up of forms and ceremonies, of keeping days holy, and abstaining from
meats, or any other arbitrary commands, whether of God or of man.
This is God's goodness, God's righteousness, Christ's own goodness
and righteousness. Do you not see what I mean? Remember only one
word of St. John's. God is love. Love is the goodness of God. God
is perfectly good, because he is perfect love. Then if you are full
of love, you are good with the same goodness with which God is good,
and righteous with Christ's righteousness. That as what St. Paul
wished to be, when he wished to be found in Christ, not having his
own righteousness, but the righteousness which is by faith in Christ.
His own righteousness was the selfish and self-conceited
righteousness which he had before his conversion, made up of forms,
and ceremonies, and doctrines, which made him narrow-hearted,
bigoted, self-conceited, fierce, cruel, a persecutor; the
righteousness which made him stand by in cold blood to see St.
Stephen stoned. But the righteousness which is by faith in Christ is
a loving heart, and a loving life, which every man will long to lead
who believes really in Jesus Christ. For when he looks at Christ,
Christ's humiliation, Christ's work, Christ's agony, Christ's death,
and sees in it nothing but utter and perfect LOVE to poor sinful,
undeserving man, then his heart makes answer, Yes, I believe in that!
I believe and am sure that that is the most beautiful character in
the world; that that is the utterly noble and right sort of person to
be--full of love as Christ was. I ought to be like that. My
conscience tells me that I ought. And I can be like that. Christ,
who was so good himself, must wish to make me good like himself, and
I can trust him to do it. I can have faith in him, that he will make
me like himself, full of the Spirit of love, without which I shall be
only useless and miserable. And I trust him enough to be sure that,
good as he is, he cannot mean to leave me useless or miserable. So,