among the writers of this corrupt order, than || to acknowledge, at the same time, that, in deto purify the seminaries of instruction from monstrating the turpitude and enormity of the contagion of their dissolute maxims.-Af- certain maxims and opinions of the Jesuits, ter what has been observed in relation to the their adversaries have gone too far, and permoral system of the Jesuits, it will not be dif-mitted their eloquence and zeal to run into exficult to assign a reason for the remarkable aggeration. This we might show, with the propensity that is discovered by kings, princes, || fullest evidence, by examples deduced from the nobility and gentry of both sexes, and an the doctrines of probability and mental reserinnumerable multitude of persons of all ranks vation, and the imputations that have been and conditions, to commit their consciences to made to the Jesuits on these heads; but this the direction, and their souls to the care, of would lead us too far from the thread of our the brethren of this society. It is, no doubt, history. We shall only observe, that what highly convenient for persons, who do not pre- happens frequently in every kind of controvertend to a rigid observance of the duties of re- sy, happened here in a singular manner; I ligion and morality, to have spiritual guides, || mean, that the Jesuits were charged with tewho diminish the guilt of transgression, dis- nets, which had been drawn consequentially guise the deformity of vice, let loose the reins from their doctriné, by their accusers, without to all the passions, and even nourish them by their consent; that their phrases and terms their dissolute precepts, and render the way to were not always interpreted according to the heaven as easy, agreeable, and smooth as is precise meaning which they annexed to them; possible.* and that the tendency of their system was represented in too partial and unequitable a light.

What has here been said concerning the erroneous maxims and corrupt practices of the XXXVI. The Scriptures did not acquire any Jesuits, must, however, be understood with new degrees of public respect and authority modifications and restrictions. It must not be under the pontiffs of this century. It can be imagined, that these maxims are adopted, or proved, on the contrary, by the most authentic these practices justified, by all the sons of Loy-records, that the votaries of Rome, and more ola, without exception, or that they are pub-especially the Jesuits,, employed all their dexlicly taught and inculcated in all their schools terity and art, either to prevent the word of and seminaries: for this, in reality, is not the God from falling into the hands of the people, case. As this order has produced men of or at least to have it explained in a manner learning and genius, so neither has it been des- consistent with the interest, grandeur, and pretitute of men of probity and candour; nor tensions of their church. In France and the would it be a difficult task to compile from the Netherlands there arose, indeed, several comwritings of the Jesuits a much more just and mentators and critics, who were very far from proper representation of the duties of religion being destitute of knowledge and erudition; and the obligations of morality, than that hide-but may nevertheless be said of them, that, ous and unseemly exhibition of both, which instead of illustrating and explaining the diPascal and his followers have drawn from vine oracles, they rendered them more obscure, the Jesuitical casuists, summists, and moral- by blending their own crude inventions with ists. Those who censure, the Jesuits in ge-the dictates of celestial wisdom. This is neral, must, if their censures be well founded, have the following circumstances in view; first, that the rulers of that society not only suffer many of their members to propagate publicly impious opinions and corrupt maxims, but even go so far as to set the seal of their approbation to the books in which these opinions and maxims are contained;† secondly, that the system of religion and morality, taught in the greatest part of their seminaries, is so loose, vague, and ill-digested, that it not only may be easily perverted to bad purposes and erroneous conclusions, but even seems peculiarly susceptible of such abuse; and lastly, that the select few, who are initiated into the grand mysteries of the society, and set apart to transact its affairs, to carry on its projects, to exert their political talents in the closet of the minister, or in the cabinet of the prince, commonly make use of the dangerous and pernicious maxims that are complained of to augment the authority and opulence of their order. The candour and im-intricate and mysterious. partiality that become an historian, oblige us

chargeable even upon the Jansenists, who, though superior to the other Roman catholic expositors, in most respects, yet fell into that absurd method of disfiguring the pure word of God, by far-fetched allusions, mystic interpretations, and frigid allegories, compiled from the reveries of the ancient fathers.* Here, nevertheless, an exception is to be made in favour of Pasquier Quesnel, a priest of the oratory, whose edition of the New Testament, accompanied with pious meditations and remarks, made such a prodigious noise in the theological world, and even in our time has continued to furnish matter of warm and violent contest, and to split the Roman catholic doctors into parties and factions.

