The journal of Monsr. de Saint Amour doctor of Sorbonne,: containing a full account of all the transactions both in France and at Rome, concerning the five famous propositions controverted between the Jansenists and the Molinists, from the beginning of that affair till the Popes decision. / Faithfully rendred out of French. ; A like display of the Romish state, court, interests, policies, &c. and the mighty influences of the Jesuites in that church, and many other Christian states, being not hitherto extant.

CHAP. V.

Divers visits in which the Five Pro∣positions were discours'd of, and of a remarkable circumstance touching the same. How few at Rome well un∣derstood these matters, and whence it came to be so.

BUT before I receiv'd those letters, and mine were arriv'd at Paris, I continu'd to take all possible opportunities at Rome with the least noise to inquire further into the posture of affairs: Amongst others I visited the General of the Augustines, whose great zeal for S. Augustine we had understood at Paris, by the Letter he writ to F. Alipius of the same Order, presently after M. Cornet's attempt. I discours'd with him chiefly concerning the two wayes wherewith S. Augustine was struck at; one by openly rejecting the Autho∣rity of his Doctrine, as M. Pereyret and many others did; the other, by making shew of owning his Authority, and yet teaching and maintaining a Doctrine in effect contrary to his, and driving at a condemnation thereof, as theirs who really de∣fended it. I intimated to him as much as I could, the necessity there was of his courage and pru∣dence, being equally arm'd against both these sorts of Enemies which S. Augustine had in this age. He very well receiv'd my discourse, and profess'd himself ready to do so according to his power up∣on all occasions. I told him of the Condemnation made at Vallidolid of two and twenty Propositions extracted out of the Jesuits Books against S. Au∣gustine; but he was inform'd of it before, having receiv'd notice of it from Spain.

I made a second visit to the Cardinal, whose re∣sistance hinder'd the Pope from confirming the Fa∣cultie's pretended Censure of the Propositions, as otherwise he would have done: In this second vi∣sit we discours'd of the grounds of Doctrine which they concern'd. I spoke thereof in the same man∣ner as we had alwayes done in France, from their first publishing by M. Cornet, namely as Propositi∣ons equivocal, ambiguous, capable of different senses, both Heretical and Catholick. But the Cardinal conceiv'd that this was to speak too little advantageously for their defence. Particularly concerning the first, he said, that, considering it well, the words whereof it consists, which are found in the Book of Jansenius, restrain'd it clear∣ly enough to the Catholick sense. That the righte∣ous men, to whom it is there said some of God's Commandements are impossible, are suppos'd to have already fullfill'd many of them, being arriv'd to such Holinesse as denominates them just, that these Commandements are not absolutely impossi∣ble to them, but only in respect of the state where∣in they are, having yet but weak and imperfect Grace, which they are suppos'd to have [volenti∣bus & conantibus] and which gives them no other power for performance of the same, but imperfect desires and weak endeavours; which is yet more clearly exprest by the remainder of the Propositi∣on, from which the beginning ought not to be con∣sider'd as separate, but as referring thereunto, [Deest quoque illis gratia quâ possibilia fiant.] And that the Grace (namely, Effectual, such as is ne∣cessary to the Commandments in question) which renders them possible, is not yet given to these just persons in the state of weaknesse, wherein the Proposition supposes them in the time and circum∣stances of those first Graces with which they only will and endeavour weakly; that this is the whole Doctrine of Effectual Grace, according to the mind of S. Thomas, and S. Augustine his Master. That the four other Propositions cannot be consi∣der'd but with relation to the first, together with which they are presented for examination; and that if there be any obscurity in the other four, it ought to be clear'd and judg'd of according to the first, and the interpretation put upon it. The so∣lid reasons which led this learned and pious Cardi∣nal to speak and judge so favourably of the Propo∣sitions, by taking them, as he did, in the sense of Effectual Grace, I cannot so well repeat as himself deduc'd them to me; for I remember he did it with a strength of reason perfectly great; but I expresse his conceptions the best and the most faithfully I can, as well as those of all others which I mention; and I know he attributed the speaking of these Propositions after another manner then his own, only to the little understanding there was of these matters either at Rome or Paris. Indeed he spoke of them with so great energie and affecti∣on, that I ceas'd to wonder at what was told me of his having defended them so stoutly before the Pope; and if I could have doubted of the intelli∣gence or sincerity of him who inform'd me how that story pass'd before the Pope, the vigour wherewith this Cardinal himself discours'd with me, would have perfectly confirm'd me therein.

