,,the ,,provincial ,,letters ,,of ,,blaise ,,pascal4 ,a ,,new ,,translation ,,with ,,historical ,,introduction ,,and ,,notes1 ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,thomas ,m#8,,crie4 ,,edinburgh4 ,if my letters are condemned at ,rome1 that which ,i condemn in them is condemned in heaven4--,,pascal4 ,,new ,,york3 ,,robert ,,carter ,,brothers ,no4 #ecj ,,broadway4 ------------------ #ahef4 ,,contents4 ,,page ,,preface1 vii ,,historical ,,introduction1 ix ,,letter ,i4 ,disputes in the ,sorbonne1 and the invention of proximate power--a term employed by the ,jesuits to procure the censure of ,m4 ,arnauld1 #fc ,,letter ,,ii4 ,of sufficient grace1 which turns out to be not sufficient--,concert between the ,jesuits and the ,dominicans--,a parable1 #gf ,reply of 8the ,provincial0 to the first two ,letters1 #hh ,,letter ,,iii4 ,injustice1 absurdity1 and nullity of the censure on ,m4 ,arnauld--,a personal heresy1 #ij ,,letter ,,iv4 ,actual grace and sins of ignorance--,father ,bauny's ,summary of sins1 #ajj ,,letter ,v4 ,design of the ,jesuits in establishing a new system of morals--,two sorts of casuists among them--,a great many lax and some severe ones--,reason of this difference--,explanation of the doctrine of probabilism--,a multitude of modern and unknown authors substituted in the place of the holy fathers--,escobar1 #aaf ,,letter ,,vi4 ,various artifices of the ,jesuits to elude the authority of the gospel1 of councils1 and of the popes--,some consequences resulting from their doctrine of probability--,their relaxations in favor of beneficiaries1 of priests1 of monks1 and of domestics--,story of ,john d',alba1 #ace ,,letter ,,vii4 ,method of directing the intention adopted by the casuists--,permission to kill in defence of honor and property1 extended even to priests and monks--,curious question raised as to whether ,jesuits may be allowed to kill ,jansenists1 #aeb ,,letter ,,viii4 ,corrupt maxims of the casuists relating to judges--,usurers--,the ,contract ,mohatra--,bankrupts--,restitution--,div ers ridiculous notions of these same casuists1 #agj ,,letter ,,ix4 ,false worship of the ,virgin introduced by the ,jesuits--,devotion made easy--,their maxims on ambition1 envy1 gluttony1 equivocation1 mental reservations1 female dress1 gaming1 and hearing mass1 #ahh ,,letter ,x4 ,palliatives applied by the ,jesuits to the sacrament of penance1 in their maxims regarding confession1 satisfaction1 absolution1 proximate occasions of sin1 and love to ,god1 #bjf ,,letter ,,xi4 ,the ,letters vindicated from the charge of profaneness--,ridicule a fair weapon1 when employed against absurd opinions--,rules to be observed in the use of this weapon--,charitableness and discretion of the ,provincial ,letters--,specimens of genuine profaneness in the writings of ,jesuits1 #bbe ,,letter ,,xii4 ,the quirks and chicaneries of the ,jesuits on the subjects of alms-giving and simony1 #bdc ,,letter ,,xiii4 ,fidelity of ,pascal's quotations--,speculative murder--,killing for slander--,fear of the consequences--,the policy of ,jesuitism1 #bfj ,,letter ,,xiv4 ,on murder--,the ,scriptures on murder--,lessius1 ,molina1 and ,layman on murder--,christian and ,jesuitical legislation contrasted1 #bgg ,,letter ,,xv4 ,on calumny--,m4 ,puys and ,father ,alby--,an odd heresy--,barefaced denials--,flat contradictions and vague insinuations employed by the ,jesuits--,the ,capuchin's ,mentiris impudentissime1 #bie ,,letter ,,xvi4 ,calumnies against ,port-,royal--,port-,royalists no heretics--,m4 de ,st4 ,cyran and ,m4 ,arnauld vindicated--,slanders against the nuns of ,port-,royal--,miracle of the holy thorn--,no impunity for slanderers--,excuse for a long letter1 #cad ,,letter ,,xvii4 ,the author of the ,letters vindicated from the charge of heresy--,the five propositions--,the popes fallible in matters of fact--,persecution of the ,jansenists--,the grand object of the ,jesuits1 #cda ,,letter ,,xviii4 ,the sense of ,jansenius not the sense of ,calvin--,resistibility of grace--,jansenius no heretic--,the popes may be surprised--,testimony of the senses--,condemnation of ,galileo--,conclusion1 #cff ,,letter ,,xix4 ,fragment of a nineteenth ,provincial ,letter1 addressed to ,pre ,annat1 #cia ,,the ,,translator',s ,,preface4 ,the following translation of the ,provincial ,letters was undertaken several years ago1 in compliance with the suggestion of a revered parent1 chiefly as a literary recreation in a retired country charge1 and1 after being finished1 was laid aside4 ,it is now published at the request of friends1 who considered such a work as peculiarly seasonable1 and more likely to be acceptable at the present crisis1 when general attention has been again directed to the popish controversy1 and when such strenuous exertions are being made by the ,jesuits to regain influence in our country4 ,none are strangers to the fame of the ,provincials1 and few literary persons would choose to confess themselves altogether ignorant of a work which has acquired a world-wide reputation4 ,yet there is reason to suspect that few books of the same acknowledged merit have had a more limited circle of bona fide ,english readers4 ,this may be ascribed1 in a great measure1 to the want of a good ,english translation4 ,two translations of the ,provincials have already appeared in our language4 ,the first was contemporary with the ,letters themselves1 and was printed at ,london in #afeg1 under the title of 8,les ,provinciales2 or1 ,the ,mysterie of ,jesuitism1 discovered in certain ,letters1 written upon occasion of the present differences at ,sorbonne1 between the ,jansenists and the ,molinists1 from ,january #afef to ,march #afeg1 ,s4 ,n4 ,displaying the corrupt ,maximes and ,politicks of that ,society4 ,faithfully rendered into ,english4 ,sicut ,serpentes40 ,of the translation under this unpromising title1 it may only be remarked1 that it is probably one of the worst specimens of 8rendering into ,english0 to be met with1 even during that age when little attention was paid to the art of translation4 ,under its uncouth phraseology1 not only are the wit and spirit of the original completely shrouded1 but the meaning is so disguised that the work is almost as unintelligible as it is uninteresting4 ,another translation of the ,letters--of which ,i was not aware till ,i had completed mine--was published in ,london in #ahaf4 ,on discovering that a new attempt had been made to put the ,english public in possession of the ,provincials1 and that it had failed to excite any general interest1 ,i was induced to lay aside all thoughts of publishing my version2 but1 after examining the modern translation1 ,i became convinced that its failure might be ascribed to other causes than want of taste among us for the beauties and excellences of ,pascal4 ,this translation1 though written in good ,english1 bears evident marks of haste1 and of want of acquaintance with the religious controversies of the time2 in consequence of which1 the sense and spirit of the original have been either entirely lost1 or so imperfectly developed1 as to render its perusal exceedingly tantalizing and unsatisfactory4 ,it remains for the public to judge how far the present version may have succeeded in giving a more readable and faithful transcript of the ,provincial ,letters4 ,no pains1 at least1 have been spared to enhance its interest and insure its fidelity4 ,among the numerous ,french editions of the ,letters1 the basis of the following translation is that of ,amsterdam1 published in four volumes #abmo1 #agfg2 with the notes of ,nicole1 and his prefatory ,history of the ,provincials1 which were translated from the ,latin into ,french by ,mademoiselle de ,joncourt4 ,with this and other ,french editions ,i have compared ,nicole's ,latin translation1 which appeared in #afeh1 and received the sanction of ,pascal4 ,the voluminous notes of ,nicole1 however interesting they may have been at the time1 and to the parties involved in the ,jansenist controversy1 are not1 in general1 of such a kind as to invite attention now2 nor would a full translation even of his historical details1 turning as they do chiefly on local and temporary disputes1 be likely to reward the patience of the reader4 ,so far as they were fitted to throw light on the original text1 ,i have availed myself of these1 along with other sources of information1 in the marginal notes4 ,some of these annotations1 as might be expected from a ,protestant editor1 are intended to correct error1 or to guard against misconception4 ,to the full understanding of the ,provincials1 however1 some idea of the controversies which occasioned their publication seems almost indispensable4 ,this ,i have attempted to furnish in the ,historical ,introduction2 which will also be found to contain some interesting facts1 hitherto uncollected1 and borrowed from a variety of authorities not generally accessible1 illustrating the history of the ,letters1 and the parties concerned in them1 with a vindication of ,pascal from the charges which this work has provoked from so many quarters against him4 ,,historical ,,introduction ,,to ,,the ,,provincial ,,letters4 ,,by ,,the ,,translator4 ,the ,church of ,rome1 notwithstanding her pretensions to infallibility1 has been fully as prolific in theological controversy and intestine discord as any of the ,reformed ,churches4 ,she has contrived1 indeed1 with singular policy1 to preserve1 amidst all her variations1 the semblance of unity4 ,protestantism1 like the primitive ,church1 suffered its dissentients to fly off into hostile or independent communions4 ,the ,papacy1 on the contrary1 has managed to retain hers within the outward pale of her fellowship1 by the institution of various religious orders1 which have served as safety-valves for exuberant zeal1 and which1 though often hostile to each other1 have remained attached to the mother ,church1 and even proved her most efficient supporters4 ,still1 at different times1 storms have arisen within the ,romish ,church1 which could be quelled neither by the infallibility of popes nor the authority of councils4 ,it is doubtful if religious controversy ever raged with so much violence in the ,reformed ,church1 as it did between the ,thomists and the ,scotists1 the ,dominicans and ,franciscans1 the ,jesuits and the ,jansenists1 of the ,church of ,rome4 ,uninviting as they may now appear1 the disputes about grace1 in which the last mentioned parties were involved1 gave occasion to the ,provincial ,letters4 ,the origin of these disputes must be traced as far back as the days of ,augustine and the ,pelagian controversy of the fifth century4 ,the motto of ,pelagius was free-will2 that of ,augustine was efficacious grace4 ,the former held that1 notwithstanding the fall1 the human will was perfectly free to choose at any time between good and evil2 the latter1 that in consequence of the fall1 the will is in a state of moral bondage1 from which it can only be freed by divine grace4 ,with the ,british monk1 election is suspended on the decision of man's will2 human nature is still as pure as it came originally from the hands of the ,creator3 ,christ died equally for all men2 and1 as the result of his death1 a general grace is granted to all mankind1 which any may comply with1 but which all may finally forfeit4 ,with the ,african bishop1 election is absolute--we are predestinated1 not from foreseen holiness1 but that we might be holy2#a all men are lying under the guilt or penal obligation of the first sin1 and in a state of spiritual helplessness and corruption2 the sacrifice of ,christ was1 in point of destination1 offered for the elect1 though1 in point of exhibition1 it is offered to all2 and the saints obtain the gift of perseverance in holiness to the end4#b ,pelagius1 whose real name was ,morgan1 and who is supposed to have been a ,welshman1 belonged to that numerous class of thinkers1 who1 from their peculiar idiosyncrasy1 are apt to start at the sovereignty of divine grace1 developed in the plan of redemption1 as if it struck at once at the equity of ,god and the responsibility of man4 ,he is said to have betrayed his heretical leanings1 for the first time1 by publicly expressing his disapprobation of a sentiment of ,augustine1 which he heard quoted by a bishop 8,da quod jubes1 et jube quod vis--,give1 ,lord1 what thou biddest1 and bid what thou wilt40 ,it would be easy to show that1 in recoiling from the odious picture of the orthodox doctrine1 drawn by his own fancy1 he fell into the very consequences which he was so eager to avoid4 ,the deity of ,pelagius being subjected to the changeable will of the creature1 all things were left to the direction of blind chance or unthinking destiny2 while man1 being represented as created with concupiscence1 to account for his aberrations from rectitude--in other words1 with a constitution in which the seeds of evil were implanted--the authorship of sin was ascribed1 directly and primarily1 to the ,creator4#c ,augustine was a powerful but unsteady writer1 and has expressed himself so inconsistently as to have divided the opinions of the ,latin ,church1 where he was recognized as a standard1 canonized as a saint1 and revered under the title of 8,the ,doctor of ,grace40 ,on the great doctrine of salvation by grace1 he is scriptural and evangelical2 and hence he has been frequently quoted with admiration by our ,reformed divines1 partly to evince the declension of ,rome from the faith of the earlier fathers1 partly from that veneration for antiquity1 which induces us to bestow more notice on the ivy-mantled ruin1 than on the more graceful and commodious modern edifice in its vicinity4 ,when arguing against ,pelagianism1 ,augustine is strong in the panoply of ,scripture2 when developing his own system1 he fails to do justice either to ,scripture or to himself4 ,loud1 and even fierce1 for the entire corruption of human nature1 he spoils all by admitting the absurd dogma of baptismal regeneration4 ,chivalrous in the defence of grace1 as opposed to free-will1 he virtually abandons the field to the enemy1 by teaching that we are justified by our works of evangelical obedience1 and that the faith which justifies includes in its nature all the offices of ,christian charity4 ,during the dark ages1 the ,church of ,rome1 professing the highest veneration for ,st4 ,augustine1 had ceased to hold the ,augustinian theology4 ,the ,dominicans1 indeed1 yielded a vague allegiance to it1 by adhering to the views of ,thomas ,aquinas1 8the angelic doctor0 of the schools1 from whom they were termed ,thomists2 while the ,franciscans1 who opposed them1 under the auspices of ,duns ,scotus1 from whom they were termed ,scotists1 leaned to the views of ,pelagius4 ,the ,scotists1 like the modern advocates of free-will1 inveighed against their opponents as fatalists1 and charged them with making ,god the author of sin2 the ,thomists1 again1 retorted on the ,scotists1 by accusing them of annihilating the grace of ,god4 ,but the doctrines of grace had sunk out of view1 under a mass of penances1 oblations1 and intercessions1 founded on the assumption of human merit1 and on that very confusion of the forensic change in justification with the moral change in sanctification1 in which ,augustine had unhappily led the way4 ,at length the ,reformation appeared2 and as both ,luther and ,calvin appealed to the authority of ,augustine1 when treating of grace and free-will1 the ,romish divines1 in their zeal against the ,reformers1 became still more decidedly ,pelagian4 ,in the ,council of ,trent1 the admirers of ,augustine durst hardly show themselves2 the ,jesuits carried everything before them2 and the anathemas of that synod1 which were aimed at ,calvin fully as much as ,luther1 though they professed to condemn only the less guarded statements of the ,german reformer1 were all in favor of ,pelagius4 ,the controversy was revived in the ,latin ,church1 about the close of the sixteenth century1 both in the ,low ,countries and in ,spain4 ,in #aehh1 ,lewis ,molina1 a ,spanish ,jesuit1 published lectures on 8,the ,concord of ,grace and ,free-,will20 and this work1 filled with the jargon of the schools1 gave rise to disputes which continued to agitate the ,church during the whole of the succeeding century4 ,molina conceived that he had discovered a method of reconciling the divine purposes with the freedom of the human will1 which would settle the question forever4 ,according to his theory1 ,god not only foresaw from eternity all things possible1 by a foresight of intelligence1 and all things future by a foresight of vision2 but by another kind of foresight1 intermediate between these two1 which he termed scientia media1 or middle knowledge1 he foresaw what might have happened under certain circumstances or conditions1 though it never may take place4 ,all men1 according to ,molina1 are favored with a general grace1 sufficient to work out their salvation1 if they choose to improve it2 but when ,god designs to convert a sinner1 he vouchsafes that measure of grace which he foresees1 according to the middle knowledge1 or in all the circumstances of the case1 the person will comply with4 ,the honor of this discovery was disputed by another ,jesuit1 ,peter ,fonseca1 who declared that the very same thing had burst upon his mind with all the force of inspiration1 when lecturing on the subject some years before4#d ,abstruse as these questions may appear1 they threatened a serious rupture in the ,romish ,church4 ,the ,molinists were summoned to ,rome in #aeih1 to answer the charges of the ,dominicans2 and after some years of deliberation1 ,pope ,clement ,,viii4 decided against ,molina4 ,the ,jesuits1 however1 alarmed for the credit of their order1 never rested till they prevailed on the old pontiff to re-examine the matter2 and in #afjb1 he appointed a grand council of cardinals1 bishops1 and divines1 who convened for discussion no less than seventy-eight times4 ,this council was called ,congregatio de ,auxiliis1 or council on the aids of grace4 ,its records being kept secret1 the result of their collective wisdom was not known with certainty1 and has been lost to the world4#e ,the probability is1 that like ,milton's 8grand infernal peers10 who reasoned high on similar points1 8,they found no end1 in wandering mazes lost40 ,those who appealed to them for the settlement of the question1 had too much reason to say1 as the man in ,terence does to his lawyers--8,fecistis probe2 incertior sum multo quam dudum40#f ,but this interminable dispute was destined to assume a more popular form1 and lead to more practical results4 ,in #afjd1 two young men entered1 as fellow-students1 the university of ,louvain1 which had been distinguished for its hostility to ,molinism4 ,widely differing in natural temperament as well as outward rank1 ,cornelius ,jansen1 who was afterwards bishop of ,ypres1 and ,john ,duverger de ,hauranne1 afterwards known as the ,abb de ,st4 ,cyran1 formed an acquaintance which soon ripened into friendship4 ,they began to study together the works of ,augustine1 and to compare them with the ,scriptures4 ,the immediate result was1 an agreement in opinion that the ancient father was in the right1 and that the ,jesuits1 and other followers of ,molina1 were in the wrong4 ,this was followed by an ardent desire to revive the doctrines of their favorite doctor--a task which each of them prosecuted in the way most suited to his respective character4 ,jansen1 or ,jansenius1 as he is often called1#g was descended of humble parentage1 and born ,october #bh1 #aehe1 in a village near ,leerdam1 in ,holland4 ,by his friends he is extolled for his penetrating genius1 tenacious memory1 magnanimity1 and piety4 ,taciturn and contemplative in his habits1 he was frequently overheard1 when taking his solitary walks in the garden of the monastery1 to exclaim3 8,o veritas6 veritas6--,o truth6 truth60 ,keen in controversy1 ascetic in devotion1 and rigid in his ,catholicism1 his antipathies were about equally divided between heretics and ,jesuits4 ,towards the ,protestants1 his acrimony was probably augmented by the consciousness of having embraced views which might expose himself to the suspicion of heresy2 or1 still more probably1 by that uneasy feeling with which we cannot help regarding those who1 holding the same doctrinal views with ourselves1 may have made a more decided and consistent profession of them4 ,the first supposition derives countenance from the private correspondence between him and his friend ,st4 ,cyran1 which shows some dread of persecution2#h the second is confirmed by his acknowledged writings4 ,he speaks of ,protestants as no better than ,turks1 and gives it as his opinion that 8they had much more reason to congratulate themselves on the mercy of princes1 than to complain of their severities1 which1 as the vilest of heretics1 they richly deserved40#i ,his controversy with the learned ,gilbert ,voet led the latter to publish his ,desperata ,causa ,papatus1 one of the best exposures of the weaknesses of ,popery4 ,when to this we add that the ,calvinistic synod of ,dort1 in #afah1 had condemned ,arminius and the ,dutch ,remonstrants as having fallen into the errors of ,pelagius and ,molina1 the position of ,jansen became still more complicated4 ,of ,arminius he could not approve1 without condemning ,augustine2 with the ,protestant synod he could not agree1 unless he chose to be denounced as a ,calvinist4 ,but the natural enemies of ,jansen were1 without doubt1 the ,jesuits4 ,to the history of this ,society we can only now advert in a very cursory manner4 ,it may appear surprising that an order so powerful and politic should have owed its origin to such a person as ,ignatius ,loyola1 a ,spanish soldier3 and that a wound in the leg1 which this hidalgo received at the battle of ,pampeluna1 should have issued in his becoming the founder of a ,society which has embroiled the world and the ,church4 ,but in fact1 ,loyola1 though the originator of the sect1 is not entitled to the honor1 or rather the disgrace1 of organizing its constitution4 ,this must be assigned to ,laynez and ,aquaviva1 the two generals who succeeded him--men as superior to the founder of the ,society in talents as he excelled them in enthusiasm4 ,ignatius owed his success to circumstances4 ,while he was watching his arms as the knight-errant of the ,virgin1 in her chapel at ,montserrat1 or squatting within his cell in a state of body too noisome for human contact1 and of mind verging on insanity1 ,luther was making ,germany ring with the first trumpet-notes of the ,reformation4 ,the monasteries1 in which ignorance had so long slumbered in the lap of superstition1 were awakened2 but their inmates were totally unfit for doing battle on the new field of strife that had opened around them4 ,unwittingly1 in the heat of his fanaticism1 the illiterate ,loyola suggested a line of policy which1 matured by wiser heads1 proved more adapted to the times4 ,bred in the court and the camp1 he contrived to combine the finesse of the one1 and the discipline of the other1 with the sanctity of a religious community2 and proposed that1 instead of the lazy routine of monastic life1 his followers should actively devote themselves to the education of youth1 the conversion of the heathen1 and the suppression of heresy4 ,such a proposal1 backed by a vow of devotion to the ,holy ,see1 commended itself to the pope so highly that1 in #aedj1 he confirmed the institution by a bull1 granted it ample privileges1 and appointed ,loyola to be its first general4 ,in less than a century1 this sect1 which assumed to itself1 with singular arrogance1 the name of 8,the ,society of ,jesus10 rose to be the most enterprising and formidable order in the ,romish communion4 ,never was the name of the blessed ,jesus more grossly prostituted than when applied to a ,society which is certainly the very opposite1 in spirit and character1 to ,him who was 8meek and lowly10 8holy1 harmless1 undefiled1 and separate from sinners40 ,the ,jesuits may be said to have invented1 for their own peculiar use1 an entirely new system of ethics4 ,in place of the divine law1 they prescribed1 as the rule of their conduct1 a 8blind obedience0 to the will of their superiors1 whom they are bound to recognize as 8standing in the place of ,god10 and in fulfilling whose orders they are to have no more will of their own 8than a corpse1 or an old man's staff40 ,the glory of ,god they identify with the aggrandizement of their ,society2 and holding that 8the end sanctifies the means10 they scruple at no means1 foul or fair1 which they conceive may advance such an end4#aj ,the supreme power is vested in the general1 who is not responsible to any other authority1 civil or ecclesiastical4 ,a system of mutual espionage1 and a secret correspondence with head-quarters at ,rome1 in which everything that can1 in the remotest degree1 affect the interests of the ,society is made known1 and by means of which the whole machinery of ,jesuitism can be set in motion at once1 or its minutest feelers directed to any object at pleasure1 presents the most complete system of organization in the world4 ,every member is sworn1 by secret oath1 to obey the orders1 and all are confederated in a solemn league to advance the cause of the ,society4 ,it has been defined to be 8a naked sword1 the hilt of which is at ,rome40 ,such a monstrous combination could not fail to render itself obnoxious4 ,constantly aiming at ascendency in the ,church1 in which it is an imperium in imperio1 the ,society has not only been embroiled in perpetual feuds with the other orders1 but has repeatedly provoked the thunders of the ,vatican4 ,ever intermeddling with the affairs of civil governments1 with allegiance to which1 under any form1 its principles are utterly at variance1 it has been expelled in turn from almost every ,european ,state1 as a political nuisance4 ,but ,jesuitism is the very soul of ,popery2 both have revived or declined together2 and accordingly1 though the order was abolished by ,clement ,,xiv4 in #agge1 it was found necessary to resuscitate it under ,pius ,,vii4 in #ahad2 and the ,society was never in greater power1 nor more active operation1 than it is at the present moment4 ,it boasts of immortality1 and1 in all probability1 it will last as long as the ,church of ,rome4 ,it has been termed 8a militia called out to combat the ,reformation10 and exhibiting1 as it does to this day1 the same features of ambition1 treachery1 and intolerance1 it seems destined to fall only in the ruins of that ,church of whose unchanging spirit it is the genuine type and representative4#aa ,in prosecuting the ends of their institution1 the ,jesuits have adhered with singular fidelity to its distinguishing spirit4 ,as the instructors of youth1 their solicitude has ever been less to enlarge the sphere of human knowledge than to bar out what might prove dangerous to clerical domination2 they have confined their pupils to mere literary studies1 which might amuse without awakening their minds1 and make them subtle dialecticians without disturbing a single prejudice of the dark ages4 ,as missionaries1 they have been much more industrious and successful in the manual labor of baptizing all nations than in teaching them the ,gospel4#ab ,as theologians1 they have uniformly preferred the views of ,molina2 regarding these1 if not as more agreeable to ,scripture and right reason1 at least 7to use the language of a late writer7 as 8more consonant with the common sense and natural feelings of mankind40#ac ,as controversialists1 they were the decided foes of all reform and all reformers1 from within or without the ,church4 ,as moralists1 they cultivated1 as might be expected1 the loosest system of casuistry1 to qualify themselves for directing the consciences of high and low1 and becoming1 through the confessional1 the virtual governors of mankind4 ,in all these departments they have1 doubtless1 produced men of abilities2 but the very means which they employed to aggrandize the ,society have tended to dwarf the intellectual growth of its individual members3 and hence1 while it is true that 8the ,jesuits had to boast of the most vigorous controversialists1 the most polite scholars1 the most refined courtiers1 and the most flexible casuists of their age10#ad it has been commonly remarked1 that they have never produced a single great man4 ,casuistry1 the art in which the ,jesuits so much excelled1 is1 strictly speaking1 that branch of theology which treats of cases of conscience1 and originally consisted in nothing more than an application of the general precepts of ,scripture to particular cases4 ,the ancient casuists1 so long as they confined themselves to the simple rules of the ,gospel1 were at least harmless1 and their ingenious writings are still found useful in cases of ecclesiastical discipline2 but they gradually introduced into the science of morals the metaphysical jargon of the schools1 and instead of aiming at making men moral1 contented themselves with disputing about morality4#ae ,the main source of the aberrations of casuistry lay in the unscriptural dogma of priestly absolution--in the right claimed by man to forgive sin1 as a transgression of the law of ,god2 and the arbitrary distinction between sins as venial and mortal--a distinction which assigns to the priest the prerogative1 and imposes on him the obligation1 of drawing the critical line1 or fixing a kind of tariff on human actions1 and apportioning penance or pardon1 as the case may seem to require4 ,in their desperate attempt to define the endless forms of depravity on which they were called to adjudicate1 or which the pruriency of the cloister suggested to the imagination1 the casuists sank deeper into the mire at every step2 and their productions1 at length1 resembled the common sewers of a city1 which1 when exposed1 become more pestiferous than the filth which they were meant to remove4 ,even under the best management1 such a system was radically bad2 in the hands of the ,jesuits it became unspeakably worse4 ,to their 8modern casuists10 as they were termed1 must we ascribe the invention of probabilism1 mental reservation1 and the direction of the intention1 which have been sufficiently explained and rebuked in the ,provincial ,letters4 ,we shall only remark here1 that the actions to which these principles were applied were not only such as have been termed indifferent1 and the criminality of which may be doubtful1 or dependent on the intention of the actor3 the probabilism of the ,jesuits was1 in fact1 a systematic attempt to legalize crime1 under the sanction of some grave doctor1 who had found out some excuse for it2 and their theory of mental reservations1 and direction of the intention1 was equally employed to sanctify the plainest violations of the divine law4 ,casuistry1 it is true1 has generally vibrated betwixt the extremes of impracticable severity and contemptible indulgence2 but the charge against the ,jesuits was1 not that they softened the rigors of ascetic virtue1 but that they propagated principles which sapped the foundation of all moral obligation4 8,they are a people10 said ,boileau1 8who lengthen the creed and shorten the decalogue40 ,such was the community with which the ,bishop of ,ypres ventured to enter the lists4 ,already had he incurred their resentment by opposing their interests in some political negotiations2 and by publishing his 8,mars ,gallicus10 he had mortally offended their patron1 ,cardinal ,richelieu2 but1 strange to say1 his deadly sin against the ,society was a posthumous work4 ,jansen was cut off by the plague1 ,may #h1 #afch4 ,shortly after his decease1 his celebrated work1 entitled 8,augustinus10 was published by his friends ,fromond and ,calen1 to whom he had committed it on his death-bed4 ,to the preparation of this work he may be said to have devoted his life4 ,it occupied him twenty-two years1 during which1 we are told1 he had ten times read through the works of ,augustine 7ten volumes1 folio67 and thirty times collated those passages which related to ,pelagianism4#af ,the book itself1 as the title imports1 was little more than a digest of the writings of ,augustine on the subject of grace4#ag ,it was divided into three parts2 the first being a refutation of ,pelagianism1 the second demonstrating the spiritual disease of man1 and the third exhibiting the remedy provided4 ,the sincerity of ,jansen's love to truth is beyond question1 though we may be permitted to question the form in which it was evinced4 ,the radical defect of the work is1 that instead of resorting to the living fountain of inspiration1 he confined himself to the cistern of tradition4 ,enamored with the excellences of ,augustine1 he adopted even his inconsistencies4 ,with the former he challenged the ,jesuits2 with the latter he warded off the charge of heresy4 ,as a controvertist1 he is chargeable with prejudice1 rather than dishonesty4 ,as a reformer1 he wanted the independence of mind necessary to success4 ,instead of standing boldly forward on the ground of ,scripture1 he attempted1 with more prudence than wisdom1 to shelter himself behind the venerable name of ,augustine4 ,if by thus preferring the shield of tradition to the sword of the ,spirit1 ,jansen expected to out-manuvre the ,jesuits1 he had mistaken his policy4 8,augustinus10 though professedly written to revive the doctrine of ,augustine1 was felt by the ,society as1 in reality1 an attack upon them1 under the name of ,pelagians4 ,to conscious delinquency1 the language of implied censure is ever more galling than formal impeachment4 ,jansen's portrait of ,augustine was but too faithfully executed2 and the disciples of ,loyola could not fail to see how far they had departed from the faith of the ancient ,church2 but the discovery only served to incense them at the man who had exhibited their defection before the world4 ,the approbation which the book received from forty learned doctors1 and the rapture with which it was welcomed by the friends of the author1 only added to their exasperation4 ,the whole efforts of the ,society were summoned to defeat its influence4 ,balked by the hand of death of their revenge on the person of the author1 they vented it even on his remains4 ,by a decree of the pope1 procured through their instigation1 a splendid monument1 which had been erected over the grave of the learned and much-loved bishop1 was completely demolished1 that1 in the words of his ,holiness1 8the memory of ,jansen might perish from the earth40 ,it is even said that his body was torn from its resting-place1 and thrown into some unknown receptacle4#ah ,his literary remains were no less severely handled4 ,nicholas ,cornet1 a member of the ,society1 after incredible pains1 extracted the heretical poison of 8,augustinus10 in the form of seven propositions1 which were afterwards reduced to five4 ,these having been submitted to the judgment of ,innocent ,x41 were condemned by that pontiff in a bull dated #cast ,may1 #afec4 ,this decision1 so far from restoring peace1 awakened a new controversy4 ,the ,jansenists1 as the admirers of ,jansen now began to be named by their opponents1 while they professed acquiescence in the judgment of the pope1 denied that these propositions were to be found in 8,augustinus40 ,the succeeding pope1 ,alexander ,,vii41 who was still more favorable to the ,jesuits1 declared formally1 in a bull dated #afeg1 8that the five propositions were certainly taken from the book of ,jansenius1 and had been condemned in the sense of that author40 ,but the ,jansenists were ready to meet him on this point2 they replied1 that a decision of this kind overstepped the limits of papal authority1 and that the pope's infallibility did not extend to a judgment of facts4#ai ,the reader may be curious to know something more about these famous five propositions1 condemned by the pope1 which1 in fact1 may be said to have given occasion to the ,provincial ,letters4 ,they were as follows3-- #a4 ,there are divine precepts which good men1 though willing1 are absolutely unable to obey4 #b4 ,no person1 in this corrupt state of nature1 can resist the influence of divine grace4 #c4 ,in order to render human actions meritorious1 or otherwise1 it is not requisite that they be exempt from necessity1 but only free from constraint4 #d4 ,the semi-,pelagian heresy consisted in allowing the human will to be endued with a power of resisting grace1 or of complying with its influence4 #e4 ,whoever says that ,christ died or shed his blood for all mankind1 is a semi-,pelagian4 ,the ,jansenists1 in their subsequent disputes on these propositions1 contended that they were ambiguously expressed1 and that they might be understood in three different senses--a ,calvinistic1 a ,pelagian1 and a ,catholic or ,augustinian sense4 ,in the first two senses they disclaimed them1 in the last they approved and defended them4 ,owing to the extreme aversion of the party to ,calvinism1 while they substantially held the same system under the name of ,augustinianism1 it becomes extremely difficult to convey an intelligible idea of their theological views4 ,on the first proposition1 for example1 while they disclaimed what they term the ,calvinistic sense1 namely1 that the best of men are liable to sin in all that they do1 they equally disclaim the ,pelagian sentiment1 that all men have a general sufficient grace1 at all times1 for the discharge of duty1 subject to free will2 and they strenuously maintained that1 without efficacious grace1 constantly vouchsafed1 we can do nothing spiritually good4 ,in regard to the resistibility of grace1 they seem to have held that the will of man might always resist the influence of grace1 if it chose to do so2 but that grace would effectually prevent it from so choosing4 ,and with respect to redemption1 they appear to have compromised the matter1 by holding that ,christ died for all1 so as that all might be partakers of the grace of justification by the merits of his death2 but they denied that ,christ died for each man in particular1 so as to secure his final salvation2 in this sense1 he died for the elect only4 ,were this the proper place1 it would be easy to show that1 in the leading points of his theology1 ,jansen did not differ from ,calvin1 so much as he misunderstood ,calvinism4 ,the ,calvinists1 for example1 never held1 as they are represented in the ,provincial ,letters1#bj 8that we have not the power of resisting grace40 ,so far from this1 they held that fallen man could not but resist the grace of ,god4 ,they preferred1 therefore1 the term 8invincible10 as applied to grace4 ,in short1 they held exactly the victrix delectatio of ,augustine1 by which the will of man is sweetly but effectually inclined to comply with the will of ,god4#ba ,on the subject of necessity and constraint their views are precisely similar4 ,nor can they be considered as differing essentially in their views of the death of ,christ1 as these1 at least1 were given by ,jansen1 who acknowledges in his 8,augustinus10 that1 8according to ,st4 ,augustine1 ,jesus ,christ did not die for all mankind40 ,it is certain that neither ,augustine nor ,jansen would have subscribed to the views of grace and redemption held by many who1 in our day1 profess evangelical views4 ,making allowance for the different position of the parties1 it is very plain that the dispute between ,augustine and ,pelagius1 ,jansen and ,molina1 ,calvin and ,arminius1 was substantially one and the same4 ,at the same time1 it must be granted that on the great point of justification by faith1 ,jansen went widely astray from the truth2 and in the subsequent controversial writings of the party1 especially when arguing against the ,protestants1 this departure became still more strongly marked1 and more deplorably manifested4#bb ,the revenge of the ,jesuits did not stop at procuring the condemnation of ,jansen's book2 it aimed at his living followers4 ,among these none was more conspicuous for virtue and influence than the ,abb de ,st4 ,cyran1 who was known to have shared his counsels1 and even aided in the preparation of his obnoxious work4 ,while ,jansen labored to restore the theoretical doctrines of ,augustine1 ,st4 ,cyran was ambitious to reduce them to practice4 ,in pursuance of the moral system of that father1 he taught the renunciation of the world1 and the total absorption of the soul in the love of ,god4 ,his religious fervor led him into some extravagances4 ,he is said to have laid some claim to a species of inspiration1 and to have anticipated for the ,saviour some kind of temporal dominion1 in which the saints alone would be entitled to the wealth and dignities of the world4#bc ,but his piety appears to have been sincere1 and1 what is more surprising1 his love to the ,scriptures was such that he not only lived in the daily study of them himself1 but earnestly enforced it on all his disciples4 ,he recommended them to study the ,scriptures on their knees4 8,no means of conversion10 he would say1 8can be more apostolic than the ,word of ,god4 ,every word in ,scripture deserves to be weighed more attentively than gold4 ,the ,scriptures were penned by a direct ray of the ,holy ,spirit2 the fathers only by a reflex ray emanating therefrom40 ,his whole character and appearance corresponded with his doctrine4 8,his simple mortified air1 and his humble garb formed a striking contrast with the awful sanctity of his countenance1 and his native lofty dignity of manner40#bd ,possessing that force of character by which men of strong minds silently but surely govern others1 his proselytes soon increased1 and he became the nucleus of a new class of reformers4 ,st4 ,cyran was soon called to preside over the renowned monastery of ,port-,royal4 ,two houses went under this name1 though forming one abbey4 ,one of these was called ,port-,royal des ,champs1 and was situated in a gloomy forest1 about six leagues from ,paris2 but this having been found an unhealthy situation1 the nuns were removed for some time to another house in ,paris1 which went under the name of ,port-,royal de ,paris4 ,the ,abbey of ,port-,royal was one of the most ancient belonging to the order of ,citeaux1 having been founded by ,eudes de ,sully1 bishop of ,paris1 in #abjd4 ,it was placed originally under the rigorous discipline of ,st4 ,benedict1 but in course of time fell1 like most other monasteries1 into a state of the greatest relaxation4 ,in #afjb1 a new abbess was appointed in the person of ,maria ,angelica ,arnauld1 sister of the famous ,arnauld1 then a mere child1 scarcely eleven years old6 ,the nuns1 promising themselves a long period of unbounded liberty1 rejoiced at this appointment4 ,but their joy was not of long duration4 ,the young abbess1 at first1 indeed1 thought of nothing but amusement2 but at the age of seventeen a change came over her spirit4 ,a certain ,capuchin1 wearied1 it is said1 or more probably disgusted1 with the monastic life1 had been requested by the nuns1 who were not aware of his character1 to preach before them4 ,the preacher1 equally ignorant of his audience1 and supposing them to be eminently pious ladies1 delivered an affecting discourse1 pitched on the loftiest key of devotion1 which left an impression on the mind of ,angelica never to be effaced4 ,she set herself to reform her establishment1 and carried it into effect with a determination and self-denial quite beyond her years4 ,this 8reformation10 so highly lauded by her panegyrists1 consisted chiefly in restoring the austere discipline of ,st4 ,benedict1 and other severities practised in the earlier ages1 the details of which would be neither edifying nor agreeable4 ,the substitution of coarse serge in place of linen as underclothing1 and dropping melted wax on the bare arms1 may be taken as specimens of the reformation introduced by ,mre ,angelique4 ,in these mortifying exercises the abbess showed an example to all the rest4 ,she chose as her dormitory the filthiest cell in the convent1 a place infested with toads and vermin1 in which she found the highest delight1 declaring that she 8seemed transported to the grotto of ,bethlehem40 ,the same rigid denial of pleasure was extended to her food1 her dress1 her whole occupations4 ,clothed herself in the rudest dress she could procure1 nothing gave her greater offence than to see in her nuns any approach to the fashions of the world1 even in the adjustment of the coarse black serge1 with the scarlet cross1 which formed their humble apparel#be4 ,yet1 in the midst of all this 8voluntary humility10 her heart seems to have been turned mainly to the ,saviour4 ,it was ,jesus ,christ whom she aimed at adoring in the worship she paid to 8the sacrament of the altar40 ,and in a book of devotion1 composed by her for private use1 she gave expression to sentiments too much savoring of undivided affection to ,christ to escape the censure of the ,church4 ,it was dragged to light and condemned at ,rome#bf4 ,there is reason to believe that1 under the direction of ,m4 de ,st4 ,cyran1 her religious sentiments1 as well as those of her community1 became much more enlightened4 ,her firmness in resisting subscription to the formulary and condemning ,jansen1 in spite of the most cruel and unmanly persecution1 and the piety and faith she manifested on her death-bed1 when1 in the midst of exquisite suffering1 and in the absence of the rites which her persecutors denied her1 she expired in the full assurance of salvation through the merits of the only ,saviour1 form one of the most interesting chapters in the martyrology of the ,church4 ,but ,st4 ,cyran aimed at higher objects than the management of a nunnery4 ,his energetic mind planned a system of education1 in which1 along with the elements of learning1 the youth might be imbued with early piety4 ,attracted by his fame1 several learned men1 some of them of rank and fortune1 fled to enjoy at ,port-,royal des ,champs a sacred retreat from the world4 ,this community1 which differed from a monastery in not being bound by any vows1 settled in a farm adjoining the convent1 called ,les ,granges4 ,the names of ,arnauld1 ,d',andilly1 ,nicole1 ,le ,maitre1 ,sacy1#bg ,fontaine1 ,pascal1 and others1 have conferred immortality on the spot4 ,the system pursued in this literary hermitage was1 in many respects1 deserving of praise4 ,the time of the recluses was divided between devotional and literary pursuits1 relieved by agricultural and mechanical labors4 ,the ,scriptures1 and other books of devotion1 were translated into the vernacular language2 and the result was1 the singular anomaly of a ,roman ,catholic community distinguished for the devout and diligent study of the ,bible4 ,protestants they certainly were not1 either in spirit or in practice4 ,firm believers in the infallibility of their ,church1 and fond devotees in the observance of her rites1 they held it a point of merit to yield a blind obedience1 in matters of faith1 to the dogmas of ,rome4 ,none were more hostile to ,protestantism4 ,st4 ,cyran1 it is said1 would never open a ,protestant book1 even for the purpose of refuting it1 without first making the sign of the cross on it1 to exorcise the evil spirit which he believed to lurk within its pages4#bh ,from no community did there emanate more learned apologies for ,rome than from ,port-,royal4 ,still1 it must be owned1 that in attachment to the doctrines of grace1 so far as they went1 and in the exhibition of the ,christian virtues1 attested by their sufferings1 lives1 and writings1 the ,port-,royalists1 including under this name both the nuns and recluses1 greatly surpassed many ,protestant communities4 ,their piety1 indeed1 partook of the failings which have always characterized the religion of the cloister4 ,it seems to have hovered between superstition and mysticism4 ,afraid to fight against the world1 they fled from it2 and1 forgetting that our ,saviour was driven into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil1 they retired to a wilderness to avoid temptation4 ,half conscious of the hollowness of the ceremonial they practised1 they sought to graft on its dead stock the vitalities of the ,christian faith4 ,in their hands1 penance was sublimated into the symbol of penitential sorrow1 and the mass into a spiritual service1 the benefit of which depended on the preparation of the heart of the worshipper4 ,in their eyes1 the priest was but a suggestive emblem of the ,saviour2 and to them the altar1 with its crucifix and bleeding image1 served only as a platform on which they might obtain a more advantageous view of ,calvary4 ,transferring to the ,church of ,rome the attributes of the ,church of ,god1 and regarding her still1 in spite of her eclipse and disfigurement1 as of one spirit1 and even of one body1 with ,christ1 infallible and immortal1 they worshipped the fond creation of their own fancy4 ,at the same time1 they attempted to revive the doctrine of religious abstraction1 or the absorption of the soul in ,deity1 and the total renouncement of everything in the shape of sensual enjoyment1 which afterwards distinguished the mystics of the ,continent4 ,even in their literary recreations1 while they acquired an elegance of style which marked a new era in the literature of ,france1 they betrayed their ascetic spirit4 ,poetry was only admissible when clothed in a devotional garb4 ,it was by stealth that ,racine1 who studied at ,port-,royal1 indulged his poetic vein in the profane pieces which afterwards gave him celebrity4 ,and yet it is candid to admit1 that the mortifications in which this amiable fraternity engaged1 consisted rather in the exclusion of pleasure than the infliction of pain1 and that the object aimed at in these austerities was not so much to merit heaven as to attain an ideal perfection on earth4 ,port-,royalism1 in short1 was ,popery in its mildest type1 as ,jesuitism is ,popery in its perfection2 and had it been possible to present that system in a form calculated to disarm prejudice and to cover its native deformities1 the task might have been achieved by the pious devotees of ,les ,granges4 ,but the same merciful ,providence which1 for the preservation of the human species1 has furnished the snake with his rattle1 and taught the lion to 8roar for his prey10 has so ordered it that the ,romish ,church should betray her real character1 in order that his people might 8come out of her1 and not be partakers of her sins1 that they receive not of her plagues40 ,the whole system adopted at ,port-,royal was regarded1 from the commencement1 with extreme jealousy by the authorities of that ,church2 the schools were soon dispersed1 and the ,jesuits never rested till they had destroyed every vestige of the obnoxious establishment4 ,the enemies of ,port-,royal have attempted to show that ,st4 ,cyran and his associates had formed a deep-laid plot for overturning the ,roman ,catholic faith4 ,from time to time1 down to the present day1 works have appeared1 under the auspices of the ,jesuits1 in which this charge is reiterated2 and the old calumnies against the sect are revived--a periodical trampling on the ashes of the poor ,jansenists 7after having accomplished their ruin two hundred years ago71 which reminds one of nothing so much as the significant grinning and yelling with which the modern ,jews celebrate to this day the downfal of ,haman the ,agagite4#bi ,in one point only could their assailants find room to question their orthodoxy--the supremacy of the pope4 ,here1 certainly1 they were led1 more from circumstances than from inclination1 to lean to the side of the ,gallican liberties4 ,but even ,jansen himself1 after spending a lifetime on his 8,augustinus10 and leaving it behind him as a sacred legacy1 abandoned himself and his treatise to the judgment of the pope4 ,the following are his words1 dictated by him half an hour before his death3 8,i feel that it will be difficult to alter anything4 ,yet if the ,romish see should wish anything to be altered1 ,i am her obedient son2 and to that ,church in which ,i have always lived1 even to this bed of death1 ,i will prove obedient4 ,this is my last will40 ,the same sentiment is expressed by ,pascal1 in one of his letters4 ,alas6 how sad is the predicament in which the ,church of ,rome places her conscientious votaries6 ,both of these excellent men were as firmly persuaded1 no doubt1 of the faith which they taught1 as of the facts which came under their observation2 and yet they held themselves bound to cast their religious convictions at the feet of a fellow-mortal1 notoriously under the influence of the ,jesuits1 and professed themselves ready1 at a signal from ,rome1 to renounce what they held as divine truth1 and to embrace what they regarded as damnable error6 ,a spectacle more painful and piteous can hardly be imagined than that of such men struggling between the dictates of conscience1 and the night-mare of that 8strong delusion10 which led them to 8believe a lie40 ,in every feature that distinguished the ,port-,royalists1 they stood opposed to the ,jesuits4 ,in theology they were antipodes--in learning they were rivals4 ,the schools of ,port-,royal already eclipsed those of the ,jesuits1 whose policy it has always been to monopolize education1 under the pretext of charity4 ,but the ,jansenists might have been allowed to retain their peculiar tenets1 had they not touched the idol of every ,jesuit1 8the glory of the ,society10 by supplanting them in the confessional4 ,the priests connected with ,port-,royal1 from their primitive simplicity of manners and severity of morals1 and1 above all1 from their spiritual ,christianity1 acquired a popularity which could not fail to give mortal offence to the ,society1 who then ruled the councils both of the ,church and the nation4 ,nothing less than the annihilation of the whole party would satisfy their vengeful purpose4 ,in this nefarious design they were powerfully aided by ,cardinal ,richelieu1 and by ,louis ,,xiv41 a prince who1 though yet a mere youth1 was entirely under ,jesuitical influence in matters of religion2 and who1 having resolved to extirpate ,protestantism1 could not well endure the existence of a sect within the ,church1 which seemed to favor the ,reformation by exposing the corruptions of the clergy4#cj ,to effect their object1 ,st4 ,cyran1 the leader and ornament of the party1 required to be disposed of4 ,he was accused of various articles of heresy2 and ,cardinal ,richelieu at once gratified his party resentment and saved himself the trouble of controversy1 by immuring him in the dungeon of ,vincennes4 ,in this prison ,st4 ,cyran languished for five years1 and survived his release only a few months1 having died in ,october1 #afdc4 ,his place1 however1 as leader of the ,jansenist party1 was supplied by one destined to annoy the ,jesuits by his controversial talents fully more than his predecessor had done by his apostolic sanctity4 ,anthony ,arnauld may be said to have been born an enemy to the ,jesuits4 ,his father1 a celebrated lawyer1 had distinguished himself for his opposition to the ,society1 and having engaged in an important law-suit against them1 in which he warmly pleaded1 in the name of the university1 that they should be interdicted from the education of youth1 and even expelled from the kingdom4 ,anthony1 who inherited his spirit1 was the youngest in a family of twenty children1 and was born ,february #f1 #afab4ca ,several of them were connected with ,port-,royal4 ,his sister1 as we have seen1 became its abbess2 and five other sisters were nuns in that establishment4 ,he is said to have given precocious proof of his polemic turn4 ,busying himself1 when a mere boy1 with some papers in his uncle's library1 and being asked what he was about1 he replied1 8,don't you see that ,i am helping you to refute the ,hugonots80 ,this prognostication he certainly verified in after life4 ,he wrote1 with almost equal vehemence1 against ,rome1 against the ,jesuits1 and against the ,protestants4 ,he was1 for many years1 the facile princeps of the party termed ,jansenists2 and was one of those characters who present to the public an aspect nearly the reverse of the estimate formed of them by their private friends4 ,by the latter he is represented as the best of men1 totally free from pride and passion4 ,judging from his physiognomy1 his writings and his life1 we would say the natural temper of ,arnauld was austere and indomitable4 ,expelled from the ,sorbonne1 driven out of ,france1 and hunted from place to place1 he continued to fight to the last4 ,on one occasion1 wishing his friend ,nicole to assist him in a new work1 the latter observed1 8,we are now old1 is it not time to rest80 8,rest60 exclaimed ,arnauld1 8have we not all eternity to rest in80 ,such was the character of the man who now entered the lists against the redoubtable ,society4 ,his first offence was the publication1 in #afdc1 of a book on 8,frequent ,communion20 in which1 while he inculcates the necessity of a spiritual preparation for the eucharist1 he insinuated that the ,church of ,rome had a two-fold head1 in the persons of ,peter and ,paul4#cb ,his next was in the shape of two letters1 published in #afef1 occasioned by a dispute referred to in the first ,provincial ,letter1 in which he declared that he had not been able to find the condemned propositions in ,jansen1 and added some opinions on grace4 ,the first of these assertions was deemed derogatory to the holy see2 the second was charged with heresy4 ,the ,jesuits1 who sighed for an opportunity of humbling the obnoxious doctor1 strained every nerve to procure his expulsion from the ,sorbonne1 or college of divinity in the university4 ,this object they had just accomplished1 and everything promised fair to secure their triumph1 when another combatant unexpectedly appeared1 like one of those closely-visored knights of whom we read in romance1 who so opportunely enter the field at the critical moment1 and with their single arm turn the tide of battle4 ,need we say that we allude to the author of the ,,provincial ,,letters8 ,bayle commences his ,life of ,pascal by declaring him to be 8one of the sublimest geniuses that the world ever produced40 ,seldom1 at least1 has the world ever seen such a combination of excellences in one man4 ,in him we are called to admire the loftiest attributes of mind with the loveliest simplicity of moral character4 ,he is a rare example of one born with a natural genius for the exact sciences1 who applied the subtlety of his mind to religious subjects1 combining with the closest logic the utmost elegance of style1 and crowning all with a simple and profound piety4 ,blaise ,pascal was born at ,clermont1 #aith ,june1 #afbc4 ,his family had been ennobled by ,louis ,,xi41 and his father1 ,stephen ,pascal1 occupied a high post in the civil government4 ,blaise manifested from an early age a strong liking for the study of mathematics1 and1 while yet a child1 made some astonishing discoveries in natural philosophy4 ,to these studies he devoted the greater part of his life4 ,an incident1 however1 which occurred in his thirty-first year--a narrow escape from sudden death--had the effect of giving an entire change to the current of his thoughts4 ,he regarded it as a message from heaven1 calling him to renounce all secular occupations1 and devote himself exclusively to ,god4 ,his sister and niece being nuns in ,port-,royal1 he was naturally led to associate with those who then began to be called ,jansenists4 ,but though he had several of the writings of the party1 there can be no doubt that it was the devotion rather than the theology of ,port-,royal that constituted its charm in the eyes of ,pascal4 ,his sister informs us1 in her memoirs of him1 that 8he had never applied himself to abstruse questions in divinity40 ,nor1 beyond a temporary retreat to ,port-,royal des ,champs1 and an intimacy with its leading solitaries1 can he be said to have had any connection with that establishment4 ,his fragile frame1 which was the victim of complicated disease1 and his feminine delicacy of spirit1 unfitting him for the rough collisions of ordinary life1 he found a congenial retreat amidst these literary solitudes2 while1 with his clear and comprehensive mind1 and his genuine piety of heart1 he must have sympathized with those who sought to remove from the ,church corruptions which he could not fail to deplore1 and to renovate the spirit of that ,christianity which he loved far above any of its organized forms4 ,his life1 not unlike a perpetual miracle1 is ever exciting our admiration1 not unmingled1 however1 with pity4 ,we see great talents enlisted in the support1 not indeed of the errors of a system1 but of a system of errors--we see a noble mind debilitated by superstition--we see a useful life prematurely terminating in1 if not shortened by1 the petty austerities and solicitudes of monasticism4 ,truth requires us to state1 that he not only denied himself1 at last1 the most common comforts of life1 but wore beneath his clothes a girdle of iron1 with sharp points1 which1 as soon as he felt any pleasurable sensation1 he would strike with his elbow1 so as to force the points of iron more deeply into his sides4 ,let the ,church1 which taught him such folly1 be responsible for it2 and let us ascribe to the grace of ,god the patience1 the meekness1 the charity1 and the faith1 which hovered1 seraph-wise1 over the death-bed of expiring genius4 ,the curate who attended him1 struck with the triumph of religion over the pride of an intellect which continued to burn after it had ceased to blaze1 would frequently exclaim3 8,he is an infant--humble and submissive as an infant60 ,he died on the #aith of ,august1 #affb1 aged thirty-nine years and two months4 ,while ,arnauld's process before the ,sorbonne was in dependence1 a few of his friends1 among whom were ,pascal and ,nicole1 were in the habit of meeting privately at ,port-,royal1 to consult on the measures they should adopt4 ,during these conferences one of their number said to ,arnauld3 8,will you really suffer yourself to be condemned like a child1 without saying a word1 or telling the public the real state of the question80 ,the rest concurred1 and in compliance with their solicitations1 ,arnauld1 after some days1 produced and read before them a long and serious vindication of himself4 ,his audience listened in coolness and silence1 upon which he remarked3 8,i see you don't think highly of my production1 and ,i believe you are right2 but10 added he1 turning himself round and addressing ,pascal1 8you who are young1 why cannot you produce something80 ,the appeal was not lost upon our author2 he had hitherto written almost nothing1 but he engaged to try a sketch or rough draft1 which they might fill up2 and retiring to his room1 he produced1 in a few hours1 instead of a sketch1 the first letter to a provincial4 ,on reading this to his assembled friends1 ,arnauld exclaimed1 8,that is excellent6 that will go down2 we must have it printed immediately40 ,pascal had1 in fact1 with the native superiority of genius1 pitched on the very tone which1 in a controversy of this kind1 was calculated to arrest the public mind4 ,treating theology in a style entirely new1 he brought down the subject to the comprehension of all1 and translated into the pleasantries of comedy1 and familiarities of dialogue1 discussions which had till then been confined to the grave utterances of the school4 ,the framework which he adopted in his first letter was exceedingly happy4 ,a ,parisian is supposed to transmit to one of his friends in the provinces an account of the disputes of the day4 ,it is said that the provincial with whom he affected to correspond was ,perrier1 who had married one of his sisters4 ,hence arose the name of the ,provincials1 which was given to the rest of the letters4 ,this title they owe1 it would appear1 to a mistake of the printer2 for in an advertisement prefixed to one of the early editions1 it is stated that 8they have been called #8,provincials1' because the first having been addressed without any name to a person in the country1 the printer published it under the title #8,letter written to a ,provincial by one of his ,friends4'0 ,this may be regarded as an apology for the use of a term which1 critically speaking1 was rather unhappy4 ,the word provincial in ,french1 when used to signify a person residing in the provinces1 was generally understood in a bad sense1 as denoting an unpolished clown4#cc ,but the title1 uncouth as it is1 has been canonized and made classical forever2 and 8,the ,provincials0 is a phrase which it would now be fully as ridiculous to attempt to change as it could be at first to apply it to the ,letters4 ,the most trifling particulars connected with such a publication possess an interest4 ,the ,letters1 we learn1 were published at first in separate stitched sheets of a quarto size2 and1 on account of their brevity1 none of them extending to more than one sheet of eight pages1 except the last three1 which were somewhat longer1 they were at first known by the name of the 8,,little ,,letters40 ,no stated time was observed in their publication4 ,the first letter appeared ,january #ac1 #afef1 being on a ,wednesday2 the second on ,january #bi1 being ,saturday2 and the rest were issued at intervals varying from a week to a month1 till ,march #bd1 #afeg1 which is the date of the last letter in the series2 the whole thus extending over the space of a year and three months4 ,all accounts agree in stating that the impression produced by the ,provincials1 on their first appearance1 was quite unexampled4 ,they were circulated in thousands in ,paris and throughout ,france4 ,speaking of the first letter1 ,father ,daniel says3 8,it created a fracas which filled the fathers of the ,society with consternation4 ,never did the post-office reap greater profits2 copies were despatched over the whole kingdom2 and ,i myself1 though very little known to the gentlemen of ,port-,royal1 received a large packet of them1 post-paid1 in a town of ,brittany where ,i was then residing40 ,the same method was followed with the rest of the letters4 ,the seventh found its way to ,cardinal ,mazarin1 who laughed over it very heartily4 ,the eighth did not appear till a month after its predecessor1 apparently to keep up expectation4#cd ,in short1 everybody read the 8,little ,letters10 and1 whatever might be their opinions of the points in dispute1 all agreed in admiring the genius which they displayed4 ,they were found lying on the merchant's counter1 the lawyer's desk1 the doctor's table1 the lady's toilet2 and everywhere they were sought for and perused with the same avidity4#ce ,the success of the ,letters in gaining their object was not less extraordinary4 ,the ,jesuits were fairly checkmated2 and though they succeeded in carrying through the censure of ,arnauld1 the public sympathy was enlisted in his favor4 ,the confessionals and churches of the ,jesuits were deserted1 while those of their opponents were crowded with admiring thousands4#cf 8,that book alone10 says one of its bitterest enemies1 8has done more for the ,jansenists than the #8,augustinus' of ,jansen1 and all the works of ,arnauld put together40#cg ,this is the more surprising when we consider that1 at that time1 the influence of the ,jesuits was so high in the ascendant1 that ,arnauld had to contend with the pope1 the king1 the chancellor1 the clergy1 the ,sorbonne1 the universities1 and the great body of the populace2 and that never was ,jansenism at a lower ebb1 or more generally anathematized than when the first ,provincial ,letter appeared4 ,this1 however1 was not all4 ,besides having the tide of public favor turned against them1 the ,jesuits found themselves the objects of universal derision4 ,the names of their favorite casuists were converted into proverbs3 ,escobarder came to signify the same thing with 8paltering in a double sense20 ,father ,bauny's grotesque maxims furnished topics for perpetual badinage2 and the ,jesuits1 wherever they went1 were assailed with inextinguishable laughter4 ,by no other method could ,pascal have so severely stung this proud and self-conceited ,society4 ,the rage into which they were thrown was extreme1 and was variously expressed4 ,at one time it found vent in calumnies and threats of vengeance4 ,at other times they indulged in puerile lamentations4 ,it was amusing to hear these stalwart divines1 after breathing fire and slaughter against their enemies1 assume the querulous tones of injured and oppressed innocence4 8,the persecution which the ,jesuits suffer from the buffooneries of ,port-,royal10 they said1 8is perfectly intolerable3 the wheel and the gibbet are nothing to it2 it can only be compared to the torture inflicted on the ancient martyrs1 who were first rubbed over with honey and then left to be stung to death by wasps and wild bees4 ,their tyrants have subjected them to empoisoned raillery1 and the world leaves them unpitied to suffer a sweet death1 more cruel in its sweetness than the bitterest punishment40#ch ,the ,letters were published anonymously1 under the fictitious signature of ,louis de ,montalte1 and the greatest care was taken to preserve the secret of their authorship4 ,as on all such occasions1 many were the guesses made1 and the false reports circulated2 but beyond the circle of ,pascal's personal friends1 none knew him to be the author1 nor was the fact certainly or publicly known till after his death4 ,the following anecdote shows1 however1 that he was suspected1 and was once very nearly discovered3 ,after publishing the third letter1 ,pascal left ,port-,royal des ,champs1 to avoid being disturbed1 and took up his residence in ,paris1 under the name of ,m4 de ,mons1 in a hotel garni1 at the sign of the ,king of ,denmark1 ,rue des ,poiriers1 exactly opposite the college of the ,jesuits4 ,here he was joined by his brother-in-law1 ,perrier1 who passed as the master of the house4 ,one day ,perrier received a visit from his relative1 ,father ,frtat1 a ,jesuit1 accompanied by a brother monk4 ,frtat told him that the ,society suspected ,m4 ,pascal to be the author of the 8,little ,letters10 which were making such a noise1 and advised him as a friend to prevail on his brother-in-law to desist from writing any more of them1 as he might otherwise involve himself in much trouble1 and even danger4 ,perrier thanked him for his advice1 but said he was afraid it would be altogether useless1 as ,pascal would just reply that he could not hinder people from suspecting him1 and that though he should deny it they would not believe him4 ,the monks took their departure1 much to the relief of ,perrier1 for at that very time several sheets of the seventh or eighth letter1 newly come from the printer1 were lying on the bed1 where they had been placed for the purpose of drying1 but1 fortunately1 though the curtains were only partially drawn1 and one of the monks sat very close to the bed1 they were not observed4 ,perrier ran immediately to communicate the incident to his brother-in-law1 who was in an adjoining apartment2 and he had reason to congratulate him on the narrow escape which he had made4#ci ,as ,pascal proceeded1 he transmitted his manuscripts to ,port-,royal des ,champs1 where they were carefully revised and corrected by ,arnauld and ,nicole4 ,occasionally1 these expert divines suggested the plans of the letters2 and by them he was1 beyond all doubt1 furnished with most of his quotations from the voluminous writings of the casuists1 which1 with the exception of ,escobar1 he appears never to have read4 ,we must not suppose1 however1 that he took these on trust1 or gave himself no trouble to verify them4 ,we shall afterwards have proof of the contrary4 ,the first letters he composed with the rapidity of new-born enthusiasm2 but the pains and mental exertion which he bestowed on the rest are almost incredible4 ,nicole says 8he was often twenty whole days on a single letter3 and some of them he recommenced seven or eight times before bringing them to their present state of perfection40#dj ,we are assured that he wrote over the eighteenth letter no less than thirteen times4#da ,having been obliged to hasten the publication of the sixteenth1 on account of a search made after it in the printing office1 he apologizes for its length on the ground that 8he had found no time to make it shorter40#db ,the fruits of this extraordinary elaboration appear in every letter2 but what is equally remarkable1 is the art with which so many detached letters1 written at distant intervals1 and prompted by passing events1 have been so arranged as to form an harmonious whole4 ,the first three letters refer to ,arnauld's affair2 the questions of grace are but slightly touched1 the main object being to interest the reader in favor of the ,jansenists1 and excite his contempt and indignation against their opponents4 ,after this prelude1 the fourth letter serves as a transition to the following six1 in which he takes up maxims of the casuists4 ,in the eight concluding letters he resumes the grand objects of the work--the morals of the ,jesuits and the question of grace4 ,these three parts have each their peculiar style4 ,the first is distinguished for lively dialogue and repartee4 ,jacobins1 ,molinists1 and ,jansenists are brought on the stage1 and speak in character1 while ,pascal does little more than act as reporter4 ,in the second part1 he comes into personal contact with a casuistical doctor1 and extracts from him1 under the pretext of desiring information1 some of the weakest and worst of his maxims4 ,at the eleventh letter1 ,pascal throws off his disguise1 and addressing himself directly to the whole order of the ,jesuits1 and to their ,provincial by name1 he pours out his whole soul in an impetuous and impassioned torrent of declamation4 ,from beginning to end it is a well-sustained battle1 in which the weapons are only changed in order to strike the harder4 ,the literary merits of the ,provincials have been universally acknowledged and applauded4 ,on this point1 where ,pascal's countrymen must be considered the most competent judges1 we have the testimonies of the leading spirits of ,france4 ,boileau pronounced it a work that has 8surpassed at once the ancients and the moderns40 ,perrault has given a similar judgment3 8,there is more wit in these eighteen letters than in ,plato's ,dialogues2 more delicate and artful raillery than in those of ,lucian2 and more strength and ingenuity of reasoning than in the orations of ,cicero4 ,we have nothing more beautiful in this species of writing40#dc 8,pascal's style10 says the ,abb d',artigny1 8has never been surpassed1 nor perhaps equalled40#dd ,the high encomium of ,voltaire is well known3 8,the ,provincial ,letters were models of eloquence and pleasantry4 ,the best comedies of ,molire have not more wit in them than the first letters2 ,bossuet has nothing more sublime than the last ones40 ,again1 the same writer says3 8,the first work of genius that appeared in prose was the collection of the ,provincial ,letters4 ,examples of every species of eloquence may there be found4 ,there is not a single word in it which1 after a hundred years1 has undergone the change to which all living languages are liable4 ,we may refer to this work the era when our language became fixed4 ,the ,bishop of ,luon told me1 that having asked the ,bishop of ,meaux what work he would wish most to have been the author of1 setting his own works aside1 ,bossuet instantly replied1 #8,the ,provincial ,letters4'0#de 8,pascal succeeded beyond all expression10 says ,d',alembert2 8several of his bon-mots have become proverbial in our language1 and the ,provincials will be ever regarded as a model of taste and style40#df ,to this day the same high eulogiums are passed on the work by the best scholars of ,france4#dg ,to these testimonies it would be superfluous to add any criticism of our own1 were it not to prepare the ,english reader for the peculiar character of our author's style4 ,pascal's wit is essentially ,french4 ,it is not the broad humor of ,smollet2 it is not the cool irony of ,swift2 far less is it the envenomed sarcasm of ,junius4 ,it is wit--the lively1 polite1 piquant wit of the early ,french school4 ,nothing can be finer than its spirit2 but from its very fineness it is apt to evaporate in the act of transfusion into another tongue4 ,nothing can be more ingenious than the transitions by which the author glides insensibly from one topic to another2 and in the more serious letters1 we cannot fail to be struck with the mathematical precision of his reasoning4 ,but there is a species of iteration1 and a style of dovetailing his sentiments1 which does not quite accord with our taste2 and the foreign texture of which1 in spite of every effort to the contrary1 must shine through any translation4 ,high as the ,provincials stand in the literary world1 they were not suffered to pass without censure in the high places of the ,church4 ,the first effect of their publication1 indeed1 was to raise a storm against the casuists1 whom ,pascal had so effectually exposed4 ,the curs of ,paris1 and afterwards the assembly of the clergy1 shocked at the discovery of such a sink of corruption1 the existence of which1 though just beneath their feet1 they never appear to have suspected1 determined to institute an examination into the subject4 ,hitherto the tenets of the casuists1 buried in huge folios1 or only taught in the colleges of the ,jesuits1 had escaped public observation4 ,the clergy resolved to compare the quotations of ,pascal with these writings2 and the result of the investigation was1 that he was found to be perfectly correct1 while a multitude of other maxims1 equally scandalous1 were dragged to light4 ,these were condemned in a general assembly of the clergy4#dh ,unfortunately for the ,jesuits1 they had not a single writer at the time capable of conducting their vindication4 ,several replies to the ,provincials were attempted while they were in the course of publication2 but these were taken up by the redoubtable ,montalte1 and fairly strangled at their birth4#di ,shortly after the ,letters were finished1 there appeared 8,an ,apology for the ,casuists10 the production of a ,jesuit named ,pirot1 who1 with a folly and frankness which proved nearly as fatal to his order as it did to himself1 attempted to vindicate the worst maxims of the casuistical school4 ,this ,apology was condemned by the ,sorbonne1 and subsequently at ,rome2 its author died of chagrin1 and the ,jesuits fell into temporary disgrace4#ej ,but1 with that tenaciousness of life and elasticity of limb which have ever distinguished the ,society1 it was not long before they rebounded from their fall and regained their feet4 ,unable to answer the ,letters1 they succeeded in obtaining1 in ,february1 #afeg1 their condemnation by the ,parliament of ,provence1 by whose orders they were burnt on the pillory by the hands of the common executioner4 ,not content with this clumsy method of refutation1 they succeeded in procuring the formal condemnation of the ,provincials by a censure of the pope1 ,alexander ,,vii41 dated #fth ,september1 #afeg4 ,in this decree the work is 8prohibited and condemned1 under the pains and censures contained in the ,council of ,trent1 and in the index of prohibited books1 and other pains and censures which it may please his holiness to ordain40 ,it is almost needless to say1 that these sentences neither enhanced nor lessened the fame of the ,provincials4 ,it must be interesting to know what the feelings of ,pascal were1 on learning that this work1 into which he had thrown his whole heart1 and mind1 and strength1 and which may be said to have been at once his chef-d'uvre and his confession of faith1 had been condemned by the head of that ,church which he had hitherto believed to be infallible4 ,warped as his fine spirit was by education1 his unbending rectitude forbids the supposition that he could surrender his cherished and conscientious sentiments at the mere dictum of the pope4 ,an incident occurred in #affa1 shortly before his death1 strikingly illustrative of his conscientiousness1 and of the sincerity of purpose with which the ,letters were written4 ,the persecution had begun to rage against ,port-,royal2 one mandement after another1 requiring subscription to the condemnation of ,jansen1 came down from the court of ,rome2 and the poor nuns1 shrinking1 on the one hand1 from violating their consciences by subscribing what they believed to be an untruth1 and trembling1 on the other1 at the consequences of disobeying their ecclesiastical superiors1 were thrown into the most distressing embarrassment4 ,their 8obstinacy10 as it was termed1 only provoked their persecutors to more stringent demands4 ,in these circumstances1 even the stern ,arnauld and the conscientious ,nicole were tempted to make some compromise1 and drew up a declaration to accompany the signature of the nuns1 which they thought might save at once the truth and their consistency4 ,to this ,pascal objected1 as not sufficiently clear1 and as leaving it to be inferred that they condemned 8efficacious grace40 ,he could not endure the idea of their employing an ambiguous statement1 which appeared1 or might be supposed by their opponents1 to grant what they did not really mean to concede4 ,the consequence was a slight and temporary dispute--not affecting principle so much as the mode of maintaining it--in which ,pascal stood alone against all the members of ,port-,royal4 ,on one occasion1 after exhausting his eloquence upon them without success1 he was so deeply affected1 that his feeble frame1 laboring under headache and other disorders1 sunk under the excitement1 and he fell into a swoon4 ,after recovering his consciousness1 he explained the cause of his sudden illness1 in answer to the affectionate inquiries of his sister3 8,when ,i saw those10 he said1 8whom ,i regard as the persons to whom ,god has made known his truth1 and who ought to be its champions1 all giving way1 ,i was so overcome with grief that ,i could stand it no longer40 ,subsequent mandements1 still more stringent1 soon saved the poor nuns from the temptation of ambiguous submissions1 and reconciled ,pascal and his friends4#ea ,but we are fortunately furnished with his own reflections on the subject of the ,provincials1 in his celebrated 8,thoughts on ,religion30 8,i feared10 says he1 8that ,i might have written erroneously1 when ,i saw myself condemned2 but the example of so many pious witnesses made me think differently4 ,it is no longer allowable to write truth4 ,,if ,,my ,,letters ,,are ,,condemned ,,at ,,rome1 ,,that ,,which ,i ,,condemn ,,in ,,them ,,is ,,condemned ,,in ,,heaven40#eb ,it is only necessary to add1 that ,pascal continued to maintain his sentiments on this subject unchanged to the last4 ,on his death-bed1 ,m4 ,beurrier1 his parish priest1 administered to him the last rites of his ,church1 and came to learn1 after having confessed him1 that he was the author of the 8,provincial ,letters40 ,full of concern at having absolved the author of a book condemned by the pope1 the good priest returned1 and asked him if it was true1 and if he had no remorse of conscience on that account4 ,pascal replied1 that 8he could assure him1 as one who was now about to give an account to ,god of all his actions1 that his conscience gave him no trouble on that score2 and that in the composition of that work he was influenced by no mad motive1 but solely by regard to the glory of ,god and the vindication of truth1 and not in the least by any passion or personal feeling against the ,jesuits40 ,attempts were made by ,perefixe1 archbishop of ,paris1 first to bully the priest for having absolved such an impenitent offender1#ec and afterwards to force him into a false account of his penitent's confession4 ,it was confidently reported1 on the pretended authority of the confessor1 that ,pascal had expressed his sorrow for having written the ,provincials1 and that he had condemned his friends of ,port-,royal for want of due respect to papal authority4 ,both these allegations were afterwards distinctly refuted--the first by the written avowal of ,m4 ,beurrier1 and the other by two depositions formally made by ,nicole1 showing that the real ground of ,pascal's brief disagreement with his friends was directly the reverse of that which had been assigned4#ed ,few books have passed through more editions than the ,provincials4 ,the following1 among many others1 may be mentioned as ,french editions3--,the first1 in #afef1 #dto2 a second in #afeg1 #abmo2 a third in #afeh1 #hvo2 a fourth in #afei1 #hvo2 a fifth in #afff1 #abmo2 a sixth in #affg1 #hvo2 a seventh in #affi1 #abmo2 an eighth in #afhi1 #hvo2 a ninth in #agab1 #hvo2 a tenth in #agfg1 #abmo4#ee ,the later editions are beyond enumeration4 ,the ,letters were translated into ,latin1 during the lifetime of ,pascal1 by his intimate friend1 the learned and indefatigable ,nicole1 under the assumed name of 8,william ,wendrock1 a ,saltzburg divine40#ef ,nicole1 who was a complete master of ,latin1 has given an elegant1 though somewhat free version of his friend's work4 ,he has frequently added to the quotations taken from the writings of the ,jesuits and others2 a liberty which he doubtless felt himself the more warranted to take1 from the share he had in the original concoction of the ,letters4 ,nicole's preliminary dissertation and notes were translated by ,mademoiselle de ,joncourt1 a lady1 it is said1 8possessed of talents and piety1 who1 to the graces peculiar to her own sex1 added the accomplishments which are the ornament of ours40#eg ,besides this1 the ,provincials have been translated into nearly all the languages of ,europe4 ,bayle informs us that he had seen an edition of them in #hvo1 with four columns1 containing the ,french1 ,latin1 ,italian1 and ,spanish4#eh ,the ,spanish translation1 executed by ,gratien ,cordero of ,burgos1 was suppressed by order of the ,inquisition4#ei ,but all the efforts made for the suppression of the ,provincials only served to promote their popularity2 and their enemies found that1 if they would silence1 they must answer them4 ,forty years elapsed after the publication of the ,provincials before the ,jesuits ventured on a reply4 ,at length1 in #afig1 appeared an answer1 entitled ,entretiens de ,cleandre et d',eudoxe1 sur les ,lettres au ,provincial4 ,the author is known to have been ,father ,daniel1 the historiographer of ,france4 ,this learned ,jesuit undertook the desperate task of refuting the ,provincials1 in a form somewhat resembling that of the ,letters themselves1 being a series of supposed conversations between two friends1 aided by an abb1 8who is excessively frank and honest1 one who never could bear all his life to see people imposed upon40 ,the dialogue is conducted with considerable spirit1 but is sadly deficient in vraisemblance4 ,the author commences with high professions of impartiality4 ,cleander and ,eudoxus are supposed to be quite neutral--somewhat like the free-will of ,molina1 8in a state of perfect equilibrium1 until good sense and stubborn facts turn the scale40 ,but1 alas6 the equilibrium is soon lost1 without the help either of facts or of sense4 ,the friends have hardly uttered two sentences1 till they begin to talk as like two ,jesuits as could well be imagined4 ,party rage gets the better of literary discretion2 the ,port-,royalists are 8honest knaves10 8true hypocrites10 8villains animated with stubborn fury20 ,arnauld's 8pen may be known by the gall that drops from it20 ,nicole 8swears like a trooper10 and as to ,pascal he is all these characters in turn1 while his book is 8a repertory of slander10 and is 8villainous in a supreme degree60 ,the whole strain of ,daniel's reply corresponds with this specimen of its spirit4 ,avoiding the error of ,pirot1 and yet without renouncing the favorite dogmas of the ,society1 such as probabilism1 equivocations1 and mental reservations1 which he only attempts to palliate1 ,father ,daniel has exhausted his skill in an attack on the sincerity of ,pascal4 ,his main object is to convey the impression that the ,provincials are a libel1 written in bad faith1 and full of altered texts and false citations4 ,in selecting this plan of defence1 the ,jesuit champion evinces considerably more ingenuity than ingenuousness4 ,he was well aware that1 at the time of their publication1 the ,letters had been subjected to a sifting process of examination by the most clear-sighted ,jesuits1 who had signally failed in proving any falsifications4 ,but he knew also1 that1 during the forty years that had elapsed1 the writings of the casuists had fallen into disuse and contempt1 mainly in consequence of the scorching which they had received from the wit and eloquence of ,pascal1 and that it would be now a much easier and safer task to call in question the fidelity of citations which none would give themselves the trouble of verifying4 ,in this bold attempt to turn the tables against the ,jansenists1 by accusing them of chicanery and pious fraud1 the very crimes which they had succeeded in establishing against their opponents1 the unscrupulous ,jesuit could be at no loss to find1 among the voluminous writings of the casuists1 some plausible grounds for his charges4 ,at all events1 he could calculate on the readiness with which certain minds1 fonder of generalizing than of investigating facts1 would lay hold of the mere circumstance of a book having been written in defence of his order1 as sufficient to show that a great deal may be said on both sides4 ,as to the manner in which ,daniel has executed his task1 it might be sufficient to say1 that it has been acknowledged by the ,jesuits themselves to be a failure4 ,even at its first appearance1 great efforts were made to suppress it altogether1 as likely to do more harm than good to the ,society2 and in their references to it afterwards1 we see the disappointment which they felt4 8,there was lately published10 says ,richelet1 8an answer to the ,lettres ,provinciales1 which professes to demolish them1 but which1 nevertheless1 will not do them much harm4 ,do you ask how8 ,the reason is1 that although this answer shows the horrid injustice1 the abominable slanders1 and injurious falsehoods of the ,provincials1 against one of the most famous societies in the ,church1 yet these ,letters have so long1 by their facetious touches1 got the laughers of all denominations on their side1 that they have acquired a credit and authority of which it will be difficult to divest them4 ,it must be confessed that prejudice1 on this occasion1 is very unjust1 very cruel1 and very obstinate in its verdict2 since1 though these ,letters have been condemned by popes1 bishops1 and divines1 and burnt by the hands of the hangman1 yet they have taken such deep root in people's minds as to bid defiance to all these powers40#fj 8,the reply10 says another writer1 8as may be easily imagined1 was not so well received as the ,letters had been4 ,father ,daniel professed to have reason and truth on his side2 but his adversary had in his favor what goes much further with men1 the arms of ridicule and pleasantry40#fa ,this1 however1 is a mere begging of the question4 ,ridentem dicere verum1 quid vetat8 ,it is quite possible that ,father ,daniel may be lugubriously in the wrong1 and ,pascal laughingly in the right4 ,this was very triumphantly made out in the answer to ,daniel's work1 which appeared in the same year with the ,entretiens1 under the title of 8,apology for the ,provincial ,letters1 against the last ,reply of the ,jesuits1 entitled ,conversations of ,cleander and ,eudoxus40 ,the author was ,don ,mathieu ,petitdidier1 ,benedictine of the congregation of ,st4 ,vanne1 who died bishop of ,macra4#fb ,in this masterly performance1 the accusations of ,daniel are shown to be totally groundless1 his answers jesuitical and evasive1 and his arguments untenable4 ,the 8,apology0 was never answered1 and ,daniel's work sank out of sight4 ,subsequent apologists of the ,jesuits have followed the line of defence adopted by ,father ,daniel4 ,the continued repetition of his charges1 though they have been long since disposed of1 renders it necessary to advert to them4 ,for the strict fidelity of ,pascal's citations1 we have not merely the testimony of contemporary witnesses1 but what will be to many a sufficient guarantee1 the solemn assertion of ,pascal himself4 ,in a conversation that took place within a year of his death1 and which has been preserved by his sister1 he thus answers the chief articles of accusation that had been brought against the ,provincials3-- 8,i have been asked1 first1 if ,i repented of having written the ,provincial ,letters8 ,i answered that1 far from repenting1 if ,i had it to do again1 ,i would write them yet more strongly4 8,i have been asked1 in the second place1 why ,i named the authors from whom ,i extracted these abominable passages which ,i have cited8 ,i answered1 ,if ,i were in a town where there were a dozen fountains1 and ,i knew for certain that one of them was poisoned1 ,i should be under obligation to tell the world not to draw from that fountain2 and1 as it might be supposed that this was a mere fancy on my part1 ,i should be obliged to name him who had poisoned it1 rather than expose a whole city to the risk of death4 8,i have been asked1 thirdly1 why ,i adopted an agreeable1 jocose1 and entertaining style8 ,i answered1 ,if ,i had written dogmatically1 none but the learned would have read my book2 and they had no need of it1 knowing how the matter stood1 at least as well as ,i did4 ,i conceived it1 therefore1 my duty to write1 so that my ,letters might be read by women1 and people in general1 that they might know the danger of all those maxims and propositions which were then spread abroad1 and admitted with so little hesitation4 8,finally1 ,i have been asked1 if ,i had myself read all the books which ,i quoted8 ,i answered1 ,no4 ,to do this1 ,i had need have passed the greater part of my life in reading very bad books4 ,but ,i have twice read ,escobar throughout2 and for the others1 ,i got several of my friends to read them2 but ,i have never used a single passage without having read it myself in the book quoted1 without having examined the case in which it is brought forward1 and without having read the preceding and subsequent context1 that ,i might not run the risk of citing that for an answer which was in fact an objection1 which would have been very unjust and blamable40#fc ,if this solemn declaration1 emitted by one whose heart was a stranger to deceit1 and whose shrewdness placed him beyond the risk of delusion1 is not accepted as sufficient1 we might refer to the mass of evidence collected at the time in the ,factums of the curs of ,paris and ,rouen1 to the voluminous notes of ,nicole1 and to the ,apology of ,petitdidier1 in which the citations made by ,pascal are authenticated with a carefulness which not only sets all suspicion at rest1 but leaves a large balance of credit in the author's favor1 by showing that1 so far from having reported the worst maxims of the ,jesuitical school1 or placed them in the most odious light of which they were susceptible1 he has been extremely tender towards them4 ,but1 indeed1 the truth was placed beyond all dispute1 through the efforts of the celebrated ,bossuet1 in #agjj1 when1 by a sentence of an assembly of the clergy of ,france1 the morals of the ,jesuits1 as exhibited in their 8monstrous maxims1 which had been long the scandal of the ,church and of ,europe10 were formally condemned1 and when it may be said that the ,provincial ,letters met at once their full vindication and their final triumph4#fd ,another class of objectors1 whom the ,jesuits have had the good fortune to number among their apologists1 are the sceptical philosophers1 whose native antipathy to ,jansenism1 as a phase of serious religion1 renders them willing to sacrifice truth for the sake of a sneer at his disciples4 ,d',alembert expresses his regret that ,pascal did not lampoon ,jesuits and ,jansenists alike2#fe and ,voltaire1 in the mere wantonness of his cynical humor1 if not from a