Angelic Revelations—the Gospel of God’s Love
Chapter 7
The Divine Love of the Father and the New Birth of the Soul
God is a God of Love, and No Man Can Come to Him Unless He Receives this Love in His Soul (Jesus)
Mrs. Padgett Tells of Her Great Happiness in Her Progress
The Divine Love: What it is and What it is Not (John the Apostle)
Samuel Describes the Happiness That Comes to the Possessor of the Divine Love
Christ May Be in You - What it Means (Jesus)
What is the Greatest Thing in All the World? (Solomon)
All Sin and Error Will Eventually Be Eradicated from Men's Souls (John Garner)
Helen Padgett Comments on the Message from George Whitefield
The Divine Love of the Father and the New Birth of the Soul
God is a God of Love, and No Man Can Come to Him Unless He Receives this Love in His Soul
I am here, Jesus
You are in a better condition tonight and I will continue my messages.
God is a God of Love, and no man can come to Him unless he receives the Love of the Father in his soul. As men are inclined to sin and error and the violation of God's Laws, they can be redeemed from sin by obtaining this Love; and that can be obtained only through prayer, and faith in the willingness of God to bestow this Love upon whosoever may ask for It. I do not mean that there must be "formal" prayers, or compliance with any church creeds or dogmas. The prayer that is efficacious is that which emanates from the soul and earnest aspirations of a man.
So let men know that unless they have the real soul longings for this Love, it will not be given to them. No mere intellectual desires will suffice. The intellect is not that faculty in man that unites him to God. Only the soul is made in the likeness of the Father. And unless this likeness is perfected by a filling of the soul with the Divine Love of the Father, the likeness is never complete.
Love is the One Great Thing in God's economy of real existence. Without it, all would be chaos and unhappiness; but where it exists harmony and happiness also exist. I say this because I know from personal experience that it is true. Let not men think that God is a God who wants the worship of men with the mere intellectual faculties - that is not true. His Love is the one thing that can possibly unite Him and them. This Love is not the love that is a part of man's natural existence; the love that men have, who have not received a part of the Divine Love, is not sufficient to make them one with the Father. Nor is that love the kind that will enable them to enter the Celestial Spheres and become as the angels who are filled with this Divine Love and who always do the Will of the Father. This Love is found only in the souls of those who have received It through the ministrations of the Holy Spirit - the only instrument of God's workings that is used in bringing about the salvation of men.
I have seen the operations of the Spirit upon the souls of men, and know what I tell you to be true. No man must rest in the assurance that any instrumentality or medium other than the Holy Spirit will enable him to obtain this Love. He must not rest in the thought that he can become a part of God's Kingdom without this, for no love but this Divine Love can entitle and qualify him to enter that Kingdom.
When on earth, I taught the doctrine of salvation only through the workings of the Holy Spirit in fulfilling the commandments of the Father. Mere belief in me or in my name without this Love will never enable any man to become the possessor of this Love. Hence the saying that all sins against me, or even against God's Commandments may be forgiven men, but the sin against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven them, neither while on earth nor when in the spirit world. This means that so long as a man rejects the influences of the Spirit, he sins against it; and such sin prevents him from receiving this Divine Love. Hence in that state, he cannot possibly be forgiven and be permitted to enter into the Celestial Kingdom of the Father.
God's Love is not that which needs the love of man to give It a Divine Essence. But on the contrary, the love of man must be completely enveloped in, or absorbed by, the Divine Love of the Father in order to become Divine in its nature. So let man know that his love is but the mere shadow of what the Father's Love is, and that so long as he refuses to receive this Love of the Father, he will be compelled to remain apart from the Father, and enjoy only the happiness which his natural love affords him.
I am so certain that all men may receive this Love (if they will only seek for It in the true Way, and with earnest desire and faith) that I know it is possible for all men to be saved. But men have the great gift of free will, and the exercise of that gift towards the seeking and finding of this Love seems to be a difficulty that will prevent a large majority of the human race from receiving this great redemptive boon.
My Father is not desirous that any man should live through all eternity without this Love. But the time will come, and very soon (relatively speaking -ed.), when the privilege of obtaining this Love will be withdrawn from mankind. Men may think that this time of separation will never come, but in that they are mistaken and, when too late, they will realize it.
The harmony of my Father's universe is not dependent upon all men receiving this Divine Love because, in the workings of God's laws of harmony on men's souls, all sin and error will be eradicated, and only truth will remain. But the mere absence of sin does not mean that all parts of God's creation will be peopled by spirits and men who are equally happy, or who are filled with the same kind of love. The man who is free from sin and has only his natural Love will be in perfect harmony with other men possessing the same kind of love. But he will not be in harmony with those spirits who have this Divine Love, and the supreme happiness which it gives. And yet such differences in love and happiness will not create discord or want of harmony in the universe.
Adam and Eve (or whom they personify) had not this Celestial Love, only the natural love that belonged to their creation as human beings, and yet they were comparatively happy. But their happiness was not like that of the angels who live in the Celestial Heavens, where only this Divine Love of God exists. They were mortals, and when temptation came to them, the love that they possessed was not able to resist it, and they succumbed.
