An Exhortation to Peace and Unity

Plutarch tells us of one Silurus that had eighty sons, whom he calls to him as he lay upon his death-bed, and gave them a sheaf of arrows, thereby to signify, that if they lived in unity, they might do much, but if they divided, they would come to nothing.  If Christians were all of one piece, if they were all but one lump, or but one sheaf or bundle, how great are the things they might do for Christ and his people in the world, whereas otherwise they can do little but dishonour him, and offend his!

It is reported of the leviathan, that his strength is in his scales; Job xli. 15–17, “His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal; one is so near to another, that no air can come between them: they are joined together, they stick together, they cannot be sundered.”  If the church of God were united like the scales of the leviathan, it would not be every brain-sick notion, nor angry speculation, that would cause its separation.

Solomon saith, “Two are better than one,” because, if one fall, the other may raise him; then surely twenty are better than two, and an hundred are better than twenty, for the same reason; because they are more capable to help one another.  If ever Christians would do any thing to raise up the fallen tabernacles of Jacob, and to strengthen the weak, and comfort the feeble, and to fetch back those that have gone astray, it must be by unity.

We read of the men of Babel, Gen xi. 6, “The Lord said, Behold, the people are one, &c., and now nothing will be restrained from them that they have imagined to do.”

We learn by reason, what great things may be done in worldly achievements where unity is; and shall not reason (assisted with the motives of religion) teach us, that unity among Christians may enable them to enterprise greater things for Christ?  Would not this make Satan fall from heaven like lightning?  For as unity built literal Babel, it is unity that must pull down mystical Babel.  And, on the other hand, where divisions are, there is confusion; by this means a Babel hath been built in every age.  It hath been observed by a learned man—and I wish I could not say truly observed—that there is most of Babel and confusion among those that cry out most against it.

Would we have a hand to destroy Babylon? let us have a heart to unite one among another.

Our English histories tell us, that after Austin the monk had been some time in England, he heard of some of the remains of the British Christians, which he convened to a place which Cambden in his Britannia calls “Austin’s Oak.”  Here they met to consult about matters of religion; but such was their division, by reason of Austin’s imposing spirit, that our stories tell us that synod was only famous for this, that they only met and did nothing.  This is the mischief of divisions—they hinder the doing of much good; and if Christians that are divided be ever famous for any thing, it will be, that they have often met together, and talked of this and the other thing, but they did nothing.

4.  Where unity and peace is wanting, there the weak are wounded, and the wicked are hardened.  Unity may well be compared to precious oil, Psalm cxxxiii. 2.  It is the nature of oil to heal that which is wounded, and to soften that which is hard.  Those men that have hardened themselves against God, and his people, when they shall behold unity and peace among them, will say, God is in them indeed: and on the other hand, are they not ready to say, when they see you divided, That the devil is in you that you cannot agree!

5.  Divisions and want of peace keep those out of the church that would come in; and cause many to go out that are in.

“The divisions of Christians (as a learned man observes) are a scandal to the Jews, an opprobrium to the Gentiles, and an inlet to atheism and infidelity:” insomuch that our controversies about religion (especially as they have been of late managed) have made religion itself become a controversy.  O then, how good and pleasant a thing is it for brethren to dwell together in unity!  The peace and unity that was among the primitive Christians drew others to them.  What hinders the conversion of the Jews, but the divisions of Christians?  Must I be a Christian? says the Jew.  What Christian must I be? what sect must I be of?  The Jews (as one observes), glossing upon that text in Isa. xi. 6, where it is prophesied, That the lion and the lamb shall lie down together, and that there shall be none left to hurt nor destroy in all God’s holy mountain: they interpreting these sayings to signify the concord and peace that shall be among the people that shall own the Messiah, do from hence conclude, that the Messiah is not yet come, because of the contentions and divisions that are among those that profess him.  And the apostle saith, 1 Cor. xiv. 23, that if an unbeliever should see their disorders, he would say they were mad; but where unity and peace is, there the churches are multiplied.  We read, Acts ix., that when the churches had rest, they multiplied; and Acts ii. 46, 47, when the church was serving God with one accord, “the Lord added to them daily such as should be saved.”

