prove what is that good, and
perfect, and acceptable will of God. But in thus proving it, this
continual presentation will be more and more seen to be our reasonable
service, and becomes more and more a joyful sacrifice of praise.

The connection in Romans xii. 1, 2, between our sacrifice which He so
graciously calls acceptable to Himself, and our finding out that His will
is acceptable to ourselves, is very striking. One reason for this
connection may be that only love can really understand love, and love on
both sides is at the bottom of the whole transaction and its results.
First, He loves us. Then the discovery of this leads us to love Him.
Then, because He loves us, He claims us, and desires to have us wholly
yielded to His will, so that the operations of love in and for us may
find no hindrance. Then, because we love Him we recognise His claim and
yield ourselves. Then, being thus yielded, He draws us nearer to
Him,[footnote: 'Now ye _have_ consecrated yourselves unto the Lord, come
_near_' (2 Chron. xxix. 31).] and admits us, so to speak, into closer
intimacy, so that we gain nearer and truer views of His perfections. Then
the unity of these perfections becomes clearer to us. Now we not only see
His justice and mercy flowing in an undivided stream from the cross of
Christ, but we see that they never were divided, though the strange
distortions of the dark, false glass of sin made them appear so, but that
both are but emanations of God's holy love. Then having known and
believed this holy love, we see further that His will is not a separate
thing, but only love (and therefore all His attributes) in action; love
being the primary essence of His being, and all the other attributes
manifestations and combinations of that ineffable essence, for God _is_
Love. Then this will of God which has seemed in old far-off days a stern
and fateful power, is seen to be only love energized; love saying, 'I
will.' And when once we really grasp this (hardly so much by faith as by
love itself), the will of God cannot be otherwise than acceptable, for it
is no longer a question of trusting that somehow or other there is a
hidden element of love in it, but of understanding that it _is_ love; no
more to be dissociated from it than the power of the sun's rays can be
dissociated from their light and warmth. And love recognised must surely
be love accepted and reciprocated. So, as the fancied sternness of God's
will is lost in His love, th