation – your only propitiation. I thought of how I said in the Sonship Degree:
“A new commandment I write unto thee, that ye love one another even as I have loved you.”
If you do not love one another, you cannot expect GOD to express His Love to you! Can you not see the mystery? You cannot hope to be delivered in the time of destruction for that was the commandment given for the world of Christendom. Can you not see the mystery?
“A new commandment I write unto you that ye love one another even as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
You do not necessarily have to offer up your life physically since I have made it possible you do not have to do it, but offer up your mortal ideas and opinions, your human fancies, pleasures and all of their tendencies and deny yourself from every angle expressible, of your carnal mortal characteristics, disposition, individually and all of your mortal personality! That is the death I require – to lay down your mortal human rights from that angle of expression and Love each other in opposition to all of those mortal tendencies. Even though they be prenataled within you, do not allow them to have an expression nor a chance for existence within! That is what I am talking about.
Love one another even as I have loved you! How can you say you love GOD Whom you have never seen and hate your fellow brethren? This little thought of Love should be stressed in your memory and in your conscious mentality vividly to remember subconsciously and keep uppermost in consciousness that your only hope of salvation is to love one another without restraint, yea, without reserve and live in the consciousness of GOD’S PRESENCE wheresoever you are and realize, you must love over and above every mortal tendency, over and above your preconceived ideas and opinions, over and above your hereditive and preconceived prejudices and dislikes by going to the extreme reverse to that which those characteristics, disposition would dare suggest, and live in the consciousness of GOD’S actual Presence by being the same at My Personal Absence as in My Personal Presence, by doing the same and enacting the Bill of Rights in every activity and in every emotion express Democracy, Brotherhood and Christianity! Even if you do not feel it, express it above your mortal tendencies and your preconceived ideas and opinions and above all of your internal feelings that would rise against it! Can you not see the Mystery?
And Jesus said: “I pray that they may be One even as we are One.”
CHRIST was teaching the way to success and prosperity, the way to Victory over the adverse economic conditions and over all of the present and future or would-be negative and controversial conditions, for if you love one another and are one indeed, in reality – I AM talking about the often rehearsed quotation as said by GOD Himself in the Book of Genesis, 11:6 –
“And Behold, the people is One and they have all one language and this they begin to do; now not anything can be restrained from them to do, that which they have imagined to do.”
Jesus set you up as Christians at the Day of Pentecost to bring you all on one accord as an abstract expression volitionally demonstrated, they received an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a great refreshing from the LORD, for the Holy Ghost descended from Heaven, as so to speak, and gave them witness of the Spirit and of the conscious minds, that if they would be with One Accord, all things would be possible for them to do, and not anything could nor would be restrained from them to do, that which they would imagine to do! Aren’t you glad! That point of view in itself, when Jesus taught you to love one another even as I have loved you, and the point for consideration:
“I pray that they may be One even as we are One.”
that would be the Key to the Mystery of the secrets of the ages that would solve your every problem and would adjust all matters satisfactorily for you. Retracing you back once again to Genesis when GOD said:
“Behold, the people is One and they have one language, now not anything can be restrained from them to do, that which they have imagined to do”
GOD said that many years before Jesus came on the scene as a Person! Can you not see the Mystery! And CHRIST tried to make the people One so that they might have an inlet to Life Eternal and every desirable blessing that Life can demand! Can you not see the Mystery!
“I pray that they may be One even as We are One.”
For if you are One in reality, automatically you have the Key to the secret of the ages and to all underground treasures and to even High Heaven! Can you not see the Mystery? That At-One-Ment will bring you into possession of that Key that will unlock every barred and shut door!
“I pray that they may be One even as We are One!”
And I had already said concerning those who were being led erroneously, even though they were being led erroneously to build a tower up into heaven after the mortal versions of men–I said it there and then – nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do! In other words nothing can be restrained from them! How much more is it true with you who are in the positive and endeavoring to do that which I have commanded you.
You know it is a matter of impossibility to fall upon such a Foundation if you take the Words of CHRIST as given and live them and be One as He prayed that you might be One, you would have the Key that would unlock every barred and shut door! It would take you all the way back, as afore said, to Genesis, all the way back through Christendom and all the way back to Judaism and through Judaism to where GOD said that the people is One, and they have all one language, now not anything can be restrained from them to do that which they have imagined to do!
People marvel at what I do! It is their privilege to do the same if they will be One and One indeed! In other words, be One in deeds and in actions and in every emotion, in every activity, yea, in every transaction! If they would only be One, how marvelous it will be for them not to be restrained from doing anything they might imagine to do! Aren’t you glad!
Take cognizance of My Message. If perchance you make yourselves, any one of you make yourselves ineligible for ME to even so much as speak to you, as so to speak, by you not desiring to speak to your fellow brother or your fellow sister, by you being rude and discourteous to each other, it is a matter of impossibility for you to be with ME! That is what I AM talking about!
The time cometh and now is, when those who claim ME, or claim ME from a Judaism point of view or from a Christianity point of view or from a Democratic point of view or from a Brotherhood point of view, they must come up to the requirements to come into possession of the Blessings I AM so freely giving! That is what I AM talking about!