more worthless motive1 has appended to his high panegyric on the ,provincials1 already quoted1 the following qualifications3 8,it is true that the whole of ,pascal's book is founded upon a false principle4 ,he has artfully charged the whole ,society with the extravagant opinions of some few ,spanish and ,flemish ,jesuits1 which he might with equal ease have detected among the casuists of the ,dominican and ,franciscan orders2 but the ,jesuits alone were the persons he wanted to attack4 ,in these ,letters he endeavored to prove that they had a settled design to corrupt the morals of mankind--a design which no sect or society ever had1 or ever could have4 ,but his business was not to be right1 but to entertain the public40#ff ,every clause here contains a fallacy4 ,the charge of party-spirit1 insinuated throughout1 is perfectly gratuitous4 ,never1 perhaps1 was any man more free from this infirmity than ,pascal4 ,that it was pure zeal for the morality of the ,gospel which engaged him to take up his pen against the ,jesuits1 can be doubted by none but those who make it a point to call in question the reality of all religious conviction4#fg ,equally unfounded is the imputation of levity4 ,pascal was earnest in his raillery4 ,a deep seriousness of purpose lurked under the smile of his irony4 ,voltaire describes himself1 not the author of the ,provincials1 when he says that 8his business was not to be right1 but to entertain the public40 ,as to ,pascal having 8endeavored to prove that the ,jesuits had a settled design to corrupt the morals of mankind10 we are not surprised at ,father ,daniel saying so2 but it is unaccountable how any but a ,jesuit1 who professed to have read the ,letters1 could advance a theory so distinctly anticipated and disclaimed in the ,letters themselves4 8,know1 then10 it is said in letter fifth1 8that their object is not the corruption of manners--that is not their design4 ,but as little is it their sole aim to reform them--that would be bad policy40#fh 8,alas60 says the ,jesuit1 in letter sixth1 8our main object1 no doubt1 should have been to establish no other maxims than those of the ,gospel2 and it is easy to see1 from our rules1 that if we tolerate some degree of relaxation in others1 it is rather out of complaisance than design40#fi ,in truth1 nothing is more clearly marked throughout the ,letters than this distinction between the design of the ,society and the tendency of its policy--a distinction which leaves very small scope for the sage apophthegm of the philosophical historian4 ,there is some reason to think that ,voltaire expressed himself in this manner1 with the view of procuring the recommendation of ,father ,latour to enter the ,academy--an object for the accomplishment of which1 it is well known1 he made the most unworthy concessions to the ,jesuits4#gj ,later critics1 in speaking of the ,provincials1 have indulged in a similar strain of vague depreciation2 as a specimen of which we might have referred to ,schlegel1 who talks of their being 8nothing more than a master-piece of sophistry10#ga and repeats the charge of profaneness1 which ,pascal has so triumphantly refuted in his eleventh letter4 ,it would be a sad waste of time to answer this ridiculous objection4 ,nor will it be surprising to those who know the history of ,blanco ,white1 to find him indulging in a sceptical vein on this as on other subjects4 8,pascal and the ,jansenist party10 he says1 8accused them of systematic laxity in their moral doctrines2 but the charge1 ,i believe1 though plausible in theory1 was perfectly groundless in practice4 ,the strict1 unbending maxims of the ,jansenists1 by urging persons of all characters and tempers on to an imaginary goal of perfection1 bring quickly their whole system to the decision of experience4 ,a greater knowledge of mankind made the ,jesuits more cautious in the culture of devotional feelings4 ,they well knew that but few can prudently engage in open hostility with what1 in ascetic language1 is called the world40#gb ,the strange mixture of truth and error in this statement leaves an unfavorable impression on the mind1 the fallacy of which we feel ere we have time to analyze it4 ,it is true that nothing could be more opposite to the laxity of the ,jesuits than the asceticism of ,port-,royal4 ,but it is doing injustice to ,pascal to insinuate that he measured ,jesuitical morality by 8the strict1 unbending maxims of the ,jansenists20 and it is flagrantly untrue that the ,jesuits merely aimed at reducing monastic enthusiasm to the standard of common sense and ordinary life4 ,we repeat that the real charge which ,pascal substantiates against them is1 not that they softened the austerities of the cloister1 but that they sacrificed the eternal laws of morality--not that they prudently suited their rules to men's tempers1 but that they licensed the worst passions and propensities of our nature--not that they declined urging all to forsake the world 7which he never expected71 but that they sought1 for their own politic ends1 to veil its impurities1 and countenance its evil customs4 ,disguising their hostility to science1 under the mask of friendship to literature1 the ,jesuits have succeeded in making to themselves friends of many who are acquainted with them only through the medium of their writings4 ,and it is the remarkable fact of our day1 that1 while on the ,continent1 where they are practically known1 the ,jesuits have enlisted against themselves the pens of its most eminent novelists1 historians1 and philosophers1 in ,protestant ,england it is quite the reverse4 ,the most talented of our periodical writers have exerted all their powers to white-wash them1 to paint and paper them1 and set them off with ornamental designs2 and where they have not dared to defend1 they have tried to blunt the edge of censure against them4 ,following in the same line of defence1 a certain class of ,protestant writers1 fond of historical paradox1 and of appearing superior to vulgar prejudices1 have volunteered to protect the ,jesuits4 8,no man is a stranger to the fame of ,pascal10 says ,sir ,james ,macintosh2 8but those who may desire to form a right judgment on the contents of the ,lettres ,provinciales would do well to cast a glance over the ,entretiens d',ariste et d',eugenie1 by ,bouhours1 a ,jesuit1 who has ably vindicated his order40#gc ,sir ,james had heard1 perhaps1 of ,father ,daniel's ,entretiens de ,cleandre et d',eudoxe1 but it is very evident that he had never even 8cast a glance over0 that book2 for the work of ,bouhours1 which he has confounded with it1 is a philological treatise1 which has no reference whatever to the ,provincial ,letters2 and yet he could say that the ,jesuit 8has ably vindicated his order60 ,next to the art which the ,jesuits have shown in smuggling themselves into places of power and trust1 is that by which they have succeeded in hoodwinking the merely literary portion of society4 ,but1 not to dwell longer on these objections1 the ,provincials are liable to another charge1 seldomer advanced1 and not so easily answered2 which is1 that the loose casuistical morality denounced by ,pascal was not confined to the ,jesuits1 nor to any one of the orders of the ,romish ,church1 much less1 as ,voltaire says1 to 8a few ,spanish and ,flemish ,jesuits10 but was common to all the divines of that ,church1 and was1 in fact1 the native offspring and inevitable growth of the practices of confession and absolution4 ,it is admitted that the ,jesuits were mainly responsible for its preservation and propagation2 that they have been the most zealous in reducing it to practice2 that1 even after it had incurred the anathemas of popes1 bishops1 and divines1 and after it had been disclaimed by all the other orders of the ,church1 the ,jesuits pertinaciously adhered to it2 and that1 even to this day1 they have identified themselves with the worst tenets of the casuists4 ,but ,protestants writers have generally alleged1 not without reason1 that the corruptions of casuistical divinity may be traced from the days of ,thomas ,aquinas and ,cajetan1 whom the ,church of ,rome owns as authorities2 that the 8new casuists0 merely carried the maxims of their predecessors to their legitimate conclusions2 and that though condemned by some popes1 the censure has been only partial1 and has been more than neutralized by the condemnation of other works written against the morality of the ,jesuits4 ,thus1 in a work entitled 8,guimenius ,amadeus10 the author1 who was the ,jesuit ,moya1 boldly claimed the sanction of the most venerated names in favor of the modern casuists4 ,this work1 it is true1 was condemned to the flames in #afhj1 by ,pope ,innocent ,,xi41 who was favorable to the ,jansenists2 but the ,jesuits boast of having obtained other papal constitutions1 reversing the judgment of that pontiff1 whom they do not scruple to stigmatize with heresy4#gd ,it cannot be denied that the ,jesuits have all along succeeded in obtaining for their system the sanction of the highest authorities in the ,church2 while those works which undertook to advocate a purer morality were printed clandestinely1 without privilege or approbation1 under fictitious names of authors and printers2 nor can it be forgotten that the ,provincial ,letters1 the most powerful exposure of ,jesuitical morality that ever appeared1 were censured at ,rome1 and burnt by the hands of the executioner4#ge ,in short1 and without entering into the question so ingeniously handled by ,nicole and other ,jansenists1 whether the modern casuists were justified in their excesses by the ancient schoolmen1 it is undeniable that this is the weakest point of the ,provincials1 and one on which the thorough-going ,jesuit occupies1 on popish principles1 the most advantageous ground4 ,the disciples of ,loyola constitute the very soul of the ,papacy2 and they must be held as the genuine exponents of that atrocious system of morals which1 engendered in the privacy of the cloister during the dark ages1 reached its maturity in the hands of a designing priesthood1 who still find it too convenient a tool for their purposes to part with it4 ,there are other respects in which we cannot fail to detect1 throughout these ,letters1 the enfeebling and embarrassing influence of ,popery over the naturally ingenuous mind of the author4 ,among all the maxims peculiar to the ,jesuits1 none are more pernicious than those in which they have openly taught that disobedience to the ,papal ,see releases subjects from their allegiance and oaths of fidelity to their sovereigns1 and authorizes them to put heretical rulers to death1 even by assassination4#gf ,on this point ,pascal has failed to speak out the whole truth4 ,whether it may have been from genuine dread of heresy1 or from a wish to spare the dignity of the pope1 it is easy to see the timidity1 the circumspection1 the delicacy with which he touches on the point of papal authority4 ,the ,jansenists have been called the ,methodists of the ,church of ,rome2 but the term is applicable to them rather in the wide sense in which it has been applied1 derisively1 to those who have sought reformation or aimed at superior sanctity within the pale of an established ,church1 than as applied to the party now known under that designation4 ,they disclaimed the title of ,jansenists1 as a nickname applied to them by their adversaries4 ,they held themselves to be the true ,catholics1 the representatives of the ,church as it existed down1 at least1 to the days of ,st4 ,bernard1 whom they termed 8the last of the fathers40 ,they ascribed a species of semi-inspiration to the early fathers of the ,church4 ,they reverenced the ,scriptures1 but received them at second-hand1 through the medium of tradition4 ,to be a ,catholic and a ,christian were with them convertible terms4 ,hence the horror evinced by ,pascal1 in his concluding letters1 at the bare thought of 8heresy existing in the ,church40 8,embarrassed at every step10 it has been well observed1 8by their professed submission to the authority of the popes1 galled and oppressed by their necessary acquiescence in the flagrant errors of their ,church1 these good men made profession of the great truths of ,christianity under an incomparably heavier weight of disadvantage than has been sustained by any other class of ,christians from the apostolic to the present times4 ,enfeebled by the enthusiasm to which they clung1 the piety of these admirable men failed in the force necessary to carry them through the conflict with their atrocious enemy1 #8the ,society4' ,they were themselves in too many points vulnerable to close fearlessly with their adversary1 and they grasped the sword of the ,spirit in too infirm a manner to drive home a deadly thrust4444 ,the ,jansenists and the inmates of ,port-,royal displayed a constancy that would doubtless have carried them through the fires of martyrdom2 but the intellectual courage necessary to bear them fearlessly through an examination of the errors of the papal superstition1 could spring only from a healthy form of mind1 utterly incompatible with the dotings of religious abstraction1 and the petty solicitudes of sackclothed abstinence4 ,the ,jansenists had not such courage2 if they worshipped not the ,beast1 they cringed before him2 he placed his dragon-foot upon their necks1 and their wisdom and their virtues were lost forever to ,france40#gg ,it is the policy of the ,jesuits at present1 as of old1 to deny1 point-blank1 the truthfulness of ,pascal's statements of their doctrine and policy--to reiterate the exploded charge of his having garbled his extracts--and1 after affecting to join in the laugh at his pleasantry1 and to forgive1 for the wit's sake1 his injustice to their innocent and much-calumniated fathers1 to declare that1 of course1 he could not himself believe the half of what he said against them1 nor comprehend the profound questions of casuistry on which he presumed to argue4 ,under this affectation of charity1 they dexterously evade ,pascal's main charges1 and slyly insinuate a vindication of the heresies of which they have been convicted4 ,thus1 in a late publication1 one of their number actually attempts to vindicate the old ,jesuitical doctrine of probabilism6#gh ,at the same time1 they retain1 with undiminished tenacity1 the moral maxims which ,pascal condemns4 ,the discovery lately made of the ,theology of ,dens1 still taught by the ,jesuits in ,ireland1 is a proof of this2 for it is nothing more than a collection of the most wicked and obscene maxims of casuistical morality4 ,matters are no better in ,france4 ,dr4 ,gilly mentions a publication issued at ,lyons1 in #ahbe1 which is so bad that the reviewer says1 8,we cannot1 we dare not copy it2 it is a book to which the cases of conscience of ,dr4 ,sanchez were purity itself40#gi ,the disclosures made still more recently by ,m4 ,michelet and ,m4 ,quinet1 are equally startling1 and will1 in all probability1 issue in another expulsion of the ,jesuits from ,france4 ,the policy of the ,society1 as hitherto exhibited in the countries where they have settled1 describes a regular cycle of changes4 ,commencing with loud professions of charity1 of liberal views in politics1 and of an accommodating code of morals1 they succeed in gaining popularity among the non-religious1 the dissipated1 and the restless portion of society4 ,availing themselves of this1 and carefully concealing1 in a ,protestant country1 the more obnoxious parts of their creed1 their next step is to plant some of the most plausible of their apostles in the principal localities1 who are instructed to establish schools and seminaries on the most charitable footing1 so as to ingratiate themselves with the poor1 while they secure the contributions of the rich2 to attack the credit of the most active and influential among the evangelical ministry2 to revive old slanders against the reformers2 to disseminate tracts of the most alluring description2 and1 when assailed in turn1 to deny everything and to grant nothing4 ,rising by these means to power and influence1 they gradually monopolize the seats of learning and the halls of theology--they glide1 with noiseless steps1 into closets1 cabinets1 and palaces--they become the dictators of the public press1 the persecutors of the good1 and the oppressors of all public and private liberty4 ,at length1 their treacherous designs being discovered1 they rouse against themselves the storm of natural passions1 which1 descending on them first as the authors of the mischief1 sweeps away along with them1 in its headlong career1 everything that bears the aspect of that active and earnest religion1 under the guise of which they had succeeded in duping mankind4 ,what portion of this cycle they have reached among us1 it is needless to demonstrate4 ,they have evidently got beyond the first stage2 and it is highly probable that1 in proof of it1 the present publication may elicit a more than ordinary exhibition of their skill in the science of defamation and denial4 ,it is far from being unlikely that1 at the present point of their revolution1 they may find it their interest1 after all the mischief that ,pascal has done them1 and all the ill that they have spoken against ,pascal1 to claim him as a good ,catholic1 and take advantage of the prestige of his name to insinuate1 that the ,church which could boast of such a man is not to be lightly esteemed4 ,and1 in fact1 it requires no small exercise of caution to guard ourselves against such an illusion4 ,it is difficult to characterize ,popery as it deserves without apparent uncharitableness to individuals1 such as ,fenelon and ,pascal1 who1 though members of a corrupt ,church1 possessed much of the spirit of true religion4 ,but1 though it would be impossible to class such eminent and pious men with an infidel cardinal or a ,spanish inquisitor1 it does not follow that they are free from condemnation4 ,it has been justly remarked1 that 8their example has done much harm1 and been only the more pernicious from their eminence and their virtues4 ,it is difficult to calculate how much assistance their well-merited reputation has given to prop the falling cause of ,popery1 and to lengthen out the continuance of a delusion the most lasting and the most dangerous that has ever led mankind astray from the truth40#hj ,with regard to our author1 in particular1 it may be well to remember1 that he was virtuous without being indebted to his ,church1 and evangelical in spite of his creed2 that his piety1 for which he is so much esteemed by us1 was the very quality that exposed him to odium and suspicion from his own communion2 that the truths1 for his adherence to which we would claim him as a brother in ,christ1 were those which were reprobated by the authorities of ,rome2 and that the following ,letters1 for which he is so justly admired1 were1 by the same ,church1 formally censured and ignominiously burnt1 along with the ,bible which ,pascal loved1 and the martyrs who have suffered for 8the truth as it is in ,jesus40 ----- ,footnote #a3 ,non quia per nos sancti et immaculati futuri essemus1 sed elegit prdestinavitque ut essemus4 7,de ,prdest41 ,aug4 ,op41 tom4 x4 #hae47 ,footnote #b3 ,de dono ,persever4 7,ib41 #hbb47 ,footnote #c3 ,neander1 ,bibl4 ,repos41 iii4 #id2 ,leydecker1 de ,jansen4 ,dogm41 #dac4 ,footnote #d3 ,the question of the middle knowledge is learnedly handled by ,voetius 7,disp4 ,theol41 i4 #bfd71 by ,hoornbeck 7,socin4 ,confut471 and other ,protestant divines1 who have shown it to be untenable1 useless1 and fraught with absurdity4 ,footnote #e3 ,dupin1 ,eccl4 ,hist41 #agth cent4 #a-ad4 ,footnote #f3 8,well done1 gentlemen2 you have left me more in the dark than ever40 ,footnote #g3 ,he was the son of a poor artisan1 whose name was ,jan1 or ,john ,ottho2 hence ,jansen1 corresponding to our ,johnson1 which was ,latinized into ,jansenius4 ,footnote #h3 ,petitot1 ,collect4 des ,mmoires1 ,notice sur ,port-,royal1 tom4 xxxiii41 p4 #ai4 ,this author's attempt to fix the charge of a conspiracy between ,jansen and ,st4 ,cyran to overturn the ,church1 is a piece of special pleading1 bearing on its face its own refutation4 ,footnote #i3 ,the followers of ,jansen were not more charitable than he in their judgments of the ,reformed1 and showed an equal zeal with the ,jesuits to persecute them1 when they had it in their power4 7,benoit1 ,hist4 de l',edit de ,nantes1 iii4 #bjj47 ,footnote #aj3 ,cca quadam obedientia4--,ut ,christum ,dominum in superiore quolibet agnoscere studeatis4--,perinde ac si cadaver essent1 vel similiter atque senis baculus4--,ad majorem ,dei gloriam4 7,constit4 ,jesuit4 pars vi4 cap4 #a2 ,ignat4 ,epist41 c47 ,footnote #aa3 ,balde1 whom the ,jesuits honor in their schools as a modern ,horace1 thus celebrates the longevity of the ,society1 in his ,carmen ,seculare de ,societate ,jesu1 #afdj3-- 8,profuit quisquis voluit nocere4 ,cuncta subsident sociis2 ubique ,exules vivunt1 et ubique cives6 ,sternimus victi1 supreamus imi1 ,surgimus plures toties cadendo40 ,footnote #ab3 ,their famous missionary1 ,francis ,xavier1 whom they canonized1 was ignorant of a single word in the languages of the ,indians whom he professed to evangelize4 ,he employed a hand-bell to summon the natives around him2 and the poor savages1 mistaking him for one of their learned ,brahmans1 he baptized them until his arm was exhausted with the task1 and boasted of every one he baptized as a regenerated convert6 ,footnote #ac3 ,macintosh1 ,hist4 of ,england1 ii4 #cec4 ,footnote #ad3 ,macintosh1 ,hist4 of ,england1 ii4 #ceg4 ,footnote #ae3 ,augustine himself is chargeable with having been the first to introduce the scholastic mode of treating morality in the form of trifling questions1 more fitted to gratify curiosity1 and display acumen1 than to edify or enlighten4 ,his example was followed and miserably abused1 by the moralists of succeeding ages4 7,buddei ,isagoge1 vol4 i4 p4 #efh47 ,footnote #af3 ,lancelot4 ,tour to ,alet1 p4 #agc2 ,leydecker1 p4 #abb4 ,footnote #ag3 ,the whole title was3 8,augustinus ,cornelii ,jansenii episcopi1 seu doctrina sancti ,augustini de human natur sanctitate gritudin medica1 adversus ,pelagianos et ,massilienses40 ,louvain1 #afdj4 ,footnote #ah3 ,leydecker1 p4 #acb2 ,lancelot1 p4 #ahj4 ,footnote #ai3 ,ranke1 ,hist4 of the ,popes1 vol4 iii4 #adc2 ,abb ,du ,mas1 ,hist4 des ,cinq ,propositions1 p4 #dh4 ,footnote #bj3 ,letter xviii4 pp4 #caj-cac4 ,footnote #ba3 ,witsii conom4 ,fd41 lib4 iii42 ,turret4 ,theol41 ,elenct4 xv4 quest4 #d2 ,de ,moor ,comment1 iv4 #dif2 ,mestrezat1 ,serm4 sur ,rom41 viii4 #bgd4 ,footnote #bb3 ,i refer here particularly to ,arnauld's treatise1 entitled 8,renversement de la ,morale de ,jesus ,christ par les ,calvinistes10 which was answered by ,jurieu in his 8,justification de la ,morale des ,reformez40 #afhe1 by ,m4 ,merlat1 and others4 ,jurieu has shown at great length1 and with a severity for which he had too much provocation1 that ,arnauld and his friends1 in their violent tirades against the ,reformed1 neither acted in good faith1 nor in consistency with the sentiments of their much admired leaders1 ,augustine and ,jansen4 ,footnote #bc3 ,fontaine1 ,mmoires1 i4 #bjj2 ,mosheim1 ,eccl4 ,hist41 cent4 xvii4 #b4 ,footnote #bd3 ,lancelot1 p4 #abc4 ,footnote #be3 ,mmoires pour servir a l',histoire de ,port-,royal1 vol4 i4 pp4 #ce1 #eg1 #adb4 ,footnote #bf3 ,ib41 p4 #def4 ,the title of this work was1 8,the ,secret ,chaplet of the ,holy ,sacrament40 ,footnote #bg3 ,sacy1 or ,saci1 was the inverted name of ,isaac ,le ,maitre1 celebrated for his translation of the ,bible4 ,footnote #bh3 ,mosheim1 ,eccl4 ,hist41 cent4 xvii4 #b4 ,footnote #bi3 ,we may refer particularly to ,petitot in his ,collection des ,mmoires1 tom4 xxxiii41 ,paris1 #ahbd2 and to a ,history of the ,company of ,jesus by ,j4 ,cretineau-,joly1 ,paris1 #ahde4 ,with high pretensions to impartiality1 these works abound with the most glaring specimens of special pleading4 ,footnote #cj3 ,voltaire1 ,sicle de ,louis ,,xiv1 t4 ii4 ,footnote #ca3 ,mmoires de ,p4 ,royal1 i4 #ac4 ,bayle insists that his father had twenty-two children4 ,dict41 art4 ,arnauld4 ,footnote #cb3 ,weisman1 ,hist4 ,eccl41 ii4 #bjd4 ,footnote #cc3 ,the title under which the ,letters appeared when first collected into a volume was1 8,lettres crites par ,louis de ,montalte1 a un ,provincial de ses amis1 et aux ,,rr4 ,,pp4 ,jesuites1 sur la morale et la politique de ces ,peres40 ,father ,bouhours1 a ,jesuit1 ridicules the title of the ,letters1 and says he is surprised they were not rather entitled 8,letters from a ,country ,bumpkin to his ,friends10 and instead of 8,the ,provincials0 called 8,the ,bumpkins0--8,campagnardes40 7,remarques sur la langue ,fran41 p4 ii4 #cjf4 ,dict4 ,univ41 art4 ,provincial47 ,footnote #cd3 ,daniel1 ,entretiens1 p4 #ai4 ,footnote #ce3 ,petitot1 ,notices1 p4 #aba4 ,footnote #cf3 ,benoit1 ,hist4 de l',edit4 de ,nantes1 iii4 #aih4 ,footnote #cg3 ,daniel1 ,entretiens1 p4 #aa4 ,footnote #ch3 ,nicole1 ,notes sur la xi4 ,lettre iii4 #ccb4 ,footnote #ci3 ,recueil de ,port-,royal1 #bgh1 #bgi2 ,petitot1 pp4 #abb1 #abc4 ,footnote #dj3 ,histoire des ,provinciales1 p4 #ab4 ,footnote #da3 ,petitot1 p4 #abd4 ,the eighteenth letter embraces the delicate topic of papal authority1 as well as the distinction between faith and fact1 in stating which we can easily conceive how severely the ingenuous mind of ,pascal must have labored to find some plausible ground for vindicating his consistency as a ,roman ,catholic4 ,to the ,protestant reader1 it must appear the most unsatisfactory of all the ,letters4 ,footnote #db3 ,prov4 ,let41 p4 #cdj4 ,footnote #dc3 ,perrault1 ,parallele des ,anc4 et ,mod41 ,bayle1 art4 ,pascal4 ,footnote #dd3 ,d',artigny1 ,nouveaux ,mmoires iii4 p4 #cd4 ,footnote #de3 ,voltaire1 ,sicle de ,louis ,,xiv41 tom4 ii4 pp4 #aga1 #bgd4 ,footnote #df3 ,d',alembert1 ,destruct4 des ,jesuites1 p4 #ed4 ,footnote #dg3 ,bordas-,demoulin1 ,eloge de ,pascal1 p4 xxv4 7,this was the prize essay before the ,french ,academy1 in ,june1 #ahdb47 ,footnote #dh3 ,nicole1 ,hist4 des ,provinciales4 ,footnote #di3 ,the names of these unfortunate productions alone survive2 #a4 8,first ,reply to ,letters1 c41 by a ,father of the ,company of ,jesus40 #b4 8,provincial ,impostures of ,sieur de ,montalte1 ,secretary of ,port-,royal1 discovered and refuted by a ,father of the ,company of ,jesus40 #c4 8,reply to a ,theologian10 c4 #d4 8,reply to the ,seventeenth ,letter1 by ,francis ,annat10 c41 c4 ,footnote #ej3 ,eichhorn1 ,geschichte der ,litteratur1 vol4 i4 pp4 #dbj-dbc4 ,footnote #ea3 ,recueil de ,port-,royal1 pp4 #cad-cbc4 ,some papers passed between ,pascal and his friends on this topic4 ,pascal committed these on his death-bed to his friend ,m4 ,domat1 8with a request that he would burn them if the nuns of ,port-,royal proved firm1 and print them if they should yield40 7,ib41 p4 #cbb47 ,the nuns having stood firm1 the probability is that they were destroyed4 ,had they been preserved1 they might have thrown some further light on the opinions of ,pascal regarding papal authority4 ,footnote #eb3 ,si mes ,lettres sont condamnes ,rome1 ce que j'y condamne1 est condamn dans le ciel4 7,penses de ,blaise ,pascal1 tom4 ii4 #afc4 ,paris1 #ahbd47 ,footnote #ec3 8,how came you10 said the archbishop to ,m4 ,beurrier1 8to administer the sacraments to such a person8 ,didn't you know that he was a ,jansenist80 7,recueil1 #cdh47 ,footnote #ed3 ,recueil de ,port-,royal1 pp4 #cbg-ccj2 ,petitot1 p4 #afe4 ,footnote #ee3 ,walchii ,biblioth4 ,theol41 ii4 #bie4 ,footnote #ef3 ,the title of ,nicole's translation1 now rarely to be met with1 is1 ,ludovici ,montaltii ,litter ,provinciales1 de ,morali et ,politica ,jesuitarum ,disciplina4 ,a ,willelmo ,wendrockio1 ,salisburgensi ,theologo4 ,several editions of this translation were printed4 ,i have the first1 published at ,cologne in #afeh1 and the fifth1 much enlarged1 ,cologne1 #afgi4 ,footnote #eg3 ,avertissement1 ,les ,provinciales1 ed4 #agfg4 ,mad4 de ,joncourt1 or ,joncoux1 took a deep interest in the falling fortunes of ,port-,royal4 7,see some account of her in ,madame ,schimmelpenninck's ,history of the ,demolition of ,port-,royal1 p4 #ace47 ,footnote #eh3 ,bayle1 ,dict41 art4 ,pascal4 ,footnote #ei3 ,daniel1 ,entretiens1 p4 #aaa4 ,footnote #fj3 ,bayle1 ,dict41 art4 ,pascal1 note ,k4 ,footnote #fa3 ,abb de ,castres1 ,les ,trois ,sicles1 ii4 #fc4 ,footnote #fb3 ,barbier1 ,dict4 des ,ouvrages ,anon4 et ,pseudon4 ,footnote #fc3 ,tabaraud1 ,dissertation sur la foi qui est due au ,temoignage de ,pascal dans ses ,lettres ,provinciales1 p4 #ab4--,this work1 published some years ago in ,france1 contains a complete justification of ,pascal's picture of the ,jesuits in the ,provincials1 accompanied with a mass of authorities4 ,the above sentiments have been introduced into ,pascal's ,thoughts4 7,see ,craig's translation1 p4 #ahe47 ,footnote #fd3 ,vie de ,bossuet1 t4 iv4 p4 #ai2 ,tabaraud1 ,dissert4 sur la foi1 c41 p4 #dc4 ,footnote #fe3 8,the shocking doctrine of ,jansenius and of ,st4 ,cyran1 afforded at least as much room for ridicule as the pliant doctrine of ,molina1 ,tambourin1 and ,vasquez40 7,d',alembert1 ,dest4 of the ,jesuits1 p4 #ee47 ,footnote #ff3 ,voltaire1 ,sicle de ,louis ,,xiv41 ii4 #cfg4 ,footnote #fg3 ,eichhorn1 ,geschichte der ,lit41 i4 #dbf4 ,footnote #fh3 ,prov4 ,let41 p4 #aah4 ,footnote #fi3 ,ib41 p4 #adb4 ,footnote #gj3 ,tabaraud1 p4 #aag2 ,bord4 ,demoulin1 ,eloge de ,pascal1 ,append4 ,footnote #ga3 ,schlegel1 ,lectures on ,hist4 of ,lit4 ii4 #ahh4 ,footnote #gb3 ,letters from ,spain1 p4 #hf4 ,footnote #gc3 ,macintosh1 ,history of ,england1 vol4 ii4 #cei1 note4 ,footnote #gd3 ,eichhorn1 ,geschichte der ,litter41 vol4 i4 pp4 #dbc-dbe2 ,weisman1 ,hist4 ,eccl41 vol4 ii4 #ba2 ,jurieu1 ,prejugez ,legitimes cont4 le ,papisme1 p4 #chf2 ,claude1 ,defence of the ,reformation1 p4 #bi4 ,footnote #ge3 ,jurieu1 ,justification de la ,morale des ,reformez1 contre ,m4 ,arnauld1 i4 p4 #cj4 ,footnote #gf3 ,a disingenuous attempt has been sometimes made to identify these nefarious maxims with certain principles held by some of our reformers4 ,there is an essential difference between the natural right claimed1 we do not say with what justice1 for subjects to proceed against their rulers as tyrants1 and the right assumed by the pope to depose rulers as heretics4 ,and it is equally easy to distinguish between the disallowed acts of some fanatical individuals who have taken the law into their own hands1 and the atrocious deeds of such men as ,chatel and ,ravaillac1 who could plead the authority of ,mariana the ,jesuit1 that 8to put tyrannical princes to death is not only a lawful1 but a laudable1 heroic1 and glorious action40 7,dalton's ,jesuits2 their ,principles and ,acts1 ,london1 #ahdc47 ,the ,church of ,st4 ,ignatius at ,rome is or was adorned1 it seems1 with pictures of all the assassinations mentioned in ,scripture1 which they have1 most presumptuously1 perverted in justification of their feats in this department4 7,d',alembert1 ,dest4 of the ,jesuits1 p4 #aja47 ,footnote #gg3 ,taylor1 ,natural ,hist4 of ,enthusiasm1 p4 #bef4 ,footnote #gh3 ,de l',existence et de l',institut des ,jesuites4 ,par le ,r4 ,p4 de ,ravignan1 de la ,compagnie de ,jesus4 ,paris1 #ahde1 p4 #hc4 ,probabilism is the doctrine1 that if any opinion in morals has been held by any grave doctor of the ,church1 it is probably true1 and may be safely followed in practice4 ,footnote #gi3 ,gilly1 ,narrative of an ,excursion to ,piedmont1 p4 #aef4 ,footnote #hj3 ,douglas on ,errors in ,religion1 p4 #aac4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,the ,,provincial ,,letters4 ,,letter ,i4 ,,disputes ,,in ,,the ,,sorbonne1 ,,and ,,the ,,invention ,,of ,,proximate ,,power--,a ,,term ,,employed ,,by ,,the ,,jesuits ,,to ,,procure ,,the ,,censure ,,of ,m4 ,,arnauld4 ,,paris1 ,january #bc1 #afef4 ,,sir1--,we were entirely mistaken4 ,it was only yesterday that ,i was undeceived4 ,until that time ,i had labored under the impression that the disputes in the ,sorbonne were vastly important1 and deeply affected the interests of religion4 ,the frequent convocations of an assembly so illustrious as that of the ,theological ,faculty of ,paris1 attended by so many extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances1 led one to form such high expectations1 that it was impossible to help coming to the conclusion that the subject was most extraordinary4 ,you will be greatly surprised1 however1 when you learn from the following account1 the issue of this grand demonstration1 which1 having made myself perfectly master of the subject1 ,i shall be able to tell you in very few words4 ,two questions1 then1 were brought under examination2 the one a question of fact1 the other a question of right4 ,the question of fact consisted in ascertaining whether ,m4 ,arnauld was guilty of presumption1 for having asserted in his second letter#ha that he had carefully perused the book of ,jansenius1 and that he had not discovered the propositions condemned by the late pope2 but that1 nevertheless1 as he condemned these propositions wherever they might occur1 he condemned them in ,jansenius1 if they were really contained in that work4#hb ,the question here was1 if he could1 without presumption1 entertain a doubt that these propositions were in ,jansenius1 after the bishops had declared that they were4 ,the matter having been brought before the ,sorbonne1 seventy-one doctors undertook his defence1 maintaining that the only reply he could possibly give to the demands made upon him in so many publications1 calling on him to say if he held that these propositions were in that book1 was1 that he had not been able to find them1 but that if they were in the book1 he condemned them in the book4 ,some even went a step farther1 and protested that1 after all the search they had made into the book1 they had never stumbled upon these propositions1 and that they had1 on the contrary1 found sentiments entirely at variance with them4 ,they then earnestly begged that1 if any doctor present had discovered them1 he would have the goodness to point them out2 adding1 that what was so easy could not reasonably be refused1 as this would be the surest way to silence the whole of them1 ,m4 ,arnauld included2 but this proposal has been uniformly declined4 ,so much for the one side4 ,on the other side are eighty secular doctors1 and some forty mendicant friars1 who have condemned ,m4 ,arnauld's proposition1 without choosing to examine whether he has spoken truly or falsely--who1 in fact1 have declared1 that they have nothing to do with the veracity of his proposition1 but simply with its temerity4 ,besides these1 there were fifteen who were not in favor of the censure1 and who are called ,neutrals4 ,such was the issue of the question of fact1 regarding which1 ,i must say1 ,i give myself very little concern4 ,it does not affect my conscience in the least whether ,m4 ,arnauld is presumptuous1 or the reverse2 and should ,i be tempted1 from curiosity1 to ascertain whether these propositions are contained in ,jansenius1 his book is neither so very rare nor so very large as to hinder me from reading it over from beginning to end1 for my own satisfaction1 without consulting the ,sorbonne on the matter4 ,were it not1 however1 for the dread of being presumptuous myself1 ,i really think that ,i would be disposed to adopt the opinion which has been formed by the most of my acquaintances1 who1 though they have believed hitherto on common report that the propositions were in ,jansenius1 begin now to suspect the contrary1 owing to this strange refusal to point them out--a refusal1 the more extraordinary to me1 as ,i have not yet met with a single individual who can say that he has discovered them in that work4 ,i am afraid1 therefore1 that this censure will do more harm than good1 and that the impression which it will leave on the minds of all who know its history will be just the reverse of the conclusion that has been come to4 ,the truth is1 the world has become sceptical of late1 and will not believe things till it sees them4 ,but1 as ,i said before1 this point is of very little moment1 as it has no concern with religion4#hc ,the question of right1 from its affecting the faith1 appears much more important1 and1 accordingly1 ,i took particular pains in examining it4 ,you will be relieved1 however1 to find that it is of as little consequence as the former4 ,the point of dispute here1 was an assertion of ,m4 ,arnauld's in the same letter1 to the effect1 8that the grace without which we can do nothing1 was wanting to ,st4 ,peter at his fall40 ,you and ,i supposed that the controversy here would turn upon the great principles of grace2 such as1 whether grace is given to all men8 or1 if it is efficacious of itself8 ,but we were quite mistaken4 ,you must know ,i have become a great theologian within this short time2 and now for the proofs of it6 ,to ascertain the matter with certainty1 ,i repaired to my neighbor1 ,m4 ,n----1 doctor of ,navarre1 who1 as you are aware1 is one of the keenest opponents of the ,jansenists1 and my curiosity having made me almost as keen as himself1 ,i asked him if they would not formally decide at once that 8grace is given to all men10 and thus set the question at rest4 ,but he gave me a sore rebuff1 and told me that that was not the point2 that there were some of his party who held that grace was not given to all2 that the examiners themselves had declared1 in a full assembly of the ,sorbonne1 that that opinion was problematical2 and that he himself held the same sentiment1 which he confirmed by quoting to me what he called that celebrated passage of ,st4 ,augustine3 8,we know that grace is not given to all men40 ,i apologized for having misapprehended his sentiment1 and requested him to say if they would not at least condemn that other opinion of the ,jansenists which is making so much noise1 8,that grace is efficacious of itself1 and invincibly determines our will to what is good40 ,but in this second query ,i was equally unfortunate4 8,you know nothing about the matter10 he said2 8that is not a heresy--it is an orthodox opinion2 all the ,thomists#hd maintain it2 and ,i myself have defended it in my ,sorbonic thesis40#he ,i did not venture again to propose my doubts1 and yet ,i was as far as ever from understanding where the difficulty lay2 so1 at last1 in order to get at it1 ,i begged him to tell me where1 then1 lay the heresy of ,m4 ,arnauld's proposition8 8,it lies here10 said he1 8that he does not acknowledge that the righteous have the power of obeying the commandments of ,god1 in the manner in which we understand it40 ,on receiving this piece of information1 ,i took my leave of him2 and1 quite proud at having discovered the knot of the question1 ,i sought ,m4 ,n----1 who is gradually getting better1 and was sufficiently recovered to conduct me to the house of his brother-in-law1 who is a ,jansenist1 if ever there was one1 but a very good man notwithstanding4 ,thinking to insure myself a better reception1 ,i pretended to be very high on what ,i took to be his side1 and said3 8,is it possible that the ,sorbonne has introduced into the ,church such an error as this1 #8that all the righteous have always the power of obeying the commandments of ,god8'0 8,what say you80 replied the doctor4 8,call you that an error--a sentiment so ,catholic that none but ,lutherans and ,calvinists impugn it80 8,indeed60 said ,i1 surprised in my turn2 8so you are not of their opinion80 8,no10 he replied2 8we anathematize it as heretical and impious40#hf ,confounded by this reply1 ,i soon discovered that ,i had overacted the ,jansenist1 as ,i had formerly overdone the ,molinist4#hg ,but not being sure if ,i had rightly understood him1 ,i requested him to tell me frankly if he held 8that the righteous have always a real power to observe the divine precepts80 ,upon this the good man got warm 7but it was with a holy zeal71 and protested that he would not disguise his sentiments on any consideration--that such was1 indeed1 his belief1 and that he and all his party would defend it to the death1 as the pure doctrine of ,st4 ,thomas1 and of ,st4 ,augustine their master4 ,this was spoken so seriously as to leave me no room for doubt2 and under this impression ,i returned to my first doctor1 and said to him1 with an air of great satisfaction1 that ,i was sure there would be peace in the ,sorbonne very soon2 that the ,jansenists were quite at one with them in reference to the power of the righteous to obey the commandments of ,god2 that ,i could pledge my word for them1 and could make them seal it with their blood4 8,hold there60 said he4 8,one must be a theologian to see the point of this question4 ,the difference between us is so subtle1 that it is with some difficulty we can discern it ourselves--you will find it rather too much for your powers of comprehension4 ,content yourself1 then1 with knowing that it is very true the ,jansenists will tell you that all the righteous have always the power of obeying the commandments2 that is not the point in dispute between us2 but mark you1 they will not tell you that that power is proximate4 ,that is the point40 ,this was a new and unknown word to me4 ,up to this moment ,i had managed to understand matters1 but that term involved me in obscurity2 and ,i verily believe that it has been invented for no other purpose than to mystify4 ,i requested him to give me an explanation of it1 but he made a mystery of it1 and sent me back1 without any further satisfaction1 to demand of the ,jansenists if they would admit this proximate power4 ,having charged my memory with the phrase 7as to my understanding1 that was out of the question71 ,i hastened with all possible expedition1 fearing that ,i might forget it1 to my ,jansenist friend1 and accosted him1 immediately after our first salutations1 with3 8,tell me1 pray1 if you admit the proximate power80 ,he smiled1 and replied1 coldly3 8,tell me yourself in what sense you understand it1 and ,i may then inform you what ,i think of it40 ,as my knowledge did not extend quite so far1 ,i was at a loss what reply to make2 and yet1 rather than lose the object of my visit1 ,i said at random3 8,why1 ,i understand it in the sense of the ,molinists40 8,to which of the ,molinists do you refer me80 replied he1 with the utmost coolness4 ,i referred him to the whole of them together1 as forming one body1 and animated by one spirit4 8,you know very little about the matter10 returned he4 8,so far are they from being united in sentiment1 that some of them are diametrically opposed to each other4 ,but1 being all united in the design to ruin ,m4 ,arnauld1 they have resolved to agree on this term proximate1 which both parties might use indiscriminately1 though they understand it diversely1 that thus1 by a similarity of language1 and an apparent conformity1 they may form a large body1 and get up a majority to crush him with the greater certainty40 ,this reply filled me with amazement2 but without imbibing these impressions of the malicious designs of the ,molinists1 which ,i am unwilling to believe on his word1 and with which ,i have no concern1 ,i set myself simply to ascertain the various senses which they give to that mysterious word proximate4 8,i would enlighten you on the subject with all my heart10 he said2 8but you would discover in it such a mass of contrariety and contradiction1 that you would hardly believe me4 ,you would suspect me4 ,to make sure of the matter1 you had better learn it from some of themselves2 and ,i shall give you some of their addresses4 ,you have only to make a separate visit to one called ,m4 le ,moine1#hh and to ,father ,nicolai40#hi 8,i have no acquaintance with any of these persons10 said ,i4 8,let me see1 then10 he replied1 8if you know any of those whom ,i shall name to you2 they all agree in sentiment with ,m4 le ,moine40 ,i happened1 in fact1 to know some of them4 8,well1 let us see if you are acquainted with any of the ,dominicans whom they call the #8,new ,thomists1'#ij for they are all the same with ,father ,nicolai40 ,i knew some of them also whom he named2 and1 resolved to profit by this counsel1 and to investigate the matter1 ,i took my leave of him1 and went immediately to one of the disciples of ,m4 le ,moine4 ,i begged him to inform me what it was to have the proximate power of doing a thing4 8,it is easy to tell you that10 he replied2 8it is merely to have all that is necessary for doing it in such a manner that nothing is wanting to performance40 8,and so10 said ,i1 8to have the proximate power of crossing a river1 for example1 is to have a boat1 boatmen1 oars1 and all the rest1 so that nothing is wanting80 8,exactly so10 said the monk4 8,and to have the proximate power of seeing10 continued ,i1 8must be to have good eyes and the light of day2 for a person with good sight in the dark would not have the proximate power of seeing1 according to you1 as he would want the light1 without which one cannot see80 8,precisely10 said he4 8,and consequently10 returned ,i1 8when you say that all the righteous have the proximate power of observing the commandments of ,god1 you mean that they have always all the grace necessary for observing them1 so that nothing is wanting to them on the part of ,god40 8,stay there10 he replied2 8they have always all that is necessary for observing the commandments1 or at least for asking it of ,god40 8,i understand you10 said ,i2 8they have all that is necessary for praying to ,god to assist them1 without requiring any new grace from ,god to enable them to pray40 8,you have it now10 he rejoined4 8,but is it not necessary that they have an efficacious grace1 in order to pray to ,god80 8,no10 said he2 8not according to ,m4 le ,moine40 ,to lose no time1 ,i went to the ,jacobins1#ia and requested an interview with some whom ,i knew to be ,new ,thomists1 and ,i begged them to tell me what 8proximate power0 was4 8,is it not10 said ,i1 8that power to which nothing is wanting in order to act80 8,no10 said they4 8,indeed6 fathers10 said ,i2 8if anything is wanting to that power1 do you call it proximate8 ,would you say1 for instance1 that a man in the night time1 and without any light1 had the proximate power of seeing80 8,yes1 indeed1 he would have it1 in our opinion1 if he is not blind40 8,i grant that10 said ,i2 8but ,m4 le ,moine understands it in a different manner40 8,very true10 they replied2 8but so it is that we understand it40 8,i have no objections to that10 ,i said2 8for ,i never quarrel about a name1 provided ,i am apprized of the sense in which it is understood4 ,but ,i perceive from this1 that when you speak of the righteous having always the proximate power of praying to ,god1 you understand that they require another supply for praying1 without which they will never pray40 8,most excellent60 exclaimed the good fathers1 embracing me2 8exactly the thing2 for they must have1 besides1 an efficacious grace bestowed upon all1 and which determines their wills to pray2 and it is heresy to deny the necessity of that efficacious grace in order to pray40 8,most excellent60 cried ,i1 in return2 8but1 according to you1 the ,jansenists are ,catholics1 and ,m4 le ,moine a heretic2 for the ,jansenists maintain that1 while the righteous have power to pray1 they require nevertheless an efficacious grace2 and this is what you approve4 ,m4 le ,moine1 again1 maintains that the righteous may pray without efficacious grace2 and this is what you condemn40 8,ay10 said they2 8but ,m4 le ,moine calls that power proximate power40 8,how now6 fathers10 ,i exclaimed2 8this is merely playing with words1 to say that you are agreed as to the common terms which you employ1 while you differ with them as to the sense of these terms40 ,the fathers made no reply2 and at this juncture1 who should come in but my old friend the disciple of ,m4 le ,moine6 ,i regarded this at the time as an extraordinary piece of good fortune2 but ,i have discovered since then that such meetings are not rare--that1 in fact1 they are constantly mixing in each other's society4#ib 8,i know a man10 said ,i1 addressing myself to ,m4 le ,moine's disciple1 8who holds that all the righteous have always the power of praying to ,god1 but that1 notwithstanding this1 they will never pray without an efficacious grace which determines them1 and which ,god does not always give to all the righteous4 ,is he a heretic80 8,stay10 said the doctor2 8you might take me by surprise4 ,let us go cautiously to work4 ,distinguo4#ic ,if he call that power proximate power1 he will be a ,thomist1 and therefore a ,catholic2 if not1 he will be a ,jansenist1 and therefore a heretic40 8,he calls it neither proximate nor non-proximate10 said ,i4 8,then he is a heretic10 quoth he2 8,i refer you to these good fathers if he is not40 ,i did not appeal to them as judges1 for they had already nodded assent2 but ,i said to them3 8,he refuses to admit that word proximate1 because he can meet with nobody who will explain it to him40 ,upon this one of the fathers was on the point of offering his definition of the term1 when he was interrupted by ,m4 le ,moine's disciple1 who said to him3 8,do you mean1 then1 to renew our broils8 ,have we not agreed not to explain that word proximate1 but to use it on both sides without saying what it signifies80 ,to this the ,jacobin gave his assent4 ,i was thus let into the whole secret of their plot2 and rising to take my leave of them1 ,i remarked3 8,indeed1 fathers1 ,i am much afraid this is nothing better than pure chicanery2 and whatever may be the result of your convocations1 ,i venture to predict that1 though the censure should pass1 peace will not be established4 ,for though it should be decided that the syllables of that word proximate should be pronounced1 who does not see that1 the meaning not being explained1 each of you will be disposed to claim the victory8 ,the ,jacobins will contend that the word is to be understood in their sense2 ,m4 le ,moine will insist that it must be taken in his2 and thus there will be more wrangling about the explanation of the word than about its introduction4 ,for1 after all1 there would be no great danger in adopting it without any sense1 seeing it is through the sense only that it can do any harm4 ,but it would be unworthy of the ,sorbonne and of theology to employ equivocal and captious terms without giving any explanation of them4 ,in short1 fathers1 tell me1 ,i entreat you1 for the last time1 what is necessary to be believed in order to be a good ,catholic80 8,you must say10 they all vociferated simultaneously1 8that all the righteous have the proximate power1 abstracting from it all sense--from the sense of the ,thomists and the sense of other divines40 8,that is to say10 ,i replied1 in taking leave of them1 8that ,i must pronounce that word to avoid being the heretic of a name4 ,for1 pray1 is this a ,scripture word80 8,no10 said they4 8,is it a word of the ,fathers1 the ,councils1 or the ,popes80 8,no40 8,is the word1 then1 used by ,st4 ,thomas80 8,no40 8,what necessity1 therefore1 is there for using it1 since it has neither the authority of others nor any sense of itself80 8,you are an opinionative fellow10 said they2 8but you shall say it1 or you shall be a heretic1 and ,m4 ,arnauld into the bargain2 for we are the majority1 and should it be necessary1 we can bring a sufficient number of ,cordeliers#id into the field to carry the day40 ,on hearing this solid argument1 ,i took my leave of them1 to write you the foregoing account of my interview1 from which you will perceive that the following points remain undisputed and uncondemned by either party4 ,first1 ,that grace is not given to all men4 ,second1 ,that all the righteous have always the power of obeying the divine commandments4 ,third1 ,that they require1 nevertheless1 in order to obey them1 and even to pray1 an efficacious grace1 which invincibly determines their will4 ,fourth1 ,that this efficacious grace is not always granted to all the righteous1 and that it depends on the pure mercy of ,god4 ,so that1 after all1 the truth is safe1 and nothing runs any risk but that word without the sense1 proximate4 ,happy the people who are ignorant of its existence6--happy those who lived before it was born6--for ,i see no help for it1 unless the gentlemen of the ,academy1#ie by an act of absolute authority1 banish that barbarous term1 which causes so many divisions1 from beyond the precincts of the ,sorbonne4 ,unless this be done1 the censure appears certain2 but ,i can easily see that it will do no other harm than diminish the credit#if of the ,sorbonne1 and deprive it of that authority which is so necessary to it on other occasions4 ,meanwhile1 ,i leave you at perfect liberty to hold by the word proximate or not1 just as you please2 for ,i love you too much to persecute you under that pretext4 ,if this account is not displeasing to you1 ,i shall continue to apprize you of all that happens4--,i am1 c4 ----- ,footnote #ha3 ,anthony ,arnauld1 or ,arnaud1 priest and doctor of the ,sorbonne1 was the son of ,anthony ,arnauld1 a famous advocate1 and born at ,paris1 ,february #f1 #afab4 ,he early distinguished himself in philosophy and divinity1 advocating the doctrines of ,augustine and ,port-,royal1 and opposing those of the ,jesuits4 ,the disputes concerning grace which broke out about #afdc in the ,university of ,paris1 served to foment the mutual animosity between ,m4 ,arnauld and the ,jesuits1 who entertained a hereditary feud against the whole family1 from the active part taken by their father against the ,society in the close of the preceding century4 ,in #afee it happened that a certain duke1 who was educating his grand-daughter at ,port-,royal1 the ,jansenist monastery1 and kept a ,jansenist abb in his house1 on presenting himself for confession to a priest under the influence of the ,jesuits1 was refused absolution1 unless he promised to recall his grand-daughter and discard his abb4 ,this produced two letters from ,m4 ,arnauld1 in the second of which he exposed the calumnies and falsities with which the ,jesuits had assailed him in a multitude of pamphlets4 ,this is the letter referred to in the text4 ,footnote #hb3 ,the book which occasioned these disputes was entitled ,augustinus1 and was written by ,cornelius ,jansenius or ,jansen1 bishop of ,ypres1 and published after his death4 ,five propositions1 selected from this work1 were condemned by the pope2 and armed with these1 as with a scourge1 the ,jesuits continued to persecute the ,jansenists till they accomplished their ruin4 ,footnote #hc3 ,and yet 8the question of fact10 which ,pascal professes to treat so lightly1 became the turning point of all the subsequent persecutions directed against the unhappy ,port-,royalists6 ,those who have read the sad tale of the demolition of ,port-,royal1 will recollect with a sigh1 the sufferings inflicted on the poor scholars and pious nuns of that establishment solely on the ground that1 from respect to ,jansenius and to a good conscience they would not subscribe a formulary acknowledging the five propositions to be contained in his book4--7,see ,narrative of the ,demolition of the ,monastery of ,port-,royal1 by ,mary ,anne ,schimmelpenninck p4 #agj1 c47 ,footnote #hd3 ,the ,thomists were so called after ,thomas ,aquinas1 the celebrated 8,angelic ,doctor0 of the schools4 ,he flourished in the thirteenth century1 and was opposed in the following century1 by ,duns ,scotus1 a ,british1 some say a ,scottish1 monk of the order of ,st4 ,francis4 ,this gave rise to a fierce and protracted controversy1 in the course of which the ,franciscans took the side of ,duns ,scotus1 and were called ,scotists2 while the ,dominicans espoused the cause of ,thomas ,aquinas1 and were sometimes called ,thomists4 ,footnote #he3 ,sorbonique--an act or thesis of divinity1 delivered in the hall of the college of the ,sorbonne by candidates for the degree of doctor4 ,footnote #hf3 ,the ,jansenists1 in their dread of being classed with ,lutherans and ,calvinists1 condescended to quibble on this question4 ,in reality1 as we shall see1 they agreed with the ,reformers for they denied that any could actually obey the commandments without efficacious grace4 ,footnote #hg3 ,molinist4 ,the ,jesuits were so called1 in this dispute1 after ,lewis ,molina1 a famous ,jesuit of ,spain1 who published a work1 entitled ,concordia ,grati et ,liberi ,arbitrii1 in which he professed to have found out a new way of reconciling the freedom of the human will with the divine prescience4 ,this new invention was termed ,scientia ,media1 or middle knowledge4 ,all who adopted the sentiments of ,molina1 whether ,jesuits or not1 were termed ,molinists4 ,footnote #hh3 ,pierre le ,moine was a doctor of the ,sorbonne1 whom ,cardinal ,richelieu employed to write against ,jansenius4 ,this ,jesuit was the author of several works which display considerable talent1 though little principle4 ,his book on ,grace was forcibly answered1 and himself somewhat severely handled1 in a work entitled 8,an ,apology for the ,holy ,fathers10 which he suspected to be written by ,arnauld4 ,it was ,le ,moine who1 according to ,nicole1 had the chief share in raising the storm against ,arnauld1 of whom he was the bitter and avowed enemy4 ,footnote #hi3 ,father ,nicolai was a ,dominican--an order of friars who professed to be followers of ,st4 ,thomas4 ,he is here mentioned as a representative of his class2 but ,nicole informs us that he abandoned the principles of his order1 and became a ,molinist1 or an abettor of ,pelagianism4 ,footnote #ij3 ,new ,thomists4 ,it is more difficult to trace or remember the various sects into which the ,roman ,church is divided1 than those of the ,protestant ,church4 ,the ,new ,thomists were the disciples of ,diego ,alvarez1 a theologian of the order of ,st4 ,dominic1 who flourished in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries4 ,he was sent from ,spain to ,rome in #aeif1 to defend the doctrine of grace against ,molina1 and distinguished himself in the ,congregation ,de ,auxiliis4 ,the ,new ,thomists contended for efficacious grace1 but admitted at the same time1 a sufficient grace1 which was given to all1 and yet not sufficient for any actual performance without the efficacious4 ,the ridiculous incongruity of this doctrine is admirably exposed by ,pascal in his second letter4 ,footnote #ia3 ,jacobins1 another name for the ,dominicans in ,france1 where they were so called from the street in ,paris1 ,rue de ,st4 ,jacques1 where their first convent was erected1 in the year #abah4 ,in ,england they were called ,black ,friars4 ,their founder was ,dominick1 a ,spaniard4 ,his mother1 it is said1 dreamt1 before his birth1 that she was to be delivered of a wolf with a torch in his mouth4 ,the augury was realized in the barbarous humor of ,dominick1 and the massacres which he occasioned in various parts of the world1 by preaching up crusades against the heretics4 ,he was the founder of the ,inquisition1 and his order was1 before the ,reformation1 what the ,jesuits were after it--the soul of the ,romish hierarchy1 and the bitterest enemies of the truth4 ,footnote #ib3 ,this is a sly hit at the ,dominicans for combining with their natural enemies the ,jesuits1 in order to accomplish the ruin of ,m4 ,arnauld4 ,footnote #ic3 ,distinguo4 8,i draw a distinction0--a humorous allusion to the endless distinctions of the ,aristotelian school1 in which the writings of the ,casuists abounded1 and by means of which they may be said to have more frequently eluded than elucidated the truth4 ,m4 le ,moine was particularly famous for these distinguos1 frequently introducing three or four of them in succession on one head2 and the disciple in the test is made to echo the favorite phrase of his master4 ,footnote #id3 ,cordeliers1 a designation of the ,franciscans1 or monks of the order of ,st4 ,francis4 ,footnote #ie3 ,the ,royal ,academy1 which compiled the celebrated dictionary of the ,french language1 and was held at that time to be the great umpire in literature4 ,footnote #if3 ,the edition of #afeg had it1 ,rendre la ,sorbonne meprisable--8,render the ,sorbonne contemptible0--an expression much more just1 but which the editors durst not allow to remain in the subsequent editions4 ,,letter ,,ii4 ,,of ,,sufficient ,,grace4 ,,paris1 ,january #bi1 #afef4 ,,sir1--,just as ,i had sealed up my last letter1 ,i received a visit from our old friend ,m4 ,n----4 ,nothing could have happened more luckily for my curiosity2 for he is thoroughly informed in the questions of the day1 and is completely in the secret of the ,jesuits1 at whose houses1 including those of their leading men1 he is a constant visitor4 ,after having talked over the business which brought him to my house1 ,i asked him to state1 in a few words1 what were the points in dispute between the two parties4 ,he immediately complied1 and informed me that the principal points were two--the first about the proximate power1 and the second about sufficient grace4 ,i have enlightened you on the first of these points in my former letter1 and shall now speak of the second4 ,in one word1 then1 ,i found that their difference about sufficient grace may be defined thus3 ,the ,jesuits maintain that there is a grace given generally to all men1 subject in such a way to free-will that the will renders it efficacious or inefficacious at its pleasure1 without any additional aid from ,god1 and without wanting anything on his part in order to acting effectively2 and hence they term this grace sufficient1 because it suffices of itself for action4 ,the ,jansenists1 on the other hand1 will not allow that any grace is actually sufficient which is not also efficacious2 that is1 that all those kinds of grace which do not determine the will to act effectively are insufficient for action2 for they hold that a man can never act without efficacious grace4 ,such are the points in debate between the ,jesuits and the ,jansenists2 and my next object was to ascertain the doctrine of the ,new ,thomists4#ig 8,it is rather an odd one10 he said2 8they agree with the ,jesuits in admitting a sufficient grace given to all men2 but they maintain1 at the same time1 that no man can act with this grace alone1 but that1 in order to this1 he must receive from ,god an efficacious grace which really determines his will to the action1 and which ,god does not grant to all men40 8,so that1 according to this doctrine10 said ,i1 8this grace is sufficient without being sufficient40 8,exactly so10 he replied2 8for if it suffices1 there is no need of anything more for acting2 and if it does not suffice1 why--it is not sufficient40 8,but10 asked ,i1 8where1 then1 is the difference between them and the ,jansenists80 8,they differ in this10 he replied1 8that the ,dominicans have this good qualification1 that they do not refuse to say that all men have the sufficient grace40 8,i understand you10 returned ,i2 8but they say it without thinking it2 for they add that1 in order to action1 we must have an efficacious grace which is not given to all2 consequently1 if they agree with the ,jesuits in the use of a term which has no sense1 they differ from them1 and coincide with the ,jansenists in the substance of the thing40 8,that is very true10 said he4 8,how1 then10 said ,i1 8are the ,jesuits united with them8 and why do they not combat them as well as the ,jansenists1 since they will always find powerful antagonists in these men1 who1 by maintaining the necessity of the efficacious grace which determines the will1 will prevent them from establishing that grace which they hold to be of itself sufficient80 8,the ,dominicans are too powerful10 he replied1 8and the ,jesuits are too politic1 to come to an open rupture with them4 ,the ,society is content with having prevailed on them so far as to admit the name of sufficient grace1 though they understand it in another sense2 by which manuvre they gain this advantage1 that they will make their opinion appear untenable1 as soon as they judge it proper to do so4 ,and this will be no difficult matter2 for1 let it be once granted that all men have the sufficient graces1 nothing can be more natural than to conclude1 that the efficacious grace is not necessary to action--the sufficiency of the general grace precluding the necessity of all others4 ,by saying sufficient we express all that is necessary for action2 and it will serve little purpose for the ,dominicans to exclaim that they attach another sense to the expression2 the people1 accustomed to the common acceptation of that term1 would not even listen to their explanation4 ,thus the ,society gains a sufficient advantage from the expression which has been adopted by the ,dominicans1 without pressing them any further2 and were you but acquainted with what passed under ,popes ,clement ,,viii4 and ,paul ,v41 and knew how the ,society was thwarted by the ,dominicans in the establishment of the sufficient grace1 you would not be surprised to find that it avoids embroiling itself in quarrels with them1 and allows them to hold their own opinion1 provided that of the ,society is left untouched2 and more especially1 when the ,dominicans countenance its doctrine1 by agreeing to employ1 on all public occasions1 the term sufficient grace4 8,the ,society10 he continued1 8is quite satisfied with their complaisance4 ,it does not insist on their denying the necessity of efficacious grace2 this would be urging them too far4 ,people should not tyrannize over their friends2 and the ,jesuits have gained quite enough4 ,the world is content with words2 few think of searching into the nature of things2 and thus the name of sufficient grace being adopted on both sides1 though in different senses1 there is nobody1 except the most subtle theologians1 who ever dreams of doubting that the thing signified by that word is held by the ,jacobins as well as by the ,jesuits2 and the result will show that these last are not the greatest dupes40#ih ,i acknowledged that they were a shrewd class of people1 these ,jesuits2 and1 availing myself of his advice1 ,i went straight to the ,jacobins1 at whose gate ,i found one of my good friends1 a staunch ,jansenist 7for you must know ,i have got friends among all parties71 who was calling for another monk1 different from him whom ,i was in search of4 ,i prevailed on him1 however1 after much entreaty1 to accompany me1 and asked for one of my ,new ,thomists4 ,he was delighted to see me again4 8,how now6 my dear father10 ,i began1 8it seems it is not enough that all men have a proximate power1 with which they can never act with effect2 they must have besides this a sufficient grace1 with which they can act as little4 ,is not that the doctrine of your school80 8,it is10 said the worthy monk2 8and ,i was upholding it this very morning in the ,sorbonne4 ,i spoke on the point during my whole half-hour2 and but for the sand-glass1 ,i bade fair to have reversed that wicked proverb1 now so current in ,paris3 #8,he votes without speaking1 like a monk in the ,sorbonne4'0#ii 8,what do you mean by your half-hour and your sand-glass80 ,i asked2 8do they cut your speeches by a certain measure80 8,yes10 said he1 8they have done so for some days past40 8,and do they oblige you to speak for half an hour80 8,no2 we may speak as little as we please40 8,but not as much as you please10 said ,i4 8,o what a capital regulation for the boobies6 what a blessed excuse for those who have nothing worth the saying6 ,but1 to return to the point1 father2 this grace given to all men is sufficient1 is it not80 8,yes10 said he4 8,and yet it has no effect without efficacious grace80 8,none whatever10 he replied4 8,and all men have the sufficient10 continued ,i1 8and all have not the efficacious80 8,exactly10 said he4 8,that is10 returned ,i1 8all have enough of grace1 and all have not enough of it--that is1 this grace suffices1 though it does not suffice--that is1 it is sufficient in name1 and insufficient in effect6 ,in good sooth1 father1 this is particularly subtle doctrine6 ,have you forgotten1 since you retired to the cloister1 the meaning attached1 in the world you have quitted1 to the word sufficient8--don't you remember that it includes all that is necessary for acting8 ,but no1 you cannot have lost all recollection of it2 for1 to avail myself of an illustration which will come home more vividly to your feelings1 let us suppose that you were supplied with no more than two ounces of bread and a glass of water daily1 would you be quite pleased with your prior were he to tell you that this would be sufficient to support you1 under the pretext that1 along with something else1 which1 however1 he would not give you1 you would have all that would be necessary to support you8 ,how1 then1 can you allow yourselves to say that all men have sufficient grace for acting1 while you admit that there is another grace absolutely necessary to acting which all men have not8 ,is it because this is an unimportant article of belief1 and you leave all men at liberty to believe that efficacious grace is necessary or not1 as they choose8 ,is it a matter of indifference to say1 that with sufficient grace a man may really act80 8,how60 cried the good man2 8indifference6--it is heresy--formal heresy4 ,the necessity of efficacious grace for acting effectively1 is a point of faith--it is heresy to deny it40 8,where are we now80 ,i exclaimed2 8and which side am ,i to take here8 ,if ,i deny the sufficient grace1 ,i am a ,jansenist4 ,if ,i admit it1 as the ,jesuits do1 in the way of denying that efficacious grace is necessary1 ,i shall be a heretic1 say you4 ,and if ,i admit it1 as you do1 in the way of maintaining the necessity of efficacious grace1 ,i sin against common sense1 and am a blockhead1 say the ,jesuits4 ,what must ,i do1 thus reduced to the inevitable necessity of being a blockhead1 a heretic1 or a ,jansenist8 ,and what a sad pass are matters come to1 if there are none but the ,jansenists who avoid coming into collision either with the faith or with reason1 and who save themselves at once from absurdity and from error60 ,my ,jansenist friend took this speech as a good omen1 and already looked upon me as a convert4 ,he said nothing to me1 however2 but1 addressing the monk3 8,pray1 father10 inquired he1 8what is the point on which you agree with the ,jesuits80 8,we agree in this10 he replied1 8that the ,jesuits and we acknowledge the sufficient grace given to all40 8,but10 said the ,jansenist1 8there are two things in this expression sufficient grace--there is the sound1 which is only so much breath2 and there is the thing which it signifies1 which is real and effectual4 ,and1 therefore1 as you are agreed with the ,jesuits in regard to the word sufficient1 and opposed to them as to the sense1 it is apparent that you are opposed to them in regard to the substance of that term1 and that you only agree with them as to the sound4 ,is this what you call acting sincerely and cordially80 8,but10 said the good man1 8what cause have you to complain1 since we deceive nobody by this mode of speaking8 ,in our schools we openly teach that we understand it in a manner different from the ,jesuits40 8,what ,i complain of10 returned my friend1 8is1 that you do not proclaim it everywhere1 that by sufficient grace you understand the grace which is not sufficient4 ,you are bound in conscience1 by thus altering the sense of the ordinary terms of theology1 to tell that1 when you admit a sufficient grace in all men1 you understand that they have not sufficient grace in effect4 ,all classes of persons in the world understand the word sufficient in one and the same sense2 the ,new ,thomists alone understand it in another sense4 ,all the women1 who form one-half of the world1 all courtiers1 all military men1 all magistrates1 all lawyers1 merchants1 artisans1 the whole populace--in short1 all sorts of men1 except the ,dominicans1 understand the word sufficient to express all that is necessary4 ,scarcely any one is aware of this singular exception4 ,it is reported over the whole earth1 simply that the ,dominicans hold that all men have the sufficient graces4 ,what other conclusion can be drawn from this1 than that they hold that all men have all the graces necessary for action2 especially when they are seen joined in interest and intrigue with the ,jesuits1 who understand the thing in that sense8 ,is not the uniformity of your expressions1 viewed in connection with this union of party1 a manifest indication and confirmation of the uniformity of your sentiments8 8,the multitude of the faithful inquire of theologians3 ,what is the real condition of human nature since its corruption8 ,st4 ,augustine and his disciples reply1 that it has no sufficient grace until ,god is pleased to bestow it4 ,next come the ,jesuits1 and they say that all have the effectually sufficient graces4 ,the ,dominicans are consulted on this contrariety of opinion2 and what course do they pursue8 ,they unite with the ,jesuits2 by this coalition they make up a majority2 they secede from those who deny these sufficient graces2 they declare that all men possess them4 ,who1 on hearing this1 would imagine anything else than that they gave their sanction to the opinion of the ,jesuits8 ,and then they add that1 nevertheless1 these said sufficient graces are perfectly useless without the efficacious1 which are not given to all6 8,shall ,i present you with a picture of the ,church amidst these conflicting sentiments8 ,i consider her very like a man who1 leaving his native country on a journey1 is encountered by robbers1 who inflict many wounds on him1 and leave him half dead4 ,he sends for three physicians resident in the neighboring towns4 ,the first1 on probing his wounds1 pronounces them mortal1 and assures him that none but ,god can restore to him his lost powers4 ,the second1 coming after the other1 chooses to flatter the man--tells him that he has still sufficient strength to reach his home2 and1 abusing the first physician who opposed his advice1 determines upon his ruin4 ,in this dilemma1 the poor patient1 observing the third medical gentleman at a distance1 stretches out his hands to him as the person who should determine the controversy4 ,this practitioner1 on examining his wounds1 and ascertaining the opinions of the first two doctors1 embraces that of the second1 and uniting with him1 the two combine against the first1 and being the stronger party in number1 drive him from the field in disgrace4 ,from this proceeding1 the patient naturally concludes that the last comer is of the same opinion with the second2 and1 on putting the question to him1 he assures him most positively that his strength is sufficient for prosecuting his journey4 ,the wounded man1 however1 sensible of his own weakness1 begs him to explain to him how he considered him sufficient for the journey4 #8,because1' replies his adviser1 #8you are still in possession of your legs1 and legs are the organs which naturally suffice for walking4' #8,but1' says the patient1 #8have ,i all the strength necessary to make use of my legs8 for1 in my present weak condition1 it humbly appears to me that they are wholly useless4' #8,certainly you have not1' replies the doctor2 #8you will never walk effectively1 unless ,god vouchsafes some extraordinary assistance to sustain and conduct you4' #8,what6' exclaims the poor man1 #8do you not mean to say that ,i have sufficient strength in me1 so as to want for nothing to walk effectively8' #8,very far from it1' returns the physician4 #8,you must1 then1' says the patient1 #8be of a different opinion from your companion there about my real condition4' #8,i must admit that ,i am1' replies the other4 8,what do you suppose the patient said to this8 ,why1 he complained of the strange conduct and ambiguous terms of this third physician4 ,he censured him for taking part with the second1 to whom he was opposed in sentiment1 and with whom he had only the semblance of agreement1 and for having driven away the first doctor1 with whom he in reality agreed2 and1 after making a trial of his strength1 and finding by experience his actual weakness1 he sent them both about their business1 recalled his first adviser1 put himself under his care1 and having1 by his advice1 implored from ,god the strength of which he confessed his need1 obtained the mercy he sought1 and1 through divine help1 reached his house in peace40 ,the worthy monk was so confounded with this parable that he could not find words to reply4 ,to cheer him up a little1 ,i said to him1 in a mild tone3 8,but1 after all1 my dear father1 what made you think of giving the name of sufficient to a grace which you say it is a point of faith to believe is1 in fact1 insufficient80 8,it is very easy for you to talk about it10 said he4 8,you are an independent and private man2 ,i am a monk1 and in a community--cannot you estimate the difference between the two cases8 ,we depend on superiors2 they depend on others4 ,they have promised our votes--what would you have to become of me80 ,we understood the hint2 and this brought to our recollection the case of his brother monk1 who1 for a similar piece of indiscretion1 has been exiled to ,abbeville4 8,but10 ,i resumed1 8how comes it about that your community is bound to admit this grace80 8,that is another question10 he replied4 8,all that ,i can tell you is1 in one word1 that our order has defended1 to the utmost of its ability1 the doctrine of ,st4 ,thomas on efficacious grace4 ,with what ardor did it oppose1 from the very commencement1 the doctrine of ,molina8 ,how did it labor to establish the necessity of the efficacious grace of ,jesus ,christ8 ,don't you know what happened under ,clement ,,viii4 and ,paul ,v41 and how the former having been prevented by death1 and the latter hindered by some ,italian affairs from publishing his bull1 our arms still sleep in the ,vatican8 ,but the ,jesuits1 availing themselves1 since the introduction of the heresy of ,luther and ,calvin1 of the scanty light which the people possess for discriminating between the error of these men and the truth of the doctrine of ,st4 ,thomas1 disseminated their principles with such rapidity and success1 that they became1 ere long1 masters of the popular belief2 while we1 on our part1 found ourselves in the predicament of being denounced as ,calvinists1 and treated as the ,jansenists are at present1 unless we qualified the efficacious grace with1 at least1 the apparent avowal of a sufficient4#ajj ,in this extremity1 what better course could we have taken for saving the truth1 without losing our own credit1 than by admitting the name of sufficient grace1 while we denied that it was such in effect8 ,such is the real history of the case40 ,this was spoken in such a melancholy tone1 that ,i really began to pity the man2 not so1 however1 my companion4 8,flatter not yourselves10 said he to the monk1 8with having saved the truth2 had she not found other defenders1 in your feeble hands she must have perished4 ,by admitting into the ,church the name of her enemy1 you have admitted the enemy himself4 ,names are inseparable from things4 ,if the term sufficient grace be once established1 it will be vain for you to protest that you understand by it a grace which is not sufficient4 ,your protest will be held inadmissible4 ,your explanation would be scouted as odious in the world1 where men speak more ingenuously about matters of infinitely less moment4 ,the ,jesuits will gain a triumph--it will be their grace1 which is sufficient1 in fact1 and not yours1 which is only so in name1 that will pass as established2 and the converse of your creed will become an article of faith40 8,we will all suffer martyrdom first10 cried the father1 8rather than consent to the establishment of sufficient grace in the sense of the ,jesuits4 ,st4 ,thomas1 whom we have sworn to follow even to the death1 is diametrically opposed to such doctrine40#aja ,to this my friend1 who took up the matter more seriously than ,i did1 replied3 8,come now1 father1 your fraternity has received an honor which it sadly abuses4 ,it abandons that grace which was confided to its care1 and which has never been abandoned since the creation of the world4 ,that victorious grace1 which was waited for by the patriarchs1 predicted by the prophets1 introduced by ,jesus ,christ1 preached by ,st4 ,paul1 explained by ,st4 ,augustine1 the greatest of the fathers1 embraced by his followers1 confirmed by ,st4 ,bernard1 the last of the fathers1#ajb supported by ,st4 ,thomas1 the angel of the schools1#ajc transmitted by him to your order1 maintained by so many of your fathers1 and so nobly defended by your monks under popes ,clement and ,paul--that efficacious grace1 which had been committed as a sacred deposit into your hands1 that it might find1 in a sacred and everlasting order1 a succession of preachers1 who might proclaim it to the end of time--is discarded and deserted for interests the most contemptible4 ,it is high time for other hands to arm in its quarrel4 ,it is time for ,god to raise up intrepid disciples of the ,doctor of grace1#ajd who1 strangers to the entanglements of the world1 will serve ,god for ,god's sake4 ,grace may not1 indeed1 number the ,dominicans among her champions1 but champions she shall never want2 for1 by her own almighty energy1 she creates them for herself4 ,she demands hearts pure and disengaged2 nay1 she herself purifies and disengages them from worldly interests1 incompatible with the truths of the ,gospel4 ,reflect seriously on this1 father2 and take care that ,god does not remove this candlestick from its place1 leaving you in darkness1 and without the crown1 as a punishment for the coldness which you manifest to a cause so important to his ,church40#aje ,he might have gone on in this strain much longer1 for he was kindling as he advanced1 but ,i interrupted him by rising to take my leave1 and said3 8,indeed1 my dear father1 had ,i any influence in ,france1 ,i should have it proclaimed1 by sound of trumpet3 #8,,be ,,it ,,known ,,to ,,all ,,men1 that when the ,jacobins ,,say that sufficient grace is given to all1 they ,,mean that all have not the grace which actually suffices6' ,after which1 you might say it as often as you please1 but not otherwise40 ,and thus ended our visit4 ,you will perceive1 therefore1 that we have here a politic sufficiency somewhat similar to proximate power4 ,meanwhile ,i may tell you1 that it appears to me that both the proximate power and this same sufficient grace may be safely doubted by anybody1 provided he is not a ,jacobin4#ajf ,i have just come to learn1 when closing my letter1 that the censure#ajg has passed4 ,but as ,i do not yet know in what terms it is worded1 and as it will not be published till the #aeth of ,february1 ,i shall delay writing you about it till the next post4--,i am1 c4 ----- ,footnote #ig3 ,the ,dominicans4 ,footnote #ih3 ,et la suite fera voir que ces derniers ne sont pas les plus dupes4 ,this clause1 which appears in the last ,paris edition1 is wanting in the ordinary editions4 ,the following sentence seems to require it4 ,footnote #ii3 ,il opine du bonnet comme un moine en ,sorbonne--literally1 8,he votes with his cap like a monk in the ,sorbonne0--alluding to the custom in that place of taking off the cap when a member was not disposed to speak1 or in token of agreement with the rest4 ,the half-hour sand-glass was a trick of the ,jesuits1 or ,molinist party1 to prevent their opponents from entering closely into the merits of the controversy1 which required frequent references to the fathers4 7,nicole1 i4 #ahd47 ,footnote #ajj3 8,it is certain10 says ,bayle1 8that the obligation which the ,romish ,church is under to respect the doctrine of ,st4 ,augustine on the subject of grace1 in consequence of its having received the sanction of ,popes and ,councils at various times1 placed it in a very awkward and ridiculous situation4 ,it is so obvious to every man who examines the matter without prejudice1 and with the necessary means of information1 that the doctrine of ,augustine and that of ,jansenius are one and the same1 that it is impossible to see1 without feelings of indignation1 the ,court of ,rome boasting of having condemned ,jansenius1 and nevertheless preserving to ,st4 ,augustine all his glory4 ,the two things are utterly irreconcilable4 ,what is more1 the ,council of ,trent1 by condemning the doctrine of ,calvin on free-will1 has1 by necessity1 condemned that of ,st4 ,augustine2 for there is no ,calvinist who has denied1 or who can deny1 the concourse of the human will and the liberty of the soul1 in the sense which ,st4 ,augustine gives to the words concourse1 co-operation1 and liberty4 ,there is no ,calvinist who does not acknowledge the freedom of the will1 and its use in conversion1 if that word is understood according to the ideas of ,st4 ,augustine4 ,those whom the ,council of ,trent condemns do not reject free-will1 except as signifying the liberty of indifference4 ,the ,thomists1 also1 reject it under this notion1 and yet they pass for very good ,catholics40 7,bayle's ,dict41 art4 ,augustine47 ,footnote #aja3 ,it is a singular fact that the ,roman ,church1 which boasts so much of her unity1 and is ever charging the ,reformed with being ,calvinists1 ,lutherans1 c41 is1 in reality1 divided into numerous conflicting sects1 each sworn to uphold the peculiar sentiments of its founder4 ,if there is one principle more essential than another to the ,reformation1 it is that of entire independence of all masters in the faith3 8,nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri40 ,footnote #ajb3 8,the famous ,st4 ,bernard1 abbot of ,clairval1 whose influence throughout all ,europe was incredible--whose word was a law1 and whose counsels were regarded by kings and princes as so many orders to which the most respectful obedience was due2 this eminent ecclesiastic was the person who contributed most to enrich and aggrandize the ,cistercian order40 7,mosh4 ,eccl4 ,hist41 cent4 xii47 ,footnote #ajc3 ,thomas ,aquinas1 a scholastic divine of the thirteenth century1 who was termed the ,angelic ,doctor4 ,footnote #ajd3 ,augustine4 ,footnote #aje3 ,who can help regretting that sentiments so evangelical1 so truly noble1 and so eloquently expressed1 should have been held by ,pascal in connection with a ,church which denounced him as a heretic for upholding them6 ,footnote #ajf3 ,an ironical reflection on the cowardly compromise of the ,jacobins1 or ,dominicans1 for having pledged themselves to the use of the term 8sufficient10 in order to please the ,jesuits4 ,footnote #ajg3 ,the censure of the ,theological ,faculty of the ,sorbonne passed against ,m4 ,arnauld1 and which is fully discussed in ,letter iii4 ,,reply ,,of ,,the 8,,provincial0 ,,to ,,the ,,first ,,two ,,letters ,,of ,,his ,,friend4 ,february #b1 #afef4 ,,sir1--,your two letters have not been confined to me4 ,everybody has seen them1 everybody understands them1 and everybody believes them4 ,they are not only in high repute among theologians--they have proved agreeable to men of the world1 and intelligible even to the ladies4 ,in a communication which ,i lately received from one of the gentlemen of the ,academy--one of the most illustrious names in a society of men who are all illustrious--who had seen only your first letter1 he writes me as follows3 8,i only wish that the ,sorbonne1 which owes so much to the memory of the late cardinal1#ajh would acknowledge the jurisdiction of his ,french ,academy4 ,the author of the letter would be satisfied2 for1 in the capacity of an academician1 ,i would authoritatively condemn1 ,i would banish1 ,i would proscribe--,i had almost said exterminate--to the extent of my power1 this proximate power1 which makes so much noise about nothing1 and without knowing what it would have4 ,the misfortune is1 that our academic #8power' is a very limited and remote power4 ,i am sorry for it2 and still more sorry that my small power cannot discharge me from my obligations to you10 c4 ,my next extract is from the pen of a lady1 whom ,i shall not indicate in any way whatever4 ,she writes thus to a female friend who had transmitted to her the first of your letters3 8,you can have no idea how much ,i am obliged to you for the letter you sent me--it is so very ingenious1 and so nicely written4 ,it narrates1 and yet it is not a narrative2 it clears up the most intricate and involved of all possible matters2 its raillery is exquisite2 it enlightens those who know little about the subject1 and imparts double delight to those who understand it4 ,it is an admirable apology2 and1 if they would so take it1 a delicate and innocent censure4 ,in short1 that letter displays so much art1 so much spirit1 and so much judgment1 that ,i burn with curiosity to know who wrote it10 c4 ,you too1 perhaps1 would like to know who the lady is that writes in this style2 but you must be content to esteem without knowing her2 when you come to know her1 your esteem will be greatly enhanced4 ,take my word for it1 then1 and continue your letters2 and let the censure come when it may1 we are quite prepared for receiving it4 ,these words1 8proximate power10 and 8sufficient grace10 with which we are threatened1 will frighten us no longer4 ,we have learned from the ,jesuits1 the ,jacobins1 and ,m4 le ,moine1 in how many different ways they may be turned1 and how little solidity there is in these new-fangled terms1 to give ourselves any trouble about them4--,meanwhile1 ,i remain1 c4 ----- ,footnote #ajh3 ,the ,cardinal de ,richelieu1 the celebrated founder of the ,french ,academy4 ,the ,sorbonne owed its magnificence to the liberality of this eminent statesman1 who rebuilt its house1 enlarged its revenues1 enriched its library1 and took it under his special patronage4 ,,letter ,,iii4 ,,injustice1 ,,absurdity1 ,,and ,,nullity ,,of ,,the ,,censure ,,on ,m4 ,,arnauld4 ,,paris1 ,february #i1 #afef4 ,,sir1--,i have just received your letter2 and1 at the same time1 there was brought me a copy of the censure in manuscript4 ,i find that ,i am as well treated in the former1 as ,m4 ,arnauld is ill-treated in the latter4 ,i am afraid there is some extravagance in both cases1 and that neither of us is sufficiently well known by our judges4 ,sure ,i am1 that were we better known1 ,m4 ,arnauld would merit the approval of the ,sorbonne1 and ,i the censure of the ,academy4 ,thus our interests are quite at variance with each other4 ,it is his interest to make himself known1 to vindicate his innocence2 whereas it is mine to remain in the dark1 for fear of forfeiting my reputation4 ,prevented1 therefore1 from showing my face1 ,i must devolve on you the task of making my acknowledgments to my illustrious admirers1 while ,i undertake that of furnishing you with the news of the censure4 ,i assure you1 sir1 it has filled me with astonishment4 ,i expected to find it condemning the most shocking heresy in the world1 but your wonder will equal mine1 when informed that these alarming preparations1 when on the point of producing the grand effect anticipated1 have all ended in smoke4 ,to understand the whole affair in a pleasant way1 only recollect1 ,i beseech you1 the strange impressions which1 for a long time past1 we have been taught to form of the ,jansenists4 ,recall to mind the cabals1 the factions1 the errors1 the schisms1 the outrages1 with which they have been so long charged2 the manner in which they have been denounced and vilified from the pulpit and the press2 and the degree to which this torrent of abuse1 so remarkable for its violence and duration1 has swollen of late years1 when they have been openly and publicly accused of being not only heretics and schismatics1 but apostates and infidels--with 8denying the mystery of transubstantiation1 and renouncing ,jesus ,christ and the ,gospel40#aji ,after having published these startling#aaj accusations1 it was resolved to examine their writings1 in order to pronounce judgment on them4 ,for this purpose the second letter of ,m4 ,arnauld1 which was reported to be full of the greatest errors1#aaa is selected4 ,the examiners appointed are his most open and avowed enemies4 ,they employ all their learning to discover something that they might lay hold upon1 and at length they produce one proposition of a doctrinal character1 which they exhibit for censure4 ,what else could any one infer from such proceedings1 than that this proposition1 selected under such remarkable circumstances1 would contain the essence of the blackest heresies imaginable4 ,and yet the proposition so entirely agrees with what is clearly and formally expressed in the passages from the fathers quoted by ,m4 ,arnauld1 that ,i have not met with a single individual who could comprehend the difference between them4 ,still1 however1 it might be imagined that there was a very great difference2 for the passages from the fathers being unquestionably catholic1 the proposition of ,m4 ,arnauld1 if heretical1 must be widely opposed#aab to them4 ,such was the difficulty which the ,sorbonne was expected to clear up4 ,all ,christendom waited1 with wide-opened eyes1 to discover1 in the censure of these learned doctors1 the point of difference which had proved imperceptible to ordinary mortals4 ,meanwhile ,m4 ,arnauld gave in his defences1 placing his own proposition and the passages of the fathers from which he had drawn it in parallel columns1 so as to make the agreement between them apparent to the most obtuse understandings4 ,he shows1 for example1 that ,st4 ,augustine says in one passage1 that 8,jesus ,christ points out to us1 in the person of ,st4 ,peter1 a righteous man warning us by his fall to avoid presumption40 ,he cites another passage from the same father1 in which he says1 8that ,god1 in order to show us that without grace we can do nothing1 left ,st4 ,peter without grace40 ,he produces a third1 from ,st4 ,chrysostom1 who says1 8that the fall of ,st4 ,peter happened1 not through any coldness towards ,jesus ,christ1 but because grace failed him2 and that he fell1 not so much through his own negligence as through the withdrawment of ,god1 as a lesson to the whole ,church1 that without ,god we can do nothing40 ,he then gives his own accused proposition1 which is as follows3 8,the fathers point out to us1 in the person of ,st4 ,peter1 a righteous man to whom that grace without which we can do nothing1 was wanting40 ,in vain did people attempt to discover how it could possibly be1 that ,m4 ,arnauld's expression differed from those of the fathers as much as truth from error1 and faith from heresy4 ,for where was the difference to be found8 ,could it be in these words1 8that the fathers point out to us1 in the person of ,st4 ,peter1 a righteous man80 ,st4 ,augustine has said the same thing in so many words4 ,is it because he says 8that grace had failed him80 ,the same ,st4 ,augustine1 who had said that 8,st4 ,peter was a righteous man10 says 8that he had not had grace on that occasion40 ,is it1 then1 for his having said1 8that without grace we can do nothing80 ,why1 is not this just what ,st4 ,augustine says in the same place1 and what ,st4 ,chrysostom had said before him1 with this difference only1 that he expresses it in much stronger language1 as when he says 8that his fall did not happen through his own coldness or negligence1 but through the failure of grace1 and the withdrawment of ,god80#aac ,such considerations as these kept everybody in a state of breathless suspense1 to learn in what this diversity could consist1 when at length1 after a great many meetings1 this famous and long-looked for censure made its appearance4 ,but1 alas6 it has sadly baulked our expectation4 ,whether it be that the ,molinist doctors would not condescend so far as to enlighten us on the point1 or for some other mysterious reason1 the fact is1 they have done nothing more than pronounce these words3 8,this proposition is rash1 impious1 blasphemous1 accursed1 and heretical60 ,would you believe it1 sir1 that most people1 finding themselves deceived in their expectations1 have got into bad humor1 and begin to fall foul upon the censors themselves8 ,they are drawing strange inferences from their conduct in favor