So even though man may hereafter live forever and be free from sin and error, yet he will always be subject to temptations which this natural love may not be able to resist. I mean that his nature will be merely the nature that Adam and Eve had - nothing greater or less.
Even in that condition, he may be able to resist all temptations that may assail him; yet he will always be subject to fall from his state of happiness, and so become more or less unhappy. This is the future of men who have not received the Divine Love.
But the spirit who has this Divine Love becomes, as it were, a part of Divinity Itself, and will never be subject to temptation or unhappiness. He will be free from all powers that may possibly exist for leading him to unhappiness - as if he were a very god. I mean that his Divinity cannot possibly be taken from him by any power or influence or instrumentality in all the universe of God.
This Love makes a mortal and sinful man an immortal and sinless spirit, destined to live through all eternity in the presence of, and at-one with, the Father.
So, if men would only think and realize the importance of obtaining this Divine Love, they would not be so careless in their thoughts and aspirations concerning those things which will determine their future state through all eternity.
The importance of these Truths cannot be too forcibly placed before men for their consideration. When the time comes for them to pass over, the more they have pondered on and obtained a knowledge of these truths, the better their condition in the spirit world will be.
The spirit world will not help them so very much to obtain a more enlightened insight into these spiritual matters, because men differ and have their opinions in this world just as on earth. Of course they have not all the temptations to indulge their passions and appetites which they had when in the flesh. But as regards their opinion of spiritual things, the opportunities are not very much greater, except in this: that because of the freedom from the passions and influences of the flesh, they may sooner turn their thoughts to higher things, and in this way, sooner realize that only this New Birth in the Love of the Divine can save them entirely from the natural results that follow from the possession of only the natural love.
A spirit is only a man without an earthly body and the cares that necessarily belong to the obligations of earth ties. Even as a spirit, some retain these cares for a long time after coming over, and then are relieved of them by paying the penalties of a violated law.
Well, I have written long and must stop. So with my blessings and love, I will say good night.
Your
fellow spirit,
Jesus
Mrs. Padgett Tells of Her Great Happiness in Her Progress
I am here, Helen
Well, was not that a wonderful message of the Master? It was so full of things that should make men think and work to get this Divine Love that he spoke of. I am happy to say that I have It now to a considerable degree; and the more I get of It, the happier I am. I thought that I was happy when I entered the Third Sphere, and more so in the Fifth, and then supremely so in the Seventh, but really, I did not know what happiness was until I got into my present home in the Celestial Heavens. (editor's note: In the Second, Fourth, and Sixth Spheres are found those spirits who are developing their natural loves to a pure state, but who do not possess the Divine Love. The spirits who are developing their souls by obtaining the possession of the Divine Love do not stay long in the Second, Fourth, and Sixth Spheres, but make their progress to and through the Third, Fifth, and Seventh Spheres, and into the Celestial Heavens). And I suppose as I go higher the happiness of each succeeding progressive sphere will be so much greater than that from which I progressed.
But of course the Master has been the great teacher whose love and power have helped me more than all the others. He is so wonderful in love and wisdom that I almost adore him, although he says that I must worship only God, and I follow his directions.
My experiences here are so wonderful that I hardly realize what it all means. My time in the spirit world has been so short, and yet the wonderful knowledge of spiritual truths, and the great happiness that I have received cause me to wonder in amazement that such things could be.
You have had a long writing tonight, and I think I had better stop. So good night,
Your
loving wife,
Helen
How the Soul of a Mortal Receives the Divine Love, and What Its Effect is. Also, What is a Lost Soul
I am here, Jesus
I come tonight to tell you that you are in a better condition than you were last night and, in fact, have been for some nights past. I desire to write to you a message on the question of how the soul of a mortal receives the Divine Love, and what Its effect is, even though the mind may indulge subsequently in those beliefs that may tend to prevent the growth of the soul. Also, what is a lost soul?
As you know, the inflowing of this Love is caused by the Holy Spirit's bestowal in response to sincere prayer and longings. I mean prayer and longings for the Love Itself, and not prayers for the material benefits that men more often and more naturally ask for and desire. The prayers of mortals for those things that may tend to make them successful and happy in their natural love are answered also, if it is best that they should be. But these are not the prayers that bring the Divine Love or cause the Holy Spirit to work with men.
As the prayers of the sincere, earnest soul ascend to the Father, that soul becomes opened up to the inflowing of this Love. The soul's perceptions then enlarge and come more in rapport with the conditions or influence that always accompanies the presence of this Love. Accordingly, Its entrance into the soul becomes easier and, in Its reception, more perceptible to the soul sense. The more earnest the prayer and sincere the longings, the sooner faith comes. And with this faith comes the realization that the Divine Love is permeating the soul.
When the Divine Love once finds a lodgment in the soul, it (the soul) becomes, as it were, a changed substance (to the extent that it receives the Love and partakes of the essence of that Love). And as water may become colored by an ingredient foreign to itself, which changes not only its appearance but also its qualities, so this Divine Love changes the appearance and qualities of the soul. And this change of qualities continues ever thereafter. The natural qualities of the soul, and the essence of the Love become one and united,and the soul is made altogether different in its constituency from what it was before the inflowing of the Love - but this only to the extent of the Love received.
