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Therefore, when we pray let us not be as the hypocrites, making a show;
nor use vain repetitions with the heathen; let us compose ourselves, and
kneel down quietly as to a work far above us, preparing our minds for
our own imperfection in prayer, meekly repeating the wonderful words of
the Church our Teacher, and desiring with the Angels to look into them.
When we call God our Father Almighty, or own ourselves miserable offenders,
and beg Him to spare us, let us recollect that, though we are using a
strange language, yet Christ is pleading for us in the same words with
full understanding of them, and availing power; and that, though we know
not what we should pray for as we ought, yet the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with plaints unutterable. Thus feeling God to be around
us and in us, and therefore keeping ourselves still and collected, we
shall serve Him acceptably, with reverence and godly fear; and we shall
take back with us to our common employments the assurance that He is still
gracious to us, in spite of our sins, not willing we should perish, desirous
of our perfection, and ready to form us day by day after the fashion of
that divine image which in baptism was outwardly stamped upon us.
I have spoken only of our prayers, and but referred to our general profession
of Christianity. It is plain, however, what has been said about praying,
may be applied to all we do and say as Christians. It is true that we
profess to be saints, to be guided by the highest principles, and to be
ruled by the Spirit of God. We have long ago promised to believe and obey.
It is also true that we cannot do these things aright; nay, even with
God’s help (such is our sinful weakness), still we fall short of
our duty. Nevertheless we must not cease to profess. We must not put off
from us the wedding garment which Christ gave us in baptism. We may still
rejoice in Him without being hypocrites, that is, if we labour day by
day to make that wedding garment our own; to fix it on us and so incorporate
it with our very selves, that death, which strips us of all things, may
be unable to tear it from us, though as yet it be in great measure but
an outward garb, covering our own nakedness.
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Ven. John Henry, Cardinal Newman (1801-1890)
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from Profession
without Hypocrisy
Parochial and Plain Sermons Volume I Sermon 11 (1834)
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