Then I say, it is worth considering to observe the Mystery of the Scripture and see and know we are the fulfillers! If for any cause or for any reason whatsoever you hate your brother or hate your fellow companion, whether it is a brother, man or woman, you are robbing yourself of Life, Liberty and the Reality of Happiness for you cannot get answer to prayers! You bar yourselves out of the Kingdom of GOD by refusing to love one another as you ought to, and if any adverse or undesirable condition comes along, if it is in the air or atmosphere in which you are living, you are made susceptive to those conditions if you are mortal and carnal by nature and therefore sinners and condemned to the fate that follows such characteristics and such a mind with such a spirit and nature as those!
I need not say more at the instance, but I thought to call your attention to the Mystery and how you can have the Key to the Scripture, the Keys of the Kingdom, of all of its connections, to life, liberty and the Reality of Happiness! It is your privilege, but you must comply with these Fundamental principles as depicted and described by your Humble Servant and accept of the Message and accept of no other!
“I pray that they may be one, even as We are one!”
I have often said, if any person or personages will but take the Teaching of Jesus and observe the Sermon on the Mount and live it and express it, it will save you from all trouble, from all disappointments, from all failure, from all adverse and undesirable conditions! It will even save you from sorrow! It will save you even from being sad! It will free you from ever expecting to get mad! Aren’t you glad! That is what I AM talking about!
So the Life of CHRIST to Christianity, yea, to all Christendom, as well also it is to all Judaism, the only hope of your salvation to free you from all adverse and undesirable conditions and from all of the prospect of them! And the LORD said:
“Behold, the people is One, and they have all One Language, now this they begin to do, and not anything (in other words nothing) shall be restrained from them to do, that which they have imagined to do.”
I cannot stress this thought too vividly, for it is showing you the way to success and prosperity! It is showing you the way to solve all of your problems! It is showing you the way to master the economic situation! It is showing you the way to master your domestic affairs and your domestic relations! It is showing you the way to master all of your controversial and conflicting conditions that may be existing in your world in which you are living!
I cannot stress this thought too vividly, for truly it is essential to get it Inspirationally as well as to get it literally! You may say it is written, and so it is. It is written scripturally and you may also get it reiterated or repeated literarily, for the stenographers are taking down the record now, the Words I AM speaking and you may get it as it shall be written by transcription! Aren’t you glad! But it is essential to get it mentally! It is essential to be impregnated with it and allow yourself to be reincarnated with it!
What a privilege to live in such a recognition, for truly, if you love one another, you love ME! But if you do not love that other sister, you do not love ME! If you do not love that other brother, you do not love ME! It is written, even before you knew I CAME–in other words, before you knew I was here.
“How can you say you love GOD, whom you have never seen and hate your brethren (or hate your brother.)”
You cannot love GOD Who was or Who is to you invisible. And hate your fellow brother who is visible and personal. The visibilization of your brother and the visibilization and personification of GOD to you should be more real. For the reality of things is made plain in the visibilization of them! Can you not see the Mystery?
But I thought to drop these thoughts for your consideration: if you take the Life and the Teaching of CHRIST and live it and express it conscientiously and sincerely as recorded in a great measure as the summation, the Sermon on the Mountain, your every problem will be solved and all of your problems will be solved once and forever, for I have paved out the way before you! I have shone you the way to go! Now when these thoughts are stamped in your memory and you live them and express them sincerely, you will keep uppermostly in consciousness the Mystery of Loving GOD by Loving one another whole-heartedly, conscientiously and sincerely: But devotedly and evangelically with Holiness and with Virtue!
What a privilege to live in such a recognition and to build upon such a foundation as this one! You will not have an occasion to fret nor worry, for GOD Himself is right here with you! It is written of ME:
“HE was in the world and the world was made by Him, but the world knew Him not.”
“But as many as received Him (suppositionally, as we term at times superstitiously, because you did not know, but received Him just imaginarily, not having the witness, the vision in yourself) to them gave HE power to become the Sons of GOD, even to them that believed on His Name.”
Then I say, it is your privilege to live in this light of understanding and have all matters adjusted satisfactorily for you! Why live in an undesirable state of being? Why not express beauty and grandeur such as right here you have seen! Why not express the abundant Life since GOD is the Abundance of Life and Love for one and all? It is your privilege to do so; express the Abundant Life with the abundance of the Fullness of the consciousness of Good, you will find no space vacant of the fullness thereof, by living soberly, righteously and GODLY and by Loving your neighbor as yourself!
It is a privilege and a blessing that may be deemed as rare, to observe such an unfoldment as this – the Prayer Jesus prayed to get you to be One; then HE would give you an imagination, and not anything–nothing will be restrained from you to do that which you have imagined to do!
I AM going to have it just like this all over this wide, extended plane, where a man is a man and not a color or creed nor a race! Where there shall be no division whatsoever and all shall live soberly, righteously and GODLY together and the abundant life shall be for all of the inhabitants thereof–that is if they live!
I have made you one; now I have imagined something and nothing can be restrained from ME nor from you to do that which we have imagined to do! We imagine we will have no more bread lines. No more lacks, wants nor limitations. No more panics and famines in the land! Aren’t you glad! No more races creeds and colors! No more divisibility of individuals but all shall be united together and all things shall be possible and shall remain possible by the unity of the spirit, of mind, of aim and of purpose: All the peoples of the earth can live soberly, righteously and GODLY together and there will be no more an ensign of divisibility for we, the people, is one Nation, one race, one tongue and one speech and when I get through with them, the world will see it! I thank you.
Father Divine