When asked for advice on matters of conscience his decisions were generally quick and always simple.  Yet he often refused to decide without time for prayer and thought, saying, “I have no lights on this matter; you must give me time.”  And not seldom he refused to decide altogether for the same reason.  One thing annoyed him much, and that was the blank silence and stupid wonder with which some instructed Catholics listened to him as he spoke of the guidance of the Holy Spirit as the way of Christian perfection, treating it as beyond the reach of ordinary mortals, intricate in its rules, “mystical,” and visionary; whereas Father Hecker knew it to be the one only simple method, with a minimum of rules, useful for all, readily understood.  What follows is a brief outline of the entire doctrine in it practical use in the progress or the soul from a sinful life onwards; we have found it among his memoranda: 

“What must one do in order to favor the reception of the Holy Spirit, and secure fidelity to His guidance when received?  First receive the Sacraments, the divinely instituted channels of grace:  one will scarcely persevere in living in the state of grace, to say nothing of securing a close union with God, who receives Holy Communion only once or twice a year.  Second, practise prayer, above all that highest form of prayer, assisting at Holy Mass; then mental and vocal prayer, the public offices of the Church, and particular devotions according to one’s attrait.  Third, read spiritual books daily—­the Bible, Lives of the Saints, Following of Christ, Spiritual Combat, etc.  But in all this bear ever in mind, that the steady impelling force by which one does each of these outward things is the inner and secret prompting of the Holy Ghost, and that perseverance in them is secured by no other aid except the same hidden inspiration. Cherish that above all, therefore, and in every stage of the spiritual life; be most obedient to it, seeking meantime for good counsel wherever it is likely to be had.”

Father Hecker was of opinion that a larger number of persons can be led to perfection than is generally supposed, and he would sound the call in the ears of Christians generally far more than is commonly done.  He was also persuaded that there are many souls whose whole lives have been entirely, or almost entirely, free from the taint of mortal sin, and these he considered should be the most active spirits among Christians.  He thought that more room should be made for them in our discourses, and that everybody should not be lumped together in one mass as hardened sinners or as penitents.