t no created thing can put forth any act, unless by virtue of the
Divine motion. Secondly, for this special reason--the condition of
the state of human nature. For although healed by grace as to the
mind, yet it remains corrupted and poisoned in the flesh, whereby it
serves "the law of sin," Rom. 7:25. In the intellect, too, there
remains the darkness of ignorance, whereby, as is written (Rom.
8:26): "We know not what we should pray for as we ought"; since on
account of the various turns of circumstances, and because we do not
know ourselves perfectly, we cannot fully know what is for our good,
according to Wis. 9:14: "For the thoughts of mortal men are fearful
and our counsels uncertain." Hence we must be guided and guarded by
God, Who knows and can do all things. For which reason also it is
becoming in those who have been born again as sons of God, to say:
"Lead us not into temptation," and "Thy Will be done on earth as it
is in heaven," and whatever else is contained in the Lord's Prayer
pertaining to this.

Reply Obj. 1: The gift of habitual grace is not therefore given to us
that we may no longer need the Divine help; for every creature needs
to be preserved in the good received from Him. Hence if after having
received grace man still needs the Divine help, it cannot be
concluded that grace is given to no purpose, or that it is imperfect,
since man will need the Divine help even in the state of glory, when
grace shall be fully perfected. But here grace is to some extent
imperfect, inasmuch as it does not completely heal man, as stated
above.

Reply Obj. 2: The operation of the Holy Ghost, which moves and
protects, is not circumscribed by the effect of habitual grace which
it causes in us; but beyond this effect He, together with the Father
and the Son, moves and protects us.

Reply Obj. 3: This argument merely proves that man needs no further
habitual grace.
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TENTH ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 109, Art. 10]

Whether Man Possessed of Grace Needs the Help of Grace in Order to
Persevere?

Objection 1: It would seem that man possessed of grace needs no help
to persevere. For perseverance is something less than virtue, even as
continence is, as is clear from the Philosopher (Ethic. vii, 7, 9).
Now since man is justified by grace, he needs no further help of
grace in order to have the virtues. Much less, therefore, does he
need the help of grace to have perseverance.

Obj. 2: Further, all the vir