of ,m4 ,arnauld's innocence4 8,what60 they are saying1 8is this all that could be achieved1 during all this time1 by so many doctors joining in a furious attack on one individual8 ,can they find nothing in all his works worthy of reprehension1 but three lines1 and these extracted1 word for word1 from the greatest doctors of the ,greek and ,latin ,churches8 ,is there any author whatever whose writings1 were it intended to ruin him1 would not furnish a more specious pretext for the purpose8 ,and what higher proof could be furnished of the orthodoxy of this illustrious accused8 8,how comes it to pass10 they add1 8that so many denunciations are launched in this censure1 into which they have crowded such terms as #8poison1 pestilence1 horror1 rashness1 impiety1 blasphemy1 abomination1 execration1 anathema1 heresy'--the most dreadful epithets that could be used against ,arius1 or ,antichrist himself2 and all to combat an imperceptible heresy1 and that1 moreover1 without telling us what it is8 ,if it be against the words of the fathers that they inveigh in this style1 where is the faith and tradition8 ,if against ,m4 ,arnauld's proposition1 let them point out the difference between the two2 for we can see nothing but the most perfect harmony between them4 ,as soon as we have discovered the evil of the proposition1 we shall hold it in abhorrence2 but so long as we do not see it1 or rather see nothing in the statement but the sentiments of the holy fathers1 conceived and expressed in their own terms1 how can we possibly regard it with any other feelings than those of holy veneration80 ,such is a specimen of the way in which they are giving vent to their feelings4 ,but these are by far too deep-thinking people4 ,you and ,i1 who make no pretensions to such extraordinary penetration1 may keep ourselves quite easy about the whole affair4 ,what6 would we be wiser than our masters8 ,no3 let us take example from them1 and not undertake what they have not ventured upon4 ,we would be sure to get boggled in such an attempt4 ,why it would be the easiest thing imaginable1 to render this censure itself heretical4 ,truth1 we know1 is so delicate1 that if we make the slightest deviation from it1 we fall into error2 but this alleged error is so extremely fine-spun1 that1 if we diverge from it in the slightest degree1 we fall back upon the truth4 ,there is positively nothing between this obnoxious proposition and the truth but an imperceptible point4 ,the distance between them is so impalpable1 that ,i was in terror lest1 from pure inability to perceive it1 ,i might1 in my over-anxiety to agree with the doctors of the ,sorbonne1 place myself in opposition to the doctors of the ,church4 ,under this apprehension1 ,i judged it expedient to consult one of those who1 through policy1 was neutral on the first question1 that from him ,i might learn the real state of the matter4 ,i have accordingly had an interview with one of the most intelligent of that party1 whom ,i requested to point out to me the difference between the two things1 at the same time frankly owning to him that ,i could see none4 ,he appeared to be amused at my simplicity1 and replied1 with a smile3 8,how simple it is in you to believe that there is any difference6 ,why1 where could it be8 ,do you imagine that1 if they could have found out any discrepancy between ,m4 ,arnauld and the fathers1 they would not have boldly pointed it out1 and been delighted with the opportunity of exposing it before the public1 in whose eyes they are so anxious to depreciate that gentleman80 ,i could easily perceive1 from these few words1 that those who had been neutral on the first question1 would not all prove so on the second2 but anxious to hear his reasons1 ,i asked3 8,why1 then1 have they attacked this unfortunate proposition80 8,is it possible10 he replied1 8you can be ignorant of these two things1 which ,i thought had been known to the veriest tyro in these matters8--that1 on the one hand1 ,m4 ,arnauld has uniformly avoided advancing a single tenet which is not powerfully supported by the tradition of the ,church2 and that1 on the other hand1 his enemies have determined1 cost what it may1 to cut that ground from under him2 and1 accordingly1 that as the writings of the former afforded no handle to the designs of the latter1 they have been obliged1 in order to satiate their revenge1 to seize on some proposition1 it mattered not what1 and to condemn it without telling why or wherefore4 ,do not you know how the ,jansenists keep them in check1 and annoy them so desperately1 that they cannot drop the slightest word against the principles of the fathers without being incontinently overwhelmed with whole volumes1 under the pressure of which they are forced to succumb8 ,so that1 after a great many proofs of their weakness1 they have judged it more to the purpose1 and much less troublesome1 to censure than to reply--it being a much easier matter with them to find monks than reasons40#aad 8,why then10 said ,i1 8if this be the case1 their censure is not worth a straw2 for who will pay any regard to it1 when they see it to be without foundation1 and refuted1 as it no doubt will be1 by the answers given to it80 8,if you knew the temper of people10 replied my friend the doctor1 8you would talk in another sort of way4 ,their censure1 censurable as it is1 will produce nearly all its designed effect for a time2 and although1 by the force of demonstration1 it is certain that1 in course of time1 its invalidity will be made apparent1 it is equally true that1 at first1 it will tell as effectually on the minds of most people as if it had been the most righteous sentence in the world4 ,let it only be cried about the streets3 #8,here you have the censure of ,m4 ,arnauld6--here you have the condemnation of the ,jansenists6' and the ,jesuits will find their account in it4 ,how few will ever read it6 ,how few of them who do read1 will understand it6 ,how few will observe that it answers no objections6 ,how few will take the matter to heart1 or attempt to sift it to the bottom8--,mark then1 how much advantage this gives to the enemies of the ,jansenists4 ,they are sure to make a triumph of it1 though a vain one1 as usual1 for some months at least--and that is a great matter for them--they will look out afterwards for some new means of subsistence4 ,they live from hand to mouth1 sir4 ,it is in this way they have contrived to maintain themselves down to the present day4 ,sometimes it is by a catechism in which a child is made to condemn their opponents2 then it is by a procession1 in which sufficient grace leads the efficacious in triumph2 again it is by a comedy1 in which ,jansenius is represented as carried off by devils2 at another time it is by an almanac2 and now it is by this censure40#aae 8,in good sooth10 said ,i1 8,i was on the point of finding fault with the conduct of the ,molinists2 but after what you have told me1 ,i must say ,i admire their prudence and their policy4 ,i see perfectly well that they could not have followed a safer or more judicious course40 8,you are right10 returned he2 8their safest policy has always been to keep silent2 and this led a certain learned divine to remark1 #8that the cleverest among them are those who intrigue much1 speak little1 and write nothing4' 8,it is on this principle that1 from the commencement of the meetings1 they prudently ordained that1 if ,m4 ,arnauld came into the ,sorbonne1 it must be simply to explain what he believed1 and not to enter the lists of controversy with any one4 ,the examiners having ventured to depart a little from this prudent arrangement1 suffered for their temerity4 ,they found themselves rather too vigorously#aaf refuted by his second apology4 8,on the same principle1 they had recourse to that rare and very novel device of the half-hour and the sand-glass4#aag ,by this means they rid themselves of the importunity of those troublesome doctors1#aah who might undertake to refute all their arguments1 to produce books which might convict them of forgery1 to insist on a reply1 and reduce them to the predicament of having none to give4 8,it is not that they were so blind as not to see that this encroachment on liberty1 which has induced so many doctors to withdraw from the meetings1 would do no good to their censure2 and that the protest of nullity1 taken on this ground by ,m4 ,arnauld before it was concluded1 would be a bad preamble for securing it a favorable reception4 ,they know very well that unprejudiced persons place fully as much weight on the judgment of seventy doctors1 who had nothing to gain by defending ,m4 ,arnauld1 as on that of a hundred others who had nothing to lose by condemning him4 ,but1 upon the whole1 they considered that it would be of vast importance to have a censure1 although it should be the act of a party only in the ,sorbonne1 and not of the whole body2 although it should be carried with little or no freedom of debate1 and obtained by a great many small manuvres not exactly according to order2 although it should give no explanation of the matter in dispute2 although it should not point out in what this heresy consists1 and should say as little as possible about it1 for fear of committing a mistake4 ,this very silence is a mystery in the eyes of the simple2 and the censure will reap this singular advantage from it1 that they may defy the most critical and subtle theologians to find in it a single weak argument4 8,keep yourself easy1 then1 and do not be afraid of being set down as a heretic1 though you should make use of the condemned proposition4 ,it is bad1 ,i assure you1 only as occurring in the second letter of ,m4 ,arnauld4 ,if you will not believe this statement on my word1 ,i refer you to ,m4 le ,moine1 the most zealous of the examiners1 who1 in the course of conversation with a doctor of my acquaintance this very morning1 on being asked by him where lay the point of difference in dispute1 and if one would no longer be allowed to say what the fathers had said before him1 made the following exquisite reply3 #8,this proposition would be orthodox in the mouth of any other--it is only as coming from ,m4 ,arnauld that the ,sorbonne have condemned it6' ,you must now be prepared to admire the machinery of ,molinism1 which can produce such prodigious overturnings in the ,church--that what is catholic in the fathers becomes heretical in ,m4 ,arnauld--that what is heretical in the ,semi-,pelagians becomes orthodox in the writings of the ,jesuits2 the ancient doctrine of ,st4 ,augustine becomes an intolerable innovation1 and new inventions1 daily fabricated before our eyes1 pass for the ancient faith of the ,church40 ,so saying1 he took his leave of me4 ,this information has satisfied my purpose4 ,i gather from it that this same heresy is one of an entirely new species4 ,it is not the sentiments of ,m4 ,arnauld that are heretical2 it is only his person4 ,this is a personal heresy4 ,he is not a heretic for anything he has said or written1 but simply because he is ,m4 ,arnauld4 ,this is all they have to say against him4 ,do what he may1 unless he cease to be1 he will never be a good ,catholic4 ,the grace of ,st4 ,augustine will never be the true grace1 so long as he continues to defend it4 ,it would become so at once1 were he to take it into his head to impugn it4 ,that would be a sure stroke1 and almost the only plan for establishing the truth and demolishing ,molinism2 such is the fatality attending all the opinions which he embraces4 ,let us leave them1 then1 to settle their own differences4 ,these are the disputes of theologians1 not of theology4 ,we1 who are no doctors1 have nothing to do with their quarrels4 ,tell our friends the news of the censure1 and love me while ,i am1 c4#aai ----- ,footnote #aji3 ,the charge of 8denying the mystery of transubstantiation10 certainly did not justly apply to the ,jansenists as such2 these religious devotees denied nothing4 ,their system1 so far as the dogmas of the ,church were concerned1 was one of implicit faith2 but though ,arnauld1 ,nicole1 and the other learned men among them1 stiffly maintained the leading tenets of the ,romish ,church1 in opposition to those of the ,reformers the ,jansenist creed1 as held by their pious followers1 was practically at variance with transubstantiation1 and many other errors of the ,church to which they nominally belonged4 7,mad4 ,schimmelpenninck's ,demolition of ,port-,royal1 pp4 #gg-hj1 c47 ,footnote #aaj3 ,atroces--8atrocious40 7,edit4 #afeg47 ,footnote #aaa3 ,des plus detestables erreurs--8the most detestable errors40 7,edit4 #afeg47 ,erreurs--8errors40 7,nicole's ,edit41 #agfg47 ,footnote #aab3 ,horriblement contraire--8horribly contrary40 7,edit4 #afeg47 ,footnote #aac3 ,the meaning of ,chrysostom is good1 but the expressions of these ancient fathers are often more remarkable for their strength than their precision4 ,the ,protestant reader hardly needs to be reminded1 that if divine grace can be said to have failed the ,apostle ,peter at his fall1 it can only be in the sense of a temporary suspension of its influences2 and that this withdrawment of grace must be regarded as the punishment1 and not as the cause1 of his own negligence4 ,footnote #aad3 ,that is1 they could more readily procure monks to vote against ,m4 ,arnauld1 than arguments to answer him4 ,footnote #aae3 ,the allusions in the text afford curious illustrations of the mode of warfare pursued by the ,jesuits of the seventeenth century4 ,the first refers to a comic catechism1 in which the simple language of childhood was employed as a vehicle for the most calumnious charges against the opponents of the ,society4 ,pascal refers again to this catechism in ,letter xvii4 ,the second device was a sort of school-boy masquerade4 ,a handsome youth1 disguised as a female1 in splendid attire1 and bearing the inscription of sufficient grace1 dragged behind him another dressed as a bishop 7representing ,jansenius1 bishop of ,ypres71 who followed with a rueful visage1 amidst the hootings of the other boys4 ,the comedy referred to was acted in the ,jesuits' college of ,clermont4 ,the almanacs published in ,france at that period being usually embellished with rude cuts for the amusement of the vulgar1 the ,jesuits procured the insertion of a caricature of the ,jansenists1 who were represented as pursued by the pope1 and taking refuge among the ,calvinists4 ,this1 however1 called forth a retaliation1 in the shape of a poem1 entitled 8,the ,prints of the ,famous ,jesuitical ,almanac10 in which the ,jesuits were so successfully held up to ridicule1 that they could hardly show face for some time in the streets of ,paris4 7,nicole1 i4 p4 #bjh47 ,footnote #aaf3 ,vertement--8smartly40 7,edit4 #afeg47 ,footnote #aag3 ,see ,letter ii4 ,footnote #aah3 ,ces docteurs--8those doctors40 7,edit4 #agfg47 ,footnote #aai3 ,in ,nicole's edition1 this letter is signed with the initials 8,e4 ,a4 ,a4 ,b4 ,p4 ,a4 ,f4 ,d4 ,e4 ,p40 which seem merely a chance medley of letters1 to quiz those who were so anxious to discover the author4 ,there may have been an allusion to the absurd story of a ,jansenist conference held1 it was said1 at ,bourg-,fontaine1 in #afba1 to deliberate on ways and means for abolishing ,christianity2 among the persons present at which1 indicated by initials1 ,anthony ,arnauld was ridiculously accused of having been one under the initials ,a4 ,a4 7,see ,bayle's ,dict41 art4 ,ant4 ,arnauld47 ,,letter ,,iv4 ,,on ,,actual ,,grace ,,and ,,sins ,,of ,,ignorance4 ,,paris1 ,february #be1 #afef4 ,,sir1--,nothing can come up to the ,jesuits4 ,i have seen ,jacobins1 doctors1 and all sorts of people in my day1 but such an interview as ,i have just had was wanting to complete my knowledge of mankind4 ,other men are merely copies of them4 ,as things are always found best at the fountainhead1 ,i paid a visit to one of the ablest among them1 in company with my trusty ,jansenist--the same who accompanied me to the ,dominicans4 ,being particularly anxious to learn something of a dispute which they have with the ,jansenists about what they call actual grace1 ,i said to the worthy father that ,i would be much obliged to him if he would instruct me on this point--that ,i did not even know what the term meant1 and would thank him to explain it4 8,with all my heart10 the ,jesuit replied2 8for ,i dearly love inquisitive people4 ,actual grace1 according to our definition1 #8is an inspiration of ,god1 whereby he makes us to know his will1 and excites within us a desire to perform it4'0 8,and where10 said ,i1 8lies your difference with the ,jansenists on this subject80 8,the difference lies here10 he replied2 8we hold that ,god bestows actual grace on all men in every case of temptation2 for we maintain1 that unless a person have1 whenever tempted1 actual grace to keep him from sinning1 his sin1 whatever it may be1 can never be imputed to him4 ,the ,jansenists1 on the other hand1 affirm that sins1 though committed without actual grace1 are1 nevertheless1 imputed2 but they are a pack of fools40 ,i got a glimpse of his meaning2 but1 to obtain from him a fuller explanation1 ,i observed3 8,my dear father1 it is that phrase actual grace that puzzles me2 ,i am quite a stranger to it1 and if you would have the goodness to tell me the same thing over again1 without employing that term1 you would infinitely oblige me40 8,very good10 returned the father2 8that is to say1 you want me to substitute the definition in place of the thing defined2 that makes no alteration on the sense2 ,i have no objections4 ,we maintain it1 then1 as an undeniable principle1 that an action cannot be imputed as a sin1 unless ,god bestow on us1 before committing it1 the knowledge of the evil that is in the action1 and an inspiration inciting us to avoid it4 ,do you understand me now80 ,astonished at such a declaration1 according to which1 no sins of surprise1 nor any of those committed in entire forgetfulness of ,god1 could be imputed1 ,i turned round to my friend the ,jansenist1 and easily discovered from his looks that he was of a different way of thinking4 ,but as he did not utter a word1 ,i said to the monk1 8,i would fain wish1 my dear father1 to think that what you have now said is true1 and that you have good proofs for it40 8,proofs1 say you60 he instantly exclaimed3 8,i shall furnish you with these very soon1 and the very best sort too2 let me alone for that40 ,so saying1 he went in search of his books1 and ,i took this opportunity of asking my friend if there was any other person who talked in this manner8 8,is this so strange to you80 he replied4 8,you may depend upon it that neither the fathers1 nor the popes1 nor councils1 nor ,scripture1 nor any book of devotion1 employ such language2 but if you wish casuists and modern schoolmen1 he will bring you a goodly number of them on his side40 8,o6 but ,i care not a fig about these authors1 if they are contrary to tradition10 ,i said4 8,you are right10 he replied4 ,as he spoke1 the good father entered the room1 laden with books2 and presenting to me the first that came to hand1 8,read that10 he said2 8this is #8,the ,summary of ,sins1' by ,father ,bauny#abj--the fifth edition too1 you see1 which shows that it is a good book40 8,it is a pity1 however10 whispered the ,jansenist in my ear1 8that this same book has been condemned at ,rome1 and by the bishops of ,france40 8,look at page #ijf10 said the father4 ,i did so1 and read as follows3 8,in order to sin and become culpable in the sight of ,god1 it is necessary to know that the thing we wish to do is not good1 or at least to doubt that it is--to fear or to judge that ,god takes no pleasure in the action which we contemplate1 but forbids it2 and in spite of this1 to commit the deed1 leap the fence1 and transgress40 8,this is a good commencement10 ,i remarked4 8,and yet10 said he1 8mark how far envy will carry some people4 ,it was on that very passage that ,m4 ,hallier1 before he became one of our friends1 bantered ,father ,bauny1 by applying to him these words3 ,ecce qui tollit peccata mundi--#8,behold the man that taketh away the sins of the world6'0 8,certainly10 said ,i1 8according to ,father ,bauny1 we may be said to behold a redemption of an entirely new description40 8,would you have a more authentic witness on the point80 added he4 8,here is the book of ,father ,annat4#aba ,it is the last that he wrote against ,m4 ,arnauld4 ,turn up to page #cd1 where there is a dog's ear1 and read the lines which ,i have marked with pencil--they ought to be written in letters of gold40 ,i then read these words3 8,he that has no thought of ,god1 nor of his sins1 nor any apprehension 7that is1 as he explained it1 any knowledge7 of his obligation to exercise the acts of love to ,god or contrition1 has no actual grace for exercising those acts2 but it is equally true that he is guilty of no sin in omitting them1 and that1 if he is damned1 it will not be as a punishment for that omission40 ,and a few lines below1 he adds3 8,the same thing may be said of a culpable commission40 8,you see10 said the monk1 8how he speaks of sins of omission and of commission4 ,nothing escapes him4 ,what say you to that80 8,say60 ,i exclaimed4 8,i am delighted6 ,what a charming train of consequences do ,i discover flowing from this doctrine6 ,i can see the whole results already2 and such mysteries present themselves before me6 ,why1 ,i see more people1 beyond all comparison1 justified by this ignorance and forgetfulness of ,god1 than by grace and the sacraments6#abb ,but1 my dear father1 are you not inspiring me with a delusive joy8 ,are you sure there is nothing here like that sufficiency which suffices not8 ,i am terribly afraid of the ,distinguo2--,i was taken in with that once already6 ,are you quite in earnest80 8,how now60 cried the monk1 beginning to get angry2 8here is no matter for jesting4 ,i assure you there is no such thing as equivocation here40 8,i am not making a jest of it10 said ,i2 8but that is what ,i really dread1 from pure anxiety to find it true40#abc 8,well then10 he said1 8to assure yourself still more of it1 here are the writings of ,m4 le ,moine1#abd who taught the doctrine in a full meeting of the ,sorbonne4 ,he learned it from us1 to be sure2 but he has the merit of having cleared it up most admirably4 ,o how circumstantially he goes to work6 ,he shows that1 in order to make out an action to be a sin1 all these things must have passed through the mind4 ,read1 and weigh every word40--,i then read what ,i now give you in a translation from the original ,latin3 8#a4 ,on the one hand1 ,god sheds abroad on the soul some measure of love1 which gives it a bias toward the thing commanded2 and on the other1 a rebellious concupiscence solicits it in the opposite direction4 #b4 ,god inspires the soul with a knowledge of its own weakness4 #c4 ,god reveals the knowledge of the physician who can heal it4 #d4 ,god inspires it with a desire to be healed4 #e4 ,god inspires a desire to pray and solicit his assistance40 8,and unless all these things occur and pass through the soul10 added the monk1 8the action is not properly a sin1 and cannot be imputed1 as ,m4 le ,moine shows in the same place and in what follows4 ,would you wish to have other authorities for this8 ,here they are40 8,all modern ones1 however10 whispered my ,jansenist friend4 8,so ,i perceive10 said ,i to him aside2 and then1 turning to the monk3 8,o my dear sir10 cried ,i1 8what a blessing this will be to some persons of my acquaintance6 ,i must positively introduce them to you4 ,you have never1 perhaps1 met with people who had fewer sins to account for all your life4 ,for1 in the first place1 they never think of ,god at all2 their vices have got the better of their reason2 they have never known either their weakness or the physician who can cure it2 they have never thought of #8desiring the health of their soul1' and still less of #8praying to ,god to bestow it2' so that1 according to ,m4 le ,moine1 they are still in the state of baptismal innocence4 ,they have #8never had a thought of loving ,god or of being contrite for their sins2' so that1 according to ,father ,annat1 they have never committed sin through the want of charity and penitence4 ,their life is spent in a perpetual round of all sorts of pleasures1 in the course of which they have not been interrupted by the slightest remorse4 ,these excesses had led me to imagine that their perdition was inevitable2 but you1 father1 inform me that these same excesses secure their salvation4 ,blessings on you1 my good father1 for this way of justifying people6 ,others prescribe painful austerities for healing the soul2 but you show that souls which may be thought desperately distempered are in quite good health4 ,what an excellent device for being happy both in this world and in the next6 ,i had always supposed that the less a man thought of ,god1 the more he sinned2 but1 from what ,i see now1 if one could only succeed in bringing himself not to think upon ,god at all1 everything would be pure with him in all time coming4 ,away with your half-and-half sinners1 who retain some sneaking affection for virtue6 ,they will be damned every one of them1 these semi-sinners4 ,but commend me to your arrant sinners--hardened1 unalloyed1 out-and-out1 thorough-bred sinners4 ,hell is no place for them2 they have cheated the devil1 purely by virtue of their devotion to his service60 ,the good father1 who saw very well the connection between these consequences and his principle1 dexterously evaded them2 and maintaining his temper1 either from good nature or policy1 he merely replied3 8,to let you understand how we avoid these inconveniences1 you must know that1 while we affirm that these reprobates to whom you refer would be without sin if they had no thoughts of conversion and no desires to devote themselves to ,god1 we maintain1 that they all actually have such thoughts and desires1 and that ,god never permitted a man to sin without giving him previously a view of the evil which he contemplated1 and a desire1 either to avoid the offence1 or at all events to implore his aid to enable him to avoid it2 and none but ,jansenists will assert the contrary40 8,strange6 father10 returned ,i2 8is this1 then1 the heresy of the ,jansenists1 to deny that every time a man commits a sin1 he is troubled with a remorse of conscience1 in spite of which1 he #8leaps the fence and transgresses1' as ,father ,bauny has it8 ,it is rather too good a joke to be made a heretic for that4 ,i can easily believe that a man may be damned for not having good thoughts2 but it never would have entered my head to imagine that any man could be subjected to that doom for not believing that all mankind must have good thoughts6 ,but1 father1 ,i hold myself bound in conscience to disabuse you1 and to inform you that there are thousands of people who have no such desires--who sin without regret--who sin with delight--who make a boast of sinning4 ,and who ought to know better about these things than yourself8 ,you cannot have failed to have confessed some of those to whom ,i allude2 for it is among persons of high rank that they are most generally to be met with4#abe ,but mark1 father1 the dangerous consequences of your maxim4 ,do you not perceive what effect it may have on those libertines who like nothing better than to find out matter of doubt in religion8 ,what a handle do you give them1 when you assure them1 as an article of faith1 that on every occasion when they commit a sin1 they feel an inward presentiment of the evil1 and a desire to avoid it8 ,is it not obvious that1 feeling convinced by their own experience of the falsity of your doctrine on this point1 which you say is a matter of faith1 they will extend the inference drawn from this to all the other points8 ,they will argue that1 since you are not trust-worthy in one article1 you are to be suspected in them all2 and thus you shut them up to conclude1 either that religion is false1 or that you must know very little about it40 ,here my friend the ,jansenist1 following up my remarks1 said to him3 8,you would do well1 father1 if you wish to preserve your doctrine1 not to explain so precisely as you have done to us1 what you mean by actual grace4 ,for1 how could you1 without forfeiting all credit in the estimation of men1 openly declare that nobody sins without having previously the knowledge of his weakness1 and of a physician1 or the desire of a cure1 and of asking it of ,god8 ,will it be believed1 on your word1 that those who are immersed in avarice1 impurity1 blasphemy1 duelling1 revenge1 robbery and sacrilege1 have really a desire to embrace chastity1 humility1 and the other ,christian virtues8 ,can it be conceived that those philosophers who boasted so loudly of the powers of nature1 knew its infirmity and its physician8 ,will you maintain that those who held it as a settled maxim that #8it is not ,god that bestows virtue1 and that no one ever asked it from him1' would think of asking it for themselves8 ,who can believe that the ,epicureans1 who denied a divine providence1 ever felt any inclination to pray to ,god8--men who said that #8it would be an insult to invoke the ,deity in our necessities1 as if he were capable of wasting a thought on beings like us8' ,in a word1 how can it be imagined that idolaters and ,atheists1 every time they are tempted to the commission of sin1 in other words1 infinitely often during their lives1 have a desire to pray to the true ,god1 of whom they are ignorant1 that he would bestow on them virtues of which they have no conception80 8,yes10 said the worthy monk1 in a resolute tone1 8we will affirm it3 and sooner than allow that any one sins without having the consciousness that he is doing evil1 and the desire of the opposite virtue1 we will maintain that the whole world1 reprobates and infidels included1 have these inspirations and desires in every case of temptation4 ,you cannot show me1 from the ,scripture at least1 that this is not the truth40 ,on this remark ,i struck in1 by exclaiming3 8,what6 father1 must we have recourse to the ,scripture to demonstrate a thing so clear as this8 ,this is not a point of faith1 nor even of reason4 ,it is a matter of fact3 we see it--we know it--we feel it40 ,but the ,jansenist1 keeping the monk to his own terms1 addressed him as follows3 8,if you are willing1 father1 to stand or fall by ,scripture1 ,i am ready to meet you there2 only you must promise to yield to its authority2 and since it is written that #8,god has not revealed his judgments to the ,heathen1 but left them to wander in their own ways1' you must not say that ,god has enlightened those whom the ,sacred ,writings assure us #8he has left in darkness and in the shadow of death4' ,is it not enough to show the erroneousness of your principle1 to find that ,st4 ,paul calls himself #8the chief of sinners1' for a sin which he committed #8ignorantly1 and with zeal8' ,is it not enough to find1 from the ,gospel1 that those who crucified ,jesus ,christ had need of the pardon which he asked for them1 although they knew not the malice of their action1 and would never have committed it1 according to ,st4 ,paul1 if they had known it8 ,is it not enough that ,jesus ,christ apprizes us that there will be persecutors of the ,church1 who1 while making every effort to ruin her1 will #8think that they are doing ,god service2' teaching us that this sin1 which in the judgment of the apostle1 is the greatest of all sins1 may be committed by persons who1 so far from knowing that they were sinning1 would think that they sinned by not committing it8 ,in fine1 is it not enough that ,jesus ,christ himself has taught us that there are two kinds of sinners1 the one of whom sin with #8knowledge of their ,master's will1' and the other without knowledge2 and that both of them will be #8chastised1' although1 indeed1 in a different manner80 ,sorely pressed by so many testimonies from ,scripture1 to which he had appealed1 the worthy monk began to give way2 and1 leaving the wicked to sin without inspiration1 he said3 8,you will not deny that good men1 at least1 never sin unless ,god give them0----8,you are flinching10 said ,i1 interrupting him2 8you are flinching now1 my good father2 you abandon the general principle1 and finding that it will not hold good in regard to the wicked1 you would compound the matter1 by making it apply at least to the righteous4 ,but in this point of view the application of it is1 ,i conceive1 so circumscribed1 that it will hardly apply to anybody1 and it is scarcely worth while to dispute the point40 ,my friend1 however1 who was so ready on the whole question1 that ,i am inclined to think he had studied it all that very morning1 replied3 8,this1 father1 is the last entrenchment to which those of your party who are willing to reason at all are sure to retreat2 but you are far from being safe even here4 ,the example of the saints is not a whit more in your favor4 ,who doubts that they often fall into sins of surprise1 without being conscious of them8 ,do we not learn from the saints themselves how often concupiscence lays hidden snares for them2 and how generally it happens1 as ,st4 ,augustine complains of himself in his ,confessions1 that1 with all their discretion1 they #8give to pleasure what they mean only to give to necessity8' 8,how usual is it to see the more zealous friends of truth betrayed by the heat of controversy into sallies of bitter passion for their personal interests1 while their consciences1 at the time1 bear them no other testimony than that they are acting in this manner purely for the interests of truth1 and they do not discover their mistake till long afterwards6 8,what1 again1 shall we say of those who1 as we learn from examples in ecclesiastical history1 eagerly involve themselves in affairs which are really bad1 because they believe them to be really good2 and yet this does not hinder the fathers from condemning such persons as having sinned on these occasions8 8,and were this not the case1 how could the saints have their secret faults8 ,how could it be true that ,god alone knows the magnitude and the number of our offences2 that no one knows whether he is worthy of hatred or love2 and that the best of saints1 though unconscious of any culpability1 ought always1 as ,st4 ,paul says of himself1 to remain in #8fear and trembling8'#abf 8,you perceive1 then1 father1 that this knowledge of the evil1 and love of the opposite virtue1 which you imagine to be essential to constitute sin1 are equally disproved by the examples of the righteous and of the wicked4 ,in the case of the wicked1 their passion for vice sufficiently testifies that they have no desire for virtue2 and in regard to the righteous1 the love which they bear to virtue plainly shows that they are not always conscious of those sins which1 as the ,scripture teaches1 they are daily committing4 8,so true is it1 indeed1 that the righteous often sin through ignorance1 that the greatest saints rarely sin otherwise4 ,for how can it be supposed that souls so pure1 who avoid with so much care and zeal the least things that can be displeasing to ,god as soon as they discover them1 and who yet sin many times every day1 could possibly have1 every time before they fell into sin1 #8the knowledge of their infirmity on that occasion1 and of their physician1 and the desire of their souls' health1 and of praying to ,god for assistance1' and that1 in spite of these inspirations1 these devoted souls #8nevertheless transgress1' and commit the sin8 8,you must conclude then1 father1 that neither sinners nor yet saints have always that knowledge1 or those desires and inspirations every time they offend2 that is1 to use your own terms1 they have not always actual grace4 ,say no longer1 with your modern authors1 that it is impossible for those to sin who do not know righteousness2 but rather join with ,st4 ,augustine and the ancient fathers in saying that it is impossible not to sin1 when we do not know righteousness3 ,necesse est ut peccet1 a quo ignoratur justitia40 ,the good father1 though thus driven from both of his positions1 did not lose courage1 but after ruminating a little1 8,ha60 he exclaimed1 8,i shall settle you immediately40 ,and again taking up ,father ,bauny1 he pointed to the same place he had before quoted1 exclaiming3 8,look now--see the ground on which he establishes his opinion6 ,i was sure he would not be deficient in good proofs4 ,read what he quotes from ,aristotle1 and you will see that after so express an authority1 you must either burn the books of this prince of philosophers or adopt our opinion4 ,hear1 then1 the principles which support ,father ,bauny3 ,aristotle states first1 #8that an action cannot be imputed as blameworthy1 if it be involuntary4'0 8,i grant that10 said my friend4 8,this is the first time you have agreed together10 said ,i4 8,take my advice1 father1 and proceed no further40 8,that would be doing nothing10 he replied2 8we must know what are the conditions necessary to constitute an action voluntary40 8,i am much afraid10 returned ,i1 8that you will get at loggerheads on that point40 8,no fear of that10 said he2 8this is sure ground--,aristotle is on my side4 ,hear1 now1 what ,father ,bauny says3 #8,in order that an action be voluntary1 it must proceed from a man who perceives1 knows1 and comprehends what is good and what is evil in it4 ,voluntarium est--that is a voluntary action1 as we commonly say with the philosopher' 7that is ,aristotle1 you know1 said the monk1 squeezing my hand27 #8quod fit a principio cognoscente singula in quibus est actio--which is done by a person knowing the particulars of the action2 so that when the will is led inconsiderately1 and without mature reflection1 to embrace or reject1 to do or omit to do anything1 before the understanding has been able to see whether it would be right or wrong1 such an action is neither good nor evil2 because previous to this mental inquisition1 view1 and reflection on the good or bad qualities of the matter in question1 the act by which it is done is not voluntary4' ,are you satisfied now80 said the father4 8,it appears10 returned ,i1 8that ,aristotle agrees with ,father ,bauny2 but that does not prevent me from feeling surprised at this statement4 ,what1 sir6 is it not enough to make an action voluntary that the man knows what he is doing1 and does it just because he chooses to do it8 ,must we suppose1 besides this1 that he #8perceives1 knows1 and comprehends what is good and evil in the action8' ,why1 on this supposition there would be hardly such a thing in nature as voluntary actions1 for nobody almost thinks about all this4 ,how many oaths in gambling--how many excesses in debauchery--how many riotous extravagances in the carnival1 must1 on this principle1 be excluded from the list of voluntary actions1 and consequently neither good nor bad1 because not accompanied by those #8mental reflections on the good and evil qualities' of the action8 ,but is it possible1 father1 that ,aristotle held such a sentiment8 ,i have always understood that he was a sensible man40 8,i shall soon convince you of that10 said the ,jansenist2 and requesting a sight of ,aristotle's ,ethics1 he opened it at the beginning of the third book1 from which ,father ,bauny had taken the passage quoted1 and said to the monk3 8,i excuse you1 my dear sir1 for having believed1 on the word of ,father ,bauny1 that ,aristotle held such a sentiment2 but you would have changed your mind had you read him for yourself4 ,it is true that he teaches1 that #8in order to make an action voluntary1 we must know the particulars of that action'--singula in quibus est actio4 ,but what else does he mean by that1 than the particular circumstances of the action8 ,the examples which he adduces clearly show this to be his meaning1 for they are exclusively confined to cases in which the persons were ignorant of some of the circumstances2 such as that of #8a person who1 wishing to exhibit a machine1 discharges a dart which wounds a bystander2 and that of ,merope1 who killed her own son instead of her enemy1' and such like4 8,thus you see what is the kind of ignorance that renders actions involuntary2 namely1 that of the particular circumstances1 which is termed by divines1 as you must know1 ignorance of the fact4 ,but with respect to ignorance of the right--ignorance of the good or evil in an action--which is the only point in question1 let us see if ,aristotle agrees with ,father ,bauny4 ,here are the words of the philosopher3 #8,all wicked men are ignorant of what they ought to do1 and what they ought to avoid2 and it is this very ignorance which makes them wicked and vicious4 ,accordingly1 a man cannot be said to act involuntarily merely because he is ignorant of what it is proper for him to do in order to fulfil his duty4 ,this ignorance in the choice of good and evil does not make the action involuntary2 it only makes it vicious4 ,the same thing may be affirmed of the man who is ignorant generally of the rules of his duty2 such ignorance is worthy of blame1 not of excuse4 ,and consequently1 the ignorance which renders actions involuntary and excusable is simply that which relates to the fact and its particular circumstances4 ,in this case the person is excused and forgiven1 being considered as having acted contrary to his inclination4' 8,after this1 father1 will you maintain that ,aristotle is of your opinion8 ,and who can help being astonished to find that a ,pagan philosopher had more enlightened views than your doctors1 in a matter so deeply affecting morals1 and the direction of conscience1 too1 as the knowledge of those conditions which render actions voluntary or involuntary1 and which1 accordingly1 charge or discharge them as sinful8 ,look for no more support1 then1 father1 from the prince of philosophers1 and no longer oppose yourselves to the prince of theologians1#abg who has thus decided the point in the first book of his ,retractations1 chapter ,,xv43 #8,those who sin through ignorance1 though they sin without meaning to sin1 commit the deed only because they will commit it4 ,and1 therefore1 even this sin of ignorance cannot be committed except by the will of him who commits it1 though by a will which incites him to the action merely1 and not to the sin2 and yet the action itself is nevertheless sinful1 for it is enough to constitute it such that he has done what he was bound not to do4'0 ,the ,jesuit seemed to be confounded more with the passage from ,aristotle1 ,i thought1 than that from ,st4 ,augustine2 but while he was thinking on what he could reply1 a messenger came to inform him that ,madame la ,mareschale of ----1 and ,madame the ,marchioness of ----1 requested his attendance4 ,so taking a hasty leave of us1 he said3 8,i shall speak about it to our fathers4 ,they will find an answer to it1 ,i warrant you2 we have got some long heads among us40 ,we understood him perfectly well2 and on our being left alone1 ,i expressed to my friend my astonishment at the subversion which this doctrine threatened to the whole system of morals4 ,to this he replied that he was quite astonished at my astonishment4 8,are you not yet aware10 he said1 8that they have gone to far greater excess in morals than in any other matter80 ,he gave me some strange illustrations of this1 promising me more at some future time4 ,the information which ,i may receive on this point1 will1 ,i hope1 furnish the topic of my next communication4--,i am1 c4 ----- ,footnote #abj3 ,etienne ,bauni1 or ,stephen ,bauny1 was a ,french ,jesuit4 ,his 8,summary10 which ,pascal has immortalized by his frequent references to it1 was published in #afcc4 ,it is a large volume1 stuffed with the most detestable doctrines4 ,in #afdb1 the ,general ,assembly of the ,french clergy censured his books on moral theology1 as containing propositions 8leading to licentiousness1 and the corruption of good manners1 violating natural equity1 and excusing blasphemy1 usury1 simony1 and other heinous sins1 as trivial matters40 7,nicole1 i4 #afd47 ,and yet this abominable work was formally defended in the 8,apology for the ,casuists10 written in #afeg1 by ,father ,pirot1 and acknowledged by the ,jesuits as having been written under their direction6 7,nicole1 ,hist4 des ,provinciales1 p4 #cj47 ,footnote #aba3 ,francis ,annat was born in the year #aeij4 ,he was made rector of the ,college of ,toulouse1 and appointed by the ,jesuits their ,french provincial2 and1 while in that situation1 was chosen by ,louis ,,xiv4 as his confessor4 ,his friends have highly extolled his virtues as a man2 and the reader may judge of the value of these eulogiums from the fact1 that he retained his post as the favorite confessor of that licentious monarch1 without interruption1 till deafness prevented him from listening any longer to the confessions of his royal penitent4 7,bayle1 art4 ,annat47 ,they have also extolled his answer to the ,provincial ,letters1 in his 8,bonne ,foy des ,jansenistes10 in which he professed to expose the falsity of the quotations made from the ,casuists1 with what success1 appears from the ,notes of ,nicole1 who has completely vindicated ,pascal from the unfounded charges which the ,jesuits have reiterated on this point4 7,notes ,preliminaires1 vol4 i4 p4 #bef1 c42 ,entretiens de ,cleandre et ,eudoxe1 p4 #gi47 ,footnote #abb3 ,when ,madame du ,valois1 a lady of birth and high accomplishments1 one of the nuns of ,port-,royal1 among other trials by which she was harassed and tormented for not signing the formulary condemning ,jansenius1 was threatened with being deprived of the benefit of the sacraments at the hour of death1 she replied3 8,if1 at the awful hour of death1 ,i should be deprived of those assistances which the ,church grants to all her children1 then ,god himself will1 by his grace1 immediately and abundantly supply their instrumentality4 ,i know1 indeed1 that it is most painful to approach the awful hour of death without an outward participation in the sacraments2 but it is better dying to enter into heaven1 though without the sacraments1 for the cause of truth1 than1 receiving the sacraments1 to be cited to irrevocable judgment for committing perjury40 7,narrative of ,dem4 of ,port-,royal1 p4 #agf47 ,footnote #abc3 ,will it be believed that the ,jesuits actually had the consummate hypocrisy to pretend that ,pascal meant to throw ridicule on the grace of ,god1 while he was merely exposing to merited contempt their own perversions of the doctrine8 ,footnote #abd3 ,see before1 page #gj4 ,footnote #abe3 ,the ,jesuits were notorious for the assiduity with which they sought admission into the families1 and courted the confidence of the great1 with whom1 from the laxness of their discipline and morality1 as well as from their superior manners and accomplishments1 they were1 as they still are1 the favorite confessors4 ,they have a maxim among their secret instructions1 that in dealing with the consciences of the great1 the confessor must be guided by the looser sort of opinions4 ,the author of the ,theatre ,jesuitique illustrates this by an anecdote4 ,a rich gentleman falling sick1 confessed himself to a ,jesuit1 and among other sins acknowledged an illicit intercourse with a lady1 whose portrait1 thinking himself dying1 he gave with many expressions of remorse1 to his confessor4 ,the gentleman1 however1 recovered1 and with returning health a salutary change was effected on his character4 ,the ,jesuit1 finding himself forgotten1 paid a visit to his former penitent1 and gave him back the portrait1 which renewed all his former passion1 and soon brought him again to the feet of his confessor6 ,footnote #abf3 8,the doubtsome faith of the pope10 as it was styled by our ,reformers1 is here lamentably apparent4 ,the 8fear and trembling0 of the apostle were those of anxious care and diligence1 not of doubt or apprehension4 ,the ,church of ,rome1 with all her pretensions to be regarded as the only safe and infallible guide to salvation1 keeps her children in darkness and doubt on this point to the last moment of life2 they are never permitted to reach the peaceful assurance of ,god's love and the humble hope of eternal life which the ,gospel warrants the believer to cherish2 and this1 while it serves to keep the superstitious multitude under the sway of priestly domination1 accounts for the gloom which has characterized1 in all ages1 the devotion of the best and most intelligent ,romanists4 ,footnote #abg3 ,augustine4 ,,letter ,v4 ,,design ,,of ,,the ,,jesuits ,,in ,,establishing ,a ,,new ,,system ,,of ,,morals--,,two ,,sorts ,,of ,,casuists ,,among ,,them1 ,a ,,great ,,many ,,lax1 ,,and ,,some ,,severe ,,ones--,,reason ,,of ,,this ,,difference--,,explanation ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,probability--,a ,,multitude ,,of ,,modern ,,and ,,unknown ,,authors ,,substituted ,,in ,,the ,,place ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,fathers4 ,,paris1 ,march #bj1 #afef4 ,,sir1--,according to my promise1 ,i now send you the first outlines of the morals taught by those good fathers the ,jesuits--8those men distinguished for learning and sagacity1 who are all under the guidance of divine wisdom--a surer guide than all philosophy40 ,you imagine1 perhaps1 that ,i am in jest1 but ,i am perfectly serious2 or rather1 they are so when they speak thus of themselves in their book entitled 8,the ,image of the ,first ,century40#abh ,i am only copying their own words1 and may now give you the rest of the eulogy3 8,they are a society of men1 or rather let us call them angels1 predicted by ,isaiah in these words1 #8,go1 ye swift and ready angels4'0#abi ,the prediction is as clear as day1 is it not8 8,they have the spirit of eagles2 they are a flock of phnixes 7a late author having demonstrated that there are a great many of these birds72 they have changed the face of ,christendom60 ,of course1 we must believe all this1 since they have said it2 and in one sense you will find the account amply verified by the sequel of this communication1 in which ,i propose to treat of their maxims4 ,determined to obtain the best possible information1 ,i did not trust to the representations of our friend the ,jansenist1 but sought an interview with some of themselves4 ,i found1 however1 that he told me nothing but the bare truth1 and ,i am persuaded he is an honest man4 ,of this you may judge from the following account of these conferences4 ,in the conversation ,i had with the ,jansenist1 he told me so many strange things about these fathers1 that ,i could with difficulty believe them1 till he pointed them out to me in their writings2 after which he left me nothing more to say in their defence1 than that these might be the sentiments of some individuals only1 which it was not fair to impute to the whole fraternity4#acj ,and1 indeed1 ,i assured him that ,i knew some of them who were as severe as those whom he quoted to me were lax4 ,this led him to explain to me the spirit of the ,society1 which is not known to every one2 and you will perhaps have no objections to learn something about it4 8,you imagine10 he began1 8that it would tell considerably in their favor to show that some of their fathers are as friendly to ,evangelical maxims as others are opposed to them2 and you would conclude from that circumstance1 that these loose opinions do not belong to the whole ,society4 ,that ,i grant you2 for had such been the case1 they would not have suffered persons among them holding sentiments so diametrically opposed to licentiousness4 ,but as it is equally true that there are among them those who hold these licentious doctrines1 you are bound also to conclude that the ,spirit of the ,society is not that of ,christian severity2 for had such been the case1 they would not have suffered persons among them holding sentiments so diametrically opposed to that severity40 8,and what1 then10 ,i asked1 8can be the design of the whole as a body8 ,perhaps they have no fixed principle1 and every one is left to speak out at random whatever he thinks40 8,that cannot be10 returned my friend2 8such an immense body could not subsist in such a hap-hazard sort of way1 or without a soul to govern and regulate its movements2 besides1 it is one of their express regulations1 that none shall print a page without the approval of their superiors40 8,but10 said ,i1 8how can these same superiors give their consent to maxims so contradictory80 8,that is what you have yet to learn10 he replied4 8,know1 then1 that their object is not the corruption of manners--that is not their design4 ,but as little is it their sole aim to reform them--that would be bad policy4 ,their idea is briefly this3 ,they have such a good opinion of themselves as to believe that it is useful1 and in some sort essentially necessary to the good of religion1 that their influence should extend everywhere1 and that they should govern all consciences4 ,and the ,evangelical or severe maxims being best fitted for managing some sorts of people1 they avail themselves of these when they find them favorable to their purpose4 ,but as these maxims do not suit the views of the great bulk of people1 they wave them in the case of such persons1 in order to keep on good terms with all the world4 ,accordingly1 having to deal with persons of all classes and of all different nations1 they find it necessary to have casuists cut out to match this diversity4 8,on this principle1 you will easily see that if they had none but the looser sort of casuists1 they would defeat their main design1 which is to embrace all2 for those that are truly pious are fond of a stricter discipline4 ,but as there are not many of that stamp1 they do not require many severe directors to guide them4 ,they have a few for the select few2 while whole multitudes of lax casuists are provided for the multitudes that prefer laxity4#aca 8,it is in virtue of this #8obliging and accommodating' conduct1 as ,father ,petau#acb calls it1 that they may be said to stretch out a helping hand to all mankind4 ,should any person present himself before them1 for example1 fully resolved to make restitution of some ill-gotten gains1 do not suppose that they would dissuade him from it4 ,by no means2 on the contrary1 they will applaud and confirm him in such a holy resolution4 ,but suppose another should come who wishes to be absolved without restitution1 and it will be a particularly hard case indeed1 if they cannot furnish him with means of evading the duty1 of one kind or another1 the lawfulness of which they will be ready to guarantee4 8,by this policy they keep all their friends1 and defend themselves against all their foes2 for1 when charged with extreme laxity1 they have nothing more to do than produce their austere directors1 with some books which they have written on the severity of the ,christian code of morals2 and simple people1 or those who never look below the surface of things1 are quite satisfied with these proofs of the falsity of the accusation4 8,thus are they prepared for all sorts of persons1 and so ready are they to suit the supply to the demand1 that when they happen to be in any part of the world where the doctrine of a crucified ,god is accounted foolishness1 they suppress the offence of the cross1 and preach only a glorious and not a suffering ,jesus ,christ4 ,this plan they followed in the ,indies and in ,china1 where they permitted ,christians to practise idolatry itself1 with the aid of the following ingenious contrivance3--they made their converts conceal under their clothes an image of ,jesus ,christ1 to which they taught them to transfer mentally those adorations which they rendered ostensibly to the idol ,cachinchoam and ,keum-fucum4 ,this charge is brought against them by ,gravina1 a ,dominican1 and is fully established by the ,spanish memorial presented to ,philip ,,iv41 king of ,spain1 by the ,cordeliers of the ,philippine ,islands1 quoted by ,thomas ,hurtado1 in his #8,martyrdom of the ,faith1' page #dbg4 ,to such a length did this practice go1 that the ,congregation ,de ,propaganda were obliged expressly to forbid the ,jesuits1 on pain of excommunication1 to permit the worship of idols on any pretext whatever1 or to conceal the mystery of the cross from their catechumens2 strictly enjoining them to admit none to baptism who were not thus instructed1 and ordering them to expose the image of the crucifix in their churches3--all which is amply detailed in the decree of that ,congregation1 dated the #ith of ,july1 #afdf1 and signed by ,cardinal ,capponi4#acc 8,such is the manner in which they have spread themselves over the whole earth1 aided by the doctrine of probable opinions1 which is at once the source and the basis of all this licentiousness4 ,you must get some of themselves to explain this doctrine to you4 ,they make no secret of it1 any more than of what you have already learned2 with this difference only1 that they conceal their carnal and worldly policy under the garb of divine and ,christian prudence2 as if the faith1 and tradition its ally1 were not always one and the same at all times and in all places2 as if it were the part of the rule to bend in conformity to the subject which it was meant to regulate2 and as if souls1 to be purified from their pollutions1 had only to corrupt the law of the ,lord1 in place of #8the law of the ,lord1 which is clean and pure1 converting the soul which lieth in sin1' and bringing it into conformity with its salutary lessons6 8,go and see some of these worthy fathers1 ,i beseech you1 and ,i am confident that you will soon discover1 in the laxity of their moral system1 the explanation of their doctrine about grace4 ,you will then see the ,christian virtues exhibited in such a strange aspect1 so completely stripped of the charity which is the life and soul of them--you will see so many crimes palliated and irregularities tolerated1 that you will no longer be surprised at their maintaining that #8all men have always enough of grace' to lead a pious life1 in the sense in which they understand piety4 ,their morality being entirely ,pagan1 nature is quite competent to its observance4 ,when we maintain the necessity of efficacious grace1 we assign it another sort of virtue for its object4 ,its office is not to cure one vice by means of another2 it is not merely to induce men to practise the external duties of religion3 it aims at a virtue higher than that propounded by ,pharisees1 or the greatest sages of ,heathenism4 ,the law and reason are #8sufficient graces' for these purposes4 ,but to disenthral the soul from the love of the world--to tear it from what it holds most dear--to make it die to itself--to lift it up and bind it wholly1 only1 and forever1 to ,god--can be the work of none but an all-powerful hand4 ,and it would be as absurd to affirm that we have the full power of achieving such objects1 as it would be to allege that those virtues1 devoid of the love of ,god1 which these fathers confound with the virtues of ,christianity1 are beyond our power40 ,such was the strain of my friend's discourse1 which was delivered with much feeling2 for he takes these sad disorders very much to heart4 ,for my own part1 ,i began to entertain a high admiration of these fathers1 simply on account of the ingenuity of their policy2 and following his advice1 ,i waited on a good casuist of the ,society1 one of my old acquaintances1 with whom ,i now resolved purposely to renew my former intimacy4 ,having my instructions how to manage them1 ,i had no great difficulty in getting him afloat4 ,retaining his old attachment1 he received me immediately with a profusion of kindness2 and after talking over some indifferent matters1 ,i took occasion from the present season1#acd to learn something from him about fasting1 and thus slip insensibly into the main subject4 ,i told him1 therefore1 that ,i had difficulty in supporting the fast4 ,he exhorted me to do violence to my inclinations2 but as ,i continued to murmur1 he took pity on me1 and began to search out some ground for a dispensation4 ,in fact he suggested a number of excuses for me1 none of which happened to suit my case1 till at length he bethought himself of asking me1 whether ,i did not find it difficult to sleep without taking supper8 8,yes1 my good father10 said ,i2 8and for that reason ,i am obliged often to take a refreshment at mid-day1 and supper at night40#ace 8,i am extremely happy10 he replied1 8to have found out a way of relieving you without sin3 go in peace--you are under no obligation to fast4 ,however1 ,i would not have you depend on my word3 step this way to the library40 ,on going thither with him he took up a book1 exclaiming1 with great rapture1 8,here is the authority for you3 and1 by my conscience1 such an authority6 ,it is ,,escobar60#acf 8,who is ,escobar80 ,i inquired4 8,what6 not know ,escobar80 cried the monk2 8the member of our ,society who compiled this ,moral ,theology from twenty-four of our fathers1 and on this founds an analogy1 in his preface1 between his book and #8that in the ,apocalypse which was sealed with seven seals1' and states that #8,jesus presents it thus sealed to the four living creatures1 ,suarez1 ,vasquez1 ,molina1 and ,valencia1#acg in presence of the four-and-twenty ,jesuits who represent the four-and-twenty elders8'0 ,he read me1 in fact1 the whole of that allegory1 which he pronounced to be admirably appropriate1 and which conveyed to my mind a sublime idea of the excellence of the work4 ,at length1 having sought out the passage on fasting1 8,o here it is60 he said2 8treatise #a1 example #ac1 no4 #fg3 #8,if a man cannot sleep without taking supper1 is he bound to fast8 ,answer3 ,by no means6' ,will that not satisfy you80 8,not exactly10 replied ,i2 8for ,i might sustain the fast by taking my refreshment in the morning1 and supping at night40 8,listen1 then1 to what follows2 they have provided for all that3 #8,and what is to be said1 if the person might make a shift with a refreshment in the morning and supping at night8'0 8,that's my case exactly40 8#8,answer3 ,still he is not obliged to fast2 because no person is obliged to change the order of his meals4'0 8,a most excellent reason60 ,i exclaimed4 8,but tell me1 pray10 continued the monk1 8do you take much wine80 8,no1 my dear father10 ,i answered2 8,i cannot endure it40 8,i merely put the question10 returned he1 8to apprize you that you might1 without breaking the fast1 take a glass or so in the morning1 or whenever you felt inclined for a drop2 and that is always something in the way of supporting nature4 ,here is the decision at the same place1 no4 #eg3 #8,may one1 without breaking the fast1 drink wine at any hour he pleases1 and even in a large quantity8 ,yes1 he may3 and a dram of hippocrass too4'#ach ,i had no recollection of the hippocrass10 said the monk2 8,i must take a note of that in my memorandum-book40 8,he must be a nice man1 this ,escobar10 observed ,i4 8,oh6 everybody likes him10 rejoined the father2 8he has such delightful questions6 ,only observe this one in the same place1 no4 #ch3 #8,if a man doubt whether he is twenty-one years old1 is he obliged to fast8#aci ,no4 ,but suppose ,i were to be twenty-one to-night an hour after midnight1 and to-morrow were the fast1 would ,i be obliged to fast to-morrow8 ,no2 for you were at liberty to eat as much as you pleased for an hour after midnight1 not being till then fully twenty-one2 and therefore having a right to break the fast-day1 you are not obliged to keep it4'0 8,well1 that is vastly entertaining60 cried ,i4 8,oh10 rejoined the father1 8it is impossible to tear one's self away from the book3 ,i spend whole days and nights in reading it2 in fact1 ,i do nothing else40 ,the worthy monk1 perceiving that ,i was interested1 was quite delighted1 and went on with his quotations4 8,now10 said he1 8for a taste of ,filiutius1 one of the four-and-twenty ,jesuits3 #8,is a man who has exhausted himself any way--by profligacy1 for example#adj--obliged to fast8 ,by no means4 ,but if he has exhausted himself expressly to procure a dispensation from fasting1 will he be held obliged8 ,he will not1 even though he should have had that design4' ,there now6 would you have believed that80 8,indeed1 good father1 ,i do not believe it yet10 said ,i4 8,what6 is it no sin for a man not to fast when he has it in his power8 ,and is it allowable to court occasions of committing sin1 or rather1 are we not bound to shun them8 ,that would be easy enough1 surely40 8,not always so10 he replied2 8that is just as it may happen40 8,happen1 how80 cried ,i4 8,oho60 rejoined the monk1 8so you think that if a person experience some inconvenience in avoiding the occasions of sin1 he is still bound to do so8 ,not so thinks ,father ,bauny4 #8,absolution1' says he1 #8is not to be refused to such as continue in the proximate occasions of sin1#ada if they are so situated that they cannot give them up without becoming the common talk of the world1 or subjecting themselves to personal inconvenience4'0 8,i am glad to hear it1 father10 ,i remarked2 8and now that we are not obliged to avoid the occasions of sin1 nothing more remains but to say that we may deliberately court them40 8,even that is occasionally permitted10 added he2 8the celebrated casuist ,basil ,ponce has said so1 and ,father ,bauny quotes his sentiment with approbation1 in his ,treatise on ,penance1 as follows3 #8,we may seek an occasion of sin directly and designedly--primo et per se--when our own or our neighbor's spiritual or temporal advantage induces us to do so4'0 8,truly10 said ,i1 8it appears to be all a dream to me1 when ,i hear grave divines talking in this manner6 ,come now1 my dear father1 tell me conscientiously1 do you hold such a sentiment as that80 8,no1 indeed10 said he1 8,i do not40 8,you are speaking1 then1 against your conscience10 continued ,i4 8,not at all10 he replied2 8,i was speaking on that point not according to my own conscience1 but according to that of ,ponce and ,father ,bauny1 and them you may follow with the utmost safety1 for ,i assure you that they are able men40 8,what1 father6 because they have put down these three lines in their books1 will it therefore become allowable to court the occasions of sin8 ,i always thought that we were bound to take the ,scripture and the tradition of the ,church as our only rule1 and not your casuists40 8,goodness60 cried the monk1 8,i declare you put me in mind of these ,jansenists4 ,think you that ,father ,bauny and ,basil ,ponce are not able to render their opinion probable80 8,probable won't do for me10 said ,i2 8,i must have certainty40 8,i can easily see10 replied the good father1 8that you know nothing about our doctrine of probable opinions4 ,if you did1 you would speak in another strain4 ,ah6 my dear sir1 ,i must really give you some instructions on this point2 without knowing this1 positively you can understand nothing at all4 ,it is the foundation--the very ,a1 ,b1 ,c1 of our whole moral philosophy40 ,glad to see him come to the point to which ,i had been drawing him on1 ,i expressed my satisfaction1 and requested him to explain what was meant by a probable opinion8#adb 8,that10 he replied1 8our authors will answer better than ,i can do4 ,the generality of them1 and1 among others1 our four-and-twenty elders1 describe it thus3 #8,an opinion is called probable1 when it is founded upon reasons of some consideration4 ,hence it may sometimes happen that a single very grave doctor may render an opinion probable4' ,the reason is added3 #8,for a man particularly given to study would not adhere to an opinion unless he was drawn to it by a good and sufficient reason4'0 8,so it would appear10 ,i observed1 with a smile1 8that a single doctor may turn consciences round about and upside down as he pleases1 and yet always land them in a safe position40 8,you must not laugh at it1 sir10 returned the monk2 8nor need you attempt to combat the doctrine4 ,the ,jansenists tried this2 but they might have saved themselves the trouble--it is too firmly established4 ,hear ,sanchez1 one of the most famous of our fathers3 #8,you may doubt1 perhaps1 whether the authority of a single good and learned doctor renders an opinion probable4 ,i answer1 that it does2 and this is confirmed by ,angelus1 ,sylvester ,navarre1 ,emanuel ,sa1 c4 ,it is proved thus3 ,a probable opinion is one that has a considerable foundation4 ,now the authority of a learned and pious man is entitled to very great consideration2 because 7mark the reason71 if the testimony of such a man has great influence in convincing us that such and such an event occurred1 say at ,rome1 for example1 why should it not have the same weight in the case of a question in morals8'0 8,an odd comparison this10 interrupted ,i1 8between the concerns of the world and those of conscience60 8,have a little patience10 rejoined the monk2 8,sanchez answers that in the very next sentence3 #8,nor can ,i assent to the qualification made here by some writers1 namely1 that the authority of such a doctor1 though sufficient in matters of human right1 is not so in those of divine right4 ,it is of vast weight in both cases4'0 8,well1 father10 said ,i1 frankly1 8,i really cannot admire that rule4 ,who can assure me1 considering the freedom your doctors claim to examine everything by reason1 that what appears safe to one may seem so to all the rest8 ,the diversity of judgments is so great0-- 8,you don't understand it10 said he1 interrupting me2 8no doubt they are often of different sentiments1 but what signifies that8--each renders his own opinion probable and safe4 ,we all know well enough that they are far from being of the same mind2 what is more1 there is hardly an instance in which they ever agree4 ,there are very few questions1 indeed1 in which you do not find the one saying ,yes1 and the other saying ,no4 ,still1 in all these cases1 each of the contrary opinions is probable4 ,and hence ,diana says on a certain subject3 #8,ponce and ,sanchez hold opposite views of it2 but1 as they are both learned men1 each renders his own opinion probable4'0 8,but1 father10 ,i remarked1 8a person must be sadly embarrassed in choosing between them60--8,not at all10 he rejoined2 8he has only to follow the opinion which suits him best40--8,what6 if the other is more probable80 8,it does not signify40--8,and if the other is the safer80 8,it does not signify10 repeated the monk2 8this is made quite plain by ,emanuel ,sa1 of our ,society1 in his ,aphorisms3 #8,a person may do what he considers allowable according to a probable opinion1 though the contrary may be the safer one4 ,the opinion of a single grave doctor is all that is requisite4'0 8,and if an opinion be at once the less probable and the less safe1 is it allowable to follow it10 ,i asked1 8even in the way of rejecting one which we believe to be more probable and safe80 8,once more1 ,i say ,yes10 replied the monk4 8,hear what ,filiutius1 that great ,jesuit of ,rome1 says3 #8,it is allowable to follow the less probable opinion1 even though it be the less safe one4 ,that is the common judgment of modern authors4' ,is not that quite clear80 8,well1 reverend father10 said ,i1 8you have given us elbow-room1 at all events6 ,thanks to your probable opinions1 we have got liberty of conscience with a witness6 ,and are you casuists allowed the same latitude in giving your responses80 8,o yes10 said he1 8we answer just as we please2 or rather1 ,i should say1 just as it may please those who ask our advice4 ,here are our rules1 taken from ,fathers ,layman1 ,vasquez1 ,sanchez1 and the four-and-twenty worthies1 in the words of ,layman3 #8,a doctor1 on being consulted1 may give an advice1 not only probable according to his own opinion1 but contrary to his opinion1 provided this judgment happens to be more favorable or more agreeable to the person that consults him--si forte hc favorabilior seu exoptatior sit4 ,nay1 ,i go further1 and say1 that there would be nothing unreasonable in his giving those who consult him a judgment held to be probable by some learned person1 even though he should be satisfied in his own mind that it is absolutely false4'0 8,well1 seriously1 father10 ,i said1 8your doctrine is a most uncommonly comfortable one6 ,only think of being allowed to answer ,yes or ,no1 just as you please6 ,it is impossible to prize such a privilege too highly4 ,i see now the advantage of the contrary opinions of your doctors4 ,one of them always serves your turn1 and the other never gives you any annoyance4 ,if you do not find your account on the one side1 you fall back on the other1 and always land in perfect safety40 8,that is quite true10 he replied2 8and accordingly1 we may always say with ,diana1 on his finding that ,father ,bauny was on his side1 while ,father ,lugo was against him3 ,spe premente deo1 fert deus alter opem40#adc 8,i understand you10 resumed ,i2 8but a practical difficulty has just occurred to me1 which is this1 that supposing a person to have consulted one of your doctors1 and obtained from him a pretty liberal opinion1 there is some danger of his getting into a scrape by meeting a confessor who takes a different view of the matter1 and refuses him absolution unless he recant the sentiment of the casuist4 ,have you not provided for such a case as that1 father80 8,can you doubt it80 he replied4 8,we have bound them1 sir1 to absolve their penitents who act according to probable opinions1 under the pain of mortal sin1 to secure their compliance4 #8,when the penitent1' says ,father ,bauny1 #8follows a probable opinion1 the confessor is bound to absolve him1 though his opinion should differ from that of his penitent4'0 8,but he does not say it would be a mortal sin not to absolve him10 said ,i4 8,how hasty you are60 rejoined the monk2 8listen to what follows2 he has expressly decided that1 #8to refuse absolution to a penitent who acts according to a probable opinion1 is a sin which is in its nature mortal4' ,and to settle that point1 he cites the most illustrious of our fathers--,suarez1 ,vasquez1 and ,sanchez40 8,my dear sir10 said ,i1 8that is a most prudent regulation4 ,i see nothing to fear now4 ,no confessor can dare to be refractory after this4 ,indeed1 ,i was not aware that you had the power of issuing your orders on pain of damnation4 ,i thought that your skill had been confined to the taking away of sins2 ,i had no idea that it extended to the introduction of new ones4 ,but from what ,i now see1 you are omnipotent40 8,that is not a correct way of speaking10 rejoined the father4 8,we do not introduce sins2 we only pay attention to them4 ,i have had occasion to remark1 two or three times during our conversation1 that you are no great scholastic40 8,be that as it may1 father1 you have at least answered my difficulty4 ,but ,i have another to suggest4 ,how do you manage when the ,fathers of the ,church happen to differ from any of your casuists80 8,you really know very little of the subject10 he replied4 8,the ,fathers were good enough for the morality of their own times2 but they lived too far back for that of the present age1 which is no longer regulated by them1 but by the modern casuists4 ,on this ,father ,cellot1 following the famous ,reginald1 remarks3 #8,in questions of morals1 the modern casuists are to be preferred to the ancient fathers1 though those lived nearer to the times of the apostles4' ,and following out this maxim1 ,diana thus decides3 #8,are beneficiaries bound to restore their revenue when guilty of mal-appropriation of it8 ,the ancients would say ,yes1 but the moderns say ,no2 let us1 therefore1 adhere to the latter opinion1 which relieves from the obligation of restitution4'0 8,delightful words these1 and most comfortable they must be to a great many people60 ,i observed4 8,we leave the fathers10 resumed the monk1 8to those who deal with positive divinity4#add ,as for us1 who are the directors of conscience1 we read very little of them1 and quote only the modern casuists4 ,there is ,diana1 for instance1 a most voluminous writer2 he has prefixed to his works a list of his authorities1 which amount to two hundred and ninety-six1 and the most ancient of them is only about eighty years old40 8,it would appear1 then10 ,i remarked1 8that all these have come into the world since the date of your ,society80 8,thereabouts10 he replied4 8,that is to say1 dear father1 on your advent1 ,st4 ,augustine1 ,st4 ,chrysostom1 ,st4 ,ambrose1 ,st4 ,jerome1 and all the rest1 in so far as morals are concerned1 disappeared from the stage4 ,would you be so kind as let me know the names1 at least1 of those modern authors who have succeeded them80 8,a most able and renowned class of men they are10 replied the monk4 8,their names are1 ,villabolos1 ,conink1 ,llamas1 ,achokier1 ,dealkozer1 ,dellacrux1 ,veracruz1 ,ugolin1 ,tambourin1 ,fernandez1 ,martinez1 ,suarez1 ,henriquez1 ,vasquez1 ,lopez1 ,gomez1 ,sanchez1 ,de ,vechis1 ,de ,grassis1 ,de ,grassalis1 ,de ,pitigianis1 ,de ,graphis1 ,squilanti1 ,bizozeri1 ,barcola1 ,de ,bobadilla1 ,simancha1 ,perez de ,lara1 ,aldretta1 ,lorca1 ,de ,scarcia1 ,quaranta1 ,scophra1 ,pedezza1 ,cabrezza1 ,bisbe1 ,dias1 ,de ,clavasis1 ,villagut1 ,adam ,manden1 ,iribarne1 ,binsfeld1 ,volfangi ,vorberg1 ,vosthery1 ,strevesdorf40#ade 8,o my dear father60 cried ,i1 quite alarmed1 8were all these people ,christians80 8,how6 ,christians60 returned the casuist2 8did ,i not tell you that these are the only writers by whom we now govern ,christendom80 ,deeply affected as ,i was by this announcement1 ,i concealed my emotion from the monk1 and only asked him if all these authors were ,jesuits8 8,no10 said he2 8but that is of little consequence2 they have said a number of good things for all that4 ,it is true the greater part of these same good things are extracted or copied from our authors1 but we do not stand on ceremony with them on that score1 more especially as they are in the constant habit of quoting our authors with applause4 ,when ,diana1 for example1 who does not belong to our ,society1 speaks of ,vasquez1 he calls him #8that phnix of genius2' and he declares more than once1 #8that ,vasquez alone is to him worth all the rest of men put together'--instar omnium4 ,accordingly1 our fathers often make use of this good ,diana2 and if you understand our doctrine of probability1 you will see that this is no small help in its way4 ,in fact1 we are anxious that others besides the ,jesuits would render their opinions probable1 to prevent people from ascribing them all to us2 for you will observe1 that when any author1 whoever he may be1 advances a probable opinion1 we are entitled1 by the doctrine of probability1 to adopt it if we please2 and yet1 if the author do not belong to our fraternity1 we are not responsible for its soundness40 8,i understand all that10 said ,i4 8,it is easy to see that all are welcome that come your way1 except the ancient fathers2 you are masters of the field1 and have only to walk the course4 ,but ,i foresee three or four serious difficulties and powerful barriers which will oppose your career40 8,and what are these80 cried the monk1 looking quite alarmed4 8,they are1 the ,holy ,scriptures10 ,i replied1 8the popes1 and the councils1 whom you cannot gainsay1 and who are all in the way of the ,gospel40#adf 8,is that all60 he exclaimed2 8,i declare you put me in a fright4 ,do you imagine that we would overlook such an obvious scruple as that1 or that we have not provided against it8 ,a good idea1 forsooth1 to suppose that we would contradict ,scripture1 popes1 and councils6 ,i must convince you of your mistake2 for ,i should be sorry you should go away with an impression that we are deficient in our respect to these authorities4 ,you have doubtless taken up this notion from some of the opinions of our fathers1 which are apparently at variance with their decisions1 though in reality they are not4 ,but to illustrate the harmony between them would require more leisure than we have at present2 and as ,i would not like you to retain a bad impression of us1 if you agree to meet with me to-morrow1 ,i shall clear it all up then40 ,thus ended our interview1 and thus shall end my present communication1 which has been long enough1 besides1 for one letter4 ,i am sure you will be satisfied with it1 in the prospect of what is forthcoming4--,i am1 c4 ----- ,footnote #abh3 ,imago ,primi ,seculi4--,the work to which ,pascal here refers was printed by the ,jesuits in ,flanders in the year #afdj1 under the title of 8,l',image du ,premier ,sicle de la ,socit de ,jesus10 being a history of the ,society of the ,jesuits from the period of its establishment in #aedj--;a century before the publication4 ,the work itself is very rare1 and would probably have fallen into oblivion1 had not the substance of it been embodied in a little treatise1 itself also scarce1 entitled 8,la ,morale ,pratique des ,jsuites40 ,the small specimen which ,pascal has given conveys but an imperfect idea of the mingled blasphemy and absurdity of this ,jesuitical production4 ,footnote #abi3 ,isa4 xviii4 #b4 ,footnote #acj3 ,the reader is requested to notice how completely the charge brought against the ,provincial ,letters by ,voltaire and others is here anticipated and refuted4 7,see ,hist4 ,introduction47 ,footnote #aca3 8,it must be observed that most of those ,jesuits who were so severe in their writings1 were less so towards their penitents4 ,it has been said of ,bourdaloue himself that if he required too much in the pulpit1 he abated it in the confessional chair3 a new stroke of policy well understood on the part of the ,jesuits1 inasmuch as speculative severity suits persons of rigid morals1 and practical condescension attracts the multitude40 7,d',alembert1 ,account of ,dest4 of ,jesuits1 p4 #dd47 ,footnote #acb3 ,petau was one of the obscure writers who were employed by the ,jesuits to publish defamatory libels against ,m4 ,arnauld and the bishops who approved of his book on ,frequent ,communion4 7,coudrette1 ii4 #dbf47 ,footnote #acc3 ,the policy to which ,pascal refers was introduced by ,matthew ,ricci1 an ,italian ,jesuit1 who succeeded the famous ,francis ,xavier in attempting to convert the ,chinese4 ,ricci declared that1 after consulting the writings of the ,chinese literati1 he was persuaded that the ,xamti and ,cachinchoam of the mandarins were merely other names for the ,king of ,heaven1 and that the idolatries of the natives were harmless civil ceremonies4 ,he therefore allowed his converts to practise them1 on the condition mentioned in the text4 ,in #afca1 some new paladins of the orders of ,dominic and ,francis1 who came from the ,philippine ,islands to share in the spiritual conquest of that vast empire1 were grievously scandalized at the monstrous compromise between ,christianity and idolatry tolerated by the followers of ,loyola1 and carried their complaints to ,rome4 ,the result is illustrative of the papal policy4 ,pope ,innocent ,x4 condemned the ,jesuitical policy2 ,pope ,alexander ,,vii41 in #afef 7when this letter was written7 sanctioned it2 and in #affi1 ,pope ,clement ,,ix4 ordained that the decrees of both of his predecessors should continue in full force4 ,the ,jesuits1 availing themselves of this suspense1 paid no regard either to the popes or their rival orders1 the ,dominicans and ,franciscans1 who1 in the persecutions which ensued1 always came off with the worst4 7,coudrette1 iv4 #bha2 ,hist4 of ,d4 ,ign4 ,loyola1 pp4 #ig-aab47 ,the prescription given to the ,jesuits by the cardinals1 to expose the image of the crucifix in their churches1 appears to us a sort of homopathic cure1 very little better than the disease4 ,bossuet1 and others who have tried to soften down the doctrines of ,rome1 would represent the worship ostensibly paid to the crucifix as really paid to ,christ1 who is represented by it4 ,but even this does not accord with the determination of the ,council of ,trent1 which declared of images ,eisque venerationem impertiendam2 or with ,bellarmine who devotes a chapter expressly to prove that true and proper worship is to be given to images4 7,stillingfleet on ,popery1 by ,dr4 ,cunningham1 p4 #gg47 ,footnote #acd3 ,lent4 ,footnote #ace3 8,according to the rules of the ,roman ,catholic fast1 one meal alone is allowed on a fast-day4 ,many1 however1 fall off before the end of ,lent1 and take to their breakfast and suppers1 under the sanction of some good-natured doctor1 who declares fasting injurious to their health40 7,blanco ,white1 ,letters from ,spain1 p4 #bgb47 ,footnote #acf3 ,father ,antoine ,escobar of ,mendoza was a ,jesuit of ,spain1 and born at ,valladolid in #aehi1 where he died in #affi4 ,his principal work is his 8,exposition of ,uncontroverted ,opinions in ,moral ,theology10 in six volumes4 ,it abounds with the most licentious doctrines1 and being a compilation from numerous ,jesuitical writers1 afforded a rich field for the satire of ,pascal4 ,the characteristic absurdity of this author is1 that his questions uniformly exhibit two faces--an affirmative and a negative2--so that escobarderie became a synonym in ,france for duplicity4 7,biographie ,pittoresque des ,jesuites1 par ,m4 ,c4 de ,plancy1 ,paris1 #ahbf1 p4 #ch47 ,nicole tells us that he had in his possession a portrait of the casuist which gave him a 8resolute and decisive cast of countenance0--not exactly what might have been expected from his double-faced questions4 ,his friends describe ,escobar as a good man1 a laborious student1 and very devout in his way4 ,it is said that1 when he heard that his name and writings were so frequently noticed in the ,provincial ,letters1 he was quite overjoyed to think that his fame would extend as far as the little letters had done4 ,boileau has celebrated him in the following couplet3-- ,si ,bourdaloue un peu svre1 ,nous dit1 craignez la volupt3 ,escobar1 lui dit-on1 mon pre1 ,nous la permet pour la sant4 8,if ,bourdaloue1 a little too severe1 ,cries1 ,fly from pleasure's fatal fascination ,dear ,father1 cries another1 ,escoba1 ,permits it as a healthy relaxation40 ,footnote #acg3 ,four celebrated casuists4 ,footnote #ach3 ,hippocrass--a medicated wine4 ,footnote #aci3 ,all persons above the age of one-and-twenty are bound to observe the rules of the ,roman ,catholic fast during ,lent4 ,the obligation of fasting begins at midnight1 just when the leading clock of every town strikes twelve4 7,letters from ,spain1 p4 #bgj47 ,footnote #adj3 ,ad insequendam amicam4 7,tom4 ii4 tr4 #bg1 part #b1 c4 #f1 n4 #adc47 ,the accuracy with which the references are made to the writings of these casuists shows anything but a design to garble or misrepresent them4 ,footnote #ada3 ,in the technical language of theology1 an 8occasion of sin0 is any situation or course of conduct which has a tendency to induce the commission of sin4 8,proximate occasions0 are those which have a direct and immediate tendency of this kind4 ,footnote #adb3 8,the casuists are divided into ,probabilist and ,probabiliorist4 ,the first1 among whom were the ,jesuits1 maintain that a certain degree of probability as to the lawfulness of an action is enough to secure against sin4 ,the second1 supported by the ,dominicans and the ,jansenists 7a kind of ,catholic ,calvinists condemned by the ,church71 insist on always taking the safest or most probable side4 ,the ,french proverb1 ,le mieux est l'ennemi1 du bien1 is perfectly applicable to the practical effects of these two systems in ,spain40 7,letters from ,spain1 p4 #bgg47 ,nicole has a long dissertation on the subject in his ,notes on this ,letter4 ,footnote #adc3 8,when one god presses hard1 another brings relief40 ,footnote #add3 ,in the twelfth century1 in consequence of the writings of ,peter ,lombard1 commonly called the 8,master of the ,sentences10 the ,christian doctors were divided into two classes--the ,positive or dogmatic1 and the ,scholastic divines4 ,the ,positive divines1 who were the teachers of systematic divinity1 expounded1 though in a wretched manner1 the ,sacred ,writings1 and confirmed their sentiments by ,scripture and tradition4 ,the scholastics1 instead of the ,bible1 explained the book of ,sentences1 indulging in the most idle and ridiculous speculations4--8,the practice of choosing a certain priest1 not only to be the occasional confessor1 but the director of the conscience1 was greatly encouraged by the ,jesuits40 7,letters from ,spain1 p4 #hi47 ,footnote #ade3 ,in this extraordinary list of obscure and now forgotten casuistical writers1 most of them belonging to ,spain1 ,portugal1 and ,flanders1 the art of the author lies in stringing together the most outlandish names he could collect1 ranging them mostly according to their terminations1 and placing them in contrast with the venerable and well-known names of the ancient fathers4 ,to a ,french ear these names must have sounded as uncouth and barbarous as those of the ,scotch which ,milton has satirized to the ear of an ,englishman3-- 8,cries the stall-reader1 #8,bless us6 what a word on ,a title-page is this6' ,why1 is it harder1 sirs1 than ,gordon1 ,colkitto1 or ,macdonnel1 or ,galasp8 ,those rugged names to our like mouths grow sleek1 ,that would have made ,quintilian stare and gasp40 7,milton's ,minor ,poems47 ,footnote #adf3 ,that is1 they were all1 in ,pascal's opinion1 favorable to the ,gospel scheme of morality4 ,,letter ,,vi4 ,,various ,,artifices ,,of ,,the ,,jesuits ,,to ,,elude ,,the ,,authority ,,of ,,the ,,gospel1 ,,of ,,councils1 ,,and ,,of ,,the ,,popes--,,some ,,consequences ,,which ,,result ,,from ,,their ,,doctrine ,,of ,,probability--,,their ,,relaxation ,,in ,,favor ,,of ,,beneficiaries1 ,,priests1 ,,monks1 ,,and ,,domestics--,,story ,,of ,,john ,d',,alba4 ,,paris1 ,april #aj1 #afef4 ,,sir1--,i mentioned1 at the close of my last letter1 that my good friend the ,jesuit had promised to show me how the casuists reconcile the contrarieties between their opinions and the decisions of the popes1 the councils1 and the ,scripture4 ,this promise he fulfilled at our last interview1 of which ,i shall now give you an account4 8,one of the methods10 resumed the monk1 8in which we reconcile these apparent contradictions1 is by the interpretation of some phrase4 ,thus1 ,pope ,gregory ,,xiv4 decided that assassins are not worthy to enjoy the benefit of sanctuary in churches1 and ought to be dragged out of them2 and yet our four-and-twenty elders affirm that #8the penalty of this bull is not incurred by all those that kill in treachery4' ,this may appear to you a contradiction2 but we get over this by interpreting the word assassin as follows3 #8,are assassins unworthy of sanctuary in churches8 ,yes1 by the bull of ,gregory ,,xiv4 they are4 ,but by the word assassins we understand those that have received money to murder one2 and accordingly1 such as kill without taking any reward for the deed1 but merely to oblige their friends1 do not come under the category of assassins4'0 8,take another instance3 ,it is said in the ,gospel1 #8,give alms of your superfluity4'#adg ,several ,casuists1 however1 have contrived to discharge the wealthiest from the obligation of alms-giving4 ,this may appear another paradox1 but the matter is easily put to rights by giving such an interpretation to the word superfluity that it will seldom or never happen that any one is troubled with such an article4 ,this feat has been accomplished by the learned ,vasquez1 in his ,treatise on ,alms1 c4 #d3 #8,what men of the world lay up to improve their circumstances1 or those of their relatives1 cannot be termed superfluity2 and accordingly1 such a thing as superfluity is seldom to be found among men of the world1 not even excepting kings4' ,diana1 too1 who generally founds on our fathers1 having quoted these words of ,vasquez1 justly concludes1 #8that as to the question whether the rich are bound to give alms of their superfluity1 even though the affirmative were true1 it will seldom or never happen to be obligatory in practice4'0 8,i see very well how that follows from the doctrine of ,vasquez10 said ,i4 8,but how would you answer this objection1 that1 in working out one's salvation1 it would be as safe1 according to ,vasquez1 to give no alms1 provided one can muster as much ambition as to have no superfluity2 as it is safe1 according to the ,gospel1 to have no ambition at all1 in order to have some superfluity for the purpose of alms-giving80#adh 8,why10 returned he1 8the answer would be1 that both of these ways are safe according to the ,gospel2 the one according to the ,gospel in its more literal and obvious sense1 and the other according to the same ,gospel as interpreted by ,vasquez4 ,there you see the utility of interpretations4 ,when the terms are so clear1 however10 he continued1 8as not to admit of an interpretation1 we have recourse to the observation of favorable circumstances4 ,a single example will illustrate this4 ,the popes have denounced excommunication on monks who lay aside their canonicals2 our casuists1 notwithstanding1 put it as a question1 #8,on what occasions may a monk lay aside his religious habit without incurring excommunication8' ,they mention a number of cases in which they may1 and among others the following3 #8,if he has laid it aside for an infamous purpose1 such as to pick pockets or to go incognito into haunts of profligacy1 meaning shortly after to resume it4' ,it is evident the bulls have no reference to cases of that description40 ,i could hardly believe that1 and begged the father to show me the passage in the original4 ,he did so1 and under the chapter headed 8,practice according to the ,school of the ,society of ,jesus0--,praxis ex ,societatis ,jesu ,schola--,i read these very words3 ,si habitum dimittat ut furetur occulte1 vel fornicetur4 ,he showed me the same thing in ,diana1 in these terms3 ,ut eat incognitus ad lupanar4 8,and why1 father10 ,i asked1 8are they discharged from excommunication on such occasions80 8,don't you understand it80 he replied4 8,only think what a scandal it would be1 were a monk surprised in such a predicament with his canonicals on6 ,and have you never heard10 he continued1 8how they answer the first bull contra sollicitantes8 and how our four-and-twenty1 in another chapter of the ,practice according to the ,school of our ,society1 explain the bull of ,pius ,v4 contra clericos1 c480#adi 8,i know nothing about all that10 said ,i4 8,then it is a sign you have not read much of ,escobar10 returned the monk4 8,i got him only yesterday1 father10 said ,i2 8and ,i had no small difficulty1 too1 in procuring a copy4 ,i don't know how it is1 but everybody of late has been in search of him40#aej 8,the passage to which ,i referred10 returned the monk1 8may be found in treatise #a1 example #h1 no4 #ajb4 ,consult it at your leisure when you go home40 ,i did so that very night2 but it is so shockingly bad1 that ,i dare not transcribe it4 ,the good father then went on to say3 8,you now understand what use we make of favorable circumstances4 ,sometimes1 however1 obstinate cases will occur1 which will not admit of this mode of adjustment2 so much so1 indeed1 that you would almost suppose they involved flat contradictions4 ,for example1 three popes have decided that monks who are bound by a particular vow to a ,lenten life1#aea cannot be absolved from it even though they should become bishops4 ,and yet ,diana avers that notwithstanding this decision they are absolved40 8,and how does he reconcile that80 said ,i4 8,by the most subtle of all the modern methods1 and by the nicest possible application of probability10 replied the monk4 8,you may recollect you were told the other day1 that the affirmative and negative of most opinions have each1 according to our doctors1 some probability--enough1 at least1 to be followed with a safe conscience4 ,not that the pro and con are both true in the same sense--that is impossible--but only they are both probable1 and therefore safe1 as a matter of course4 ,on this principle our worthy friend ,diana remarks3 #8,to the decision of these three popes1 which is contrary to my opinion1 ,i answer1 that they spoke in this way by adhering to the affirmative side--which1 in fact1 even in my judgment1 is probable2 but it does not follow from this that the negative may not have its probability