the Master of the sentences understood it And predestination is here taken absolutely not for it effects neither is Free-will therefore destroy'd but operates in its time and place freely meritoriously and without coaction as I speak clearly concerning the same in my said VVriting so farre as the scantnesse of the time permitted Nor do I deny that the goodnesse of God who hath purposed to shew mercy or not to shew mercy as I have noted in my Tract is the cause why God predestinates or reprobates And lastly I do not reject the use of Free-will which serves to the obtaining of sanctifying grace when God gives the same to the predestinate to the end that using it well he may merit glory VVhich being so it may be truely said that predestination depends onely upon the promises which God hath made to us Nor will there be any contradiction in this although predestination should be taken here for its effects which draw their original and their force from the merits of Jesus Christ which grace conferres upon us in consequence of the Promises made to those that believe in him What I say concerning the promises we learn out of the 11th and 36th chapter of Ezekiel the 32d of Jeremiah and many places of S Paul's Epistles and S. Peter teaches us that all things which appertain to life and godliness are promised and given us by the almighty power of God so that good works themselves are part of the promises which God hath made to us I will give you an heart of flesh saith the Prophet and will take away the heart of stone and will cause you to do c. He hath given us a strong assurance of his promises God is become our debtor because he hath pleased to make his promise to us VVe have therefore in the H. Scripture a most ample witnesse of the Divine promises Yet do not these promises destroy Free-will or hinder from concurring meritoriously to good works S. Augustin in the third Treatise upon S. John is of this opinion That life Eternal is given us onely by grace which would be false if S. Augustine's words were not consider'd with reference to the original of this life because they would take away meritorious works And S. Paul Life Eternal is a grace of God and grace for grace VVhich place he understands and expounds as the grace which God hath done us in Electing us to eternal life being the cause of the grace which he doth us in giving us good works which may merit the same This opinion therefore doth not exclude Free-will which as I said before is establish'd in my Treatise much lesse good works but rather includes and requires above all things both Free-will and good VVorks III. PROPOSITION Speaking of the Reprobate that he cannot be saved because he is the Son of perdition as our Saviour saith The Son cannot disclaime the nature which he hath receiv'd from his Father and therefore Jesus Christ saith Ye are of your father the Devil because ye do his works and these are properly they whom God never beholds in Jesus Christ with an eye of mercy ANSWER Our Saviour call's the perfidious and obstinate sons of perdition all that time the Jews were murderers and persecutors of the truth VVhich place I alluded to and called them sons of perdition because our Saviour so term'd them Ye are of your father the Devil because ye do his works I say the same and no more But they who are not destinated simply and properly to eternal life nor written in the book of life although they may appear to be the Children of God neverthelesse they are the Children of the Devil by imitation and not by substance as S. Augustin speaks This I said in reference to their last end of damnation and final impenitence which God foreknows and alwayes foreknew most certainely I said that God never looks upon them with the eye of his mercy though a most just and incomprehensible judgement as I said it was in Judas whom Pope S. Leo in his Sermon of the Lords passion calls an inconvertible man that is one who could not be converted This is the scope at which my words referre not to certain intermediate things not to the justification of the present life in which they may be for some time and during which God sundry times beholds Judas and other reprobates with his eye of mercy namely when they do well and are upright IV. PROPOSITION God doth not elect us onely to relinquish and leave us in the hand of our own Counsels because he well knows into what condition we would soon bâ—ing our selves but in consequence of his election he makes appear in due time all the gifts which were comprehended in his Election ANSWER If I knew sufficiently where the doubt concerning this fourth Proposition lyes perhaps I should better explain my mind My intention was to say that God bestows many gifts upon the Elect who by peculiar love are under the divine care as is seen by the following words where I say that God prepares a right or good will for us according to the testimony of the Apostle 'T is God that works in us to will and to do and the rest