*The reader will find a striking example of this in the well-known Bible of Isaac le Maitre, commonly called Sacy, which contains all the crude and extravagant fancies and allegories, with which the an

cient doctors obscured the beautiful simplicity of the Scriptures, and rendered their clearest expressions

That is, in the Roman Catholic part of the theological world. Never perhaps did any thing show, in a more striking manner, the blind zeal of *The translator has here inserted in the text the faction than the hard treatment this book met with. note q of the original. See Cent. xviii. sect. x. note.

This is, no doubt, true. The Jesuits have The first part of this work, which contains obdoctors of all sorts and sizes; and this, indeed, is ne- servations on the four Gospels, was published in cessary, in order to the establishment of that univer-1671; and, as it was received with general applause, sal empire at which they aim. See Lettres Provin- this encouraged the author not only to revise and ciales. let. v. p. 62 of the tenth Cologne edition. augment it, but also to enlarge his plan, and com

VOL. II.-27

And here the first place is naturally due to the famous debates, carried on between the Jesuits and Dominicans concerning the nature and necessity of divine grace;; the decision of which important point had, toward the conclusion of the preceding century, been committed by Clement VIII. to a select assembly of learned divines. These arbiters, after having employed several years in deliberating upon this nice and critical subject, and in examining the arguments of the contending parties, intimated, plainly enough, to the pontiff, that the sentiments of the Dominicans, concerning grace, predestination, human liberty, and original sin, were more conformable to the doc

XXXVII. The majority of the public schools || endanger its constitution, or to hurt its interretained that dry, intricate, and captious ests. It will, therefore, be sufficient to give a method of teaching theology, which had pre-brief account of those debates which, by their vailed in the ages of barbarism and darkness, superior importance and their various connexand which could only excite disgust in all such ions and dependencies, may be said to have afas were endowed with a liberal turn of mind. fected the church in general, and to have threatThere was no possibility of ordering matters so,ened it with alarming changes and revolutions. that didactic or biblical theology, which is supposed to arrange and illustrate the truths of religion by the dictates of Scripture, should be placed upon the same footing, and holden in the same honour with scholastic divinity, which had its source in the metaphysical visions of the Peripatetic philosophy. Even the edicts of the pontiffs were insufficient to accomplish this object. In the greatest part of the universities, the scholastic doctors domineered, and were constantly molesting and insulting the biblical divines, who, generally speaking, were little skilled in the captious arts of sophistry and dialectical chicane. It is nevertheless to be observed, that many of the French doctors, and more especially the Jan-trine of Scripture and the decisions of the ansenists, explained the principal doctrines and cient fathers than the opinions of Molina, duties of Christianity in a style and manner which were patronised by the Jesuits. They that were at least recommendable on account observed, more especially, that the former of their elegance and perspicuity; and indeed leaned toward the tenets of Augustine, while it may be affirmed, that almost all the theolo- the latter bore a striking resemblance to the gical or moral treatises of this age, that were Pelagian heresy. In consequence of this decomposed with any tolerable degree of simpli- claration, Clement seemed resolved to pass city and good sense, had the doctors of Port- condemnation on the Jesuits, and to determine Royal, or the French priests of the oratory, for the controversy in favour of the Dominicans. their authors. We have already taken notice Affairs were in this state in 1601, when the of the changes that were introduced, during Jesuits, alarmed at the dangers that threatened this century, into the method of carrying on them, beset the old pontiff night and day, and theological controversy. The German, Belgic, so importuned him with entreaties, menaces, and French divines, being at length convinced, arguments, and complaints, that, in 1602, he by disagreeable experience, that their captious, consented to re-examine this intricate controincoherent, and uncharitable manner of dis- versy, and undertook himself the critical task puting, exasperated those who differed from of principal arbitrator. For this purpose, he them in their religious sentiments, and con- chose a council* (composed of fifteen cardinals, firmed them in their respective systems, in-nine professors of divinity, and five bishops,) stead of converting them; and perceiving, moreover, that the arguments in which they had formerly placed their principal confidence, proved feeble and insufficient to make the least impression,-found it necessary to look out for new and more specious methods of attack and defence.