As this Love increases in quantity, the change and transformation become correspondingly greater. Finally, the transformation may and will become so great that the whole soul becomes a thing of this Divine Essence - a being of Divinity - and partakes of Its very nature and substance.
When this Love once enters and truly possesses the soul, and works the change mentioned, the Love never leaves nor disassociates Itself from the soul. Its character of Divine Essence never changes back to that of the mere natural Love. And to the extent that It is present, sin and error have no existence. This is so because it is just as impossible for this Essence, and sin and error to occupy the same parts of the soul at the same time as it is for two material objects to occupy the same space at the same time, as your philosophers say.
Divinity never gives place to that which is not of the Divine. Man is working towards the attainment of the Divine when he pursues the Way provided for obtaining the Divine Nature. And as he advances and obtains a portion of this Divine, no matter how small, he can never retrace his steps to the extent of ridding himself of the presence of this Transforming Essence.
But this does not mean that a man may not lose the consciousness of the existence of this Essence within his soul, for he frequently does. The indulgence of his carnal appetites and evil desires will place him in a condition where he may cease to have a consciousness of the existence of the Divine Love in his soul. And to himself, he will be as if he had never had any experience of the change that I speak of.
And while this Love can never be eradicated by the evils that man may indulge in, or by the mental beliefs that he may acquire, yet the progress of this Love in his soul may be checked and become stagnant, as if it no longer existed. And sin and error may appear again to be the only dominant elements of his life and being. But yet, when once possessed, the Love cannot be crowded out of his soul by sin and error, no matter how deep and intense these two may be.
I know that this may seem strange and impossible to man's intellectual thinking, and that it is not in accordance with what has been attributed to me in my teaching that a soul may be lost. Nevertheless, a soul that has once received this Divine Essence cannot be lost, even though its awakening from its dormant condition and its realization of the presence and life of this Love may be greatly delayed by sin and error and misdirected beliefs. And much suffering and darkness may have to be endured by the soul that is plagued by such conditions.
But I must not be understood to mean by this that a soul cannot be lost, for it can. Many souls have been and will be lost, and many will realize this fact when it is too late.
Now, what is a lost soul? It is not one that a man may actually lose in the sense of being deprived of it or being separated from it, or its even being lost as regards his possible lost consciousness of it. For while he may believe that he has lost his soul at times, in the sense of not having any, yet he is mistaken in such a belief. The soul, which is the man, can never be separated from himself. And as long as he lives in the physical body or in the spiritual body, his soul will be with him. And yet, he may have a soul, consciously or not, and at the same time, he may have lost it. This may seem to be a paradox to the mortal intellect or to the intellect of a spirit, but it is true.
Then what is a lost soul? When God gave to man a soul, that soul was made in the image, but not in the Substance, of its Maker. And at the same time, there was bestowed on him the privilege of having that soul become of the Substance of the Father and, to an extent, Divine, and entitled to and capable of living in the Celestial Kingdom of the Father, where everything is of His Divine Essence and Nature.
When the first parents forfeited that privilege by their act of disobedience, their souls lost the possibility of becoming of the Divine Nature, and at-one with the Father in His Kingdom. They lost not the natural soul thereby, which was a part of their creation, but that part of their soul having the possibility of obtaining the Essence of Divinity and Immortality that the Father has.
As I have said heretofore, this great privilege was restored to mankind with my coming, and the lost soul became again the object of man's recovery; and now he has that privilege that the first parents had before their fall. But men may also lose it as they did. As the first parents' souls were lost until they received the Divine Essence of the Father into them, so with men now. Their souls are lost until and unless they receive this Divine Essence therein. And as the first parents forfeited their privilege of having their souls become a living, Divine substance by their disobedience and refusal, so now will men forfeit their privilege to save their souls from separation from the Divine unity with the Father by the same disobedience and refusal.
The lost soul is as real as the verities of the Father's immutable laws. And only by the operation of the Divine Love can the lost soul become the found soul.
Men may believe and teach that there is a part of the Divine within them that will cause their souls to progress and develop until they reach the condition of Divinity that will make them a part of the Divinity of the Father. But they are all wrong in such thinking. For while man was the highest creation of God, the most perfect, and made in His image, yet there is no part of the Divine in man. And having no part of the Divine, it is wholly impossible for him to progress to a possession of the Divine. He of himself, no matter what his development may be, can never become greater or more perfect, or of a higher nature, than he was at his creation.
The Divine comes from above. And when once planted in a man's soul, there can be no limit to Its expansion and development, even in the Celestial Heavens. Let all men seek this Love and there will be no lost souls. But alas, many will not do so, and the spiritual heavens will be filled with lost souls who lack the Divine Essence of the Father.
I have written enough for tonight, and I am pleased at the way in which you received my message. Continue to pray to the Father for more and more of His Divine Love, and your prayers will be answered. You will soon realize, with the certainty that comes from the conscious possession of the Divine Essence, that your soul is not lost and never will be.