which followes to which I referre Therefore God doth not leave his Elect destitute without Grace nor in the hand of their own counsels Nor do I design hereby to contradict the saying of the VVise-man in any wise for it would be ridiculous so to do Deum reliquisse homâ—nem in manu consiliorum suorum But all that I intended to signifie by it is that God leaves not Free-will in his Elect without assisting it by his Grace and that it being assisted thereby happily performes all the things which are enumerated in my Treatise S. Augustin patronizes this opinion in abundance of places And I desire the Reader not to believe that I here make Free-will to be necessitated or compelled for this would be an injury to truth In the same Treatise I dispute against such as follow the false lights of a perverse spirit and reason in the model which they forme to themselves of the holy gift of predestination whilst through negligence and malice they referre the greatest liberty of Free-will assisted by God to a shameful and damnable necessity contrary to the expresse doctrin of all the Doctors and principally of S. Augustin which Father is the most terrible to those kind of people VVherefore I conclude with the truth received in the Church and with the authority of the same S. Augustin That predestination doth not take away Free-will but rather establish it as I have said expressely in my Treatise to which I referre the Reader V. PROPOSITION And in like manner cannot prevaile against the structure built with living stones which is the H. Church and the determinate number of the Elect. ANSWER In this Proposition those things which precede and follow in my Treatise must be considered because otherwise naked and
Auxiliis and that the H. See was not at this time dispos'd to decide that matter I told him that then it could not pronounce any thing upon the said Propositions because it was wholly comprehended and involved therein He proceeded to ask me whether it were not our intention that nothing should be done against the prevalence and efficacy of Grace I answer'd That provided that point were established we desir'd nothing more and that we reduc'd all our thoughts and pretensions thereto because all the rest of our sentiments were dependant on and insepareble from it He told me that perhaps the H. See was not dispos'd to establish any thing about it and he askt me whether it were not enough that nothing were done against it and that too without destroying the sufficient Grace of the Jesuits I answer'd That the H. See could not preserve or spare the sufficient grace of the Jesuits without doing wrong to effectual Grace That they are two things so opposite and contradictory that the one or the other must needs fall to the ground that there is no mean between them and that we could not consent that the H. See admit or suffer as probable a Maxime which it hath always condemned and which is diametrically opposite to another which it hath always establisht and mantain'd as de fide and as that of the whole Church Then we fell upon St. Augustin and the Cardinal spoke of him as if his sentiments were difficult to be known and as if some of his works were favourable to the Maximes of Grace which we defended and in others there were principles conformable to the opinions of the Jesuites To which I answer'd That the Doctrine of St. Augustine touching Grace was clear and uniform That I was so certain of it that if but one of his works where he handles the ground of this matter could be shew'd me in which his sense could be presum'd conformable to the sufficient grace of the Jesuites I offer'd to yield the cause and on the contrary if the effectual Grace in behalf of which I was to speak was not generally receiv'd in all his works written upon this subject and in every one of them particularly I would renounce the prosecutions which I purpos'd to make for the establishing of it I know not how he fell to tell me of Paludanus who writ in Flanders very advantageously for the Bull though he was not of the Jesuites opinion and he told me that if such a man as he should write to his Holinesse in behalf of the present affair of the Propositions it would be of great moment and produce a good effect At length I told the Cardinal what cause I had to complain of the treatment which M. Albizzi shew'd me and what little confidence I could have that any thing offer'd by me was likely to make any impression upon his mind in as much as he looking upon us as he did as people of ill designes against the Church and the H. See though we profess'd none he could not receive any thing whatever I should say to him but on the contrary must needs esteem it suspected and slight it through the belief which he will alwayes have that it is spoken unsincerely and out of a bad design Cardinal Barberin reply'd that this was considerable and that I might represent the same to the Pope and to my LL. the Cardinals CHAP. VI. Several Visits in