too4' ,and in the same treatise1 speaking of another subject on which he again differs from a pope1 he says3 #8,the pope1 ,i grant1 has said it as the head of the ,church2 but his decision does not extend beyond the sphere of the probability of his own opinion4' ,now you perceive this is not doing any harm to the opinions of the popes2 such a thing would never be tolerated at ,rome1 where ,diana is in high repute4 ,for he does not say that what the popes have decided is not probable2 but leaving their opinion within the sphere of probability1 he merely says that the contrary is also probable40 8,that is very respectful10 said ,i4 8,yes10 added the monk1 8and rather more ingenious than the reply made by ,father ,bauny1 when his books were censured at ,rome2 for when pushed very hard on this point by ,m4 ,hallier1 he made bold to write3 #8,what has the censure of ,rome to do with that of ,france8' ,you now see how1 either by the interpretation of terms1 by the observation of favorable circumstances1 or by the aid of the double probability of pro and con1 we always contrive to reconcile those seeming contradictions which occasioned you so much surprise1 without ever touching on the decisions of ,scripture1 councils1 or popes40 8,reverend father10 said ,i1 8how happy the world is in having such men as you for its masters6 ,and what blessings are these probabilities6 ,i never knew the reason why you took such pains to establish that a single doctor1 if a grave one1 might render an opinion probable1 and that the contrary might be so too1 and that one may choose any side one pleases1 even though he does not believe it to be the right side1 and all with such a safe conscience1 that the confessor who should refuse him absolution on the faith of the casuists would be in a state of damnation4 ,but ,i see now that a single casuist may make new rules of morality at his discretion1 and dispose1 according to his fancy1 of everything pertaining to the regulation of manners40 8,what you have now said10 rejoined the father1 8would require to be modified a little4 ,pay attention now1 while ,i explain our method1 and you will observe the progress of a new opinion1 from its birth to its maturity4 ,first1 the grave doctor who invented it exhibits it to the world1 casting it abroad like seed1 that it may take root4 ,in this state it is very feeble2 it requires time gradually to ripen4 ,this accounts for ,diana1 who has introduced a great many of these opinions1 saying3 #8,i advance this opinion2 but as it is new1 ,i give it time to come to maturity--relinquo tempori maturandum4' ,thus in a few years it becomes insensibly consolidated2 and after a considerable time it is sanctioned by the tacit approbation of the ,church1 according to the grand maxim of ,father ,bauny1 #8that if an opinion has been advanced by some casuist1 and has not been impugned by the ,church1 it is a sign that she approves of it4' ,and1 in fact1 on this principle he authenticates one of his own principles in his sixth treatise1 p4 #cab40 8,indeed1 father60 cried ,i1 8why1 on this principle the ,church would approve of all the abuses which she tolerates1 and all the errors in all the books which she does not censure60 8,dispute the point with ,father ,bauny10 he replied4 8,i am merely quoting his words1 and you begin to quarrel with me4 ,there is no disputing with facts1 sir4 ,well1 as ,i was saying1 when time has thus matured an opinion1 it thenceforth becomes completely probable and safe4 ,hence the learned ,caramuel1 in dedicating his ,fundamental ,theology to ,diana1 declares that this great ,diana has rendered many opinions probable which were not so before--qu antea non erant2 and that1 therefore1 in following them1 persons do not sin now1 though they would have sinned formerly--jam non peccant1 licet ante peccaverint40 8,truly1 father10 ,i observed1 8it must be worth one's while living in the neighborhood of your doctors4 ,why1 of two individuals who do the same actions1 he that knows nothing about their doctrine sins1 while he that knows it does no sin4 ,it seems1 then1 that their doctrine possesses at once an edifying and a justifying virtue6 ,the law of ,god1 according to ,st4 ,paul1 made transgressors2#aeb but this law of yours makes nearly all of us innocent4 ,i beseech you1 my dear sir1 let me know all about it4 ,i will not leave you till you have told me all the maxims which your casuists have established40 8,alas60 the monk exclaimed1 8our main object1 no doubt1 should have been to establish no other maxims than those of the ,gospel in all their strictness3 and it is easy to see1 from the ,rules for the regulation of our manners1#aec that if we tolerate some degree of relaxation in others1 it is rather out of complaisance than through design4 ,the truth is1 sir1 we are forced to it4 ,men have arrived at such a pitch of corruption now-a-days1 that unable to make them come to us1 we must e'en go to them1 otherwise they would cast us off altogether2 and what is worse1 they would become perfect castaways4 ,it is to retain such characters as these that our casuists have taken under consideration the vices to which people of various conditions are most addicted1 with the view of laying down maxims which1 while they cannot be said to violate the truth1 are so gentle that he must be a very impracticable subject indeed who is not pleased with them4 ,the grand project of our ,society1 for the good of religion1 is never to repulse any one1 let him be what he may1 and so avoid driving people to despair4#aed 8,they have got maxims1 therefore1 for all sorts of persons2 for beneficiaries1 for priests1 for monks2 for gentlemen1 for servants2 for rich men1 for commercial men2 for people in embarrassed or indigent circumstances2 for devout women1 and women that are not devout2 for married people1 and irregular people4 ,in short1 nothing has escaped their foresight40 8,in other words10 said ,i1 8they have got maxims for the clergy1 the nobility1 and the commons4#aee ,well1 ,i am quite impatient to hear them40 8,let us commence10 resumed the father1 8with the beneficiaries4 ,you are aware of the traffic with benefices that is now carried on1 and that were the matter referred to ,st4 ,thomas and the ancients who have written on it1 there might chance to be some simoniacs in the ,church4 ,this rendered it highly necessary for our fathers to exercise their prudence in finding out a palliative4 ,with what success they have done so will appear from the following words of ,valencia1 who is one of ,escobar's #8four living creatures4' ,at the end of a long discourse1 in which he suggests various expedients1 he propounds the following at page #bjci1 vol4 iii41 which1 to my mind1 is the best3 #8,if a person gives a temporal in exchange for a spiritual good'--that is1 if he gives money for a benefice--#8and gives the money as the price of the benefice1 it is manifest simony4 ,but if he gives it merely as the motive which inclines the will of the patron to confer on him the living1 it is not simony1 even though the person who confers it considers and expects the money as the principal object4' ,tanner1 who is also a member of our ,society1 affirms the same thing1 vol4 iii41 p4 #aeai1 although he #8grants that ,st4 ,thomas is opposed to it2 for he expressly teaches that it is always simony to give a spiritual for a temporal good1 if the temporal is the end in view4' ,by this means we prevent an immense number of simoniacal transactions2 for who would be so desperately wicked as to refuse1 when giving money for a benefice1 to take the simple precaution of so directing his intentions as to give it as a motive to induce the beneficiary to part with it1 instead of giving it as the price of the benefice8 ,no man1 surely1 can be so far left to himself as that would come to40 8,i agree with you there10 ,i replied2 8all men1 ,i should think1 have sufficient grace to make a bargain of that sort40 8,there can be no doubt of it10 returned the monk4 8,such1 then1 is the way in which we soften matters in regard to the beneficiaries4 ,and now for the priests--we have maxims pretty favorable to them also4 ,take the following1 for example1 from our four-and-twenty elders3 #8,can a priest1 who has received money to say a mass1 take an additional sum upon the same mass8 ,yes1 says ,filiutius1 he may1 by applying that part of the sacrifice which belongs to himself as a priest to the person who paid him last2 provided he does not take a sum equivalent to a whole mass1 but only a part1 such as the third of a mass4'0 8,surely1 father10 said ,i1 8this must be one of those cases in which the pro and the con have both their share of probability4 ,what you have now stated cannot fail1 of course1 to be probable1 having the authority of such men as ,filiutius and ,escobar2 and yet1 leaving that within the sphere of probability1 it strikes me that the contrary opinion might be made out to be probable too1 and might be supported by such reasons as the following3 ,that1 while the ,church allows priests who are in poor circumstances to take money for their masses1 seeing it is but right that those who serve at the altar should live by the altar1 she never intended that they should barter the sacrifice for money1#aef and still less1 that they should deprive themselves of those benefits which they ought themselves1 in the first place1 to draw from it2 to which ,i might add1 that1 according to ,st4 ,paul1 the priests are to offer sacrifice first for themselves1 and then for the people2#aeg and that accordingly1 while permitted to participate with others in the benefit of the sacrifice1 they are not at liberty to forego their share1 by transferring it to another for a third of a mass1 or1 in other words1 for the matter of fourpence or fivepence4 ,verily1 father1 little as ,i pretend to be a grave man1 ,i might contrive to make this opinion probable40 8,it would cost you no great pains to do that10 replied the monk2 8it is visibly probable already4 ,the difficulty lies in discovering probability in the converse of opinions manifestly good2 and this is a feat which none but great men can achieve4 ,father ,bauny shines in this department4 ,it is really delightful to see that learned casuist examining with characteristic ingenuity and subtlety1 the negative and affirmative of the same question1 and proving both of them to be right6 ,thus in the matter of priests1 he says in one place3 #8,no law can be made to oblige the curates to say mass every day2 for such a law would unquestionably 7haud dubi7 expose them to the danger of saying it sometimes in mortal sin4' ,and yet in another part of the same treatise1 he says1 #8that priests who have received money for saying mass every day ought to say it every day1 and that they cannot excuse themselves on the ground that they are not always in a fit state for the service2 because it is in their power at all times to do penance1 and if they neglect this they have themselves to blame for it1 and not the person who made them say mass4' ,and to relieve their minds from all scruples on the subject1 he thus resolves the question3 #8,may a priest say mass on the same day in which he has committed a mortal sin of the worst kind1 in the way of confessing himself beforehand8' ,villabolos says ,no1 because of his impurity2 but ,sancius says1 ,he may without any sin2 and ,i hold his opinion to be safe1 and one which may be followed in practice--et tuta et sequenda in praxi40#aeh 8,follow this opinion in practice60 cried ,i4 8,will any priest who has fallen into such irregularities1 have the assurance on the same day to approach the altar1 on the mere word of ,father ,bauny8 ,is he not bound to submit to the ancient laws of the ,church1 which debarred from the sacrifice forever1 or at least for a long time1 priests who had committed sins of that description--instead of following the modern opinions of casuists1 who would admit him to it on the very day that witnessed his fall80 8,you have a very short memory10 returned the monk4 8,did ,i not inform you a little ago that1 according to our fathers ,cellot and ,reginald1 #8in matters of morality we are to follow1 not the ancient fathers1 but the modern casuists8'0 8,i remember it perfectly10 said ,i2 8but we have something more here3 we have the laws of the ,church40 8,true10 he replied2 8but this shows you do not know another capital maxim of our fathers1 #8that the laws of the ,church lose their authority when they have gone into desuetude'--cum jam desuetudine abierunt--as ,filiutius says4#aei ,we know the present exigencies of the ,church much better than the ancients could do4 ,were we to be so strict in excluding priests from the altar1 you can understand there would not be such a great number of masses4 ,now a multitude of masses brings such a revenue of glory to ,god and of good to souls1 that ,i may venture to say1 with ,father ,cellot1 that there would not be too many priests1 #8though not only all men and women1 were that possible1 but even inanimate bodies1 and even brute beasts--bruta animalia--were transformed into priests to celebrate mass4'0#afj ,i was so astounded at the extravagance of this imagination1 that ,i could not utter a word1 and allowed him to go on with his discourse4 8,enough1 however1 about priests2 ,i am afraid of getting tedious3 let us come to the monks4 ,the grand difficulty with them is the obedience they owe to their superiors2 now observe the palliative which our fathers apply in this case4 ,castro ,palao#afa of our ,society has said3 #8,beyond all dispute1 a monk who has a probable opinion of his own1 is not bound to obey his superior1 though the opinion of the latter is the more probable4 ,for the monk is at liberty to adopt the opinion which is more agreeable to himself--qu sibi gratior fuerit--as ,sanchez says4 ,and though the order of his superior be just1 that does not oblige you to obey him1 for it is not just at all points or in every respect--non undequaqu just prcepit--but only probably so2 and consequently1 you are only probably bound to obey him1 and probably not bound--probabiliter obligatus1 et probabiliter deobligatus4'0 8,certainly1 father10 said ,i1 8it is impossible too highly to estimate this precious fruit of the double probability40 8,it is of great use indeed10 he replied2 8but we must be brief4 ,let me only give you the following specimen of our famous ,molina in favor of monks who are expelled from their convents for irregularities4 ,escobar quotes him thus3 #8,molina asserts that a monk expelled from his monastery is not obliged to reform in order to get back again1 and that he is no longer bound by his vow of obedience4'0 8,well1 father10 cried ,i1 8this is all very comfortable for the clergy4 ,your casuists1 ,i perceive1 have been very indulgent to them1 and no wonder--they were legislating1 so to speak1 for themselves4 ,i am afraid people of other conditions are not so liberally treated4 ,every one for himself in this world40 8,there you do us wrong10 returned the monk2 8they could not have been kinder to themselves than we have been to them4 ,we treat all1 from the highest to the lowest1 with an even-handed charity1 sir4 ,and to prove this1 you tempt me to tell you our maxims for servants4 ,in reference to this class1 we have taken into consideration the difficulty they must experience1 when they are men of conscience1 in serving profligate masters4 ,for if they refuse to perform all the errands in which they are employed1 they lose their places2 and if they yield obedience1 they have their scruples4 ,to relieve them from these1 our four-and-twenty fathers have specified the services which they may render with a safe conscience2 such as1 #8carrying letters and presents1 opening doors and windows1 helping their master to reach the window1 holding the ladder which he is mounting4 ,all this1' say they1 #8is allowable and indifferent2 it is true that1 as to holding the ladder1 they must be threatened1 more than usually1 with being punished for refusing2 for it is doing an injury to the master of a house to enter it by the window4' ,you perceive the judiciousness of that observation1 of course80 8,i expected nothing less10 said ,i1 8from a book edited by four-and-twenty ,jesuits40 8,but10 added the monk1 8,father ,bauny has gone beyond this2 he has taught valets how to perform these sorts of offices for their masters quite innocently1 by making them direct their intention1 not to the sins to which they are accessary1 but to the gain which is to accrue from them4 ,in his ,summary of ,sins1 p4 #gaj1 first edition1 he thus states the matter3 #8,let confessors observe1' says he1 #8that they cannot absolve valets who perform base errands1 if they consent to the sins of their masters2 but the reverse holds true1 if they have done the thing merely from a regard to their temporal emolument4' ,and that1 ,i should conceive1 is no difficult matter to do2 for why should they insist on consenting to sins of which they taste nothing but the trouble8 ,the same ,father ,bauny has established a prime maxim in favor of those who are not content with their wages3 #8,may servants who are dissatisfied with their wages1 use means to raise them by laying their hands on as much of the property of their masters as they may consider necessary to make the said wages equivalent to their trouble8 ,they may1 in certain circumstances2 as when they are so poor that1 in looking for a situation1 they have been obliged to accept the offer made to them1 and when other servants of the same class are gaining more than they1 elsewhere4'0 8,ha1 father60 cried ,i1 8that is ,john d',alba's passage1 ,i declare40 8,what ,john d',alba80 inquired the father3 8what do you mean80 8,strange1 father60 returned ,i3 8do you not remember what happened in this city in the year #afdg8 ,where in the world were you living at that time80 8,i was teaching cases of conscience in one of our colleges far from ,paris10 he replied4 8,i see you don't know the story1 father3 ,i must tell it you4 ,i heard it related the other day by a man of honor1 whom ,i met in company4 ,he told us that this ,john d',alba1 who was in the service of your fathers in the ,college of ,clermont1 in the ,rue ,st4 ,jacques1 being dissatisfied with his wages1 had purloined something to make himself amends2 and that your fathers1 on discovering the theft1 had thrown him into prison on the charge of larceny4 ,the case was reported to the court1 if ,i recollect right1 on the #afth of ,april1 #afdg2 for he was very minute in his statements1 and indeed they would hardly have been credible otherwise4 ,the poor fellow1 on being questioned1 confessed to having taken some pewter plates1 but maintained that for all that he had not stolen them2 pleading in his defence this very doctrine of ,father ,bauny1 which he produced before the judges1 along with a pamphlet by one of your fathers1 under whom he had studied cases of conscience1 and who had taught him the same thing4 ,whereupon ,m4 ,de ,montrouge1 one of the most respected members of the court1 said1 in giving his opinion1 #8that he did not see how1 on the ground of the writings of these fathers--writings containing a doctrine so illegal1 pernicious1 and contrary to all laws1 natural1 divine1 and human1 and calculated to ruin all families1 and sanction all sorts of household robbery--they could discharge the accused4 ,but his opinion was1 that this too faithful disciple should be whipped before the college gate1 by the hand of the common hangman2 and that1 at the same time1 this functionary should burn the writings of these fathers which treated of larceny1 with certification that they were prohibited from teaching such doctrine in future1 upon pain of death4' 8,the result of this judgment1 which was heartily approved of1 was waited for with much curiosity when some incident occurred which made them delay procedure4 ,but in the mean time the prisoner disappeared1 nobody knew how1 and nothing more was heard about the affair2 so that ,john d',alba got off1 pewter plates and all4 ,such was the account he gave us1 to which he added1 that the judgment of ,m4 ,de ,montrouge was entered on the records of the court1 where any one may consult it4 ,we were highly amused at the story40 8,what are you trifling about now80 cried the monk4 8,what does all that signify8 ,i was explaining the maxims of our casuists1 and was just going to speak of those relating to gentlemen1 when you interrupt me with impertinent stories40 8,it was only something put in by the way1 father10 ,i observed2 8and besides1 ,i was anxious to apprize you of an important circumstance1 which ,i find you have overlooked in establishing your doctrine of probability40 8,ay1 indeed60 exclaimed the monk1 8what defect can this be1 that has escaped the notice of so many ingenious men80 8,you have certainly10 continued ,i1 8contrived to place your disciples in perfect safety so far as ,god and the conscience are concerned2 for they are quite safe in that quarter1 according to you1 by following in the wake of a grave doctor4 ,you have also secured them on the part of the confessors1 by obliging priests1 on the pain of mortal sin1 to absolve all who follow a probable opinion4 ,but you have neglected to secure them on the part of the judges2 so that1 in following your probabilities1 they are in danger of coming into contact with the whip and the gallows4 ,this is a sad oversight40 8,you are right10 said the monk2 8,i am glad you mentioned it4 ,but the reason is1 we have no such power over magistrates as over the confessors1 who are obliged to refer to us in cases of conscience1 in which we are the sovereign judges40 8,so ,i understand10 returned ,i2 8but if1 on the one hand1 you are the judges of the confessors1 are you not1 on the other hand1 the confessors of the judges8 ,your power is very extensive4 ,oblige them1 on pain of being debarred from the sacraments1 to acquit all criminals who act on a probable opinion2 otherwise it may happen1 to the great contempt and scandal of probability1 that those whom you render innocent in theory may be whipped or hanged in practice4 ,without something of this kind1 how can you expect to get disciples80 8,the matter deserves consideration10 said he2 8it will never do to neglect it4 ,i shall suggest it to our father ,provincial4 ,you might1 however1 have reserved this advice to some other time1 without interrupting the account ,i was about to give you of the maxims which we have established in favor of gentlemen2 and ,i shall not give you any more information1 except on condition that you do not tell me any more stories40 ,this is all you shall have from me at present2 for it would require more than the limits of one letter to acquaint you with all that ,i learned in a single conversation4--,meanwhile ,i am1 c4 ----- ,footnote #adg3 ,luke xi4 #da4--,quod superest1 date eleemosynam 7,vulgate72 7,gr472 ,ea qu penes vos sunt date 7,beza72 8,give alms of such things as ye have40 7,eng4 ,ver47 ,footnote #adh3 ,when ,pascal speaks of alms-giving 8working out our salvation10 it is evident that he regarded it only as the evidence of our being in a state of salvation4 ,judging by the history of his life1 and by his 8,thoughts on ,religion10 no man was more free from spiritual pride1 or that poor species of it which boasts of or rests in its eleemosynary sacrifices4 ,his charity flowed from love and gratitude to ,god4 ,such was his regard for the poor that he could not refuse to give alms even though compelled to take from the supply necessary to relieve his own infirmities2 and on his death-bed he entreated that a poor person should be brought into the house and treated with the same attention as himself1 declaring that when he thought of his own comforts and of the multitudes who were destitute of the merest necessaries1 he felt a distress which he could not endure4 8,one thing ,i have observed10 he says in his ,thoughts--8that let a man be ever so poor1 he has always something to leave on his death-bed40 ,footnote #adi3 ,these bulls were directed against gross and unnatural crimes prevailing among the clergy4 7,nicolo1 ii4 pp4 #cgb-cgf47 ,footnote #aej3 ,an allusion to the popularity of the ,letters1 which induced many to inquire after the casuistical writings so often quoted in them4 ,footnote #aea3 ,lenten life--an abstemious life1 or life of fasting4 ,footnote #aeb3 ,prevaricateurs4--,alluding probably to such texts as ,rom4 iv4 #ae3 8,the law worketh wrath2 for where no law is1 there is no transgression40--,ubi enim non est lex1 nec prevaricatio 7,vulg472 or ,rom4 v4 #ac1 c4 ,footnote #aec3 ,the ,rules 7,regul ,communes7 of the ,society of ,jesus1 it must be admitted1 are rigid enough in the enforcement of moral decency and discipline on the members2 and the perfect candor of ,pascal appears in the admission4 ,this1 however1 only adds weight to the real charge which he substantiates against them1 of teaching maxims which tend to the subversion of morality4 ,with regard to their personal conduct1 different opinions prevail4 8,whatever we may think of the political delinquencies of their leaders10 says ,blanco ,white1 8their bitterest enemies have never ventured to charge the order of ,jesuits with moral irregularities4 ,the internal policy of that body10 he adds1 8precluded the possibility of gross misconduct40 7,letters from ,spain1 p4 #hi47 ,we are far from being sure of this4 ,the remark seems to apply to only one species of vice1 too common in monastic life1 and may be true of the conventual establishments of the ,jesuits1 where outward decency forms part of the deep policy of the order2 but what dependence can be placed on the moral purity of men whose consciences must be debauched by such maxims8 ,jarrige informs us that they boasted at one time in ,spain of possessing an herb which preserved their chastity2 and on being questioned by the king to tell what it was1 they replied3 8,it was the fear of ,god40 8,but10 says the author1 8whatever they might be then1 it is plain that they have since lost the seed of that herb for it no longer grows in their garden40 7,jesuites sur l',echaufaud1 ch4 #f47 ,footnote #aed3 ,it has been observed1 with great truth1 by ,sir ,james ,macintosh1 that 8casuistry1 the inevitable growth of the practices of confession and absolution1 has generally vibrated betwixt the extremes of impracticable severity and contemptible indulgence40 7,hist4 of ,england1 vol4 ii4 p4 #cei47 ,footnote #aee3 ,tiers etat4--,these were the three orders into which the people of ,france were divided2 the tiers etat or third estate1 corresponding to our commons4 ,footnote #aef3 ,with all respect for ,pascal and his good intention1 it is plain that there is a wide difference between the duty1 illustrated by the apostle from the ancient law1 of supporting those who minister in holy things in and for their ministrations1 and the practice introduced by the ,church of ,rome1 of putting a price on the holy things themselves4 ,in the one case1 it was simply a recognition of the general principle that 8the laborer is worthy of his hire40 ,in the other1 it was converting the minister into a shopman who was allowed to 8barter0 his sacred wares at the market price1 or any price he pleased4 ,to this mercenary principle most of the superstitions of ,rome may be traced4 ,the popish doctrine of the mass is founded on transubstantiation1 or the superstition broached in the ninth century1 that the bread and wine are converted by the priest into the real body and blood of ,christ4 ,it was never settled in the ,romish ,church to be a proper propitiatory sacrifice for the living and the dead till the ,council of ,trent1 in the sixteenth century2 so that it is comparatively a modern invention4 ,the mass proceeds on the absurd assumption that our blessed ,lord offered up his body and blood in the institution of the supper1 before offering them on the cross1 and partook of them himself2 and it involves the blasphemy of supposing that a sinful mortal may1 whenever he pleases1 offer up the great sacrifice of that body and blood1 which could only be offered by the ,son of ,god and offered by him only once4 ,this1 however1 is the great ,diana of the popish priests--by this craft they have their wealth--and the whole of its history proves that it was invented for no other purposes than imposture and extortion4 ,footnote #aeg3 ,heb4 vii4 #bg4--;,it is astonishing to see an acute mind like that of ,pascal so warped by superstition as not to perceive that in this1 and other allusions to the ,levitical priesthood1 the object of the apostle was avowedly to prove that the great sacrifice for sin1 of which the ancient sacrifices were the types1 had been 8once offered in the end of the world10 and that 8there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins20 and that the very text to which he refers1 teaches that1 in the person of ,jesus ,christ1 our high priest1 all the functions of the sacrificing priesthood were fulfilled and terminated3 8,who needeth not daily as those high priests1 to offer up sacrifice1 first for his own sins1 and then for the people's3 for this he did once1 when he offered up himself40 ,the ministers of the ,new ,testament are never in ,scripture called priests1 though this name has been applied to the ,christian people who offer up the 8spiritual sacrifices0 of praise and good works4 7,heb4 xiii4 #ae1 #af2 #a ,pet4 ii4 #e47 ,footnote #aeh3 ,treatise #aj1 p4 #dgd2 ib41 p4 #dda2 ,quest4 #cb1 p4 #deg4 ,footnote #aei3 ,tom4 ii4 tr4 #be4 n4 #cc4 ,and yet they will pretend to hold that their ,church is infallible6 ,footnote #afj3 ,book of the ,hierarchy1 p4 #faa1 ,rouen edition4 ,footnote #afa3 ,op4 ,mor4 p4 #a1 disp4 #b1 p4 #f4 ,ferdinand de ,castro ,palao was a ,jesuit of ,spain1 and author of a work on ,virtues and ,vices1 published in #afca4 ,,letter ,,vii4#afb ,,method ,,of ,,directing ,,the ,,intention ,,adopted ,,by ,,the ,,casuists--,,permission ,,to ,,kill ,,in ,,defence ,,of ,,honor ,,and ,,property1 ,,extended ,,even ,,to ,,priests ,,and ,,monks--,,curious ,,question ,,raised ,,by ,,caramuel1 ,,as ,,to ,,whether ,,jesuits ,,may ,,be ,,allowed ,,to ,,kill ,,jansenists4 ,,paris1 ,april #be1 #afef4 ,,sir1--,having succeeded in pacifying the good father1 who had been rather disconcerted by the story of ,john d',alba1 he resumed the conversation1 on my assuring him that ,i would avoid all such interruptions in future1 and spoke of the maxims of his casuists with regard to gentlemen1 nearly in the following terms3-- 8,you know10 he said1 8that the ruling passion of persons in that rank of life is #8the point of honor1' which is perpetually driving them into acts of violence apparently quite at variance with ,christian piety2 so that1 in fact1 they would be almost all of them excluded from our confessionals1 had not our fathers relaxed a little from the strictness of religion1 to accommodate themselves to the weakness of humanity4 ,anxious to keep on good terms both with the ,gospel1 by doing their duty to ,god1 and with the men of the world1 by showing charity to their neighbor1 they needed all the wisdom they possessed to devise expedients for so nicely adjusting matters as to permit these gentlemen to adopt the methods usually resorted to for vindicating their honor1 without wounding their consciences1 and thus reconcile two things apparently so opposite to each other as piety and the point of honor4 ,but1 sir1 in proportion to the utility of the design was the difficulty of the execution4 ,you cannot fail1 ,i should think1 to realize the magnitude and arduousness of such an enterprize80 8,it astonishes me1 certainly10 said ,i1 rather coldly4 8,it astonishes you1 forsooth60 cried the monk4 8,i can well believe that2 many besides you might be astonished at it4 ,why1 don't you know that1 on the one hand1 the ,gospel commands us #8not to render evil for evil1 but to leave vengeance to ,god2' and that1 on the other hand1 the laws of the world forbid our enduring an affront without demanding satisfaction from the offender1 and that often at the expense of his life8 ,you have never1 ,i am sure1 met with anything1 to all appearance1 more diametrically opposed than these two codes of morals2 and yet1 when told that our fathers have reconciled them1 you have nothing more to say than simply that this astonishes you60 8,i did not sufficiently explain myself1 father4 ,i should certainly have considered the thing perfectly impracticable1 if ,i had not known1 from what ,i have seen of your fathers1 that they are capable of doing with ease what is impossible to other men4 ,this led me to anticipate that they must have discovered some method for meeting the difficulty--a method which ,i admire even before knowing it1 and which ,i pray you to explain to me40 8,since that is your view of the matter10 replied the monk1 8,i cannot refuse you4 ,know1 then1 that this marvellous principle is our grand method of directing the intention--the importance of which1 in our moral system1 is such1 that ,i might almost venture to compare it with the doctrine of probability4 ,you have had some glimpses of it in passing1 from certain maxims which ,i mentioned to you4 ,for example1 when ,i was showing you how servants might execute certain troublesome jobs with a safe conscience1 did you not remark that it was simply by diverting their intention from the evil to which they were accessary1 to the profit which they might reap from the transaction8 ,now that is what we call directing the intention4 ,you saw1 too1 that were it not for a similar divergence of the mind1 those who give money for benefices might be downright simoniacs4 ,but ,i will now show you this grand method in all its glory1 as it applies to the subject of homicide--a crime which it justifies in a thousand instances2 in order that1 from this startling result1 you may form an idea of all that it is calculated to effect40 8,i foresee already10 said ,i1 8that1 according to this mode1 everything will be permitted2 it will stick at nothing40 8,you always fly from the one extreme to the other10 replied the monk3 8prithee avoid that habit4 ,for just to show you that we are far from permitting everything1 let me tell you that we never suffer such a thing as a formal intention to sin1 with the sole design of sinning2 and if any person whatever should persist in having no other end but evil in the evil that he does1 we break with him at once3 such conduct is diabolical4 ,this holds true1 without exception of age1 sex1 or rank4 ,but when the person is not of such a wretched disposition as this1 we try to put in practice our method of directing the intention1 which simply consists in his proposing to himself1 as the end of his actions1 some allowable object4 ,not that we do not endeavor1 as far as we can1 to dissuade men from doing things forbidden2 but when we cannot prevent the action1 we at least purify the motive1 and thus correct the viciousness of the mean by the goodness of the end4 ,such is the way in which our fathers have contrived to permit those acts of violence to which men usually resort in vindication of their honor4 ,they have no more to do than to turn off their intention from the desire of vengeance1 which is criminal1 and direct it to a desire to defend their honor1 which1 according to us1 is quite warrantable4 ,and in this way our doctors discharge all their duty towards ,god and towards man4 ,by permitting the action1 they gratify the world2 and by purifying the intention1 they give satisfaction to the ,gospel4 ,this is a secret1 sir1 which was entirely unknown to the ancients2 the world is indebted for the discovery entirely to our doctors4 ,you understand it now1 ,i hope80 8,perfectly well10 was my reply4 8,to men you grant the outward material effect of the action2 and to ,god you give the inward and spiritual movement of the intention2 and by this equitable partition1 you form an alliance between the laws of ,god and the laws of men4 ,but1 my dear sir1 to be frank with you1 ,i can hardly trust your premises1 and ,i suspect that your authors will tell another tale40 8,you do me injustice10 rejoined the monk2 8,i advance nothing but what ,i am ready to prove1 and that by such a rich array of passages1 that altogether their number1 their authority1 and their reasonings1 will fill you with admiration4 ,to show you1 for example1 the alliance which our fathers have formed between the maxims of the ,gospel and those of the world1 by thus regulating the intention1 let me refer you to ,reginald3#afc #8,private persons are forbidden to avenge themselves2 for ,st4 ,paul says to the ,romans 7ch4 #abth71 #8,recompense to no man evil for evil2' and ,ecclesiasticus says 7ch4 #bhth71 #8,he that taketh vengeance shall draw on himself the vengeance of ,god1 and his sins will not be forgotten4' ,besides all that is said in the ,gospel about forgiving offences1 as in the #fth and #ahth chapters of ,st4 ,matthew4'0 8,well1 father1 if after that he says anything contrary to the ,scripture1 it will not be from lack of scriptural knowledge1 at any rate4 ,pray1 how does he conclude80 8,you shall hear10 he said4 8,from all this it appears that a military man may demand satisfaction on the spot from the person who has injured him--not1 indeed1 with the intention of rendering evil for evil1 but with that of preserving his honor--#8non ut malum pro malo reddat1 sed ut conservet honorem4' ,see you how carefully they guard against the intention of rendering evil for evil1 because the ,scripture condemns it8 ,this is what they will tolerate on no account4 ,thus ,lessius#afd observes1 that #8if a man has received a blow on the face1 he must on no account have an intention to avenge himself2 but he may lawfully have an intention to avert infamy1 and may1 with that view1 repel the insult immediately1 even at the point of the sword--etiam cum gladio6' ,so far are we from permitting any one to cherish the design of taking vengeance on his enemies1 that our fathers will not allow any even to wish their death--by a movement of hatred4 #8,if your enemy is disposed to injure you1' says ,escobar1 #8you have no right to wish his death1 by a movement of hatred2 though you may1 with a view to save yourself from harm4' ,so legitimate1 indeed1 is this wish1 with such an intention1 that our great ,hurtado de ,mendoza says1 that #8we may pray ,god to visit with speedy death those who are bent on persecuting us1 if there is no other way of escaping from it4'0#afe 8,may it please your reverence10 said ,i1 8the ,church has forgotten to insert a petition to that effect among her prayers40 8,they have not put in everything into the prayers that one may lawfully ask of ,god10 answered the monk4 8,besides1 in the present case the thing was impossible1 for this same opinion is of more recent standing than the ,breviary4 ,you are not a good chronologist1 friend4 ,but1 not to wander from the point1 let me request your attention to the following passage1 cited by ,diana from ,gaspar ,hurtado1#aff one of ,escobar's four-and-twenty fathers3 #8,an incumbent may1 without any mortal sin1 desire the decease of a life-renter on his benefice1 and a son that of his father1 and rejoice when it happens2 provided always it is for the sake of the profit that is to accrue from the event1 and not from personal aversion4'0 8,good60 cried ,i4 8,that is certainly a very happy hit2 and ,i can easily see that the doctrine admits of a wide application4 ,but yet there are certain cases1 the solution of which1 though of great importance for gentlemen1 might present still greater difficulties40 8,propose them1 if you please1 that we may see10 said the monk4 8,show me1 with all your directing of the intention10 returned ,i1 8that it is allowable to fight a duel40 8,our great ,hurtado de ,mendoza10 said the father1 8will satisfy you on that point in a twinkling4 #8,if a gentleman1' says he1 in a passage cited by ,diana1 #8who is challenged to fight a duel1 is well known to have no religion1 and if the vices to which he is openly and unscrupulously addicted are such as would lead people to conclude1 in the event of his refusing to fight1 that he is actuated1 not by the fear of ,god1 but by cowardice1 and induce them to say of him that he was a hen1 and not a man--gallina1 et non vir2 in that case he may1 to save his honor1 appear at the appointed spot--not1 indeed1 with the express intention of fighting a duel1 but merely with that of defending himself1 should the person who challenged him come there unjustly to attack him4 ,his action in this case1 viewed by itself1 will be perfectly indifferent2 for what moral evil is there in one stepping into a field1 taking a stroll in expectation of meeting a person1 and defending one's self in the event of being attacked8 ,and thus the gentleman is guilty of no sin whatever2 for in fact it cannot be called accepting a challenge at all1 his intention being directed to other circumstances1 and the acceptance of a challenge consisting in an express intention to fight1 which we are supposing the gentleman never had4'0 8,you have not kept your word with me1 sir10 said ,i4 8,this is not1 properly speaking1 to permit duelling2 on the contrary1 the casuist is so persuaded that this practice is forbidden1 that1 in licensing the action in question1 he carefully avoids calling it a duel40 8,ah60 cried the monk1 8you begin to get knowing on my hand1 ,i am glad to see4 ,i might reply1 that the author ,i have quoted grants all that duellists are disposed to ask4 ,but since you must have a categorical answer1 ,i shall allow our ,father ,layman to give it for me4 ,he permits duelling in so many words1 provided that1 in accepting the challenge1 the person directs his intention solely to the preservation of his honor or his property3 #8,if a soldier or a courtier is in such a predicament that he must lose either his honor or his fortune unless he accepts a challenge1 ,i see nothing to hinder him from doing so in self-defence4' ,the same thing is said by ,peter ,hurtado1 as quoted by our famous ,escobar2 his words are3 #8,one may fight a duel even to defend one's property1 should that be necessary2 because every man has a right to defend his property1 though at the expense of his enemy's life6'0 ,i was struck1 on hearing these passages1 with the reflection that while the piety of the king appears in his exerting all his power to prohibit and abolish the practice of duelling in the ,state1#afg the piety of the ,jesuits is shown in their employing all their ingenuity to tolerate and sanction it in the ,church4 ,but the good father was in such an excellent key for talking1 that it would have been cruel to have interrupted him2 so he went on with his discourse4 8,in short10 said he1 8,sanchez 7mark1 now1 what great names ,i am quoting to you67 ,sanchez1 sir1 goes a step further2 for he shows how1 simply by managing the intention rightly1 a person may not only receive a challenge1 but give one4 ,and our ,escobar follows him40 8,prove that1 father10 said ,i1 8and ,i shall give up the point3 but ,i will not believe that he has written it1 unless ,i see it in print40 8,read it yourself1 then10 he replied3 and1 to be sure1 ,i read the following extract from the ,moral ,theology of ,sanchez3 8,it is perfectly reasonable to hold that a man may fight a duel to save his life1 his honor1 or any considerable portion of his property1 when it is apparent that there is a design to deprive him of these unjustly1 by law-suits and chicanery1 and when there is no other way of preserving them4 ,navarre justly observes1 that in such cases1 it is lawful either to accept or to send a challenge--licet acceptare et offerre duellum4 ,the same author adds1 that there is nothing to prevent one from despatching one's adversary in a private way4 ,indeed1 in the circumstances referred to1 it is advisable to avoid employing the method of the duel1 if it is possible to settle the affair by privately killing our enemy2 for1 by this means1 we escape at once from exposing our life in the combat1 and from participating in the sin which our opponent would have committed by fighting the duel60#afh 8,a most pious assassination60 said ,i4 8,still1 however1 pious though it be1 it is assassination1 if a man is permitted to kill his enemy in a treacherous manner40 8,did ,i say that he might kill him treacherously80 cried the monk4 8,god forbid6 ,i said he might kill him privately1 and you conclude that he may kill him treacherously1 as if that were the same thing6 ,attend1 sir1 to ,escobar's definition before allowing yourself to speak again on this subject3 #8,we call it killing in treachery1 when the person who is slain had no reason to suspect such a fate4 ,he1 therefore1 that slays his enemy cannot be said to kill him in treachery1 even although the blow should be given insidiously and behind his back--licet per insidias aut a tergo percutiat4' ,and again3 #8,he that kills his enemy1 with whom he was reconciled under a promise of never again attempting his life1 cannot be absolutely said to kill in treachery1 unless there was between them all the stricter friendship--arctior amicitia4'#afi ,you see now1 you do not even understand what the terms signify1 and yet you pretend to talk like a doctor40 8,i grant you this is something quite new to me10 ,i replied2 8and ,i should gather from that definition that few1 if any1 were ever killed in treachery2 for people seldom take it into their heads to assassinate any but their enemies4 ,be this as it may1 however1 it seems that1 according to ,sanchez1 a man may freely slay 7,i do not say treacherously1 but only insidiously1 and behind his back7 a calumniator1 for example1 who prosecutes us at law80 8,certainly he may10 returned the monk1 8always1 however1 in the way of giving a right direction to the intention3 you constantly forget the main point4 ,molina supports the same doctrine2 and what is more1 our learned brother ,reginald maintains that we may despatch the false witnesses whom he summons against us4 ,and1 to crown the whole1 according to our great and famous fathers ,tanner and ,emanuel ,sa1 it is lawful to kill both the false witnesses and the judge himself1 if he has had any collusion with them4 ,here are ,tanner's very words3 #8,sotus and ,lessius think that it is not lawful to kill the false witnesses and the magistrate who conspire together to put an innocent person to death2 but ,emanuel ,sa and other authors with good reason impugn that sentiment1 at least so far as the conscience is concerned4' ,and he goes on to show that it is quite lawful to kill both the witnesses and the judge40 8,well1 father10 said ,i1 8,i think ,i now understand pretty well your principle regarding the direction of the intention2 but ,i should like to know something of its consequences1 and all the cases in which this method of yours arms a man with the power of life and death4 ,let us go over them again1 for fear of mistake1 for equivocation here might be attended with dangerous results4 ,killing is a matter which requires to be well-timed1 and to be backed with a good probable opinion4 ,you have assured me1 then1 that by giving a proper turn to the intention1 it is lawful1 according to your fathers1 for the preservation of one's honor1 or even property1 to accept a challenge to a duel1 to give one sometimes1 to kill in a private way a false accuser1 and his witnesses along with him1 and even the judge who has been bribed to favor them2 and you have also told me that he who has got a blow1 may1 without avenging himself1 retaliate with the sword4 ,but you have not told me1 father1 to what length he may go40 8,he can hardly mistake there10 replied the father1 8for he may go all the length of killing his man4 ,this is satisfactorily proved by the learned ,henriquez1 and others of our fathers quoted by ,escobar1 as follows3 #8,it is perfectly right to kill a person who has given us a box on the ear1 although he should run away1 provided it is not done through hatred or revenge1 and there is no danger of giving occasion thereby to murders of a gross kind and hurtful to society4 ,and the reason is1 that it is as lawful to pursue the thief that has stolen our honor1 as him that has run away with our property4 ,for1 although your honor cannot be said to be in the hands of your enemy in the same sense as your goods and chattels are in the hands of the thief1 still it may be recovered in the same way--by showing proofs of greatness and authority1 and thus acquiring the esteem of men4 ,and1 in point of fact1 is it not certain that the man who has received a buffet on the ear is held to be under disgrace1 until he has wiped off the insult with the blood of his enemy8'0 ,i was so shocked on hearing this1 that it was with great difficulty ,i could contain myself2 but1 in my anxiety to hear the rest1 ,i allowed him to proceed4 8,nay10 he continued1 8it is allowable to prevent a buffet1 by killing him that meant to give it1 if there be no other way to escape the insult4 ,this opinion is quite common with our fathers4 ,for example1 ,azor1 one of the four-and-twenty elders1 proposing the question1 #8,is it lawful for a man of honor to kill another who threatens to give him a slap on the face1 or strike him with a stick8' replies1 #8,some say he may not2 alleging that the life of our neighbor is more precious than our honor1 and that it would be an act of cruelty to kill a man merely to avoid a blow4 ,others1 however1 think that it is allowable2 and ,i certainly consider it probable1 when there is no other way of warding off the insult2 for1 otherwise1 the honor of the innocent would be constantly exposed to the malice of the insolent4' ,the same opinion is given by our great ,filiutius2 by ,father ,hereau1 in his ,treatise on ,homicide2 by ,hurtado de ,mendoza1 in his ,disputations2 by ,becan1 in his ,summary2 by our ,fathers ,flahaut and ,lecourt1 in those writings which the university1 in their third petition1 quoted at length1 in order to bring them into disgrace 7though in this they failed72 and by ,escobar4 ,in short1 this opinion is so general1 that ,lessius lays it down as a point which no casuist has contested2 he quotes a great many that uphold1 and none that deny it2 and particularly ,peter ,navarre1 who1 speaking of affronts in general 7and there is none more provoking than a box on the ear71 declares that #8by the universal consent of the casuists1 it is lawful to kill the calumniator1 if there be no other way of averting the affront--ex sententia omnium1 licet contumeliosum occidere1 si aliter ea injuria arceri nequit4' ,do you wish any more authorities80 asked the monk4 ,i declared ,i was much obliged to him2 ,i had heard rather more than enough of them already4 ,but just to see how far this damnable doctrine would go1 ,i said1 8,but1 father1 may not one be allowed to kill for something still less8 ,might not a person so direct his intention as lawfully to kill another for telling a lie1 for example80 8,he may10 returned the monk2 8and according to ,father ,baldelle1 quoted by ,escobar1 #8you may lawfully take the life of another for saying1 ,you have told a lie2 if there is no other way of shutting his mouth4' ,the same thing may be done in the case of slanders4 ,our ,fathers ,lessius and ,hereau agree in the following sentiments3 #8,if you attempt to ruin my character by telling stories against me in the presence of men of honor1 and ,i have no other way of preventing this than by putting you to death1 may ,i be permitted to do so8 ,according to the modern authors1 ,i may1 and that even though ,i have been really guilty of the crime which you divulge1 provided it is a secret one1 which you could not establish by legal evidence4 ,and ,i prove it thus3 ,if you mean to rob me of my honor by giving me a box on the ear1 ,i may prevent it by force of arms2 and the same mode of defence is lawful when you would do me the same injury with the tongue4 ,besides1 we may lawfully obviate affronts1 and therefore slanders4 ,in fine1 honor is dearer than life2 and as it is lawful to kill in defence of life1 it must be so to kill in defence of honor4' ,there1 you see1 are arguments in due form2 this is demonstration1 sir--not mere discussion4 ,and1 to conclude1 this great man ,lessius shows1 in the same place1 that it is lawful to kill even for a simple gesture1 or a sign of contempt4 #8,a man's honor1' he remarks1 #8may be attacked or filched away in various ways--in all which vindication appears very reasonable2 as1 for instance1 when one offers to strike us with a stick1 or give us a slap on the face1 or affront us either by words or signs--sive per signa4'0 8,well1 father10 said ,i1 8it must be owned that you have made every possible provision to secure the safety of reputation2 but it strikes me that human life is greatly in danger1 if any one may be conscientiously put to death simply for a defamatory speech or a saucy gesture40 8,that is true10 he replied2 8but as our fathers are very circumspect1 they have thought it proper to forbid putting this doctrine into practice on such trifling occasions4 ,they say1 at least1 #8that it ought hardly to be reduced to practice--practic vix probari potest4' ,and they have a good reason for that1 as you shall see40 8,oh6 ,i know what it will be10 interrupted ,i2 8because the law of ,god forbids us to kill1 of course40 8,they do not exactly take that ground10 said the father2 8as a matter of conscience1 and viewing the thing abstractly1 they hold it allowable40 8,and why1 then1 do they forbid it80 8,i shall tell you that1 sir4 ,it is because1 were we to kill all the defamers among us1 we should very shortly depopulate the country4 #8,although1' says ,reginald1 #8the opinion that we may kill a man for calumny is not without its probability in theory1 the contrary one ought to be followed in practice2 for1 in our mode of defending ourselves1 we should always avoid doing injury to the commonwealth2 and it is evident that by killing people in this way there would be too many murders4' #8,we should be on our guard1' says ,lessius1 #8lest the practice of this maxim prove hurtful to the ,state2 for in this case it ought not to be permitted--tunc enim non est permittendus4'0 8,what1 father6 is it forbidden only as a point of policy1 and not of religion8 ,few people1 ,i am afraid1 will pay any regard to such a prohibition1 particularly when in a passion4 ,very probably they might think they were doing no harm to the ,state1 by ridding it of an unworthy member40 8,and accordingly10 replied the monk1 8our ,filiutius has fortified that argument with another1 which is of no slender importance1 namely1 #8that for killing people after this manner1 one might be punished in a court of justice4'0 8,there now1 father2 ,i told you before1 that you will never be able to do anything worth the while1 unless you get the magistrates to go along with you40 8,the magistrates10 said the father1 8as they do not penetrate into the conscience1 judge merely of the outside of the action1 while we look principally to the intention2 and hence it occasionally happens that our maxims are a little different from theirs40 8,be that as it may1 father2 from yours1 at least1 one thing may be fairly inferred--that1 by taking care not to injure the commonwealth1 we may kill defamers with a safe conscience1 provided we can do it with a sound skin4 ,but1 sir1 after having seen so well to the protection of honor1 have you done nothing for property8 ,i am aware it is of inferior importance1 but that does not signify2 ,i should think one might direct one's intention to kill for its preservation also40 8,yes10 replied the monk2 8and ,i gave you a hint to that effect already1 which may have suggested the idea to you4 ,all our casuists agree in that opinion2 and they even extend the permission to those cases #8where no further violence is apprehended from those that steal our property2 as1 for example1 where the thief runs away4' ,azor1 one of our ,society1 proves that point40 8,but1 sir1 how much must the article be worth1 to justify our proceeding to that extremity80 8,according to ,reginald and ,tanner1 #8the article must be of great value in the estimation of a judicious man4' ,and so think ,layman and ,filiutius40 8,but1 father1 that is saying nothing to the purpose2 where am ,i to find #8a judicious man' 7a rare person to meet with at any time71 in order to make this estimation8 ,why do they not settle upon an exact sum at once80 8,ay1 indeed60 retorted the monk2 8and was it so easy1 think you1 to adjust the comparative value between the life of a man1 and a ,christian man1 too1 and money8 ,it is here ,i would have you feel the need of our casuists4 ,show me any of your ancient fathers who will tell for how much money we may be allowed to kill a man4 ,what will they say1 but #8,non occides--,thou shalt not kill8'0 8,and who1 then1 has ventured to fix that sum80 ,i inquired4 8,our great and incomparable ,molina10 he replied--8the glory of our ,society--who has1 in his inimitable wisdom1 estimated the life of a man #8at six or seven ducats2 for which sum he assures us it is warrantable to kill a thief1 even though he should run off2' and he adds1 #8that he would not venture to condemn that man as guilty of any sin who should kill another for taking away an article worth a crown1 or even less--unius aurei1 vel minoris adhuc valoris2' which has led ,escobar to lay it down as a general rule1 #8that a man may be killed quite regularly1 according to ,molina1 for the value of a crown-piece4'0 8,o father60 cried ,i1 8where can ,molina have got all this wisdom to enable him to determine a matter of such importance1 without any aid from ,scripture1 the councils1 or the fathers8 ,it is quite evident that he has obtained an illumination peculiar to himself1 and is far beyond ,st4 ,augustine in the matter of homicide1 as well as of grace4 ,well1 now1 ,i suppose ,i may consider myself master of this chapter of morals2 and ,i see perfectly that1 with the exception of ecclesiastics1 nobody need refrain from killing those who injure them in their property or reputation40 8,what say you80 exclaimed the monk4 8,do you then suppose that it would be reasonable that those who ought of all men to be most respected1 should alone be exposed to the insolence of the wicked8 ,our fathers have provided against that disorder2 for ,tanner declares that #8,churchmen1 and even monks1 are permitted to kill1 for the purpose of defending not only their lives1 but their property1 and that of their community4' ,molina1 ,escobar1 ,becan1 ,reginald1 ,layman1 ,lessius1 and others1 hold the same language4 ,nay1 according to our celebrated ,father ,lamy1#agj priests and monks may lawfully prevent those who would injure them by calumnies from carrying their ill designs into effect1 by putting them to death4 ,care1 however1 must be always taken to direct the intention properly4 ,his words are3 #8,an ecclesiastic or a monk may warrantably kill a defamer who threatens to publish the scandalous crimes of his community1 or his own crimes1 when there is no other way of stopping him2 if1 for instance1 he is prepared to circulate his defamations unless promptly despatched4 ,for1 in these circumstances1 as the monk would be allowed to kill one who threatened to take his life1 he is also warranted to kill him who would deprive him of his reputation or his property1 in the same way as the men of the world4'0 8,i was not aware of that10 said ,i2 8in fact1 ,i have been accustomed simply enough to believe the very reverse1 without reflecting on the matter1 in consequence of having heard that the ,church had such an abhorrence of bloodshed as not even to permit ecclesiastical judges to attend in criminal cases40#aga 8,never mind that10 he replied2 8our ,father ,lamy has completely proved the doctrine ,i have laid down1 although1 with a humility which sits uncommonly well on so great a man1 he submits it to the judgment of his judicious readers4 ,caramuel1 too1 our famous champion1 quoting it in his ,fundamental ,theology1 p4 #edc1 thinks it so certain1 that he declares the contrary opinion to be destitute of probability1 and draws some admirable conclusions from it1 such as the following1 which he calls #8the conclusion of conclusions--conclusionum conclusio3' #8,that a priest not only may kill a slanderer1 but there are certain circumstances in which it may be his duty to do so--etiam aliquando debet occidere4' ,he examines a great many new questions on this principle1 such as the following1 for instance3 #8,may the ,jesuits kill the ,jansenists8'0 8,a curious point of divinity that1 father60 cried ,i4 8,i hold the ,jansenists to be as good as dead men1 according to ,father ,lamy's doctrine40 8,there now1 you are in the wrong10 said the monk3 8,caramuel infers the very reverse from the same principles40 8,and how so1 father80 8,because10 he replied1 8it is not in the power of the ,jansenists to injure our reputation4 #8,the ,jansenists1' says he1 #8call the ,jesuits ,pelagians2 may they not be killed for that8 ,no2 inasmuch as the ,jansenists can no more obscure the glory of the ,society than an owl can eclipse that of the sun2 on the contrary1 they have1 though against their intention1 enhanced it--occidi non possunt1 quia nocere non potuerunt4'0 8,ha1 father6 do the lives of the ,jansenists1 then1 depend on the contingency of their injuring your reputation8 ,if so1 ,i reckon them far from being in a safe position2 for supposing it should be thought in the slightest degree probable that they might do you some mischief1 why1 they are killable at once6 ,you have only to draw up a syllogism in due form1 and1 with a direction of the intention1 you may despatch your man at once with a safe conscience4 ,thrice happy must those hot spirits be who cannot bear with injuries1 to be instructed in this doctrine6 ,but woe to the poor people who have offended them6 ,indeed1 father1 it would be better to have to do with persons who have no religion at all1 than with those who have been taught on this system4 ,for1 after all1 the intention of the wounder conveys no comfort to the wounded4 ,the poor man sees nothing of that secret direction of which you speak2 he is only sensible of the direction of the blow that is dealt him4 ,and ,i am by no means sure but a person would feel much less sorry to see himself brutally killed by an infuriated villain1 than to find himself conscientiously stilettoed by a devotee4 ,to be plain with you1 father1 ,i am somewhat staggered at all this2 and these questions of ,father ,lamy and ,caramuel do not please me at all40 8,how so80 cried the monk4 8,are you a ,jansenist80 8,i have another reason for it10 ,i replied4 8,you must know ,i am in the habit of writing from time to time1 to a friend of mine in the country1 all that ,i can learn of the maxims of your doctors4 ,now1 although ,i do no more than simply report and faithfully quote their own words1 yet ,i am apprehensive lest my letter should fall into the hands of some stray genius1 who may take into his head that ,i have done you injury1 and may draw some mischievous conclusion from your premises40 8,away60 cried the monk2 8no fear of danger from that quarter1 ,i'll give you my word for it4 ,know that what our fathers have themselves printed1 with the approbation of our superiors1 it cannot be wrong to read nor dangerous to publish40 ,i write you1 therefore1 on the faith of this worthy father's word of honor4 ,but1 in the mean time1 ,i must stop for want of paper--not of passages2 for ,i have got as many more in reserve1 and good ones too1 as would require volumes to contain them4--,i am1 c4#agb ----- ,footnote #afb3 ,this ,letter was revised by ,m4 ,nicole4 ,footnote #afc3 ,in praxi3 liv4 xxi41 num4 #fb1 p4 #bfj4 ,footnote #afd3 ,de ,just41 liv4 ii41 c4 #i1 d4 #ab1 n4 #gi4 ,footnote #afe3 ,in his book1 ,de ,spe1 vol4 ii41 d4 #ae1 sec4 #d1 #hdh4 ,footnote #aff3 ,de ,sub4 ,pecc41 diff4 #i2 ,diana1 p4 #e2 tr4 #ad1 r4 #ii4 ,footnote #afg3 ,before the age of ,louis ,,xiv4 the practice of duelling prevailed in ,france to such a frightful extent that a writer1 who is not given to exaggerate in such matters1 says1 that 8,it had done as much to depopulate the country as the civil and foreign wars1 and that in the course of twenty years1 ten of which had been disturbed by war1 more ,frenchmen perished by the hands of ,frenchmen than by those of their enemies40 7,voltaire1 ,sicle de ,louis ,,xiv41 p4 #db47 ,the abolition of this barbarous custom was one of the greatest services which ,louis ,,xiv4 rendered to his country4 ,this was not fully accomplished till #affc1 when a bloody combat of four against four determined him to put an end to the practice1 by making it death1 without benefit of clergy1 to send or accept a challenge4 ,footnote #afh3 ,sanchez1 ,theol4 ,mor41 liv4 ii4 c4 #ci1 n4 #g4 ,footnote #afi3 ,escobar1 tr4 #f1 ex4 #d1 n4 #bf1 #ef4 ,footnote #agj3 ,francois ,amicus1 or ,l',amy1 was chancellor of the ,university of ,gratz4 ,in his ,cours ,theologique1 published in #afdb he advances the most dangerous tenets1 particularly on the subject of murder4 ,footnote #aga3 ,this is true2 but in the case of heretics1 at least1 they found out a convenient mode of compromising the matter4 ,having condemned their victim as worthy of death1 he was delivered over to the secular court1 with the disgusting farce of a recommendation to mercy1 couched in these terms3 8,my lord judge1 we beg of you with all possible affection1 for the love of ,god1 and as you would expect the gifts of mercy and compassion1 and the benefit of our prayers1 not to do anything injurious to this miserable man1 tending to death or the mutilation of his body60 7,crespin1 ,hist4 des ,martyres1 p4 #ahe47 ,footnote #agb3 ,it may be noticed here1 that ,father ,daniel has attempted to evade the main charge against the ,jesuits in this letter by adroitly altering the state of the question4 ,he argues that the intention is the soul of an action1 and that which often makes it good or evil2 thus cunningly insinuating that his casuists refer only to indifferent actions1 in regard to which nobody denies that it is the intention that makes them good or bad4 7,entretiens de ,cleandre et d',eudoxe1 p4 #ccd47 ,it is unnecessary to do more than refer the reader back to the instances cited in the letter1 to convince him that what these casuists really maintain is1 that actions in themselves evil1 may be allowed1 provided the intentions are good2 and1 moreover1 that in order to make these intentions good1 it is not necessary that they have any reference to ,god1 but sufficient if they refer to our own convenience1 cupidity or vanity4 7,apologie des ,lettres ,provinciales1 pp4 #bab-bba47 ,,letter ,,viii4#agc ,,corrupt ,,maxims ,,of ,,the ,,casuists ,,relating ,,to ,,judges--,,usurers--,,the ,,contract ,,mohatra--,,bankrupts--,,restitution--, ,divers ,,ridiculous ,,notions ,,of ,,these ,,same ,,casuists4 ,,paris1 ,may #bh1 #afef4 ,,sir1--,you did not suppose that anybody would have the curiosity to know who we were2 but it seems there are people who are trying to make it out1 though they are not very happy in their conjectures4 ,some take me for a doctor of the ,sorbonne2 others ascribe my letters to four or five persons1 who1 like me1 are neither priests nor ,churchmen4 ,all these false surmises convince me that ,i have succeeded pretty well in my object1 which was to conceal myself from all but yourself and the worthy monk1 who still continues to bear with my visits1 while ,i still contrive1 though with considerable difficulty1 to bear with his conversations4 ,i am obliged1 however1 to restrain myself2 for were he to discover how much ,i am shocked at his communications1 he would discontinue them1 and thus put it out of my power to fulfil the promise ,i gave you1 of making you acquainted with their morality4 ,you ought to think a great deal of the violence which ,i thus do to my own feelings4 ,it is no easy matter1 ,i can assure you1 to stand still and see the whole system of ,christian ethics undermined by such a set of monstrous principles1 without daring to put in a word of flat contradiction against them4 ,but after having borne so much for your satisfaction1 ,i am resolved ,i shall burst out for my own satisfaction in the end1 when his stock of information has been exhausted4 ,meanwhile1 ,i shall repress my feelings as much as ,i possibly can2 for ,i find that the more ,i hold my tongue1 he is the more communicative4 ,the last time ,i saw him1 he told me so many things1 that ,i shall have some difficulty in repeating them all4 ,on the point of restitution you will find they have some most convenient principles4 ,for1 however the good monk palliates his maxims1 those which ,i am about to lay before you really go to sanction corrupt judges1 usurers1 bankrupts1 thieves1 prostitutes and sorcerers--all of whom are most liberally absolved from the obligation of restoring their ill-gotten gains4 ,it was thus the monk resumed the conversation3-- 8,at the commencement of our interviews1 ,i engaged to explain to you the maxims of our authors for all ranks and classes2 and you have already seen those that relate to beneficiaries1 to priests1 to monks1 to domestics1 and to gentlemen4 ,let us now take a cursory glance of the remaining1 and begin with the judges4 8,now ,i am going to tell you one of the most important and advantageous maxims which our fathers have laid down in their favor4 ,its author is the learned ,castro ,palao1 one of our four-and-twenty elders4 ,his words are3 #8,may a judge1 in a question of right and wrong1 pronounce according to a probable opinion1 in preference to the more probable opinion8 ,he may1 even though it should be contrary to his own judgment--imo contra propriam opinionem4'0 8,well1 father10 cried ,i1 8that is a very fair commencement6 ,the judges1 surely1 are greatly obliged to you2 and ,i am surprised that they should be so hostile1 as we have sometimes observed1 to your probabilities1 seeing these are so favorable to them4 ,for it would appear from this1 that you give them the same power over men's fortunes1 as you have given to yourselves over their consciences40 8,you perceive we are far from being actuated by self-interest10 returned he2 8we have had no other end in view than the repose of their consciences2 and to the same useful purpose has our great ,molina devoted his attention1 in regard to the presents which may be made them4 ,to remove any scruples which they might entertain in accepting of these on certain occasions1 he has been at the pains to draw out a list of all those cases in which bribes may be taken with a good conscience1 provided1 at least1 there be no special law forbidding them4 ,he says3 #8,judges may receive presents from parties1 when they are given them either for friendship's sake1 or in gratitude for some former act of justice1 or to induce them to give justice in future1 or to oblige them to pay particular attention to their case1 or to engage them to despatch it promptly4' ,the learned ,escobar delivers himself to the same effect3 #8,if there be a number of persons1 none of whom have more right than another to have their causes disposed of1 will the judge who accepts of something from one of them on condition--ex pacto--of taking up his cause first1 be guilty of sin8 ,certainly not1 according to ,layman2 for1 in common equity1 he does no injury to the rest1 by granting to one1 in consideration of his present1 what he was at liberty to grant to any of them he pleased2 and besides1 being under an equal obligation to them all in respect of their right1 he becomes more obliged to the individual who furnished the donation1 who thereby acquired for himself a preference above the rest--a preference which seems capable of a pecuniary valuation--qu obligatio videtur pretio stimabilis4'0 8,may it please your reverence10 said ,i1 8after such a permission1 ,i am surprised that the first magistrates of the kingdom should know no better4 ,for the first president#agd has actually carried an order in ,parliament to prevent certain clerks of court from taking money for that very sort of preference--a sign that he is far from thinking it allowable in judges2 and everybody has applauded this as a reform of great benefit to all parties40 ,the worthy monk was surprised at this piece of intelligence1 and replied3 8,are you sure of that8 ,i heard nothing about it4 ,our opinion1 recollect1 is only probable2 the contrary is probable also40 8,to tell you the truth1 father10 said ,i1 8people think that the first president has acted more than probably well1 and that he has thus put a stop to a course of public corruption which has been too long winked at40 8,i am not far from being of the same mind10 returned he2 8but let us waive that point1 and say no more about the judges40 8,you are quite right1 sir10 said ,i2 8indeed1 they are not half thankful enough for all you have done for them40 8,that is not my reason10 said the father2 8but there is so much to be said on all the different classes1 that we must study brevity on each of them4 ,let us now say a word or two about men of business4 ,you are aware that our great difficulty with these gentlemen is to keep them from usury--an object to accomplish which our fathers have been at particular pains2 for they hold this vice in such abhorrence1 that ,escobar declares #8it is heresy to say that usury is no sin2' and ,father ,bauny has filled several pages of his ,summary of ,sins with the pains and penalties due to usurers4 ,he declares them #8infamous during their life1 and unworthy of sepulture after their death4'0 8,o dear60 cried ,i1 8,i had no idea he was so severe40 8,he can be severe enough when there is occasion for it10 said the monk2 8but then this learned casuist1 having observed that some are allured into usury merely from the love of gain1 remarks in the same place1 that #8he would confer no small obligation on society1 who1 while he guarded it against the evil effects of usury1 and of the sin which gives birth to it1 would suggest a method by which one's money might secure as large1 if not a larger profit1 in some honest and lawful employment1 than he could derive from usurious dealings4'0 8,undoubtedly1 father1 there would be no more usurers after that40 8,accordingly10 continued he1 8our casuist has suggested #8a general method for all sorts of persons--gentlemen1 presidents1 councillors1' c42 and a very simple process it is1 consisting only in the use of certain words which must be pronounced by the person in the act of lending his money2 after which he may take his interest for it without fear of being a usurer1 which he certainly would be on any other plan40 8,and pray what may those mysterious words be1 father80 8,i will give you them exactly in his own words10 said the father2 8for he has written his ,summary in ,french1 you know1 #8that it may be understood by everybody1' as he says in the preface3 #8,the person from whom the loan is asked1 must answer1 then1 in this manner3 ,i have got no money to lend2 ,i have got a little1 however1 to lay out for an honest and lawful profit4 ,if you are anxious to have the sum you mention in order to make something of it by your industry1 dividing the profit and loss between us1 ,i may perhaps be able to accommodate you4 ,but now ,i think of it1 as it may be a matter of difficulty to agree about the profit1 if you will secure me a certain portion of it1 and give me so much for my principal1 so that it incur no risk1 we may come to terms much sooner1 and you shall touch the cash immediately4' ,is not that an easy plan for gaining money without sin8 ,and has not ,father ,bauny good reason for concluding with these words3 #8,such1 in my opinion1 is an excellent plan by which a great many people1 who now provoke the just indignation of ,god by their usuries1 extortions1 and illicit bargains1 might save themselves1 in the way of making good1 honest1 and legitimate profits8'0 8,o sir60 ,i exclaimed1 8what potent words these must be6 ,doubtless they must possess some latent virtue to chase away the demon of usury which ,i know nothing of1 for1 in my poor judgment1 ,i always thought that that vice consisted in recovering more money than what was lent40 8,you know little about it indeed10 he replied4 8,usury1 according to our fathers1 consists in little more than the intention of taking the interest as usurious4 ,escobar1 accordingly1 shows you how you may avoid usury by a simple shift of the intention4 #8,it would be downright usury1' says he1 #8to take interest from the borrower1 if we should exact it as due in point of justice2 but if only exacted as due in point of gratitude1 it is not usury4 ,again1 it is not lawful to have directly the intention of profiting by the money lent2 but to claim it through the medium of the benevolence of the borrower--media benevolentia--is not usury4' ,these are subtle methods2 but1 to my mind1 the best of them all 7for we have a great choice of them7 is that of the ,mohatra bargain40 8,the ,mohatra1 father60 8,you are not acquainted with it1 ,i see10 returned he4 8,the name is the only strange thing about it4 ,escobar will explain it to you3 #8,the ,mohatra bargain is effected by the needy person purchasing some goods at a high price and on credit1 in order to sell them over again1 at the same time and to the same merchant1 for ready money and at a cheap rate4' ,this is what we call the ,mohatra--a sort of bargain1 you perceive1 by which a person receives a certain sum of ready money1 by becoming bound to pay more40 8,but1 sir1 ,i really think nobody but ,escobar has employed such a term as that2 is it to be found in any other book80 8,how little you do know of what is going on1 to be sure60 cried the father4 8,why1 the last work on theological morality1 printed at ,paris this very year1 speaks of the ,mohatra1 and learnedly1 too4 ,it is called ,epilogus ,summarum1 and is an abridgment of all the summaries of divinity--extracted from ,suarez1 ,sanchez1 ,lessius1 ,fagundez1 ,hurtado1 and other celebrated casuists1 as the title bears4 ,there you will find it said1 at p4 #ed1 that #8the ,mohatra bargain takes place when a man who has occasion for twenty pistoles purchases from a merchant goods to the amount of thirty pistoles1 payable within a year1 and sells them back to him on the spot for twenty pistoles ready money4' ,this shows you that the ,mohatra is not such an unheard-of term as you supposed40 8,but1 father1 is that sort of bargain lawful80 8,escobar10 replied he1 8tells us in the same place1 that there are laws which prohibit it under very severe penalties40 8,it is useless1 then1 ,i suppose80 8,not at all2 ,escobar1 in the same passage1 suggests expedients for making it lawful3 #8,it is so1 even though the principal intention both of the buyer and seller is to make money by the transaction1 provided the seller1 in disposing of the goods1 does not exceed their highest price1 and in re-purchasing them does not go below their lowest price1 and that no previous bargain has been made1 expressly or otherwise4' ,lessius1 however1 maintains1 that #8even though the merchant has sold his goods1 with the intention of re-purchasing them at the lowest price1 he is not bound to make restitution of the profit thus acquired1 unless1 perhaps1 as an act of charity1 in the case of the person from whom it has been exacted being in poor circumstances1 and not even then1 if he cannot do it without inconvenience--si commode non potest4' ,this is the utmost length to which they could go40 8,indeed1 sir10 said ,i1 8any further indulgence would1 ,i should think1 be rather too much40 8,oh1 our fathers know very well when it is time for them to stop60 cried the monk4 8,so much1 then1 for the utility of the ,mohatra4 ,i might have mentioned several other methods1 but these may suffice2 and ,i have now to say a little in regard to those who are in embarrassed circumstances4 ,our casuists have sought to relieve them1 according to their condition of life4 ,for1 if they have not enough of property for a decent maintenance1 and at the same time for paying their debts1 they permit them to secure a portion by making a bankruptcy with their creditors4#age ,this has been decided by ,lessius1 and confirmed by ,escobar1 as follows3 #8,may a person who turns bankrupt1 with a good conscience keep back as much of his personal estate as may be necessary to maintain his family in a respectable way--ne indecor vivat8 ,i hold1 with ,lessius1 that he may1 even though he may have acquired his wealth unjustly and by notorious crimes--ex injustitia et notorio delicto2 only1 in this case1 he is not at liberty to retain so large an amount as he otherwise might4'0 8,indeed1 father6 what a strange sort of charity is this1 to allow property to remain in the hands of the man who has acquired it by rapine1 to support him in his extravagance rather than go into the hands of his creditors1 to whom it legitimately belongs60 8,it is impossible to please everybody10 replied the father2 8and we have made it our particular study to relieve these unfortunate people4 ,this partiality to the poor has induced our great ,vasquez1 cited by ,castro ,palao1 to say1 that #8if one saw a thief going to rob a poor man1 it would be lawful to divert him from his purpose by pointing out to him some rich individual1 whom he might rob in place of the other4' ,if you have not access to ,vasquez or ,castro ,palao1 you will find the same thing in your copy of ,escobar2 for1 as you are aware1 his work is little more than a compilation from twenty-four of the most celebrated of our fathers4 ,you will find it in his treatise1 entitled #8,the ,practice of our ,society1 in the matter of ,charity towards our ,neighbors4'0 8,a very singular kind of charity this10 ,i observed1 8to save one man from suffering loss1 by inflicting it upon another6 ,but ,i suppose that1 to complete the charity1 the charitable adviser would be bound in conscience to restore to the rich man the sum which he had made him lose80 8,not at all1 sir10 returned the monk2 8for he did not rob the man--he only advised the other to do it4 ,but only attend to this notable decision of ,father ,bauny1 on a case which will still more astonish you1 and in which you would suppose there was a much stronger obligation to make restitution4 ,here are his identical words3 #8,a person asks a soldier to beat his neighbor1 or to set fire to the barn of a man that has injured him4 ,the question is1 ,whether1 in the absence of the soldier1 the person who employed him to commit these outrages is bound to make reparation out of his own pocket for the damage that has followed8 ,my opinion is1 that he is not4 ,for none can be held bound to restitution1 where there has been no violation of justice2 and is justice violated by asking another to do us a favor8 ,as to the nature of the request which he made1 he is at liberty either to acknowledge or deny it2 to whatever side he may incline1 it is a matter of mere choice2 nothing obliges him to it1 unless it may be the goodness1 gentleness1 and easiness of his disposition4 ,if the soldier1 therefore1 makes no reparation for the mischief he has done1 it ought not to be exacted from him at whose request he injured the innocent4'0 ,this sentence had very nearly broken up the whole conversation1 for ,i was on the point of bursting into a laugh at the idea of the goodness and gentleness of a burner of barns1 and at these strange sophisms which would exempt from the duty of restitution the principal and real incendiary1 whom the civil magistrate would not exempt from the halter4 ,but had ,i not restrained myself1 the worthy monk1 who was perfectly serious1 would have been displeased2 he proceeded1 therefore1 without any alteration of countenance1 in his observations4 8,from such a mass of evidence1 you ought to be satisfied now of the futility of your objections2 but we are losing sight of our subject4 ,to revert1 then1 to the succor which our fathers apply to persons in straitened circumstances1 ,lessius1 among others1 maintains that #8it is lawful to steal1 not only in a case of extreme necessity1 but even where the necessity is grave1 though not extreme4'0 8,this is somewhat startling1 father10 said ,i4 8,there are very few people in this world who do not consider their cases of necessity to be grave ones1 and to whom1 accordingly1 you would not give the right of stealing with a good conscience4 ,and though you should restrict the permission to those only who are really and truly in that condition1 you open the door to an infinite number of petty larcenies which the magistrates would punish in spite of your #8grave necessity1' and which you ought to repress on a higher principle--you who are bound by your office to be the conservators1 not of justice only1 but of charity between man and man1 a grace which this permission would destroy4 ,for after all1 now1 is it not a violation of the law of charity1 and of our duty to our neighbor1 to deprive a man of his property in order to turn it to our own advantage8 ,such1 at least1 is the way ,i have been taught to think hitherto40 8,that will not always hold true10 replied the monk2 8for our great ,molina has taught us that #8the rule of charity does not bind us to deprive ourselves of a profit1 in order thereby to save our neighbor from a corresponding loss4' ,he advances this in corroboration of what he had undertaken to prove--#8that one is not bound in conscience to restore the goods which another had put into his hands in order to cheat his creditors4' ,lessius holds the same opinion1 on the same ground4#agf ,allow me to say1 sir1 that you have too little compassion for people in distress4 ,our fathers have had more charity than that comes to3 they render ample justice to the poor1 as well as the rich2 and1 ,i may add1 to sinners as well as saints4 ,for1 though far from having any predilection for criminals1 they do not scruple to teach that the property gained by crime may be lawfully retained4 #8,no person1' says ,lessius1 speaking generally1 #8is bound1 either by the law of nature or by positive laws 7that is1 by any law71 to make restitution of what has been gained by committing a criminal action1 such as adultery1 even though that action is contrary to justice4' ,for1 as ,escobar comments on this writer1 #8though the property which a woman acquires by adultery is certainly gained in an illicit way1 yet once acquired1 the possession of it is lawful--quamvis mulier illicit acquisat1 licit tamen retinet acquisita4' ,it is on this principle that the most celebrated of our writers have formally decided that the bribe received by a judge from one of the parties who has a bad case1 in order to procure an unjust decision in his favor1 the money got by a soldier for killing a man1 or the emoluments gained by infamous crimes1 may be legitimately retained4 ,escobar1 who has collected this from a number of our authors1 lays down this general rule on the point1 that #8the means acquired by infamous courses1 such as murder1 unjust decisions1 profligacy1 c41 are legitimately possessed1 and none are obliged to restore them4' ,and further1 #8they may dispose of what they have received for homicide1 profligacy1 c41 as they please2 for the possession is just1 and they have acquired a propriety in the fruits of their iniquity4'0#agg 8,my dear father10 cried ,i1 8this is a mode of acquisition which ,i never heard of before2 and ,i question much if the law will hold it good1 or if it will consider assassination1 injustice1 and adultery1 as giving valid titles to property40 8,i do not know what your law-books may say on the point10 returned the monk2 8but ,i know well that our books1 which are the genuine rules for conscience1 bear me out in what ,i say4 ,it is true they make one exception1 in which restitution is positively enjoined2 that is1 in the case of any receiving money from those who have no right to dispose of their property1 such as minors and monks4 #8,unless1' says the great ,molina1 #8a woman has received money from one who cannot dispose of it1 such as a monk or a minor--nisi mulier accepisset ab eo qui alienare non potest1 ut a religioso et filio familias4 ,in this case she must give back the money4' ,and so says ,escobar40#agh 8,may it please your reverence10 said ,i1 8the monks1 ,i see1 are more highly favored in this way than other people40 8,by no means10 he replied2 8have they not done as much generally for all minors1 in which class monks may be viewed as continuing all their lives8 ,it is barely an act of justice to make them an exception2 but with regard to all other people1 there is no obligation whatever to refund to them the money received from them for a criminal action4 ,for1 as has been amply shown by ,lessius1 #8a wicked action may have its price fixed in money1 by calculating the advantage received by the person who orders it to be done1 and the trouble taken by him who carries it into execution2 on which account the latter is not bound to restore the money he got for the deed1 whatever that may have been--homicide1 injustice1 or a foul act' 7for such are the illustrations which he uniformly employs in this question72 #8unless he obtained the money from those having no right to dispose of their property4 ,you may object1 perhaps1 that he who has obtained money for a piece of wickedness is sinning1 and therefore ought neither to receive nor retain it4 ,but ,i reply1 that after the thing is done1 there can be no sin either in giving or in receiving payment for it4' ,the great ,filiutius enters still more minutely into details1 remarking1 #8that a man is bound in conscience1 to vary his payments for actions of this sort1 according to the different conditions of the individuals who commit them1 and some may bring a higher price than others4' ,this he confirms by very solid arguments40#agi ,he then pointed out to me1 in his authors1 some things of this nature so indelicate that ,i should be ashamed to repeat them2 and indeed the monk himself1 who is a good man1 would have been horrified at them himself1 were it not for the profound respect which he entertains for his fathers1 and which makes him receive with veneration everything that proceeds from them4 ,meanwhile1 ,i held my tongue1 not so much with the view of allowing him to enlarge on this matter1 as from pure astonishment at finding the books of men in holy orders stuffed with sentiments at once so horrible1 so iniquitous1 and so silly4 ,he went on1 therefore1 without interruption in his discourse1 concluding as follows3-- 8,from these premises1 our illustrious ,molina decides the following question 7and after this1 ,i think you will have got enough73 #8,if one has received money to perpetrate a wicked action1 is he obliged to restore it8 ,we must distinguish here1' says this great man2 #8if he has not done the deed1 he must give back the cash2 if he has1 he is under no such obligation6'#ahj ,such are some of our principles touching restitution4 ,you have got a great deal of instruction to-day2 and ,i should like1 now1 to see what proficiency you have made4 ,come1 then1 answer me this question3 #8,is a judge1 who has received a sum of money from one of the parties before him1 in order to pronounce a judgment in his favor1 obliged to make restitution8'0 8,you were just telling me a little ago1 father1 that he was not40 8,i told you no such thing10 replied the father2 8did ,i express myself so generally8 ,i told you he was not bound to make restitution1 provided he succeeded in gaining the cause for the party who had the wrong side of the question4 ,but if a man has justice on his side1 would you have him to purchase the success of his cause1 which is his legitimate right8 ,you are very unconscionable4 ,justice1 look you1 is a debt which the judge owes1 and therefore he cannot sell it2 but he cannot be said to owe injustice1 and therefore he may lawfully receive money for it4 ,all our leading authors1 accordingly1 agree in teaching #8that though a judge is bound to restore the money he had received for doing an act of justice1 unless it was given him out of mere generosity1 he is not obliged to restore what he has received from a man in whose favor he has pronounced an unjust decision4'0#aha ,this preposterous decision fairly dumbfounded me1 and while ,i was musing on its pernicious tendencies1 the monk had prepared another question for me4 8,answer me again10 said he1 8with a little more circumspection4 ,tell me now1 #8if a man who deals in divination is obliged to make restitution of the money he has acquired in the exercise of his art8'0 8,just as you please1 your reverence10 said ,i4 8,eh6 what6--just as ,i please6 ,indeed1 but you are a pretty scholar6 ,it would seem1 according to your way of talking1 that the truth depended on our will and pleasure4 ,i see that1 in the present case1 you would never find it out yourself3 so ,i must send you to ,sanchez for a solution of the problem--no less a man than ,sanchez4 ,in the first place1 he makes a distinction between #8the case of the diviner who has recourse to astrology and other natural means1 and that of another who employs the diabolical art4 ,in the one case1 he says1 the diviner is bound to make restitution2 in the other he is not4' ,now1 guess which of them is the party bound80 8,it is not difficult to find out that10 said ,i4 8,i see what you mean to say10 he replied4 8,you think that he ought to make restitution in the case of his having employed the agency of demons4 ,but you know nothing about it2 it is just the reverse4 #8,if1' says ,sanchez1 #8the sorcerer has not taken care and pains to discover1 by means of the devil1 what he could not have known otherwise1 he must make restitution--si nullam operam apposuit ut arte diaboli id sciret2 but if he has been at that trouble1 he is not obliged4'0 8,and why so1 father80 8,don't you see80 returned he4 8,it is because men may truly divine by the aid of the devil1 whereas astrology is a mere sham40 8,but1 sir1 should the devil happen not to tell the truth 7and he is not much more to be trusted than astrology71 the magician must1 ,i should think1 for the same reason1 be obliged to make restitution80 8,not always10 replied the monk3 8,distinguo1 as ,sanchez says1 here4 #8,if the magician be ignorant of the diabolic art--si sit artis diabolic ignarus--he is bound to restore3 but if he is an expert sorcerer1 and has done all in his power to arrive at the truth1 the obligation ceases2 for the industry of such a magician may be estimated at a certain sum of money4'0 8,there is some sense in that10 ,i said2 8for this is an excellent plan to induce sorcerers to aim at proficiency in their art1 in the hope of making an honest livelihood1 as you would say1 by faithfully serving the public40 8,you are making a jest of it1 ,i suspect10 said the father3 8that is very wrong4 ,if you were to talk in that way in places where you were not known1 some people might take it amiss1 and charge you with turning sacred subjects into ridicule40 8,that1 father1 is a charge from which ,i could very easily vindicate myself2 for certain ,i am that whoever will be at the trouble to examine the true meaning of my words will find my object to be precisely the reverse2 and perhaps1 sir1 before our conversations are ended1 ,i may find an opportunity of making this very amply apparent40 8,ho1 ho10 cried the monk1 8there is no laughing in your head now40 8,i confess10 said ,i1 8that the suspicion that ,i intended to laugh at things sacred1 would be as painful for me to incur1 as it would be unjust in any to entertain it40 8,i did not say it in earnest10 returned the father2 8but let us speak more seriously40 8,i am quite disposed to do so1 if you prefer it2 that depends upon you1 father4 ,but ,i must say1 that ,i have been astonished to see your friends carrying their attentions to all sorts and conditions of men so far as even to regulate the legitimate gains of sorcerers40 8,one cannot write for too many people10 said the monk1 8nor be too minute in particularizing cases1 nor repeat the same things too often in different books4 ,you