So, with my Love and blessings, I will say good night and God bless you.
Your
brother and friend,
Jesus
The Divine Love: What It Is and What It Is Not, and How It Can Be Obtained
I am here, John, apostle of Jesus
I come tonight to say only a few words, and these in reference to Love - the Divine Love of the Father which He rebestowed upon mankind at the coming of the Master.
This Love is the greatest thing in all the world, and the only thing that can make man at-one with the Father, and change the soul of man, as it has existed since his creation, into a Divine Substance filled with the Essence of the Father. There is nothing else in all the Universe of God that can cause man to become a new creature and an inhabitant of the Father's Kingdom. And when men possess this Love, they possess everything then that will make them not only the perfect man but also the Divine angel.
Men will understand the moral precepts of brotherly love then, and also the Father's Oneness, and they will not have to seek for other help in order to bring those qualities into the life of the human race that will bring peace and good will to it.
Then will each man know that every other man is his brother; and he will be able to do unto each as he would have the other do unto him, and this without effort or sacrifice on his part. For Love worketh Its own fulfillment, and all Its beneficence floweth towards the fellowman as falls the dews from heaven. Envy and hatred and strife and jealousy and all the other evil qualities of man will disappear, and only peace and joy and happiness will remain.
The Divine Love is so abundant that It may be possessed by all men by the mere seeking and the sincere longing for Its inflowing. But man must understand that It is not his by matter of right, nor is It ever forced upon him, but comes only in response to the sincere, earnest prayer of a soul that is filled with longings for Its coming.
This Love comes not with observation of the mere moral rules, or with good deeds and the exercise of the natural love of a man towards his fellows, because no man can possibly merit It by any deeds or acts or kindness of heart that he may have.
All these things are desirable, and they work out their own rewards, and they bring the happiness and peace that result from good thoughts and kind deeds; but all these do not bring this Great Love into the soul of man. The Father, Alone, brings this Love. And only when the soul is opened up to Its reception can this Love possibly find Its home in that soul.
It is greater than faith or hope because It is the real Substance of the Father, while faith and hope are the qualities which a man may possess by his own efforts, and which are given to him that he may realize the possibility of obtaining this Love. However they are merely means; It - the Divine Love - is the end and fullness of their exercise.
But men must not believe that all love is the Divine Love, for It is very different in Its Substance and Qualities from all other loves.
All men have the natural love as a part of their possessions, and they need not pray for a bestowal of that; although since it has become defiled by sin, it needs to be purified and freed from this blight. And the Father is ever willing and ready to help men obtain this purification.
But this Divine Love is not a part of man's nature, nor can he obtain or possess It except he seek for It. It comes from without and is not developed from within.
It is the result of individual acquirement, and not the object of universal possession. It may be possessed by all, It can be possessed by only a few; and each man must determine for himself whether or not It shall be his. With God there is no respect of persons; neither is there any royal road to the obtaining of this Love. All must pursue the same Way, and that Way is the one that Jesus taught: the opening up of the soul so that this Love may find a lodgment therein, which can be brought about only by sincere prayer and longing for Its inflowing.
This Love is the life of the Celestial Heavens, and the only key that will unlock the gates; and when the mortal enters therein, all other love is absorbed by It. It has no substitute, and is, of Itself, a thing apart. It is of the Essence of the Divine, and the spirit which possesses It is Divine, himself. It may be yours, It may be all men's - and It may not. You must decide that question for yourself. Not even the Father can make the decision for you.
In closing, let me repeat that It is the greatest thing in all God's universe; and not only the greatest but also the sum of all things. For from It flows every other thing that brings peace and happiness.
I will not write more tonight, and with my love to you and the Blessings of the Father, will say good night.
Your
brother in Christ,
John
Samuel Describes the Happiness That Comes to the Possessor of the Divine Love
I am here, Samuel, prophet of old
I come to write to you that I am with you in love and hope for your present blessing and happiness.
I know that the worries of life prevent you from realizing the influence of this Great Love which is surrounding you, and which is ready and waiting to fill your soul to its fullness. But if you will pray more to the Father and exercise your faith, you will find that your worries will lessen, and peace will come to you in such abundance and beauty that you will feel like a new man.
As John said, with this faith, Love will flow into your soul, and you will realize the joys of our Celestial conditions to some extent. For the Love that may be yours is the same Love, in its nature, that we possess, and that has made angels of us all and inhabitants of the Father's Kingdom. Only believe, and you will realize how willing this Love is to take possession of your soul, and make you so happy that even the troubles that you have will not be sufficient to take from you the great peace that surpasseth all understanding.
I have been in the spirit for many years and have possessed this Love for a long time. I know by actual experience what It is and what great joy It brings to Its possessor. So you can rely on what I promise you, and feel the certainty that my actual knowledge gives. I am now a wholly redeemed child of the Father, and one who knows that His Divine Love in the soul makes the man or spirit of the Essence of the Father. When this Love enters the soul of man, It increases like the leaven in the dough, and continues in Its work until the whole soul is impregnated with It, and everything of sin or error is wholly eradicated.