the end of July and the beginning of August chiefly to the Cardinals Spada Roma Barberini and M. the Ambassador who was come back to Rome from Tivoli AFter this Affair was thus ended I apply'd all my cares to that for which I was sent for which I saw but two things that I could do One was to visit all persons to whom I could have accesse and who might upon occasion contribute to the manifesting of the Design of the framers of the Five Propositions after my informing them of what had pass'd in France about them and of the Contents of the Bishops Letters which I deliver'd to his Holinesse The second was to renew from time to time my visits to such Cardinals as I perceiv'd capable of procuring in this businesse such delay as was requisite for its thorough examination by considering all that the Divines whom I expected and others that might come had to represent by word of mouth or by writing in this occasion M. le Bailly de Valencey the King's Ambassador at Rome having spent above Six Moneths at Tivoli return'd thither on Monday July 17. upon the instances made to him for that purpose from the Pope by the Venetian Ambassador who mediated for the accommoding of his difference with his Holinesse On Tuesday morning he went incognito to see the Pope and I had the honour to accompany him in that visit at the end of which I recall'd to his memory all that I had said to him at Tivoli where he was at my comming to Rome and I made him a summary recital of all that I had done since my last seeing him On the 25th I visited M. Michel Angelo Ricci a very wise and studious Roman Gentleman in whose converse I observ'd this particularity That having by him the works of Petrus Aurelius printed by order of the Clergy of France he lent them to me and told me that as for himself he durst not read them because of a Decree of the Inquisition made March 19. 1633. and publisht at Rome Febr. 16. 1642. by which that Tribunal forbad all books made on either side in the contests arisen concerning the Bishop of Calcedon and upon the businesse of the books of the English Jesuites which were censur'd by the Divinity Faculty of Paris and by the Clergy of France I thank'd this Gentleman for his favour in lending me that famous Author though it was then uselesse to him not daring to read it but I said nothing to him how that Decree was receiv'd and treated in France where the Bishops in the year 1643. having renew'd their Censures against the books of England with the true names of the Jesuites who were the Authors of them did also censure a new a book written in its defence by one of those Fathers What further concerns this matter I shall not here relate but I shall referr the principal Pieces about it to the choice ones plac'd at the end of this Journal On the 26th I went to acquaint a person very illustrious both for dignity and knowledge with what haste Cardinal Barbâ—rin had given me cause to fear this affair would be terminated This excellent Personage answer'd thereunto in these words Se fanno una definitione precipitâ—sa so quel ch' ho da far La Chiesa sarà la mia regâ—… bisâ—gnerà veder chi havrà ragione o di questâ—â—…pa o de gli aliri If they make a precipitated definition I know what I have to do The Church shall be my rule it will be needfull to see who hath reason
present having been introduc'd at the same time about another businesse In the afternoon I accompanied M. Brousse to Cardinal Barberin to take his leave as accordingly he did after a long discourse of sundry things not necessary to be related in this place Sunday the 24th we were at the ceremony of Palmes and receiv'd some from his Holines's hand Monday the 25. the Abbot of S. Peter in vinclis made an Oration upon the sanctity of that season in an assembly of an eminent Academy composed of many Ingenious and Learned persons whereof the Gallâ—cane Prince was one of the principal members if not the chief The Abbot did us the honour to invite us to his Oration We repaired thither and before it began Cardinal Rondanini's brother and one of Cardinal S. Clement's nephews came to us to entertaine themselves with us and promote our acquiantance formely contracted which we mutually promis'd to augment when the Festivals were past On Tuesday morning I accompain'd M. Brousse in his visitation of the four Churches In the morning we went to those of S. Marie Maggiore S. John de Lateran and S. Paul When he went in the afternoon to that of S. Peter he left me at la Minerve where I entertain'd at length F. Capisucci a Monk of that Order and Professor in Divinity with what had pass'd in the affair for which we were at Rome F. du Plantet a Minime very zealous against the sentiments of S. Augustin which he did not understand and much devoted to F. Annat and the Court of Cardinal Spada who was protector of the Minimes had given this Dominican for a full instruction in this affair a Copy of M. de Vabres's letter at the bottome of which were these words