It is unity brings men into the church, and divisions keep them out.  It is reported of an Indian, passing by the house of a Christian, and hearing them contending, being desired to turn in, he refused, saying, “Habamach dwells there,” meaning that the devil dwelt there: but where unity and peace is, there God is; and he that dwells in love, dwells in God.  The apostle tells the Corinthians, that if they walked orderly, even the unbelievers would hereby be enforced to come and worship, and say, God was in them indeed.  And we read, Zech. viii. 23, of a time when ten men shall take hold of a Jew, and say, “We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”

And hence it is that Christ prays, John xvii. 21, that his disciples might be one, as the Father and he were one, that the world might believe the Father sent him: as if he should say, you may preach me as long as you will, and to little purpose, if you are not at peace and unity among yourselves.  Such was the unity of Christians in former days, that the intelligent heathen would say of them, that though they had many bodies, yet they had but one soul.  And we read the same of them, Acts iv. 32, that “the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul.”

And as the learned Stillingfleet observes in his Irenicum: “The unity and peace that was then among Christians made religion amiable in the judgment of impartial heathens: Christians were then known by the benignity and sweetness of their dispositions, by the candour and ingenuity of their spirits, by their mutual love, forbearance, and condescension to one another.  But either this is not the practice of Christianity (viz., a duty that Christians are now bound to observe), or else it is not calculated for our meridian, where the spirits of men are of too high an elevation for it; for if pride and uncharitableness, if divisions and strifes, if wrath and envy, if animosities and contentions, were but the marks of true Christians, Diogenes need never light his lamp at noon to find out such among us; but if a spirit of meekness, gentleness, and condescension, if a stooping to the weaknesses and infirmities of one another, if pursuit after peace, when it flies from us, be the indispensable duties, and characteristical notes of Christians, it may possibly prove a difficult inquest to find out such among the crowds of those that shelter themselves under that glorious name.”

It is the unity and peace of churches that brings others to them, and makes Christianity amiable.  What is prophesied of the church of the Jews may in this case be applied to the Gentile church, Isa. lxvi. 12, that when once God extends peace to her like a river, the Gentiles shall come in like a flowing stream; then (and not till then) the glory of the Lord shall arise upon his churches, and his glory shall be seen among them; then shall their hearts fear and be enlarged, because the abundance of the nations shall be converted to them.

6.  As want of unity and peace keeps those out of the church that would come in, so it hinders the growth of those that are in.  Jars and divisions, wranglings and prejudices, eat out the growth, if not the life of religion.  These are those waters of Marah, that embitter our spirits, and quench the Spirit of God.  Unity and peace is said to be like the dew of Hermon, and as a dew that descended upon Sion, where the Lord commanded his blessing; Psalm cxxxiii. 3.

Divisions run religion into briars and thorns, contentions and parties.  Divisions are to churches like wars in countries: where wars are, the ground lieth waste and untilled, none takes care of it.  It is love that edifieth, but division pulleth down.  Divisions are as the north-east wind to the fruits, which causeth them to dwindle away to nothing; but when the storms are over, every thing begins to grow.  When men are divided, they seldom speak the truth in love; and then no marvel they grow not up to him in all things, who is the head.

It is a sad presage of an approaching famine (as one well observes), not of bread nor water, but of hearing the word of God, when the thin ears of corn devour the plump full ones; when the lean kine devour the fat ones; when our controversies about doubtful things, and things of less moment, eat up our zeal for the more indisputable and practical things in religion which may give us cause to fear, that this will be the character by which our age will be known to posterity—that it was the age that talked of religion most, and loved it least.

Look upon those churches where peace is, and there you shall find prosperity.  When the churches had rest, they were not only multiplied, but, walking in the fear of the Lord and the comforts of the Holy Ghost, they were edified; it is when the whole body is knit together, as with joints and hands, that they increase with the increase of God.