Love worketh all things that man can wish for or conceive of, and more besides. Paul's description of Love, and the wonderful qualities and conditions that emanate from It, does not contain all Its emanations and resultant happiness.
But I must not write more tonight, for it is late and you are tiring. So, believe what I have said and try to follow my advice, and you will soon experience that peace and happiness which only this Love can bring to the souls of men.
I will come soon and write you another message that will be of benefit to humanity.
So with my Love and blessings, I will say good night.
Your
brother in Christ,
Samuel
Christ May Be in You - What it Means
I am here, Jesus
I desire tonight to write to you in reference to the way in which, as the preacher advises, "Christ may be in you."
I know that it is almost universal among preachers of the orthodox church to teach their hearers that the way to salvation is to get Christ in them, and thereby they will be enabled to come into unity with the Father, and will cease to remain subject to the effects of sin and evil. Well, this teaching is the true foundation of salvation for the Celestial Heavens, provided it be understood by the preachers and the people what the true meaning of "Christ in you" is. Unless this meaning is comprehended, the fact that preacher or people may believe that they have Christ in them will not work the results that they may suppose or desire.
Many, and I may say the most of these professing Christians have ideas of what this expression means, in activated terms, that are not in accord with the true meaning of this condition of the soul. They believe that all that is necessary is to believe on Jesus as their savior by his sacrifice and death, that in so believing they have Christ in them, and that nothing else is required. They have no conception of the distinction between Jesus the man, and Christ the Spirit of Truth, or more correctly, the Spirit that manifests the existence of the Divine Love in the soul.
Christ is not a man in the sense that he is Jesus, the son of the Father, but Christ is that part of Jesus, or rather Quality, that came to him after he fully received the Divine Love into his soul, and was transformed into the very Essence of the Father in His Love. Thus Christ is not a man, but is the manifestation of this Love as bestowed upon Jesus, and made part of his very existence. And when men use the expression, "having Christ in you," if they could correctly understand the true purport of the same, they would know that it (the expression) means only that the Divine Love of the Father is in their souls.
The indiscriminate use of the words "Jesus" and "Christ" is the cause of much misunderstanding among these Christians as to a number of the sayings of the Bible.
Jesus became the Christ only because he was the first to receive this Divine Love into his soul, and to manifest Its existence. And this Christ Principle is one that all men may possess, with the result that they will become at-one with the Father in His substance of Love and Immortality.
It would be impossible for Jesus, the man, to get into or become a part of any mortal; and it would be equally impossible for Christ, as the man Jesus - even though perfect and free from sin- to become a part of anyone.
No, the meaning of having Christ in you is to have this Love of the Father in your soul, which can only be obtained through the working of the Holy Spirit as the instrument of the Father in bringing this Love into the soul.
To many who hear the preachers' exhortations in this particular, the expression is only a mystery which they accept merely intellectually, feeling by such acceptance that they have the possession of this Christ - such mystery being their only evidence of the Truth of the Father's Love.
Good night,
Your
friend and brother,
Jesus
What is the Greatest Thing in All the World?
I am here, Solomon of the Old Testament
I come only to say that very soon I would like to write you another message conveying some great truth of the Father. I will not write more now, but will come soon.
(What is the greatest thing in all the world?)
Prayer and faith on the part of mortals, and Love - the Divine Love - on the part of God. The latter is waiting, and the former causes It to enter into the souls of men.
No other truths are so great and momentous to men. Let what I say sink deep into your memory, and try the experiment. I know you do try; but try, and then try, and never cease trying. Love will come to you, and with it, faith... and then knowledge... and then ownership.
I could write for a long time yet; but I must not, as you are tired.
So with my love and blessings, I will say good night, and may the Father's Love take possession of you.
Your
brother in Christ,
Solomon
All Sin and Error Will Eventually Be Eradicated from Men's Souls
I am here, John Garner
I am here to tell you that God is Love, and that all mankind are His children and the object of His bounty and care. Not even the vilest sinner is beyond the boundaries of His care and love. He is not a God who needs propitiation or sacrifice, but rather calls to all His children to come unto Him and partake freely of the great feast of Love which He has prepared for them, and to enjoy the happiness which His presence gives.
So my friend, do not think for a moment that the doors of Mercy, or the entrance into the delights of His Heavenly Home, are closed by the death of the body. For I tell you that the death of the body is a mere entrance into a higher life, with increased opportunities. But notwithstanding what I say, the soul that seeks to obtain this Love while on earth has a great advantage in time over the one that waits until his spirit leaves the body before seeking for the Father's Love. The best time for mortals to aspire to attaining this Great Gift is the Now, and no time is so propitious! God's Love is for the mortal, even if he has the passions and appetites which the flesh encumbers him with. And when a mortal fights against the temptations which these burdens impose, and overcomes them, when he enters the spirit world he is stronger and more able to progress than when he puts off the great attempt until he becomes purely spirit. So, while there is no such condition as probation terminated when the mortal enters the spirit world, yet the probation on earth is the accepted time to seek the Great Prize.
