Let us not then deceive ourselves; what God demands of us is to fulfil his law, or at least to aim at fulfilling it; to be content with nothing short of perfect obedience—to attempt everything—to avail ourselves of the aids given us, and throw ourselves, not first, but afterwards on God’s mercy for our short comings. This is, I know, at first hearing a startling doctrine; and so averse are our hearts to it, that some people even attempt to maintain that it is an unchristian doctrine…. Let us then see where we stand, and what we must do. Heaven cannot change; God is without variableness or shadow of turning. His Word endures for ever in heaven. His law is from everlasting to everlasting we must change. We must go over to the side of heaven
Never had a soul true happiness but in conformity to God, in obedience to his will. We must become what we are not; we must learn to love what we do not love, and practise ourselves in what is difficult. We must have the law of the Spirit of life written and set up in our hearts, that the righteousness of the law may be fulfilled in us, and that we may learn to please and to love God.
Blessed John Henry Newman (1890) established the English Oratory in Birmingham, and was a preacher of great eloquence.