may be convinced of this by the following anecdote1 which is related by one of the gravest of our fathers1 as you may well suppose1 seeing he is our present ,provincial--the reverend ,father ,cellot3 #8,we know a person1' says he1 #8who was carrying a large sum of money in his pocket to restore it1 in obedience to the orders of his confessor1 and who1 stepping into a bookseller's shop by the way1 inquired if there was anything new8--numquid novi8--when the bookseller showed him a book on moral theology1 recently published2 and turning over the leaves carelessly1 and without reflection1 he lighted upon a passage describing his own case1 and saw that he was under no obligation to make restitution3 upon which1 relieved from the burden of his scruples1 he returned home with a purse no less heavy1 and a heart much lighter1 than when he left it3--abjecta scrupuli sarcina1 retento auri pondere1 levior domum repetiit4'#ahb 8,say1 after hearing that1 if it is useful or not to know our maxims8 ,will you laugh at them now8 or rather1 are you not prepared to join with ,father ,cellot in the pious reflection which he makes on the blessedness of that incident8 #8,accidents of that kind1' he remarks1 #8are1 with ,god1 the effect of his providence2 with the guardian angel1 the effect of his good guidance2 with the individuals to whom they happen1 the effect of their predestination4 ,from all eternity1 ,god decided that the golden chain of their salvation should depend on such and such an author1 and not upon a hundred others who say the same thing1 because they never happen to meet with them4 ,had that man not written1 this man would not have been saved4 ,all1 therefore1 who find fault with the multitude of our authors1 we would beseech1 in the bowels of ,jesus ,christ1 to beware of envying others those books which the eternal election of ,god and the blood of ,jesus ,christ has purchased for them6' ,such are the eloquent terms in which this learned man proves so successfully the proposition which he had advanced1 namely1 #8,how useful it must be to have a great many writers on moral theology--qum utile sit de theologia morali multos scribere6'0 8,father10 said ,i1 8,i shall defer giving you my opinion of that passage to another opportunity2 in the mean time1 ,i shall only say that as your maxims are so useful1 and as it is so important to publish them1 you ought to continue to give me further instruction in them4 ,for ,i can assure you that the person to whom ,i send them shows my letters to a great many people4 ,not that we intend to avail ourselves of them in our own case2 but indeed we think it will be useful for the world to be informed about them40 8,very well10 rejoined the monk1 8you see ,i do not conceal them2 and1 in continuation1 ,i am ready to furnish you1 at our next interview1 with an account of the comforts and indulgences which our fathers allow1 with the view of rendering salvation easy1 and devotion agreeable2 so that in addition to what you have hitherto learned as to particular conditions of men1 you may learn what applies in general to all classes1 and thus you will have gone through a complete course of instruction40--,so saying1 the monk took his leave of me4--,i am1 c4 99 99 99 99 99 ,p4 ,s4--,i have always forgot to tell you that there are different editions of ,escobar4 ,should you think of purchasing him1 ,i would advise you to choose the ,lyons edition1 having on the title-page the device of a lamb lying on a book sealed with seven seals2 or the ,brussels edition of #afea4 ,both of these are better and larger than the previous editions published at ,lyons in the years #afdd and #afdf4ahc ----- ,footnote #agc3 ,this ,letter also was revised by ,m4 ,nicole4 ,footnote #agd3 ,the president referred to was ,pompone de ,bellievre1 on whom ,m4 ,pelisson pronounced a beautiful eulogy4 ,footnote #age3 ,the ,jesuits exemplified their own maxim in this case by the famous bankruptcy of their ,college of ,st4 ,hermenigilde at ,seville4 ,we have a full account of this in the memorial presented to the ,king of ,spain by the luckless creditors4 ,the simple pathos and sincere earnestness of this document preclude all suspicion of the accuracy of its statements4 ,by the advice of their ,father ,provincial1 the ,jesuits1 in ,march1 #afde1 stopped payments after having borrowed upwards of #dej1jjj ducats1 mostly from poor widows and friendless girls4 ,this shameful affair was exposed before the courts of justice1 during a long litigation1 in the course of which it was discovered that the ,jesuit fathers had been carrying on extensive mercantile transactions1 and that instead of spending the money left them for pious uses--such as ransoming captives1 and alms-giving--they had devoted it to the purposes of what they termed 8our poor little house of profession40 7,theatre ,jesuitique1 p4 #bjj1 c47 ,footnote #agf3 ,molina1 t4 ii41 tr4 #b1 disp4 #cch1 n4 #h2 ,lessius1 liv4 ii41 ch4 #bj1 dist4 #ai1 n4 #afh4 ,footnote #agg3 ,escobar1 tr4 #c1 ex4 #a1 n4 #bc1 tr4 #e1 ex4 #e1 n4 #ec4 ,footnote #agh3 ,molina1 l4 tom4 i42 ,de ,just41 tr4 #b1 disp4 #id2 ,escobar1 tr4 #a1 ex4 #h1 n4 #ei1 tr4 #c1 ex4 #a1 n4 #bc4 ,footnote #agi3 ,tr4 #ca1 c4 #i1 n4 #bca4--8,occult fornicari debetur pretium in conscientia1 et multo majore ratione1 quam public4 ,copia enim quam occulta facit mulier sui corporis1 multo plus valet quam ea quam publica facit meretrix2 nec ulla est lex positiva qu reddit eam incapacem pretii4 ,idem dicendum de pretio promisso virgini1 conjugat1 moniali1 et cuicumque alii4 ,est enim omnium eadem ratio40 ,footnote #ahj3 ,quoted by ,escobar1 tr4 #c1 ex4 #b1 n4 #ach4 ,footnote #aha3 ,molina1 #id1 #ii2 ,reginald4 l4 #aj1 #ahd2 ,filiutius1 tr4 #ca2 ,escobar1 tr4 #c2 ,lessius1 l4 #b1 #ad4 ,footnote #ahb3 ,cellot1 liv4 viii41 de la ,hierarch1 c4 #af1 #b4 ,footnote #ahc3 8,since all this1 a new edition has been printed at ,paris1 by ,piget1 more correct than any of the rest4 ,but the sentiments of ,escobar may be still better ascertained from the great work on moral theology1 printed at ,lyons40 7,note in ,nicole's edition of the ,letters47 ,i may avail myself of this space to remark1 that not one of the charges brought against the ,jesuits in this letter has been met by ,father ,daniel in his celebrated reply4 ,indeed1 after some vain efforts to contradict about a dozen passages in the letters1 he leaves avowedly more than a hundred without daring to answer them4 ,the pretext for thus failing to perform what he professed to do1 and what he so loudly boasts1 at the commencement1 of his being able to do1 is ingenious enough4 8,you will easily comprehend10 says one of his characters1 8that this confronting of texts and quotations is not a great treat for a man of my taste4 ,i could not stand this disagreeable labor much longer40 7,entretiens de ,cleandre et d',eudoxe1 p4 #bgg47 ,we reserve our remarks on the pretended falsifications charged against ,pascal1 till we come to his own masterly defence of himself in the subsequent letters4 ,,letter ,,ix4 ,,false ,,worship ,,of ,,the ,,virgin ,,introduced ,,by ,,the ,,jesuits--,,devotion ,,made ,,easy--,,their ,,maxims ,,on ,,ambition1 ,,envy1 ,,gluttony1 ,,equivocation1 ,,and ,,mental ,,reservations--,,female ,,dress--,,gaming--,,hearing ,,mass4 ,,paris1 ,july #c1 #afef4 ,,sir1--,i shall use as little ceremony with you as the worthy monk did with me1 when ,i saw him last4 ,the moment he perceived me1 he came forward with his eyes fixed on a book which he held in his hand and accosted me thus3 8#8,would you not be infinitely obliged to any one who should open to you the gates of paradise8 ,would you not give millions of gold to have a key by which you might gain admittance whenever you thought proper8 ,you need not be at such expense2 here is one--here are a hundred for much less money4'0 ,at first ,i was at a loss to know whether the good father was reading1 or talking to me1 but he soon put the matter beyond doubt by adding3 8,these1 sir1 are the opening words of a fine book1 written by ,father ,barry of our ,society2 for ,i never give you anything of my own40 8,what book is it80 asked ,i4 8,here is its title10 he replied3 8#8,paradise opened to ,philagio1 in a ,hundred ,devotions to the ,mother of ,god1 easily practised4'0 8,indeed1 father6 and is each of these easy devotions a sufficient passport to heaven80 8,it is10 returned he4 8,listen to what follows3 #8,the devotions to the ,mother of ,god1 which you will find in this book1 are so many celestial keys1 which will open wide to you the gates of paradise1 provided you practise them2' and accordingly1 he says at the conclusion1 #8that he is satisfied if you practise only one of them4'0 8,pray1 then1 father1 do teach me one of the easiest of them40 8,they are all easy10 he replied2 8for example--#8,saluting the ,holy ,virgin when you happen to meet her image--saying the little chaplet of the pleasures of the ,virgin--fervently pronouncing the name of ,mary--commissioning the angels to bow to her for us--wishing to build her as many churches as all the monarchs on earth have done--bidding her good morrow every morning1 and good night in the evening--saying the ,ave ,maria every day1 in honor of the heart of ,mary'--which last devotion1 he says1 possesses the additional virtue of securing us the heart of the ,virgin40#ahd 8,but1 father10 said ,i1 8only provided we give her our own in return1 ,i presume80 8,that10 he replied1 8is not absolutely necessary1 when a person is too much attached to the world4 ,hear ,father ,barry3 #8,heart for heart would1 no doubt1 be highly proper2 but yours is rather too much attached to the world1 too much bound up in the creature1 so that ,i dare not advise you to offer1 at present1 that poor little slave which you call your heart4' ,and so he contents himself with the ,ave ,maria which he had prescribed40#ahe 8,why1 this is extremely easy work10 said ,i1 8and ,i should really think that nobody will be damned after that40 8,alas60 said the monk1 8,i see you have no idea of the hardness of some people's hearts4 ,there are some1 sir1 who would never engage to repeat1 every day1 even these simple words1 ,good day1 ,good evening1 just because such a practice would require some exertion of memory4 ,and1 accordingly1 it became necessary for ,father ,barry to furnish them with expedients still easier1 such as wearing a chaplet night and day on the arm1 in the form of a bracelet1 or carrying about one's person a rosary1 or an image of the ,virgin4#ahf #8,and1 tell me now1' as ,father ,barry says1 #8if ,i have not provided you with easy devotions to obtain the good graces of ,mary8'0 8,extremely easy indeed1 father10 ,i observed4 8,yes10 he said1 8it is as much as could possibly be done1 and ,i think should be quite satisfactory4 ,for he must be a wretched creature indeed1 who would not spare a single moment in all his lifetime to put a chaplet on his arm1 or a rosary in his pocket1 and thus secure his salvation2 and that1 too1 with so much certainty that none who have tried the experiment have ever found it to fail1 in whatever way they may have lived2 though1 let me add1 we exhort people not to omit holy living4 ,let me refer you to the example of this1 given at p4 #cd2 it is that of a female who1 while she practised daily the devotion of saluting the images of the ,virgin1 spent all her days in mortal sin1 and yet was saved after all1 by the merit of that single devotion40 8,and how so80 cried ,i4 8,our ,saviour10 he replied1 8raised her up again1 for the very purpose of showing it4 ,so certain it is1 that none can perish who practise any one of these devotions40 8,my dear sir10 ,i observed1 8,i am fully aware that the devotions to the ,virgin are a powerful mean of salvation1 and that the least of them1 if flowing from the exercise of faith and charity1 as in the case of the saints who have practised them1 are of great merit2 but to make persons believe that1 by practising these without reforming their wicked lives1 they will be converted by them at the hour of death1 or that ,god will raise them up again1 does appear calculated rather to keep sinners going on in their evil courses1 by deluding them with false peace and fool-hardy confidence1 than to draw them off from sin by that genuine conversion which grace alone can effect40#ahg 8,what does it matter10 replied the monk1 8by what road we enter paradise1 provided we do enter it8 as our famous ,father ,binet1 formerly our provincial1 remarks on a similar subject1 in his excellent book ,on the ,mark of ,predestination1 #8,be it by hook or by crook1' as he says1 #8what need we care1 if we reach at last the celestial city4'0 8,granted10 said ,i2 8but the great question is1 if we will get there at all80 8,the ,virgin will be answerable for that10 returned he2 8so says ,father ,barry in the concluding lines of his book3 #8,if1 at the hour of death1 the enemy should happen to put in some claim upon you1 and occasion disturbance in the little commonwealth of your thoughts1 you have only to say that ,mary will answer for you1 and that he must make his application to her4'0 8,but1 father1 it might be possible to puzzle you1 were one disposed to push the question a little further4 ,who1 for example1 has assured us that the ,virgin will be answerable in this case80 8,father ,barry will be answerable for her10 he replied4 8#8,as for the profit and happiness to be derived from these devotions1' he says1 #8,i will be answerable for that2 ,i will stand bail for the good ,mother4'0 8,but1 father1 who is to be answerable for ,father ,barry80 8,how60 cried the monk2 8for ,father ,barry8 is he not a member of our ,society8 and do you need to be told that our ,society is answerable for all the books of its members8 ,it is highly necessary and important for you to know about this4 ,there is an order in our ,society1 by which all booksellers are prohibited from printing any work of our fathers without the approbation of our divines and the permission of our superiors4 ,this regulation was passed by ,henry ,,iii41 #ajth ,may #aehc1 and confirmed by ,henry ,,iv41 #bjth ,december #afjc1 and by ,louis ,,xiii41 #adth ,february #afab2 so that the whole of our body stands responsible for the publications of each of the brethren4 ,this is a feature quite peculiar to our community4 ,and1 in consequence of this1 not a single work emanates from us which does not breathe the spirit of the ,society4 ,that1 sir1 is a piece of information quite apropos40#ahh 8,my good father10 said ,i1 8you oblige me very much1 and ,i only regret that ,i did not know this sooner1 as it will induce me to pay considerably more attention to your authors40 8,i would have told you sooner10 he replied1 8had an opportunity offered2 ,i hope1 however1 you will profit by the information in future1 and1 in the mean time1 let us prosecute our subject4 ,the methods of securing salvation which ,i have mentioned are1 in my opinion1 very easy1 very sure1 and sufficiently numerous2 but it was the anxious wish of our doctors that people should not stop short at this first step1 where they only do what is absolutely necessary for salvation1 and nothing more4 ,aspiring1 as they do without ceasing1 after the greater glory of ,god1#ahi they sought to elevate men to a higher pitch of piety2 and as men of the world are generally deterred from devotion by the strange ideas they have been led to form of it by some people1 we have deemed it of the highest importance to remove this obstacle which meets us at the threshold4 ,in this department ,father ,le ,moine has acquired much fame1 by his work entitled ,,devotion ,,made ,,easy1 composed for this very purpose4 ,the picture which he draws of devotion in this work is perfectly charming4 ,none ever understood the subject before him4 ,only hear what he says in the beginning of his work3 #8,virtue has never as yet been seen aright2 no portrait of her1 hitherto produced1 has borne the least verisimilitude4 ,it is by no means surprising that so few have attempted to scale her rocky eminence4 ,she has been held up as a cross-tempered dame1 whose only delight is in solitude2 she has been associated with toil and sorrow2 and1 in short1 represented as the foe of sports and diversions1 which are1 in fact1 the flowers of joy and the seasoning of life4'0 8,but1 father1 ,i am sure1 ,i have heard at least1 that there have been great saints who led extremely austere lives40 8,no doubt of that10 he replied2 8but still1 to use the language of the doctor1 #8there have always been a number of genteel saints1 and well-bred devotees2' and this difference in their manners1 mark you1 arises entirely from a difference of humors4 #8,i am far from denying1' says my author1 #8that there are devout persons to be met with1 pale and melancholy in their temperament1 fond of silence and retirement1 with phlegm instead of blood in their veins1 and with faces of clay2 but there are many others of a happier complexion1 and who possess that sweet and warm humor1 that genial and rectified blood1 which is the true stuff that joy is made of4' 8,you see10 resumed the monk1 8that the love of silence and retirement is not common to all devout people2 and that1 as ,i was saying1 this is the effect rather of their complexion than their piety4 ,those austere manners to which you refer1 are1 in fact1 properly the character of a savage and barbarian1 and1 accordingly1 you will find them ranked by ,father ,le ,moine among the ridiculous and brutal manners of a moping idiot4 ,the following is the description he has drawn of one of these in the seventh book of his ,moral ,pictures3 #8,he has no eyes for the beauties of art or nature4 ,were he to indulge in anything that gave him pleasure1 he would consider himself oppressed with a grievous load4 ,on festival days1 he retires to hold fellowship with the dead4 ,he delights in a grotto rather than a palace1 and prefers the stump of a tree to a throne4 ,as to injuries and affronts1 he is as insensible to them as if he had the eyes and ears of a statue4 ,honor and glory are idols with whom he has no acquaintance1 and to whom he has no incense to offer4 ,to him a beautiful woman is no better than a spectre2 and those imperial and commanding looks--those charming tyrants who hold so many slaves in willing and chainless servitude--have no more influence over his optics than the sun over those of owls1' c40 8,reverend sir10 said ,i1 8had you not told me that ,father ,le ,moine was the author of that description1 ,i declare ,i would have guessed it to be the production of some profane fellow1 who had drawn it expressly with the view of turning the saints into ridicule4 ,for if that is not the picture of a man entirely denied to those feelings which the ,gospel obliges us to renounce1 ,i confess that ,i know nothing of the matter40#aij 8,you may now perceive1 then1 the extent of your ignorance10 he replied2 8for these are the features of a feeble1 uncultivated mind1 #8destitute of those virtuous and natural affections which it ought to possess1' as ,father ,le ,moine says at the close of that description4 ,such is his way of teaching #8,christian virtue and philosophy1' as he announces in his advertisement2 and1 in truth1 it cannot be denied that this method of treating devotion is much more agreeable to the taste of the world than the old way in which they went to work before our times40 8,there can be no comparison between them10 was my reply1 8and ,i now begin to hope that you will be as good as your word40 8,you will see that better by-and-by10 returned the monk4 8,hitherto ,i have only spoken of piety in general1 but1 just to show you more in detail how our fathers have disencumbered it of its toils and troubles1 would it not be most consoling to the ambitious to learn that they may maintain genuine devotion along with an inordinate love of greatness80 8,what1 father6 even though they should run to the utmost excess of ambition80 8,yes10 he replied2 8for this would be only a venial sin1 unless they sought after greatness in order to offend ,god and injure the ,state more effectually4 ,now venial sins do not preclude a man from being devout1 as the greatest saints are not exempt from them4#aia #8,ambition1' says ,escobar1 #8which consists in an inordinate appetite for place and power1 is of itself a venial sin2 but when such dignities are coveted for the purpose of hurting the commonwealth1 or having more opportunity to offend ,god1 these adventitious circumstances render it mortal4'0 8,very savory doctrine1 indeed1 father40 8,and is it not still more savory10 continued the monk1 8for misers to be told1 by the same authority1 #8that the rich are not guilty of mortal sin by refusing to give alms out of their superfluity to the poor in the hour of their greatest need8--scio in gravi pauperum necessitate divites non dando superflua1 non peccare mortaliter4'0 8,why truly10 said ,i1 8if that be the case1 ,i give up all pretension to skill in the science of sins40 8,to make you still more sensible of this10 returned he1 8you have been accustomed to think1 ,i suppose1 that a good opinion of one's self1 and a complacency in one's own works1 is a most dangerous sin8 ,now1 will you not be surprised if ,i can show you that such a good opinion1 even though there should be no foundation for it1 is so far from being a sin1 that it is1 on the contrary1 the gift of ,god80 8,is it possible1 father80 8,that it is10 said the monk2 8and our good ,father ,garasse#aib shows it in his ,french work1 entitled ,summary of the ,capital ,truths of ,religion3 #8,it is a result of commutative justice that all honest labor should find its recompense either in praise or in self-satisfaction4 ,when men of good talents publish some excellent work1 they are justly remunerated by public applause4 ,but when a man of weak parts has wrought hard at some worthless production1 and fails to obtain the praise of the public1 in order that his labor may not go without its reward1 ,god imparts to him a personal satisfaction1 which it would be worse than barbarous injustice to envy him4 ,it is thus that ,god1 who is infinitely just1 has given even to frogs a certain complacency in their own croaking4'0 8,very fine decisions in favor of vanity1 ambition1 and avarice60 cried ,i2 8and envy1 father1 will it be more difficult to find an excuse for it80 8,that is a delicate point10 he replied4 8,we require to make use here of ,father ,bauny's distinction1 which he lays down in his ,summary of ,sins3 #8,envy of the spiritual good of our neighbor is mortal1 but envy of his temporal good is only venial4'0 8,and why so1 father80 8,you shall hear10 said he4 8#8,for the good that consists in temporal things is so slender1 and so insignificant in relation to heaven1 that it is of no consideration in the eyes of ,god and his saints4'0 8,but1 father1 if temporal good is so slender1 and of so little consideration1 how do you come to permit men's lives to be taken away in order to preserve it80#aic 8,you mistake the matter entirely10 returned the monk2 8you were told that temporal good was of no consideration in the eyes of ,god1 but not in the eyes of men40 8,that idea never occurred to me10 ,i replied2 8and now1 it is to be hoped that1 in virtue of these same distinctions1 the world will get rid of mortal sins altogether40 8,do not flatter yourself with that10 said the father2 8there are still such things as mortal sins--there is sloth1 for example40 8,nay1 then1 father dear60 ,i exclaimed1 8after that1 farewell to all #8the joys of life6'0 8,stay10 said the monk1 8when you have heard ,escobar's definition of that vice1 you will perhaps change your tone3 #8,sloth1' he observes1 #8lies in grieving that spiritual things are spiritual1 as if one should lament that the sacraments are the sources of grace2 which would be a mortal sin4'0 8,o my dear sir60 cried ,i1 8,i don't think that anybody ever took it into his head to be slothful in that way40 8,and accordingly10 he replied1 8,escobar afterwards remarks3 #8,i must confess that it is very rarely that a person falls into the sin of sloth4' ,you see now how important it is to define things properly80 8,yes1 father1 and this brings to my mind your other definitions about assassinations1 ambuscades1 and superfluities4 ,but why have you not extended your method to all cases1 and given definitions of all vices in your way2 so that people may no longer sin in gratifying themselves80 8,it is not always essential10 he replied1 8to accomplish that purpose by changing the definitions of things4 ,i may illustrate this by referring to the subject of good cheer1 which is accounted one of the greatest pleasures of life1 and which ,escobar thus sanctions in his #8,practice according to our ,society3' #8,is it allowable for a person to eat and drink to repletion1 unnecessarily1 and solely for pleasure8 ,certainly he may1 according to ,sanchez1 provided he does not thereby injure his health2 because the natural appetite may be permitted to enjoy its proper functions4'0#aid 8,well1 father1 that is certainly the most complete passage1 and the most finished maxim in the whole of your moral system6 ,what comfortable inferences may be drawn from it6 ,why1 and is gluttony1 then1 not even a venial sin80 8,not in the shape ,i have just referred to10 he replied2 8but1 according to the same author1 it would be a venial sin #8were a person to gorge himself1 unnecessarily1 with eating and drinking1 to such a degree as to produce vomiting4'#aie ,so much for that point4 ,i would now say a little about the facilities we have invented for avoiding sin in worldly conversations and intrigues4 ,one of the most embarrassing of these cases is how to avoid telling lies1 particularly when one is anxious to induce a belief in what is false4 ,in such cases1 our doctrine of equivocations has been found of admirable service1 according to which1 as ,sanchez has it1 #8it is permitted to use ambiguous terms1 leading people to understand them in another sense from that in which we understand them ourselves4'0#aif 8,i know that already1 father10 said ,i4 8,we have published it so often10 continued he1 8that at length1 it seems1 everybody knows of it4 ,but do you know what is to be done when no equivocal words can be got80 8,no1 father40 8,i thought as much10 said the ,jesuit2 8this is something new1 sir3 ,i mean the doctrine of mental reservations4 #8,a man may swear1' as ,sanchez says in the same place1 #8that he never did such a thing 7though he actually did it71 meaning within himself that he did not do so on a certain day1 or before he was born1 or understanding any other such circumstance1 while the words which he employs have no such sense as would discover his meaning4 ,and this is very convenient in many cases1 and quite innocent1 when necessary or conducive to one's health1 honor1 or advantage4'0 8,indeed1 father6 is that not a lie1 and perjury to boot80 8,no10 said the father2 8,sanchez and ,filiutius prove that it is not2 for1 says the latter1 #8it is the intention that determines the quality of the action4'#aig ,and he suggests a still surer method for avoiding falsehood1 which is this3 ,after saying aloud1 ,i swear that ,i have not done that1 to add1 in a low voice1 to-day2 or after saying aloud1 ,i swear1 to interpose in a whisper1 that ,i say1 and then continue aloud1 that ,i have done that4 ,this1 you perceive1 is telling the truth40#aih 8,i grant it10 said ,i2 8it might possibly1 however1 be found to be telling the truth in a low key1 and falsehood in a loud one2 besides1 ,i should be afraid that many people might not have sufficient presence of mind to avail themselves of these methods40 8,our doctors10 replied the ,jesuit1 8have taught1 in the same passage1 for the benefit of such as might not be expert in the use of these reservations1 that no more is required of them1 to avoid lying1 than simply to say that they have not done what they have done1 provided #8they have1 in general1 the intention of giving to their language the sense which an able man would give to it4' ,be candid1 now1 and confess if you have not often felt yourself embarrassed1 in consequence of not knowing this80 8,sometimes10 said ,i4 8,and will you not also acknowledge10 continued he1 8that it would often prove very convenient to be absolved in conscience from keeping certain engagements one may have made80 8,the most convenient thing in the world60 ,i replied4 8,listen1 then1 to the general rule laid down by ,escobar3 #8,promises are not binding1 when the person in making them had no intention to bind himself4 ,now1 it seldom happens that any have such an intention1 unless when they confirm their promises by an oath or contract2 so that when one simply says1 ,i will do it1 he means that he will do it if he does not change his mind2 for he does not wish1 by saying that1 to deprive himself of his liberty4' ,he gives other rules in the same strain1 which you may consult for yourself1 and tells us1 in conclusion1 #8that all this is taken from ,molina and our other authors1 and is therefore settled beyond all doubt4'0 8,my dear father10 ,i observed1 8,i had no idea that the direction of the intention possessed the power of rendering promises null and void40 8,you must perceive10 returned he1 8what facility this affords for prosecuting the business of life4 ,but what has given us the most trouble has been to regulate the commerce between the sexes2 our fathers being more chary in the matter of chastity4 ,not but that they have discussed questions of a very curious and very indulgent character1 particularly in reference to married and betrothed persons40 ,at this stage of the conversation ,i was made acquainted with the most extraordinary questions you can well imagine4 ,he gave me enough of them to fill many letters2 but as you show my communications to all sorts of persons1 and as ,i do not choose to be the vehicle of such reading to those who would make it the subject of diversion1 ,i must decline even giving the quotations4 ,the only thing to which ,i can venture to allude1 out of all the books which he showed me1 and these in ,french1 too1 is a passage which you will find in ,father ,bauny's ,summary1 p4 #afe1 relating to certain little familiarities1 which1 provided the intention is well directed1 he explains 8as passing for gallant20 and you will be surprised to find1 at p4 #adh1 a principle of morals1 as to the power which daughters have to dispose of their persons without the leave of their relatives1 couched in these terms3 8,when that is done with the consent of the daughter1 although the father may have reason to complain1 it does not follow that she1 or the person to whom she has sacrificed her honor1 has done him any wrong1 or violated the rules of justice in regard to him2 for the daughter has possession of her honor1 as well as of her body1 and can do what she pleases with them1 bating death or mutilation of her members40 ,judge1 from that specimen1 of the rest4 ,it brings to my recollection a passage from a ,heathen poet1 a much better casuist1 it would appear1 than these reverend doctors2 for he says1 8that the person of a daughter does not belong wholly to herself1 but partly to her father and partly to her mother1 without whom she cannot dispose of it1 even in marriage40 ,and ,i am much mistaken if there is a single judge in the land who would not lay down as law the very reverse of this maxim of ,father ,bauny4 ,this is all ,i dare tell you of this part of our conversation1 which lasted so long that ,i was obliged to beseech the monk to change the subject4 ,he did so1 and proceeded to entertain me with their regulations about female attire4 8,we shall not speak10 he said1 8of those who are actuated by impure intentions2 but as to others1 ,escobar remarks1 that #8if the woman adorn herself without any evil intention1 but merely to gratify a natural inclination to vanity--ob naturalem fastus inclinationem--this is only a venial sin1 or rather no sin at all4' ,and ,father ,bauny maintains1 that #8even though the woman knows the bad effect which her care in adorning her person may have upon the virtue of those who may behold her1 all decked out in rich and precious attire1 she would not sin in so dressing4'#aii ,and among others1 he cites our ,father ,sanchez as being of the same mind40 8,but1 father1 what do your authors say to those passages of ,scripture which so strongly denounce everything of that sort80 8,lessius has well met that objection10 said the monk1 8by observing1 #8that these passages of ,scripture have the force of precepts only in regard to the women of that period1 who were expected to exhibit1 by their modest demeanor1 an example of edification to the ,pagans4'0 8,and where did he find that1 father80 8,it does not matter where he found it10 replied he2 8it is enough to know that the sentiments of these great men are always probable of themselves4 ,it deserves to be noticed1 however1 that ,father ,le ,moine has qualified this general permission2 for he will on no account allow it to be extended to the old ladies4 #8,youth1' he observes1 #8is naturally entitled to adorn itself1 nor can the use of ornament be condemned at an age which is the flower and verdure of life4 ,but there it should be allowed to remain3 it would be strangely out of season to seek for roses on the snow4 ,the stars alone have a right to be always dancing1 for they have the gift of perpetual youth4 ,the wisest course in this matter1 therefore1 for old women1 would be to consult good sense and a good mirror1 to yield to decency and necessity1 and to retire at the first approach of the shades of night4'0#bjj 8,a most judicious advice10 ,i observed4 8,but10 continued the monk1 8just to show you how careful our fathers are about everything you can think of1 ,i may mention that1 after granting the ladies permission to gamble1 and foreseeing that1 in many cases1 this license would be of little avail unless they had something to gamble with1 they have established another maxim in their favor1 which will be found in ,escobar's chapter on larceny1 n4 #ac3 #8,a wife1' says he1 #8may gamble1 and for this purpose may pilfer money from her husband4'0 8,well1 father1 that is capital60 8,there are many other good things besides that10 said the father2 8but we must waive them1 and say a little about those more important maxims1 which facilitate the practice of holy things--the manner of attending mass1 for example4 ,on this subject our great divines1 ,gaspard ,hurtado1 and ,coninck1 have taught #8that it is quite sufficient to be present at mass in body1 though we may be absent in spirit1 provided we maintain an outwardly respectful deportment4' ,vasquez goes a step further1 maintaining #8that one fulfils the precept of hearing mass1 even though one should go with no such intention at all4' ,all this is repeatedly laid down by ,escobar1 who1 in one passage1 illustrates the point by the example of those who are dragged to mass by force1 and who put on a fixed resolution not to listen to it40 8,truly1 sir10 said ,i1 8had any other person told me that1 ,i would not have believed it40 8,in good sooth10 he replied1 8it requires all the support which the authority of these great names can lend it2 and so does the following maxim by the same ,escobar1 #8that even a wicked intention1 such as that of ogling the women joined to that of hearing mass rightly1 does not hinder a man from fulfilling the service4'#bja ,but another very convenient device1 suggested by our learned brother ,turrian1#bjb is1 that #8one may hear the half of a mass from one priest1 and the other half from another2 and that it makes no difference though he should hear first the conclusion of the one1 and then the commencement of the other4' ,i might also mention that it has been decided by several of our doctors1 to be lawful #8to hear the two halves of a mass at the same time1 from the lips of two different priests1 one of whom is commencing the mass1 while the other is at the elevation2 it being quite possible to attend to both parties at once1 and two halves of a mass making a whole--du medietates unam missam constituunt4'#bjc #8,from all which1' says ,escobar1 #8,i conclude1 that you may hear mass in a very short period of time2 if1 for example1 you should happen to hear four masses going on at the same time1 so arranged that when the first is at the commencement1 the second is at the gospel1 the third at the consecration1 and the last at the communion4'0 8,certainly1 father1 according to that plan1 one may hear mass any day at ,notre ,dame in a twinkling40 8,well10 replied he1 8that just shows how admirably we have succeeded in facilitating the hearing of mass4 ,but ,i am anxious now to show you how we have softened the use of the sacraments1 and particularly that of penance4 ,it is here that the benignity of our fathers shines in its truest splendor2 and you will be really astonished to find that devotion1 a thing which the world is so much afraid of1 should have been treated by our doctors with such consummate skill1 that1 to use the words of ,father ,le ,moine1 in his ,devotion made ,easy1 #8demolishing the bugbear which the devil had placed at its threshold1 they have rendered it easier than vice1 and more agreeable than pleasure2 so that1 in fact1 simply to live is incomparably more irksome than to live well4' ,is that not a marvellous change1 now80 8,indeed1 father1 ,i cannot help telling you a bit of my mind3 ,i am sadly afraid that you have overshot the mark1 and that this indulgence of yours will shock more people than it will attract4 ,the mass1 for example1 is a thing so grand and so holy1 that1 in the eyes of a great many1 it would be enough to blast the credit of your doctors forever1 to show them how you have spoken of it40 8,with a certain class10 replied the monk1 8,i allow that may be the case2 but do you not know that we accommodate ourselves to all sorts of persons8 ,you seem to have lost all recollection of what ,i have repeatedly told you on this point4 ,the first time you are at leisure1 therefore1 ,i propose that we make this the theme of our conversation1 deferring till then the lenitives we have introduced into the confessional4 ,i promise to make you understand it so well that you will never forget it40 ,with these words we parted1 so that our next conversation1 ,i presume1 will1 turn on the policy of the ,society4--,i am1 c4 99 99 99 99 99 ,p4 ,s4--,since writing the above1 ,i have seen 8,paradise ,opened by a ,hundred ,devotions easily ,practised10 by ,father ,barry2 and also the 8,mark of ,predestination10 by ,father ,binet2 both of them pieces well worth the seeing4 ----- ,footnote #ahd3 8,towards the conclusion of the tenth century1 new accessions were made to the worship of the ,virgin4 ,in this age1 7the tenth century7 there are to be found manifest indications of the institution of the rosary and crown 7or chaplet7 of the ,virgin1 by which her worshippers were to reckon the number of prayers they were to offer to this new divinity4 ,the rosary consists of fifteen repetitions of the ,lords ,prayer1 and a hundred and fifty salutations of the blessed ,virgin2 while the crown consists in six or seven repetitions of the ,lord's ,prayer1 and seven times ten salutations1 or ,ave ,marias40 7,mosheim4 cent4 x47 ,footnote #ahe3 ,these are the devotions presented at pp4 #cc1 #ei1 #ade1 #aef1 #agb1 #beh1 #dbj of the first edition4 ,footnote #ahf3 ,see the devotions1 at pp4 #ad1 #cbf1 #ddg4 ,footnote #ahg3 ,the ,jesuits raised a great outcry against ,pascal for having1 in this letter1 as they alleged1 turned the worship of the ,virgin into ridicule4 ,nicole seriously undertakes his defence1 and draws several distinctions between true and false devotion to the ,virgin4 ,the ,mariolatry or ,mary-worship1 of ,pascal and the ,port-,royalists1 was certainly a different sort of thing from that practised in the ,church of ,rome2 but it is sad to see the straits to which these sincere devotees were reduced1 in their attempts to reconcile this practice with the honor due to ,god and his ,son4 ,footnote #ahh3 ,father ,daniel makes an ingenious attempt to take off the force of this statement1 by representing it as no more than what is done by other societies1 universities1 c4 7,entretiens1 p4 #cb47 ,but while these bodies acted in good faith on this rule1 the ,jesuits 7as ,pascal afterwards shows1 ,letter xiii47 made it subservient to their double policy4 ,pascal's point was gained by establishing the fact1 that the books published by the ,jesuits had the imprimatur of the ,society2 and1 in answer to all that ,daniel has said on the point1 it may be sufficient to ask1 ,why not try the simple plan of denouncing the error and censuring the author8 7,see ,letter v41 p4 #aag47 ,footnote #ahi3 ,there is an allusion here to the phrase which is perpetually occurring in the ,constitutions of the ,jesuits1 8,ad majorem ,dei gloriam--,to the greater glory of ,god10 which is the reason ostentatiously paraded for almost all their laws and customs4 ,footnote #aij3 ,if ,rome be in the right1 ,pascal's notion is correct4 ,the religion of the monastery is the only sort of piety or seriousness known to1 or sanctioned by1 the ,romish ,church4 ,footnote #aia3 ,the ,romish distinction of sins into venial and mortal1 afforded too fair a pretext for such sophistical conclusions to be overlooked by ,jesuitical casuists4 ,footnote #aib3 ,francois ,garasse was a ,jesuit of ,angouleme2 he died in #afca4 ,he was much followed as a preacher1 his sermons being copiously interlarded with buffoonery4 ,his controversial works are full of fire and fury2 and his theological ,summary1 to which ,pascal here refers1 abounds with eccentricities4 ,it deserves to be mentioned1 as some offset to the folly of this writer1 that ,father ,garasse lost his life in consequence of his attentions to his countrymen who were infected with the plague4 ,footnote #aic3 ,see before1 ,letter vii41 p4 #aei4 ,footnote #aid3 8,an comedere et libere usque ad satietatem absque necessitate ob solam voluptatem1 sit peccatum8 ,cum ,sanctio negative respondeo1 modo non obsit valetudini1 quia licite potest appetitus naturalis suis actibus frui40 7,n4 #ajb47 ,footnote #aie3 8,si quis se usque ad vomitum ingurgitet40 7,esc41 n4 #ef47 ,footnote #aif3 ,op4 mor41 p4 #b1 l4 #c1 c4 #f1 n4 #ac4 ,footnote #aig3 ,tr4 #be1 chap4 #aa1 n4 #cca1 #cbh4 ,footnote #aih3 ,the method by which ,father ,daniel evades this charge is truly ,jesuitical4 ,first1 he attempts to involve the question in a cloud of difficulties1 by supposing extreme cases1 in which equivocation may be allowed to preserve life1 c4 ,he has then the assurance to quote ,scripture in defence of the practice1 referring to the equivocations of ,abraham which he vindicates2 to those of ,tobit and the angel ,raphael1 which he applauds2 and even to the sayings of our blessed ,lord1 which he charges with equivocation6 7,entretiens1 pp4 #cgh1 #chb47 ,even ,bossuet was ashamed of this abominable maxim4 8,i know nothing0 he says speaking of ,sanchez1 8more pernicious in morality1 than the opinion of that ,jesuit in regard to an oath2 he maintains that the intention is necessary to an oath1 without which in giving a false answer to a judge1 when questioned at the bar1 one is not capable of perjury40 7,journal de l',abb le ,dieu1 apud ,dissertation sur la foi qui es due au temoignage de ,pascal1 c41 p4 #ej47 ,footnote #aii3 ,esc4 tr4 #a1 ex4 #h2 ,summary of ,sins1 c4 #df1 p4 #ajid4 ,footnote #bjj3 8,they had their ,father ,le ,moine10 said ,cleandre1 8and ,i am surprised they did not oppose him to ,pascal4 ,that father had a lively imagination and a florid1 brilliant style2 he stood high among polished society1 and his ,apology written against the book entitled #8,the ,moral ,theology of the ,jesuits1' was hardly less popular than his ,currycomb for the ,jansenist ,pegasus40 8,the ,society thought1 perhaps10 replied ,eudoxus1 8that he could not easily catch the delicate and at the same time easy style of ,pascal4 ,it was ,father ,le ,moine's failing1 to embellish all he said1 to be always aiming at something witty1 and never to speak simply4 ,perhaps1 too1 he did not feel himself equal for the combat1 and did not like to commit himself40 7,entretiens de ,cleandre et d',eudoxe1 p4 #gh47 ,footnote #bja3 8,nec obest alia prava intentio1 ut aspiciendi libidinose fminas40 7,esc4 tr4 #a1 ex4 #aa1 n4 #ca47 ,footnote #bjb3 ,select41 p4 #b1 d4 #af1 ,sub4 #g4 ,footnote #bjc3 ,bauny1 ,hurtado1 ,azor1 c4 ,escobar1 8,practice for ,hearing ,mass according to our ,society10 ,lyons edition4 ,,letter ,x4 ,,palliatives ,,applied ,,by ,,the ,,jesuits ,,to ,,the ,,sacrament ,,of ,,penance1 ,,in ,,their ,,maxims ,,regarding ,,confession1 ,,satisfaction1 ,,absolution1 ,,proximate ,,occasions ,,of ,,sin1 ,,contrition1 ,,and ,,the ,,love ,,of ,,god4 ,,paris1 ,august #b1 #afef4 ,,sir1--,i have not come yet to the policy of the ,society1 but shall first introduce you to one of its leading principles4 ,i refer to the palliatives which they have applied to confession1 and which are unquestionably the best of all the schemes they have fallen upon to 8attract all and repel none40 ,it is absolutely necessary to know something of this before going any further2 and1 accordingly1 the monk judged it expedient to give me some instructions on the point1 nearly as follows3-- 8,from what ,i have already stated10 he observed1 8you may judge of the success with which our doctors have labored to discover1 in their wisdom1 that a great many things1 formerly regarded as forbidden1 are innocent and allowable2 but as there are some sins for which one can find no excuse1 and for which there is no remedy but confession1 it became necessary to alleviate1 by the methods ,i am now going to mention1 the difficulties attending that practice4 ,thus1 having shown you1 in our previous conversations1 how we relieve people from troublesome scruples of conscience1 by showing them that what they believed to be sinful was indeed quite innocent1 ,i proceed now to illustrate our convenient plan for expiating what is really sinful1 which is effected by making confession as easy a process as it was formerly a painful one40 8,and how do you manage that1 father80 8,why10 said he1 8it is by those admirable subtleties which are peculiar to our ,company1 and have been styled by our fathers in ,flanders1 in 8,the ,image of the ,first ,century10#bjd #8the pious finesse1 the holy artifice of devotion--piam et religiosam calliditatem1 et pietatis solertiam4'#bje ,by the aid of these inventions1 as they remark in the same place1 #8crimes may be expiated now-a-days alacrius--with more zeal and alacrity than they were committed in former days1 and a great many people may be washed from their stains almost as cleverly as they contracted them--plurimi vix citius maculas contrahunt quam eluunt4'0 8,pray1 then1 father1 do teach me some of these most salutary lessons of finesse40 8,we have a good number of them10 answered the monk2 8for there are a great many irksome things about confession1 and for each of these we have devised a palliative4 ,the chief difficulties connected with this ordinance are the shame of confessing certain sins1 the trouble of specifying the circumstances of others1 the penance exacted for them1 the resolution against relapsing into them1 the avoidance of the proximate occasions of sins1 and the regret for having committed them4 ,i hope to convince you to-day1 that it is now possible to get over all this with hardly any trouble at all2 such is the care we have taken to allay the bitterness and nauseousness of this very necessary medicine4 ,for1 to begin with the difficulty of confessing certain sins1 you are aware it is of importance often to keep in the good graces of one's confessor2 now1 must it not be extremely convenient to be permitted1 as you are by our doctors1 particularly ,escobar and ,suarez1 #8to have two confessors1 one for the mortal sins and another for the venial1 in order to maintain a fair character with your ordinary confessor--uti bonam famam apud ordinarium tueatur--provided you do not take occasion from thence to indulge in mortal sin8' ,this is followed by another ingenious contrivance for confessing a sin1 even to the ordinary confessor1 without his perceiving that it was committed since the last confession1 which is1 #8to make a general confession1 and huddle this last sin in a lump among the rest which we confess4'#bjf ,and ,i am sure you will own that the following decision of ,father ,bauny goes far to alleviate the shame which one must feel in confessing his relapses1 namely1 #8that1 except in certain cases1 which rarely occur1 the confessor is not entitled to ask his penitent if the sin of which he accuses himself is an habitual one1 nor is the latter obliged to answer such a question2 because the confessor has no right to subject his penitent to the shame of disclosing his frequent relapses4'0 8,indeed1 father6 ,i might as well say that a physician has no right to ask his patient if it is long since he had the fever4 ,do not sins assume quite a different aspect according to circumstances8 and should it not be the object of a genuine penitent to discover the whole state of his conscience to his confessor1 with the same sincerity and openheartedness as if he were speaking to ,jesus ,christ himself1 whose place the priest occupies8 ,if so1 how far is he from realizing such a disposition1 who1 by concealing the frequency of his relapses1 conceals the aggravations of his offence60#bjg ,i saw that this puzzled the worthy monk1 for he attempted to elude rather than resolve the difficulty1 by turning my attention to another of their rules1 which only goes to establish a fresh abuse1 instead of justifying in the least the decision of ,father ,bauny2 a decision which1 in my opinion1 is one of the most pernicious of their maxims1 and calculated to encourage profligate men to continue in their evil habits4 8,i grant you10 replied the father1 8that habit aggravates the malignity of a sin1 but it does not alter its nature2 and that is the reason why we do not insist on people confessing it1 according to the rule laid down by our fathers1 and quoted by ,escobar1 #8that one is only obliged to confess the circumstances that alter the species of the sin1 and not those that aggravate it4' ,proceeding on this rule1 ,father ,granados says1 #8that if one has eaten flesh in ,lent1 all he needs to do is to confess that he has broken the fast1 without specifying whether it was by eating flesh1 or by taking two fish meals4' ,and1 according to ,reginald1 #8a sorcerer who has employed the diabolical art is not obliged to reveal that circumstance2 it is enough to say that he has dealt in magic1 without expressing whether it was by palmistry or by a paction with the devil4' ,fagundez1 again1 has decided that #8rape is not a circumstance which one is bound to reveal1 if the woman give her consent4' ,all this is quoted by ,escobar1#bjh with many other very curious decisions as to these circumstances1 which you may consult at your leisure40 8,these #8artifices of devotion' are vastly convenient in their way10 ,i observed4 8,and yet10 said the father1 8notwithstanding all that1 they would go for nothing1 sir1 unless we had proceeded to mollify penance1 which1 more than anything else1 deters people from confession4 ,now1 however1 the most squeamish have nothing to dread from it1 after what we have advanced in our theses of the ,college of ,clermont1 where we hold that #8if the confessor imposes a suitable penance1 and the penitent be unwilling to submit himself to it1 the latter may go home1 waiving both the penance and the absolution4' ,or1 as ,escobar says1 in giving the ,practice of our ,society1 #8if the penitent declare his willingness to have his penance remitted to the next world1 and to suffer in purgatory all the pains due to him1 the confessor may1 for the honor of the sacrament1 impose a very light penance on him1 particularly if he has reason to believe that his penitent would object to a heavier one4'0 8,i really think10 said ,i1 8that1 if that is the case1 we ought no longer to call confession the sacrament of penance40 8,you are wrong10 he replied2 8for we always administer something in the way of penance1 for the form's sake40 8,but1 father1 do you suppose that a man is worthy of receiving absolution1 when he will submit to nothing painful to expiate his offences8 ,and1 in these circumstances1 ought you not to retain rather than remit their sins8 ,are you not aware of the extent of your ministry1 and that you have the power of binding and loosing8 ,do you imagine that you are at liberty to give absolution indifferently to all who ask it1 and without ascertaining beforehand if ,jesus ,christ looses in heaven those whom you loose on earth80#bji 8,what60 cried the father1 8do you suppose that we do not know that #8the confessor 7as one remarks7 ought to sit in judgment on the disposition of his penitent1 both because he is bound not to dispense the sacraments to the unworthy1 ,jesus ,christ having enjoined him to be a faithful steward1 and not give that which is holy unto dogs2 and because he is a judge1 and it is the duty of a judge to give righteous judgment1 by loosing the worthy and binding the unworthy1 and he ought not to absolve those whom ,jesus ,christ condemns4'0 8,whose words are these1 father80 8,they are the words of our father ,filiutius10 he replied4 8,you astonish me10 said ,i2 8,i took them to be a quotation from one of the fathers of the ,church4 ,at all events1 sir1 that passage ought to make an impression on the confessors1 and render them very circumspect in the dispensation of this sacrament1 to ascertain whether the regret of their penitents is sufficient1 and whether their promises of future amendment are worthy of credit40 8,that is not such a difficult matter10 replied the father2 8,filiutius had more sense than to leave confessors in that dilemma1 and accordingly he suggests an easy way of getting out of it1 in the words immediately following3 #8,the confessor may easily set his mind at rest as to the disposition of his penitent2 for1 if he fail to give sufficient evidence of sorrow1 the confessor has only to ask him if he does not detest the sin in his heart1 and if he answers that he does1 he is bound to believe it4 ,the same thing may be said of resolutions as to the future1 unless the case involves an obligation to restitution1 or to avoid some proximate occasion of sin4'0 8,as to that passage1 father1 ,i can easily believe that it is ,filiutius' own40 8,you are mistaken though10 said the father1 8for he has extracted it1 word for word1 from ,suarez40#baj 8,but1 father1 that last passage from ,filiutius overturns what he had laid down in the former4 ,for confessors can no longer be said to sit as judges on the disposition of their penitents1 if they are bound to take it simply upon their word1 in the absence of all satisfying signs of contrition4 ,are the professions made on such occasions so infallible1 that no other sign is needed8 ,i question much if experience has taught your fathers1 that all who make fair promises are remarkable for keeping them2 ,i am mistaken if they have not often found the reverse40 8,no matter10 replied the monk2 8confessors are bound to believe them for all that2 for ,father ,bauny1 who has probed this question to the bottom1 has concluded #8that at whatever time those who have fallen into frequent relapses1 without giving evidence of amendment1 present themselves before a confessor1 expressing their regret for the past1 and a good purpose for the future1 he is bound to believe them on their simple averment1 although there may be reason to presume that such resolution only came from the teeth outwards4 ,nay1' says he1 #8though they should indulge subsequently to greater excess than ever in the same delinquencies1 still1 in my opinion1 they may receive absolution4'#baa ,there now6 that1 ,i am sure1 should silence you40 8,but1 father10 said ,i1 8you impose a great hardship1 ,i think1 on the confessors1 by thus obliging them to believe the very reverse of what they see40 8,you don't understand it10 returned he2 8all that is meant is1 that they are obliged to act and absolve as if they believed that their penitents would be true to their engagements1 though1 in point of fact1 they believe no such thing4 ,this is explained1 immediately afterwards1 by ,suarez and ,filiutius4 ,after having said that #8the priest is bound to believe the penitent on his word1' they add1 #8,it is not necessary that the confessor should be convinced that the good resolution of his penitent will be carried into effect1 nor even that he should judge it probable2 it is enough that he thinks the person has at the time the design in general1 though he may very shortly after relapse4 ,such is the doctrine of all our authors--ita docent omnes autores4' ,will you presume to doubt what has been taught by our authors80 8,but1 sir1 what then becomes of what ,father ,petau#bab himself is obliged to own1 in the preface to his ,public ,penance1 #8that the holy fathers1 doctors1 and councils of the ,church agree in holding it as a settled point1 that the penance preparatory to the eucharist must be genuine1 constant1 resolute1 and not languid and sluggish1 or subject to after-thoughts and relapses8'0 8,don't you observe10 replied the monk1 8that ,father ,petau is speaking of the ancient ,church8 ,but all that is now so little in season1 to use a common saying of our doctors1 that1 according to ,father ,bauny1 the reverse is the only true view of the matter4 #8,there are some1' says he1 #8who maintain that absolution ought to be refused to those who fall frequently into the same sins1 more especially if1 after being often absolved1 they evince no signs of amendment2 and others hold the opposite view4 ,but the only true opinion is1 that they ought not to be refused absolution2 and though they should be nothing the better of all the advice given them1 though they should have broken all their promises to lead new lives1 and been at no trouble to purify themselves1 still it is of no consequence2 whatever may be said to the contrary1 the true opinion which ought to be followed is1 that even in all these cases1 they ought to be absolved4' ,and again3 #8,absolution ought neither to be denied nor delayed in the case of those who live in habitual sins against the law of ,god1 of nature1 and of the ,church1 although there should be no apparent prospect of future amendment--etsi emendationis futur nulla spes appareat4'0 8,but1 father1 this certainty of always getting absolution may induce sinners--0 8,i know what you mean10 interrupted the ,jesuit3 8but listen to ,father ,bauny1 q4 #ae3 #8,absolution may be given even to him who candidly avows that the hope of being absolved induced him to sin with more freedom than he would otherwise have done4' ,and ,father ,caussin1 defending this proposition1 says1 #8that were this not true1 confession would be interdicted to the greater part of mankind2 and the only resource left for poor sinners would be a branch and a rope6'0#bac 8,o father1 how these maxims of yours will draw people to your confessionals60 8,yes10 he replied1 8you would hardly believe what numbers are in the habit of frequenting them2 #8we are absolutely oppressed and overwhelmed1 so to speak1 under the crowd of our penitents--penitentium numero obruimur'--as is said in #8,the ,image of the ,first ,century4'0 8,i could suggest a very simple method10 said ,i1 8to escape from this inconvenient pressure4 ,you have only to oblige sinners to avoid the proximate occasions of sin2 that single expedient would afford you relief at once40 8,we have no wish for such a relief10 rejoined the monk2 8quite the reverse2 for1 as is observed in the same book1 #8the great end of our ,society is to labor to establish the virtues1 to wage war on the vices1 and to save a great number of souls4' ,now1 as there are very few souls inclined to quit the proximate occasions of sin1 we have been obliged to define what a proximate occasion is4 #8,that cannot be called a proximate occasion1' says ,escobar1 #8where one sins but rarely1 or on a sudden transport--say three or four times a year2'#bad or1 as ,father ,bauny has it1 #8once or twice in a month4'#bae ,again1 asks this author1 #8what is to be done in the case of masters and servants1 or cousins1 who1 living under the same roof1 are by this occasion tempted to sin8'0 8,they ought to be separated10 said ,i4 8,that is what he says1 too1 #8if their relapses be very frequent3 but if the parties offend rarely1 and cannot be separated without trouble and loss1 they may1 according to ,suarez and other authors1 be absolved1 provided they promise to sin no more1 and are truly sorry for what is past4'0 ,this required no explanation1 for he had already informed me with what sort of evidence of contrition the confessor was bound to rest satisfied4 8,and ,father ,bauny10 continued the monk1 8permits those who are involved in the proximate occasions of sin1 #8to remain as they are1 when they cannot avoid them without becoming the common talk of the world1 or subjecting themselves to inconvenience4' #8,a priest1' he remarks in another work1 #8may and ought to absolve a woman who is guilty of living with a paramour1 if she cannot put him away honorably1 or has some reason for keeping him--si non potest honeste ejicere1 aut habeat aliquam causam retinendi--provided she promises to act more virtuously for the future4'0#baf 8,well1 father10 cried ,i1 8you have certainly succeeded in relaxing the obligation of avoiding the occasions of sin to a very comfortable extent1 by dispensing with the duty as soon as it becomes inconvenient2 but ,i should think your fathers will at least allow it to be binding when there is no difficulty in the way of its performance80 8,yes10 said the father1 8though even then the rule is not without exceptions4 ,for ,father ,bauny says1 in the same place1 #8that any one may frequent profligate houses1 with the view of converting their unfortunate inmates1 though the probability should be that he fall into sin1 having often experienced before that he has yielded to their fascinations4 ,some doctors do not approve of this opinion1 and hold that no man may voluntarily put his salvation in peril to succor his neighbor2 yet ,i decidedly embrace the opinion which they controvert4'0 8,a novel sort of preachers these1 father6 ,but where does ,father ,bauny find any ground for investing them with such a mission80 8,it is upon one of his own principles10 he replied1 8which he announces in the same place after ,basil ,ponce4 ,i mentioned it to you before1 and ,i presume you have not forgotten it4 ,it is1 #8that one may seek an occasion of sin1 directly and expressly--primo et per se--to promote the temporal or spiritual good of himself or his neighbor4'0 ,on hearing these passages1 ,i felt so horrified that ,i was on the point of breaking out2 but1 being resolved to hear him to an end1 ,i restrained myself1 and merely inquired3 8,how1 father1 does this doctrine comport with that of the ,gospel1 which binds us to #8pluck out the right eye1' and #8cut off the right hand1' when they #8offend1' or prove prejudicial to salvation8 ,and how can you suppose that the man who wilfully indulges in the occasions of sins1 sincerely hates sin8 ,is it not evident1 on the contrary1 that he has never been properly touched with a sense of it1 and that he has not yet experienced that genuine conversion of heart1 which makes a man love ,god as much as he formerly loved the creature80 8,indeed60 cried he1 8do you call that genuine contrition8 ,it seems you do not know that1 as ,father ,pintereau#bag says1 #8all our fathers teach1 with one accord1 that it is an error1 and almost a heresy1 to hold that contrition is necessary2 or that attrition alone1 induced by the sole motive1 the fear of the pains of hell1 which excludes a disposition to offend1 is not sufficient with the sacrament8'0#bah 8,what1 father6 do you mean to say that it is almost an article of faith1 that attrition1 induced merely by fear of punishment1 is sufficient with the sacrament8 ,that idea1 ,i think1 is peculiar to your fathers2 for those other doctors who hold that attrition is sufficient along with the sacrament1 always take care to show that it must be accompanied with some love to ,god at least4 ,it appears to me1 moreover1 that even your own authors did not always consider this doctrine of yours so certain4 ,your ,father ,suarez1 for instance1 speaks of it thus3 #8,although it is a probable opinion that attrition is sufficient with the sacrament1 yet it is not certain1 and it may be false--non est certa1 et potest esse falsa4 ,and if it is false1 attrition is not sufficient to save a man2 and he that dies knowingly in this state1 wilfully exposes himself to the grave peril of eternal damnation4 ,for this opinion is neither very ancient nor very common--nec valde antiqua1 nec multum communis4' ,sanchez was not more prepared to hold it as infallible1 when he said in his ,summary1 that #8the sick man and his confessor1 who content themselves at the hour of death with attrition and the sacrament1 are both chargeable with mortal sin1 on account of the great risk of damnation to which the penitent would be exposed1 if the opinion that attrition is sufficient with the sacrament should not turn out to be true4' ,comitolus1 too1 says that #8we should not be too sure that attrition suffices with the sacrament4'0#bai ,here the worthy father interrupted me4 8,what60 he cried1 8you read our authors then1 it seems8 ,that is all very well2 but it would be still better were you never to read them without the precaution of having one of us beside you4 ,do you not see1 now1 that1 from having read them alone1 you have concluded1 in your simplicity1 that these passages bear hard on those who have more lately supported our doctrine of attrition8 whereas it might be shown that nothing could set them off to greater advantage4 ,only think what a triumph it is for our fathers of the present day to have succeeded in disseminating their opinion in such short time1 and to such an extent that1 with the exception of theologians1 nobody almost would ever suppose but that our modern views on this subject had been the uniform belief of the faithful in all ages6 ,so that1 in fact1 when you have shown1 from our fathers themselves1 that1 a few years ago1 #8this opinion was not certain1' you have only succeeded in giving our modern authors the whole merit of its establishment6 8,accordingly10 he continued1 8our cordial friend ,diana1 to gratify us1 no doubt1 has recounted the various steps by which the opinion reached its present position4#bbj #8,in former days1 the ancient schoolmen maintained that contrition was necessary as soon as one had committed a mortal sin2 since then1 however1 it has been thought that it is not binding except on festival days2 afterwards1 only when some great calamity threatened the people3 others1 again1 that it ought not to be long delayed at the approach of death4 ,but our fathers1 ,hurtado and ,vasquez1 have ably refuted all these opinions1 and established that one is not bound to contrition unless he cannot be absolved in any other way1 or at the point of death6' ,but1 to continue the wonderful progress of this doctrine1 ,i might add1 what our fathers1 ,fagundez1 ,granados1 and ,escobar1 have decided1 #8that contrition is not necessary even at death2 because1' say they1 #8if attrition with the sacrament did not suffice at death1 it would follow that attrition would not be sufficient with the sacrament4' ,and the learned ,hurtado1 cited by ,diana and ,escobar1 goes still further2 for he asks1 #8,is that sorrow for sin which flows solely from apprehension of its temporal consequences1 such as having lost health or money1 sufficient8 ,we must distinguish4 ,if the evil is not regarded as sent by the hand of ,god1 such a sorrow does not suffice2 but if the evil is viewed as sent by ,god1 as1 in fact1 all evil1 says ,diana1 except sin1 comes from him1 that kind of sorrow is sufficient4'#bba ,our ,father ,lamy holds the same doctrine40#bbb 8,you surprise me1 father2 for ,i see nothing in all that attrition of which you speak but what is natural2 and in this way a sinner may render himself worthy of absolution without supernatural grace at all4 ,now everybody knows that this is a heresy condemned by the ,council40#bbc 8,i should have thought with you10 he replied2 8and yet it seems this must not be the case1 for the fathers of our ,college of ,clermont have maintained 7in their ,theses of the #bcrd ,may and #fth ,june #afdd7 #8that attrition may be holy and sufficient for the sacrament1 although it may not be supernatural3' and 7in that of ,august #afdc7 #8that attrition1 though merely natural1 is sufficient for the sacrament1 provided it is honest4' ,i do not see what more could be said on the subject1 unless we choose to subjoin an inference1 which may be easily drawn from these principles1 namely1 that contrition1 so far from being necessary to the sacrament1 is rather prejudicial to it1 inasmuch as1 by washing away sins of itself1 it would leave nothing for the sacrament to do at all4 ,that is1 indeed1 exactly what the celebrated ,jesuit ,father ,valencia remarks4 7,tom4 iv41 disp4 #g1 q4 #h1 p4 #d47 #8,contrition1' says he1 #8is by no means necessary in order to obtain the principal benefit of the sacrament2 on the contrary1 it is rather an obstacle in the way of it--imo obstat potius quominus effectus sequatur4' ,nobody could well desire more to be said in commendation of attrition40#bbd 8,i believe that1 father10 said ,i2 8but you must allow me to tell you my opinion1 and to show you to what a dreadful length this doctrine leads4 ,when you say that #8attrition1 induced by the mere dread of punishment1' is sufficient1 with the sacrament1 to justify sinners1 does it not follow that a person may always expiate his sins in this way1 and thus be saved without ever having loved ,god all his lifetime8 ,would your fathers venture to hold that80 8,i perceive10 replied the monk1 8from the strain of your remarks1 that you need some information on the doctrine of our fathers regarding the love of ,god4 ,this is the last feature of their morality1 and the most important of all4 ,you must have learned something of it from the passages about contrition which ,i have quoted to you4 ,but here are others still more definite on the point of love to ,god--,don't interrupt me1 now2 for it is of importance to notice the connection4 ,attend to ,escobar1 who reports the different opinions of our authors1 in his #8,practice of the ,love of ,god according to our ,society4' ,the question is3 #8,when is one obliged to have an actual affection for ,god8' ,suarez says1 it is enough if one loves him before being articulo mortis--at the point of death--without determining the exact time4 ,vasquez1 that it is sufficient even at the very point of death4 ,others1 when one has received baptism4 ,others1 again1 when one is bound to exercise contrition4 ,and others1 on festival days4 ,but our father1 ,castro ,palao1 combats all these opinions1 and with good reason--merito4 ,hurtado de ,mendoza insists that we are obliged to love ,god once a-year2 and that we ought to regard it as a great favor that we are not bound to do it oftener4 ,but our ,father ,coninck thinks that we are bound to it only once in three or four years2 ,henriquez1 once in five years2 and ,filiutius says that it is probable that we are not strictly bound to it even once in five years4 ,how often1 then1 do you ask8 ,why1 he refers it to the judgment of the judicious40 ,i took no notice of all this badinage1 in which the ingenuity of man seems to be sporting1 in the height of insolence1 with the love of ,god4 8,but10 pursued the monk1 8our ,father ,antony ,sirmond surpasses all on this point1 in his admirable book1 #8,the ,defence of ,virtue1'#bbe where1 as he tells the reader1 #8he speaks ,french in ,france1' as follows3 #8,st4 ,thomas says that we are obliged to love ,god as soon as we come to the use of reason3 that is rather too soon6 ,scotus says1 every ,sunday3 pray1 for what reason8 ,others say1 when we are sorely tempted3 yes1 if there be no other way of escaping the temptation4 ,scotus says1 when we have received a benefit from ,god3 good1 in the way of thanking him for it4 ,others say1 at death3 rather late6 ,as little do ,i think it binding at the reception of any sacrament3 attrition in such cases is quite enough1 along with confession1 if convenient4 ,suarez says that it is binding at some time or another2 but at what time8--he leaves you to judge of that for yourself--he does not know2 and what that doctor did not know ,i know not who should know4' ,in short1 he concludes that we are not strictly bound to more than to keep the other commandments1 without any affection for ,god1 and without giving him our hearts1 provided that we do not hate him4 ,to prove this is the sole object of his second treatise4 ,you will find it in every page2 more especially where he says3 #8,god1 in commanding us to love him1 is satisfied with our obeying him in his other commandments4 ,if ,god had said1 ,whatever obedience thou yieldest me1 if thy heart is not given to me1 ,i will destroy thee6--would such a motive1 think you1 be well fitted to promote the end which ,god must1 and only can1 have in view8 ,hence it is said that we shall love ,god by doing his will1 as if we loved him with affection1 as if the motive in this case was real charity4 ,if that is really our motive1 so much the better2 if not1 still we are strictly fulfilling the commandment of love1 by having its works1 so that 7such is the goodness of ,god67 we are commanded1 not so much to love him1 as not to hate him4' 8,such is the way in which our doctors have discharged men from the #8painful' obligation of actually loving ,god4 ,and this doctrine is so advantageous1 that our ,fathers ,annat1 ,pintereau1 ,le ,moine1 and ,antony ,sirmond himself1 have strenuously defended it when it has been attacked4 ,you have only to consult their answers to the #8,moral ,theology4' ,that of ,father ,pintereau1 in particular1 will enable you to form some idea of the value of this dispensation1 from the price which he tells us that it cost1 which is no less than the blood of ,jesus ,christ4 ,this crowns the whole4 ,it appears1 that this dispensation from the #8painful' obligation to love ,god1 is the privilege of the ,evangelical law1 in opposition to the ,judaical4 #8,it was reasonable1' he says1 #8that1 under the law of grace in the ,new ,testament1 ,god should relieve us from that troublesome and arduous obligation which existed under the law of bondage1 to exercise an act of perfect contrition1 in order to be justified2 and that the place of this should be supplied by the sacraments1 instituted in aid of an easier disposition4 ,otherwise1 indeed1 ,christians1 who are the children1 would have no greater facility in gaining the good graces of their ,father than the ,jews1 who were the slaves1 had in obtaining the mercy of their ,lord and ,master4'0#bbf 8,o father60 cried ,i2 8no patience can stand this any longer4 ,it is impossible to listen without horror to the sentiments you have now been sporting40 8,they are not my sentiments10 said the monk4 8,i grant it1 sir10 said ,i2 8but you feel no aversion to them2 and1 so far from detesting the authors of these maxims1 you hold them in esteem4 ,are you not afraid that your consent may involve you in a participation of their guilt8 and are you not aware that ,st4 ,paul judges worthy of death1 not only the authors of evil things1 but also #8those who have pleasure in them that do them8' ,was it not enough to have permitted men to indulge in so many forbidden things1 under the covert of your palliations8 ,was it necessary to go still further1 and hold out a bribe to them to commit even those crimes which you found it impossible to excuse1 by offering them an easy and certain absolution2 and for this purpose nullifying the power of the priests1 and obliging them1 more as slaves than as judges1 to absolve the most inveterate sinners--without any amendment of life--without any sign of contrition except promises a hundred times broken--without penance #8unless they choose to accept of it'--and without abandoning the occasions of their vices1 #8if they should thereby be put to any inconvenience8' 8,but your doctors have gone even beyond this2 and the license which they have assumed to tamper with the most holy rules of ,christian conduct amount to a total subversion of the law of ,god4 ,they violate #8the great commandment on which hang all the law and the prophets2' they strike at the very heart of piety2 they rob it of the spirit that giveth life2 they hold that to love ,god is not necessary to salvation2 and go so far as to maintain that #8this dispensation from loving ,god is the privilege which ,jesus ,christ has introduced into the world6' ,this1 sir1 is the very climax of impiety4 ,the price of the blood of ,jesus ,christ paid to obtain us a dispensation from loving him6 ,before the incarnation1 it seems men were obliged to love ,god3 but since #8,god has so loved the world as to give his only-begotten ,son1' the world1 redeemed by him1 is released from loving him6 ,strange divinity of our days--to dare to take off the #8anathema' which ,st4 ,paul denounces on those #8that love not the ,lord ,jesus6' ,to cancel the sentence of ,st4 ,john3 #8,he that loveth not1 abideth in death6' and that of ,jesus ,christ himself3 #8,he that loveth me not keepeth not my precepts6' and thus to render those worthy of enjoying ,god through eternity who never loved ,god all their life6#bbg ,behold the ,mystery of ,iniquity fulfilled6 ,open your eyes at length1 my dear father1 and if the other aberrations of your casuists have made no impression on you1 let these last1 by their very extravagance1 compel you to abandon them4 ,this is what ,i desire from the bottom of my heart1 for your own sake and for the sake of your doctors2 and my prayer to ,god is1 that he would vouchsafe to convince them how false the light must be that has guided them to such precipices2 and that he would fill their hearts with that love of himself from which they have dared to give man a dispensation60 ,after some remarks of this nature1 ,i took my leave of the monk1 and ,i see no great likelihood of my repeating my visits to him4 ,this1 however1 need not occasion you any regret2 for1 should it be necessary to continue these communications on their maxims1 ,i have studied their books sufficiently to tell you as much of their morality1 and more1 perhaps1 of their policy1 than he could have done himself4--,i am1 c4 ----- ,footnote #bjd3 ,see before1 p4 #aaf4 ,footnote #bje3 ,imago ,primi ,seculi1 l4 iii41 c4 #h4 ,footnote #bjf3 ,esc4 tr4 #g1 a4 #d1 n4 #ace2 also1 ,princ41 ex4 #b1 n4 #gc4 ,footnote #bjg3 ,the practice of auricular confession was about three hundred years old before the ,reformation1 having remained undetermined till the year #aaej after ,christ4 ,the early fathers were1 beyond all question1 decidedly opposed to it4 ,chrysostom reasons very differently from the text4 8,but thou art ashamed to say that thou hast sinned8 ,confess thy faults1 then1 daily in thy prayer2 for do ,i say1 #8,confess them to thy fellow-servant who may reproach thee therewith8' ,no2 confess them to ,god who healeth them40 7,in ,ps4 l4 hom4 #b47 ,and to whom did ,augustine make his ,confessions8 ,was it not to the same ,being to whom ,david in the ,psalms and the publican in the ,gospel1 made theirs8 8,what have ,i to do with men10 says this father1 8that they should hear my confessions1 as if they were to heal all my diseases60 7,confes41 lib4 x41 p4 #c47 ,footnote #bjh3 ,princ41 ex4 #b4 n4 #ci1 #da1 #fa1 #fb4 ,footnote #bji3 ,john xx4 #bc3 8,receive ye the ,holy ,ghost3 ,whose soever sins ye remit1 they are remitted unto them2 and whose soever sins ye retain1 they are retained40 ,all the ancient fathers1 such as ,basil1 ,ambrose1 ,augustine1 and ,chrysostom1 explain this remission of sins as the work of the ,holy ,ghost1 and not of the apostles except ministerially1 in the use of the spiritual keys of doctrine and discipline1 of intercessary prayer and of the sacraments4 7,ussher's ,jesuits' ,challenge1 p4 #abb c47 ,even the schoolmen held that the power of binding and loosing committed to the ministers of the ,church is not absolute1 but must be limited by clave non errante1 or when no error is committed in the use of the keys4 ,footnote #baj3 ,in #c part1 t4 #d1 disp4 #cb1 sect4 #b1 n4 #b4 ,footnote #baa3 ,summary of ,sins1 c4 #df1 p4 #ajij1 #a1 #b4 ,footnote #bab3 ,denis ,petau 7,dionysius ,petavius7 a learned ,jesuit1 was born at ,orleans in #aeic1 and died in #afeb4 ,the catalogue of his works alone would fill a volume4 ,he wrote in elegant ,latin1 on all subjects1 grammar1 history1 chronology1 c41 as well as theology4 ,perrault informs us that he had an incredible ardor for the conversion of heretics1 and had almost succeeded in converting the celebrated ,grotius--a very unlikely story4 7,les ,hommes ,illustres1 p4 #ai47 ,his book on ,public ,penance 7,paris1 #afdd7 was intended as a refutation of ,arnauld's 8,frequent ,communion20 but is said to have been ill-written and unsuccessful4 ,though he professed the theology of his order1 he is said to have had a kind of predilection for austere opinions1 being naturally of a melancholy temper4 ,when invited by the pope to visit ,rome1 he replied1 8,i am too old to flit0--demenager4 7,dict4 ,univ41 art4 ,petau47 ,footnote #bac3 ,reply to the ,moral ,theol41 p4 #baa4 ,footnote #bad3 ,esc41 ,practice of the ,society1 tr4 #g1 ex4 #d1 n4 #bbf4 ,footnote #bae3 ,p4 #ajhb1 #ajhi ,footnote #baf3 ,theol4 ,mor41 tr4 #d1 ,de ,pnit41 q4 #ac pp4 #ic1 #id4 ,footnote #bag3 ,the work ascribed to ,pintereau was entitled1 8,les ,impostures et les ,ignorances du ,libelle intitul la ,theologie ,morale des ,jesuites3 par l',abb du ,boisic40 ,footnote #bah3 ,that is1 the sacrament of penance1 as it is called4 8,that contrition is at all times necessarily required for obtaining remission of sins and justification1 is a matter determined by the fathers of ,trent4 ,but mark yet the mystery4 ,they equivocate with us in the term contrition1 and make a distinction thereof into perfect and imperfect4 ,the former of these is contrition properly2 the latter they call attrition1 which howsoever in itself it be no true contrition1 yet when the priest1 with his power of forgiving sins1 interposes himself in the business1 they tell us that attrition1 by virtue of the keys1 is made contrition3 that is to say1 that a sorrow arising from a servile fear of punishment1 and such a fruitless repentance as the reprobate may carry with them to hell1 by virtue of the priest's absolution1 is made so fruitful that it shall serve the turn for obtaining forgiveness of sins1 as if it had been that godly sorrow which worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of4 ,by which spiritual cozenage many poor souls are most miserably deluded40 7,ussher's ,tracts1 p4 #aec47 ,footnote #bai3 ,these quotations1 carefully marked in the original1 afford a sufficient answer to ,father ,daniel's long argument1 which consists chiefly of citations from ,jesuit writers who hold the views above given4 ,footnote #bbj3 ,it may be remembered that ,diana1 though not a ,jesuit1 was claimed by the ,society as a favorer of their casuists4 ,this writer was once held in such high repute1 that he was consulted by people from all parts of the world as a perfect oracle in cases of conscience4 ,he is now forgotten4 ,his style1 like that of most of these scholastics1 is described as 8insipid1 stingy1 and crawling40 7,biogr4 ,univ41 ,anc4 et ,mod47 ,footnote #bba3 ,esc4 ,pratique de notre ,socit1 tr4 #g1 ex4 #d1 n4 #ia4 ,footnote #bbb3 ,tr4 #h1 disp4 #c1 n4 #ac4 ,footnote #bbc3 ,of ,trent4 ,nicole attempts to prove that the 8imperfect contrition0 of this ,council includes the love of ,god1 and that they condemned as heretical the opinion1 that 8any could prepare himself for grace without a movement of the ,holy ,spirit40 ,he is more successful in showing that the ,jesuits were heretical when judged by ,augustine and the ,holy ,scriptures4 7,note #b1 sur la x4 ,lettre47 ,footnote #bbd3 ,the ,jesuits are so fond of their 8attrition10 or purely natural repentance1 that one of their own theologians 7,cardinal ,francis ,tolet7 having condemned it they falsified the passage in a subsequent edition1 making him speak the opposite sentiment4 ,the forgery was exposed2 but the worthy fathers1 according to custom1 allowed it to pass without notice1 ad majorem ,dei gloriam4 7,nicole1 iii4 #ie47 ,footnote #bbe3 ,tr4 #a1 ex4 #b1 n4 #ba2 and tr4 #e1 ex4 #d1 n4 #h4 ,footnote #bbf3 ,shocking as these principles are1 it might be easy to show that they necessarily flow from the ,romish doctrine1 which substitutes the imperfect obedience of the sinner as the meritorious ground of justification1 in the room of the all-perfect obedience and oblation of the ,son of ,god1 which renders it necessary to lower the divine standard of duty4 ,the attempt of ,father ,daniel to escape from the serious charge in the text under a cloud of metaphysical distinctions about affective and effective love1 is about as lame as the argument he draws from the merciful character of the ,gospel1 is dishonorable to the ,saviour1 who 8came not to destroy the law and the prophets but to fulfil40 ,but this 8confusion worse confounded0 arises from putting love to ,god out of its proper place and representing it as the price of our pardon instead of the fruit of faith in pardoning mercy4 ,arnauld was as far wrong on this point as the ,jesuits2 and it is astonishing that he did not discover in their system the radical error of his own creed carried out to its proper consequences4 7,reponse ,gen4 au ,livre de ,m4 ,arnauld1 par ,elie ,merlat1 p4 #cj47 ,footnote #bbg3 8,nothing on this point10 says ,nicole in a note here1 8can be finer than the prosopopeia in which ,despraux 7,boileau7 introduces ,god as judging mankind40 ,he then quotes a long passage from the ,twelfth ,epistle of that poet1 beginning-- 8,quand ,dieu viendra juger les vivans et les morts10 c4 ,boileau was the personal friend of ,arnauld and ,pascal1 and satirized the ,jesuits with such pleasant irony that ,father la ,chaise1 the confessor of ,louis ,,xiv41 though himself a ,jesuit1 is said to have taken a pleasure in repeating his verses4 ,,letter ,,xi4 ,,to ,,the ,,reverend ,,fathers1 ,,the ,,jesuits4#bbh ,,ridicule ,a ,,fair ,,weapon ,,when ,,employed ,,against ,,absurd ,,opinions--,,rules ,,to ,,be ,,observed ,,in ,,the ,,use ,,of ,,this ,,weapon--,,the ,,profane ,,buffoonery ,,of ,,fathers ,,le ,,moine ,,and ,,garasse4 ,august #ah1 #afef4 ,,reverend ,,fathers1--,i have seen the letters which you are circulating in opposition to those which ,i wrote to one of my friends on your morality2 and ,i perceive that one of the principal points of your defence is1 that ,i have not spoken of your maxims with sufficient seriousness4 ,this charge you repeat in all your productions1 and carry it so far as to allege1 that ,i have been 8guilty of turning sacred things into ridicule40 ,such a charge1 fathers1 is no less surprising than it is unfounded4 ,where do you find that ,i have turned sacred things into ridicule8 ,you specify 8the ,mohatra contract1 and the story of ,john d',alba40 ,but are these what you call 8sacred things80 ,does it really appear to you that the ,mohatra is something so venerable that it would be blasphemy not to speak of it with respect8 ,and the lessons of ,father ,bauny on larceny1 which led ,john d',alba to practise it at your expense1 are they so sacred as to entitle you to stigmatize all who laugh at them as profane people8 ,what1 fathers6 must the vagaries of your doctors pass for the verities of the ,christian faith1 and no man be allowed to ridicule ,escobar1 or the fantastical and unchristian dogmas of your authors1 without being stigmatized as jesting at religion8 ,is it possible you can have ventured to reiterate so often an idea so utterly unreasonable8 ,have you no fears that1 in blaming me for laughing at your absurdities1 you may only afford me fresh subject of merriment2 that you may make the charge recoil on yourselves1 by showing that ,i have really selected nothing from your writings as the matter of raillery1 but what was truly ridiculous2 and that thus1 in making a jest of your morality1 ,i have been as far from jeering at holy things1 as the doctrine of your casuists is far from the holy doctrine of the ,gospel8 ,indeed1 reverend sirs1 there is a vast difference between laughing at religion1 and laughing at those who profane it by their extravagant opinions4 ,it were impiety to be wanting in respect for the verities which the ,spirit of ,god has revealed2 but it were no less impiety of another sort1 to be wanting in contempt for the falsities which the spirit of man opposes to them4#bbi ,for1 fathers 7since you will force me into this argument71 ,i beseech you to consider that1 just in proportion as ,christian truths are worthy of love and respect1 the contrary errors must deserve hatred and contempt2 there being two things in the truths of our religion--a divine beauty that renders them lovely1 and a sacred majesty that renders them venerable2 and two things also about errors--an impiety1 that makes them horrible1 and an impertinence that renders them ridiculous4 ,for these reasons1 while the saints have ever cherished towards the truth the two-fold sentiment of love and fear--the whole of their wisdom being comprised between fear1 which is its beginning1 and love1 which is its end--they have1 at the same time1 entertained towards error the two-fold feeling of hatred and contempt1 and their zeal has been at once employed to repel1 by force of reasoning1 the malice of the wicked1 and to chastise1 by the aid of ridicule1 their extravagance and folly4 ,do not then expect1 fathers1 to make people believe that it is unworthy of a ,christian to treat error with derision4 ,nothing is easier than to convince all who were not aware of it before1 that this practice is perfectly just--that it is common with the fathers of the ,church1 and that it is sanctioned by ,scripture1 by the example of the best of saints1 and even by that of ,god himself4 ,do we not find that ,god at once hates and despises sinners2 so that even at the hour of death1 when their condition is most sad and deplorable1 ,divine ,wisdom adds mockery to the vengeance which consigns them to eternal punishment8 8,in interitu vestro ridebo et subsannabo--,i will laugh at your calamity40 ,the saints1 too1 influenced by the same feeling1 will join in the derision2 for1 according to ,david1 when they witness the punishment of the wicked1 8they shall fear1 and yet laugh at it--videbunt justi et timebunt1 et super eum ridebunt40 ,and ,job says3 8,innocens subsannabit eos--,the innocent shall laugh at them40#bcj ,it is worthy of remark here1 that the very first words which ,god addressed to man after his fall1 contain1 in the opinion of the fathers1 8bitter irony0 and mockery4 ,after ,adam had disobeyed his ,maker1 in the hope1 suggested by the devil1 of being like ,god1 it appears from ,scripture that ,god1 as a punishment1 subjected him to death2 and after having reduced him to this miserable condition1 which was due to his sin1 he taunted him in that state with the following terms of derision3 8,behold1 the man has become as one of us6--,ecce1 ,adam quasi unus ex nobis60--which1 according to ,st4 ,jerome#bca and the interpreters1 is 8a grievous and cutting piece of irony10 with which ,god 8stung him to the quick40 8,adam10 says ,rupert1 8deserved to be taunted in this manner1 and he would be naturally made to feel his folly more acutely by this ironical expression than by a more serious one40 ,st4 ,victor1 after making the same remark1 adds1 8that this irony was due to his sottish credulity1 and that this species of raillery is an act of justice1 merited by him against whom it was directed40#bcb ,thus you see1 fathers1 that ridicule is1 in some cases1 a very appropriate means of reclaiming men from their errors1 and that it is accordingly an act of justice1 because1 as ,jeremiah says1 8the actions of those that err are worthy of derision1 because of their vanity--vana sunt et risu digna40 ,and so far from its being impious to laugh at them1 ,st4 ,augustine holds it to be the effect of divine wisdom3 8,the wise laugh at the foolish1 because they are wise1 not after their own wisdom1 but after that divine wisdom which shall laugh at the death of the wicked40 ,the prophets1 accordingly1 filled with the ,spirit of ,god1 have availed themselves of ridicule1 as we find from the examples of ,daniel and ,elias4 ,in short1 examples of it are not wanting in the discourses of ,jesus ,christ himself4 ,st4 ,augustine remarks that1 when he would humble ,nicodemus1 who deemed himself so expert in his knowledge of the law1 8perceiving him to be puffed up with pride1 from his rank as doctor of the ,jews1 he first beats down his presumption by the magnitude of his demands1 and having reduced him so low that he was unable to answer1 ,what6 says he1 you a master in ,israel1 and not know these things6--as if he had said1 ,proud ruler1 confess that thou knowest nothing40 ,st4 ,chrysostom and ,st4 ,cyril likewise observe upon this1 that 8he deserved to be ridiculed in this manner40 ,you may learn from this1 fathers1 that should it so happen1 in our day1 that persons who enact the part of 8masters0 among ,christians1 as ,nicodemus and the ,pharisees did among the ,jews1 show themselves so ignorant of the first principles of religion as to maintain1 for example1 that 8a man may be saved who never loved ,god all his life10 we only follow the example of ,jesus ,christ1 when we laugh at such a combination of ignorance and conceit4 ,i am sure1 fathers1 these sacred examples are sufficient to convince you1 that to deride the errors and extravagances of man is not inconsistent with the practice of the saints2 otherwise we must blame that of the greatest doctors of the ,church1 who have been guilty of it--such as ,st4 ,jerome1 in his letters and writings against ,jovinian1 ,vigilantius1 and the ,pelagians2 ,tertullian1 in his ,apology against the follies of idolaters2 ,st4 ,augustine against the monks of ,africa1 whom he styles 8the hairy men20 ,st4 ,irenus the ,gnostics2 ,st4 ,bernard and the other fathers of the ,church1 who1 having been the imitators of the apostles1 ought to be imitated by the faithful in all time coming2 for1 say what we will1 they are the true models for ,christians1 even of the present day4 ,in following such examples1 ,i conceived that ,i could not go far wrong2 and1 as ,i think ,i have sufficiently established this position1 ,i shall only add1 in the admirable words of ,tertullian1 which give the true explanation of the whole of my proceeding in this matter3 8,what ,i have now done is only a little sport before the real combat4 ,i have rather indicated the wounds that might be given you1 than inflicted any4 ,if the reader has met with passages which have excited his risibility1 he must ascribe this to the subjects themselves4 ,there are many things which deserve to be held up in this way to ridicule and mockery1 lest1 by a serious refutation1 we should attach a weight to them which they do not deserve4 ,nothing is more due to vanity than laughter2 and it is the ,truth properly that has a right to laugh1 because she is cheerful1 and to make sport of her enemies1 because she is sure of the victory4 ,care must be taken1 indeed1 that the raillery is not too low1 and unworthy of the truth2 but1 keeping this in view1 when ridicule may be employed with effect1 it is a duty to avail ourselves of it40 ,do you not think1 fathers1 that this passage is singularly applicable to our subject8 ,the letters which ,i have hitherto written are 