Subscripserunt aut suo nomine subscribi voluerunt hi qui sequuntur Leonorius Destampes Archiepiscopus Dux Remensis aliquot mensibus ante obitum De Grignan Archepiscopus Arelatensis Henricus de Bethune Archiepiscopus Burdigalensis Annas de Vanladour Archiepiscopus Pisuricensis Henricus a Sabaudiâ nominatus Archiepiscopus Remensis Sunt alii numero 64. Episcopi I met in the City M. Michel Angelo Recci who told me that F. Pascaligio an able Divine of the same house of S. Andrew de la Val whereof F. Delbene was desir'd to come and see us but seeing that good Father much troubled with the Goute he took the liberty to tell him that he would advertise us of it and we should prevent him I omitted mention that we spent all Saturday the 23. with Signor Pien Cottuen Notary of the Rota and Andreas Albercius and Franciscus Pignocatus expert Jurates for comparing and verifying writings in a most exquisite comparing two Copies which we had caus'd to be made of M. Pegna's history And we were so exact therein that each of those Copies was as usefull and Authentick as the Original it self Our Memorial against F. Annat's book which we no longer thought of after it was declar'd to us that neither the Pope nor the H. Office took part in it had its effect the same day that we compos'd the papers of F. Pegna M. Albizzi sent to the Printer by the Pope's Order to command him to bring to the Palace of the H. Office where M. Albizzi lodg'd where also are the Prisons call'd the Inquisition all the copies of sheets that he had printed of that work with prohibition to distribute any to any person The Letter was in these words Signor Ignatio de' Lazaris Stampatore in Roma In virtù della presente doverà V. S. recare al S. Offitio è consignare à me infrascritto tutti gli essempi dell ' Opera che con licenza della sacra Congregatione del santo Offitio ha fatto Stampatore il Padre Anato della compagnia di Giesù senza darne ad altri alcun essemplare sotto pena arbitraria alla medesima Congregatione Perche così ha ordinato è commandato la sanctità di nostro signore per ordine dato mi à bocca Dato nel Palazzo del S. Offitio questo di 28. di Marzo 1652. Signed Fran. dalli Albizzi The Prâ—er let passe H. Fryday without obeying this Order but on Saturday he carried M. Albizzi all that he had printed of that book and took his Receipt The same day five Jewes and one Turk were baptis'd at S. John de Lateran The Marquis of Bréauté was Godfather to one of those Jewes and I to another to whom I gave the nâ—me of Paul M. Hostier Bishop of Béthleem arriv'd on H. Tuesday at Rome whether he was sent from the Assembly of the Clergy of France to obtain of the Pope that he would fill the vacant Sees of the Church of Portugal with those persons which the King of Portugâ—l had nominated CHAP. VII Of a little Volume of the principal Works of S. Augustin against the Pelagians and Semipelagians which we put to printing after Easter and of the Obstructions rais'd against the Impression SHortly after we gave that poor Printer a better businesse then that of which we had been the cause that he was depriv'd There remained but a few more sheets to print for the finishing of F. Annat's book and we hir'd him to print for us the principal works of S. Augustin against the Pelagians and Semipelagians It was a thing that we had design'd some time a go because we found nothing so proper not only for justifying our pretensions to all Rome and making known the truth of the doctrine which we defended as well to the principal judges with whom we had to do as to a great number of persons whom we found little enough intelligent therein but very desirous to be instructed but also to confirme to our interests which were no other then those of truth many other persons whom we had also found inform'd enough to consider them as their own We had purposed to make several smal volumes one after another according as occasion should permit in the sequel of time but we had already chosen wherewith to make up one first as the most necessary urgent with the greatest diligence we could The Pieces which we intended to put into it were the book De Gratia Jesu Christi that De perfectione Justitiae the 107. Epistle ad Vitalem the 105. Epistle ad Sixtum the book De Gratia Libero arbitrio the 46. and 47. Epistles ad Valentinum the book De Emendatione Gratia the Epistle of S. Prosper and that of Hilarie to S. Augustin the books De Praedestinatione Sanctorum De dono Perseverantiae the Epistle of Pope S. Celestin I. to some Bishops of France the Synodical Epistle of the African Bishops which were banisht into the Island of Sardinia the second Council of Orange and the Letter of Pope Boniface II. for confirmation of that Council On Easter Tuesday the second of April I askt permission of the Vicegerent of Rome to print them and after him of the Master of the sacred Palace who both
