A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

Of his Letters of Doctrine.

Altho' S. Isidore hath not professedly treated of any Doctrine of Religion, yet in many of his Letters we find them very strongly confirmed and proved. He shews, That the Heathen Religion hath evident Marks of Falshood, l. 1. 95. l. 4. 27, 29, 30, &c. And that Christianity hath all the Signs of Truth, and opposes those who accuse it of Novelty, l. 2. 46. He affirms, That if we do but compare the Holy Scriptures with the Heathen-writers, we may soon discern on which side the true Religion is, l. 1. 21. That the former contain sublime Truths, which beget Reverence, whereas the latter are full of Fables and despicable Fooleries and Cheats, l. 2. 4, 5. Among the Proofs of the Christian Religion he forgets not to insert that of the confirmation of the Gospel by Miracles, and the destruction of Paganism, l. 1. 271. He confutes the Jews in several places, not only by demonstrating, That the Prophecies of the Messias are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, but al∣so by confirming the truth of the Conception of Jesus Christ in the Womb of the Virgin, l. 1. 141. l. 4. 17. He proves, That God hath created Angels, Men and all Beings, l. 1. 343. That all Things are over-ruled by Providence, and not by the influences of the Stars, or by Fate, l. 3. 135, 154, 191. That Things do not come to pass, because God foreknows them or foretells them, but God foreknows and foretells them because they will so happen, l. 1. 56. He explains the Myste∣ries of the Trinity and Incarnation in so many Letters, that it is needless to cite them all. Among others, these are worthy of our Consideration about the Trinity, l. 1. 67, 138, 139, 327. l. 4. 99. About the Incarnation, l. 1. 323, 403. He confutes the Error of the Arrians, l. 1. 246, 353. l. 4. 31, 334. and of the Sabellians, l. 3. 247. He proves the God-head of the Holy Ghost, l. 1. 20, 60, 97, 109, 499, 500, &c. He condemns the Error of the Nestorians, and shews that the name of the Mother of God ought to be given to the Virgin Mary, l. 1. 54. He also opposes those, who confounded the two Natures, as well as the Manichees, who asserted, That the Flesh which appeared in Jesus Christ, was a mere Phantom, l. 1. 124, 323, 102, 303. He refutes the Marcion∣ites, l. 1. 11. the Manichees, l. 4. 13. the Montanists, l. 1. 242. to the 246. and the Novatians, l. 1. 100, 338. He maintains the perpetual Virginity of Mary, both before and after her Con∣ception, l. 1. 23. He is of Opinion, That Jesus Christ came out of her Womb, as well as out of the Sepulchre, without opening the Passage, l. 1. 404. He proves the Soul to be Immortal, l. 3. 295. l. 4. 125. But he confutes the Doctrine of Origen about the eternal Praeexistence of Souls, l. 4. 163. He also disproves the Opinion of those who believed, That the Soul is part of the Substance of God himself, l. 4. 124. He shews, That the Resurrection of the Body is certain, but the manner of it and time, is uncertain, l. 1. 284. l. 2. 43. He holds, That after the Resurre∣ction, the Bodies of the damned shall be Spiritual, as well as the Bodies of the blessed; that is to

say, as he explains it, active, and of the nature of the Air. He believes, That the damned shall be punished in different manners, according to the difference of their Sins, l. 4. 42. He defends the freedom of Man's Will, l. 1. 271, 303, 352, 363, &c. He allows, That Grace is necessary to perform that which is good, but he will have Man on his part to use his diligence and labour, that Grace may be operative. The Nature of Man, saith he, hath received several Graces which it is in Man's power to make good use of. Man's labour must concurr with Grace, as the Industry of Sailers is helpful to the prosperous Winds. It is of God's Providence that our help comes, but we must also joyn our endeavours with it, l. 2. 2. We are our selves, saith he in another Let∣ter, the cause of our own Damnation, and Jesus Christ is the cause of our Salvation; for it is he that hath justified us by Baptism, who hath delivered us from the Punishments we have de∣served, and hath enriched us with his Gifts; but all his Graces will be of no advantage to us, if we do not what we are able to do on our part, l. 2. 61. Man, saith he in another place, stands in need of the divine Assistance to accomplish those very things, which seem to be in his Power; but that Grace is never wanting to those, who on their part do what they are able; for if the Di∣vine Providence excites, and stirs up those, who have no desire to do good, with what reason can it deny necessary helps for doing good to those, whose Will is well enclined, and do what they are able? l. 4. 171. Nevertheless, Man must not attribute the good he doth to himself, but must re∣ferr all to the Grace of God, otherwise his best Actions will be of no use to him, l. 2. 265, 242. In sum, no Man lives upon Earth, and sins not, l. 1. 435. S. Isidore delivers himself upon the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, in a way altogether conformable to the Doctrine and Discipline of the present Church. The Baptism of Infants, saith he, doth not only wash them from their natural Pollution, caused by the Sin of Adam, but it also conferrs Graces: It not only obliterates the Sin of those that receive it, but also makes them God's adopted Children, l. 3. 195. The Veil, that covers the Sacramental Elements, doth undoubtedly overspread the Body of Jesus Christ, l. 1. 123. And the Holy Spirit turns the Wine into the Blood of Jesus Christ, l. 1. 314. The scandalous Life of Ministers, their Sins and Impieties do not hinder the effect of the Sacra∣ments which they administer, l. 1. 120. l. 2. 37, 52. l. 3. 34, 394. He approves of the Honour which is given to the Martyrs, and the respect which is bestowed on their Relicks. He disallows not the presenting of Offerings at their Altars in honour of them; but the principal respect, which we can give them, is to imitate their Lives, l. 1. 55. l. 2. 89. He preferrs a single Life before Mar∣riage, l. 2. 133. He observes, That the Polygamy of the ancient Patriarchs was then very excu∣sable, because it was necessary that they should have a numerous Posterity; but it may not be now used as a pretence to cover our Incontinence. We will conclude with the Idea and Definition which he gives the Catholick Church: The Faithful, saith he, dispersed throughout the whole World, make up the Body of the Universal Church; every particular Church is a Member of it, l. 4. 103. This Universal Church hath often been assaulted, but it never was, nor ever shall be utterly extinct, l. 3. 5.