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. IX.

Of the Writings which the General of the Dominicans intended to present to the Pope with his Memorial to intervene in this affair.

TUesday the 18th. in the forenoon I under∣stood that the General of the Dominicans had been the Sunday before to get audience of the Pope, but could not; and therefore intreated Monsignor Sacrista (who had opportunity every day to speak to the Pope before or after Mass) to present his Memorial, and some few Papers to his Holiness. I have not the Copy of that Memori∣al; but for the Papers, I have most, if not all of them, which I shall insert in the annexed Colle∣ction.

Here I shall only say, that as the Jesuites and M. Hallier represented our Opinions after a calum∣nious and fraudulent manner, so the Dominicans shew'd themselves equitable and intelligent in lay∣ing open their designs. Now the endeavour of the Jesuites and their Complices, M. Hallier, &c. was to hinder the Pope from giving them audience and receiving their Writings, which contain'd a full elucidation of the Controversie. But as they could not hinder them from comming to my hands, so neither shall they hinder me from preserving them to posterity as a monument of the zeal of that Order for the defence of Jesus Christ's Grace, and of the clearnesse wherewith those famous Divines extricated this so intangled mat∣ter.

Only two differences will be found in their pro∣ceeding and ours. One, that whereas by the express order of the Pope, the Cardinals and all our Friends at Rome, we abstain'd from so much as naming Jansenius; these Divines who had re∣ceiv'd no such Order, defended him expresly in reference to the Five Propositions, and formally maintain'd that they were not his. So that if the Pope had pleas'd to decide this question of Fact, it was strange that on the one side he so often forbad us to speak of Jansenius; and on the other deny'd to hear and receive the writings of the most famous Religious Order in the world for knowledge in Divinity, and who were ready to defend that Bi∣shop, and to show that the Five Propositions were not his.

The second difference is this; Although they explicated the Propositions in the same manner as we did, and no less then we maintain'd the com∣mon doctrine of Effectual Grace, yet they did it in terms incomparably more powerful then ours. So that if those Eminent Divines have rea∣son to say as they did, that they never maintain'd the Five Propositions, because to maintain the sense of Effectual Grace whereunto they were re∣ducible, was not to maintain them, we had more reason to say so then they.

But reserving these Writings for the end of this Journal, I shall only reckon them up here, and exhort the Readers to peruse them carefully as containing a perfect elucidation of the Controver∣sie. Perhaps I shall not rank them in the same or∣der as they were intended to be presented to the Pope; but that's no great matter.

The first of them begins with these words: Bea∣tissimo Patri Innocentio; Eminentissimis sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalibus & Doctissimis Theo∣logis Censoribus pro negotio quinque Propositionum ab Apostolica sede deputatis. In this Writing they re∣futed M. Hallier's great pretension that the Five Propositions in question had no reference to the matter De Auxiliis; and show'd that the Jesuites had objected all Five to the Dominicans in the Congregations under Clement VIII. and Paul V. and the Dominicans maintain'd them all in a Catho∣lick sense, which is that of Effectual Grace.

The second Writing shews, that the Jesuites have three principal intentions in this affair. First,

to get Molina's opinion obliquely defin'd. Se∣condly, to overthrow all that was done in tenne years in the Congregation De Auxili∣is. And Thirdly, to ruine S. Augustine's au∣thority. All which they manifested by clear proofs.

The third Writing contains an explication of the Five Propositions with reference to Jan∣senius; and therein they show that this Prelate never held the first but by determining it to a most Catholick sense; and that he never maintain'd the four others at all. They also unfold his Do∣ctrine touching the matter of these four Proposi∣tions.

The fourth Writing was almost to the same pur∣pose, and seems made by some other Divine of the same Order.

The fifth is also a Catholick explication of the Five Propositions, and a deduction of the conse∣quences ensuing from their condemnation in a Catholick sense; and instead of these Five Ptopo∣sitions they substitute five of Molina's to be cen∣sured.

The sixth clears Jansenius's opinion touching Sufficient Grace, and shows that he has admitted in effect all that the Thomists understand by that term.

The seventh is a refutation of all which M. Hal∣lier alledg'd out of S. Thomas and the Thomists, against the Five Propositions in a Writing which fell into their hands; 'tis that which I spoke of above.

The eighth was a compendious enumeration of passages of S. Thomas and others falsifi'd by M. Hallier in divers VVritings which fell into their hands.

The ninth was an Abstract of the Outrages of the Jesuites against S. Augustin;

The tenth contain'd the reasons which had ani∣mated the Jesuites against Jansenius; namely the just parallel which he had made of their doctrine with that of the Semipelagians.

The eleventh is an explication of these four Questions; namely, whether Jansenius admits that Internal Grace is resistible; and they show that he doth. Secondly, Whether Jansenius admits Suf∣ficient Grace; to which they answer, That he admits the thing, but rejects the word, with reason. Thirdly, Whether Sufficient Grace can be prov'd by S. Augustin; and they answer by distinguishing the word. They shew that a Grace Effectual for one Effect, and Sufficient for an other, may be prov'd by S. Augustin. Fourthly, Whether the Congregations cited in the first Writing were held before the Pope; and the answer, that they were so in the year 1062. and that all Five Pro∣positions were maintain'd there in a Catholick sense.

Such clear and compendions Writings as these will be found by who so peruses them, being pre∣sented by an Order so considerable at Rome and in the whole Church as that of the Dominicans, might and ought to have made some impression upon the Pope's mind, and induc'd him to distin∣guish the senses of the Propositions, had he been pleas'd to receive and examine them; but, as I have said, he was so fearful of engaging himself therein that he would give no audience to the Ge∣neral of this Order, though he requested it seven∣teen or eighteen times, his Holiness doubting that it was for this purpose that he demanded it; and a Prince of his near alliance, having taken a very favourable occasion to speak to him about it, his Holiness made a semblance of not hearing him, as shall be seen hereafter.