salvation as He ever was, and the human will is still free, and can then change itself, and, moreover, penance has still the same efficacy in obtaining pardon from God. Do you ask why? I will tell you: there are two reasons; the first comes from the nature of the grace of true conversion and final perseverance; the second, from the nature of man himself, who should then co-operate with that grace. In both cases conversion at the hour of death is, humanly speaking, impossible. Mark the reason:
Plan of Discourse.
The grace of true conversion and a happy death is far too great for the sinner to expect in his last illness. This I shall prove in the first part. The sick man is then far too weak to be able to cor respond with the grace of God and to repent sincerely. This I shall prove in the second part. Therefore, sinner! go first to be reconciled to thy God, whilst thou still hast time!
Such shall be the conclusion, which we ask through the merits of Mary and of our holy guardian angels.
What a great grace for the dying is that of true repentance! The grace that enables a man to arise from the state of sin, even if he has committed but one mortal sin, and to be truly converted, is a powerful, special grace, coming from the goodness of God alone, a grace that He is not bound to give to any one. Therefore he who has transgressed the commandments in a serious matter has good reason to beg from God most humbly and perseveringly the grace of true repentance, as I have shown at length when speaking of the sacrament of penance. The grace which brings repentance to one who has lived for many years in sin is an extraordinary, uncommonly powerful grace, that overpowers the human heart, as St. Augustine says, an almost miraculous grace, which man has still less claim to. The grace of conversion at the last moment, the grace of final perseverance, and a happy death is the most excellent of all; it is one that no man, no matter hov holy his life has been, with all his good works, can merit in the strict acceptation of the term; such is the teaching of theologians. But we can and must often humbly and confidently beg it from God, that He may bestow it on us as an alms out of His mercy and goodness. Therefore (although His goodness will never allow one who has lived well to die an unhappy death) God is not obliged to give this grace even to His holiest servants and greatest Saints, and He could refuse it to them without doing them any injustice, absolutely speaking.