he spent his time in contemplating the Stars drawing Horoscopes of many persons At length he bethought himself to draw that of the Pope which he sent to Car. Ginetti's Auditor with a Letter n which he perswaded him to rejoyce for the change which would shortly be seen by the Pope's death which was to come to pass in the month of November the same year This letter was intercepted and the Auditor put in prison for it and the Colonnensi at the Popes request caus'd Marcó Rugolo to be apprehended in their territories As he was bringing to Rome he fell from his Horse and broke his thigh which having been ill set by a Country-Chyrurgon he arriv'd at Rome in a very ill condition October the 8. which gave the Pope occasion to laugh at this man who foretelling the death of others could not foresee the mischief which was so near himself I believe no more was done to him afterwards then being condemn'd to the Galleys a punishment too light for all the crimes which he had committed and for the oppression of so many innocent persons whom he had sacrificed to the interests of Mascambrun using to boast That there was no innocent person in the world but he could make good an Indictment against him But to return to the coherence which this History of Mascam hath with ours Car. Cechini who was nominated by the Pope to be one of the Congregation which we su'd for was upon this business excluded For the Pope having taken up a suspition that he had had some hand in the miscarriages of the Datary though this was not credible there having been so great misunderstanding between him and Mascambrun who was the Author of all those Enormities treated him so ill for four or five Months after the death of that Sub-Datary that at length he resolved in the month of September to demand his Congé which the Pope gave him with very rough words so far as to reproach him that he had dishonour'd his House and his Government VVhereunto the Cardinal answered very resolutely That he had done nothing unworthy of himself which he would justifie upon all occasions So he left the Datary and went to live at his Palace in Campo Marzo And Monsignor Hieronymo Burtucci whom the Pope of Senior Procurator and Servant of his House had made Sub-Datary ever since Mascambrun's imprisonment was now made Datary At the same time the Pope took away from Cardinal Cechini the pension of poor Cardinals which may mount to twelve thousand Crowns yearly and prohibited him to come to any Assembly where his Holinesse was present which was to exclude him from the Consistories Papal Chappels Congregations of the Inquisition and others held before the Pope at which this Cardinal us'd to be present This was the reason that he was not at any of those which were held before the Pope about our Affair though he was one of the Five Cardinals whom Cardinal Roma told us the Pope had chosen for our Congregation as I shall relate in its place At present I shall take notice of a thing which deserves to be added to this Narrative whereof I was inform'd by a Letter from M. Brousse the Contents of which follow The day before I departed from Rome I went to see the Secretary of the Congregation of Regulars Nephew to the Governour of Rome to inquire of him news of the Bull of the Fathers of Christian Doctrine touching their Regularity He told me it was declar'd false and that within four or five days I might see the Brief of it I reply'd that I was ready to depart but I pray'd him to tell me whether I might assure the Arch-Bishop of Paris thereof who had given me Commission to inquire about it He answer'd me Sì Sì taking me by the hand and pressing it This oblig'd me to proceed further and aske him whether what I heard was true that Mascambrun had spoken of this Bull amongst the rest which he confess'd that he had forg'd He answer'd me in these words Non è Mascumbruno mà il suo secretario frà pochi giorni sarà impiccato It was not Mascambrun but his Secretary who within a few days will be hang'd which intelligence I writ the same day to my L. the Arch-Bishop CHAP. IX Concerning an antient Manuscript which came to my hands touching an Affair of Mr. Grimani Patriarch of Aquileia whereby I found that the foundation of all the matters in question bad been examined and decided by the Council of Trent DUting these Conjunctures there befel me an occurrence as considerable in its kind which had much more reference to our Affair then that whereof I have given so long an account It was a Manuscript of no small age containing a little Collection of some Pieces which treated of an Affair debated and determined in the Council of Trent about the same matters for which we were in contest with the Jesuites and it was determined by a general consent of all the Commissioners to whom the Council referr'd the judgement of it perfectly according to our sentiments On the second of April 1652. I caus'd the same Noâ—…ries who verifi'd our History of M. Pegna to declare their judgement of the quality of this Manuâ—…ipt having made two Transcripts thereof compar'd by them with the