Page:Withgodbookofpra00las.djvu/100

 temptation came  he  was  deservedly  left  to his  own  weakness  and  helplessness,  and  denied Our Lord  in  the  most  cowardly  and  shocking manner. A sad  experience  records  the  fall of many  formerly  holy  personages  into  degrading vices,  because  of  their  neglect  of  prayer  in time  of  temptation. Had St.  Peter  prayed, had they  prayed,  God  would  have  given  them most efficacious  graces  to  cope  victoriously with temptation. The same  misfortune  will happen to  us,  if  we,  too,  neglect  prayer  in temptation.

Prayer is  also  absolutely  necessary  to  obtain the most  excellent  and  necessary  grace  of  final perseverance. What will  all  other  graces avail us,  if  we  do  not  obtain  that  of  final  perseverance? But we  need,  says  the  Council of Trent,  a  special  grace  of  God  to  persevere finally in  His  friendship  and  die  a  good  death. But this  grace  can  not  be  merited  even  by the  greatest  saints. No one  can  claim  a  right to it. This is  a  terrible  truth;  for  many  who had a  long  time  led  a  holy  life  and  edified  the whole Church  did  not  persevere,  but  fell  into sin and  died  in  sin! But that  grace  of  graces — final  perseverance,  which  we  can  not  merit or lay  claim  to  on  account  of  previous  good works, we  can  surely  obtain,  says  St.  Augustine, "by daily  prayer." But "we  must  pray  for