which, in the course of three years,† assemblod seventy-eight times, or, to speak in the style of Rome, held so many congregations. At these meetings, the pontiff heard, at one time, the Jesuits and Dominicans disputing in favour of their respective systems; and, at another, ordered the assembled doctors to weigh their reasons, and examine the proofs that were ad

The result of this examination is not known with certainty; as the death of Clement, which happened on the fourth day of March, 1605, prevented his pronouncing a decisive sentence. The Dominicans assure us, that the pope, had he lived, would have condemned Molina. The Jesuits, on the contrary, maintain, that he would have acquitted him publicly from all charge of heresy and error. They alone who have seen the records of this council and the journals of its proceedings, are qualified to determine which of the two we are to believe; but these records are kept with the utmost secrecy at Rome.

XXXVIII. The Romish church has, notwithstanding its boasted uniformity of doc-duced on both sides of this difficult question. trine, been always divided by a multitude of controversies. It would be endless to enumerate the disputes that have arisen between the seminaries of learning, and the contests that have divided the monastic orders. The greatest part of these, as being of little moment, we shall pass over in silence; for they have been treated with indifference and neglect by the popes, who never took notice of them but when they grew violent and noisy, and then suppressed them with an imperious nod, that imposed silence upon the contending parties. Besides, these less momentous controversies, which it will never be possible entirely to extinguish, are not of such a nature as to affect the church in its fundamental principles, to

pose observations on the other books of the N. Test. See the Catech. Hist. sur les Contest. de l'Eglise. t. ii. p. 150.-Ch. Eberh. Weismanni Hist. Eccles. sæc. XVII. p. 588.

XXXIX. The proceedings of the congregation that had been assembled by Clement were This council was called the congregation de Auxiliis. From the 20th of March, 1602, to the 22d of January, 1605.