Original to make use of in time and place To which purpose I caus'd a description to be made of it as it was when I presented it to them that so I might make it be known for the same which accidentally was fallen into my hands There was question in this Affair concerning a Sermon made in the year 1550. at Oudenay by a Dominican Fryer name'd F. Leonard native of the same City which is in the Continent that belongs to the Repub. of Venice whether the Patriarchal See of Aquileia hath been trasferr'd since the destruction of that antient and famous City by the descent of Attila into Italy This Predicator had preacht one of the highest Truths and in the hardest terms to be digested by humane understanding touching Gratuitous Predestination which gave some scandaâ—â—o the people who murmur'd at it The grand Vicar of this Patriatch whose name was Grimani of one of the illustrious families of Venice nevertheless thought not fit to act in any sort against the Predicator to constrain him to make amends for the scandal which he had given without first giving notice to and takeing orders ftom him whose grand Vicar he was The Patriarch Grimani having receiv'd Letters from his grand Vicar conceiv'd himself oblig'd to answer him but he was so far from finding cause to proceed against the Predicator that on the contrary he judg'd the Propositions advanc'd by him very true certain and Catholick the reasons whereof he deduc'd at large in his answer which he took principally from the H. Scripture and the works of S. Augustin When the grand Vicar had receiv'd this Answer he caus'd it to be publisht to all the
't was a Book injurious to the living and the dead to the King and the State to the Church to the Bishops to the Faculty to the Parliament to the Archbishop then living to Cardinal de Retz in fine to all sorts of persons And notwithstanding sundry Doctors M. Cornet's Adherents amongst whom were M. Charton and M. Morel were very stiff against M. Pignay's motion and to hinder the nomination of Deputies for examining the Book caused M. Mulot Dean and M. Grandin to rise from their places and to go out of the Assembly with them conceiving it would break up by their absence Yet the Doctors who remain'd finding it was not just that a Dean and a Syndic should thus bafflle the Faculty and break its Assemblies when they pleas'd held the Assembly in their absence and did justice upon M. Pignay's Supplicate by nominating Deputies for examination of the Book complained of It was composed by a Fueillant and intituled Chronicon seu Continuatio Chronici Ademari Monachi Engolism ab Anno 1032. ad Annum 1652. Authore D. Petro à Sancto Romualdo Engolism c. Two others were publisht under F. Annat's name which were nothing else but the very writings which M. Hallier and his Collegues presented at Rome to the Cardinals and Consultors of the Congregation and of which mention is made above the one being intituled Jansenius à Thomistis condemnatus the other Augustinus à Baianis vindicatus But which was most strange besides the unworthy abjectness to which Doctors of Paris debased themselves in being the Pamphlet-venters of the Jesuites in a cause wherein those Doctors appear'd outwardly the principal parties the same work was printed and publisht a fortnight before as M. Hallier's with the extract of a Letter in French by him written at Rome in December preceding wherein that Doctor sent word that the Propositions would be shortly condemn'd that the Pope and Cardinals judg'd us unworthy to be heard and that the condemnation would be pasesed nevertheless And the same Book was publisht afterwards under the name of the abovesaid Jesuite with a Latine Preface in which according to his wonted confidence and shamelesness he affirm'd that we had been heard as much as we would But leaving aside this spirit of duplicity and lying which caus'd both of them to speak so differently of the same thing they shew'd evidently thereby what we were taking pains to prove at Rome that M. Hallier and his Collegues were in this affair only the Agents of the Jesuites and those Fathers our right Adversaries who consequently ought to appear before the Congregation to defend themselves and neither they nor such as were known devoted to them as F. Modeste and M. Albizzi to have seats amongst those who were to hear and pronounce upon our differences The above-mention'd Writing Jansenius à Thomistis c. gave occasion to two printed Letters which were directed to F. Annat touching its being one while attributed to M. Hallier and another while challeng'd back by that Father One of these Letters was dated Febr. 7. and the other Febr. 12. both excellent But I am so much an Enemy to the least Faults which escape even innocently against the Truth that I cannot but correct one here which I observ'd in the reading of them In pag. 23. it is said that the transient audience which we had of the Pope in his Presence-chamber at the presentation of our Writings