8merely a little sport before a real combat40 ,as yet ,i have been only playing with the foils1 and 8rather indicating the wounds that might be given you than inflicting any40 ,i have merely exposed your passages to the light1 without making almost a reflection on them4 8,if the reader has met with any that have excited his risibility1 he must ascribe this to the subjects themselves40 ,and1 indeed1 what is more fitted to raise a laugh1 than to see a matter so grave as that of ,christian morality decked out with fancies so grotesque as those in which you have exhibited it8 ,one is apt to form such high anticipations of these maxims1 from being told that 8,jesus ,christ himself has revealed them to the fathers of the ,society10 that when one discovers among them such absurdities as 8that a priest receiving money to say mass1 may take additional sums from other persons by giving up to them his own share in the sacrifice20 8that a monk is not to be excommunicated for putting off his habit1 provided it is to dance1 swindle1 or go incognito into infamous houses20 and 8that the duty of hearing mass may be fulfilled by listening to four quarters of a mass at once from different priests0--when1 ,i say1 one listens to such decisions as these1 the surprise is such that it is impossible to refrain from laughing2 for nothing is more calculated to produce that emotion than a startling contrast between the thing looked for and the thing looked at4 ,and why should the greater part of these maxims be treated in any other way8 ,as ,tertullian says1 8,to treat them seriously would be to sanction them40 ,what6 is it necessary to bring up all the forces of ,scripture and tradition1 in order to prove that running a sword through a man's body1 covertly and behind his back1 is to murder him in treachery8 or1 that to give one money as a motive to resign a benefice1 is to purchase the benefice8 ,yes1 there are things which it is duty to despise1 and which 8deserve only to be laughed at40 ,in short1 the remark of that ancient author1 8that nothing is more due to vanity than derision10 with what follows1 applies to the case before us so justly and so convincingly1 as to put it beyond all question that we may laugh at errors without violating propriety4 ,and let me add1 fathers1 that this may be done without any breach of charity either1 though this is another of the charges you bring against me in your publications4 ,for1 according to ,st4 ,augustine1 8charity may sometimes oblige us to ridicule the errors of men1 that they may be induced to laugh at them in their turn1 and renounce them--,hc tu misericorditer irride1 ut eis ridenda ac fugienda commendes40 ,and the same charity may also1 at other times1 bind us to repel them with indignation1 according to that other saying of ,st4 ,gregory of ,nazianzen3 8,the spirit of meekness and charity hath its emotions and its heats40 ,indeed1 as ,st4 ,augustine observes1 8who would venture to say that truth ought to stand disarmed against falsehood1 or that the enemies of the faith shall be at liberty to frighten the faithful with hard words1 and jeer at them with lively sallies of wit2 while the ,catholics ought never to write except with a coldness of style enough to set the reader asleep80 ,is it not obvious that1 by following such a course1 a wide door would be opened for the introduction of the most extravagant and pernicious dogmas into the ,church2 while none would be allowed to treat them with contempt1 through fear of being charged with violating propriety1 or to confute them with indignation1 from the dread of being taxed with want of charity8 ,indeed1 fathers6 shall you be allowed to maintain1 8that it is lawful to kill a man to avoid a box on the ear or an affront10 and must nobody be permitted publicly to expose a public error of such consequence8 ,shall you be at liberty to say1 8that a judge may in conscience retain a fee received for an act of injustice10 and shall no one be at liberty to contradict you8 ,shall you print1 with the privilege and approbation of your doctors1 8that a man may be saved without ever having loved ,god20 and will you shut the mouth of those who defend the true faith1 by telling them that they would violate brotherly love by attacking you1 and ,christian modesty by laughing at your maxims8 ,i doubt1 fathers1 if there be any persons whom you could make believe this2 if1 however1 there be any such1 who are really persuaded that1 by denouncing your morality1 ,i have been deficient in the charity which ,i owe to you1 ,i would have them examine1 with great jealousy1 whence this feeling takes its rise within them4 ,they may imagine that it proceeds from a holy zeal1 which will not allow them to see their neighbor impeached without being scandalized at it2 but ,i would entreat them to consider1 that it is not impossible that it may flow from another source1 and that it is even extremely likely that it may spring from that secret1 and often self-concealed dissatisfaction1 which the unhappy corruption within us seldom fails to stir up against those who oppose the relaxation of morals4 ,and to furnish them with a rule which may enable them to ascertain the real principle from which it proceeds1 ,i will ask them1 if1 while they lament the way in which the religious#bcc have been treated1 they lament still more the manner in which these religious have treated the truth4 ,if they are incensed1 not only against the letters1 but still more against the maxims quoted in them1 ,i shall grant it to be barely possible that their resentment proceeds from some zeal1 though not of the most enlightened kind2 and1 in this case1 the passages ,i have just cited from the fathers will serve to enlighten them4 ,but if they are merely angry at the reprehension1 and not at the things reprehended1 truly1 fathers1 ,i shall never scruple to tell them that they are grossly mistaken1 and that their zeal is miserably blind4 ,strange zeal1 indeed6 which gets angry at those that censure public faults1 and not at those that commit them6 ,novel charity this1 which groans at seeing error confuted1 but feels no grief at seeing morality subverted by that error6 ,if these persons were in danger of being assassinated1 pray1 would they be offended at one advertising them of the stratagem that had been laid for them2 and instead of turning out of their way to avoid it1 would they trifle away their time in whining about the little charity manifested in discovering to them the criminal design of the assassins8 ,do they get waspish when one tells them not to eat such an article of food1 because it is poisoned8 or not to enter such a city1 because it has the plague8 ,whence comes it1 then1 that the same persons who set down a man as wanting in charity1 for exposing maxims hurtful to religion1 would1 on the contrary1 think him equally deficient in that grace were he not to disclose matters hurtful to health and life1 unless it be from this1 that their fondness for life induces them to take in good part every hint that contributes to its preservation1 while their indifference to truth leads them1 not only to take no share in its defence1 but even to view with pain the efforts made for the extirpation of falsehood8 ,let them seriously ponder1 as in the sight of ,god1 how shameful1 and how prejudicial to the ,church1 is the morality which your casuists are in the habit of propagating2 the scandalous and unmeasured license which they are introducing into public manners2 the obstinate and violent hardihood with which you support them4 ,and if they do not think it full time to rise against such disorders1 their blindness is as much to be pitied as yours1 fathers2 and you and they have equal reason to dread that saying of ,st4 ,augustine1 founded on the words of ,jesus ,christ1 in the ,gospel3 8,woe to the blind leaders6 woe to the blind followers6--,v ccis ducentibus6 v ccis sequentibus60 ,but to leave you no room in future1 either to create such impressions on the minds of others1 or to harbor them in your own1 ,i shall tell you1 fathers 7and ,i am ashamed ,i should have to teach you what ,i should have rather learnt from you71 the marks which the fathers of the ,church have given for judging when our animadversions flow from a principle of piety and charity1 and when from a spirit of malice and impiety4 ,the first of these rules is1 that the spirit of piety always prompts us to speak with sincerity and truthfulness2 whereas malice and envy make use of falsehood and calumny4 8,splendentia et vehementia1 sed rebus veris--,splendid and vehement in words1 but true in things10 as ,st4 ,augustine says4 ,the dealer in falsehood is an agent of the devil4 ,no direction of the intention can sanctify slander2 and though the conversion of the whole earth should depend on it1 no man may warrantably calumniate the innocent3 because none may do the least evil1 in order to accomplish the greatest good2 and1 as the ,scripture says1 8the truth of ,god stands in no need of our lie40 ,st4 ,hilary observes1 that 8it is the bounden duty of the advocates of truth1 to advance nothing in its support but true things40 ,now1 fathers1 ,i can declare before ,god1 that there is nothing that ,i detest more than the slightest possible deviation from the truth1 and that ,i have ever taken the greatest care1 not only not to falsify 7which would be horrible71 but not to alter or wrest1 in the slightest possible degree1 the sense of a single passage4 ,so closely have ,i adhered to this rule1 that if ,i may presume to apply them to the present case1 ,i may safely say1 in the words of the same ,st4 ,hilary3 8,if we advance things that are false1 let our statements be branded with infamy2 but if we can show that they are public and notorious1 it is no breach of apostolic modesty or liberty to expose them40 ,it is not enough1 however1 to tell nothing but the truth2 we must not always tell everything that is true2 we should publish only those things which it is useful to disclose1 and not those which can only hurt1 without doing any good4 ,and1 therefore1 as the first rule is to speak with truth1 the second is to speak with discretion4 8,the wicked10 says ,st4 ,augustine1 8in persecuting the good1 blindly follow the dictates of their passion2 but the good1 in their prosecution of the wicked1 are guided by a wise discretion1 even as the surgeon warily considers where he is cutting1 while the murderer cares not where he strikes40 ,you must be sensible1 fathers1 that in selecting from the maxims of your authors1 ,i have refrained from quoting those which would have galled you most1 though ,i might have done it1 and that without sinning against discretion1 as others who were both learned and catholic writers1 have done before me4 ,all who have read your authors know how far ,i have spared you in this respect4#bcd ,besides1 ,i have taken no notice whatever of what might be brought against individual characters among you2 and ,i would have been extremely sorry to have said a word about secret and personal failings1 whatever evidence ,i might have of them1 being persuaded that this is the distinguishing property of malice1 and a practice which ought never to be resorted to1 unless where it is urgently demanded for the good of the ,church4 ,it is obvious1 therefore1 that in what ,i have been compelled to advance against your moral maxims1 ,i have been by no means wanting in due consideration3 and that you have more reason to congratulate yourself on my moderation than to complain of my indiscretion4 ,the third rule1 fathers1 is3 ,that when there is need to employ a little raillery1 the spirit of piety will take care to employ it against error only1 and not against things holy2 whereas the spirit of buffoonery1 impiety1 and heresy1 mocks at all that is most sacred4 ,i have already vindicated myself on that score2 and indeed there is no great danger of falling into that vice so long as ,i confine my remarks to the opinions which ,i have quoted from your authors4 ,in short1 fathers1 to abridge these rules1 ,i shall only mention another1 which is the essence and the end of all the rest3 ,that the spirit of charity prompts us to cherish in the heart a desire for the salvation of those against whom we dispute1 and to address our prayers to ,god while we direct our accusations to men4 8,we ought ever10 says ,st4 ,augustine1 8to preserve charity in the heart1 even while we are obliged to pursue a line of external conduct which to man has the appearance of harshness2 we ought to smite them with a sharpness1 severe but kindly1 remembering that their advantage is more to be studied than their gratification40 ,i am sure1 fathers1 that there is nothing in my letters1 from which it can be inferred that ,i have not cherished such a desire towards you2 and as you can find nothing to the contrary in them1 charity obliges you to believe that ,i have been really actuated by it4 ,it appears1 then1 that you cannot prove that ,i have offended against this rule1 or against any of the other rules which charity inculcates2 and you have no right to say1 therefore1 that ,i have violated it4 ,but1 fathers1 if you should now like to have the pleasure of seeing1 within a short compass1 a course of conduct directly at variance with each of these rules1 and bearing the genuine stamp of the spirit of buffoonery1 envy1 and hatred1 ,i shall give you a few examples of it2 and that they may be of the sort best known and most familiar to you1 ,i shall extract them from your own writings4 ,to begin1 then1 with the unworthy manner in which your authors speak of holy things1 whether in their sportive and gallant effusions1 or in their more serious pieces1 do you think that the parcel of ridiculous stories1 which your father ,binet has introduced into his 8,consolation to the ,sick10 are exactly suitable to his professed object1 which is that of imparting ,christian consolation to those whom ,god has chastened with affliction8 ,will you pretend to say1 that the profane1 foppish style in which your ,father ,le ,moine has talked of piety in his 8,devotion made ,easy10 is more fitted to inspire respect than contempt for the picture that he draws of ,christian virtue8 ,what else does his whole book of 8,moral ,pictures0 breathe1 both in its prose and poetry1 but a spirit full of vanity1 and the follies of this world8 ,take1 for example1 that ode in his seventh book1 entitled1 8,eulogy on ,bashfulness1 showing that all beautiful things are red1 or inclined to redden40 ,call you that a production worthy of a priest8 ,the ode is intended to comfort a lady1 called ,delphina1 who was sadly addicted to blushing4 ,each stanza is devoted to show that certain red things are the best of things1 such as roses1 pomegranates1 the mouth1 the tongue2 and it is in the midst of this badinage1 so disgraceful in a clergyman1 that he has the effrontery to introduce those blessed spirits that minister before ,god1 and of whom no ,christian should speak without reverence3-- 8,the cherubim--those glorious choirs-- ,composed of head and plumes1 ,whom ,god with his own ,spirit inspires1 ,and with his eyes illumes4 ,these splendid faces1 as they fly1 ,are ever red and burning high1 ,with fire angelic or divine2 ,and while their mutual flames combine1 ,the waving of their wings supplies ,a fan to cool their extacies6 ,but redness shines with better grace1 ,delphina1 on thy beauteous face1 ,where modesty sits revelling-- ,arrayed in purple1 like a king10 c4 ,what think you of this1 fathers8 ,does this preference of the blushes of ,delphina to the ardor of those spirits1 which is neither more nor less than the ardor of divine love1 and this simile of the fan applied to their mysterious wings1 strike you as being very ,christian-like in the lips which consecrate the adorable body of ,jesus ,christ8 ,i am quite aware that he speaks only in the character of a gallant1 and to raise a smile2 but this is precisely what is called laughing at things holy4 ,and is it not certain1 that1 were he to get full justice1 he could not save himself from incurring a censure8 although1 to shield himself from this1 he pleads an excuse which is hardly less censurable than the offence1 8that the ,sorbonne has no jurisdiction over ,parnassus1 and that the errors of that land are subject neither to censure nor the ,inquisition20--as if one could act the blasphemer and profane fellow only in prose6 ,there is another passage1 however1 in the preface1 where even this excuse fails him1 when he says1 8that the water of the river1 on whose banks he composes his verses1 is so apt to make poets1 that1 though it were converted into holy water1 it would not chase away the demon of poesy40 ,to match this1 ,i may add the following flight of your ,father ,garasse1 in his 8,summary of the ,capital ,truths in ,religion10 where1 speaking of the sacred mystery of the incarnation1 he mixes up blasphemy and heresy in this fashion3 8,the human personality was grafted1 as it were1 or set on horseback1 upon the personality of the ,word60#bce ,and omitting many others1 ,i might mention another passage from the same author1 who1 speaking on the subject of the name of ,jesus1 ordinarily written thus1 ,i4 ,h4 ,s4 observes that 8some have taken away the cross from the top of it1 leaving the characters barely thus1 ,i4 ,h4 ,s4--which10 says he1 8is a stripped ,jesus60 ,such is the indecency with which you treat the truths of religion1 in the face of the inviolable law which binds us always to speak of them with reverence4 ,but you have sinned no less flagrantly against the rule which obliges us to speak of them with truth and discretion4 ,what is more common in your writings than calumny8 ,can those of ,father ,brisacier#bcf be called sincere8 ,does he speak with truth when he says1 that 8the nuns of ,port-,royal do not pray to the saints1 and have no images in their church80 ,are not these most outrageous falsehoods1 when the contrary appears before the eyes of all ,paris8 ,and can he be said to speak with discretion1 when he stabs the fair reputation of these virgins1 who lead a life so pure and austere1 representing them as 8impenitent1 unsacramentalists1 uncommunicants1 foolish virgins1 visionaries1 ,calagans1 desperate creatures1 and anything you please10 loading them with many other slanders1 which have justly incurred the censure of the late ,archbishop of ,paris8 or when he calumniates priests of the most irreproachable morals1#bcg by asserting 8that they practise novelties in confession1 to entrap handsome innocent females1 and that he would be horrified to tell the abominable crimes which they commit40 ,is it not a piece of intolerable assurance1 to advance slanders so black and base1 not merely without proof1 but without the slightest shadow1 or the most distant semblance of truth8 ,i shall not enlarge on this topic1 but defer it to a future occasion1 for ,i have something more to say to you about it2 but what ,i have now produced is enough to show that you have sinned at once against truth and discretion4 ,but it may be said1 perhaps1 that you have not offended against the last rule at least1 which binds you to desire the salvation of those whom you denounce1 and that none can charge you with this1 except by unlocking the secrets of your breasts1 which are only known to ,god4 ,it is strange1 fathers1 but true1 nevertheless1 that we can convict you even of this offence2 that while your hatred to your opponents has carried you so far as to wish their eternal perdition1 your infatuation has driven you to discover the abominable wish2 that so far from cherishing in secret desires for their salvation1 you have offered up prayers in public for their damnation2 and that1 after having given utterance to that hideous vow in the city of ,caen1 to the scandal of the whole ,church1 you have since then ventured1 in ,paris1 to vindicate1 in your printed books1 the diabolical transaction4 ,after such gross offences against piety1 first ridiculing and speaking lightly of things the most sacred2 next falsely and scandalously calumniating priests and virgins2 and lastly1 forming desires and prayers for their damnation1 it would be difficult to add anything worse4 ,i cannot conceive1 fathers1 how you can fail to be ashamed of yourselves1 or how you could have thought for an instant of charging me with a want of charity1 who have acted all along with so much truth and moderation1 without reflecting on your own horrid violations of charity1 manifested in those deplorable exhibitions1 which make the charge recoil against yourselves4 ,in fine1 fathers1 to conclude with another charge which you bring against me1 ,i see you complain that among the vast number of your maxims which ,i quote1 there are some which have been objected to already1 and that ,i 8say over again1 what others have said before me40 ,to this ,i reply1 that it is just because you have not profited by what has been said before1 that ,i say it over again4 ,tell me now what fruit has appeared from all the castigations you have received in all the books written by learned doctors1 and even the whole university8 ,what more have your fathers ,annat1 ,caussin1 ,pintereau1 and ,le ,moine done1 in the replies they have put forth1 except loading with reproaches those who had given them salutary admonitions8 ,have you suppressed the books in which these nefarious maxims are taught8#bch ,have you restrained the authors of these maxims8 ,have you become more circumspect in regard to them8 ,on the contrary1 is it not the fact1 that since that time ,escobar has been repeatedly reprinted in ,france and in the ,low ,countries1 and that your fathers ,cellot1 ,bagot1 ,bauny1 ,lamy1 ,le ,moine1 and others1 persist in publishing daily the same maxims over again1 or new ones as licentious as ever8 ,let us hear no more complaints1 then1 fathers1 either because ,i have charged you with maxims which you have not disavowed1 or because ,i have objected to some new ones against you1 or because ,i have laughed equally at them all4 ,you have only to sit down and look at them1 to see at once your own confusion and my defence4 ,who can look without laughing at the decision of ,bauny1 respecting the person who employs another to set fire to his neighbor's barn2 that of ,cellot on restitution2 the rule of ,sanchez in favor of sorcerers2 the plan of ,hurtado for avoiding the sin of duelling by taking a walk through a field1 and waiting for a man2 the compliments of ,bauny for escaping usury2 the way of avoiding simony by a detour of the intention1 and keeping clear of falsehood by speaking high and low2 and such other opinions of your most grave and reverend doctors8 ,is there anything more necessary1 fathers1 for my vindication8 and as ,tertullian says1 8can anything be more justly due to the vanity and weakness of these opinions than laughter80 ,but1 fathers1 the corruption of manners to which your maxims lead deserves another sort of consideration2 and it becomes us to ask1 with the same ancient writer1 8,whether ought we to laugh at their folly1 or deplore their blindness8--,rideam vanitatem1 an exprobrem ccitatem80 ,my humble opinion is1 that one may either laugh at them or weep over them1 as one is in the humor4 ,hc tolerabilius vel ridentur1 vel flentur1 as ,st4 ,augustine says4 ,the ,scripture tells us that 8there is a time to laugh1 and a time to weep20 and my hope is1 fathers1 that ,i may not find verified1 in your case1 these words in the ,proverbs3 8,if a wise man contendeth with a foolish man1 whether he rage or laugh1 there is no rest40#bci 99 99 99 99 99 ,p4 ,s4--,on finishing this letter1 there was put in my hands one of your publications1 in which you accuse me of falsification1 in the case of six of your maxims quoted by me1 and also with being in correspondence with heretics4 ,you will shortly receive1 ,i trust1 a suitable reply2 after which1 fathers1 ,i rather think you will not feel very anxious to continue this species of warfare4#bdj ----- ,footnote #bbh3 ,in this and the following letters1 ,pascal changes his style1 from that of dialogue to that of direct address1 and from that of the liveliest irony to that of serious invective and poignant satire4 ,footnote #bbi3 8,religion1 they tell us1 ought not to be ridiculed2 and they tell us truth3 yet surely the corruptions in it may2 for we are taught by the tritest maxim in the world1 that religion being the best of things1 its corruptions are likely to be the worst40 7,swift's ,apology for a ,tale of a ,tub47 ,footnote #bcj3 ,prov4 i4 #bf2 ,ps4 lii4 #f2 ,job xxii4 #ai4 ,in the first passage1 the figure is evidently what theologians call anthropopathic1 or speaking of ,god after the manner of men1 and denotes his total disregard of the wicked in the day of their calamity4 ,footnote #bca3 ,in most of the editions1 it is 8,st4 ,chrysostom10 but ,i have followed that of ,nicole4 ,footnote #bcb3 ,we may be permitted to question the correctness of this interpretation1 and the propriety of introducing it in the present connection4 ,for the former1 the fathers1 not ,pascal1 are responsible2 as to the latter1 it was certainly superfluous1 and not very happy1 to have recourse to such an example1 to justify the use of ridicule as a weapon against religious follies4 ,among other writers1 the ,abb ,d',artigny is very severe against our author on this score1 and quotes with approbation the following censure on him3 8,is it possible that a man of such genius and erudition could justify the most criminal excesses by such respectable examples8 ,not content with making witty old fellows of the prophets and the holy fathers1 nothing will serve him but to make us believe that the ,almighty himself has furnished us with precedents for the most bitter slanders and pleasantries--an evident proof that there is nothing that an author will not seek to justify when he follows his own passion40 7,nouveaux ,mmoires ,d',artigny1 ii4 #ahe47 ,how solemnly and eloquently will a man write down all such satires1 when the jest is pointed against himself and his party6 ,d',artigny quotes1 within a few pages1 with evident relish1 a bitter satire against a ,protestant minister4 ,footnote #bcc3 8,religious10 is a general term1 applied in the ,romish ,church to all who are in holy orders4 ,footnote #bcd3 8,so far10 says ,nicole1 8from his having told all that he might against the ,jesuits1 he has spared them on points so essential and important1 that all who have a complete knowledge of their maxims have admired his moderation40 8,what would have been the case10 asks another writer1 8had ,pascal exposed the late infamous things put out by their miserable casuists1 and unfolded the chain and succession of their regicide authors80 7,dissertation sur la foi due au ,pascal1 c41 p4 #ad47 ,footnote #bce3 ,the apologists of the ,jesuits attempted to justify this extraordinary illustration1 by referring to the use which ,augustine and other fathers make of the parable of the good ,samaritan who 8set on his own beast0 the wounded traveller4 ,but ,nicole has shown that fanciful as these ancient interpreters often were1 it is doing them injustice to father on them the absurdity of ,father ,garasse4 7,nicole's ,notes1 iii4 #cdj47 ,footnote #bcf3 ,brisacier1 who became rector of the ,college of ,rouen1 was a bitter enemy of the ,port-,royalists4 ,his defamatory libel against the nuns of ,port-,royal1 entitled 8,le ,jansenisme ,confondu10 published in #afea1 was censured by the ,archbishop of ,paris1 and vigorously assailed by ,m4 ,arnauld4 ,footnote #bcg3 ,the priests of ,port-,royal4 ,footnote #bch3 ,this is the real question1 which brings the matter to a point1 and serves to answer all the evasions of the ,jesuits4 ,they boast of their unity as a society and their blind obedience to their head4 ,have they1 then1 ever1 as a society1 disclaimed these maxims8--have they even1 as such1 condemned the sentiments their fathers ,becan1 ,mariana1 and others1 on the duty of dethroning and assassinating heretical kings8 ,they have not2 and till this is done1 they must be held1 as ,jesuits1 responsible for the sentiments which they refuse to disavow4 ,footnote #bci3 ,prov4 xxix4 #i4 ,footnote #bdj3 ,this postscript1 which appeared in the earlier editions1 is dropt in that of ,nicole and others4 ,,letter ,,xii4 ,,to ,,the ,,reverend ,,fathers1 ,,the ,,jesuits4 ,,refutation ,,of ,,their ,,chicaneries ,,regarding ,,alms-,,giving ,,and ,,simony4 ,september #i1 #afef4 ,,reverend ,,fathers1--,i was prepared to write you on the subject of the abuse with which you have for some time past been assailing me in your publications1 in which you salute me with such epithets as 8reprobate10 8buffoon10 8blockhead10 8merry-,andrew10 8impostor10 8slanderer10 8cheat10 8heretic10 8,calvinist in disguise10 8disciple of ,du ,moulin10#bda 8possessed with a legion of devils10 and everything else you can think of4 ,as ,i should be sorry to have all this believed of me1 ,i was anxious to show the public why you treated me in this manner2 and ,i had resolved to complain of your calumnies and falsifications1 when ,i met with your ,answers1 in which you bring these same charges against myself4 ,this will compel me to alter my plan2 though it will not prevent me from prosecuting it in some sort1 for ,i hope1 while defending myself1 to convict you of impostures more genuine than the imaginary ones which you have ascribed to me4 ,indeed1 fathers1 the suspicion of foul play is much more sure to rest on you than on me4 ,it is not very likely1 standing as ,i do1 alone1 without power or any human defence1 against such a large body1 and having no support but truth and integrity1 that ,i would expose myself to lose everything1 by laying myself open to be convicted of imposture4 ,it is too easy to discover falsifications in matters of fact such as the present4 ,in such a case there would have been no want of persons to accuse me1 nor would justice have been denied them4 ,with you1 fathers1 the case is very different2 you may say as much as you please against me1 while ,i may look in vain for any to complain to4 ,with such a wide difference between our positions1 though there had been no other consideration to restrain me1 it became me to study no little caution4 ,by treating me1 however1 as a common slanderer1 you compel me to assume the defensive1 and you must be aware that this cannot be done without entering into a fresh exposition1 and even into a fuller disclosure of the points of your morality4 ,in provoking this discussion1 ,i fear you are not acting as good politicians4 ,the war must be waged within your own camp1 and at your own expense2 and although you imagine that1 by embroiling the questions with scholastic terms1 the answers will be so tedious1 thorny1 and obscure1 that people will lose all relish for the controversy1 this may not1 perhaps1 turn out to be exactly the case2 ,i shall use my best endeavors to tax your patience as little as possible with that sort of writing4 ,your maxims have something diverting about them1 which keeps up the good humor of people to the last4 ,at all events1 remember that it is you that oblige me to enter upon this eclaircissement1 and let us see which of us comes off best in defending themselves4 ,the first of your ,impostures1 as you call them1 is on the opinion of ,vasquez upon alms-giving4 ,to avoid all ambiguity1 then1 allow me to give a simple explanation of the matter in dispute4 ,it is well known1 fathers1 that according to the mind of the ,church1 there are two precepts touching alms--#ast1 8,to give out of our superfluity in the case of the ordinary necessities of the poor20 and #b;dly1 8,to give even out of our necessaries1 according to our circumstances1 in cases of extreme necessity40 ,thus says ,cajetan1 after ,st4 ,thomas2 so that1 to get at the mind of ,vasquez on this subject1 we must consider the rules he lays down1 both in regard to necessaries and superfluities4 ,with regard to superfluity1 which is the most common source of relief to the poor1 it is entirely set aside by that single maxim which ,i have quoted in my ,letters3 8,that what the men of the world keep with the view of improving their own condition and that of their relatives1 is not properly superfluity2 so that1 such a thing as superfluity is rarely to be met with among men of the world1 not even excepting kings40 ,it is very easy to see1 fathers1 that according to this definition1 none can have superfluity1 provided they have ambition2 and thus1 so far as the greater part of the world is concerned1 alms-giving is annihilated4 ,but even though a man should happen to have superfluity1 he would be under no obligation1 according to ,vasquez1 to give it away in the case of ordinary necessity2 for he protests against those who would thus bind the rich4 ,here are his own words3 8,corduba10 says he1 8teaches1 that when we have a superfluity we are bound to give out of it in cases of ordinary necessity2 but this does not please me--sed hoc non placet--for we have demonstrated the contrary against ,cajetan and ,navarre40 ,so1 fathers1 the obligation to this kind of alms is wholly set aside1 according to the good pleasure of ,vasquez4 ,with regard to necessaries1 out of which we are bound to give in cases of extreme and urgent necessity1 it must be obvious1 from the conditions by which he has limited the obligation1 that the richest man in all ,paris may not come within its reach once in a lifetime4 ,i shall only refer to two of these4 ,the first is1 ,that 8we must know that the poor man cannot be relieved from any other quarter--hc intelligo et ctera omnia1 quando ,,scio nullum alium opem laturum40 ,what say you to this1 fathers8 ,is it likely to happen frequently in ,paris1 where there are so many charitable people1 that ,i must know that there is not another soul but myself to relieve the poor wretch who begs an alms from me8 ,and yet1 according to ,vasquez1 if ,i have not ascertained that fact1 ,i may send him away with nothing4 ,the second condition is1 ,that the poor man be reduced to such straits 8that he is menaced with some fatal accident1 or the ruin of his character0--none of them very common occurrences4 ,but what marks still more the rarity of the cases in which one is bound to give charity1 is his remark1 in another passage1 that the poor man must be so ill off1 8that he may conscientiously rob the rich man60 ,this must surely be a very extraordinary case1 unless he will insist that a man may be ordinarily allowed to commit robbery4 ,and so1 after having cancelled the obligation to give alms out of our superfluities1 he obliges the rich to relieve the poor only in those cases when he would allow the poor to rifle the rich6 ,such is the doctrine of ,vasquez1 to whom you refer your readers for their edification6 ,i now come to your pretended ,impostures4 ,you begin by enlarging on the obligation to alms-giving which ,vasquez imposes on ecclesiastics4 ,but on this point ,i have said nothing2 and ,i am prepared to take it up whenever you choose4 ,this1 then1 has nothing to do with the present question4 ,as for laymen1 who are the only persons with whom we have now to do1 you are apparently anxious to have it understood that1 in the passage which ,i quoted1 ,vasquez is giving not his own judgment1 but that of ,cajetan4 ,but as nothing could be more false than this1 and as you have not said it in so many terms1 ,i am willing to believe1 for the sake of your character1 that you did not intend to say it4 ,you next loudly complain that1 after quoting that maxim of ,vasquez1 8,such a thing as superfluity is rarely if ever to be met with among men of the world1 not excepting kings10 ,i have inferred from it1 8that the rich are rarely1 if ever1 bound to give alms out of their superfluity40 ,but what do you mean to say1 fathers8 ,if it be true that the rich have almost never superfluity1 is it not obvious that they will almost never be bound to give alms out of their superfluity8 ,i might have put it into the form of a syllogism for you1 if ,diana1 who has such an esteem for ,vasquez that he calls him 8the phnix of genius10 had not drawn the same conclusion from the same premises2 for1 after quoting the maxim of ,vasquez1 he concludes1 8that1 with regard to the question1 whether the rich are obliged to give alms out of their superfluity1 though the affirmation were true1 it would seldom1 or almost never1 happen to be obligatory in practice40 ,i have followed this language word for word4 ,what1 then1 are we to make of this1 fathers8 ,when ,diana quotes with approbation the sentiments of ,vasquez--when he finds them probable1 and 8very convenient for rich people10 as he says in the same place1 he is no slanderer1 no falsifier1 and we hear no complaints of misrepresenting his author2 whereas1 when ,i cite the same sentiments of ,vasquez1 though without holding him up as a phnix1 ,i am a slanderer1 a fabricator1 a corrupter of his maxims4 ,truly1 fathers1 you have some reason to be apprehensive1 lest your very different treatment of those who agree in their representation1 and differ only in their estimate of your doctrine1 discover the real secret of your hearts1 and provoke the conclusion1 that the main object you have in view is to maintain the credit and glory of your ,company4 ,it appears that1 provided your accommodating theology is treated as judicious complaisance1 you never disavow those that publish it1 but laud them as contributing to your design2 but let it be held forth as pernicious laxity1 and the same interest of your ,society prompts you to disclaim the maxims which would injure you in public estimation4 ,and thus you recognize or renounce them1 not according to the truth1 which never changes1 but according to the shifting exigencies of the times1 acting on that motto of one of the ancients1 8,omnia pro tempore1 nihil pro veritate--,anything for the times1 nothing for the truth40 ,beware of this1 fathers2 and that you may never have it in your power again to say that ,i drew from the principle of ,vasquez a conclusion which he had disavowed1 ,i beg to inform you that he has drawn it himself3 8,according to the opinion of ,cajetan1 and according to ,,my ,,own--et secundum nostram--7he says1 chap1 i41 no4 #bg71 one is hardly obliged to give alms at all1 when one is only obliged to give them out of one's superfluity40 ,confess then1 fathers1 on the testimony of ,vasquez himself1 that ,i have exactly copied his sentiment2 and think how you could have the conscience to say1 that 8the reader1 on consulting the original1 would see to his astonishment1 that he there teaches the very reverse60 ,in fine1 you insist1 above all1 that if ,vasquez does not bind the rich to give alms out of their superfluity1 he obliges them to atone for this by giving out of the necessaries of life4 ,but you have forgotten to mention the list of conditions which he declares to be essential to constitute that obligation1 which ,i have quoted1 and which restrict it in such a way as almost entirely to annihilate it4 ,in place of giving this honest statement of his doctrine1 you tell us1 in general terms1 that he obliges the rich to give even what is necessary to their condition4 ,this is proving too much1 fathers2 the rule of the ,gospel does not go so far2 and it would be an error1 into which ,vasquez is very far1 indeed1 from having fallen4 ,to cover his laxity1 you attribute to him an excess of severity which would be reprehensible2 and thus you lose all credit as faithful reporters of his sentiments4 ,but the truth is1 ,vasquez is quite free from any such suspicion2 for he has maintained1 as ,i have shown1 that the rich are not bound1 either in justice or in charity1 to give of their superfluities1 and still less of their necessaries1 to relieve the ordinary wants of the poor2 and that they are not obliged to give of the necessaries1 except in cases so rare that they almost never happen4 ,having disposed of your objections against me on this head1 it only remains to show the falsehood of your assertion1 that ,vasquez is more severe than ,cajetan4 ,this will be very easily done4 ,that cardinal teaches 8that we are bound in justice to give alms out of our superfluity1 even in the ordinary wants of the poor2 because1 according to the holy fathers1 the rich are merely the dispensers of their superfluity1 which they are to give to whom they please1 among those who have need of it40 ,and accordingly1 unlike ,diana1 who says of the maxims of ,vasquez1 that they will be 8very convenient and agreeable to the rich and their confessors10 the cardinal1 who has no such consolation to afford them1 declares that he has nothing to say to the rich but these words of ,jesus ,christ3 8,it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle1 than for a rich man to enter into heaven20 and to their confessors3 8,if the blind lead the blind1 both shall fall into the ditch40#bdb ,so indispensable did he deem this obligation6 ,this1 too1 is what the fathers and all the saints have laid down as a certain truth4 8,there are two cases10 says ,st4 ,thomas1 8in which we are bound to give alms as a matter of justice--ex debito legali3 one1 when the poor are in danger2 the other1 when we possess superfluous property40 ,and again3 8,the three tenths which the ,jews were bound to eat with the poor1 have been augmented under the new law2 for ,jesus ,christ wills that we give to the poor1 not the tenth only1 but the whole of our superfluity40 ,and yet it does not seem good to ,vasquez that we should be obliged to give even a fragment of our superfluity2 such is his complaisance to the rich1 such his hardness to the poor1 such his contrariety to those feelings of charity which teach us to relish the truth contained in the following words of ,st4 ,gregory1 harsh as it may sound to the rich of this world3 8,when we give the poor what is necessary to them1 we are not so much bestowing on them what is our property1 as rendering to them what is their own2 and it may be said to be an act of justice1 rather than a work of mercy40 ,it is thus that the saints recommend the rich to share with the poor the good things of this earth1 if they would expect to possess with them the good things of heaven4 ,while you make it your business to foster in the breasts of men that ambition which leaves no superfluity to dispose of1 and that avarice which refuses to part with it1 the saints have labored to induce the rich to give up their superfluity1 and to convince them that they would have abundance of it1 provided they measured it1 not by the standard of covetousness1 which knows no bounds to its cravings1 but by that of piety1 which is ingenious in retrenchments1 so as to have wherewith to diffuse itself in the exercise of charity4 8,we will have a great deal of superfluity10 says ,st4 ,augustine1 8if we keep only what is necessary3 but if we seek after vanities1 we will never have enough4 ,seek1 brethren1 what is sufficient for the work of ,god0--that is1 for nature--8and not for what is sufficient for your covetousness10 which is the work of the devil3 8and remember that the superfluities of the rich are the necessaries of the poor40 ,i would fondly trust1 fathers1 that what ,i have now said to you may serve1 not only for my vindication--that were a small matter--but also to make you feel and detest what is corrupt in the maxims of your casuists1 and thus unite us sincerely under the sacred rules of the ,gospel1 according to which we must all be judged4 ,as to the second point1 which regards simony1 before proceeding to answer the charges you have advanced against me1 ,i shall begin by illustrating your doctrine on this subject4 ,finding yourselves placed in an awkward dilemma1 between the canons of the ,church1 which impose dreadful penalties upon simoniacs1 on the one hand1 and the avarice of many who pursue this infamous traffic on the other1 you have recourse to your ordinary method1 which is to yield to men what they desire1 and give the ,almighty only words and shows4 ,for what else does the simoniac want1 but money1 in return for his benefice8 ,and yet this is what you exempt from the charge of simony4 ,and as the name of simony must still remain standing1 and a subject to which it may be ascribed1 you have substituted1 in the place of this1 an imaginary idea1 which never yet crossed the brain of a simoniac1 and would not serve him much though it did--the idea1 namely1 that simony lies in estimating the money considered in itself as highly as the spiritual gift or office considered in itself4 ,who would ever take it into his head to compare things so utterly disproportionate and heterogeneous8 ,and yet1 provided this metaphysical comparison be not drawn1 any one may1 according to your authors1 give away a benefice1 and receive money in return for it1 without being guilty of simony4 ,such is the way in which you sport with religion1 in order to gratify the worst passions of men2 and yet only see with what gravity your ,father ,valentia delivers his rhapsodies in the passage cited in my letters4 ,he says3 8,one may give a spiritual for a temporal good in two ways--first1 in the way of prizing the temporal more than the spiritual1 and that would be simony2 secondly1 in the way of taking the temporal as the motive and end inducing one to give away the spiritual1 but without prizing the temporal more than the spiritual1 and then it is not simony4 ,and the reason is1 that simony consists in receiving something temporal1 as the just price of what is spiritual4 ,if1 therefore1 the temporal is sought--si petatur temporale--not as the price1 but only as the motive determining us to part with the spiritual1 it is by no means simony1 even although the possession of the temporal may be principally intended and expected--minime erit simonia1 etiamsi temporale principaliter intendatur et expectetur40 ,your redoubtable ,sanchez has been favored with a similar revelation2 ,escobar quotes him thus3 8,if one give a spiritual for a temporal good1 not as the price1 but as a motive to induce the collator to give it1 or as an acknowledgment if the benefice has been actually received1 is that simony8 ,sanchez assures us that it is not40 ,in your ,caen ,theses of #afdd1 you say3 8,it is a probable opinion1 taught by many ,catholics1 that it is not simony to exchange a temporal for a spiritual good1 when the former is not given as a price40 ,and as to ,tanner1 here is his doctrine1 exactly the same with that of ,valentia2 and ,i quote it again to show you how far wrong it is in you to complain of me for saying that it does not agree with that of ,st4 ,thomas1 for he avows it himself in the very passage which ,i quoted in my letter3 8,there is properly and truly no simony10 says he1 8unless when a temporal good is taken as the price of a spiritual2 but when taken merely as the motive for giving the spiritual1 or as an acknowledgment for having received it1 this is not simony1 at least in point of conscience40 ,and again3 8,the same thing may be said although the temporal should be regarded as the principal end1 and even preferred to the spiritual2 although ,st4 ,thomas and others appear to hold the reverse1 inasmuch as they maintain it to be downright simony to exchange a spiritual for a temporal good1 when the temporal is the end of the transaction40 ,such1 then1 being your doctrine on simony1 as taught by your best authors1 who follow each other very closely in this point1 it only remains now to reply to your charges of misrepresentation4 ,you have taken no notice of ,valentia's opinion1 so that his doctrine stands as it was before4 ,but you fix on that of ,tanner1 maintaining that he has merely decided it to be no simony by divine right2 and you would have it to be believed that1 in quoting the passage1 ,i have suppressed these words1 divine right4 ,this1 fathers1 is a most unconscionable trick2 for these words1 divine right1 never existed in that passage4 ,you add that ,tanner declares it to be simony according to positive right4 ,but you are mistaken2 he does not say that generally1 but only of particular cases1 or1 as he expresses it1 in casibus a jure expressis1 by which he makes an exception to the general rule he had laid down in that passage1 8that it is not simony in point of conscience10 which must imply that it is not so in point of positive right1 unless you would have ,tanner made so impious as to maintain that simony1 in point of positive right1 is not simony in point of conscience4 ,but it is easy to see your drift in mustering up such terms as 8divine right1 positive right1 natural right1 internal and external tribunal1 expressed cases1 outward presumption10 and others equally little known2 you mean to escape under this obscurity of language1 and make us lose sight of your aberrations4 ,but1 fathers1 you shall not escape by these vain artifices2 for ,i shall put some questions to you so simple1 that they will not admit of coming under your distinguo4#bdc ,i ask you1 then1 without speaking of 8positive rights10 of 8outward presumptions10 or 8external tribunals0--,i ask if1 according to your authors1 a beneficiary would be simoniacal1 were he to give a benefice worth four thousand livres of yearly rent1 and to receive ten thousand francs ready money1 not as the price of the benefice1 but merely as a motive inducing him to give it8 ,answer me plainly1 fathers3 ,what must we make of such a case as this according to your authors8 ,will not ,tanner tell us decidedly that 8this is not simony in point of conscience1 seeing that the temporal good is not the price of the benefice1 but only the motive inducing to dispose of it80 ,will not ,valentia1 will not your own ,theses of ,caen1 will not ,sanchez and ,escobar agree in the same decision1 and give the same reason for it8 ,is anything more necessary to exculpate that beneficiary from simony8 ,and1 whatever might be your private opinion of the case1 durst you deal with that man as a simonist in your confessionals1 when he would be entitled to stop your mouth by telling you that he acted according to the advice of so many grave doctors8 ,confess candidly1 then1 that1 according to your views1 that man would be no simonist2 and1 having done so1 defend the doctrine as you best can4 ,such1 fathers1 is the true mode of treating questions1 in order to unravel1 instead of perplexing them1 either by scholastic terms1 or1 as you have done in your last charge against me here1 by altering the state of the question4 ,tanner1 you say1 has1 at any rate1 declared that such an exchange is a great sin2 and you blame me for having maliciously suppressed this circumstance1 which1 you maintain1 8completely justifies him40 ,but you are wrong again1 and that in more ways than one4 ,for1 first1 though what you say had been true1 it would be nothing to the point1 the question in the passage to which ,i referred being1 not if it was sin1 but if it was simony4 ,now1 these are two very different questions4 ,sin1 according to your maxims1 obliges only to confession--simony obliges to restitution2 and there are people to whom these may appear two very different things4 ,you have found expedients for making confession a very easy affair2 but you have not fallen upon ways and means to make restitution an agreeable one4 ,allow me to add1 that the case which ,tanner charges with sin1 is not simply that in which a spiritual good is exchanged for a temporal1 the latter being the principal end in view1 but that in which the party 8prizes the temporal above the spiritual10 which is the imaginary case already spoken of4 ,and it must be allowed he could not go far wrong in charging such a case as that with sin1 since that man must be either very wicked or very stupid who1 when permitted to exchange the one thing for the other1 would not avoid the sin of the transaction by such a simple process as that of abstaining from comparing the two things together4 ,besides1 ,valentia1 in the place quoted1 when treating the question1 if it be sinful to give a spiritual good for a temporal1 the latter being the main consideration1 and after producing the reasons given for the affirmative1 adds1 8,sed hoc non videtur mihi satis certum--,but this does not appear to my mind sufficiently certain40 ,since that time1 however1 your father1 ,erade ,bille1 professor of cases of conscience at ,caen1 has decided that there is no sin at all in the case supposed2 for probable opinions1 you know1 are always in the way of advancing to maturity4#bdd ,this opinion he maintains in his writings of #afdd1 against which ,m4 ,dupre1 doctor and professor at ,caen1 delivered that excellent oration1 since printed and well known4 ,for though this ,erade ,bille confesses that ,valentia's doctrine1 adopted by ,father ,milhard1 and condemned by the ,sorbonne1 8is contrary to the common opinion1 suspected of simony1 and punishable at law when discovered in practice10 he does not scruple to say that it is a probable opinion1 and consequently sure in point of conscience1 and that there is neither simony nor sin in it4 8,it is a probable opinion10 he says1 8taught by many ,catholic doctors1 that there is neither any simony nor any sin in giving money1 or any other temporal thing1 for a benefice1 either in the way of acknowledgment1 or as a motive1 without which it would not be given1 provided it is not given as a price equal to the benefice40 ,this is all that could possibly be desired4 ,in fact1 according to these maxims of yours1 simony would be so exceedingly rare2 that we might exempt from this sin even ,simon ,magus himself1 who desired to purchase the ,holy ,spirit1 and is the emblem of those simonists that buy spiritual things2 and ,gehazi1 who took money for a miracle1 and may be regarded as the prototype of the simonists that sell them4 ,there can be no doubt that when ,simon1 as we read in the ,acts1 8offered the apostles money1 saying1 ,give me also this power20 he said nothing about buying or selling1 or fixing the price2 he did no more than offer the money as a motive to induce them to give him that spiritual gift2 which being1 according to you1 no simony at all1 he might1 had he but been instructed in your maxims1 have escaped the anathema of ,st4 ,peter4 ,the same unhappy ignorance was a great loss to ,gehazi1 when he was struck with leprosy by ,elisha2 for1 as he accepted the money from the prince who had been miraculously cured1 simply as an acknowledgment1 and not as a price equivalent to the divine virtue which had effected the miracle1 he might have insisted on the prophet healing him again on pain of mortal sin2 seeing1 on this supposition1 he would have acted according to the advice of your grave doctors1 who1 in such cases1 oblige confessors to absolve their penitents1 and to wash them from that spiritual leprosy of which the bodily disease is the type4 ,seriously1 fathers1 it would be extremely easy to hold you up to ridicule in this matter1 and ,i am at a loss to know why you expose yourselves to such treatment4 ,to produce this effect1 ,i have nothing more to do than simply to quote ,escobar1 in his 8,practice of ,simony according to the ,society of ,jesus20 8,is it simony when two ,churchmen become mutually pledged thus3 ,give me your vote for my election as provincial1 and ,i shall give you mine for your election as prior8 ,by no means40 ,or take another3 8,it is not simony to get possession of a benefice by promising a sum of money1 when one has no intention of actually paying the money2 for this is merely making a show of simony1 and is as far from being real simony as counterfeit gold is from the genuine40 ,by this quirk of conscience1 he has contrived means1 in the way of adding swindling to simony1 for obtaining benefices without simony and without money4 ,but ,i have no time to dwell longer on the subject1 for ,i must say a word or two in reply to your third accusation1 which refers to the subject of bankrupts4 ,nothing can be more gross than the manner in which you have managed this charge4 ,you rail at me as a libeller in reference to a sentiment of ,lessius1 which ,i did not quote myself1 but took from a passage in ,escobar2 and therefore1 though it were true that ,lessius does not hold the opinion ascribed to him by ,escobar1 what can be more unfair than to charge me with the misrepresentation8 ,when ,i quote ,lessius or others of your authors myself1 ,i am quite prepared to answer for it2 but as ,escobar has collected the opinions of twenty-four of your writers1 ,i beg to ask1 if ,i am bound to guarantee anything beyond the correctness of my citations from his book8 or if ,i must1 in addition1 answer for the fidelity of all his quotations of which ,i may avail myself8 ,this would be hardly reasonable2 and yet this is precisely the case in the question before us4 ,i produced in my letter the following passage from ,escobar1 and you do not object to the fidelity of my translation3 8,may the bankrupt1 with a good conscience1 retain as much of his property as is necessary to afford him an honorable maintenance--ne indecore vivat8 ,i answer1 with ,lessius1 that he may--cum ,lessio assero posse40 ,you tell me that ,lessius does not hold that opinion4 ,but just consider for a moment the predicament in which you involve yourselves4 ,if it turns out that he does hold that opinion1 you will be set down as impostors for having asserted the contrary2 and if it is proved that he does not hold it1 ,escobar will be the impostor2 so it must now of necessity follow1 that one or other of the ,society will be convicted of imposture4 ,only think what a scandal6 ,you cannot1 it would appear1 foresee the consequences of things4 ,you seem to imagine that you have nothing more to do than to cast aspersions upon people1 without considering on whom they may recoil4 ,why did you not acquaint ,escobar with your objection before venturing to publish it8 ,he might have given you satisfaction4 ,it is not so very troublesome to get word from ,valladolid1 where he is living in perfect health1 and completing his grand work on ,moral ,theology1 in six volumes1 on the first of which ,i mean to say a few words by-and-by4 ,they have sent him the first ten letters2 you might as easily have sent him your objection1 and ,i am sure he would have soon returned you an answer1 for he has doubtless seen in ,lessius the passage from which he took the ne indecore vivat4 ,read him yourselves1 fathers1 and you will find it word for word1 as ,i have done4 ,here it is3 8,the same thing is apparent from the authorities cited1 particularly in regard to that property which he acquires after his failure1 out of which even the delinquent debtor may retain as much as is necessary for his honorable maintenance1 according to his station of life--ut non indecore vivat4 ,do you ask if this rule applies to goods which he possessed at the time of his failure8 ,such seems to be the judgment of the doctors40 ,i shall not stop here to show how ,lessius1 to sanction his maxim1 perverts the law that allows bankrupts nothing more than a mere livelihood1 and that makes no provision for 8honorable maintenance40 ,it is enough to have vindicated ,escobar from such an accusation--it is more1 indeed1 than what ,i was in duty bound to do4 ,but you1 fathers1 have not done your duty4 ,it still remains for you to answer the passage of ,escobar1 whose decisions1 by the way1 have this advantage1 that being entirely independent of the context1 and condensed in little articles1 they are not liable to your distinctions4 ,i quoted the whole of the passage1 in which 8bankrupts are permitted to keep their goods1 though unjustly acquired1 to provide an honorable maintenance for their families0--commenting on which in my letters1 ,i exclaim3 8,indeed1 father6 by what strange kind of charity would you have the ill-gotten property of a bankrupt appropriated to his own use1 instead of that of his lawful creditors80#bde ,this is the question which must be answered2 but it is one that involves you in a sad dilemma1 and from which you in vain seek to escape by altering the state of the question1 and quoting other passages from ,lessius1 which have no connection with the subject4 ,i ask you1 then1 ,may this maxim of ,escobar be followed by bankrupts with a safe conscience1 or no8 ,and take care what you say4 ,if you answer1 ,no1 what becomes of your doctor1 and your doctrine of probability8 ,if you say1 ,yes--,i delate you to the ,parliament4#bdf ,in this predicament ,i must now leave you1 fathers2 for my limits will not permit me to overtake your next accusation1 which respects homicide4 ,this will serve for my next letter1 and the rest will follow4 ,in the mean while1 ,i shall make no remarks on the advertisements which you have tagged to the end of each of your charges1 filled as they are with scandalous falsehoods4 ,i mean to answer all these in a separate letter1 in which ,i hope to show the weight due to your calumnies4 ,i am sorry fathers1 that you should have recourse to such desperate resources4 ,the abusive terms which you heap on me will not clear up our disputes1 nor will your manifold threats hinder me from defending myself4 ,you think you have power and impunity on your side2 and ,i think that ,i have truth and innocence on mine4 ,it is a strange and tedious war1 when violence attempts to vanquish truth4 ,all the efforts of violence cannot weaken truth1 and only serve to give it fresh vigor4 ,all the lights of truth cannot arrest violence1 and only serve to exasperate it4 ,when force meets force1 the weaker must succumb to the stronger2 when argument is opposed to argument1 the solid and the convincing triumphs over the empty and the false2 but violence and verity can make no impression on each other4 ,let none suppose1 however1 that the two are1 therefore1 equal to each other2 for there is this vast difference between them1 that violence has only a certain course to run1 limited by the appointment of ,heaven1 which overrules its effects to the glory of the truth which it assails2 whereas verity endures forever1 and eventually triumphs over its enemies1 being eternal and almighty as ,god himself4#bdg ----- ,footnote #bda3 ,pierre du ,moulin is termed by ,bayle 8one of the most celebrated ministers which the ,reformed ,church in ,france ever had to boast of40 ,he was born in #aefh1 and was for some time settled in ,paris2 but having incurred the resentment of ,louis ,,xiii41 he retired to ,sedan in #afbc1 where he became a professor in the ,protestant ,university1 and died1 in the ninetieth year of his age1 in #afeh1 two years after the time when ,pascal wrote4 ,of his numerous writings1 few are known in this country1 excepting his 8,buckler of the ,faith10 and his 8,anatomy of the ,mass10 which were translated into ,english4 7,quick's ,synodicon1 ii41 #aje47 ,footnote #bdb3 ,de ,eleemosyna1 c4 #f4 ,footnote #bdc3 ,see before1 page #gc4 ,footnote #bdd3 ,see before1 page #adj4 ,footnote #bde3 ,see before1 p4 #agg4 ,footnote #bdf3 8,the ,parliament of ,paris was originally the court of the kings of ,france1 to which they committed the supreme administration of justice40 7,robertson's ,charles ,v41 vol4 i4 #aga47 ,footnote #bdg3 ,in most of the ,french editions1 another letter is inserted after this1 being a refutation of a reply which appeared at the time to ,letter xii4 ,but as this letter1 though well written1 was not written by ,pascal1 and as it does not contain anything that would now be interesting to the reader1 we omit it4 ,suffice it to say1 that the reply of the ,jesuits consisted1 as usual1 of the most barefaced attempts to fix the charge of misrepresentation on their opponent1 accusing him of omitting to quote passages from his authors which they never wrote1 of not answering objections which were never brought against him1 of not adverting to cases which neither he nor his authors dreamt of--in short1 like all ,jesuitical answers1 it is anything and everything but a refutation of the charges which have been substantiated against them4 ,,letter ,,xiii4 ,,to ,,the ,,reverend ,,fathers ,,of ,,the ,,society ,,of ,,jesus4 ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,lessius ,,on ,,homicide ,,the ,,same ,,with ,,that ,,of ,,valentia--,,how ,,easy ,,it ,,is ,,to ,,pass ,,from ,,speculation ,,to ,,practice--,,why ,,the ,,jesuits ,,have ,,recourse ,,to ,,this ,,distinction1 ,,and ,,how ,,little ,,it ,,serves ,,for ,,their ,,vindication4 ,september #cj1 #afef4 ,,reverend ,,fathers1--,i have just seen your last production1 in which you have continued your list of ,impostures up to the twentieth1 and intimate that you mean to conclude with this the first part of your accusations against me1 and to proceed to the second1 in which you are to adopt a new mode of defence1 by showing that there are other casuists besides those of your ,society who are as lax as yourselves4 ,i now see the precise number of charges to which ,i have to reply2 and as the fourth1 to which we have now come1 relates to homicide1 it may be proper1 in answering it1 to include the #aath1 #acth1 #adth1 #aeth1 #afth1 #agth1 and #ahth1 which refer to the same subject4 ,in the present letter1 therefore1 my object shall be to vindicate the correctness of my quotations from the charges of falsity which you bring against me4 ,but as you have ventured1 in your pamphlets1 to assert that 8the sentiments of your authors on murder are agreeable to the decisions of popes and ecclesiastical laws10 you will compel me1 in my next letter1 to confute a statement at once so unfounded and so injurious to the ,church4 ,it is of some importance to show that she is innocent of your corruptions1 in order that heretics may be prevented from taking advantage of your aberrations1 to draw conclusions tending to her dishonor4#bdh ,and thus1 viewing on the one hand your pernicious maxims1 and on the other the canons of the ,church which have uniformly condemned them1 people will see1 at one glance1 what they should shun and what they should follow4 ,your fourth charge turns on a maxim relating to murder1 which you say ,i have falsely ascribed to ,lessius4 ,it is as follows3 8,that if a man has received a buffet1 he may immediately pursue his enemy1 and even return the blow with the sword1 not to avenge himself1 but to retrieve his honor40 ,this1 you say1 is the opinion of the casuist ,victoria4 ,but this is nothing to the point4 ,there is no inconsistency in saying1 that it is at once the opinion of ,victoria and of ,lessius2 for ,lessius himself says that it is also held by ,navarre and ,henriquez1 who teach identically the same doctrine4 ,the only question1 then1 is1 if ,lessius holds this view as well as his brother casuists4 ,you maintain 8that ,lessius quotes this opinion solely for the purpose of refuting it1 and that ,i therefore attribute to him a sentiment which he produces only to overthrow--the basest and most disgraceful act of which a writer can be guilty40 ,now ,i maintain1 fathers1 that he quotes the opinion solely for the purpose of supporting it4 ,here is a question of fact1 which it will be very easy to settle4 ,let us see1 then1 how you prove your allegation1 and you will see afterwards how ,i prove mine4 ,to show that ,lessius is not of that opinion1 you tell us that he condemns the practice of it2 and in proof of this1 you quote one passage of his 7l4 #b1 c4 #i1 n4 #ib71 in which he says1 in so many words1 8,i condemn the practice of it40 ,i grant that1 on looking for these words1 at number #ib1 to which you refer1 they will be found there4 ,but what will people say1 fathers1 when they discover1 at the same time1 that he is treating in that place of a question totally different from that of which we are speaking1 and that the opinion of which he there says that he condemns the practice1 has no connection with that now in dispute1 but is quite distinct8 ,and yet to be convinced that this is the fact1 we have only to open the book to which you refer1 and there we find the whole subject in its connection as follows3 ,at number #gi he treats the question1 8,if it is lawful to kill for a buffet80 and at number #hj he finishes this matter without a single word of condemnation4 ,having disposed of this question1 he opens a new one at art4 #ha1 namely1 8,if it is lawful to kill for slanders80 and it is when speaking of this question that he employs the words you have quoted--8,i condemn the practice of it40 ,is it not shameful1 fathers1 that you should venture to produce these words to make it be believed that ,lessius condemns the opinion that it is lawful to kill for a buffet8 and that1 on the ground of this single proof1 you should chuckle over it1 as you have done1 by saying3 8,many persons of honor in ,paris have already discovered this notorious falsehood by consulting ,lessius1 and have thus ascertained the degree of credit due to that slanderer80 ,indeed6 and is it thus that you abuse the confidence which those persons of honor repose in you8 ,to show them that ,lessius does not hold a certain opinion1 you open the book to them at a place where he is condemning another opinion2 and these persons not having begun to mistrust your good faith1 and never thinking of examining whether the author speaks in that place of the subject in dispute1 you impose on their credulity4 ,i make no doubt1 fathers1 that to shelter yourselves from the guilt of such a scandalous lie1 you had recourse to your doctrine of equivocations2 and that1 having read the passage in a loud voice1 you would say1 in a lower key1 that the author was speaking there of something else4 ,but ,i am not so sure whether this saving clause1 which is quite enough to satisfy your consciences1 will be a very satisfactory answer to the just complaint of those 8honorable persons10 when they shall discover that you have hoodwinked them in this style4 ,take care1 then1 fathers1 to prevent them by all means from seeing my letters2 for this is the only method now left you to preserve your credit for a short time longer4 ,this is not the way in which ,i deal with your writings3 ,i send them to all my friends3 ,i wish everybody to see them4 ,and ,i verily believe that both of us are in the right for our own interests2 for after having published with such parade this fourth ,imposture1 were it once discovered that you have made it up by foisting in one passage for another1 you would be instantly denounced4 ,it will be easily seen1 that if you could have found what you wanted in the passage where ,lessius treated of this matter1 you would not have searched for it elsewhere1 and that you had recourse to such a trick only because you could find nothing in that passage favorable to your purpose4 ,you would have us believe that we may find in ,lessius what you assert1 8that he does not allow that this opinion 7that a man may be lawfully killed for a buffet7 is probable in theory20 whereas ,lessius distinctly declares1 at number #hj3 8,this opinion1 that a man may kill for a buffet1 is probable in theory40 ,is not this1 word for word1 the reverse of your assertion8 ,and can we sufficiently admire the hardihood with which you have advanced1 in set phrase1 the very reverse of a matter of fact6 ,to your conclusion1 from a fabricated passage1 that ,lessius was not of that opinion1 we have only to place ,lessius himself1 who1 in the genuine passage1 declares that he is of that opinion4 ,again1 you would have ,lessius to say 8that he condemns the practice of it20 and1 as ,i have just observed1 there is not in the original a single word of condemnation2 all that he says is3 8,it appears that it ought not to be ,,easily permitted in practice--,in praxi non videtur ,,facile permittenda40 ,is that1 fathers1 the language of a man who condemns a maxim8 ,would you say that adultery and incest ought not to be easily permitted in practice8 ,must we not1 on the contrary1 conclude1 that as ,lessius says no more than that the practice ought not to be easily permitted1 his opinion is1 that it may be permitted sometimes1 though rarely8 ,and1 as if he had been anxious to apprize everybody when it might be permitted1 and to relieve those who have received affronts from being troubled with unreasonable scruples1 from not knowing on what occasions they might lawfully kill in practice1 he has been at pains to inform them what they ought to avoid in order to practise the doctrine with a safe conscience4 ,mark his words3 8,it seems10 says he1 8that it ought not to be easily permitted1 because of the danger that persons may act in this matter out of hatred or revenge1 or with excess1 or that this may occasion too many murders40 ,from this it appears that murder is freely permitted by ,lessius1 if one avoids the inconveniences referred to--in other words1 if one can act without hatred or revenge1 and in circumstances that may not open the door to a great many murders4 ,to illustrate the matter1 ,i may give you an example of recent occurrence--the case of the buffet of ,compigne4#bdi ,you will grant that the person who received the blow on that occasion has shown by the way in which he has acted1 that he was sufficiently master of the passions of hatred and revenge4 ,it only remained for him1 therefore1 to see that he did not give occasion to too many murders2 and you need hardly be told1 fathers1 it is such a rare spectacle to find ,jesuits bestowing buffets on the officers of the royal household1 that he had no great reason to fear that a murder committed on this occasion would be likely to draw many others in its train4 ,you cannot1 accordingly1 deny that the ,jesuit who figured on that occasion was killable with a safe conscience1 and that the offended party might have converted him into a practical illustration of the doctrine of ,lessius4 ,and very likely1 fathers1 this might have been the result had he been educated in your school1 and learnt from ,escobar that the man who has received a buffet is held to be disgraced until he has taken the life of him who insulted him4 ,but there is ground to believe1 that the very different instructions which he received from a curate1 who is no great favorite of yours1 have contributed not a little in this case to save the life of a ,jesuit4 ,tell us no more1 then1 of inconveniences which may1 in many instances1 be so easily got over1 and in the absence of which1 according to ,lessius1 murder is permissible even in practice4 ,this is frankly avowed by your authors1 as quoted by ,escobar1 in his 8,practice of ,homicide1 according to your ,society40 8,is it allowable10 asks this casuist1 8to kill him who has given me a buffet8 ,lessius says it is permissible in speculation1 though not to be followed in practice--non consulendum in praxi--on account of the risk of hatred1 or of murders prejudicial to the ,state4 ,others1 however1 have judged that1 ,,by ,,avoiding ,,these ,,inconveniences1 ,,this ,,is ,,permissible ,,and ,,safe ,,in ,,practice--in praxi probabilem et tutam judicarunt ,henriquez10 c4 ,see how your opinions mount up1 by little and little1 to the climax of probabilism6 ,the present one you have at last elevated to this position1 by permitting murder without any distinction between speculation and practice1 in the following terms3 8,it is lawful1 when one has received a buffet1 to return the blow immediately with the sword1 not to avenge one's self1 but to preserve one's honor40 ,such is the decision of your fathers of ,caen in #afdd1 embodied in their publications produced by the university before parliament1 when they presented their third remonstrance against your doctrine of homicide1 as shown in the book then emitted by them1 at page #cci4 ,mark1 then1 fathers1 that your own authors have themselves demolished this absurd distinction between speculative and practical murder--a distinction which the university treated with ridicule1 and the invention of which is a secret of your policy1 which it may now be worth while to explain4 ,the knowledge of it1 besides being necessary to the right understanding of your #aeth1 #afth1 #agth1 and #ahth charges1 is well calculated1 in general1 to open up1 by little and little1 the principles of that mysterious policy4 ,in attempting1 as you have done1 to decide cases of conscience in the most agreeable and accommodating manner1 while you met with some questions in which religion alone was concerned--such as those of contrition1 penance1 love to ,god1 and others only affecting the inner court of conscience--you encountered another class of cases in which civil society was interested as well as religion--such as those relating to usury1 bankruptcy1 homicide1 and the like4 ,and it is truly distressing to all that love the ,church1 to observe that1 in a vast number of instances1 in which you had only ,religion to contend with1 you have violated her laws without reservation1 without distinction1 and without compunction2 because you knew that it is not here that ,god visibly administers his justice4 ,but in those cases in which the ,state is interested as well as ,religion1 your apprehension of man's justice has induced you to divide your decisions into two shares4 ,to the first of these you give the name of speculation2 under which category crimes1 considered in themselves1 without regard to society1 but merely to the law of ,god1 you have permitted1 without the least scruple1 and in the way of trampling on the divine law which condemns them4 ,the second you rank under the denomination of practice2 and here1 considering the injury which may be done to society1 and the presence of magistrates who look after the public peace1 you take care1 in order to keep yourselves on the safe side of the law1 not to approve always in practice the murders and other crimes which you have sanctioned in speculation4 ,thus1 for example1 on the question1 8,if it be lawful to kill for slanders80 your authors1 ,filiutius1 ,reginald1 and others1 reply3 8,this is permitted in speculation--ex probabile opinione licet2 but is not to be approved in practice1 on account of the great number of murders which might ensue1 and which might injure the ,state1 if all slanderers were to be killed1 and also because one might be punished in a court of justice for having killed another for that matter40 ,such is the style in which your opinions begin to develop themselves1 under the shelter of this distinction1 in virtue of which1 without doing any sensible injury to society1 you only ruin religion4 ,in acting thus1 you consider yourselves quite safe4 ,you suppose that1 on the one hand1 the influence you have in the ,church will effectually shield from punishment your assaults on truth2 and that1 on the other1 the precautions you have taken against too easily reducing your permissions to practice will save you on the part of the civil powers1 who1 not being judges in cases of conscience1 are properly concerned only with the outward practice4 ,thus an opinion which would be condemned under the name of practice1 comes out quite safe under the name of speculation4 ,but this basis once established1 it is not difficult to erect on it the rest of your maxims4 ,there is an infinite distance between ,god's prohibition of murder1 and your speculative permission of the crime2 but between that permission and the practice the distance is very small indeed4 ,it only remains to show1 that what is allowable in speculation is also so in practice2 and there can be no want of reasons for this4 ,you have contrived to find them in far more difficult cases4 ,would you like to see1 fathers1 how this may be managed8 ,i refer you to the reasoning of ,escobar1 who has distinctly decided the point in the first of the six volumes of his grand ,moral ,theology1 of which ,i have already spoken--a work in which he shows quite another spirit from that which appears in his former compilation from your four-and-twenty elders4 ,at that time he thought that there might be opinions probable in speculation1 which might not be safe in practice2 but he has now come to form an opposite judgment1 and has1 in this1 his latest work1 confirmed it4 ,such is the wonderful growth attained by the doctrine of probability in general1 as well as by every probable opinion in particular1 in the course of time4 ,attend1 then1 to what he says3 8,i cannot see how it can be that an action which seems allowable in speculation should not be so likewise in practice2 because what may be done in practice depends on what is found to be lawful in speculation1 and the things differ from each other only as cause and effect4 ,speculation is that which determines to action4 ,,whence ,,it ,,follows ,,that ,,opinions ,,probable ,,in ,,speculation ,,may ,,be ,,followed ,,with ,a ,,safe ,,conscience ,,in ,,practice1 and that even with more safety than those which have not been so well examined as matters of speculation40#bej ,verily1 fathers1 your friend ,escobar reasons uncommonly well sometimes2 and1 in point of fact1 there is such a close connection between speculation and practice1 that when the former has once taken root1 you have no difficulty in permitting the latter1 without any disguise4 ,a good illustration of this we have in the permission 8to kill for a buffet10 which1 from being a point of simple speculation1 was boldly raised by ,lessius into a practice 8which ought not easily to be allowed20 from that promoted by ,escobar to the character of 8an easy practice20 and from thence elevated by your fathers of ,caen1 as we have seen1 without any distinction between theory and practice1 into a full permission4 ,thus you bring your opinions to their full growth very gradually4 ,were they presented all at once in their finished extravagance1 they would beget horror2 but this slow imperceptible progress gradually habituates men to the sight of them1 and hides their offensiveness4 ,and in this way the permission to murder1 in itself so odious both to ,church and ,state1 creeps first into the ,church1 and then from the ,church into the ,state4 ,a similar success has attended the opinion of 8killing for slander10 which has now reached the climax of a permission without any distinction4 ,i should not have stopped to quote my authorities on this point from your writings1 had it not been necessary in order to put down the effrontery with which you have asserted1 twice over1 in your fifteenth ,imposture1 8that there never was a ,jesuit who permitted killing for slander40 ,before making this statement1 fathers1 you should have taken care to prevent it from coming under my notice1 seeing that it is so easy for me to answer it4 ,for1 not to mention that your fathers ,reginald1 ,filiutius1 and others1 have permitted it in speculation1 as ,i have already shown1 and that the principle laid down by ,escobar leads us safely on to the practice1 ,i have to tell you that you have authors who have permitted it in so many words1 and among others ,father ,hereau in his public lectures1 on the conclusion of which the king put him under arrest in your house1 for having taught1 among other errors1 that when a person who has slandered us in the presence of men of honor1 continues to do so after being warned to desist1 it is allowable to kill him1 not publicly1 indeed1 for fear of scandal1 but ,,in ,a ,,private ,,way--sed clam4 ,i have had occasion already to mention ,father ,lamy1 and you do not need to be informed that his doctrine on this subject was censured in #afdi by the ,university of ,louvain4#bea ,and yet two months have not elapsed since your ,father ,des ,bois maintained this very censured doctrine of ,father ,lamy1 and taught that 8it was allowable for a monk to defend the honor which he acquired by his virtue1 ,,even ,,by ,,killing the person who assails his reputation--etiam cum morte invasoris20 which has raised such a scandal in that town1 that the whole of the curs united to impose silence on him1 and to oblige him1 by a canonical process1 to retract his doctrine4 ,the case is now pending in the ,episcopal court4 ,what say you now1 fathers8 ,why attempt1 after that1 to maintain that 8no ,jesuit ever held that it was lawful to kill for slander80 ,is anything more necessary to convince you of this than the very opinions of your fathers which you quote1 since they do not condemn murder in speculation1 but only in practice1 and that1 too1 8on account of the injury that might thereby accrue to the ,state80 ,and here ,i would just beg to ask1 whether the whole matter in dispute between us is not simply and solely to ascertain if you have or have not subverted the law of ,god which condemns murder8 ,the point in question is1 not whether you have injured the commonwealth1 but whether you have injured religion4 ,what purpose1 then1 can it serve1 in a dispute of this kind1 to show that you have spared the ,state1 when you make it apparent1 at the same time1 that you have destroyed the faith8 ,is this not evident from your saying that the meaning of ,reginald1 on the question of killing for slanders1 is1 8that a private individual has a right to employ that mode of defence1 viewing it simply in itself80 ,i desire nothing beyond this concession to confute you4 8,a private individual10 you say1 8has a right to employ that mode of defence0 7that is1 killing for slanders71 8viewing the thing in itself20 and1 consequently1 fathers1 the law of ,god1 which forbids us to kill1 is nullified by that decision4 ,it serves no purpose to add1 as you have done1 8that such a mode is unlawful and criminal1 even according to the law of ,god1 on account of the murders and disorders which would follow in society1 because the law of ,god obliges us to have regard to the good of society40 ,this is to evade the question3 for there are two laws to be observed--one forbidding us to kill1 and another forbidding us to harm society4 ,reginald has not1 perhaps1 broken the law which forbids us to do harm to society2 but he has most certainly violated that which forbids us to kill4 ,now this is the only point with which we have to do4 ,i might have shown1 besides1 that your other writers1 who have permitted these murders in practice1 have subverted the one law as well as the other4 ,but1 to proceed1 we have seen that you sometimes forbid doing harm to the ,state2 and you allege that your design in that is to fulfil the law of ,god1 which obliges us to consult the interests of society4 ,that may be true1 though it is far from being certain1 as you might do the same thing purely from fear of the civil magistrate4 ,with your permission1 then1 we shall scrutinize the real secret of this movement4 ,is it not certain1 fathers1 that if you had really any regard to ,god1 and if the observance of his law had been the prime and principal object in your thoughts1 this respect would have invariably predominated in all your leading decisions1 and would have engaged you at all times on the side of religion8 ,but if it turns out1 on the contrary1 that you violate1 in innumerable instances1 the most sacred commands that ,god has laid upon men1 and that1 as in the instances before us1 you annihilate the law of ,god1 which forbids these actions as criminal in themselves1 and that you only scruple to approve of them in practice1 from bodily fear of the civil magistrate1 do you not afford us ground to conclude that you have no respect to ,god in your apprehensions1 and that if you yield an apparent obedience to his law1 in so far as regards the obligation to do no harm to the ,state1 this is not done out of any regard to the law itself1 but to compass your own ends1 as has ever been the way with politicians of no religion8 ,what1 fathers6 will you tell us that1 looking simply to the law of ,god1 which says1 8,thou shalt not kill10 we have a right to kill for slanders8 ,and after having thus trampled on the eternal law of ,god1 do you imagine that you atone for the scandal you have caused1 and can persuade us of your reverence for him1 by adding that you prohibit the practice for ,state reasons1 and from dread of the civil arm8 ,is not this1 on the contrary1 to raise a fresh scandal8--,i mean not by the respect which you testify for the magistrate2 that is not my charge against you1 and it is ridiculous in you to banter1 as you have done1 on this matter4 ,i blame you1 not for fearing the magistrate1 but for fearing none but the magistrate4 ,and ,i blame you for this1 because it is making ,god less the enemy of vice than man4 ,had you said that to kill for slander was allowable according to men1 but not according to ,god1 that might have been something more endurable2 but when you maintain1 that what is too criminal to be tolerated among men1 may yet be innocent and right in the eyes of that ,being who is righteousness itself1 what is this but to declare before the whole world1 by a subversion of principle as shocking in itself as it is alien to the spirit of the saints1 that while you can be braggarts before ,god1 you are cowards before men8 ,had you really been anxious to condemn these homicides1 you would have allowed the commandment of ,god which forbids them to remain intact2 and had you dared at once to permit them1 you would have permitted them openly1 in spite of the laws of ,god and men4 ,but your object being to permit them imperceptibly1 and to cheat the magistrate1 who watches over the public safety1 you have gone craftily to work4 ,you separate your maxims into two portions4 ,on the one side1 you hold out 8that it is lawful in speculation to kill a man for slander20--and nobody thinks of hindering you from taking a speculative view of matters4 ,on the other side1 you come out with this detached axiom1 8that what is permitted in speculation is also permissible in practice20--and what concern does society seem to have in this general and metaphysical-looking proposition8 ,and thus these two principles1 so little suspected1 being embraced in their separate form1 the vigilance of the magistrate is eluded2 while it is only necessary to combine the two together1 to draw from them the conclusion which you aim at--namely1 that it is lawful in practice to put a man to death for a simple slander4 ,it is1 indeed1 fathers1 one of the most subtle tricks of your policy1 to scatter through your publications the maxims which you club together in your decisions4 ,it is partly in this way that you establish your doctrine of probabilities1 which ,i have frequently had occasion to explain4 ,that general principle once established1 you advance propositions harmless enough when viewed apart1 but which1 when taken in connection with that pernicious dogma1 become positively horrible4 ,an example of this1 which demands an answer1 may be found in the #aath page of your 8,impostures10 where you allege that 8several famous theologians have decided that it is lawful to kill a man for a box on the ear40 ,now1 it is certain1 that if that had been said by a person who did not hold probabilism1 there would be nothing to find fault with in it2 it would in this case amount to no more than a harmless statement1 and nothing could be elicited from it4 ,but you1 fathers1 and all who hold that dangerous tenet1 8that whatever has been approved by celebrated authors is probable and safe in conscience10 when you add to this 8that several celebrated authors are of opinion that it is lawful to kill a man for a box on the ear10 what is this but to put a dagger into the hand of all ,christians1 for the purpose of plunging it into the heart of the first person that insults them1 and to assure them that1 having the judgment of so many grave authors on their side1 they may do so with a perfectly safe conscience8 ,what monstrous species of language is this1 which1 in announcing that certain authors hold a detestable opinion1 is at the same time giving a decision in favor of that opinion--which solemnly teaches whatever it simply tells6 ,we have learnt1 fathers1 to understand this peculiar dialect of the ,jesuitical school2 and it is astonishing that you have the hardihood to speak it out so freely1 for it betrays your sentiments somewhat too broadly4 ,it convicts you of permitting murder for a buffet1 as often as you repeat that many celebrated authors have maintained that opinion4 ,this charge1 fathers1 you will never be able to repel2 nor will you be much helped out by those passages from ,vasquez and ,suarez that you adduce against me1 in which they condemn the murders which their associates have approved4 ,these testimonies1 disjoined from the rest of your doctrine1 may hoodwink those who know little about it2 but we1 who know better1 put your principles and maxims together4 ,you say1 then1 that ,vasquez condemns murders2 but what say you on the other side of the question1 my reverend fathers8 ,why1 8that the probability of one sentiment does not hinder the probability of the opposite sentiment2 and that it is warrantable to follow the less probable and less safe opinion1 giving up the more probable and more safe one40 ,what follows from all this taken in connection1 but that we have perfect freedom of conscience to adopt any one of these conflicting judgments which pleases us best8 ,and what becomes of all the effect which you fondly anticipate from your quotations8 ,it evaporates in smoke1 for we have no more to do than to conjoin for your condemnation the maxims which you have disjoined for your exculpation4 ,why1 then1 produce those passages of your authors which ,i have not quoted1 to qualify those which ,i have quoted1 as if the one could excuse the other8 ,what right does that give you to call me an 8impostor80 ,have ,i said that all your fathers are implicated in the same corruptions8 ,have ,i not1 on the contrary1 been at pains to show that your interest lay in having them of all different minds1 in order to suit all your purposes8 ,do you wish to kill your man8--here is ,lessius for you4 ,are you inclined to spare him8--here is ,vasquez4 ,nobody need go away in ill humor--nobody without the authority of a grave doctor4 ,lessius will talk to you like a ,heathen on homicide1 and like a ,christian1 it may be1 on charity4 ,vasquez1 again1 will descant like a ,heathen on charity1 and like a ,christian on homicide4 ,but by means of probabilism1 which is held both by ,vasquez and ,lessius1 and which renders all your opinions common property1 they will lend their opinions to one another1 and each will be held bound to absolve those who have acted according to opinions which each of them has condemned4 ,it is this very variety1 then1 that confounds you4 ,uniformity1 even in evil1 would be better than this4 ,nothing is more contrary to the orders of ,st4 ,ignatius#beb and the first generals of your ,society1 than this confused medley of all sorts of opinions1 good and bad4 ,i may1 perhaps1 enter on this topic at some future period2 and it will astonish many to see how far you have degenerated from the original spirit of your institution1 and that your own generals have foreseen that the corruption of your doctrine on morals might prove fatal1 not only to your ,society1 but to the ,church universal4#bec ,meanwhile1 ,i repeat that you can derive no advantage from the doctrine of ,vasquez4 ,it would be strange1 indeed1 if1 out of all the ,jesuits that have written on morals1 one or two could not be found who may have hit upon a truth which has been confessed by all ,christians4 ,there is no glory in maintaining the truth1 according to the ,gospel1 that it is unlawful to kill a man for smiting us on the face2 but it is foul shame to deny it4 ,so far1 indeed1 from justifying you1 nothing tells more fatally against you than the fact that1 having doctors among you who have told you the truth1 you abide not in the truth1 but love the darkness rather than the light4 ,you have been taught by ,vasquez that it is a heathen1 and not a ,christian1 opinion to hold that we may knock down a man for a blow on the cheek2 and that it is subversive both of the ,gospel and of the decalogue to say that we may kill for such a matter4 ,the most profligate of men will acknowledge as much4 ,and yet you have allowed ,lessius1 ,escobar1 and others1 to decide1 in the face of these well-known truths1 and in spite of all the laws of ,god against manslaughter1 that it is quite allowable to kill a man for a buffet6 ,what purpose1 then1 can it serve to set this passage