suspended for some time, by the death of that || XL. The flame of controversy, which seempontiff; but they were resumed, in the same ed thus extinguished, or at least covered, year, by the order of Paul V. his successor. broke out again with new violence, in 1640, Their deliberations, which were continued and formed a kind of schism in the church of from September to the following March, did Rome, which involved it in great perplexity, not turn so much upon the merits of the cause, and proved highly detrimental to it in various which were already sufficiently examined, as respects. The occasion of these new troubles upon the prudent and proper method of finish- was the publication of a book, entitled Auing the contest. The great question now was, gustinus, composed by Cornelius Jansenius, whether the well-being of the church would bishop of Ypres, and published after the death admit the decision of this controversy by a pa- of the author.* In this book, which even the pal bull; and, if such a decision should seem advisable, it still remained to be considered, in dressed to all the members of his order. In this letwhat terms the bull should be drawn up. All ter the prudent general modifies with great dexterity and caution the sentiments of Molina, and enjoins these long and solemn deliberations resembled it upon the brethren of the society to teach every the delivery of the mountain in the fable, and where the doctrine which represents the Supreme ended in this resolution, that the whole conBeing as electing, freely, to eternal life, without any troversy, instead of being decided, should be regard had to their merits, those whom he has been pleased to render partakers of that inestimable suppressed, and that each of the contending blessing; but, at the same time, he exhorts them to parties should have the liberty of following inculcate this doctrine in such a manner, as not to their respective opinions. The Dominicans give up the tenets relating to divine grace, which they had maintained in their controversy with the assert, that the two pontiffs, together with the Dominicans. Never, surely, was such a contradic congregation of divines employed by them in tory exhortation or order heard of; the good general the review of this important controversy, were thought, nevertheless, that he could reconcile abun dantly these contradictions, by that branch of the fully persuaded of the justice of their cause, divine knowledge which is called, by the schoolmen, and of the truth of their system; they moreover scientia media. See the Catechisme Historique sur observe, that Paul had expressly ordered a so- les Dissensions de l'Eglise, tom. i. p. 207. lemn condemnation of the doctrine of the Je- sentiments remain the same as they were before the On the other hand, the Dominicans, although their suits to be drawn up, but was prevented from commencement of this controversy, have learned to finishing and publishing it, by the unhappy cast a kind of ambiguity and obscurity over their war that was kindled about that time between theological system, by using certain terms and exhim and the Venetians. The Jesuits, on the schools of the Jesuits; and this they do to prevent pressions, which are manifestly borrowed from the other hand, represent these accounts of the the latter from reproaching them with a propensity Dominicans as entirely fictitious, and affirm to the doctrine of Calvin. They are, moreover, that neither the pontiff, nor the more judicious much less remarkable than formerly, for their zeal ous opposition to the Jesuits, which may be owing and respectable members of the congregation, perhaps to prudent reflections on the dangers they found any thing in the sentiments of Molina may have been involved in by this opposition, and that was worthy of censure, or stood in much the fruitless pains and labour it has cost them. The Jansenists reproach them severely with this change need of correction. In a point which is renof conduct, and consider it as a manifest and noto. dered thus uncertain by contradictory testi-rious apostacy from divine truth. See the Lettres monies and assertions, it is difficult to deter-Provinciales of Pascal, lettre ii. We are not, how. mine what we are to believe; it however ap-ever, to conclude, from this change of style and ex ternal conduct among the Dominicans, that they are pears exceedingly probable, that, whatever reconciled to the Jesuits, and that there remain no the private opinion of Paul may have been, traces of their ancient opposition to that perfidious he was prevented from pronouncing a public order. By no means; for, besides that many of them determination of this famous controversy, by are shocked at the excessive timidity or prudence of a great part of their brethren, the whole body retain his apprehensions of offending either the king some hidden sparks of the indignation with which of France, who protected the Jesuits, or the they formerly beheld the Jesuits; and, when a conveking of Spain, who warmly maintained the nient occasion of discovering this indignation is of cause of the Dominicans. It is farther proba-senists are here embarked in the same cause with fered, they do not let it pass unimproved. The Jan. ble, and almost certain, that, had the pontiff the Dominicans since the sentiments of St. Thomas, been independent of all foreign influence, and concerning divine grace, differ very little from those at full liberty to decide this knotty point, he of St. Augustine. Cardinal Henry Noris, the most eminently learned among the followers of the latter, would have pronounced one of those ambigu- expresses his concern, that he is not at liberty to pub ous sentences, for which the oracle of Rome is so lish what passed in favour of Augustine, and to the famous, and would have so conducted matters disadvantage of Molina and the Jesuits, in the fa.. mous congregation de Auxiliis, so often assembled as to shock neither of the contending parties.* by the popes Clement VIII. and Paul V. See his Vindiciæ Augustinianæ, cap. vi. p. 1175, tom. i, op.— "Quando," says he, "recentiori Romano decreto id vetitum est, cum dispendio causæ, quam defendo, ne. cessariam defensionem omitto."

*Beside the authors we have above recommended as proper to be consulted in relation to these contests, see Le Clerc, Memoires pour servir a l'Histoire des Controverses dans l'Eglise Romaine sur la Predestination et sur la Grace, in his Bibliotheque Universelle et Historique, tom. xiv. p. 235. The conduct, both of the Jesuits and Dominicans, after their con. troversy was hushed, affords much reason to presume that they had been both secretly exhorted by the pontiff to mitigate their respective systems, and so to modify their doctrines or expressions, as to avoid the reproach of heresy that had been cast upon them; for the Jesuits had been accused of Pelagianism, and the Dominicans of a propensity to the tenets of the protestant churches. This appears, in a more particular manner, from a letter written by Claudius Aquaviva, general of the Jesuits, in 1613, and ad

* For an account of this famous man, see Bayle's Dictionaire.-Leydecker, de Vita et Morte Jansenii, lib. iii. which makes the first part of his History of Jansenism. Dictionaire des Livres Jansenistes, tom. i. This celebrated work of Jansenius, which gave such a wound to the Romish church, as neither the power nor wisdom of its pontiffs will ever be able to heal, is divided into three parts. The first is historical, and contains a relation of the Pelagian controversy, which arose in the fifth century. In the second we find an accurate account and illustration of the doctrine of Augustine, relating to the Constitution and Powers of Human Nature, in its original, fallen, and renewed state. The third contains the doctrine