Wherefore, having this full perswasion of the truth of the businesse, I went again to him that first acquainted me with it, and he told me a circum∣stance which he had omitted in his first narration, believing perhaps that I was not then fitting to hear it. He told me that the Pope (who although he highly esteem'd this Cardinal, had neverthelesse a little secret jealousie against him) seeing him speak of the Propositions with so much heat and vivacity on this occasion, and considering himself backt by all the rest that were present, being of contrary sentiments, his Holinesse in a manner rang'd himself on their side, by saying, Guardate il Cardinal N. chi dice che nostri Consultori sono Ere∣tici: Take notice of Cardinal N. who sayes that our Consultors are Hereticks. To which the Cardinal, without being mov'd, made answer; Vostra Santi∣tà mi scusi, Beatissimo Padre, non dico questo. Non dico che questi Signori Consultori siano Haeretici, mà che le loro Censure sono Haeretiche. Mà è ben vero che loro lo sarebbono, se vi fossero pertinaci: I beseech your Holinesse to excuse me, most Blessed Father, I do not say that. I do not say that my LL. the Consul∣tors are Hereticks, but that their Censures are Here∣tical. But withall 'tis true that they also would be Hereticks, should they continue obstinately therein. Which according to his sense was most true, for being he took all the Propositions to be meant of Effectual Grace, he had reason to accuse those Censures of Heresie which should condemn the

said Propositions in this sense. This particular not having been told me at the first time of our discourse about the debate before the Pope, is wanting in the account given above of what stopt his Holinesse in the quandary they had put him in, for the confirmation of the false Censure so of∣ten mention'd.

About this time other news was written to me from Venice, namely that the Pope's Nuntio there had caus'd the Decree against the Catechisme of Grace to be printed there in great numbers, and sent the Copies into all the Monasteries not only of Venice, but of the whole Venetian state. I was surpriz'd at this news, both for that the Jesuits do not reign in that place, and because neither of the Books condemn'd by that Decree having appear'd there at all, I did not see what ground there was for publishing this Decree there with so great dili∣gence: and by the reading of it, I could not find any instruction or edification afforded thereby un∣to the faithfull. But I let this intelligence passe as well as many others, without being more scan∣daliz'd thereat, and continu'd my inquiry into af∣faires at Rome, as far as my condition gave me liber∣ty so to do.