of ,vasquez over against the sentiment of ,lessius1 unless you mean to show that1 in the opinion of ,vasquez1 ,lessius is a 8heathen0 and a 8profligate80 and that1 fathers1 is more than ,i durst have said myself4 ,what else can be deduced from it than that ,lessius 8subverts both the ,gospel and the decalogue20 that1 at the last day1 ,vasquez will condemn ,lessius on this point1 as ,lessius will condemn ,vasquez on another2 and that all your fathers will rise up in judgment one against another1 mutually condemning each other for their sad outrages on the law of ,jesus ,christ8 ,to this conclusion1 then1 reverend fathers1 must we come at length1 that as your probabilism renders the good opinions of some of your authors useless to the ,church1 and useful only to your policy1 they merely serve to betray1 by their contrariety1 the duplicity of your hearts4 ,this you have completely unfolded1 by telling us1 on the one hand1 that ,vasquez and ,suarez are against homicide1 and on the other hand1 that many celebrated authors are for homicide2 thus presenting two roads to our choice1 and destroying the simplicity of the ,spirit of ,god1 who denounces his anathema on the deceitful and the double-hearted3 8,v duplici corde1 et ingredienti duabus viis6--,woe be to the double hearts1 and the sinner that goeth two ways60#bed ----- ,footnote #bdh3 ,the ,church of ,rome has not left those whom she terms heretics so doubtfully to 8take advantage0 of ,jesuitical aberrations4 ,she has done everything in her power to give them this advantage4 ,by identifying herself1 at various times1 with the ,jesuits1 she has virtually stamped their doctrines with her approbation4 ,footnote #bdi3 ,the reference here is to an affray which made a considerable noise at the time1 between ,father ,borin1 a ,jesuit1 and ,m4 ,guille1 one of the officers of the royal kitchen1 in the ,college of ,compigne4 ,a quarrel having taken place1 the enraged ,jesuit struck the royal cook in the face while he was in the act of preparing dinner1 by his majesty's order1 for ,christina1 queen of ,sweden1 in honor1 perhaps1 of her conversion to the ,romish faith4 7,nicole1 iv4 #cg7 ,footnote #bej3 ,in ,prlog41 n4 #ae4 ,footnote #bea3 ,the doctrines advanced by ,lamy are too gross for repetition4 ,suffice it to say1 that they sanctioned the murder not only of the slanderer1 but of the person who might tell tales against a religious order1 of one who might stand in the way of another enjoying a legacy or a benefice1 and even of one whom a priest might have robbed of her honor1 if she threatened to rob him of his4 ,these horrid maxims were condemned by civil tribunals and theological faculties2 but the ,jesuits persisted in justifying them4 7,nicole1 ,notes1 iv4 #da1 c47 ,footnote #beb3 ,it is very sad to see ,pascal reduced to the necessity of saluting the founder of the sect which he held up to the scorn of the world1 as ,saint ,ignatius6 ,ignatius ,loyola was a native of ,spain1 and born in #adia4 ,at first a soldier of fortune1 he was disabled from service by a wound in the leg at the siege of ,pampeluna1 and his brain having become heated by reading romances and legendary tales1 he took it into his head to become the ,don ,quixote of the ,virgin1 and wage war against all heretics and infidels4 ,by indomitable perseverance he succeeded in establishing the sect calling itself 8the ,society of ,jesus40 ,this ignorant fanatic1 who1 in more enlightened times1 would have been consigned to a mad-house1 was beatified by one pope1 and canonized1 or put into the list of saints1 by another6 ,jansenius1 in his correspondence with ,st4 ,cyran1 indignantly complains of pope ,gregory ,,xv4 for having canonized ,ignatius and ,xavier4 7,leydecker1 ,hist4 ,jansen4 #bc47 ,footnote #bec3 ,this is rather a singular fact1 and applies only to one of the ,society's generals1 viz41 ,vitelleschi1 who1 in a circular letter1 addressed1 ,january #afag1 to the ,company1 much to his own honor1 strongly recommended a purer morality1 and denounced probabilism4 ,but1 says ,nicole1 the ,jesuits did not profit by his good advice4 7,nicole1 iv41 p4 #cc47 ,it is true1 however1 that the ,jesuits1 during this century1 had lost sight of the original design of their order1 and of all the ascetic rules of their founders1 ,ignatius and ,aquaviva4 8,the spirit which once animated them had fallen before the temptations of the world1 and their sole endeavor now was to make themselves necessary to mankind1 let the means be what they might40 7,ranke's ,hist4 of the ,popes1 iii4 #aci47 ,footnote #bed3 ,ecclesiasticus 7,apocrypha71 ii4 #ab4 ,,letter ,,xiv4 ,,to ,,the ,,reverend ,,fathers1 ,,the ,,jesuits4 ,,in ,,which ,,the ,,maxims ,,of ,,the ,,jesuits ,,on ,,murder ,,are ,,refuted ,,from ,,the ,,fathers--,,some ,,of ,,their ,,calumnies ,,answered ,,by ,,the ,,way--,,and ,,their ,,doctrine ,,compared ,,with ,,the ,,forms ,,observed ,,in ,,criminal ,,trials4 ,october #bc1 #afef4 ,,reverend ,,fathers1--,if ,i had merely to reply to the three remaining charges on the subject of homicide1 there would be no need for a long discourse1 and you will see them refuted presently in a few words2 but as ,i think it of much more importance to inspire the public with a horror at your opinions on this subject1 than to justify the fidelity of my quotations1 ,i shall be obliged to devote the greater part of this letter to the refutation of your maxims1 to show you how far you have departed from the sentiments of the ,church1 and even of nature itself4 ,the permissions of murder1 which you have granted in such a variety of cases1 render it very apparent1 that you have so far forgotten the law of ,god1 and quenched the light of nature1 as to require to be remanded to the simplest principles of religion and of common sense4 ,what can be a plainer dictate of nature than that 8no private individual has a right to take away the life of another80 8,so well are we taught this of ourselves10 says ,st4 ,chrysostom1 8that ,god1 in giving the commandment not to kill1 did not add as a reason that homicide was an evil2 because10 says that father1 8the law supposes that nature has taught us that truth already40 ,accordingly1 this commandment has been binding on men in all ages4 ,the ,gospel has confirmed the requirement of the law2 and the decalogue only renewed the command which man had received from ,god before the law1 in the person of ,noah1 from whom all men are descended4 ,on that renovation of the world1 ,god said to the patriarch3 8,at the hand of man1 and at the hand of every man's brother1 will ,i require the life of man4 ,whoso sheddeth man's blood1 by man shall his blood be shed2 for man is made in the image of ,god40 7,gen4 ix4 #e1 #f47 ,this general prohibition deprives man of all power over the life of man4 ,and so exclusively has the ,almighty reserved this prerogative in his own hand1 that1 in accordance with ,christianity1 which is at utter variance with the false maxims of ,paganism1 man has no power even over his own life4 ,but1 as it has seemed good to his providence to take human society under his protection1 and to punish the evil-doers that give it disturbance1 he has himself established laws for depriving criminals of life2 and thus those executions which1 without his sanction1 would be punishable outrages1 become1 by virtue of his authority1 which is the rule of justice1 praiseworthy penalties4 ,st4 ,augustine takes an admirable view of this subject4 8,god10 he says1 8has himself qualified this general prohibition against manslaughter1 both by the laws which he has instituted for the capital punishment of malefactors1 and by the special orders which he has sometimes issued to put to death certain individuals4 ,and when death is inflicted in such cases1 it is not man that kills1 but ,god1 of whom man may be considered as only the instrument1 in the same way as a sword in the hand of him that wields it4 ,but1 these instances excepted1 whosoever kills incurs the guilt of murder40#bee ,it appears1 then1 fathers1 that the right of taking away the life of man is the sole prerogative of ,god1 and that having ordained laws for executing death on criminals1 he has deputed kings or commonwealths as the depositaries of that power--a truth which ,st4 ,paul teaches us1 when1 speaking of the right which sovereigns possess over the lives of their subjects1 he deduces it from ,heaven in these words3 8,he beareth not the sword in vain2 for he is the minister of ,god to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil40 7,rom4 xiii4 #d47 ,but as it is ,god who has put this power into their hands1 so he requires them to exercise it in the same manner as he does himself2 in other words1 with perfect justice2 according to what ,st4 ,paul observes in the same passage3 8,rulers are not a terror to good works1 but to the evil4 ,wilt thou1 then1 not be afraid of the power8 ,do that which is good3 for he is the minister of ,god to thee for good40 ,and this restriction1 so far from lowering their prerogative1 exalts it1 on the contrary1 more than ever2 for it is thus assimilated to that of ,god1 who has no power to do evil1 but is all-powerful to do good2 and it is thus distinguished from that of devils1 who are impotent in that which is good1 and powerful only for evil4 ,there is this difference only to be observed betwixt the ,king of ,heaven and earthly sovereigns1 that ,god1 being justice and wisdom itself1 may inflict death instantaneously on whomsoever and in whatsoever manner he pleases2 for1 besides his being the sovereign ,lord of human life1 it is certain that he never takes it away either without cause or without judgment1 because he is as incapable of injustice as he is of error4 ,earthly potentates1 however1 are not at liberty to act in this manner2 for1 though the ministers of ,god1 still they are but men1 and not gods4 ,they may be misguided by evil counsels1 irritated by false suspicions1 transported by passion1 and hence they find themselves obliged to have recourse1 in their turn also1 to human agency1 and appoint magistrates in their dominions1 to whom they delegate their power1 that the authority which ,god has bestowed on them may be employed solely for the purpose for which they received it4 ,i hope you understand1 then1 fathers1 that to avoid the crime of murder1 we must act at once by the authority of ,god1 and according to the justice of ,god2 and that when these two conditions are not united1 sin is contracted2 whether it be by taking away life with his authority1 but without his justice2 or by taking it away with justice1 but without his authority4 ,from this indispensable connection it follows1 according to ,st4 ,augustine1 8that he who1 without proper authority1 kills a criminal1 becomes a criminal himself1 chiefly for this reason1 that he usurps an authority which ,god has not given him20 and on the other hand1 magistrates1 though they possess this authority1 are nevertheless chargeable with murder1 if1 contrary to the laws which they are bound to follow1 they inflict death on an innocent man4 ,such are the principles of public safety and tranquillity which have been admitted at all times and in all places1 and on the basis of which all legislators1 sacred and profane1 from the beginning of the world1 have founded their laws4 ,even ,heathens have never ventured to make an exception to this rule1 unless in cases where there was no other way of escaping the loss of chastity or life1 when they conceived1 as ,cicero tells us1 8that the law itself seemed to put its weapons into the hands of those who were placed in such an emergency40 ,but with this single exception1 which has nothing to do with my present purpose1 that such a law was ever enacted1 authorizing or tolerating1 as you have done1 the practice of putting a man to death1 to atone for an insult1 or to avoid the loss of honor or property1 where life is not in danger at the same time2 that1 fathers1 is what ,i deny was ever done1 even by infidels4 ,they have1 on the contrary1 most expressly forbidden the practice4 ,the law of the ,twelve ,tables of ,rome bore1 8that it is unlawful to kill a robber in the day-time1 when he does not defend himself with arms20 which1 indeed1 had been prohibited long before in the #bb;d chapter of ,exodus4 ,and the law ,furem1 in the ,lex ,cornelia1 which is borrowed from ,ulpian1 forbids the killing of robbers even by night1 if they do not put us in danger of our lives4#bef ,tell us now1 fathers1 what authority you have to permit what all laws1 human as well as divine1 have forbidden2 and who gave ,lessius a right to use the following language8 8,the book of ,exodus forbids the killing of thieves by day1 when they do not employ arms in their defence2 and in a court of justice1 punishment is inflicted on those who kill under these circumstances4 ,in conscience1 however1 no blame can be attached to this practice1 when a person is not sure of being able otherwise to recover his stolen goods1 or entertains a doubt on the subject1 as ,sotus expresses it2 for he is not obliged to run the risk of losing any part of his property merely to save the life of a robber4 ,the same privilege extends even to clergymen40#beg ,such extraordinary assurance6 ,the law of ,moses punishes those who kill a thief when he does not threaten our lives1 and the law of the ,gospel1 according to you1 will absolve them6 ,what1 fathers6 has ,jesus ,christ come to destroy the law1 and not to fulfil it8 8,the civil judge10 says ,lessius1 8would inflict punishment on those who should kill under such circumstances2 but no blame can be attached to the deed in conscience40 ,must we conclude1 then1 that the morality of ,jesus ,christ is more sanguinary1 and less the enemy of murder1 than that of ,pagans1 from whom our judges have borrowed their civil laws which condemn that crime8 ,do ,christians make more account of the good things of this earth1 and less account of human life1 than infidels and idolaters8 ,on what principle do you proceed1 fathers8 ,assuredly not upon any law that ever was enacted either by ,god or man--on nothing1 indeed1 but this extraordinary reasoning3 8,the laws10 say you1 8permit us to defend ourselves against robbers1 and to repel force by force2 self-defence1 therefore1 being permitted1 it follows that murder1 without which self-defence is often impracticable1 may be considered as permitted also40 ,it is false1 fathers1 that because self-defence is allowed1 murder may be allowed also4 ,this barbarous method of self-vindication lies at the root of all your errors1 and has been justly stigmatized by the ,faculty of ,louvain1 in their censure of the doctrine of your friend ,father ,lamy1 as 8a murderous defence--defensio occisiva40 ,i maintain that the laws recognize such a wide difference between murder and self-defence1 that in those very cases in which the latter is sanctioned1 they have made a provision against murder1 when the person is in no danger of his life4 ,read the words1 fathers1 as they run in the same passage of ,cujas3 8,it is lawful to repulse the person who comes to invade our property2 but we are not permitted to kill him40 ,and again3 8,if any should threaten to strike us1 and not to deprive us of life1 it is quite allowable to repulse him2 but it is against all law to put him to death40 ,who1 then1 has given you a right to say1 as ,molina1 ,reginald1 ,filiutius1 ,escobar1 ,lessius1 and others among you1 have said1 8that it is lawful to kill the man who offers to strike us a blow80 or1 8that it is lawful to take the life of one who means to insult us1 by the common consent of all the casuists10 as ,lessius says4 ,by what authority do you1 who are mere private individuals1 confer upon other private individuals1 not excepting clergymen1 this right of killing and slaying8 ,and how dare you usurp the power of life and death1 which belongs essentially to none but ,god1 and which is the most glorious mark of sovereign authority8 ,these are the points that demand explanation2 and yet you conceive that you have furnished a triumphant reply to the whole1 by simply remarking1 in your thirteenth ,imposture1 8that the value for which ,molina permits us to kill a thief1 who flies without having done us any violence1 is not so small as ,i have said1 and that it must be a much larger sum than six ducats60 ,how extremely silly6 ,pray1 fathers1 where would you have the price to be fixed8 ,at fifteen or sixteen ducats8 ,do not suppose that this will produce any abatement in my accusations4 ,at all events1 you cannot make it exceed the value of a horse2 for ,lessius is clearly of opinion1 8that we may lawfully kill the thief that runs off with our horse40#beh ,but ,i must tell you1 moreover1 that ,i was perfectly correct when ,i said that ,molina estimates the value of the thief's life at six ducats2 and1 if you will not take it upon my word1 we shall refer it to an umpire1 to whom you cannot object4 ,the person whom ,i fix upon for this office is your own ,father ,reginald1 who1 in his explanation of the same passage of ,molina 7l4 #bh1 n4 #fh71 declares that 8,molina there ,,determines the sum for which it is not allowable to kill at three1 or four1 or five ducats40 ,and thus1 fathers1 ,i shall have ,reginald in addition to ,molina1 to bear me out4 ,it will be equally easy for me to refute your fourteenth ,imposture1 touching ,molina's permission to 8kill a thief who offers to rob us of a crown40 ,this palpable fact is attested by ,escobar1 who tells us 8that ,molina has regularly determined the sum for which it is lawful to take away life1 at one crown40#bei ,and all you have to lay to my charge in the fourteenth imposture is1 that ,i have suppressed the last words of this passage1 namely1 8that in this matter every one ought to study the moderation of a just self-defence40 ,why do you not complain that ,escobar has also omitted to mention these words8 ,but how little tact you have about you6 ,you imagine that nobody understands what you mean by self-defence4 ,don't we know that it is to employ 8a murderous defence80 ,you would persuade us that ,molina meant to say1 that if a person1 in defending his crown1 finds himself in danger of his life1 he is then at liberty to kill his assailant1 in self-preservation4 ,if that were true1 fathers1 why should ,molina say in the same place1 that 8in this matter he was of a contrary judgment from ,carrer and ,bald10 who give permission to kill in self-preservation8 ,i repeat1 therefore1 that his plain meaning is1 that provided the person can save his crown without killing the thief1 he ought not to kill him2 but that1 if he cannot secure his object without shedding blood1 even though he should run no risk of his own life1 as in the case of the robber being unarmed1 he is permitted to take up arms and kill the man1 in order to save his crown2 and in so doing1 according to him1 the person does not transgress 8the moderation of a just defence40 ,to show you that ,i am in the right1 just allow him to explain himself3 8,one does not exceed the moderation of a just defence10 says he1 8when he takes up arms against a thief who has none1 or employs weapons which give him the advantage over his assailant4 ,i know there are some who are of a contrary judgment2 but ,i do not approve of their opinion1 even in the external tribunal40#bfj ,thus1 fathers1 it is unquestionable that your authors have given permission to kill in defence of property and honor1 though life should be perfectly free from danger4 ,and it is upon the same principle that they authorize duelling1 as ,i have shown by a great variety of passages from their writings1 to which you have made no reply4 ,you have animadverted in your writings only on a single passage taken from ,father ,layman1 who sanctions the above practice1 8when otherwise a person would be in danger of sacrificing his fortune or his honor20 and here you accuse me with having suppressed what he adds1 8that such a case happens very rarely40 ,you astonish me1 fathers3 these are really curious impostures you charge me withal4 ,you talk as if the question were1 ,whether that is a rare case8 when the real question is1 ,if1 in such a case1 duelling is lawful8 ,these are two very different questions4 ,layman1 in the quality of a casuist1 ought to judge whether duelling is lawful in the case supposed2 and he declares that it is4 ,we can judge without his assistance1 whether the case be a rare one2 and we can tell him that it is a very ordinary one4 ,or1 if you prefer the testimony of your good friend ,diana1 he will tell you that 8the case is exceedingly common40#bfa ,but be it rare or not1 and let it be granted that ,layman follows in this the example of ,navarre1 a circumstance on which you lay so much stress1 is it not shameful that he should consent to such an opinion as that1 to preserve a false honor1 it is lawful in conscience to accept of a challenge1 in the face of the edicts of all ,christian states1 and of all the canons of the ,church1 while1 in support of these diabolical maxims1 you can produce neither laws1 nor canons1 nor authorities from ,scripture1 or from the fathers1 nor the example of a single saint1 nor1 in short1 anything but the following impious syllogism3 8,honor is more than life3 it is allowable to kill in defence of life2 therefore it is allowable to kill in defence of honor60 ,what1 fathers6 because the depravity of men disposes them to prefer that factitious honor before the life which ,god hath given them to be devoted to his service1 must they be permitted to murder one another for its preservation8 ,to love that honor more than life1 is in itself a heinous evil2 and yet this vicious passion1 which1 when proposed as the end of our conduct1 is enough to tarnish the holiest of actions1 is considered by you capable of sanctifying the most criminal of them6 ,what a subversion of all principle is here1 fathers6 ,and who does not see to what atrocious excesses it may lead8 ,it is obvious1 indeed1 that it will ultimately lead to the commission of murder for the most trifling things imaginable1 when one's honor is considered to be staked for their preservation--murder1 ,i venture to say1 even for an apple6 ,you might complain of me1 fathers1 for drawing sanguinary inferences from your doctrine with a malicious intent1 were ,i not fortunately supported by the authority of the grave ,lessius1 who makes the following observation1 in number #fh3 8,it is not allowable to take life for an article of small value1 such as for a crown or for an apple--aut pro pomo--unless it would be deemed dishonorable to lose it4 ,in this case1 one may recover the article1 and even1 if necessary1 kill the aggressor2 for this is not so much defending one's property as retrieving one's honor40 ,this is plain speaking1 fathers2 and1 just to crown your doctrine with a maxim which includes all the rest1 allow me to quote the following from ,father ,hereau1 who has taken it from ,lessius3 8,the right of self-defence extends to whatever is necessary to protect ourselves from all injury40 ,what strange consequences does this inhuman principle involve6 and how imperative is the obligation laid upon all1 and especially upon those in public stations1 to set their face against it6 ,not the general good alone1 but their own personal interest should engage them to see well to it2 for the casuists of your school whom ,i have cited in my letters1 extend their permissions to kill far enough to reach even them4 ,factious men1 who dread the punishment of their outrages1 which never appear to them in a criminal light1 easily persuade themselves that they are the victims of violent oppression1 and will be led to believe at the same time1 8that the right of self-defence extends to whatever is necessary to protect themselves from all injury40 ,and thus1 relieved from contending against the checks of conscience1 which stifle the greater number of crimes at their birth1 their only anxiety will be to surmount external obstacles4 ,i shall say no more on this subject1 fathers2 nor shall ,i dwell on the other murders1 still more odious and important to governments1 which you sanction1 and of which ,lessius1 in common with many others of your authors1 treats in the most unreserved manner4#bfb ,it was to be wished that these horrible maxims had never found their way out of hell2 and that the devil1 who is their original author1 had never discovered men sufficiently devoted to his will to publish them among ,christians4#bfc ,from all that ,i have hitherto said1 it is easy to judge what a contrariety there is betwixt the licentiousness of your opinions and the severity of civil laws1 not even excepting those of heathens4 ,how much more apparent must the contrast be with ecclesiastical laws1 which must be incomparably more holy than any other1 since it is the ,church alone that knows and possesses the true holiness6 ,accordingly1 this chaste spouse of the ,son of ,god1 who1 in imitation of her heavenly husband1 can shed her own blood for others1 but never the blood of others for herself1 entertains a horror at the crime of murder altogether singular1 and proportioned to the peculiar illumination which ,god has vouchsafed to bestow upon her4 ,she views man1 not simply as man1 but as the image of the ,god whom she adores4 ,she feels for every one of the race a holy respect1 which imparts to him1 in her eyes1 a venerable character1 as redeemed by an infinite price1 to be made the temple of the living ,god4 ,and therefore she considers the death of a man1 slain without the authority of his ,maker1 not as murder only1 but as sacrilege1 by which she is deprived of one of her members2 for whether he be a believer or an unbeliever1 she uniformly looks upon him1 if not as one1 at least as capable of becoming one1 of her own children4#bfd ,such1 fathers1 are the holy reasons which1 ever since the time that ,god became man for the redemption of men1 have rendered their condition an object of such consequence to the ,church1 that she uniformly punishes the crime of homicide1 not only as destructive to them1 but as one of the grossest outrages that can possibly be perpetrated against ,god4 ,in proof of this ,i shall quote some examples1 not from the idea that all the severities to which ,i refer ought to be kept up 7for ,i am aware that the ,church may alter the arrangement of such exterior discipline71 but to demonstrate her immutable spirit upon this subject4 ,the penances which she ordains for murder may differ according to the diversity of the times1 but no change of time can ever effect an alteration of the horror with which she regards the crime itself4 ,for a long time the ,church refused to be reconciled1 till the very hour of death1 to those who had been guilty of wilful murder1 as those are to whom you give your sanction4 ,the celebrated ,council of ,ancyra adjudged them to penance during their whole lifetime2 and1 subsequently1 the ,church deemed it an act of sufficient indulgence to reduce that term to a great many years4 ,but1 still more effectually to deter ,christians from wilful murder1 she has visited with most severe punishment even those acts which have been committed through inadvertence1 as may be seen in ,st4 ,basil1 in ,st4 ,gregory of ,nyssen1 and in the decretals of ,popes ,zachary and ,alexander ,,ii4 ,the canons quoted by ,isaac1 bishop of ,langres 7tr4 #b4 #ac71 8ordain seven years of penance for having killed another in self-defence40 ,and we find ,st4 ,hildebert1 bishop of ,mans1 replying to ,yves de ,chartres1 8that he was right in interdicting for life a priest who had1 in self-defence1 killed a robber with a stone40 ,after this1 you cannot have the assurance to persist in saying that your decisions are agreeable to the spirit or the canons of the ,church4 ,i defy you to show one of them that permits us to kill solely in defence of our property 7for ,i speak not of cases in which one may be called upon to defend his life--se suaqae liberando73 your own authors1 and1 among the rest1 ,father ,lamy1 confess that no such canon can be found4 8,there is no authority10 he says1 8human or divine1 which gives an express permission to kill a robber who makes no resistance40 ,and yet this is what you permit most expressly4 ,i defy you to show one of them that permits us to kill in vindication of honor1 for a buffet1 for an affront1 or for a slander4 ,i defy you to show one of them that permits the killing of witnesses1 judges1 or magistrates1 whatever injustice we may apprehend from them4 ,the spirit of the church is diametrically opposite to these seditious maxims1 opening the door to insurrections to which the mob is naturally prone enough already4 ,she has invariably taught her children that they ought not to render evil for evil2 that they ought to give place unto wrath2 to make no resistance to violence2 to give unto every one his due--honor1 tribute1 submission2 to obey magistrates and superiors1 even though they should be unjust1 because we ought always to respect in them the power of that ,god who has placed them over us4 ,she forbids them1 still more strongly than is done by the civil law1 to take justice into their own hands2 and it is in her spirit that ,christian kings decline doing so in cases of high treason1 and remit the criminals charged with this grave offence into the hands of the judges1 that they may be punished according to the laws and the forms of justice1 which in this matter exhibit a contrast to your mode of management1 so striking and complete that it may well make you blush for shame4 ,as my discourse has taken this turn1 ,i beg you to follow the comparison which ,i shall now draw between the style in which you would dispose of your enemies1 and that in which the judges of the land dispose of criminals4 ,everybody knows1 fathers1 that no private individual has a right to demand the death of another individual2 and that though a man should have ruined us1 maimed our body1 burnt our house1 murdered our father1 and was prepared1 moreover1 to assassinate ourselves1 or ruin our character1 our private demand for the death of that person would not be listened to in a court of justice4 ,public officers have been appointed for that purpose1 who make the demand in the name of the king1 or rather1 ,i would say1 in the name of ,god4 ,now1 do you conceive1 fathers1 that ,christian legislators have established this regulation out of mere show and grimace8 ,is it not evident that their object was to harmonize the laws of the state with those of the ,church1 and thus prevent the external practice of justice from clashing with the sentiments which all ,christians are bound to cherish in their hearts8 ,it is easy to see how this1 which forms the commencement of a civil process1 must stagger you2 its subsequent procedure absolutely overwhelms you4 ,suppose1 then1 fathers1 that these official persons have demanded the death of the man who has committed all the above mentioned crimes1 what is to be done next8 ,will they instantly plunge a dagger in his breast8 ,no1 fathers2 the life of man is too important to be thus disposed of2 they go to work with more decency2 the laws have committed it1 not to all sorts of persons1 but exclusively to the judges1 whose probity and competency have been duly tried4 ,and is one judge sufficient to condemn a man to death8 ,no2 it requires seven at the very least2 and of these seven there must not be one who has been injured by the criminal1 lest his judgment should be warped or corrupted by passion4 ,you are aware also1 fathers1 that the more effectually to secure the purity of their minds1 they devote the hours of the morning to these functions4 ,such is the care taken to prepare them for the solemn action of devoting a fellow-creature to death2 in performing which they occupy the place of ,god1 whose ministers they are1 appointed to condemn such only as have incurred his condemnation4 ,for the same reason1 to act as faithful administrators of the divine power of taking away human life1 they are bound to form their judgment solely according to the depositions of the witnesses1 and according to all the other forms prescribed to them2 after which they can pronounce conscientiously only according to law1 and can judge worthy of death those only whom the law condemns to that penalty4 ,and then1 fathers1 if the command of ,god obliges them to deliver over to punishment the bodies of the unhappy culprits1 the same divine statute binds them to look after the interests of their guilty souls1 and binds them the more to this just because they are guilty2 so that they are not delivered up to execution till after they have been afforded the means of providing for their consciences4#bfe ,all this is quite fair and innocent2 and yet1 such is the abhorrence of the ,church to blood1 that she judges those to be incapable of ministering at her altars who have borne any share in passing or executing a sentence of death1 accompanied though it be with these religious circumstances2 from which we may easily conceive what idea the ,church entertains of murder4 ,such1 then1 being the manner in which human life is disposed of by the legal forms of justice1 let us now see how you dispose of it4 ,according to your modern system of legislation1 there is but one judge1 and that judge is no other than the offended party4 ,he is at once the judge1 the party1 and the executioner4 ,he himself demands from himself the death of his enemy2 he condemns him1 he executes him on the spot2 and1 without the least respect either for the soul or the body of his brother1 he murders and damns him for whom ,jesus ,christ died2 and all this for the sake of avoiding a blow on the cheek1 or a slander1 or an offensive word1 or some other offence of a similar nature1 for which1 if a magistrate1 in the exercise of legitimate authority1 were condemning any to die1 he would himself be impeached2 for1 in such cases1 the laws are very far indeed from condemning any to death4 ,in one word1 to crown the whole of this extravagance1 the person who kills his neighbor in this style1 without authority1 and in the face of all law1 contracts no sin and commits no disorder1 though he should be religious1 and even a priest6 ,where are we1 fathers8 ,are these really religious1 and priests1 who talk in this manner8 ,are they ,christians8 are they ,turks8 are they men8 or are they demons8 ,and are these 8the mysteries revealed by the ,lamb to his ,society80 or are they not rather abominations suggested by the ,dragon to those who take part with him8 ,to come to the point with you1 fathers1 whom do you wish to be taken for8--for the children of the ,gospel1 or for the enemies of the ,gospel8 ,you must be ranged either on the one side or on the other2 for there is no medium here4 8,he that is not with ,jesus ,christ is against him40 ,into these two classes all mankind are divided4 ,there are1 according to ,st4 ,augustine1 two peoples and two worlds1 scattered abroad over the earth4 ,there is the world of the children of ,god1 who form one body1 of which ,jesus ,christ is the king and the head2 and there is the world at enmity with ,god1 of which the devil is the king and the head4 ,hence ,jesus ,christ is called the ,king and ,god of the world1 because he has everywhere his subjects and worshippers2 and hence the devil is also termed in ,scripture the prince of this world1 and the god of this world1 because he has everywhere his agents and his slaves4 ,jesus ,christ has imposed upon the ,church1 which is his empire1 such laws as he1 in his eternal wisdom1 was pleased to ordain2 and the devil has imposed on the world1 which is his kingdom1 such laws as he chose to establish4 ,jesus ,christ has associated honor with suffering2 the devil with not suffering4 ,jesus ,christ has told those who are smitten on the one cheek to turn the other also2 and the devil has told those who are threatened with a buffet to kill the man that would do them such an injury4 ,jesus ,christ pronounces those happy who share in his reproach2 and the devil declares those to be unhappy who lie under ignominy4 ,jesus ,christ says1 ,woe unto you when men shall speak well of you6 and the devil says1 ,woe unto those of whom the world does not speak with esteem6 ,judge then1 fathers1 to which of these kingdoms you belong4 ,you have heard the language of the city of peace1 the mystical ,jerusalem2 and you have heard the language of the city of confusion1 which ,scripture terms 8the spiritual ,sodom40 ,which of these two languages do you understand8 which of them do you speak8 ,those who are on the side of ,jesus ,christ have1 as ,st4 ,paul teaches us1 the same mind which was also in him2 and those who are the children of the devil--ex patre diabolo--who has been a murderer from the beginning1 according to the saying of ,jesus ,christ1 follow the maxims of the devil4 ,let us hear1 therefore1 the language of your school4 ,i put this question to your doctors3 ,when a person has given me a blow on the cheek1 ought ,i rather to submit to the injury than kill the offender8 or may ,i not kill the man in order to escape the affront8 ,kill him by all means--it is quite lawful6 exclaim1 in one breath1 ,lessius1 ,molina1 ,escobar1 ,reginald1 ,filiutius1 ,baldelle1 and other ,jesuits4 ,is that the language of ,jesus ,christ8 ,one question more3 ,would ,i lose my honor by tolerating a box on the ear1 without killing the person that gave it8 8,can there be a doubt10 cries ,escobar1 8that so long as a man suffers another to live who has given him a buffet1 that man remains without honor80 ,yes1 fathers1 without that honor which the devil transfuses1 from his own proud spirit into that of his proud children4 ,this is the honor which has ever been the idol of worldly-minded men4 ,for the preservation of this false glory1 of which the god of this world is the appropriate dispenser1 they sacrifice their lives by yielding to the madness of duelling2 their honor1 by exposing themselves to ignominious punishments2 and their salvation1 by involving themselves in the peril of damnation--a peril which1 according to the canons of the ,church1 deprives them even of ,christian burial4 ,we have reason to thank ,god1 however1 for having enlightened the mind of our monarch with ideas much purer than those of your theology4 ,his edicts bearing so severely on this subject1 have not made duelling a crime--they only punish the crime which is inseparable from duelling4 ,he has checked1 by the dread of his rigid justice1 those who were not restrained by the fear of the justice of ,god2 and his piety has taught him that the honor of ,christians consists in their observance of the mandates of ,heaven and the rules of ,christianity1 and not in the pursuit of that phantom which1 airy and unsubstantial as it is1 you hold to be a legitimate apology for murder4 ,your murderous decisions being thus universally detested1 it is highly advisable that you should now change your sentiments1 if not from religious principle1 at least from motives of policy4 ,prevent1 fathers1 by a spontaneous condemnation of these inhuman dogmas1 the melancholy consequences which may result from them1 and for which you will be responsible4 ,and to impress your minds with a deeper horror at homicide1 remember that the first crime of fallen man was a murder1 committed on the person of the first holy man2 that the greatest crime was a murder1 perpetrated on the person of the ,king of saints2 and that of all crimes1 murder is the only one which involves in a common destruction the ,church and the state1 nature and religion4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i have just seen the answer of your apologist to my ,thirteenth ,letter2 but if he has nothing better to produce in the shape of a reply to that letter1 which obviates the greater part of his objections1 he will not deserve a rejoinder4 ,i am sorry to see him perpetually digressing from his subject1 to indulge in rancorous abuse both of the living and the dead4 ,but1 in order to gain some credit to the stories with which you have furnished him1 you should not have made him publicly disavow a fact so notorious as that of the buffet of ,compigne4#bff ,certain it is1 fathers1 from the deposition of the injured party1 that he received upon his cheek a blow from the hand of a ,jesuit2 and all that your friends have been able to do for you has been to raise a doubt whether he received the blow with the back or the palm of the hand1 and to discuss the question whether a stroke on the cheek with the back of the hand can be properly denominated a buffet4 ,i know not to what tribunal it belongs to decide this point2 but shall content myself1 in the mean time1 with believing that it was1 to say the very least1 a probable buffet4 ,this gets me off with a safe conscience4 ----- ,footnote #bee3 ,city of ,god1 book i4 ch4 #bh4 ,footnote #bef3 ,see ,cujas1 tit4 dig4 de just4 et jur4 ad l4 #c4 ,footnote #beg3 ,l4 #b1 c4 #i1 n4 #ff1 #gb4 ,footnote #beh3 ,l4 ii41 c4 #i1 n4 #gd4 ,footnote #bei3 ,treat4 i41 examp4 #g1 n4 #dd4 ,footnote #bfj3 ,in casuistical divinity1 a distinction is drawn between the internal and the external tribunal1 or forum1 as it is called4 ,the internal tribunal1 or the forum poli1 is that of conscience or the judgment formed of actions according to the law of ,god4 ,the external tribunal1 or the forum soli1 is that of human society1 or the judgment of actions in the estimation of men1 and according to civil law4 7,voet4 ,disp4 ,theol41 iv4 #fb47 ,footnote #bfa3 ,part4 #e1 tr4 #ai1 misc4 #b1 resol4 #ii4 ,footnote #bfb3 ,doubts #dth and #ajth4 ,footnote #bfc3 8,i am happy10 says ,nicole1 in a note1 8to state here an important fact1 which confers the highest honor on ,m4 ,arnauld4 ,a work of considerable size was sent him before going to press1 in which there was a collection of all the authorities1 from ,jesuit writers1 prejudicial to the life of kings and princes4 ,that celebrated doctor prevented the impression of the work1 on the ground that it was dangerous for the life of monarchs and for the honor of the ,jesuits that it should ever see the light2 and1 in fact1 the work was never printed4 ,some other writer1 less delicate than ,m4 ,arnauld1 has published something similar1 in a work entitled ,recueil de ,pieces concernant l' ,histoire de la ,compagnie de ,jesus1 par le ,p4 ,jouvenci40 ,footnote #bfd3 ,surely ,pascal is here describing the ,church of ,christ as she ought to be1 and not the ,church of ,rome as she existed in #afef1 at the very time when she was urging1 sanctioning1 and exulting in the bloody barbarities perpetrated in her name on the poor ,piedmontese2 or the same ,church as she appeared in #aegb1 when one of her popes ordered a medal to be struck in honor of the ,bartholomew massacre1 with the inscription1 8,strages ,hugonotarum--,the massacre of the ,hugunots60 ,of what ,church1 if not the ,romish1 can it be said with truth1 that1 8in her was found the blood of prophets1 and of saints1 and of all that were slain on the earth80 ,footnote #bfe3 ,providing for their consciences--that is1 for the relief of conscience1 by confessing to a priest1 and receiving absolution4 ,footnote #bff3 ,see ,letter xiii41 p4 #bfd4 ,,letter ,,xv4#bfg ,,to ,,the ,,reverend ,,fathers1 ,,the ,,jesuits4 ,,showing ,,that ,,the ,,jesuits ,,first ,,exclude ,,calumny ,,from ,,their ,,catalogue ,,of ,,crimes1 ,,and ,,then ,,employ ,,it ,,in ,,denouncing ,,their ,,opponents4 ,november #be1 #afef4 ,,reverend ,,fathers1--,as your scurrilities are daily increasing1 and as you are employing them in the merciless abuse of all pious persons opposed to your errors1 ,i feel myself obliged1 for their sake and that of the ,church1 to bring out that grand secret of your policy1 which ,i promised to disclose some time ago1 in order that all may know1 through means of your own maxims1 what degree of credit is due to your calumnious accusations4 ,i am aware that those who are not very well acquainted with you1 are at a great loss what to think on this subject1 as they find themselves under the painful necessity1 either of believing the incredible crimes with which you charge your opponents1 or 7what is equally incredible7 of setting you down as slanderers4 8,indeed60 they exclaim1 8were these things not true1 would clergymen publish them to the world--would they debauch their consciences and damn themselves by venting such libels80 ,such is their way of reasoning1 and thus it is that the palpable proof of your falsifications coming into collision with their opinion of your honesty1 their minds hang in a state of suspense between the evidence of truth which they cannot gainsay1 and the demands of charity which they would not violate4 ,it follows1 that since their high esteem for you is the only thing that prevents them from discrediting your calumnies1 if we can succeed in convincing them that you have quite a different idea of calumny from that which they suppose you to have1 and that you actually believe that in blackening and defaming your adversaries you are working out your own salvation1 there can be little question that the weight of truth will determine them immediately to pay no regard to your accusations4 ,this1 fathers1 will be the subject of the present letter4 ,my design is1 not simply to show that your writings are full of calumnies3 ,i mean to go a step beyond this4 ,it is quite possible for a person to say a number of false things believing them to be true2 but the character of a liar implies the intention to tell lies4 ,now ,i undertake to prove1 fathers1 that it is your deliberate intention to tell lies1 and that it is both knowingly and purposely that you load your opponents with crimes of which you know them to be innocent1 because you believe that you may do so without falling from a state of grace4 ,though you doubtless know this point of your morality as well as ,i do1 this need not prevent me from telling you about it2 which ,i shall do1 were it for no other purpose than to convince all men of its existence1 by showing them that ,i can maintain it to your face1 while you cannot have the assurance to disavow it1 without confirming1 by that very disavowment1 the charge which ,i bring against you4 ,the doctrine to which ,i allude is so common in your schools1 that you have maintained it not only in your books1 but1 such is your assurance1 even in your public theses2 as1 for example1 in those delivered at ,louvain in the year #afde1 where it occurs in the following terms3 8,what is it but a venial sin to calumniate and forge false accusations to ruin the credit of those who speak evil of us80#bfh ,so settled is this point among you1 that if any one dare to oppose it1 you treat him as a blockhead and a hare-brained idiot4 ,such was the way in which you treated ,father ,quiroga1 the ,german ,capuchin1 when he was so unfortunate as to impugn the doctrine4 ,the poor man was instantly attacked by ,dicastille1 one of your fraternity2 and the following is a specimen of the manner in which he manages the dispute3 8,a certain rueful-visaged1 bare-footed1 cowled friar--cucullatus gymnopoda--whom ,i do not choose to name1 had the boldness to denounce this opinion1 among some women and ignorant people1 and to allege that it was scandalous and pernicious against all good manners1 hostile to the peace of states and societies1 and1 in short1 contrary to the judgment not only of all ,catholic doctors1 but of all true ,catholics4 ,but in opposition to him ,i maintained1 as ,i do still1 that calumny1 when employed against a calumniator1 though it should be a falsehood1 is not a mortal sin1 either against justice or charity3 and to prove the point1 ,i referred him to the whole body of our fathers1 and to whole universities1 exclusively composed of them1 whom ,i had consulted on the subject2 and among others the reverend ,father ,john ,gans1 confessor to the emperor2 the reverend ,father ,daniel ,bastele1 confessor to the archduke ,leopold2 ,father ,henri1 who was preceptor to these two princes2 all the public and ordinary professors of the university of ,vienna0 7wholly composed of ,jesuits72 8all the professors of the university of ,gratz0 7all ,jesuits72 8all the professors of the university of ,prague0 7where ,jesuits are the masters72--8from all of whom ,i have in my possession approbations of my opinions1 written and signed with their own hands2 besides having on my side the reverend ,father ,panalossa1 a ,jesuit1 preacher to the emperor and the king of ,spain2 ,father ,pilliceroli1 a ,jesuit1 and many others1 who had all judged this opinion to be probable1 before our dispute began40#bfi ,you perceive1 fathers1 that there are few of your opinions which you have been at more pains to establish than the present1 as indeed there were few of them of which you stood more in need4 ,for this reason1 doubtless1 you have authenticated it so well1 that the casuists appeal to it as an indubitable principle4 8,there can be no doubt10 says ,caramuel1 8that it is a probable opinion that we contract no mortal sin by calumniating another1 in order to preserve our own reputation4 ,for it is maintained by more than twenty grave doctors1 by ,gaspard ,hurtado1 and ,dicastille1 ,jesuits1 c42 so that1 were this doctrine not probable1 it would be difficult to find any one such in the whole compass of theology40 ,wretched indeed must that theology be1 and rotten to the very core1 which1 unless it has been decided to be safe in conscience to defame our neighbor's character to preserve our own1 can hardly boast of a safe decision on any other point6 ,how natural is it1 fathers1 that those who hold this principle should occasionally put it in practice6 ,the corrupt propensity of mankind leans so strongly in that direction of itself1 that the obstacle of conscience once being removed1 it would be folly to suppose that it will not burst forth with all its native impetuosity4 ,if you desire an example of this1 ,caramuel will furnish you with one that occurs in the same passage3 8,this maxim of ,father ,dicastille10 he says1 8having been communicated by a ,german countess to the daughters of the empress1 the belief thus impressed on their minds that calumny was only a venial sin1 gave rise in the course of a few days to such an immense number of false and scandalous tales1 that the whole court was thrown into a flame and filled with alarm4 ,it is easy1 indeed1 to conceive what a fine use these ladies would make of the new light they had acquired4 ,matters proceeded to such a length1 that it was found necessary to call in the assistance of a worthy ,capuchin friar1 a man of exemplary life1 called ,father ,quiroga0 7the very man whom ,dicastille rails at so bitterly71 8who assured them that the maxim was most pernicious1 especially among women1 and was at the greatest pains to prevail upon the empress to abolish the practice of it entirely40 ,we have no reason1 therefore1 to be surprised at the bad effects of this doctrine2 on the contrary1 the wonder would be1 if it had failed to produce them4 ,self-love is always ready enough to whisper in our ear1 when we are attacked1 that we suffer wrongfully2 and more particularly in your case1 fathers1 whom vanity has blinded so egregiously as to make you believe that to wound the honor of your ,society1 is to wound that of the ,church4 ,there would have been good ground to look on it as something miraculous1 if you had not reduced this maxim to practice4 ,those who do not know you are ready to say1 ,how could these good fathers slander their enemies1 when they cannot do so but at the expense of their own salvation8 ,but if they knew you better1 the question would be1 ,how could these good fathers forego the advantage of decrying their enemies1 when they have it in their power to do so without hazarding their salvation8 ,let none1 therefore1 henceforth be surprised to find the ,jesuits calumniators2 they can exercise this vocation with a safe conscience2 there is no obstacle in heaven or on earth to prevent them4 ,in virtue of the credit they have acquired in the world1 they can practise defamation without dreading the justice of mortals2 and1 on the strength of their self-assumed authority in matters of conscience1 they have invented maxims for enabling them to do it without any fear of the justice of ,god4 ,this1 fathers1 is the fertile source of your base slanders4 ,on this principle was ,father ,brisacier led to scatter his calumnies about him1 with such zeal as to draw down on his head the censure of the late ,archbishop of ,paris4 ,actuated by the same motives1 ,father ,d',anjou launched his invectives from the pulpit of the ,church of ,st4 ,benedict in ,paris1 on the #hth of ,march1 #afee1 against those honorable gentlemen who were intrusted with the charitable funds raised for the poor of ,picardy and ,champagne1 to which they themselves had largely contributed2 and1 uttering a base falsehood1 calculated 7if your slanders had been considered worthy of any credit7 to dry up the stream of that charity1 he had the assurance to say1 8that he knew1 from good authority1 that certain persons had diverted that money from its proper use1 to employ it against the ,church and the ,state20 a calumny which obliged the curate of the parish1 who is a doctor of the ,sorbonne1 to mount the pulpit the very next day1 in order to give it the lie direct4 ,to the same source must be traced the conduct of your ,father ,crasset1 who preached calumny at such a furious rate in ,orleans that the archbishop of that place was under the necessity of interdicting him as a public slanderer4 ,in his mandate1 dated the #ith of ,september last1 his lordship declares1 8,that whereas he had been informed that ,brother ,jean ,crasset1 priest of the ,society of ,jesus1 had delivered from the pulpit a discourse filled with falsehoods and calumnies against the ecclesiastics of this city1 falsely and maliciously charging them with maintaining impious and heretical propositions1 such as1 ,that the commandments of ,god are impracticable2 that internal grace is irresistible2 that ,jesus ,christ did not die for all men2 and others of a similar kind1 condemned by ,innocent ,x43 he therefore hereby interdicts the aforesaid ,crasset from preaching in his diocese1 and forbids all his people to hear him1 on pain of mortal disobedience40 ,the above1 fathers1 is your ordinary accusation1 and generally among the first that you bring against all whom it is your interest to denounce4 ,and although you should find it as impossible to substantiate the charge against any of them1 as ,father ,crasset did in the case of the clergy of ,orleans1 your peace of conscience will not be in the least disturbed on that account2 for you believe that this mode of calumniating your adversaries is permitted you with such certainty1 that you have no scruple to avow it in the most public manner1 and in the face of a whole city4 ,a remarkable proof of this may be seen in the dispute you had with ,m4 ,puys1 curate of ,st4 ,nisier at ,lyons2 and the story exhibits so complete an illustration of your spirit1 that ,i shall take the liberty of relating some of its leading circumstances4 ,you know1 fathers1 that1 in the year #afdi1 ,m4 ,puys translated into ,french an excellent book1 written by another ,capuchin friar1 8,on the duty which ,christians owe to their own parishes1 against those that would lead them away from them10 without using a single invective1 or pointing to any monk or any order of monks in particular4 ,your fathers1 however1 were pleased to put the cap on their own heads2 and without any respect to an aged pastor1 a judge in the ,primacy of ,france1 and a man who was held in the highest esteem by the whole city1 ,father ,alby wrote a furious tract against him1 which you sold in your own church upon ,assumption-day2 in which book1 among other various charges1 he accused him of having 8made himself scandalous by his gallantries10 described him as suspected of having no religion1 as a heretic1 excommunicated1 and1 in short1 worthy of the stake4 ,to this ,m4 ,puys made a reply2 and ,father ,alby1 in a second publication1 supported his former allegations4 ,now1 fathers1 is it not a clear point1 either that you were calumniators1 or that you believed all that you alleged against that worthy priest to be true2 and that1 on this latter assumption1 it became you to see him purified from all these abominations before judging him worthy of your friendship8 ,let us see1 then1 what happened at the accommodation of the dispute1 which took place in the presence of a great number of the principal inhabitants of the town1 whose names will be found at the foot of the page1#bgj exactly as they are set down in the instrument drawn up on the #beth of ,september1 #afej4 ,before all these witnesses ,m4 ,puys made a declaration1 which was neither more nor less than this3 8,that what he had written was not directed against the fathers of the ,society of ,jesus2 that he had spoken in general of those who alienated the faithful from their parishes1 without meaning by that to attack the ,society2 and that so far from having such an intention1 the ,society was the object of his esteem and affection40 ,by virtue of these words alone1 without either retractation or absolution1 ,m4 ,puys recovered1 all at once1 from his apostasy1 his scandals1 and his excommunication2 and ,father ,alby immediately thereafter addressed him in the following express terms3 8,sir1 it was in consequence of my believing that you meant to attack the ,society to which ,i have the honor to belong1 that ,i was induced to take up the pen in its defence2 and ,i considered that the mode of reply which ,i adopted was such as ,i was permitted to employ4 ,but1 on a better understanding of your intention1 ,i am now free to declare1 that there is nothing in your work to prevent me from regarding you as a man of genius1 enlightened in judgment1 profound and orthodox in doctrine1 and irreproachable in manners2 in one word1 as a pastor worthy of your ,church4 ,it is with much pleasure that ,i make this declaration1 and ,i beg these gentlemen to remember what ,i have now said40 ,they do remember it1 fathers2 and1 allow me to add1 they were more scandalized by the reconciliation than by the quarrel4 ,for who can fail to admire this speech of ,father ,alby8 ,he does not say that he retracts1 in consequence of having learnt that a change had taken place in the faith and manners of ,m4 ,puys1 but solely because1 having understood that he had no intention of attacking your ,society1 there was nothing further to prevent him from regarding the author as a good ,catholic4 ,he did not then believe him to be actually a heretic6 ,and yet1 after having1 contrary to his conviction1 accused him of this crime1 he will not acknowledge he was in the wrong1 but has the hardihood to say1 that he considered the method he adopted to be 8such as he was permitted to employ60 ,what can you possibly mean1 fathers1 by so publicly avowing the fact1 that you measure the faith and the virtue of men only by the sentiments they entertain towards your ,society8 ,had you no apprehension of making yourselves pass1 by your own acknowledgment1 as a band of swindlers and slanderers8 ,what1 fathers6 must the same individual1 without undergoing any personal transformation1 but simply according as you judge him to have honored or assailed your community1 be 8pious0 or 8impious10 8irreproachable0 or 8excommunicated10 8a pastor worthy of the ,church0 or 8worthy of the stake20 in short1 8a ,catholic0 or 8a heretic80 ,to attack your ,society and to be a heretic1 are1 therefore1 in your language1 convertible terms6 ,an odd sort of heresy this1 fathers6 ,and so it would appear1 that when we see many good ,catholics branded1 in your writings1 by the name of heretics1 it means nothing more than that you think they attack you6 ,it is well1 fathers1 that we understand this strange dialect1 according to which there can be no doubt that ,i must be a great heretic4 ,it is in this sense1 then1 that you so often favor me with this appellation6 ,your sole reason for cutting me off from the ,church is1 because you conceive that my letters have done you harm2 and1 accordingly1 all that ,i have to do1 in order to become a good ,catholic1 is either to approve of your extravagant morality1 or to convince you that my sole aim in exposing it has been your advantage4 ,the former ,i could not do without renouncing every sentiment of piety that ,i ever possessed2 and the latter you will be slow to acknowledge till you are well cured of your errors4 ,thus am ,i involved in heresy1 after a very singular fashion2 for1 the purity of my faith being of no avail for my exculpation1 ,i have no means of escaping from the charge1 except either by turning traitor to my own conscience1 or by reforming yours4 ,till one or other of these events happen1 ,i must remain a reprobate and a slanderer2 and1 let me be ever so faithful in my citations from your writings1 you will go about crying everywhere1 8,what an instrument of the devil must that man be1 to impute to us things of which there is not the least mark or vestige to be found in our books60 ,and1 by doing so1 you will only be acting in conformity with your fixed maxim and your ordinary practice3 to such latitude does your privilege of telling lies extend6 ,allow me to give you an example of this1 which ,i select on purpose3 it will give me an opportunity of replying1 at the same time1 to your ninth ,imposture3 for1 in truth1 they only deserve to be refuted in passing4 ,about ten or twelve years ago1 you were accused of holding that maxim of ,father ,bauny1 8that it is permissible to seek directly 7primo et per se7 a proximate occasion of sin1 for the spiritual or temporal good of ourselves or our neighbor0 7tr4 #d1 q4 #ad72 as an example of which1 he observes1 8,it is allowable to visit infamous places1 for the purpose of converting abandoned females1 even although the practice should be very likely to lead into sin1 as in the case of one who has found from experience that he has frequently yielded to their temptations40 ,what answer did your ,father ,caussin give to this charge in the year #afdd8 8,just let any one look at the passage in ,father ,bauny10 said he1 8let him peruse the page1 the margins1 the preface1 the appendix1 in short1 the whole book from beginning to end1 and he will not discover the slightest vestige of such a sentence1 which could only enter into the mind of a man totally devoid of conscience1 and could hardly have been forged by any other but an instrument of ,satan40#bga ,father ,pintereau talks in the same style3 8,that man must be lost to all conscience who would teach so detestable a doctrine2 but he must be worse than a devil who attributes it to ,father ,bauny4 ,reader1 there is not a single trace or vestige of it in the whole of his book40#bgb ,who would not believe that persons talking in this tone have good reason to complain1 and that ,father ,bauny has1 in very deed1 been misrepresented8 ,have you ever asserted anything against me in stronger terms8 ,and1 after such a solemn asseveration1 that 8there was not a single trace or vestige of it in the whole book10 who would imagine that the passage is to be found1 word for word1 in the place referred to8 ,truly1 fathers1 if this be the means of securing your reputation1 so long as you remain unanswered1 it is also1 unfortunately1 the means of destroying it forever1 so soon as an answer makes its appearance4 ,for so certain is it that you told a lie at the period before mentioned1 that you make no scruple of acknowledging1 in your apologies of the present day1 that the maxim in question is to be found in the very place which had been quoted2 and what is most extraordinary1 the same maxim which1 twelve years ago1 was 8detestable10 has now become so innocent1 that in your ninth ,imposture 7p4 #aj7 you accuse me of 8ignorance and malice1 in quarrelling with ,father ,bauny for an opinion which has not been rejected in the ,school40 ,what an advantage it is1 fathers1 to have to do with people that deal in contradictions6 ,i need not the aid of any but yourselves to confute you2 for ,i have only two things to show--first1 ,that the maxim in dispute is a worthless one2 and1 secondly1 ,that it belongs to ,father ,bauny2 and ,i can prove both by your own confession4 ,in #afdd1 you confessed that it was 8detestable20 and1 in #afef1 you avow that it is ,father ,bauny's4 ,this double acknowledgment completely justifies me1 fathers2 but it does more1 it discovers the spirit of your policy4 ,for1 tell me1 pray1 what is the end you propose to yourselves in your writings8 ,is it to speak with honesty8 ,no1 fathers2 that cannot be1 since your defences destroy each other4 ,is it to follow the truth of the faith8 ,as little can this be your end2 since1 according to your own showing1 you authorize a 8detestable0 maxim4 ,but1 be it observed1 that while you said the maxim was 8detestable10 you denied1 at the same time1 that it was the property of ,father ,bauny1 and so he was innocent2 and when you now acknowledge it to be his1 you maintain1 at the same time1 that it is a good maxim1 and so he is innocent still4 ,the innocence of this monk1 therefore1 being the only thing common to your two answers1 it is obvious that this was the sole end which you aimed at in putting them forth2 and that1 when you say of one and the same maxim1 that it is in a certain book1 and that it is not2 that it is a good maxim1 and that it is a bad one2 your sole object is to white-wash some one or other of your fraternity2 judging in the matter1 not according to the truth1 which never changes1 but according to your own interest1 which is varying every hour4 ,can ,i say more than this8 ,you perceive that it amounts to a demonstration2 but it is far from being a singular instance2 and1 to omit a multitude of examples of the same thing1 ,i believe you will be contented with my quoting only one more4 ,you have been charged1 at different times1 with another proposition of the same ,father ,bauny1 namely1 8,that absolution ought to be neither denied nor deferred in the case of those who live in the habits of sin against the law of ,god1 of nature1 and of the ,church1 although there should be no apparent prospect of future amendment--etsi emendationis futur spes nulla appareat40#bgc ,now1 with regard to this maxim1 ,i beg you to tell me1 fathers1 which of the apologies that have been made for it is most to your liking2 whether that of ,father ,pintereau1 or that of ,father ,brisacier1 both of your ,society1 who have defended ,father ,bauny1 in your two different modes--the one by condemning the proposition1 but disavowing it to be ,father ,bauny's2 the other by allowing it to be ,father ,bauny's1 but vindicating the proposition8 ,listen1 then1 to their respective deliverances4 ,here comes that of ,father ,pintereau 7p4 #h73 8,i know not what can be called a transgression of all the bounds of modesty1 a step beyond all ordinary impudence1 if the imputation to ,father ,bauny of so damnable a doctrine is not worthy of that designation4 ,judge1 reader1 of the baseness of that calumny2 see what sort of creatures the ,jesuits have to deal with2 and say1 if the author of so foul a slander does not deserve to be regarded from henceforth as the interpreter of the father of lies40 ,now for ,father ,brisacier3 8,it is true1 ,father ,bauny says what you allege40 7,that gives the lie direct to ,father ,pintereau1 plain enough47 8,but10 adds he1 in defence of ,father ,bauny1 8if you who find so much fault with this sentiment1 wait1 when a penitent lies at your feet1 till his guardian angel find security for his rights in the inheritance of heaven2 if you wait till ,god the ,father1 swear by himself that ,david told a lie1 when he said1 by the ,holy ,ghost1 that #8all men are liars1' fallible and perfidious2 if you wait till the penitent be no longer a liar1 no longer frail and changeable1 no longer a sinner1 like other men2 if you wait1 ,i say1 till then1 you will never apply the blood of ,jesus ,christ to a single soul40#bgd ,what do you really think now1 fathers1 of these impious and extravagant expressions8 ,according to them1 if we would wait 8till there be some hope of amendment0 in sinners before granting their absolution1 we must wait 8till ,god the ,father swear by himself10 that they will never fall into sin any more6 ,what1 fathers6 is no distinction to be made between hope and certainty8 ,how injurious is it to the grace of ,jesus ,christ1 to maintain that it is so impossible for ,christians ever to escape from crimes against the laws of ,god1 nature1 and the ,church1 that such a thing cannot be looked for1 without supposing 8that the ,holy ,ghost has told a lie20 and if absolution is not granted to those who give no hope of amendment1 the blood of ,jesus ,christ will be useless1 forsooth1 and 8would never be applied to a single soul60 ,to what a sad pass have you come1 fathers1 by this extravagant desire of upholding the glory of your authors1 when you can find only two ways of justifying them--by imposture or by impiety2 and when the most innocent mode by which you can extricate yourselves1 is by the barefaced denial of facts as patient as the light of day6 ,this may perhaps account for your having recourse so frequently to that very convenient practice4 ,but this does not complete the sum of your accomplishments in the art of self-defence4 ,to render your opponents odious1 you have had recourse to the forging of documents1 such as that ,letter of a ,minister to ,m4 ,arnauld1 which you circulated through all ,paris1 to induce the belief that the work on ,frequent ,communion1 which had been approved by so many bishops and doctors1 but which1 to say the truth1 was rather against you1 had been concocted through secret intelligence with the ministers of ,charenton4#bge ,at other times1 you attribute to your adversaries writings full of impiety1 such as the ,circular ,letter of the ,jansenists1 the absurd style of which renders the fraud too gross to be swallowed1 and palpably betrays the malice of your ,father ,meynier1 who has the impudence to make use of it for supporting his foulest slanders4 ,sometimes1 again1 you will quote books which were never in existence1 such as ,the ,constitution of the ,holy ,sacrament1 from which you extract passages1 fabricated at pleasure1 and calculated to make the hair on the heads of certain good simple people1 who have no idea of the effrontery with which you can invent and propagate falsehoods1 actually to bristle with horror4 ,there is not1 indeed1 a single species of calumny which you have not put into requisition2 nor is it possible that the maxim which excuses the vice could have been lodged in better hands4 ,but those sorts of slander to which we have adverted are rather too easily discredited2 and1 accordingly1 you have others of a more subtle character1 in which you abstain from specifying particulars1 in order to preclude your opponents from getting any hold1 or finding any means of reply2 as1 for example1 when ,father ,brisacier says that 8his enemies are guilty of abominable crimes1 which he does not choose to mention40 ,would you not think it were impossible to prove a charge so vague as this to be a calumny8 ,an able man1 however1 has found out the secret of it2 and it is a ,capuchin again1 fathers4 ,you are unlucky in ,capuchins1 as times now go2 and ,i foresee that you may be equally so some other time in ,benedictines4 ,the name of this ,capuchin is ,father ,valerien1 of the house of the ,counts of ,magnis4 ,you shall hear1 by this brief narrative1 how he answered your calumnies4 ,he had happily succeeded in converting ,prince ,ernest1 the ,landgrave of ,hesse-,rheinsfelt4#bgf ,your fathers1 however1 seized1 as it would appear1 with some chagrin at seeing a sovereign prince converted without their having had any hand in it1 immediately wrote a book against the friar 7for good men are everywhere the objects of your persecution71 in which1 by falsifying one of his passages1 they ascribed to him an heretical doctrine4 ,they also circulated a letter against him1 in which they said3 8,ah1 we have such things to disclose0 7without mentioning what7 8as will gall you to the quick6 ,if you don't take care1 we shall be forced to inform the pope and the cardinals about it40 ,this manuvre was pretty well executed2 and ,i doubt not1 fathers1 but you may speak in the same style of me2 but take warning from the manner in which the friar answered in his book1 which was printed last year at ,prague 7p4 #aab1 c473 8,what shall ,i do10 he says1 8to counteract these vague and indefinite insinuations8 ,how shall ,i refute charges which have never been specified8 ,here1 however1 is my plan4 ,i declare1 loudly and publicly1 to those who have threatened me1 that they are notorious slanderers1 and most impudent liars1 if they do not discover these crimes before the whole world4 ,come forth1 then1 mine accusers6 and publish your lies upon the house tops1 in place of telling them in the ear1 and keeping yourselves out of harm's way by telling them in the ear4 ,some may think this a scandalous way of managing the dispute4 ,it was scandalous1 ,i grant1 to impute to me such a crime as heresy1 and to fix upon me the suspicion of many others besides2 but1 by asserting my innocence1 ,i am merely applying the proper remedy to the scandal already in existence40 ,truly1 fathers1 never were your reverences more roughly handled1 and never was a poor man more completely vindicated4 ,since you have made no reply to such a peremptory challenge1 it must be concluded that you are unable to discover the slightest shadow of criminality against him4 ,you have had very awkward scrapes to get through occasionally2 but experience has made you nothing the wiser4 ,for1 some time after this happened1 you attacked the same individual in a similar strain1 upon another subject2 and he defended himself after the same spirited manner1 as follows3 8,this class of men1 who have become an intolerable nuisance to the whole of ,christendom1 aspire1 under the pretext of good works1 to dignities and domination1 by perverting to their own ends almost all laws1 human and divine1 natural and revealed4 ,they gain over to their side1 by their doctrine1 by the force of fear1 or of persuasion1 the great ones of the earth1 whose authority they abuse for the purpose of accomplishing their detestable intrigues4 ,meanwhile their enterprises1 criminal as they are1 are neither punished nor suppressed2 on the contrary1 they are rewarded2 and the villains go about them with as little fear or remorse as if they were doing ,god service4 ,everybody is aware of the fact ,i have now stated2 everybody speaks of it with execration2 but few are found capable of opposing a despotism so powerful4 ,this1 however1 is what ,i have done4 ,i have already curbed their insolence2 and1 by the same means1 ,i shall curb it again4 ,i declare1 then1 that they are most impudent liars--,,mentiris ,,impudentissime4 ,if the charges they have brought against me be true1 let them prove it2 otherwise1 they stand convicted of falsehood1 aggravated by the grossest effrontery4 ,their procedure in this case will show who has the right upon his side4 ,i desire all men to take a particular observation of it2 and beg to remark1 in the mean time1 that this precious cabal1 who will not suffer the most trifling charge which they can possibly repel to lie upon them1 made a show of enduring1 with great patience1 those from which they cannot vindicate themselves1 and conceal1 under a counterfeit virtue1 their real impotency4 ,my object1 therefore1 in provoking their modesty1 by this sharp retort1 is to let the plainest people understand1 that if my enemies hold their peace1 their forbearance must be ascribed1 not to the meekness of their natures1 but to the power of a guilty conscience40 ,he concludes with the following sentence3 8,these gentry1 whose history is well known throughout the whole world1 are so glaringly iniquitous in their measures1 and have become so insolent in their impunity1 that if ,i did not detest their conduct1 and publicly express my detestation too1 not merely for my own vindication1 but to guard the simple against its seducing influence1 ,i must have renounced my allegiance to ,jesus ,christ and his ,church40 ,reverend fathers1 there is no room for tergiversation4 ,you must pass for convicted slanderers1 and take comfort in your old maxim1 that calumny is no crime4 ,this honest friar has discovered the secret of shutting your mouths2 and it must be employed on all occasions when you accuse people without proof4 ,we have only to reply to each slander as it appears1 in the words of the ,capuchin1 ,mentiris impudentissime--8,you are most impudent liars40 ,for instance1 what better answer does ,father ,brisacier deserve when he says of his opponents that they are 8the gates of hell2 the devil's bishops2 persons devoid of faith1 hope1 and charity2 the builders of ,antichrist's exchequer20 adding1 8,i say this of him1 not by way of insult1 but from deep conviction of its truth80 ,who would be at the pains to demonstrate that he is not 8a gate of hell10 and that he has no concern with 8the building up of ,antichrist's exchequer80 ,in like manner1 what reply is due to all the vague speeches of this sort which are to be found in your books and advertisements on my letters2 such as the following1 for example3 8,that restitutions have been converted to private uses1 and thereby creditors have been reduced to beggary2 that bags of money have been offered to learned monks1 who declined the bribe2 that benefices are conferred for the purpose of disseminating heresies against the faith2 that pensioners are kept in the houses of the most eminent churchmen1 and in the courts of sovereigns2 that ,i also am a pensioner of ,port-,royal2 and that1 before writing my letters1 ,i had composed romances0--,i1 who never read one in my life1 and who do not know so much as the names of those which your apologist has published8 ,what can be said in reply to all this1 fathers1 if you do not mention the names of all these persons you refer to1 their words1 the time1 and the place1 except--,mentiris impudentissime8 ,you should either be silent altogether1 or relate and prove all the circumstances1 as ,i did when ,i told you the anecdotes of ,father ,alby and ,john d',alba4 ,otherwise1 you will hurt none but yourselves4 ,your numerous fables might1 perhaps1 have done you some service1 before your principles were known2 but now that the whole has been brought to light1 when you begin to whisper as usual1 8,a man of honor1 who desired us to conceal his name1 has told us some horrible stories of these same people0--you will be cut short at once1 and reminded of the ,capuchin's ,mentiris impudentissime4 ,too long by far have you been permitted to deceive the world1 and to abuse the confidence which men were ready to place in your calumnious accusations4 ,it is high time to redeem the reputation of the multitudes whom you have defamed4 ,for what innocence can be so generally known1 as not to suffer some injury from the daring aspersions of a body of men scattered over the face of the earth1 and who1 under religious habits1 conceal minds so utterly irreligious1 that they perpetrate crimes like calumny1 not in opposition to1 but in strict accordance with1 their moral maxims8 ,i cannot1 therefore1 be blamed for destroying the credit which might have been awarded you2 seeing it must be allowed to be a much greater act of justice to restore to the victims of your obloquy the character which they did not deserve to lose1 than to leave you in the possession of a reputation for sincerity which you do not deserve to enjoy4 ,and as the one could not be done without the other1 how important was it to show you up to the world as you really are6 ,in this letter ,i have commenced the exhibition2 but it will require some time to complete it4 ,published it shall be1 fathers1 and all your policy will be inadequate to save you from the disgrace2 for the efforts which you may make to avert the blow1 will only serve to convince the most obtuse observers that you were terrified out of your wits1 and that1 your consciences anticipating the charges ,i had to bring against you1 you have put every oar in the water to prevent the discovery4 ----- ,footnote #bfg3 ,pascal was assisted by ,m4 ,arnauld in the preparation of this letter4 7,nicole1 iv4 #afb47 ,footnote #bfh3 ,quidni non nisi veniale sit1 detrahentes autoritatem magnam1 tibi noxiam1 falso crimine elidere8 ,footnote #bfi3 ,dicastillus1 ,de ,just41 l4 #b1 tr4 #b1 disp4 #ab1 n4 #djd4 ,footnote #bgj3 ,m4 ,de ,ville1 ,vicar-,general of ,m41 the ,cardinal of ,lyons2 ,m4 ,scarron1 ,canon and ,curate of ,st4 ,paul2 ,m4 ,margat1 ,chanter2 ,,mm4 ,bouvand1 ,seve1 ,aubert1 and ,dervien1 ,canons of ,st4 ,nisier2 ,m4 de ,gu1 ,president of the ,treasurers of ,france2 ,m4 ,groslier1 ,provost of the ,merchants2 ,m4 de ,flchre1 ,president and ,lieutenant-,general2 ,,mm4 ,de ,boissart1 ,de ,st4 ,romain1 and ,de ,bartoly1 gentlemen2 ,m4 ,bourgeois1 the ,king's ,first ,advocate in the ,court of the ,treasurers of ,france2 ,,mm4 ,de ,cotton1 father and son2 and ,m4 ,boniel2 who have all signed the original copy of the ,declaration1 along with ,m4 ,puys and ,father ,alby4 ,footnote #bga3 ,apology for the ,society of ,jesus1 p4 #abh4 ,footnote #bgb3 ,first ,part1 p4 #bd4 ,footnote #bgc3 ,tr4 #d1 q4 #bb1 p4 #ajj4 ,footnote #bgd3 ,part4 #d1 p4 #ba ,footnote #bge3 ,that is1 the ,protestant ministers of ,paris1 who are called 8the ministers of ,charenton10 from the village of that name near ,paris1 where they had their place of worship4 ,the ,protestants of ,paris were forbidden to hold meetings in the city1 and were compelled to travel five leagues to a place of worship1 till #afjf1 when they were graciously permitted to erect their temple at ,charenton1 about two leagues from the city6 7,benoit1 ,hist4 de l',edit4 de ,nantes1 i4 #dce47 ,even there they were harassed by the bigoted populace1 and at last 8the ministers of ,charenton10 among whom were the famous ,claude and ,daill1 were driven from their homes1 their chapel burnt to the ground1 and their people scattered abroad4 ,footnote #bgf3 ,in the first edition it was said to be the ,landgrave of ,darmstat1 by mistake1 as shown in a note by ,nicole4 ,,letter ,,xvi4#bgg ,,to ,,the ,,reverend ,,fathers1 ,,the ,,jesuits4 ,,shameful ,,calumnies ,,of ,,the ,,jesuits ,,against ,,pious ,,clergymen ,,and ,,innocent ,,nuns4 ,december #d1 #afef4 ,,reverend ,,fathers1--,i now come to consider the rest of your calumnies1 and shall begin with those contained in your advertisements1 which remain to be noticed4 ,as all your other writings1 however1 are equally well stocked with slander1 they will furnish me with abundant materials for entertaining you on this topic as long as ,i may judge expedient4 ,in the first place1 then1 with regard to the fable which you have propagated in all your writings against the ,bishop of ,ypres1#bgh ,i beg leave to say1 in one word1 that you have maliciously wrested the meaning of some ambiguous expressions in one of his letters1 which being capable of a good sense1 ought1 according to the spirit of the ,gospel1 to have been taken in good part1 and could only be taken otherwise according to the spirit of your ,society4 ,for example1 when he says to a friend1 8,give yourself no concern about your nephew2 ,i will furnish him with what he requires from the money that lies in my hands10 what reason have you to interpret this to mean1 that he would take that money without restoring it1 and not that he merely advanced it with the purpose of replacing it8 ,and how extremely imprudent was it for you to furnish a refutation of your own lie1 by printing the other letters of the ,bishop of ,ypres1 which clearly show that1 in point of fact1 it was merely advanced money1 which he was bound to refund4 ,this appears1 to your confusion1 from the following terms in the letter1 to which you give the date of ,july #cj1 #afai3 8,be not uneasy about the money advanced2 he shall want for nothing so long as he is here20 and likewise from another1 dated ,january #f1 #afbj1 where he says3 8,you are in too great haste2 when the account shall become due1 ,i have no fear but that the little credit which ,i have in this place will bring me as much money as ,i require40 ,if you are convicted slanderers on this subject1 you are no less so in regard to the ridiculous story about the charity-box of ,st4 ,merri4 ,what advantage1 pray1 can you hope to derive from the accusation which one of your worthy friends has trumped up against that ecclesiastic8 ,are we to conclude that a man is guilty1 because he is accused8 ,no1 fathers4 ,men of piety1 like him1 may expect to be perpetually accused1 so long as the world contains calumniators like you4 ,we must judge of him1 therefore1 not from the accusation1 but from the sentence2 and the sentence pronounced on the case 7,february #bc1 #afef7 justifies him completely4 ,moreover1 the person who had the temerity to involve himself in that iniquitous process1 was disavowed by his colleagues1 and himself compelled to retract his charge4 ,and as to what you allege1 in the same place1 about 8that famous director1 who pocketed at once nine hundred thousand livres10 ,i need only refer you to ,messieurs the curs of ,st4 ,roch and ,st4 ,paul1 who will bear witness1 before the whole city of ,paris1 to his perfect disinterestedness in the affair1 and to your inexcusable malice in that piece of imposition4 ,enough1 however1 for such paltry falsities4 ,these are but the first raw attempts of your novices1 and not the master-strokes of your 8grand professed40#bgi ,to these do ,i now come1 fathers2 ,i come to a calumny which is certainly one of the basest that ever issued from the spirit of your ,society4 ,i refer to the insufferable audacity with which you have imputed to holy nuns1 and to their directors1 the charge of 8disbelieving the mystery of transubstantiation1 and the real presence of ,jesus ,christ in the eucharist40 ,here1 fathers1 is a slander worthy of yourselves4 ,here is a crime which ,god alone is capable of punishing1 as you alone were capable of committing it4 ,to endure it with patience1 would require an humility as great as that of these calumniated ladies2 to give it credit would demand a degree of wickedness equal to that of their wretched defamers4 ,i propose not1 therefore1 to vindicate them2 they are beyond suspicion4 ,had they stood in need of defence1 they might have commanded abler advocates than me4 ,my object in what ,i say here is to show1 not their innocence1 but your malignity4 ,i merely intend to make you ashamed of yourselves1 and to let the whole world understand that1 after this1 there is nothing of which you are not capable4 ,you will not fail1 ,i am certain1 notwithstanding all this1 to say that ,i belong to ,port-,royal2 for this is the first thing you say to every one who combats your errors3 as if it were only at ,port-,royal that persons could be found possessed of sufficient zeal to defend1 against your attacks1 the purity of ,christian morality4 ,i know1 fathers1 the work of the pious recluses who have retired to that monastery1 and how much the ,church is indebted to their truly solid and edifying labors4 ,i know the excellence of their piety and their learning4 ,for1 though ,i have never had the honor to belong to their establishment1 as you1 without knowing who or what ,i am1 would fain have it believed1 nevertheless1 ,i do know some of them1 and honor the virtue of them all4 ,but ,god has not confined within the precincts of that society all whom he means to raise up in opposition to your corruptions4 ,i hope1 with his assistance1 fathers1 to make you feel this2 and if he vouchsafe to sustain me in the design he has led me to form1 of employing in his service all the resources ,i have received from him1 ,i shall speak to you in such a strain as will1 perhaps1 give you reason to regret that you have not had to do with a man of ,port-,royal4 ,and to convince you of this1 fathers1 ,i must tell you that1 while those whom you have abused with this notorious slander content themselves with lifting up their groans to ,heaven to obtain your forgiveness for the outrage1 ,i feel myself obliged1 not being in the least affected by your slander1 to make you blush in the face of the whole ,church1 and so bring you to that wholesome shame of which the ,scripture speaks1 and which is almost the only remedy for a hardness of heart like yours3 8,imple facies eorum ignomini1 et qurent nomen tuum1 ,domine--,fill their faces with shame1 that they may seek thy name1 ,o ,lord40#bhj ,a stop must be put to this insolence1 which does not spare the most sacred retreats4 ,for who can be safe after a calumny of this nature8 ,for shame1 fathers6 to publish in ,paris such a scandalous book1 with the name of your ,father ,meynier on its front1 and under this infamous title1 8,port-,royal and ,geneva in concert against the most holy ,sacrament of the ,altar10 in which you accuse of this apostasy1 not only ,monsieur the abb of ,st4 ,cyran1 and ,m4 ,arnauld1 but also ,mother ,agnes1 his sister1 and all the nuns of that monastery1 alleging that 8their faith1 in regard to the eucharist1 is as suspicious as that of ,m4 ,arnauld10 whom you maintain to be 8a downright ,calvinist40#bha ,i here ask the whole world if there be any class of persons within the pale of the ,church1 on whom you could have advanced such an abominable charge with less semblance of truth4 ,for tell me1 fathers1 if these nuns and their directors1 had been 8in concert with ,geneva against the most holy sacrament of the altar0 7the very thought of which is shocking71 how they should have come to select as the principal object of their piety that very sacrament which they held in abomination8 ,how should they have assumed the habit of the holy sacrament8 taken the name of the ,daughters of the ,holy ,sacrament8 called their church the ,church of the ,holy ,sacrament8 ,how should they have requested and obtained from ,rome the confirmation of that institution1 and the right of saying every ,thursday the office of the holy sacrament1 in which the faith of the ,church is so perfectly expressed1 if they had conspired with ,geneva to banish that faith from the ,church8 ,why would they have bound themselves1 by a particular devotion1 also sanctioned by the pope1 to have some of their sisterhood1 night and day without intermission1 in presence of the sacred host1 to compensate1 by their perpetual adorations towards that perpetual sacrifice1 for the impiety of the heresy that aims at its annihilation8 ,tell me1 fathers1 if you can1 why1 of all the mysteries of our religion1 they should have passed by those in which they believed1 to fix upon that in which they believed not8 and how they should have devoted themselves1 so fully and entirely1 to that mystery of our faith1 if they took it1 as the heretics do1 for the mystery of iniquity8 ,and what answer do you give to these clear evidences1 embodied not in words only1 but in actions2 and not in some particular actions1 but in the whole tenor of a life expressly dedicated to the adoration of ,jesus ,christ1 dwelling on our altars8 ,what answer1 again1 do you give to the books which you ascribe to ,port-,royal1 all of which are full of the most precise terms employed by the fathers and the councils to mark the essence of that mystery8 ,it is at once ridiculous and disgusting to hear you replying to these1 as you have done throughout your libel4 ,m4 ,arnauld1 say you1 talks very well about transubstantiation2 but he understands1 perhaps1 only 8a significative transubstantiation40 ,true1 he professes to believe in 8the real presence20 who can tell1 however1 but he means nothing more than 8a true and real figure80 ,how now1 fathers6 whom1 pray1 will you not make pass for a ,calvinist whenever you please1 if you are to be allowed the liberty of perverting the most canonical and sacred expressions by the wicked subtilties of your modern equivocations8 ,who ever thought of using any other terms than those in question1 especially in simple discourses of devotion1 where no controversies are handled8 ,and yet the love and the reverence in which they hold this sacred mystery1 have induced them to give it such a prominence in all their writings1 that ,i defy you1 fathers1 with all your cunning1 to detect in them either the least appearance of ambiguity1 or the slightest correspondence with the sentiments of ,geneva4 ,everybody knows1 fathers1 that the essence of the ,genevan heresy consists1 as it does according to your own showing1 in their believing that ,jesus ,christ is not contained 7enferm71 in this sacrament2 that it is impossible he can be in many places at once2 that he is1 properly speaking1 only in heaven1 and that it is as there alone that he ought to be adored1 and not on the altar2#bhb that the substance of the bread remains2 that the body of ,jesus ,christ does not enter into the mouth or the stomach2 that he can only be eaten by faith1 and accordingly wicked men do not eat him at all2 and that the mass is not a sacrifice1 but an abomination4 ,let us now hear1 then1 in what way 8,port-,royal is in concert with ,geneva40 ,in the writings of the former we read1 to your confusion1 the following statement3 ,that 8the flesh and blood of ,jesus ,christ are contained under the species of bread and wine20#bhc that 8the ,holy of ,holies is present in the sanctuary1 and that there he ought to be adored20#bhd that 8,jesus ,christ dwells in the sinners who communicate1 by the real and veritable presence of his body in their stomach1 although not by the presence of his ,spirit in their hearts20#bhe that 8the dead ashes of the bodies of the saints derive their principal dignity from that seed of life which they retain from the touch of the immortal and vivifying flesh of ,jesus ,christ20#bhf that 8it is not owing to any natural power1 but to the almighty power of ,god1 to whom nothing is impossible1 that the body of ,jesus ,christ is comprehended under the host1 and under the smallest portion of every host20#bhg that 8the divine virtue is present to produce the effect which the words of consecration signify20#bhh that 8,jesus ,christ1 while he is lowered 7rabaiss71 and hidden upon the altar1 is1 at the same time1 elevated in his glory2 that he subsists1 of himself and by his own ordinary power1 in divers places at the same time--in the midst of the ,church triumphant1 and in the midst of the ,church militant and travelling20#bhi that 8the sacramental species remain suspended1 and subsist extraordinarily1 without being upheld by any subject2 and that the body of ,jesus ,christ is also suspended under the species1 and that it does not depend upon these1 as substances depend upon accidents20#bij that 8the substance of the bread is changed1 the immutable accidents remaining the same20#bia that 8,jesus ,christ reposes in the eucharist with the same glory that he has in heaven20#bib that 8his glorious humanity resides in the tabernacles of the ,church1 under the species of bread1 which forms its visible covering2 and that1 knowing the grossness of our natures1 he conducts us to the adoration of his divinity1 which is present in all places1 by the adoring of his humanity1 which is present in a particular place20#bic that 8we receive the body of ,jesus ,christ upon the tongue1 which is sanctified by its divine touch20#bid 8that it enters into the mouth of the priest20#bie that 8although ,jesus ,christ has made himself accessible in the holy sacrament1 by an act of his love and graciousness1 he preserves1 nevertheless1 in that ordinance1 his inaccessibility1 as an inseparable condition of his divine nature2 because1 although the body alone and the blood alone are there1 by virtue of the words vi verborum1 as the schoolmen say1 his whole divinity may1 notwithstanding1 be there also1 as well as his whole humanity1 by a necessary conjunction40#bif ,in fine1 that 8the eucharist is at