St. John Henry Newman—The Oxford Sermons | 6. On Justice, as a Principle of Divine Governance

By James T. Majewski ( bio - articles - email ) | Apr 28, 2026 | In Catholic Culture Audiobooks (Podcast)

Listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | YouTube Channel

This is a listener-supported podcast! Thanks for your help!

“If, then, the infinite benevolence of God wins our love, certainly His justice commands it; and were we able, as the Saints made perfect are able, to combine the notion of both in their separate perfections, as displayed in the same acts, doubtless our awe and admiration of the glorious vision would be immeasurably increased.”

St. John Henry Newman’s Oxford Sermons, delivered during his time as an Anglican preacher at the University of Oxford, were instrumental in shaping the Oxford Movement, which sought to revive High Church traditions within the Church of England and ultimately led to many conversions to Catholicism.

In addition to the profound influence these sermons had on both Anglican and Catholic theology, they also bore a personal significance for Newman’s own conversion to Catholicism years later.

These fifteen sermons, though deeply interconnected in theme and insight, are not sequential in nature; rather, each stands on its own as a distinct and self-contained reflection on faith and reason. Newman lays the groundwork for themes developed in later works, such as Grammar of Assent and Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine.

In this sixth sermon, Newman opposes the sentimental tendency to portray God as mere benevolence, insisting instead that true religion acknowledges God’s perfect justice together with His mercy.

Links

On Justice, as a Principle of Divine Governance full text: https://www.newmanreader.org/works/oxford/sermon6.html

Theme music: “2 Part Invention”, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.