I know I am writing like some of your camp meeting preachers, but what I say is a truth nevertheless; and happy is the mortal who realizes this fact and acts in accordance with it.
Jesus is working among mortals now, as he did when on earth; and although they cannot see his physical form or hear his voice of love in tones of benediction and pleading, yet the influence of his love is felt, and the persuasion of his spirit voice is heard in the hearts of men.
He is still the savior of men, as he was on earth, and his mission will not cease until the closing of the Celestial Kingdom.
It is also decreed that sin and error shall be eradicated from earth and from the spirit world. And man will be the triumpher and conqueror over sin and everything that tends to pervert him from that which is good and righteous. Men having only their natural love will be freed from all inharmony, and live as brothers and friends in peace and happiness. And spirits having the Divine Love will become as the angels of God and will live forever in the bliss of the Celestial Heavens.
So, I urge all men to seek the Divine Love of the Father, and live in His Presence forever.
I must stop now. But before I go, let me say that I am working with the Master in the great cause of encouraging men to seek this Love to make them at-one with the Father.
So, as your brother in Christ, I will say good night.
John Garner
P.S. I was a Christian preacher of England in the time of the Reformation.
The Great World Teacher Will Be the Master Coming Again to Earth in the Form of His Divine Revelations
I am here, George Whitefield
I was with you tonight at the prayer meeting and heard what the preacher said, and was particularly interested in his ideas about the coming of the great world teacher. I saw that his idea of what constituted greatness in this particular arose from his estimate of human greatness.
The teacher will not be a great preacher or a magnificent specimen of physical development, or a man with a wonderful voice, but a man who can reveal to the world the Truths of the Father regarding the relationship of man to the Father, and the Plan provided for the redemption and reconciliation of man to the Father.
It is a fact, and I know whereof I write, that the regeneration of the human soul is caused more by the quiet meditations of mortals of the Truths of the Father, and by the silent longings of the soul, than by the emotions that arise from the fervid and persuasive sermons of the preachers and evangelists. These latter may arouse the dead souls to a realization of their need of a reconciliation to God, but these emotions do not so often bring the soul into rapport, or unison with the Father, as the silent meditations of which I speak do. There must be the true soul longings and aspirations for this Love of the Father. And in such cases, these longings do not arise from the emotions produced, as I have mentioned, and especially where such emotions are the results of fear created by the picturing of an angry and revengeful God. No, in the silence of the home chamber where the mortal is alone with God, as it were, and he lets his longings go to the Father for the bestowal of His Love, because of the love that he has for the Father; that is where and when this Divine Love comes to him in response and in regenerating Power.
Only the mortal and God need be alone. Excitement, or the magnetism which the preacher may give to the mortal, does not create the true longings or aspirations. And for the preacher to suppose that the great world teacher must be a man with this great personal magnetism, or with a voice that can cause the feelings of the mortal to vibrate with emotion or excitement, is a mistake.
When on earth, Jesus (I am told) never tried to create emotion or excitement in this manner; but his teachings were as the still, small voice that enters the soul and draws it to a contemplation of the Father's Love in all the power of a soul's longings, hungry and craving.
So I say, the preacher's conception of this teacher was not a true one. And besides, while there will be a revelation of the Truth, there will be no world teacher, but only a revealer of Truths that will be disclosed. The Master, himself, will be the great teacher who will come again to earth in the form of his revelations.
I wish that I could come and proclaim these Truths, but I cannot. Only through the instrumentality of a human can my thoughts be made known. And they will not be my thoughts either, any more than they will be the thoughts of the mortal; because what I may attempt to impress upon the minds and consciousness of men will be only those Truths that I have learned from the same source as the revelations will come.
Of course these Truths will have to be preached and taught to men. This will not be done by any great teacher, but by many preachers who shall learn the Truth from what the Master shall disclose. And no man, of himself, will be able to claim to be the great teacher. The greatest will be those who shall have the most Divine Love in their souls, and the greatest knowledge of the Truths.
I also heard the preacher say that he would believe in any truths that might be confirmed by miracles, such as were performed in the time of Jesus - the instantaneous healings, etc. Well, you need not be surprised by such a demonstration, for it will surely take place. When a man shall receive a sufficient amount of the Divine Love in his soul, with It a power and knowledge of the laws governing the relation of spirit to material organism will come to that man, that will enable him to perform these same acts that are called miracles. And further, there will be some who will have that power and will demonstrate the same in confirmation of the truths that you are receiving.
The spirits who are now working to inform and convince man of these truths have determined that such so-called "miracles" shall take place in confirmation of the New Revealment. The Master is the leader in this movement, and he will not cease to bring about this great demonstration; or rather, he will not cease to work to this end. And he will not fail, if the human agents will follow his leading.
Well, I must not write more tonight. But as I am interested in this great work, and saw that the preacher's conception of this great world teacher is incorrect, I deemed it wise to write to you as I have. What I have written is not the result of my individual belief or opinion, but the result of what these high spirits have determined shall come to pass. And back of it all is the Will and Help of the Father. For in His Love and Mercy, He desires to see all men become His true children, and redeemed from the sins and evils of their present human condition.