and Memorials to him lasted a very considerable time VVhich by what I have above related is convinc'd to be a mistake in the Author's intelligence The same month another came forth not quite new but a second Edition 'T was the Antitheses of F. L' Abbé the Jesuite between Jansenius and S. Augustin upon which he had conferr'd and been confounded by M. de S. Beuve as is before mention'd and yet this Father caus'd the same to be printed again as if he knew not the weakness and falshood of his work He follow'd blindly the passion which inspir'd him with this incredible boldness and crown'd it with no less an outrage against S. Augustin For at the end of his Antitheses he added an Advertisment to the Reader wherein he tells him confidently that those testimonies of S. Augustin which he cited shew the falshood of the Five Propositions of the New Doctrine or Jansenius abstracted and contain'd in those Five Propositions and that if after all this the Opinions of S. Augustin seem still obscure to any one he need but be a little patient till Rome declares what S. Augustin's Opinions were or what they ought to have been Ex allatis divi Augustini testimoniis refutatas habes quinque Theses novae doctrinae seu ut loquuntur aliqui Jansenium in quinque Theses digestum Si cui tamen post tot testimonia obscurus adhuc videbitur Augustini sensus expectet tantisper BREVI LOQVETVR ROMA QVID SENSERIT AUGUSTINUS AVT QVID SENTIRE DEBVERIT In the Letter in which M. Brousse gave me notice of this second Edition he concludes after these words Behold according to this Advertisement S. Augustin eonvicted and nothing more remaining but a Bull to declare him a Heretick and remove him out of the Litanies as the Jesuites have already remov'd him out of the number of the Doctors of the Church by putting S. Nicolas in his place in the proud Mausolaeum which they have erected in the Court of their Colledge of Clermont to the memory of Cardinal de la Rochefoucaut M. de S. Beuve about three weeks after writ to me two reflexions upon the same advertisement The first was concerning the three last lines about S. Augustin to whom he said this Discourse was highly injurious that 't was to accuse him of having err'd and by extreme arrogance to pronounce before Rome by saying that within a little while she will speak and declare what ought to have been the sentiments of that H. Doctor The second was upon the former part of the sentence Ex allatis D. Augustini testimoniis c. for said M. de S. Beuve he thereby openly declares that their design is to involve in the Censure of Five Equivocal Propositions of which themselves are the Authors the whole Doctrine of Effectual Grace so strongly made good by M. d' Ipre against Molinian novelties M. le Maistre Doctor and Professor of Divinity our Confrere hapned to be very sick upon which occasion the Abbot Ollier made a Sermon at the Church of S. Sulpitius the Cure whereof he had resign'd a little before which deserves to be reckoned amongst the extraordinary Pieces which appear'd this month The business was thus M. le Maistre caus'd his usual Confessor to come to him who was one of the Carmelites of the great Covent He desir'd the H. Viaticum which was brought to him from the Parish of Sulpitius Upon the ordinary exhortation which the Priest made to the sick person he out of sentiments of sincere Christian piety testify'd some
Auxilium sufficiens fuit necessarium in natura integra in natura lapsa non datur 3. Omnia opera humano modo facta ab homine existente in peccato mortali sunt peccata mortalia 4. Non datur libertas quoad indifferentiam actus sed quod coactionem 5. Christus mortuus est solum pro praedestinatis I do not remember whether I shew'd this Paper to the Ambassador but I remember well that he told me he could not believe what I said concerning those new Propositions but I Answered that I was well assured of what I spoke having receiv'd them from a most veracious person to whom a Consultor communicated them to intreat him to help him to reduce his judgment upon them into Writing On H. Saturday F. Lezzana sent me a Copy like the foregoing and desir'd me to furnish him with some Writing touching the matters if we had any The next morning I went to him and askt him what was the design of broaching these new Propositions He told me that he himself did not understand it but he had barely receiv'd order to set down his judgment of them in Writing before the end of the Festivals I apprehended that the time of the end of the Festivals extended to a fortnight after Easter but he told me 't was no more then the two Holidays of Monday and Tuesday and that the satisfaction which he should give to the person who lay'd that taske upon him might be of some importance to our affair I gave intelligence hereof to M. de Sainte-Beuve by the next Port April 7. I spoke but obscurely to him of the manner how I came by them telling him that they dropt out of a Consultos pocket least speaking