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of St. John, has a special suggestiveness in connection
with the nineteenth century. In the opening of the
sixth seal, typical of six thousand years since
Adam, the distinctive feature has reference
to the present age.
(True estimate of God's messenger)
Revelation xii. 1. And there appeared a great wonder in
heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon
under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve
stars.
Heaven represents harmony, and divine Science interprets
the Principle of heavenly harmony. The great
miracle, to human sense, is divine Love, and
the grand necessity of existence is to gain the
true idea of what constitutes the kingdom of
heaven in man. This goal is never reached while we
hate our neighbor or entertain a false estimate of anyone
whom God has appointed to voice His Word. Again,
without a correct sense of its highest visible idea, we can
never understand the divine Principle. The botanist must
know the genus and species of a plant in order to classify
it correctly. As it is with things, so is it with persons.
(Persecution harmful)
Abuse of the motives and religion of St. Paul hid from
view the apostle's character, which made him equal to
his great mission. Persecution of all who have
spoken something new and better of God has
not only obscured the light of the ages, but has been fatal
to the persecutors. Why? Because it has hid from
them the true idea which has been presented. To misunderstand
Paul, was to be ignorant of the divine idea he
taught. Ignorance of the divine idea betrays at once a
greater ignorance of the divine Principle of the idea - ignorance
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