So, with my Love, and as a co-worker, I will say good night and subscribe myself,
Your
brother in Christ,
George Whitefield
(Preacher of England at the time of John Wesley - ed.)
Helen Padgett Comments on the Message from Whitefield
I am here, Your own true and loving Helen
Well dear, I see that you have had a very happy evening, and it is not to be wondered at, for there were many spirits present filled with the Love of the Father and throwing their influence around you.
Whitefield also wrote to you, and he was very much in earnest in what he wrote. What he said is true, and you can place the utmost confidence in the truth of what he wrote to you.
As he said, we all say: the only great world teacher will be the Master. And his teachings will be through the messages that you receive. There will be a great responsibility in disseminating these truths, thus making known to the world not only the truth but also the identity of the great teacher. It is not reasonable for men to believe that any mere man can possibly be such a teacher as the preacher referred to, for only he who has the Truth can teach the same. And no man in all the world has this truth, and will not have it, except as he may learn the same from the revelations of the Master.
I know it is difficult for you to believe that this can possibly be. But it is not the miracle, as you call it, for That is the Transformation of the human soul into the Divine soul, which is the result of the power of the Holy Spirit in Its operations. No, the miracle - the great miracle - is the changing of the human into the Divine.
Good night, my dear husband.
Your
own true and loving
Helen
The Divine Love of the Father Will Not Only Make Man an Inhabitant of the Father's Kingdom but Also Will Bring About the Great Brotherhood of Man on Earth
I am here, Jesus
The Divine Love was never conferred upon man as a perfect and completed Gift, either at the time of his creation or since my coming to earth, but as a Gift which is waiting for man's own efforts and aspirations to obtain. Without his efforts, it can never become his, although it is always close to him, and is waiting to answer his call.
It must be understood that the Divine Love of the Father is an entirely distinct kind of love from the love which the Father bestowed upon man at the time of his creation, and which man has possessed in more or less condition of purity ever since that time.
Then, understanding what this Love is, and that man must seek for It, and what Its effect upon the soul of man is, it becomes very important that man should make the obtaining of It the one great object of his aspirations and desires. For when he possesses It to a degree that makes him at-one with the Father, he ceases to be a mere man and becomes of a nature of soul existence that makes him Divine. He incorporates many qualities of the Father, the chief of which is, of course, Love. And this also causes him to absolutely realize the fact of his Immortality.
Mere moral goodness, or the possession of the natural love to its fullest degree, will not confer upon man this Divine Nature that I have mentioned, nor will good acts, charity, or kindness, of themselves, lead men to the possession of this Love. But the possession of this Love, in truth and in fact, will lead to charity and good deeds and kindness, always unselfish, and to a brotherhood of men on earth that the mere natural love cannot possibly lead to or cause to exist.
I know that men preach about the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, and urge men to attempt to cultivate the thoughts and deeds of love and self-sacrifice and charity in a way to bring about the greatly to be wished for unity of life and good purpose on the part of men. And by reason of this natural love, they can themselves do a great work in bringing about this brotherhood. Yet the chain that binds them together cannot possibly be any stronger than the natural love which forges it, and when that becomes overshadowed by ambition and material desires, the brotherhood will become greatly weakened, or disappear entirely. And men will realize that its foundation was not built upon a rock, but rather upon the infirm sand which could not sustain the superstructure when the storms arising from men's ambition and desires for power and greatness, and many other material things, beat upon it. So I say, there is a great necessity for something more than man's mere natural love to help him form a brotherhood that will remain steadfast and firm under all conditions and among all men.
So, this natural love, under the most favorable circumstances (ie the Garden of Eden -ed.), proved itself to be not sufficient to preserve man's happiness and freedom from sin and error. Then, what may be expected of it when circumstances are such that this love has degenerated from its pure state, and has become defiled by all these tendencies of men to do that which is in violation, not only of God's Laws, but also of everything that would otherwise help men to realize a true brotherhood?
As I have heretofore said in my writings, there will come a time when this natural love will be restored to its original state of purity and freedom from sin, and when this brotherhood may exist in a degree of perfection that will make all men happy. Yet, that time is far off and will not be realized on earth at all until the New Birth and the New Heavens appear. And in the meantime, men's dreams of this great brotherhood will not be realized.
I know that men expect that sometime in the far distant future, by means of education and conventions and preachments of moral truth, this dream of an ideal brotherhood will be established on earth, and all the souls of hatred and war and the oppression of the weak by the strong will disappear. But I tell you that if men depend upon this mere natural love, and all the great feelings and impulses that may arise from it to bring about this condition so much desired, they will find disappointments, and lose faith in the goodness of men. And at times, a retrogression will occur, not only in that love but also in the conduct of men towards one another, and in the treatment of nations by one another.
I have digressed somewhat from my subject, but I thought it best to show to man that his dependence upon himself, which is his dependence on this natural love, is not sufficient and adequate to bring him into a condition of happiness, even on earth, and is therefore totally inadequate to bring him into the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Divine Love that I speak of is, of Itself, not only able to make a man an inhabitant of the Father's Kingdom, but also is sufficient to enable him to bring about, and realize to the fullest extent of his dreams, that great brotherhood, even while on earth.