more clearly and my letter coming to be intercepted the Consultor who gave them to my friend whose assistance he desir'd might believe himself and the whole secret of the privacy between him and my friend discover'd M. de Sainte-Beuve's answer was as followes SIR A Second information in facto is not thought of here every one says you have all the Memoires for it and that 't is a piece whch requires your care As for the Answer to F. Annat's book I shall tell you that 't is under so good a hand in Flanders that that Good Father will have no great cause to please himself in the excellency of his work The Answer is begun to be printed here I think you will be as well satisfi'd with it as I am but you must have a little patience for the work is long Were we capable of being astonisht at the reports of the Molinists we should be quite disheartned with these which are dispers'd here The most moderate amongst them affirme that they shall speedily have a Bull by which all the Propositions will be absolutely condemn'd and that the Pope is resolv'd upon it This discourse was made in Sorbonne and is dispers'd by the Jesuites The Bishop of Rennes tells me he heard it from them but the braggadocioes adde that the Ambassador has forbidden you to stirre out of your house that the Pope accounts you unworthy of his audience and that you have in vain offer'd the Pope 400000. Crownes to suspend his Judgment This talk comes from Lyons by a Letter of a Fueillant To speak ingenuously to you I never saw any thing like their discourses nor more resolution then there is in the minds of ours If some are in fear because the Pope has held so many Congregations in so little time others rejoyce at it considering that being himself takes such paines t is a sign that he will be fully inform'd of the affair which is the only thing we wish For it is fit that truth be manifested and the whole Church see that M. Cornet maliciously fram'd the five Propositions to raise an universal disturbance amongst Catholicks I pray God make him understand the greatnesse of his fault which is such that I know not a greater I cannot tell whether you have contracted an obscurity by contagion of the place of your residence or whether you affect it but I assure you there is a great deal in your Letter in part of which you tell me of the note which contains the Propositions dropt from a Consultors pocket What think you is the design of them Are they to be substituted in stead of the former If so 't will be easy for you to come off For as for the first there needs no more to be said but that we conceive that the Repugnancy by reason of which humane nature cannot be created without supernatural gifts proceeds not from the Omnipotence but from the Goodnesse Providence and Justice of God As for the second we say that the sufficient aide such as was in uncorrupted nature is not an aide which is granted to our corrupted Nature for that aide was subject to the Will The third Proposition is an Heresy As also the fourth and fifth We all subscribe to this sentence if there be no more in question but this I am c. Four Congregations were held before the Pope in the seven first dayes of this moneth each of which lasted about foure whole houres namely Tuesday Thursday and Saturday of the Passion week and H. Monday I heard on H. Tuesday that in that of the day preceding there was great contest among the Consultors Of the other four and the six foregoing in the three weeks before that of the Passion we could discover no more then what is above related which is almost nothing CHAP. XV. The arrival of F. Desâ—mares and M. Manassier at Rome A notable Change of a zealous disciple of Molina who became an ardent one of S. Augustin by reading the little volume which I gave him of the twelve principal Maximes of the Christian Faith touching Grace which he reduc'd into as many Latin Disticks A calumnious Memorial dispers'd in Rome and all Italie as presented to the Pope by the Clergy of France about this affair Another Writing of our Adversaries fram'd to delude the Dominicans and full of impostures ON H. Wednesday we were much comforted by the arrival of F. Des-mares and M. Manassier at Rome whom our Bishops sent to share with us in the paines which we foresaw this affair was likely to require in the progress of its examen and which M. de Valcroissant Angran and I could never have undergone alone without sinking under them for the examen was not yet begun and we were already overcharg'd This re-enforcement and succour was as acceptable to us as necessary and the more because we had long desir'd it and been much troubled to obtain it But in truth we could not by any means have been without it had the affair been carri'd as it ought to have been especially considering the various dispositions of those with whom we had to do all agreeing this point to drive on that affair with unimaginable speed for which purpose it was rumor'd that we aim'd at nothing