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by Alphonsus M. Liguori Cssr (Author)
Taking, then, for granted that prayer is necessary for the attainment of eternal life, we should consequently, also, take for granted that everyone has sufficient aid from God to enable him actually to pray, without need of any further special grace; and that by prayer he may obtain all other graces necessary to enable him to persevere in keeping the Commandments, and so gain eternal life; so that no one who is lost can ever excuse himself by saying that it was through want of the aid necessary for his salvation. For as God, in the natural order, has ordained that man should be born naked, and in want of several things necessary for life, but then has given him hands and intelligence to clothe himself and provide for his other needs; so, in the supernatural order, man is born unable to obtain salvation by his own strength; but God in His goodness grants to every one the grace of prayer, by which he is able to obtain all other graces which he needs in order to keep the Commandments and to be saved. But before I explain this point, I must prove two preliminary propositions. First, that God wills all men to be saved; and therefore that Jesus Christ has died for all. Secondly, that God, on His part, gives to all men the graces necessary for salvation; whereby every one may be saved if he corresponds to them. Chapter I 6 God Wishes All Men to be Saved and Therefore Christ Died to Save All Men Introduction 6 I. God Wishes All Men to be Saved 7 Decision of the Church 8 The Celebrated Text of St Paul 11 Other Texts of Scripture 18 General Consent of the Fathers 21 II. Jesus Christ Died to Save All Men 25 The Testimony of Holy Scripture 27 The Teaching of the Holy Fathers 29 III. Children Who Die Without Baptism 35 Chapter II 39 God Commonly Gives to All the Just the Grace Necessary for the Observance of the Commandments and to All Sinners the Grace Necessary for Conversion I. Proofs 39 Teaching of the Fathers of the Greek Church 41 Teaching of the Fathers of the Latin Church 45 Testimony of Holy Scripture 47 II. Obstinate or Hardened Sinners and the Abandonment of Them by God 52 Chapter III 70 Exposition and Confutation of Jansenius's System of "Delectation Relatively Victorious" I. The System of Jansenius 70 Refutation of the First Proposition 74 Refutation of the Third Proposition 84 II. The Doctrine of St Augustine on the "Victorious Delectation" and on the Free Will 89 III. Continuation of the Refutation of Jansenius and of his Adherents 100 Chapter IV 122 God Gives All Men the Grace to Pray If They Choose, as the "Sufficient Grace" Which is Common to All Men is by Itself Enough for Prayer I. The Principle Theologians Who Teach This Doctrine 100 II. Authority Upon Which This Doctrine is Based 137 Holy Scripture 137 The Council of Trent 139 The Holy Fathers 147 III. Reasons That Justify This Doctrine 157 Conclusion 171 Devout Practices 174 Prayer to Obtain Final Perseverance 175 Prayer to Jesus Christ to Obtain His Holy Love 177 Prayer to Obtain Confidence in the Merits of Jesus Christ and in the Intercession of Mary 180 Prayer to Obtain the Grace of Being Constant in Prayer 183 Prayer to be Said Every Day to Obtain the Graces Necessary for Salvation 185 Thoughts and Ejaculations 189 Hymn: Invocation of the Blessed Virgin in Time of Temptation 193