We are at a stand sometimes, why there is so little growth among churches, why men have been so long in learning; and are yet so far from attaining the knowledge of the truth; some have given one reason, and some another; some say pride is the cause, and others say covetousness is the cause.  I wish I could say these were no causes; but I observe, that when God entered his controversy with his people of old, he mainly insisted upon some one sin, as idolatry, and shedding innocent blood, &c., as comprehensive of the rest; not but that they were guilty of other sins, but those that were the most capital are particularly insisted on: in like manner, whoever would but take a review of churches that live in contentions and divisions, may easily find that breach of unity and charity is their capital sin, and the occasion of all other sins.  No marvel then, that the Scripture saith, the whole law is fulfilled in love: and if so, then where love is wanting, it needs must follow the whole law is broken.  It is where love grows cold that sin abounds; and therefore the want of unity and peace is the cause of that leanness and barrenness that is among us; it is true in spirituals as well as temporals, that peace brings plenty.

7.  Where unity and peace is wanting, our prayers are hindered; the promise is, that what we shall agree to ask shall be given us of our heavenly Father: no marvel we pray and pray, and yet are not answered; it is because we are not agreed what to have.

It is reported that the people in Lacedemonia, coming to make supplication to their idol god, some of them asked for rain, and others of them asked for fair weather: the oracle returns them this answer, That they should go first and agree among themselves.  Would a heathen god refuse to answer such prayers in which the supplicants were not agreed, and shall we think the true God will answer them?

We see then that divisions hinder our prayers, and lay a prohibition on our sacrifice: “If thou bring thy gift to the altar,” saith Christ, “and there remember that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave thy gift, and go, and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer it.”  So that want of unity and charity hinders even our particular prayers and devotions.

This hindered the prayers and fastings of the people of old from finding acceptance; Isa. lviii. 3.  The people ask the reason wherefore they fasted, and God did not see nor take notice of them.  He gives this reason, Because they fasted for strife and debate, and hid their face from their own flesh.  Again, Isa. lix., the Lord saith, his hand was not shortened, that he could not save; nor his ear heavy, that he could not hear: but their sins had separated between their God and them.  And among those many sins they stood chargeable with, this was none of the least, viz., that the way of peace they had not known.  You see where peace was wanting, prayers were hindered, both under the Old and New Testaments.

The sacrifice of the people, in the 65th of Isaiah, that said, “Stand by thyself, I am holier than thou,” was a smoke in the nostrils of the Lord.  On the other hand, we read how acceptable those prayers were that were made with one accord, Acts iv. 24, compared with verse 31.  They prayed with one accord, and they were all of one heart, and of one soul: And see the benefit of it, “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and spoke the word with all boldness;” which was the very thing they prayed for, as appears verse 29.  And the apostle exhorts the husband to dwell with his wife, that their prayers might not be hindered; 1 Pet. iii. 7.  We see then want of unity and peace, either in families or churches, is a hinderance of prayers.

8.  It is a dishonour and disparagement to Christ that his family should be divided.  When an army falls into mutiny and division, it reflects disparagement on him that hath the conduct of it.  In like manner, the divisions of families are a dishonour to the heads, and those that govern them.  And if so, then how greatly do we dishonour our Lord and governor, who gave his body to be broken to keep his church from breaking, who prayed for their peace and unity, and left peace at his departing from them for a legacy, even a peace which the world could not bestow upon them.

9.  Where there is peace and unity, there is a sympathy with each other; that which is the want of one will be the want of all.  “Who is afflicted,” saith the apostle, “and I burn not?”  We should then “remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being ourselves also of the body;” Heb. xiii. 3.  But where the body is broken, or men are not reckoned or esteemed of the body, no marvel we are so little affected with such as are afflicted.  Where divisions are, that which is the joy of the one is the grief of another; but where unity and peace and charity abound, there we shall find Christians in mourning with them that mourn, and rejoicing with them that rejoice; then they will not envy the prosperity of others, nor secretly rejoice at the miseries or miscarriages of any.

IV.  Last of all, I now come to give you twelve directions and motives for the obtaining peace and unity.

1.  If ever we would live in peace and unity, we must pray for it.  We are required to seek peace: of whom then can we seek it with expectation to find it, but of him who is a God of peace, and hath promised to bless his people with peace?  It is God that hath promised to give his people one heart, and one way; yet for all these things he will be sought unto: O then let us seek peace, and pray for peace, because God shall prosper them that love it.

The peace of churches is that which the apostle prays for in all his epistles; in which his desire is, that grace and peace may be multiplied and increased among them.

2.  They that would endeavour the peace of the churches, must be careful who they commit the care and oversight of the churches to; as (1.)—Over and besides those qualifications that should be in all Christians, they that rule the church of God should be men of counsel and understanding.  Where there is an ignorant ministry, there is commonly an ignorant people, according as it was of old—Like priest like people.

How sad is it to see the church of God committed to the care of such that pretend to be teachers of others, that understand not what they say, or whereof they affirm.  No marvel the peace of churches is broken, when their watchmen want skill to preserve their unity, which of all other things is as the church’s walls; when they are divided, no wonder they crumble to atoms, if there is no skilful physician to heal them.  It is sad when there is no balm in Gilead, and when there is no physician there.  Hence it is, that the wounds of churches become incurable, like the wounds of God’s people of old, either not healed at all, or else slightly healed, and to no purpose.  May it not be said of many churches this day, as God said of the church of Israel, That he sought for a man among them that should stand in the gap, and make up the breach; but he found none?

Remember what was said of old, Mal. ii. 7, The priest’s lips preserve knowledge: and the people should seek the law at his mouth.  But when this is wanting, the people will be stumbling, and departing from God and one another; therefore God complains, Hos. iv. 6, That his people were destroyed for want of knowledge; that is, for want of knowing guides; for if the light that is in them that teach be darkness, how great is that darkness! and if the blind lead the blind, no marvel both fall into the ditch.

How many are there that take upon them to teach others, that had need be taught in the beginning of religion; that instead of multiplying knowledge, multiply words without knowledge; and instead of making known God’s counsel, darken counsel by words without knowledge?  The apostle speaks of some that did more than darken counsel; for they wrested the counsel of God; 2 Pet. iii. 16.  In Paul’s epistles, saith he, “are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction.”  Some things in the Scriptures are hard to be known, and they are made harder by such unlearned teachers as utter their own notions by words without knowledge.

None are more bold and adventurous to take upon them to expound the dark mysteries and sayings of the prophets and Revelations, and the 9th of the Romans, which I believe contains some of those many things which, in Paul’s epistles, Peter saith, were “hard to be understood;” I say none are more forward to dig in these mines than those that can hardly give a sound reason for the first principles of religion; and such as are ignorant of many more weighty things that are easily to be seen in the face and superficies of the Scripture; nothing will serve these but swimming in the deeps, when they have not yet learned to wade through the shallows of the Scriptures: like the Gnosticks of old, who thought they knew all things, though they knew nothing as they ought to know.  And as those Gnosticks did of old, so do such teachers of late break the unity and peace of churches.

How needful then is it, that if we desire the peace of churches, that we choose out men of knowledge, who may be able to keep them from being shattered and scattered with every wind of doctrine: and who may be able to convince and stop the mouths of gainsayers.

(2.)  You must not only choose men of counsel, but if you would design the unity and peace of the churches, you must choose men of courage to govern them; for as there must be wisdom to hear with some, so there must be courage to correct others: as some must be instructed meekly, so others must be rebuked sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; there must be wisdom to rebuke some within long-suffering, and there must be courage to suppress and stop the mouths of others.  The apostle tells Titus of some whose mouths must be stopped, or else they would subvert whole houses, Titus i. 11.  Where this courage hath been wanting, not only whole houses, but whole churches have been subverted.  And Paul tells the Galatians, that when he saw some endeavour to bring the churches into bondage, that he did not give place to them, no not for an hour, &c, Gal. ii. 5.  If this course had been taken by the rulers of churches, their peace had not been so often invaded by unruly and vain talkers.

3.  In choosing men to rule (if you would endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit, and the bond of peace thereby), be careful you choose men of peaceable dispositions.  That which hath much annoyed the peace of churches hath been the froward and perverse spirits of the rulers thereof.  Solomon therefore adviseth, That with a furious man we should not go, lest we learn his ways, and get a snare to our souls, Prov. xxii. 24, 25, and with the froward we learn frowardness.  How do some men’s words eat like a canker; who instead of lifting up their voices like a trumpet to sound a parley for peace, have rather sounded an alarm to war and contention.  If ever we would live in peace, let us reverence the feet of them that bring the glad tidings of it.

O how have some men made it their business to preach contentions, and upon their entertainment of every novel opinion to preach separation!  How hath God’s word been stretched and torn to furnish these men with arguments to tear churches!  Have not our ears heard those texts that say, “Come out from among them, and be separate,” &c., and “Withdraw from every brother that walks disorderly?”  I say, have we not heard these texts that were written to prevent disorder brought to countenance the greatest disorder that ever was in the church of God, even schism and division? whereas one of these exhortations was written to the church of Corinth to separate themselves from the idol’s temple, and the idol’s table, in which many of them lived in the participation of, notwithstanding their profession of the true God; as appears, 2 Cor. vi. 1.6, 17, compared with 1 Cor. viii. 7, and as 1 Cor. x. 14, 20, 22, recites; and not for some few or more members, who shall make themselves both judges and parties to make separation, when and as often as they please, from the whole congregation and church of God, where they stood related; for by the same rule, and upon the same ground, may others start some new question among these new separatists, and become their own judges of the communicableness of them, and thereupon make another separation from these, till at last two be not left to walk together.  And for that other text mentioned, 2 Thess. iii. 6, where Paul exhorts the church of Thessalonica to withdraw themselves from every brother that walks disorderly; I cannot but wonder that any should bring this to justify their separation or withdrawal from the communion of a true (though a disorderly) church.  For,

(1.)  Consider, that this was not writ for a few members to withdraw from the church, but for the church to withdraw from disorderly members.

(2.)  Consider, that if any offended members, upon pretence of error, either in doctrine or practice, should by this text become judges (as well as parties) of the grounds and lawfulness of their separation; then it will follow, that half a score notorious heretics, or scandalous livers (when they have walked so as they forsee the church are ready to deal with them, and withdraw from them), shall anticipate the church, and pretend somewhat against them, of which themselves must be judges, and so withdraw from the church, pretending either heresy or disorder; and so condemn the church, to prevent the disgrace of being condemned by the church.  How needful then is it, that men of peaceable dispositions, and not of froward and fractious and dividing spirits, be chosen to rule the church of God, for fear lest the whole church be leavened and soured by them!

4.  As there must be care used in choosing men to rule the church of God, so there must be a consideration had, that there are many things darkly laid down in scripture; this will temper our spirits, and make us live in peace and unity the more firmly in things in which we agree; this will help us to bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ, inasmuch as all things necessary to salvation and church communion are plainly laid down in scripture.  And where things are more darkly laid down, we should consider that God intended hereby to stir up our diligence, that thereby we might increase our knowledge, and not our divisions, for it may be said of all discoveries of truth we have made in the Scriptures, as it is said of the globe of the earth, that though men have made great searches, and thereupon great discoveries, yet there is still a terra incognita, an unknown land; so there is in the Scriptures: for after men have travelled over them, one age after another, yet still there is, as it were, a terra incognita, an unknown track to put us upon farther search and inquiry, and to keep us from censuring and falling out with those who have not yet made the same discoveries; that so we may say with the Psalmist, when we reflect upon our short apprehensions of the mind of God, that we have seen an end of all perfection, but God’s commands are exceeding broad; and as one observes, speaking of the Scriptures, that there is a path in them leading to the mind of God, which lieth a great distance from the thoughts and apprehensions of men.  And on the other hand, in many other places, God sits, as it were, on the superficies, and the face of the letter, where he that runs may discern him speaking plainly, and no parable at all.  How should the consideration of this induce us to a peaceable deportment towards those that differ!

5.  If we would endeavour peace and unity, we must consider how God hath tempered the body, that so the comely parts should not separate from the uncomely, as having no need of them; 1 Cor. xii. 23–25.  There is in Christ’s body and house some members and vessels less honourable; 2 Tim. ii. 20.  And therefore we should not, as some now-a-days do, pour the more abundant disgrace, instead of putting the more abundant honour upon them.  Did we but consider this, we should be covering the weakness, and hiding the miscarriages of one another, because we are all members one of another, and the most useless member in his place is useful.

6.  If we would live in peace, let us remember our relations to God, as children to a father, and to each other as brethren.  Will not the thoughts that we have one Father, quiet us; and the thoughts that we are brethren, unite us?  It was this that made Abraham propose terms of peace to Lot; Gen. xiii, “Let there be no strife,” saith he, “between us, for we are brethren.”  And we read of Moses, in Acts vii. 26, using this argument to reconcile those that strove together, and to set them at one again: “Sirs,” saith he, “you are brethren, why do you wrong one another?”  A deep sense of this relation, that we are brethren, would keep us from dividing.

7.  If we would preserve peace, let us mind the gifts and graces and virtues that are in each other; let these be more in our eye than their failings and imperfections.  When the apostle exhorted the Philippians to peace, as a means hereunto, that so the peace of God might rule in their hearts, he tells them, iv. 8, “That if there were any virtue, or any praise, they should think of these things.”  While we are always talking and blazoning the faults of one another, and spreading their infirmities, no marvel we are so little in peace and charity; for as charity covereth a multitude of sins, so malice covereth a multitude of virtues, and makes us deal by one another, as the heathen persecutors dealt with Christians, viz., put them in bears’ skins, that they might the more readily become a prey to those dogs that were designed to devour them.

8.  If we would keep unity and peace, let us lay aside provoking and dividing language, and forgive those that use it.  Remember that old saying, “Evil words corrupt good manners.”  When men think to carry all before them, with speaking uncharitably and disgracefully of their brethren or their opinions, may not such be answered as Job answered his unfriendly visitants, Job vi. 25, “How forcible are right words; but what doth your arguing reprove?”  How healing are words fitly spoken?  A word in season, how good is it?  If we would seek peace, let us clothe all our treaties for peace with acceptable words; and where one word may better accommodate than another, let that be used to express persons or things by; and let us not, as some do, call the different practices of our brethren, will-worship, and their different opinions, doctrines of devils, and the doctrine of Balaam, who taught fornication, &c., unless we can plainly, and in expressness of terms, prove it so.  Such language as this hath strangely divided our spirits, and hardened our hearts one towards another.

9.  If we would live in peace, let us make the best constructions of one another’s words and actions.  Charity judgeth the best, and it thinks no evil; if words and actions may be construed to a good sense, let us never put a bad construction upon them.  How much hath the peace of Christians been broken by an uncharitable interpretation of words and actions?  As some lay to the charge of others that which they never said, so, by straining men’s words, others lay to their charge that they never thought.

10.  Be willing to hear, and learn, and obey those that God by his providence hath set over you; this is a great means to preserve the unity and peace of churches: but when men (yea, and sometimes women) shall usurp authority, and think themselves wiser than their teachers, no wonder if these people run into contentions and parties, when any shall say they are not free to hear those whom the church thinks fit to speak to them.  This is the first step to schism, and is usually attended, if not timely prevented, with a sinful separation.

11.  If you would keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, be mindful, that the God whom you serve is a God of peace, and your Saviour is a Prince of peace, and that “his ways are ways of pleasantness, and all his paths are peace;” and that Christ was sent into the world “to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet in the way of peace.”

12.  Consider the oneness of spirit that is among the enemies of religion; though they differ about other things, yet to persecute religion, and extirpate religion out of the earth, here they will agree; the devils in the air, and the devils in the earth, all the devils in hell, and in the world, make one at this turn.  Shall the devil’s kingdom be united; and shall Christ’s be divided?  Shall the devils make one shoulder to drive on the design of damning men, and shall not Christians unite to carry on the great design of saving of them?  Shall the papists agree and unite to carry on their interest, notwithstanding the multitudes of orders, degrees, and differences, that are among them; and shall not those that call themselves reformed churches, unite to carry on the common interest of Christ in the world, notwithstanding some petty and disputable differences that are among them?  Quarrels about religion (as one observes) were sins not named among the Gentiles.  What a shame is it then for Christians to abound in them, especially considering the nature of the Christian religion, and what large provisions the Author of it hath made, to keep the profession’s of it in peace! insomuch (as one well observes), it is next to a miracle that ever any (especially the professors of it) should fall out about it.

13.  Consider and remember, that the Judge stands at the door.  Let this moderate your spirits, that the Lord is at hand.  What a sad account will they have to make when he comes, that shall be found to smite their fellow-servants, and to make the way to his kingdom more narrow than ever he made it!  Let me close all in the words of that great apostle, 2 Cor. xiii. 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.”