Jesuits acknowledge to be the production of || nius, and equally distinguished by the extent a man of learning and piety, the doctrine of of his learning, the lustre of his piety, and Augustine, concerning man's natural corrup- the sanctity of his manners, had procured to tion, and the nature and efficacy of that di- Augustine many zealous followers, and to the vine grace, which alone can efface this unhap- Jesuits as many bitter and implacable adverpy stain, is unfolded at large, and illustrated,|| saries.* This respectable abbot was the intifor the most part, in Augustine's own words: mate friend and relative of Jansenius, and one for the end, which Jansenius proposed to him- of the most strenuous defenders of his docself in this work, was not to give his own pri- trine. On the other hand, the far greater part vate sentiments concerning these important of the French theologists appeared on the side points, but to show in what manner they had of the Jesuits, whose religious tenets seemed been understood and explained by that cele- more honourable to human nature, or, at brated father of the church, now mentioned, least, more agreeable to its propensities, more whose name and authority were highly rever- suitable to the genius of the Romish religion, ed in all parts of the Roman catholic world.* and more adapted to promote and advance the No incident could be more unfavourable to interests of the Romish church, than the docthe cause of the Jesuits, and the progress of trine of Augustine. The party of Jansenius their religious system, than the publication of had also its patrons; and they were such as rethis book; for, as the doctrine of Augustine flected honour on the cause. In this respectascarcely differed from that of the Domini- ble list we may reckon several bishops emicans; as it was held sacred, and almost re- nent for their piety, and some of the first and spected as divine, in the church of Rome, on most elegant geniuses of the French nation, account of the extraordinary merit and autho- such as Arnauld, Nicole, Pascal, and Quesnel, rity of that illustrious bishop, and, at the same || and the other famous and learned men, who time, was almost diametrically opposite to the are known under the denomination of the Ausentiments generally received among the Je- thors of Port-Royal. This party was also suits, the latter could scarcely consider the considerably augmented by a multitude of perbook of Jansenius in any other light than as sons, who looked upon the usual practice of a tacit, but formidable refutation of their opi- piety in the Romish church (which consists nions concerning human liberty and divine in the frequent use of the eucharist, the congrace; and accordingly, they not only drew fession of sins; and the performance of certain their pens against this famous book, but also external acts of religion,) as much inferior to used their most zealous endeavours to obtain what the Gospel requires, and who considered a public condemnation of it from Rome. Their Christian piety as the vital and internal prinendeavours were not unsuccessful. The Ro- ciple of a soul, in which true faith and divine man inquisitors began the opposition by pro- love have gained a happy ascendency. Thus hibiting the perusal of it, in 1741; and, in the one of the contending parties excelled in the following year, Urban VIII. condemned it by a number and power of its votaries, the other solemn bull, as infected with various errors that in the learning, genius, and piety of its adhehad been long banished from the catholic church. rents; and, things being thus balanced, it is XLI. There were nevertheless places, even not difficult to comprehend, how a controwithin the bounds of the Romish church, versy, which began about a century ago, should where neither the decisions of the inquisitors, be still carried on with vehement contention nor the bull of the pontiff, were in the least and ardour.† respected. The doctors of Louvain in parti*This illustrious abbot is considered by the Jancular, and the followers of Augustine in gene-senists as equal in merit and authority to Jansenius ral, who were very numerous in the Nether- himself, whom he is supposed to have assisted in comlands, opposed, with the utmost vigour, the mean such of them as adopt the doctrine of Auposing his Augustinus. The French, more especially, proceedings of the Jesuits and the condemna- gustine,) revere him as an oracle, and even extol tion of Jansenius; and hence arose a warm him beyond Jansenius. For an account of the life contest, which proved a source of much trou- and transactions of this pious abbot, see Lancelot's ble to the Belgic provinces. But it was not Memoires touchant la Vie de M. de S. Cyran.-Recueil de plusieurs Pieces pour servir a l'Histoire de confined within such narrow limits; it reached Port-Royal.-Arnaud D'Andilly, Memoires au sujet the neighbouring countries, and broke out with de l'Abbe de S. Cyran, published in the first volume peculiar vehemence in France, where the ab- of his Vies des Religieuses de Port-Royal.—Bayle's Dictionary, at the article Jansenius. Dictionaire bot of St. Cyran,‡ a man of an elegant ge- des Livres Jansenistes, tom. i. For an account of the earlier studies of the abbot in question, see Gabriel Liron's Singularites Historiques et Literaires, tom. iv. p. 507.