This Love of the Father's own Self is of a never changing nature, and in all places and under all conditions is working out the same results in converting the souls of men on earth, as well as of the spirits in the spirit world, into not only the image but also the Substance of the Divine Nature. It may be possessed in smaller or greater degree, depending upon man himself; and this degree of possession determines the condition of the soul and its nearness to the Father's Kingdom, whether the soul be in the flesh or in the spirit.
Man does not have to wait to become a spirit in order to seek for and obtain this Love. For the soul on earth is the same soul as when in the spirit world, and its capacity for receiving this Love is just as great in one place as in the other. Of course, on earth, there are many circumstances and surroundings and limitations on man that prevent the free workings of the soul, in the way of aspirations and faith, that do not exist after man becomes an inhabitant of the spirit world. But nevertheless, and notwithstanding all these drawbacks and stumbling blocks of the earth life, the soul of man may receive this Divine Love without limitations, and to an abundance that will make him a New Creature, as the scriptures say.
The possession of this Divine Love also means the absence of those desires and longings of what is called the natural man, which produce selfishness and unkindness and other qualities which create sin and error, and which prevent the existence of this true brotherhood which men so earnestly desire as the forerunner of peace and good will. And the more of this Divine Love that enters into the soul of man, the less there is of evil tendencies and desires, and the more there is of the Divine Nature and Qualities.
The Father is all Goodness and Love and Truth and Forgiveness and Kindness, and the souls of men become possessed of these qualities when they receive and possess the Divine Love. When man is sincere and faithful, and possesses these qualities, they never leave him or change. And when this brotherhood shall be founded on them, it will be built on a rock, and will continue to live and become purer and firmer in its binding effect. And in the great results that will flow from it will be the Divine Nature of the Father for its foundation stone, which is without variableness or change, and never disappointing.
A brotherhood so created and joined together is, as I say, the only true brotherhood that will make for a man a kind of heaven on earth, and banish wars and hatred and strife and selfishness and the principle of mine and thine. The mine will be changed to ours, and all mankind will be truly brothers, without reference to race or sect or intellectual acquirements. All will be recognized as the children of the One Father.
Such will be the effect of the existence of this Love in men's souls on earth; and when such souls leave their envelope of flesh, they will find their homes in the Kingdom of God, parts of the Divinity of the Father, and partakers of His Immortality. But only this Divine Love will fit the souls of men for this Kingdom, because all things partake of this Divine Nature in this Kingdom, and nothing which has not that Quality can possibly enter therein.
So men must understand that no mere belief, or ceremony of church, or baptism, or any of these things is sufficient to enable a soul to become an inhabitant of this Kingdom. Men may, and do, deceive themselves in their beliefs that anything short of, or other than, this Divine Love can ensure them an entrance into the Kingdom.
Beliefs may help men to seek and aspire to the possession of this Love; but unless and until this Divine Love is actually possessed by the souls of men, they cannot become partakers of the Divine Nature, and enjoy the happiness and peace of the Father's Kingdom.
When the Way to obtain this Love is so easy, and the joy of Its possession is so great, it is surprising that men will be satisfied with the husks of formalism, and the satisfaction and delusion of mere lip worship and intellectual beliefs.
As I have said, this Love is waiting for every man to possess who sincerely seeks It with true soul aspiration. It is not a part of a man, but It surrounds and envelops every man. At the same time, It forms no part of him, unless his longings and prayers have opened up his soul so that It may flow in and infill him with Its Presence.
Man is never compelled to receive It, as he is never compelled to do other things against his will. But as in the latter case, when he refuses to let the Divine Love flow into his soul, in the exercise of that same will, he must suffer the penalty of the utter and absolute deprivation of any possibility of becoming an inhabitant of the Kingdom of God, or Celestial Kingdom, and of any consciousness of the fact of his Immortality.
Let men turn their thoughts and aspirations to God, and in truth, sincerely and with faith, pray to the Father for an inflowing into their souls of His Divine Love, and they will always find that the Father will bestow His Love upon them in accordance with the extent of their aspirations and longings. These longings are mediums for opening up their souls to the workings of the Holy Spirit which, as I have before written, is the messenger of God for the conveying of His Divine Love from His fountainhead of Love to the souls of the prayerful and aspiring men.
In no other way can the Divine Love be possessed by man. It is always an individual matter between the particular man and the Father. No other man or body of men or church or spirits or angels can do the work of the individual. As to him, his soul is the only thing involved. And only his aspirations and his prayers and his will can open up his soul to the inflowing of this Love, which makes him a part of Its own Divinity.
Of course, the prayers and kind thoughts and loving influences of good men and Divine spirits and angels can and do help the souls of men in turning to God's Love, and in progressing in Its possession. But as to the question: "Will a man become a possessor or not of this Love?" it depends upon the man.
So my dear brother I will say, with all my love and blessings, good night.
Your
brother and friend,
Jesus
