Required, encouraged, and exemplified. patience the rac: that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Jam. 1: 4 Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.-5: 7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. 1 Pet. 2: 20 What glory is it, if when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 2 Pet. 1:5 Giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; 6 And to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience. [See 201, 437, 737.] N. B. For examples of patience, see 62, 154, 660. PEACE. 499. A peaceable and gentle spirit required, encouraged, and exemplified. Ps. 34: 14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. Pr. 15: 1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. Jer. 29: 7 Seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. Mat. 5: 9 Blessed are the peace-makers: for they shall be called the children of God. Rom. 12: 10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another; 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. -14: 19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. 1 Cor. 7: 15 God hath called us to peace. 2 Cor. 13: 11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace: and the God of love and peace shall be with you. False Peace-makers. Gal. 5: 22 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Ep. 4: 1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 32 And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ph. 2: 14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings. 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. Col. 3: 8 Now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 1 Th. 2: 7 We were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children.-5: 13 Be at peace among yourselves. 2 Tim. 2: 24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient; 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves. Heb. 12: 14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, with out which no man shall see the Lord. Jam. 3: 17 The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 1 Pet. 3: 10 He that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: 11 Let him eschew evil, and do good: let him seek peace, and ensue it. [See 62, 201, 437, 660, 787.] · 500. False peace-makers. Jer. 6: 14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Ezk. 13: 10 They have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar: 11 Say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. [See 191.] Moral Perfection required. PERFECTION. 501. Commands and exhortations to be perfect in all good works. Mat. 5: 37 Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. 38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou away. 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy: 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Rom. 12: 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world. 9 Let love be without dissirnulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another; 11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 14 Bless them which persecute you; bless, and curse not. 15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. 17. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is Moral Perfection required. mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 2 Cor. 7: 1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Ep. 4: 25 Putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. 26 Ee ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stʊle, steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.-5: 1 Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling 'savor. 3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient but rather giving of thanks. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.-6: 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breast-plate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always To be maintained b a covenant. with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. 1 Pet. 2: 21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guilt found in his mouth. [See 285-6, 629.] 502. Should perpetual moral perfection le pledged in a covenant with God? Ex. 24: 7 He took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. 8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words. Dt. 29: 10 Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, 11 Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood, unto the drawer of thy water: 12 That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day: 13 That he may establish thee to-day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 2 Ch. 15: 12 They entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; 14 And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. 15 And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about. -34: 31 And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book. 32 And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand te it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. Neh. 10: 29 They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe |