heart, honest and
single-eyed, sunny itself, and bringing sunshine wherever it comes,
because it is inspired by the gracious spirit of God, and delights to
show kindness for kindness' sake, and to make happy for happiness' sake,
taking no merit to itself for doing that, which is as instinctive as its
very breath.

This,--that the graciousness which Christ showed at that marriage feast
is neither more nor less than the boundless love of God, who could not
live alone in the abyss, but must needs, out of His own Divine Charity,
create the universe, that He might have somewhat beside Himself whereon
to pour out the ocean of His love, which finds its own happiness in
giving happiness to all created things, from the loftiest of rational
beings down to the gnat which dances in the sun, and for aught we know,
to the very lichen which nestles in the Alpine rock.

This is the character of God, unless Scripture be a dream of man's
imagination. Thus far you may know God; thus far you may see God as He
is; and know and see that He is just with the justice of a man, only more
just; merciful with the mercy of a man, only more merciful; truthful with
the truthfulness of a man, only more truthful; gracious with the
graciousness of a man, only more gracious; and loving? That we dare not
say: for if we say so much, the Scripture commands us to say more. The
Scripture tells us that the whole absolute morality of God is summed up--
as our own human morality ought to be--in His Love. That love is the
fulfilment of the Moral Law in Him as in us; that it is the root and
cause and spirit of His justice, mercy, truth, and graciousness; that it
belongs not to His attributes, as they may be said to be, but to His
essence and His spirit; that we must not, if we be careful of our words,
say, God is loving, because we are bidden to say, "God is Love."

Thus, the commands, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God--and thy neighbour
as thyself, are shown to be not arbitrary and impossible demands,
miscalled moral obligations, while they are merely legal and external
ones; but true moral obligations, in the moral sense, to which heart and
spirit can answer, "I rejoice to do thy will, O God; Thy law is within my
heart." You ought to love God, because He is supremely loveable and
worthy of your love. You can love God, because you can appreciate and
know God; for you are His child, made in His moral likeness, and capable
of