of the same great man relating to the Aids of sanctifying Grace procured by Christ, and to the eternal Predestination of Men and Angels. The style of Jansenius is clear, but not sufficiently correct.

*Thus Jansenius expresses himself in his Augustinus, tom. ii. lib. proceшial. cap. xxix. p. 65.-Non ego hic de aliqua nova sententia reperienda disputo.. sed de antiqua Augustini. Quæritur, non quid de naturæ humanæ statibus et viribus, vel de Dei gratia et prædestinatione sentiendum est, sed quid Augustinus olim, ecclesiæ nomine et applausu, tradiderit, prædicaverit, scriptoque multipliciter con-" signaverit.

The Dominicans followed the sentiments of Thomas Aquinas, concerning the nature and efficacy of Divine Grace.

The name of this abbot was Jean du Verger de Haurane.

†The history of this contest is to be found in many authors, who have either given a relation of the whole, or treated apart some of its most interesting branches. The writers that ought to be principally consulted on this subject are the follow ing: Gerberon, Histoire Generale du Jansenisme, published at Amsterdam in 1700; and Du-Mas, Histoire des Cinq Propositions de Jansenius. The former maintains the cause of the Jansenists, while the latter favours that of the Jesuits.-Add, to these, Melch. Leydecker's Historia Jansenismi, and Voltaire's Siecle de Louis XIV. Several books, writ ten on both sides, are enumerated in the Bibliotheque Janseniste, ou. Catalogue Alphabetique des Principaux Livres Jansenistes, the author of which is said to be Domin. Colonia, a learned Jesuit.

XLIII. It appears from several circumstances, that Urban VIII., and after him Innocent. X., were really bent on appeasing these dangerous tumults, in the same manner as the

XLII. Those who have taken an attentive || Jansenists extremely popular, and held the view of this long, and indeed endless contro- victory of the Jesuits for some time dubious; versy, cannot but think it a matter both of and it is more than probable, that the former curiosity and amusement to observe the con- would have triumphed, had not the cause of trivances, stratagems, arguments, and arts em- the latter been the cause of the papacy, and ployed by both Jesuits and Jansenists; by the had not the stability and grandeur of the former in their methods of attack, and by the Romish church depended, in a great measure, latter in their plans of defence. The Jesuits upon the success of their religious maxims. came forth into the field of controversy, armed with sophistical arguments, odious comparisons, papal bulls, royal edicts, and the protection of a great part of the nobility and bishops; and, as if all this had appeared to them insufficient, they had recourse to still more formidable auxiliaries, even the secular arm, and a competent number of dragoons. The Jansenists, far from being dismayed at the view of this warlike host, stood their ground with steadiness and intrepidity. They evaded the seemingly mortal blows that were levelled at them in the royal and papal mandates, by the help of nice interpretations and subtle distinctions, and by the very same sophistical refinements which they blamed in the Jesuits. To the threats and frowns of the nobles and bishops, who protected their adversaries, they opposed the favour and applause of the people; to sophisms they opposed sophisms, and invectives to invectives; and to human power they opposed the Divine Omnipotence, and boasted of the miracles by which Heaven had declared itself in their favour. When they perceived that the strongest arguments, and the most respectable authorities, were insufficient to conquer the obstinacy of their adversaries, they endeavoured, by their religious exploits, and their application to the advancement of piety and learning, to obtain the favour of the pontiffs, and strengthen their interest with the people. Hence they declared war against the enemies of the Romish church; formed new stratagems to ensnare and ruin the protestants; took extraordinary pains in instructing the youth in all the liberal arts and sciences; drew up a variety of useful, accurate, and elegant abridgments, containing the elements of philosophy and the learned languages; published a multitude of treatises on practical religion and morality, whose persuasive eloquence charmed all ranks and orders of men; introduced and cultivated an easy, correct, and agreeable manner of writing; and gave accurate and learned interpretations of several ancient authors. To all these various kinds of merit, the greatest part of which were real and solid, they added others that were at least visionary and chimerical; for they endeavoured to persuade, and did in effect persuade many, that the Supreme Being interposed particularly in support of their cause, and, by prodigies and miracles of a stupendous kind, confirmed the truth of the doctrine of Augustine, in a manner adapted to remove all doubt, and triumph over all opposition.* All this rendered the