In the Covent de la Minerve I occasionally saw a very devout, upright and judicious Monk nam'd F. Barelier, who was assistant for France to his Gene∣ral. We discours'd together of our concernments with such caution as is us'd by persons that do not yet well know one another; and he spoke with as great prudence and equity as was possible for a man that till then had had no light of all the things that were pass'd. Afterwards as I was professing to one better inform'd, my wonder how it was possible that F. Barelier, a man of great parts, of an Order so much engag'd as the Dominicans for the opinions about Grace, and of so considerable an imployment in that Order, should be so much a stranger to all the contests in the Church touching the same: He told me, that I had much more rea∣son to wonder that I found any that were not so in the place where I was. That F. Barelier (for ex∣ample) was indeed in a considerable imployment in that Order, but that this imployment so wholly took him up in receiving all the Letters concern∣ing the businesses and contests of Monasteries and particular persons of the Order dispers'd through France, that being scarce sufficient thereunto, he could not give much heed to other things not alli'd to his own affaires: That others, besides their oc∣cupations which requir'd their care and personal attendance, had designs of advancing every one himself to the several degrees whither they aimed, which taking up likewise a good part of their time, left them not much to mind other matters. More∣over, that since the last Congregations de Auxiliis, which after so long and diligent examination con∣cluded only upon imposition of silence to the par∣ties; there was great care us'd to keep such mat∣ters husht and in oblivion, lest the like feuds might arise which make much stir and bring no profit. That the minds of the greatest part were bent only upon the several Courts of the Pope, the Cardinals, Ambassadors, Princes, and Princesses, whereof there was a great number at Rome. That they there studied nothing but the different inte∣rests and designs of this or of that, yet few did no more but study them, but the general practice was to mingle their own therewith, and seek means and occasions of advancing the same; to which the taking part in these contests, or seeming to understand them, was so far from conducing, that on the contrary it was an obstacle. That besides, should every one apply themselves to these matters as much as they avoided them, it would be hard to find many otherwise inform'd thereof then accor∣ding to the intelligence given them by the Jesuits, these Fathers having gained the Passes, made sure of those whom they saw might be imploy'd in these affaires, byass'd them, and form'd them to such conceptions of us also as they pleas'd, presented their own Books to them, and took care to have the Book-sellers provided therewith; so that if I should go for example to M. Blaise the French Book-seller at Rome, and ask for F. Petau's Book Of Publick Pennance, I should not fail to have it shewn me presently; but if I should ask for M. Arnauld's Of Frequent Communion, against which that of F. Petau was written, I could have no ac∣count of it. And therefore no body having hi∣therto spoken in our behalf, nor taken care for the dispersing of our Books there, as the Jesuits have to keep them from being seen, I ought not to won∣der that F. Barelier, and infinite others lesse capa∣ble and laborious then he, have either had no knowledge at all of our affairs, or if they have been never so little inform'd thereof, it hath been to our disadvantage.

Cardinal Ludovisio, then Grand Penitentiary at Rome, a little time after this visit, confirm'd to me the truth of what was told me concerning the scar∣city of our Books there. For hearing, after my coming to Rome, that there was a Doctor of Sor∣bonne in the City, he sent one to me to tell me he desir'd to see the Book Of Frequent Communion, which he understood was to be translated into Latin, and to ask me whether it were so. I told the Messenger, that it was translated above three years ago, and that I was sorry that I had lost in my Jour∣ney two Copies which I took of it in that Language at my coming from Paris; because it would have been a contentment to me to have been able to gratifie the Cardinal's desire of seeing it. In the mean time this shews the scarcity there is in that Country of the most Excellent Peices, which sute not with the gust of the Jesuits.

Besides this difficulty which concern'd all the world, there was another on the part of the Car∣dinals who might be employ'd about these matters. For the Pope could not likely make any resolution upon this businesse, without first having debated the same with my Lords the Cardinals; nor could there ascend much light to the Throne of his Holi∣nesse to illuminate the same in this particular, but what must be transmitted to it by their means. Now it was certain that they were not much better instructed about these matters then the rest of the Romans, but rather something lesse inclin'd to ad∣mit any information thereof. The continual di∣versions which they are oblig'd to suffer by so ma∣ny audiences as they must give to such as have bu∣sinesse with their Eminences, by so many Congre∣gations as they must be present at, by so many active and passive visits from which they cannot free themselves, and by so many publick Admini∣strations

and other external occupations to which they are subject, leave them farre lesse time and leisure for it. Very much care had been taken to prepossesse them to our disadvantage, and against the truths we might have to defend; they were very little inclin'd to undertake the paines which is necessary to search the bottome of them, not having been brought up in this kind of study: and they were much more jealous for the autho∣rity of Decrees issu'd from their Tribunals, the preservation or destruction of whch they were told was concern'd in all such things as had the least re∣lation to these matters.