at of unity,
still the false claims made by one individual can be as well made by
another, and by many, which has been the case, as just explained;
therefore it would not be improper at all to make the Pope's number a
symbol of the whole, since his system has been so largely copied by the
rest. The whole structure of sectarianism is built on the principle of
division, and it so happens that there is always enough left to divide
again. So this special number is perhaps the symbol of endless division,
signifying the great number of human organizations claiming to be
churches of Christ. The church of God, however, is built on the
principal of unity; division is destruction to its true nature and life,
for it is Christ's body.

It is further said that "no man might buy or sell, save he that had the
mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." To "buy or
sell" is to engage in the ordinary pursuits of life and have intercourse
with human society. Applying this as a symbol to the analagous
department of the church, we have the fact set forth that those without
the special mark have no more recognized standing in the so-called
churches than men that are not allowed to buy or sell have in a
community. But _selling_, as a symbol, would specially indicate the
dealing out of truth, or the preaching of the gospel. A Holy Ghost
minister in the clear light of heaven's truth, independent of all the
creeds of Babylon, will not be allowed the privilege of laboring freely
among sectarians, after the truth for which he stands becomes well
known. And if he holds meetings in the community, the members of the
sects are often warned by their leaders against "buying"--receiving--it
from the Holy Ghost minister, because of his not having the mark or name
of the beast. Their ministers are specially marked, for they come out of
their colleges and theological seminaries with the stamp of their
respective doctrines upon them and a license from the sect to enter its
ministry; and those not thus marked or designated have no place among
them. This may also explain the manner in which the beast causes those
who will not worship the image to be killed--an analagous killing;
namely, an ecclesiastical cutting-off, or excommunication, as explained
in previous chapters.[9]

[Footnote 9: The early history of Protestantism shows that at that time
the principle of religious intolerance brought over from Romanism
manifested itself in the actual