tion. See the Memoires de Port-Royal, tom. i. p. 256, tom. ii. p. 107.-The first time we hear mention made of these miracles, is in 1656, and the following years, when a thorn of the derisive crown that was put upon our Saviour's head by the Roman soldiers, is reported to have performed several marvellous cures in the convent of Port-Royal. See the Recueil de plusieurs Pieces pour servir a l'Histoire de PortRoyal, p. 228, 448; and Fontaine's collections upon in 1661 and 1664; and the fame of these miracles the same subject, tom. ii.-Other prodigies followed rose to a great height during the last century, and proved singularly advantageous to the cause of the Jansenites; but they are now fallen, even in France, into oblivion and discredit. The Jansenists, therefore, of the present age, being pressed by their adversaries, were obliged to have recourse to new prodigies, as the old ones had entirely lost their credit; command, by the considerable number they pretendand they seemed, indeed, to have had miracles at ed to perform. Thus, (if we are credulous enough to believe their reports,) in 1725, a woman, whose name was La Fosse, was suddenly cured of a bloody flux, by imploring the aid of the host, when it was, one day, carried by a Jansenist priest. About two years after this, we are told, that the tomb of Gerard Rouse, a canon of Avignon, was honoured with miracles of a stupendons kind; and, finally, we are informed, that the same honour was conferred, in 1731, on the bones of the abbe de Paris, which were interred at St. Medard, where innumerable miracles are said to have been wrought. This last story has given rise to the warmest contests, between the su perstitious or crafty Jansenists and their adversa. ries in all communions. Beside all this, Quesnel, Levier, Desangins, and Tournus, the great ornaments of Jansenism, are said to have furnished extraordinary succours, on several occasions, to sick in their prayers and merits. See a famous Jansenist book composed in answer to the Bull Unigenitus, and entitled, Jesus Christ sous l'Anatheme et sous l'Excommunication, art. xvii. xviii.-There is no doubt that a great part of the Jansenists defend these miracles from principle, and in consequence of a persuasion of their truth and reality; for that party abounds with persons, whose piety is blended with a most superstitious credulity, who look upon their religious system as celestial truth, and their cause as the immediate cause of Hea ven, and who are consequently disposed to think that it cannot be neglected by the Deity, or left without extraordinary marks of his approbation and supporting presence. It is however amazing, and almost incredible, on the other hand, that the more judicious defenders of this cause, those eminent Jansenists, whose sagacity, learning, and good sense, discover themselves so abundantly in other matters, do not consider that the powers of nature, the effi cacy of proper remedies, or the effects of imagina tion, produce many important changes and effects, which, from imposture, or a blind attachment to some particular cause, many are led to attribute to the miraculous interposition of the Deity. We can easily account for the delusions of weak enthusi

and infirm persons, who testified a lively confidence

asts, or the tricks of egregious impostors; but when we see men of piety and judgment appearing in defence of such miracles as those now under conside

* It is well known that the Jansenists, or Augus-ration, we must conclude, that they look upon fraud tinians. have long pretended to confirm their doctrine by miracles; and they even acknowledge, that these miracles have sometimes saved them, when their affairs have been reduced to a desperate situa.

as lawful in the support of a good cause, and make no scruple of deceiving the people, when they propose, by this de.usion, to confirm and propagate what they take to be the truth.

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