the same time sacrament and sacrifice20#big and that 8although this sacrifice is a commemoration of that of the cross1 yet there is this difference between them1 that the sacrifice of the mass is offered for the ,church only1 and for the faithful in her communion2 whereas that of the cross has been offered for all the world1 as the ,scripture testifies40#bih ,i have quoted enough1 fathers1 to make it evident that there was never1 perhaps1 a more imprudent thing attempted than what you have done4 ,but ,i will go a step farther1 and make you pronounce this sentence against yourselves4 ,for what do you require from a man1 in order to remove all suspicion of his being in concert and correspondence with ,geneva8 8,if ,m4 ,arnauld10 says your ,father ,meynier1 p4 #ic1 8had said that in this adorable mystery1 there is no substance of the bread under the species1 but only the flesh and the blood of ,jesus ,christ1 ,i should have confessed that he had declared himself absolutely against ,geneva40 ,confess it1 then1 ye revilers6 and make him a public apology4 ,how often have you seen this declaration made in the passages ,i have just cited8 ,besides this1 however1 the ,familiar ,theology of ,m4 de ,st4 ,cyran having been approved by ,m4 ,arnauld1 it contains the sentiments of both4 ,read1 then1 the whole of lesson #aeth1 and particularly article #b;d1 and you will there find the words you desiderate1 even more formally stated than you have done yourselves4 8,is there any bread in the host1 or any wine in the chalice8 ,no3 for all the substance of the bread and the wine is taken away1 to give place to that of the body and blood of ,jesus ,christ1 the which substance alone remains therein1 covered by the qualities and species of bread and wine40 ,how now1 fathers6 will you still say that ,port-,royal teaches 8nothing that ,geneva does not receive10 and that ,m4 ,arnauld has said nothing in his second letter 8which might not have been said by a minister of ,charenton80 ,see if you can persuade ,mestrezat#bii to speak as ,m4 ,arnauld does in that letter1 at page #bcg8 ,make him say1 that it is an infamous calumny to accuse him of denying transubstantiation2 that he takes for the fundamental principle of his writings the truth of the real presence of the ,son of ,god1 in opposition to the heresy of the ,calvinists2 and that he accounts himself happy for living in a place where the ,holy of ,holies is continually adored in the sanctuary--a sentiment which is still more opposed to the belief of the ,calvinists than the real presence itself2 for as ,cardinal ,richelieu observes in his ,controversies 7page #ecf73 8,the new ministers of ,france having agreed with the ,lutherans1 who believe the real presence of ,jesus ,christ in the eucharist2 they have declared that they remain in a state of separation from the ,church on the point of this mystery1 only on account of the adoration which ,catholics render to the eucharist40#cjj ,get all the passages which ,i have extracted from the books of ,port-,royal subscribed at ,geneva1 and not the isolated passages merely1 but the entire treatises regarding this mystery1 such as the ,book of ,frequent ,communion1 the ,explication of the ,ceremonies of the ,mass1 the ,exercise during ,mass1 the ,reasons of the ,suspension of the ,holy ,sacrament1 the ,translation of the ,hymns in the ,hours of ,port-,royal1 c42 in one word1 prevail upon them to establish at ,charenton that holy institution of adoring1 without intermission1 ,jesus ,christ contained in the eucharist1 as is done at ,port-,royal1 and it will be the most signal service which you could render to the ,church2 for in this case it will turn out1 not that ,port-,royal is in concert with ,geneva1 but that ,geneva is in concert with ,port-,royal1 and with the whole ,church4 ,certainly1 fathers1 you could not have been more unfortunate than in selecting ,port-,royal as the object of attack for not believing in the eucharist2 but ,i will show what led you to fix upon it4 ,you know ,i have picked up some small acquaintance with your policy2 in this instance you have acted upon its maxims to admiration4 ,if ,monsieur the abb of ,st4 ,cyran1 and ,m4 ,arnauld1 had only spoken of what ought to be believed with great respect to this mystery1 and said nothing about what ought to be done in the way of preparation for its reception1 they might have been the best ,catholics alive2 and no equivocations would have been discovered in their use of the terms 8real presence0 and 8transubstantiation40 ,but since all who combat your licentious principles must needs be heretics1 and heretics too1 in the very point in which they condemn your laxity1 how could ,m4 ,arnauld escape falling under this charge on the subject of the eucharist1 after having published a book expressly against your profanations of that sacrament8 ,what6 must he be allowed to say1 with impunity1 that 8the body of ,jesus ,christ ought not to be given to those who habitually lapse into the same crimes1 and who have no prospect of amendment2 and that such persons ought to be excluded1 for some time1 from the altar1 to purify themselves by sincere penitence1 that they may approach it afterwards with benefit80 ,suffer no one to talk in this strain1 fathers1 or you will find that fewer people will come to your confessionals4 ,father ,brisacier says1 that 8were you to adopt this course1 you would never apply the blood of ,jesus ,christ to a single individual40 ,it would be infinitely more for your interest were every one to adopt the views of your ,society1 as set forth by your ,father ,mascarenhas1 in a book approved by your doctors1 and even by your reverend ,father-,general1 namely1 8,that persons of every description1 and even priests1 may receive the body of ,jesus ,christ on the very day they have polluted themselves with odious crimes2 that so far from such communions implying irreverence1 persons who partake of them in this manner act a commendable part2 that confessors ought not to keep them back from the ordinance1 but1 on the contrary1 ought to advise those who have recently committed such crimes to communicate immediately2 because1 although the ,church has forbidden it1 this prohibition is annulled by the universal practice in all places of the earth40#cja ,see what it is1 fathers1 to have ,jesuits in all places of the earth6 ,behold the universal practice which you have introduced1 and which you are anxious everywhere to maintain6 ,it matters nothing that the tables of ,jesus ,christ are filled with abominations1 provided that your churches are crowded with people4 ,be sure1 therefore1 cost what it may1 to set down all that dare to say a word against your practice1 as heretics on the holy sacrament4 ,but how can you do this1 after the irrefragable testimonies which they have given of their faith8 ,are you not afraid of my coming out with the four grand proofs of their heresy which you have adduced8 ,you ought1 at least1 to be so1 fathers1 and ,i ought not to spare your blushing4 ,let us1 then1 proceed to examine proof the first4 8,m4 de ,st4 ,cyran10 says ,father ,meynier1 8consoling one of his friends upon the death of his mother 7tom4 i41 let4 #ad71 says that the most acceptable sacrifice that can be offered up to ,god on such occasions1 is that of patience2 therefore he is a ,calvinist40 ,this is marvellously shrewd reasoning1 fathers2 and ,i doubt if anybody will be able to discover the precise point of it4 ,let us learn it1 then1 from his own mouth4 8,because10 says this mighty controversialist1 8it is obvious that he does not believe in the sacrifice of the mass2 for this is1 of all other sacrifices1 the most acceptable unto ,god40 ,who will venture to say now that the ,jesuits do not know how to reason8 ,why1 they know the art to such perfection1 that they will extract heresy out of anything you choose to mention1 not even excepting the ,holy ,scripture itself6 ,for example1 might it not be heretical to say1 with the wise man in ,ecclesiasticus1 8,there is nothing worse than to love money20#cjb as if adultery1 murder1 or idolatry1 were not far greater crimes8 ,where is the man who is not in the habit of using similar expressions every day8 ,may we not say1 for instance1 that the most acceptable of all sacrifices in the eyes of ,god is that of a contrite and humbled heart2 just because1 in discourses of this nature1 we simply mean to compare certain internal virtues with one another1 and not with the sacrifice of the mass1 which is of a totally different order1 and infinitely more exalted8 ,is this not enough to make you ridiculous1 fathers8 ,and is it necessary1 to complete your discomfiture1 that ,i should quote the passages of that letter in which ,m4 de ,st4 ,cyran speaks of the sacrifice of the mass1 as 8the most excellent0 of all others1 in the following terms8 8,let there be presented to ,god1 daily and in all places1 the sacrifice of the body of his ,son1 who could not find a more excellent way than that by which he might honor his ,father40 ,and afterwards3 8,jesus ,christ has enjoined us to take1 when we are dying1 his sacrificed body1 to render more acceptable to ,god the sacrifice of our own1 and to join himself with us at the hour of dissolution2 to the end that he may strengthen us for the struggle1 sanctifying1 by his presence1 the last sacrifice which we make to ,god of our life and our body80 ,pretend to take no notice of all this1 fathers1 and persist in maintaining1 as you do in page #ci1 that he refused to take the communion on his death-bed1 and that he did not believe in the sacrifice of the mass4 ,nothing can be too gross for calumniators by profession4 ,your second proof furnishes an excellent illustration of this4 ,to make a ,calvinist of ,m4 de ,st4 ,cyran1 to whom you ascribe the book of ,petrus ,aurelius1 you take advantage of a passage 7page #hj7 in which ,aurelius explains in what manner the ,church acts towards priests1 and even bishops1 whom she wishes to degrade or depose4 8,the ,church10 he says1 8being incapable of depriving them of the power of the order1 the character of which is indelible1 she does all that she can do2--she banishes from her memory the character which she cannot banish from the souls of the individuals who have been once invested with it2 she regards them in the same light as if they were not bishops or priests2 so that1 according to the ordinary language of the ,church1 it may be said they are no longer such1 although they always remain such1 in as far as the character is concerned--ob indelebilitatem characteris40 ,you perceive1 fathers1 that this author1 who has been approved by three general assemblies of the clergy of ,france1 plainly declares that the character of the priesthood is indelible2 and yet you make him say1 on the contrary1 in the very same passage1 that 8the character of the priesthood is not indelible40 ,this is what ,i would call a notorious slander2 in other words1 according to your nomenclature1 a small venial sin4 ,and the reason is1 this book has done you some harm1 by refuting the heresies of your brethren in ,england touching the ,episcopal authority4 ,but the folly of the charge is equally remarkable2 for1 after having taken it for granted1 without any foundation1 that ,m4 de ,st4 ,cyran holds the priestly character to be not indelible1 you conclude from this that he does not believe in the real presence of ,jesus ,christ in the eucharist4 ,do not expect me to answer this1 fathers4 ,if you have got no common sense1 ,i am not able to furnish you with it4 ,all who possess any share of it will enjoy a hearty laugh at your expense4 ,nor will they treat with greater respect your third proof1 which rests upon the following words1 taken from the ,book of ,frequent ,communion3 8,in the eucharist ,god vouchsafes us the same food that he bestows on the saints in heaven1 with this difference only1 that here he withholds from us its sensible sight and taste1 reserving both of these for the heavenly world40#cjc ,these words express the sense of the ,church so distinctly1 that ,i am constantly forgetting what reason you have for picking a quarrel with them1 in order to turn them to a bad use2 for ,i can see nothing more in them but what the ,council of ,trent teaches 7sess4 xiii41 c4 #h71 namely1 that there is no difference between ,jesus ,christ in the eucharist and ,jesus ,christ in heaven1 except that here he is veiled1 and there he is not4 ,m4 ,arnauld does not say that there is no difference in the manner of receiving ,jesus ,christ1 but only that there is no difference in ,jesus ,christ who is received4 ,and yet you would1 in the face of all reason1 interpret his language in this passage to mean1 that ,jesus ,christ is no more eaten with the mouth in this world than he is in heaven2 upon which you ground the charge of heresy against him4 ,you really make me sorry for you1 fathers4 ,must we explain this further to you8 ,why do you confound that divine nourishment with the manner of receiving it8 ,there is but one point of difference1 as ,i have just observed1 betwixt that nourishment upon earth and in heaven1 which is1 that here it is hidden under veils which deprive us of its sensible sight and taste2 but there are various points of dissimilarity in the manner of receiving it here and there1 the principal of which is1 as ,m4 ,arnauld expresses it 7p4 #c1 ch4 #af71 8that here it enters into the mouth and the breast both of the good and of the wicked10 which is not the case in heaven4 ,and if you require to be told the reason of this diversity1 ,i may inform you1 fathers1 that the cause of ,god's ordaining these different modes of receiving the same food1 is the difference that exists betwixt the state of ,christians in this life and that of the blessed in heaven4 ,the state of the ,christian1 as ,cardinal ,perron observes after the fathers1 holds a middle place between the state of the blessed and the state of the ,jews4 ,the spirits in bliss possess ,jesus ,christ really1 without veil or figure4 ,the ,jews possessed ,jesus ,christ only in figures and veils1 such as the manna and the paschal lamb4 ,and ,christians possess ,jesus ,christ in the eucharist really and truly1 although still concealed under veils4 8,god10 says ,st4 ,eucher1 8has made three tabernacles--the synagogue1 which had the shadows only1 without the truth2 the ,church1 which has the truth and shadows together2 and heaven1 where there is no shadow1 but the truth alone40 ,it would be a departure from our present state1 which is the state of faith1 opposed by ,st4 ,paul alike to the law and to open vision1 did we possess the figures only1 without ,jesus ,christ2 for it is the property of the law to have the mere figure1 and not the substance of things4 ,and it would be equally a departure from our present state if we possessed him visibly2 because faith1 according to the same apostle1 deals not with things that are seen4 ,and thus the eucharist1 from its including ,jesus ,christ truly1 though under a veil1 is in perfect accordance with our state of faith4 ,it follows1 that this state would be destroyed1 if1 as the heretics maintain1 ,jesus ,christ were not really under the species of bread and wine2 and it would be equally destroyed if we received him openly1 as they do in heaven3 since1 on these suppositions1 our state would be confounded1 either with the state of ,judaism or with that of glory4 ,such1 fathers1 is the mysterious and divine reason of this most divine mystery4 ,this it is that fills us with abhorrence at the ,calvinists1 who would reduce us to the condition of the ,jews2 and this it is that makes us aspire to the glory of the beatified1 where we shall be introduced to the full and eternal enjoyment of ,jesus ,christ4 ,from hence you must see that there are several points of difference between the manner in which he communicates himself to ,christians and to the blessed2 and that1 amongst others1 he is in this world received by the mouth1 and not so in heaven2 but that they all depend solely on the distinction between our state of faith and their state of immediate vision4 ,and this is precisely1 fathers1 what ,m4 ,arnauld has expressed1 with great plainness1 in the following terms3 8,there can be no other difference between the purity of those who receive ,jesus ,christ in the eucharist and that of the blessed1 than what exists between faith and the open vision of ,god1 upon which alone depends the different manner in which he is eaten upon earth and in heaven40 ,you were bound in duty1 fathers1 to have revered in these words the sacred truths they express1 instead of wresting them for the purpose of detecting an heretical meaning which they never contained1 nor could possibly contain1 namely1 that ,jesus ,christ is eaten by faith only1 and not by the mouth2 the malicious perversion of your ,fathers ,annat and ,meynier1 which forms the capital count of their indictment4 ,conscious1 however1 of the wretched deficiency of your proofs1 you have had recourse to a new artifice1 which is nothing less than to falsify the ,council of ,trent1 in order to convict ,m4 ,arnauld of nonconformity with it2 so vast is your store of methods for making people heretics4 ,this feat has been achieved by ,father ,meynier1 in fifty different places of his book1 and about eight or ten times in the space of a single page 7the #edth71 wherein he insists that to speak like a true ,catholic1 it is not enough to say1 8,i believe that ,jesus ,christ is really present in the eucharist10 but we must say1 8,i believe1 with the council1 that he is present by a true local presence1 or locally40 ,and in proof of this1 he cites the council1 session xiii41 canon #c;d1 canon #dth1 and canon #fth4 ,who would not suppose1 upon seeing the term local presence quoted from three canons of a universal council1 that the phrase was actually to be found in them8 ,this might have served your turn very well1 before the appearance of my fifteenth letter2 but as matters now stand1 fathers1 the trick has become too stale for us4 ,we go our way and consult the council1 and discover only that you are falsifiers4 ,such terms as local presence1 locally1 and locality1 never existed in the passages to which you refer2 and let me tell you further1 they are not to be found in any other canon of that council1 nor in any other previous council1 nor in any father of the ,church4 ,allow me1 then1 to ask you1 fathers1 if you mean to cast the suspicion of ,calvinism upon all that have not made use of that peculiar phrase8 ,if this be the case1 the ,council of ,trent must be suspected of heresy1 and all the holy fathers without exception4 ,have you no other way of making ,m4 ,arnauld heretical1 without abusing so many other people who never did you any harm1 and among the rest1 ,st4 ,thomas1 who is one of the greatest champions of the eucharist1 and who1 so far from employing that term1 has expressly rejected it--8,nullo modo corpus ,christi est in hoc sacramento localiter8--,by no means is the body of ,christ in this sacrament locally80 ,who are you1 then1 fathers1 to pretend1 on your authority1 to impose new terms1 and ordain them to be used by all for rightly expressing their faith2 as if the profession of the faith1 drawn up by the popes according to the plan of the council1 in which this term has no place1 were defective1 and left an ambiguity in the creed of the faithful1 which you had the sole merit of discovering8 ,such a piece of arrogance1 to prescribe these terms1 even to learned doctors6 such a piece of forgery1 to attribute them to general councils6 and such ignorance1 not to know the objections which the most enlightened saints have made to their reception6 8,be ashamed of the error of your ignorance10#cjd as the ,scripture says of ignorant impostors like you--,de mendacio ineruditionis tu confundere4 ,give up all further attempts1 then1 to act the masters2 you have neither character nor capacity for the part4 ,if1 however1 you would bring forward your propositions with a little more modesty1 they might obtain a hearing4 ,for although this phrase1 local presence1 has been rejected1 as you have seen1 by ,st4 ,thomas1 on the ground that the body of ,jesus ,christ is not in the eucharist1 in the ordinary extension of bodies in their places1 the expression has1 nevertheless1 been adopted by some modern controversial writers1 who understand it simply to mean that the body of ,jesus ,christ is truly under the species1 which being in a particular place1 the body of ,jesus ,christ is there also4 ,and in this sense ,m4 ,arnauld will make no scruple to admit the term1 as ,m4 de ,st4 ,cyran#cje and he have repeatedly declared that ,jesus ,christ in the eucharist is truly in a particular place1 and miraculously in many places at the same time4 ,thus all your subtleties fall to the ground2 and you have failed to give the slightest semblance of plausibility to an accusation1 which ought not to have been allowed to show its face1 without being supported by the most unanswerable proofs4 ,but what avails it1 fathers1 to oppose their innocence to your calumnies8 ,you impute these errors to them1 not in the belief that they maintain heresy1 but from the idea that they have done you injury4 ,that is enough1 according to your theology1 to warrant you to calumniate them without criminality2 and you can1 without either penance or confession1 say mass1 at the very time that you charge priests1 who say it every day1 with holding it to be pure idolatry2 which1 were it true1 would amount to sacrilege no less revolting than that of your own ,father ,jarrige1 whom you yourselves ordered to be hanged in effigy1 for having said mass 8at the time he was in agreement with ,geneva40#cjf ,what surprises me1 therefore1 is not the little scrupulosity with which you load them with crimes of the foulest and falsest description1 but the little prudence you display1 by fixing on them charges so destitute of plausibility4 ,you dispose of sins1 it is true1 at your pleasure2 but do you mean to dispose of men's beliefs too8 ,verily1 fathers1 if the suspicion of ,calvinism must needs fall either on them or on you1 you would stand1 ,i fear1 on very ticklish ground4 ,their language is as ,catholic as yours2 but their conduct confirms their faith1 and your conduct belies it4 ,for if you believe1 as well as they do1 that the bread is really changed into the body of ,jesus ,christ1 why do you not require1 as they do1 from those whom you advise to approach the altar1 that the heart of stone and ice should be sincerely changed into a heart of flesh and of love8 ,if you believe that ,jesus ,christ is in that sacrament in a state of death1 teaching those that approach it to die to the world1 to sin1 and to themselves1 why do you suffer those to profane it in whose breasts evil passions continue to reign in all their life and vigor8 ,and how do you come to judge those worthy to eat the bread of heaven1 who are not worthy to eat that of earth8 ,precious votaries1 truly1 whose zeal is expended in persecuting those who honor this sacred mystery by so many holy communions1 and in flattering those who dishonor it by so many sacrilegious desecrations6 ,how comely is it in these champions of a sacrifice so pure and so venerable1 to collect around the table of ,jesus ,christ a crowd of hardened profligates1 reeking from their debaucheries2 and to plant in the midst of them a priest1 whom his own confessor has hurried from his obscenities to the altar2 there1 in the place of ,jesus ,christ1 to offer up that most holy victim to the ,god of holiness1 and convey it1 with his polluted hands1 into mouths as thoroughly polluted as his own6 ,how well does it become those who pursue this course 8in all parts of the world10 in conformity with maxims sanctioned by their own general1 to impute to the author of ,frequent ,communion1 and to the ,sisters of the ,holy ,sacrament1 the crime of not believing in that sacrament6 ,even this1 however1 does not satisfy them4 ,nothing less will satiate their rage than to accuse their opponents of having renounced ,jesus ,christ and their baptism4 ,this is no air-built fable1 like those of your invention2 it is a fact1 and denotes a delirious frenzy1 which marks the fatal consummation of your calumnies4 ,such a notorious falsehood as this would not have been in hands worthy to support it1 had it remained in those of your good friend ,filleau1 through whom you ushered it into the world3 your ,society has openly adopted it2 and your ,father ,meynier maintained it the other day to be 8a certain truth10 that ,port-,royal has1 for the space of thirty-five years1 been forming a secret plot1 of which ,m4 de ,st4 ,cyran and ,m4 ,d',ypres have been the ring-leaders1 8to ruin the mystery of the incarnation--to make the ,gospel pass for an apocryphal fable--to exterminate the ,christian religion1 and to erect ,deism upon the ruins of ,christianity40 ,is this enough1 fathers8 ,will you be satisfied if all this be believed of the objects of your hate8 ,would your animosity be glutted at length1 if you could but succeed in making them odious1 not only to all within the ,church1 by the charge of 8consenting with ,geneva10 of which you accuse them1 but even to all who believe in ,jesus ,christ1 though beyond the pale of the ,church1 by the imputation of ,deism8 ,but whom do you expect to convince1 upon your simple asseveration1 without the slightest shadow of proof1 and in the face of every imaginable contradiction1 that priests who preach nothing but the grace of ,jesus ,christ1 the purity of the ,gospel1 and the obligations of baptism1 have renounced at once their baptism1 the ,gospel1 and ,jesus ,christ8 ,who will believe it1 fathers8 ,wretched as you are1#cjg do you believe it yourselves8 ,what a sad predicament is yours1 when you must either prove that they do not believe in ,jesus ,christ1 or must pass for the most abandoned calumniators4 ,prove it1 then1 fathers4 ,name that 8worthy clergyman10 who1 you say1 attended that assembly at ,bourg-,fontaine#cjh in #afba1 and discovered to ,brother ,filleau the design there concerted of overturning the ,christian religion4 ,name these six persons who you allege to have formed that conspiracy4 ,name the individual who is designated by the letters ,a4 ,a41 who you say 8was not ,antony ,arnauld0 7because he convinced you that he was at that time only nine years of age71 8but another person1 who you say is still in life1 but too good a friend of ,m4 ,arnauld not to be known to him40 ,you know him1 then1 fathers2 and consequently1 if you are not destitute of religion yourselves1 you are bound to delate that impious wretch to the king and parliament1 that he may be punished according to his deserts4 ,you must speak out1 fathers2 you must name the person1 or submit to the disgrace of being henceforth regarded in no other light than as common liars1 unworthy of being ever credited again4 ,good ,father ,valerien has taught us that this is the way in which such characters should be 8put to the rack10 and brought to their senses4 ,your silence upon the present challenge will furnish a full and satisfactory confirmation of this diabolical calumny4 ,your blindest admirers will be constrained to admit1 that it will be 8the result1 not of your goodness1 but your impotency20 and to wonder how you could be so wicked as to extend your hatred even to the nuns of ,port-,royal1 and to say1 as you do in page #ad1 that ,the ,secret ,chaplet of the ,holy ,sacrament1#cji composed by one of their number1 was the first-fruit of that conspiracy against ,jesus ,christ2 or1 as in page #ie1 that 8they have imbibed all the detestable principles of that work20 which is1 according to your account1 8a lesson in ,deism40 ,your falsehoods regarding that book have already been triumphantly refuted1 in the defence of the censure of the late ,archbishop of ,paris against ,father ,brisacier4 ,that publication you are incapable of answering2 and yet you do not scruple to abuse it in a more shameful manner than ever1 for the purpose of charging women1 whose piety is universally known1 with the vilest blasphemy4 ,cruel1 cowardly persecutors6 ,must1 then1 the most retired cloisters afford no retreat from your calumnies8 ,while these consecrated virgins are employed1 night and day1 according to their institution1 in adoring ,jesus ,christ in the holy sacrament1 you cease not1 night nor day1 to publish abroad that they do not believe that he is either in the eucharist or even at the right hand of his ,father2 and you are publicly excommunicating them from the ,church1 at the very time when they are in secret praying for the whole ,church1 and for you6 ,you blacken with your slanders those who have neither ears to hear nor mouths to answer you6 ,but ,jesus ,christ1 in whom they are now hidden1 not to appear till one day together with him1 hears you1 and answers for them4 ,at the moment ,i am now writing1 that holy and terrible voice is heard which confounds nature and consoles the ,church4#caj ,and ,i fear1 fathers1 that those who now harden their hearts1 and refuse with obstinacy to hear him1 while he speaks in the character of ,god1 will one day be compelled to hear him with terror1 when he speaks to them in the character of a ,judge4 ,what account1 indeed1 fathers1 will you be able to render to him of the many calumnies you have uttered1 seeing that he will examine them1 in that day1 not according to the fantasies of ,fathers ,dicastille1 ,gans1 and ,pennalossa1 who justify them1 but according to the eternal laws of truth1 and the sacred ordinances of his own ,church1 which1 so far from attempting to vindicate that crime1 abhors it to such a degree that she visits it with the same penalty as wilful murder8 ,by the first and second ,councils of ,arles she has decided that the communion shall be denied to slanderers as well as murderers1 till the approach of death4 ,the ,council of ,lateran has judged those unworthy of admission into the ecclesiastical state who have been convicted of the crime1 even though they may have reformed4 ,the popes have even threatened to deprive of the communion at death those who have calumniated bishops1 priests1 or deacons4 ,and the authors of a defamatory libel1 who fail to prove what they have advanced1 are condemned by ,pope ,adrian to be whipped2--yes1 reverend fathers1 flagellentur is the word4 ,so strong has been the repugnance of the ,church at all times to the errors of your ,society--a ,society so thoroughly depraved as to invent excuses for the grossest of crimes1 such as calumny1 chiefly that it may enjoy the greater freedom in perpetrating them itself4 ,there can be no doubt1 fathers1 that you would be capable of producing abundance of mischief in this way1 had ,god not permitted you to furnish with your own hands the means of preventing the evil1 and of rendering your slanders perfectly innocuous2 for1 to deprive you of all credibility1 it was quite enough to publish the strange maxim1 that it is no crime to calumniate4 ,calumny is nothing1 if not associated with a high reputation for honesty4 ,the defamer can make no impression1 unless he has the character of one that abhors defamation1 as a crime of which he is incapable4 ,and thus1 fathers1 you are betrayed by your own principle4 ,you established the doctrine to secure yourselves a safe conscience1 that you might slander without risk of damnation1 and be ranked with those 8pious and holy calumniators0 of whom ,st4 ,athanasius speaks4 ,to save yourselves from hell1 you have embraced a maxim which promises you this security on the faith of your doctors2 but this same maxim1 while it guarantees you1 according to their idea1 against the evils you dread in the future world1 deprives you of all the advantage you may have expected to reap from it in the present2 so that1 in attempting to escape the guilt1 you have lost the benefit of calumny4 ,such is the self-contrariety of evil1 and so completely does it confound and destroy itself by its own intrinsic malignity4 ,you might have slandered1 therefore1 much more advantageously for yourselves1 had you professed to hold1 with ,st4 ,paul1 that evil speakers are not worthy to see ,god2 for in this case1 though you would indeed have been condemning yourselves1 your slanders would at least have stood a better chance of being believed4 ,but by maintaining1 as you have done1 that calumny against your enemies is no crime1 your slanders will be discredited1 and you yourselves damned into the bargain2 for two things are certain1 fathers--first1 ,that it will never be in the power of your grave doctors to annihilate the justice of ,god2 and1 secondly1 ,that you could not give more certain evidence that you are not of the ,truth than by your resorting to falsehood4 ,if the ,truth were on your side1 she would fight for you--she would conquer for you2 and whatever enemies you might have to encounter1 8the ,truth would set you free0 from them1 according to her promise4 ,but you have had recourse to falsehood1 for no other design than to support the errors with which you flatter the sinful children of this world1 and to bolster up the calumnies with which you persecute every man of piety who sets his face against these delusions4 ,the truth being diametrically opposed to your ends1 it behooved you1 to use the language of the prophet1 8to put your confidence in lies40 ,you have said1 8,the scourges which afflict mankind shall not come nigh unto us2 for we have made lies our refuge1 and under falsehood have we hid ourselves40#caa ,but what says the prophet in reply to such8 8,forasmuch10 says he1 8as ye have put your trust in calumny and tumult--sperastis in calumnia et in tumultu--this iniquity and your ruin shall be like that of a high wall whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant4 ,and he shall break it as the breaking of the potter's vessel that is shivered in pieces0--with such violence that 8there shall not be found in the bursting of it a shred to take fire from the hearth1 or to take water withal out of the pit40#cab 8,because10 as another prophet says1 8ye have made the heart of the righteous sad1 whom ,i have not made sad2 and ye have flattered and strengthened the malice of the wicked2 ,i will therefore deliver my people out of your hands1 and ye shall know that ,i am their ,lord and yours40#cac ,yes1 fathers1 it is to be hoped that if you do not repent1 ,god will deliver out of your hands those whom you have so long deluded1 either by flattering them in their evil courses with your licentious maxims1 or by poisoning their minds with your slanders4 ,he will convince the former that the false rules of your casuists will not screen them from his indignation2 and he will impress on the minds of the latter the just dread of losing their souls by listening and yielding credit to your slanders1 as you lose yours by hatching these slanders and disseminating them through the world4 ,let no man be deceived2 ,god is not mocked2 none may violate with impunity the commandment which he has given us in the ,gospel1 not to condemn our neighbor without being well assured of his guilt4 ,and1 consequently1 what profession soever of piety those may make who lend a willing ear to your lying devices1 and under what pretence soever of devotion they may entertain them1 they have reason to apprehend exclusion from the kingdom of ,god1 solely for having imputed crimes of such a dark complexion as heresy and schism to ,catholic priests and holy nuns1 upon no better evidence than such vile fabrications as yours4 8,the devil10 says ,m4 de ,geneve1#cad 8is on the tongue of him that slanders1 and in the ear of him that listens to the slanderer40 8,and evil speaking10 says ,st4 ,bernard1 8is a poison that extinguishes charity in both of the parties2 so that a single calumny may prove mortal to an infinite number of souls1 killing not only those who publish it1 but all those besides by whom it is not repudiated40#cae ,reverend fathers1 my letters were not wont either to be so prolix1 or to follow so closely on one another4 ,want of time must plead my excuse for both of these faults4 ,the present letter is a very long one1 simply because ,i had no leisure to make it shorter4 ,you know the reason of this haste better than ,i do4 ,you have been unlucky in your answers4 ,you have done well1 therefore1 to change your plan2 but ,i am afraid that you will get no credit for it1 and that people will say it was done for fear of the ,benedictines4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i have just come to learn that the person who was generally reported to be the author of your ,apologies1 disclaims them1 and is annoyed at their having been ascribed to him4 ,he has good reason2 and ,i was wrong to have suspected him of any such thing2 for1 in spite of the assurances which ,i received1 ,i ought to have considered that he was a man of too much good sense to believe your accusations1 and of too much honor to publish them if he did not believe them4 ,there are few people in the world capable of your extravagances2 they are peculiar to yourselves1 and mark your character too plainly to admit of any excuse for having failed to recognize your hand in their concoction4 ,i was led away by the common report2 but this apology1 which would be too good for you1 is not sufficient for me1 who profess to advance nothing without certain proof4 ,in no other instance have ,i been guilty of departing from this rule4 ,i am sorry for what ,i said4 ,i retract it2 and ,i only wish that you may profit by my example4#caf ----- ,footnote #bgg3 ,the plan and materials of this letter were furnished by ,m4 ,nicole4 7,nicole1 iv4 #bdc47 ,footnote #bgh3 ,jansenius1 who was made ,bishop of ,ipres or ,ypres1 in #afcf4 ,the letters to which ,pascal refers were printed at that time by the ,jesuits themselves1 who retained the originals in their possession2 these having come into their hands in consequence of the arrest of ,m4 ,de ,st4 ,cyran4 ,footnote #bgi3 ,the ,jesuits must pass through a long novitiate1 before they are admitted as 8professed0 members of the ,society4 ,footnote #bhj3 ,ps4 lxxxiii4 #af4 ,footnote #bha3 ,pp4 #if1 #d4 ,footnote #bhb3 ,it is hardly necessary to observe1 that in this passage the ,protestant faith on the supper is not fairly represented4 ,the ,reformers did not deny that ,christ was really present in that sacrament4 ,they held that he was present spiritually1 though not corporeally4 ,some of them expressed themselves strongly in opposition to those who spoke of the supper as a mere or bare sign4 ,calvin says3 8,there are two things in the sacrament--corporeal symbols1 by which things invisible are proposed to the senses2 and a spiritual truth1 which is represented and sealed by the symbols4 ,in the mystery of the supper1 ,christ is truly exhibited to us1 and therefore his body and blood40 7,inst41 lib4 iv41 cap4 #ag1 #aa47 8,the body of ,christ10 says ,peter ,martyr 7,loc4 ,com41 iv4 #aj71 8is not substantially present anywhere but in heaven4 ,i do not1 however1 deny that his true body and true blood1 which were offered for human redemption on the cross1 are spiritually partaken of by believers in the holy supper40 ,this is the general sentiment of ,protestant divines4 7,de ,moor1 in ,marck1 ,compend4 ,theol41 p4 v4 #fgi1 c47 ,footnote #bhc3 ,second letter of ,m4 ,arnauld1 p4 #bei4 ,footnote #bhd3 ,ibid41 p4 #bdc4 ,footnote #bhe3 ,frequent ,communion1 #c;d part1 ch4 #af4 ,poitrine--that is1 the bodily breast or stomach1 in opposition to cur--the heart or soul4 ,footnote #bhf3 ,ibid41 #ast part1 ch4 #dj4 ,footnote #bhg3 ,theolog4 ,fam41 lec4 #ae4 ,footnote #bhh3 ,ibid4 ,footnote #bhi3 ,de la ,suspension4 ,rais4 #ba4 ,footnote #bij3 ,ibid41 p4 #bc4 ,footnote #bia3 ,hours of the ,holy ,sacrament1 in ,prose4 ,footnote #bib3 ,letters of ,m4 de ,st4 ,cyran1 tom4 i41 let4 #ic4 ,footnote #bic3 ,ibid4 ,footnote #bid3 ,letter #cb4 ,footnote #bie3 ,letter #gb4 ,footnote #bif3 ,defence of the ,chaplet of the ,h4 ,sacrament1 p4 #bag4 ,footnote #big3 ,theol4 ,famil41 lec4 #ae4 ,footnote #bih3 ,ibid41 p4 #aec4 ,footnote #bii3 ,john ,mestrezat1 ,protestant minister of ,paris1 was born at ,geneva in #aeib and died in ,may #afeg4 ,his ,sermons on the ,epistle to the ,hebrews and other discourses1 published after his death1 are truly excellent4 ,this learned and eloquent divine frequently engaged in controversy with the ,romanists1 and on one occasion managed the debate with such spirit that ,cardinal ,richelieu1 taking hold of his shoulder1 exclaimed3 8,this is the boldest minister in ,france40 7,bayle1 ,dict41 art4 ,mestrezat47 ,footnote #cjj3 ,the statement of the ,protestant faith1 given in a preceding note1 may suffice to show that it differs1 toto clo1 from that of ,rome1 as this is explained in the text4 ,the leading fallacy of the ,romish creed on this subject is the monstrous dogma of transubstantiation2 the adoration of the host is merely a corollary4 ,calvinists and ,lutherans though differing in their views of the ordinance1 always agreed in acknowledging the real presence of ,christ in the eucharist1 though they consider the sense in which ,romanists interpret that term to be chargeable with blasphemy and absurdity4 ,footnote #cja3 ,mascar41 tr4 #d1 disp4 #e1 n4 #bhd4 ,footnote #cjb3 ,ecclesiasticus 7,apocrypha74 ,footnote #cjc3 ,freq4 ,com41 #c part1 ch4 #aa4 ,footnote #cjd3 ,eccles4 iv4 #be 7,apocrypha74 ,footnote #cje3 ,jean du ,verger de ,hauranne1 the ,abb de ,saint ,cyran was born at ,bayonne in #aeha4 ,he was the intimate friend of ,jansenius and a man of great piety and talents1 but was seized as a heretic1 and thrown by ,cardinal ,richelieu into the dungeon of ,vincennes4 ,after five years' imprisonment he was released1 but died shortly after1 ,october1 #aa1 #afdc4 ,by his followers1 ,m4 de ,saint ,cyran was reverenced as a saint and a martyr4 ,footnote #cjf3 ,this ,father ,jarrige was a famous ,jesuit1 who became a ,protestant1 and published1 after his separation from ,rome1 a book1 entitled 8,le ,jesuite sur l',echaffaut--,the ,jesuit on the ,scaffold10 in which he treats his old friends with no mercy4 ,footnote #cjg3 ,misrables que vous tes--one of the bitterest expressions which ,pascal has applied to his opponents and one which they have deeply felt1 but the full force of which can hardly be rendered into ,english4 ,footnote #cjh3 ,with regard to this famous assembly at ,bourg-,fontaine1 in which it was alleged a conspiracy was formed by the ,jansenists against the ,christian religion1 the curious reader may consult the work of ,m4 ,arnauld entitled ,morale ,pratique des ,jesuites1 vol4 viii41 where there is a detailed account of the whole proceedings4 7,nicole1 iv4 #bhc47 ,footnote #cji3 ,the ,secret ,chaplet of the most ,holy ,sacrament4--,such was the title of a very harmless piece of mystic devotion of three or four pages1 the production of a nun of ,port-,royal1 called ,sister ,agns de ,saint ,paul1 which appeared in #afbh4 ,it excited the jealousy of the ,archbishop of ,sens--set the doctors of ,paris and those of ,louvain by the ears--occasioned a war of pamphlets and was finally carried by appeal to the ,court of ,rome1 by which it was suppressed4 7,nicole1 iv4 #cjb47 ,agns de ,st4 ,paul was the younger sister of the ,mre ,anglique ,arnauld1 and both of them were sisters of the celebrated ,m4 ,arnauld4 ,footnote #caj3 ,this refers to the celebrated miracles of 8the ,holy ,thorn10 the first of which1 said to have lately taken place in ,port-,royal1 was then creating much sensation4 ,the facts are briefly these3 ,a thorn1 said to have belonged to the crown of thorns worn by our ,saviour1 having been presented1 in ,march #afef1 to the ,monastery of ,port-,royal1 the nuns and their young pupils were permitted1 each in turn1 to kiss the relic4 ,one of the latter1 ,margaret ,perier1 the niece of ,pascal1 a girl of about ten or eleven years of age1 had been long troubled with a disease in the eye 7fistula lachrymalis71 which had baffled the skill of all the physicians of ,paris4 ,on approaching the holy thorn1 she applied it to the diseased organ1 and shortly thereafter exclaimed1 to the surprise and delight of all the sisters1 that her eye was completely cured4 ,a certificate1 signed by some of the most celebrated physicians1 attested the cure as1 in their opinion a miraculous one4 ,the friends of ,port-,royal1 and none more than ,pascal1 were overjoyed at this interposition1 which1 being followed by other extraordinary cures1 they regarded as a voice from heaven in favor of that institution4 ,the ,jesuits alone rejected it with ridicule1 and published a piece1 entitled 8,rabat-joie1 c4--,a ,damper3 or1 ,observations on what has lately happened at ,port-,royal as to the affair of the ,holy ,thorn40 ,this was answered in ,november #afef1 in a tract supposed to have been written by ,m4 de ,pont ,chteau1 who was called 8the ,clerk of the ,holy ,thorn10 assisted by ,pascal4 7,recueil de ,pieces1 c4 de ,port-,royal1 pp4 #bhc-ddh47 ,it has been well observed1 8that many laborious and voluminous discussions might have been saved1 if the simple and very reasonable rule had been adopted of waiving investigation into the credibility of any narrative of supernatural or pretended supernatural events said to have taken place upon consecrated ground1 or under sacred roofs40 7,natural ,hist4 of ,enthusiasm1 p4 #bcf47 8,it is well known10 says ,mosheim1 8that the ,jansenists and ,augustinians have long pretended to confirm their doctrine by miracles2 and they even acknowledge that these miracles have saved them when their affairs have been reduced to a desperate situation40 7,mosh4 ,eccl4 ,hist41 cent4 xvii41 sect4 #b47 ,footnote #caa3 ,isa4 xxviii4 #ae4 ,footnote #cab3 ,isa4 xxx4 #ab-ad4 ,footnote #cac3 ,ezek4 xiii4 #bc4 ,pascal does not1 either here or elsewhere1 when quoting from ,scripture1 adhere very closely to the original1 nor even to the ,vulgate version4 ,footnote #cad3 ,this was the name given to ,st4 ,francis de ,sales1 bishop and prince of ,geneva1 previously to his canonization1 which took place in #affe4 ,footnote #cae3 ,serm4 #bd in ,cantic4 ,footnote #caf3 ,these two postscripts have been often admired--the former for the author's elegant excuse for the length of his letter2 the latter for the adroitness with which he turns his apology for an undesigned mistake into a stroke at the disingenuousness of his opponents4 ,,letter ,,xvii4#cag ,,to ,,the ,,reverend ,,father ,,annat1 ,,jesuit4#cah ,,the ,,author ,,of ,,the ,,letters ,,vindicated ,,from ,,the ,,charge ,,of ,,heresy--,,an ,,heretical ,,phantom--,,popes ,,and ,,general ,,councils ,,not ,,infallible ,,in ,,questions ,,of ,,fact4 ,january #bc1 #afeg4 ,,reverend ,,father1--,your former behavior had induced me to believe that you were anxious for a truce in our hostilities2 and ,i was quite disposed to agree that it should be so4 ,of late1 however1 you have poured forth such a volley of pamphlets1 in such rapid succession1 as to make it apparent that peace rests on a very precarious footing when it depends on the silence of ,jesuits4 ,i know not if this rupture will prove very advantageous to you2 but1 for my part1 ,i am far from regretting the opportunity which it affords me of rebutting that stale charge of heresy with which your writings abound4 ,it is full time1 indeed1 that ,i should1 once for all1 put a stop to the liberty you have taken to treat me as a heretic--a piece of gratuitous impertinence which seems to increase by indulgence1 and which is exhibited in your last book in a style of such intolerable assurance1 that were ,i not to answer the charge as it deserves1 ,i might lay myself open to the suspicion of being actually guilty4 ,so long as the insult was confined to your associates ,i despised it1 as ,i did a thousand others with which they interlarded their productions4 ,to these my fifteenth letter was a sufficient reply4 ,but you now repeat the charge with a different air3 you make it the main point of your vindication4 ,it is1 in fact1 almost the only thing in the shape of argument that you employ4 ,you say that1 8as a complete answer to my fifteen letters1 it is enough to say fifteen times that ,i am a heretic2 and having been pronounced such1 ,i deserve no credit40 ,in short1 you make no question of my apostasy1 but assume it as a settled point1 on which you may build with all confidence4 ,you are serious then1 father1 it would seem1 in deeming me a heretic4 ,i shall be equally serious in replying to the charge4 ,you are well aware1 sir1 that heresy is a charge of so grave a character1 that it is an act of high presumption to advance1 without being prepared to substantiate it4 ,i now demand your proofs4 ,when was ,i seen at ,charenton8 ,when did ,i fail in my presence at mass1 or in my ,christian duty to my parish church8 ,what act of union with heretics1 or of schism with the ,church1 can you lay to my charge8 ,what council have ,i contradicted8 ,what papal constitution have ,i violated8 ,you must answer1 father1 else----,you know what ,i mean4#cai ,and what do you answer8 ,i beseech all to observe it3 ,first of all1 you assume 8that the author of the letters is a ,port-,royalist20 then you tell us 8that ,port-,royal is declared to be heretical20 and1 therefore1 you conclude1 8the author of the letters must be a heretic40 ,it is not on me1 then1 father1 that the weight of this indictment falls1 but on ,port-,royal2 and ,i am only involved in the crime because you suppose me to belong to that establishment2 so that it will be no difficult matter for me to exculpate myself from the charge4 ,i have no more to say than that ,i am not a member of that community2 and to refer you to my letters1 in which ,i have declared that 8,i am a private individual20 and again in so many words1 that 8,i am not of ,port-,royal10 as ,i said in my sixteenth letter1 which preceded your publication4 ,you must fall on some other way1 then1 to prove me a heretic1 otherwise the whole world will be convinced that it is beyond your power to make good your accusation4 ,prove from my writings that ,i do not receive the constitution4#cbj ,my letters are not very voluminous--there are but sixteen of them--and ,i defy you or anybody else to detect in them the slightest foundation for such a charge4 ,i shall1 however1 with your permission1 produce something out of them to prove the reverse4 ,when1 for example1 ,i say in the fourteenth that1 8by killing our brethren in mortal sin1 according to your maxims1 we are damning those for whom ,jesus ,christ died10 do ,i not plainly acknowledge that ,jesus ,christ died for those who may be damned1 and1 consequently1 declare it to be false 8that he died only for the predestinated10 which is the error condemned in the fifth proposition8 ,certain it is1 father1 that ,i have not said a word in behalf of these impious propositions1 which ,i detest with all my heart4#cba ,and even though ,port-,royal should hold them1 ,i protest against your drawing any conclusion from this against me1 as1 thank ,god1 ,i have no sort of connection with any community except the ,catholic1 ,apostolic and ,roman ,church1 in the bosom of which ,i desire to live and die1 in communion with the pope1 the head of the ,church1 and beyond the pale of which ,i am persuaded there is no salvation4 ,how are you to get at a person who talks in this way1 father8 ,on what quarter will you assail me1 since neither my words nor my writings afford the slightest handle to your accusations1 and the obscurity in which my person is enveloped forms my protection against your threatenings8 ,you feel yourselves smitten by an invisible hand--a hand1 however1 which makes your delinquencies visible to all2 and in vain do you try to strike at me in the dark1 through the sides of those with whom you suppose me to be associated4 ,i fear you not1 either on my own account or on that of any other1 being bound by no tie either to a community or to any individual whatsoever4#cbb ,all the influence which your ,society possesses can be of no avail in my case4 ,from this world ,i have nothing to hope1 nothing to dread1 nothing to desire4 ,through the goodness of ,god1 ,i have no need of any man's money or any man's patronage4 ,thus1 father1 ,i elude all your attempts to catch hold of me4 ,you may touch ,port-,royal if you choose1 but you shall not touch me4 ,you may turn people out of the ,sorbonne1 but that will not turn me out of my domicile4 ,you may hatch plots against priests and doctors1 but not against me1 for ,i am neither the one nor the other4 ,and thus1 father1 you never perhaps had to do1 in the whole course of your experience1 with a person so completely beyond your reach1 and therefore so admirably qualified for dealing with your errors--one perfectly free--one without engagement1 entanglement1 relationship1 or business of any kind--one1 too1 who is pretty well versed in your maxims1 and determined1 as ,god shall give him light1 to discuss them1 without permitting any earthly consideration to arrest or slacken his endeavors4 ,since1 then1 you can do nothing against me1 what good purpose can it serve to publish so many calumnies1 as you and your brethren are doing1 against a class of persons who are in no way implicated in our disputes8 ,you shall not escape under these subterfuges3 you shall be made to feel the force of the truth in spite of them4 ,how does the case stand8 ,i tell you that you are ruining ,christian morality by divorcing it from the love of ,god1 and dispensing with its obligation2 and you talk about 8the death of ,father ,mester0--a person whom ,i never saw in my life4 ,i tell you that your authors permit a man to kill another for the sake of an apple1 when it would be dishonorable to lose it2 and you reply by informing me that somebody 8has broken into the poor's box at ,st4 ,merri60 ,again1 what can you possibly mean by mixing me up perpetually with the book 8,on the ,holy ,virginity10 written by some father of the ,oratory1 whom ,i never saw1 any more than his book8#cbc ,it is rather extraordinary1 father1 that you should thus regard all that are opposed to you as if they were one person4 ,your hatred would grasp them all at once1 and would hold them as a body of reprobates1 every one of whom is responsible for all the rest4 ,there is a vast difference between ,jesuits and all their opponents4 ,there can be no doubt that you compose one body1 united under one head2 and your regulations1 as ,i have shown1 prohibit you from printing anything without the approbation of your superiors1 who are responsible for all the errors of individual writers1 and who 8cannot excuse themselves by saying that they did not observe the errors in any publication1 for they ought to have observed them40 ,so say your ordinances1 and so say the letters of your generals1 ,aquaviva1 ,vitelleschi1 c4 ,we have good reason1 therefore1 for charging upon you the errors of your associates1 when we find they are sanctioned by your superiors and the divines of your ,society4 ,with me1 however1 father1 the case stands otherwise4 ,i have not subscribed the book of the ,holy ,virginity4 ,all the alms-boxes in ,paris may be broken into1 and yet ,i am not the less a good ,catholic for all that4 ,in short1 ,i beg to inform you1 in the plainest terms1 that nobody is responsible for my letters but myself1 and that ,i am responsible for nothing but my letters4 ,here1 father1 ,i might fairly enough have brought our dispute to an issue1 without saying a word about those other persons whom you stigmatize as heretics1 in order to comprehend me under that condemnation4 ,but as ,i have been the occasion of their ill treatment1 ,i consider myself bound in some sort to improve the occasion1 and ,i shall take advantage of it in three particulars4 ,one advantage1 not inconsiderable in its way1 is that it will enable me to vindicate the innocence of so many calumniated individuals4 ,another1 not inappropriate to my subject1 will be to disclose1 at the same time1 the artifices of your policy in this accusation4 ,but the advantage which ,i prize most of all this1 that it affords me an opportunity of apprizing the world of the falsehood of that scandalous report which you have been so busily disseminating1 namely1 8that the ,church is divided by a new heresy40 ,and as you are deceiving multitudes into the belief that the points on which you are raising such a storm are essential to the faith1 ,i consider it of the last importance to quash these unfounded impressions1 and distinctly to explain here what these points are1 so as to show that1 in point of fact1 there are no heretics in the ,church4 ,i presume1 then1 that were the question to be asked1 ,wherein consists the heresy of those called ,jansenists8 the immediate reply would be1 8,these people hold that the commandments of ,god are impracticable to men--that grace is irresistible--that we have not free will to do either good or evil--that ,jesus ,christ did not die for all men1 but only for the elect2 in short1 they maintain the five propositions condemned by the pope40 ,do you not give it out to all that this is the ground on which you persecute your opponents8 ,have you not said as much in your books1 in your conversations1 in your catechisms8 ,a specimen of this you gave at the late ,christmas festival at ,st4 ,louis4 ,one of your little shepherdesses was questioned thus3-- 8,for whom did ,jesus ,christ come into the world1 my dear80 8,for all men1 father40 8,indeed1 my child2 so you are not one of those new heretics who say that he came only for the elect80 ,thus children are led to believe you1 and many others beside children2 for you entertain people with the same stuff in your sermons1 as ,father ,crasset did at ,orleans1 before he was laid under an interdict4 ,and ,i frankly own that1 at one time1 ,i believed you myself4 ,you had given me precisely the same idea of these good people2 so that when you pressed them on these propositions1 ,i narrowly watched their answer1 determined never to see them more1 if they did not renounce them as palpable impieties4 ,this1 however1 they have done in the most unequivocal way4 ,m4 de ,sainte-,beuve1#cbd king's professor in the ,sorbonne1 censured these propositions in his published writings long before the pope2 and other ,augustinian doctors1 in various publications1 and1 among others1 in a work 8,on ,victorious ,grace10#cbe reject the same articles as both heretical and strange doctrines4 ,in the preface to that work they say that these propositions are 8heretical and ,lutheran1 forged and fabricated at pleasure1 and are neither to be found in ,jansenius1 nor in his defenders40 ,they complain of being charged with such sentiments1 and address you in the words of ,st4 ,prosper1 the first disciple of ,st4 ,augustine their master1 to whom the semi-,pelagians of ,france had ascribed similar opinions1 with the view of bringing him into disgrace3 8,there are persons who denounce us1 so blinded by passion that they have adopted means for doing so which ruin their own reputation4 ,they have1 for this purpose1 fabricated propositions of the most impious and blasphemous character1 which they industriously circulate1 to make people believe that we maintain them in the wicked sense which they are pleased to attach to them4 ,but our reply will show at once our innocence1 and the malignity of these persons who have ascribed to us a set of impious tenets1 of which they are themselves the sole inventors40 ,truly1 father1 when ,i found that they had spoken in this way before the appearance of the papal constitution--when ,i saw that they afterwards received that decree with all possible respect1 that they offered to subscribe it1 and that ,m4 ,arnauld had declared all this in his second letter1 in stronger terms than ,i can report him1 ,i should have considered it a sin to doubt their soundness in the faith4 ,and1 in fact1 those who were formerly disposed to refuse absolution to ,m4 ,arnauld's friends1 have since declared1 that after his explicit disclaimer of the errors imputed to him1 there was no reason left for cutting off either him or them from the communion of the ,church4 ,your associates1 however1 have acted very differently2 and it was this that made me begin to suspect that you were actuated by prejudice4 ,you threatened first to compel them to sign that constitution1 so long as you thought they would resist it2 but no sooner did you see them quite ready of their own accord to submit to it1 than we heard no more about this4 ,still1 however1 though one might suppose this ought to have satisfied you1 you persisted in calling them heretics1 8because10 said you1 8their heart belies their hand2 they are ,catholics outwardly1 but inwardly they are heretics40#cbf ,this1 father1 struck me as very strange reasoning2 for where is the person of whom as much may not be said at any time8 ,and what endless trouble and confusion would ensue1 were it allowed to go on6 8,if10 says ,pope ,st4 ,gregory1 8we refuse to believe a confession of faith made in conformity to the sentiments of the ,church1 we cast a doubt over the faith of all ,catholics whatsoever40 ,i am afraid1 father1 to use the words of the same pontiff1 when speaking of a similar dispute in his time1 8that your object is to make these persons heretics in spite of themselves2 because to refuse to credit those who testify by their confession that they are in the true faith1 is not to purge heresy1 but to create it--hoc non est hresim purgare1 sed facere04 ,but what confirmed me in my persuasion that there was indeed no heretic in the ,church1 was finding that our so-called heretics had vindicated themselves so successfully1 that you were unable to accuse them of a single error in the faith1 and that you were reduced to the necessity of assailing them on questions of fact only1 touching ,jansenius1 which could not possibly be construed into heresy4 ,you insist1 it now appears1 on their being compelled to acknowledge 8that these propositions are contained in ,jansenius1 word for word1 every one of them1 in so many terms10 or1 as you express it1 ,singulares1 individu1 totidem verbis apud ,jansenium content4 ,thenceforth your dispute became1 in my eyes1 perfectly indifferent4 ,so long as ,i believed that you were debating the truth or falsehood of the propositions1 ,i was all attention1 for that quarrel touched the faith2 but when ,i discovered that the bone of contention was whether they were to be found1 word for word1 in ,jansenius or not1 as religion ceased to be interested in the controversy1 ,i ceased to be interested in it also4 ,not but that there was some presumption that you were speaking the truth2 because to say that such and such expressions are to be found1 word for word1 in an author1 is a matter in which there can be no mistake4 ,i do not wonder1 therefore1 that so many people1 both in ,france and at ,rome1 should have been led to believe1 on the authority of a phrase so little liable to suspicion1 that ,jansenius has actually taught these obnoxious tenets4 ,and for the same reason1 ,i was not a little surprised to learn that this same point of fact1 which you had propounded as so certain and so important1 was false2 and that after being challenged to quote the pages of ,jansenius1 in which you had found these propositions 8word for word10 you have not been able to point them out to this day4 ,i am the more particular in giving this statement1 because1 in my opinion1 it discovers1 in a very striking light1 the spirit of your ,society in the whole of this affair2 and because some people will be astonished to find that1 notwithstanding all the facts above mentioned1 you have not ceased to publish that they are heretics still4 ,but you have only altered the heresy to suit the time2 for no sooner had they freed themselves from one charge than your fathers1 determined that they should never want an accusation1 substituted another in its place4 ,thus1 in #afec1 their heresy lay in the quality of the propositions2 then came the word for word heresy2 after that1 we had the heart heresy4 ,and now we hear nothing of any of these1 and they must be heretics1 forsooth1 unless they sign a declaration to the effect1 8that the sense of the doctrine of ,jansenius is contained in the sense of the five propositions40 ,such is your present dispute4 ,it is not enough for you that they condemn the five propositions1 and everything in ,jansenius that bears any resemblance to them1 or is contrary to ,st4 ,augustine2 for all that they have done already4 ,the point at issue is not1 for example1 if ,jesus ,christ died for the elect only--they condemn that as much as you do2 but1 is ,jansenius of that opinion1 or not8 ,and here ,i declare1 more strongly than ever1 that your quarrel affects me as little as it affects the ,church4 ,for although ,i am no doctor1 any more than you1 father1 ,i can easily see1 nevertheless1 that it has no connection with the faith4 ,the only question is1 to ascertain what is the sense of ,jansenius4 ,did they believe that his doctrine corresponded to the proper and literal sense of these propositions1 they would condemn it2 and they refuse to do so1 because they are convinced it is quite the reverse2 so that although they should misunderstand it1 still they would not be heretics1 seeing they understand it only in a ,catholic sense4 ,to illustrate this by an example1 ,i may refer to the conflicting sentiments of ,st4 ,basil and ,st4 ,athanasius1 regarding the writings of ,st4 ,denis of ,alexandria1 which ,st4 ,basil1 conceiving that he found in them the sense of ,arius against the equality of the ,father and the ,son1 condemned as heretical1 but which ,st4 ,athanasius1 on the other hand1 judging them to contain the genuine sense of the ,church1 maintained to be perfectly orthodox4 ,think you1 then1 father1 that ,st4 ,basil1 who held these writings to be ,arian1 had a right to brand ,st4 ,athanasius as a heretic1 because he defended them8 ,and what ground would he have had for so doing1 seeing that it was not ,arianism that his brother defended1 but the true faith which he considered these writings to contain8 ,had these two saints agreed about the true sense of these writings1 and had both recognized this heresy in them1 unquestionably ,st4 ,athanasius could not have approved of them1 without being guilty of heresy2 but as they were at variance respecting the sense of the passages1 ,st4 ,athanasius was orthodox in vindicating them1 even though he may have understood them wrong2 because in that case it would have been merely an error in a matter of fact1 and because what he defended was really the ,catholic faith1 which he supposed to be contained in these writings4 ,i apply this to you1 father4 ,suppose you were agreed upon the sense of ,jansenius1 and your adversaries were ready to admit with you that he held1 for example1 that grace cannot be resisted2 those who refused to condemn him would be heretical4 ,but as your dispute turns upon the meaning of that author1 and they believe that1 according to his doctrine1 grace may be resisted1 whatever heresy you may be pleased to attribute to him1 you have no ground to brand them as heretics1 seeing they condemn the sense which you put on ,jansenius1 and you dare not condemn the sense which they put on him4 ,if1 therefore1 you mean to convict them1 show that the sense which they ascribe to ,jansenius is heretical2 for then they will be heretical themselves4 ,but how could you accomplish this1 since it is certain1 according to your own showing1 that the meaning which they give to his language has never been condemned8 ,to elucidate the point still further1 ,i shall assume as a principle1 what you yourselves acknowledge--that the doctrine of efficacious grace has never been condemned1 and that the pope has not touched it by his constitution4 ,and1 in fact1 when he proposed to pass judgment on the five propositions1 the question of efficacious grace was protected against all censure4 ,this is perfectly evident from the judgments of the consulters1#cbg to whom the pope committed them for examination4 ,these judgments ,i have in my possession1 in common with many other persons in ,paris1 and1 among the rest1 the ,bishop of ,montpelier1#cbh who brought them from ,rome4 ,it appears from this document1 that they were divided in their sentiments2 that the chief persons among them1 such as the ,master of the ,sacred ,palace1 the ,commissary of the ,holy ,office1 the ,general of the ,augustinians1 and others1 conceiving that these propositions might be understood in the sense of efficacious grace1 were of opinion that they ought not to be censured2 whereas the rest1 while they agreed that the propositions would not have merited condemnation1 had they borne that sense1 judged that they ought to be censured1 because1 as they contended1 this was very far from being their proper and natural sense4 ,the pope1 accordingly1 condemned them2 and all parties have acquiesced in his judgment4 ,it is certain1 then1 father1 that efficacious grace has not been condemned4 ,indeed1 it is so powerfully supported by ,st4 ,augustine1 by ,st4 ,thomas1 and all his school1 by a great many popes and councils1 and by all tradition1 that to tax it with heresy would be an act of impiety4 ,now1 all those whom you condemn as heretics declare that they find nothing in ,jansenius1 but this doctrine of efficacious grace4 ,and this was the only point which they maintained at ,rome4 ,you have acknowledged this yourself1 when you declare that1 8when pleading before the pope1 they did not say a single word about the propositions1 but occupied the whole time in talking about efficacious grace40#cbi ,so that whether they be right or wrong in this supposition1 it is undeniable1 at least1 that what they suppose to be the sense is not heretical sense2 and that1 consequently1 they are no heretics3 for1 to state the matter in two words1 either ,jansenius has merely taught the doctrine of efficacious grace1 and in this case he has no errors2 or he has taught some other thing1 and in this case he has no defenders4 ,the whole question turns on ascertaining whether ,jansenius has actually maintained something different from efficacious grace2 and should it be found that he has1 you will have the honor of having better understood him1 but they will not have the misfortune of having erred from the faith4 ,it is matter of thankfulness to ,god1 then1 father1 that there is in reality no heresy in the ,church4 ,the question relates entirely to a point of fact1 of which no heresy can be made2 for the ,church1 with divine authority1 decides the points of faith1 and cuts off from her body all who refuse to receive them4 ,but she does not act in the same manner in regard to matters of fact4 ,and the reason is1 that our salvation is attached to the faith which has been revealed to us1 and which is preserved in the ,church by tradition1 but that it has no dependence on facts which have not been revealed by ,god4 ,thus we are bound to believe that the commandments of ,god are not impracticable2 but we are under no obligation to know what ,jansenius has said upon that subject4 ,in the determination of points of faith ,god guides the ,church by the aid of his unerring ,spirit2 whereas in matters of fact1 he leaves her to the direction of reason and the senses1 which are the natural judges of such matters4 ,none but ,god was able to instruct the ,church in the faith2 but to learn whether this or that proposition is contained in ,jansenius1 all we require to do is to read his book4 ,and from hence it follows1 that while it is heresy to resist the decisions of the faith1 because this amounts to an opposing of our own spirit to the ,spirit of ,god1 it is no heresy1 though it may be an act of presumption1 to disbelieve certain particular facts1 because this is no more than opposing reason--it may be enlightened reason--to an authority which is great indeed1 but in this matter not infallible4 ,what ,i have now advanced is admitted by all theologians1 as appears from the following axiom of ,cardinal ,bellarmine1 a member of your ,society3 8,general and lawful councils are incapable of error in defining the dogmas of faith2 but they may err in questions of fact40 ,in another place he says3 8,the pope1 as pope1 and even as the head of a universal council1 may err in particular controversies of fact1 which depend principally on the information and testimony of men40 ,cardinal ,baronius speaks in the same manner3 8,implicit submission is due to the decisions of councils in points of faith2 but1 in so far as persons and their writings are concerned1 the censures which have been pronounced against them have not been so rigorously observed1 because there is none who may not chance to be deceived in such matters40 ,i may add that1 to prove this point1 the ,archbishop of ,toulouse#ccj has deduced the following rule from the letters of two great popes--,st4 ,leon and ,pelagius ,,ii43 8,that the proper object of councils is the faith2 and whatsoever is determined by them1 independently of the faith1 may be reviewed and examined anew3 whereas nothing ought to be re-examined that has been decided in a matter of faith2 because1 as ,tertullian observes1 the rule of faith alone is immovable and irrevocable40 ,hence it has been seen that1 while general and lawful councils have never contradicted one another in points of faith1 because1 as ,m4 de ,toulouse has said1 8it is not allowable to examine de novo decisions in matters of faith20 several instances have occurred in which these same councils have disagreed in points of fact1 where the discussion turned upon the sense of an author2 because1 as the same prelate observes1 quoting the popes as his authorities1 8everything determined in councils1 not referring to the faith1 may be reviewed and examined de novo40 ,an example of this contrariety was furnished by the fourth and fifth councils1 which differed in their interpretation of the same authors4 ,the same thing happened in the case of two popes1 about a proposition maintained by certain monks of ,scythia4 ,pope ,hormisdas1 understanding it in a bad sense1 had condemned it2 but ,pope ,john ,,ii41 his successor1 upon re-examining the doctrine1 understood it in a good sense1 approved it1 and pronounced it to be orthodox4 ,would you say that for this reason one of these popes was a heretic8 ,and must you not1 consequently1 acknowledge that1 provided a person condemn the heretical sense which a pope may have ascribed to a book1 he is no heretic because he declines condemning that book1 while he understands it in a sense which it is certain the pope has not condemned8 ,if this cannot be admitted1 one of these popes must have fallen into error4 ,i have been anxious to familiarize you with these discrepancies among ,catholics regarding questions of fact1 which involve the understanding of the sense of a writer1 showing you father against father1 pope against pope1 and council against council1 to lead you from these to other examples of opposition1 similar in their nature1 but somewhat more disproportioned in respect of the parties concerned4 ,for1 in the instances ,i am now to adduce1 you will see councils and popes ranged on one side1 and ,jesuits on the other2 and yet you have never charged your brethren1 for this opposition1 even with presumption1 much less with heresy4 ,you are well aware1 father1 that the writings of ,origen were condemned by a great many popes and councils1 and particularly by the fifth general council1 as chargeable with certain heresies1 and1 among others1 that of the reconciliation of the devils at the day of judgment4 ,do you suppose that1 after this1 it became absolutely imperative1 as a test of ,catholicism1 to confess that ,origen actually maintained these errors1 and that it is not enough to condemn them1 without attributing them to him8 ,if this were true1 what would become of your worthy ,father ,halloix1 who has asserted the purity of ,origen's faith1 as well as many other ,catholics1 who have attempted the same thing1 such as ,pico ,mirandola1 and ,genebrard1 doctor of the ,sorbonne8 ,is it not1 moreover1 a certain fact1 that the same fifth general council condemned the writings of ,theodoret against ,st4 ,cyril1 describing them as impious1 8contrary to the true faith1 and tainted with the ,nestorian heresy80#cca ,and yet this has not prevented ,father ,sirmond1#ccb a ,jesuit1 from defending him1 or from saying1 in his life of that father1 that 8his writings are entirely free from the heresy of ,nestorius40 ,it is evident1 therefore1 that as the ,church1 in condemning a book1 assumes that the error which she condemns is contained in that book1 it is a point of faith to hold that error as condemned2 but it is not a point of faith to hold that the book1 in fact1 contains the error which the ,church supposes it does4 ,enough has been said1 ,i think1 to prove this2 ,i shall1 therefore1 conclude my examples by referring to that of ,pope ,honorius1 the history of which is so well known4 ,at the commencement of the seventh century1 the ,church being troubled by the heresy of the ,monothelites1#ccc that pope1 with the view of terminating the controversy1 passed a decree which seemed favorable to these heretics1 at which many took offence4 ,the affair1 nevertheless1 passed over without making much disturbance during his pontificate2 but fifty years after1 the ,church being assembled in the sixth general council1 in which ,pope ,agathon presided by his legates1 this decree was impeached1 and1 after being read and examined1 was condemned as containing the heresy of the ,monothelites1 and under that character burnt1 in open court1 along with the other writings of these heretics4 ,such was the respect paid to this decision1 and such the unanimity with which it was received throughout the whole ,church1 that it was afterwards ratified by two other general councils1 and likewise by two popes1 ,leon ,,ii4 and ,adrian ,,ii41 the latter of whom lived two hundred years after it had passed2 and this universal and harmonious agreement remained undisturbed for seven or eight centuries4 ,of late years1 however1 some authors1 and among the rest ,cardinal ,bellarmine1 without seeming to dread the imputation of heresy1 have stoutly maintained1 against all this array of popes and councils1 that the writings of ,honorius are free from the error which had been ascribed to them2 8because10 says the cardinal1 8general councils being liable to err in questions of fact1 we have the best grounds for asserting that the sixth council was mistaken with regard to the fact now under consideration2 and that1 misconceiving the sense of the ,letters of ,honorius1 it has placed this pope most unjustly in the ranks of heretics40 ,observe1 then1 ,i pray you1 father1 that a man is not heretical for saying that ,pope ,honorius was not a heretic2 even though a great many popes and councils1 after examining his writings1 should have declared that he was so4 ,i now come to the question before us1 and shall allow you to state your case as favorably as you can4 ,what will you then say1 father1 in order to stamp your opponents as heretics8 ,that 8,pope ,innocent ,x4 has declared that the error of the five propositions is to be found in ,jansenius80 ,i grant you that2 what inference do you draw from it8 ,that 8it is heretical to deny that the error of the five propositions is to be found in ,jansenius80 ,how so1 father8 have we not here a question of fact1 exactly similar to the preceding examples8 ,the pope has declared that the error of the five propositions is contained in ,jansenius1 in the same way as his predecessors decided that the errors of the ,nestorians and the ,monothelites polluted the pages of ,theodoret and ,honorius4 ,in the latter case1 your writers hesitate not to say1 that while they condemn the heresies1 they do not allow that these authors actually maintained them2 and1 in like manner1 your opponents now say1 that they condemn the five propositions1 but cannot admit that ,jansenius has taught them4 ,truly1 the two cases are as like as they could well be2 and if there be any disparity between them1 it is easy to see how far it must go in favor of the present question1 by a comparison of many particular circumstances1 which1 as they are self-evident1 ,i do not specify4 ,how comes it to pass1 then1 that when placed in precisely the same predicament1 your friends are ,catholics and your opponents heretics8 ,on what strange principle of exception do you deprive the latter of a liberty which you freely award to all the rest of the faithful8 ,what answer will you make to this1 father8 ,will you say1 8,the pope has confirmed his constitution by a brief40 ,to this ,i would reply1 that two general councils and two popes confirmed the condemnation of the ,letters of ,honorius4 ,but what argument do you found upon the language of that brief1 in which all that the pope says is1 that 8he has condemned the doctrine of ,jansenius in these five propositions80 ,what does that add to the constitution1 or what more can you infer from it8 ,nothing certainly1 except that as the sixth council condemned the doctrine of ,honorius1 in the belief that it was the same with that of the ,monothelites1 so the pope has said that he has condemned the doctrine of ,jansenius in these five propositions1 because he was led to suppose it was the same with that of the five propositions4 ,and how could he do otherwise than suppose it8 ,your ,society published nothing else2 and you1 yourself1 father1 who have asserted that the said propositions were in that author 8word for word10 happened to be in ,rome 7for ,i know all your motions7 at the time when the censure was passed4 ,was he to distrust the sincerity or the competence of so many grave ministers of religion8 ,and how could he help being convinced of the fact1 after the assurance which you had given him that the propositions were in that author 8word for word80 ,it is evident1 therefore1 that in the event of its being found that ,jansenius has not supported these doctrines1 it would be wrong to say1 as your writers have done in the cases before mentioned1 that the pope has deceived himself in this point of fact1 which it is painful and offensive to publish at any time2 the proper phrase is1 that you have deceived the pope1 which1 as you are now pretty well known1 will create no scandal4 ,determined1 however1 to have a heresy made out1 let it cost what it may1 you have attempted1 by the following manuvre1 to shift the question from the point of fact1 and make it bear upon a point of faith4 8,the pope10 say you1 8declares that he has condemned the doctrine of ,jansenius in these five propositions2 therefore it is essential to the faith to hold that the doctrine of ,jansenius touching these five propositions is heretical1 let it be what it may40 ,here is a strange point of faith1 that a doctrine is heretical be what it may4 ,what6 if ,jansenius should happen to maintain that 8we are capable of resisting internal grace10 and that 8it is false to say that ,jesus ,christ died for the elect only10 would this doctrine be condemned just because it is his doctrine8 ,will the proposition1 that 8man has a freedom of will to do good or evil10 be true when found in the pope's constitution1 and false when discovered in ,jansenius8 ,by what fatality must he be reduced to such a predicament1 that truth1 when admitted into his book1 becomes heresy8 ,you must confess1 then1 that he is only heretical on the supposition that he is friendly to the errors condemned1 seeing that the constitution of the pope is the rule which we must apply to ,jansenius1 to judge if his character answer the description there given of him2 and1 accordingly1 the question1 ,is his doctrine heretical8 must be resolved by another question of fact1 ,does it correspond to the natural sense of these propositions8 as it must necessarily be heretical if it does correspond to that sense1 and must necessarily be orthodox if it be of an opposite character4 ,for1 in one word1 since1 according to the pope and the bishops1 8the propositions are condemned in their proper and natural sense10 they cannot possibly be condemned in the sense of ,jansenius1 except on the understanding that the sense of ,jansenius is the same with the proper and natural sense of these propositions2 and this ,i maintain to be purely a question of fact4 ,the question1 then1 still rests upon the point of fact1 and cannot possibly be tortured into one affecting the faith4 ,but though incapable of twisting it into a matter of heresy1 you have it in your power to make it a pretext for persecution1 and might1 perhaps1 succeed in this1 were there not good reason to hope that nobody will be found so blindly devoted to your interests as to countenance such a disgraceful proceeding1 or inclined to compel people1 as you wish to do1 to sign a declaration that they condemn these propositions in the sense of ,jansenius1 without explaining what the sense of ,jansenius is4 ,few people are disposed to sign a blank confession of faith4 ,now this would really be to sign one of that description1 leaving you to fill up the blank afterwards with whatsoever you pleased1 as you would be at liberty to interpret according to your own taste the unexplained sense of ,jansenius4 ,let it be explained1 then1 beforehand1 otherwise we shall have1 ,i fear1 another version of your proximate power1 without any sense at all--abstrahendo ab omni sensu4#ccd ,this mode of proceeding1 you must be aware1 does not take with the world4 ,men in general detest all ambiguity1 especially in the matter of religion1 where it is highly reasonable that one should know at least what one is asked to condemn4 ,and how is it possible for doctors1 who are persuaded that ,jansenius can bear no other sense than that of efficacious grace1 to consent to declare that they condemn his doctrine without explaining it1 since1 with their present convictions1 which no means are used to alter1 this would be neither more nor less than to condemn efficacious grace1 which cannot be condemned without sin8 ,would it not1 therefore1 be a piece of monstrous tyranny to place them in such an unhappy dilemma1 that they must either bring guilt upon their souls in the sight of ,god1 by signing that condemnation against their consciences1 or be denounced as heretics for refusing to sign it8#cce ,but there is a mystery under all this4 ,you ,jesuits cannot move a step without a stratagem4 ,it remains for me to explain why you do not explain the sense of ,jansenius4 ,the sole purpose of my writing is to discover your designs1 and1 by discovering1 to frustrate them4 ,i must1 therefore1 inform those who are not already aware of the fact1 that your great concern in this dispute being to uphold the sufficient grace of your ,molina1 you could not effect this without destroying the efficacious grace which stands directly opposed to it4 ,perceiving1 however1 that the latter was now sanctioned at ,rome1 and by all the learned in the ,church1 and unable to combat the doctrine on its own merits1 you resolved to attack it in a clandestine way1 under the name of the doctrine of ,jansenius4 ,you were resolved1 accordingly1 to get ,jansenius condemned without explanation2 and1 to gain your purpose1 gave out that his doctrine was not that of efficacious grace1 so that every one might think he was at liberty to condemn the one without denying the other4 ,hence your efforts1 in the present day1 to impress this idea upon the minds of such as have no acquaintance with that author2 an object which you yourself1 father1 have attempted1 by means of the following ingenious syllogism3 8,the pope has condemned the doctrine of ,jansenius2 but the pope has not condemned efficacious grace3 therefore1 the doctrine of efficacious grace must be different from that of ,jansenius40#ccf ,if this mode of reasoning were conclusive1 it might be demonstrated in the same way that ,honorius and all his defenders are heretics of the same kind4 8,the sixth council has condemned the doctrine of ,honorius2 but the council has not condemned the doctrine of the ,church3 therefore the doctrine of ,honorius is different from that of the ,church2 and therefore all who defend him are heretics40 ,it is obvious that no conclusion can be drawn from this2 for the pope has done no more than condemned the doctrine of the five propositions1 which was represented to him as the doctrine of ,jansenius4 ,but it matters not2 you have no intention to make use of this logic for any length of time4 ,poor as it is1 it will last sufficiently long to serve your present turn4 ,all that you wish to effect by it1 in the mean time1 is to induce those who are unwilling to condemn efficacious grace to condemn ,jansenius with the less scruple4 ,when this object has been accomplished1 your argument will soon be forgotten1 and their signatures remaining as an eternal testimony in condemnation of ,jansenius1 will furnish you with an occasion to make a direct attack upon efficacious grace1 by another mode of reasoning much more solid than the former1 which shall be forthcoming in proper time4 8,the doctrine of ,jansenius10 you will argue1 8has been condemned by the universal subscriptions of the ,church4 ,now this doctrine is manifestly that of efficacious grace0 7and it will be easy for you to prove that72 8therefore the doctrine of efficacious grace is condemned even by the confession of his defenders40 ,behold your reason for proposing to sign the condemnation of a doctrine without giving an explanation of it6 ,behold the advantage you expect to gain from subscriptions thus procured6 ,should your opponents1 however1 refuse to subscribe1 you have another trap laid for them4 ,having dexterously combined the question of faith with that of fact1 and not allowing them to separate between them1 nor to sign the one without the other1 the consequence will be1 that1 because they could not subscribe the two together1 you will publish it in all directions that they have refused the two together4 ,and thus though1 in point of fact1 they simply decline acknowledging that ,jansenius has maintained the propositions which they condemn1 which cannot be called heresy1 you will boldly assert that they have refused to condemn the propositions themselves1 and that it is this that constitutes their heresy4 ,such is the fruit which you expect to reap from their refusal1 and which will be no less useful to you than what you might have gained from their consent4 ,so that1 in the event of these signatures being exacted1 they will fall into your snares1 whether they sign or not1 and in both cases you will gain your point2 such is your dexterity in uniformly putting matters into a train for your own advantage1 whatever bias they may happen to take in their course6 ,how well ,i know you1 father6 and how grieved am ,i to see that ,god has abandoned you so far as to allow you such happy success in such an unhappy course6 ,your good fortune deserves commiseration1 and can excite envy only in the breasts of those who know not what truly good fortune is4 ,it is an act of charity to thwart the success you aim at in the whole of this proceeding1 seeing that you can only reach it by the aid of falsehood1 and by procuring credit to one of two lies--either that the ,church has condemned efficacious grace1 or that those who defend that doctrine maintain the five condemned errors4 ,the world must1 therefore1 be apprized of two facts3 ,first1 ,that1 by your own confession1 efficacious grace has not been condemned2 and secondly1 ,that nobody supports these errors4 ,so that it may be known that those who may refuse to sign what you are so anxious to exact from them1 refuse merely in consideration of the question of fact2 and that1 being quite ready to subscribe that of faith1 they cannot be deemed heretical on that account2 because1 to repeat it once more1 though it be matter of faith to believe these propositions to be heretical1 it will never be matter of faith to hold that they are to be found in the pages of ,jansenius4 ,they are innocent of all error2 that is enough4 ,it may be that they interpret ,jansenius too favorably2 but it may be also that you do not interpret him favorably enough4 ,i do not enter upon this question4 ,all that ,i know is1 that1 according to your maxims1 you believe that you may1 without sin1 publish him to be a heretic contrary to your own knowledge2 whereas1 according to their maxims1 they cannot1 without sin1 declare him to be a ,catholic1 unless they are persuaded that he is one4 ,they are1 therefore1 more honest than you1 father2 they have examined ,jansenius more faithfully than you2 they are no less intelligent than you2 they are1 therefore1 no less credible witnesses than you4 ,but come what may of this point of fact1 they are certainly ,catholics2 for1 in order to be so1 it is not necessary to declare that another man is not a ,catholic2 it is enough1 in all conscience1 if a person1 without charging error upon anybody else1 succeed in discharging himself4 99 99 99 99 99 ,reverend father1--,if you have found any difficulty in deciphering this letter1 which is certainly not printed in the best possible type1 blame nobody but yourself4 ,privileges are not so easily granted to me as they are to you4 ,you can procure them even for the purpose of combating miracles2 ,i cannot have them even to defend myself4 ,the printing-houses are perpetually haunted4 ,in such circumstances1 you yourself would not advise me to write you any more letters for it is really a sad annoyance to be obliged to have recourse to an ,osnabruck impression4#ccg ----- ,footnote #cag3 ,m4 ,nicole furnished the materials for this letter4 7,nicole1 iv4 #cbd47 ,footnote #cah3 ,francis ,annat1 the same person formerly referred to at p4 #ajb4 ,he became ,french provincial of the ,jesuits1 and confessor to ,louis ,,xiv4 ,footnote #cai3 ,a threat1 evidently1 of administering to him the ,mentiris impudentissime of the ,capuchin1 mentioned at p4 #caj4 ,footnote #cbj3 ,the constitution--that is1 the bull of ,pope ,alexander ,,vii41 issued in ,october #afef1 in which he not only condemned the ,five ,propositions1 but1 in compliance with the solicitations of the ,jesuits1 added an express clause1 to the effect that these had been faithfully extracted from ,jansenius1 and were heretical in the sense in which he 7,jansenius7 employed them4 ,this was a more stringent constitution than the first2 but the ,jansenists were ready to meet him on this point2 they replied that a declaration of this nature overstepped the limits of the papal authority1 and that the pope's infallibility did not extend to a judgment of facts4 ,footnote #cba3 ,the ,five ,propositions4--,a brief view of these celebrated ,propositions may be here given1 as necessary to the understanding of the text4 ,they were as follows3--,i4 ,that some commandments of ,god are impracticable even to the righteous1 who desire to keep them1 according to their present strength4 ,,ii4 ,that grace is irresistible4 ,,iii4 ,that moral freedom consists1 not in exemption from necessity1 but from constraint4 ,,iv4 ,that to assert that the will may resist or obey the motions of converting grace as it pleased1 was a heresy of the semi-,pelagians4 ,v4 ,that to assert that ,jesus ,christ died for all men1 without exception1 is an error of the semi-,pelagians4 ,for a fuller explication of the controversy1 the reader must be referred to the ,introduction4 ,footnote #cbb3 ,pascal might say this with truth1 for his only relatives being nuns1 the tie of earthly relationship was considered by him as no longer existing2 and beyond personal friendship1 he had really no connection with ,port-,royal4 ,there is as little truth as force1 therefore1 in the taunt of a late advocate of the ,jesuits1 who says1 in reference to this passage1 8,pascal was intimately connected with ,port-,royal1 he was even numbered among its recluses2 and yet1 in the act of unmasking the presumed duplicity of the ,jesuits1 the sublime writer did not scruple to imitate it40 7,hist4 de la ,comp4 de ,jsus1 par ,j4 ,cretineau-,joly1 tom4 iv4 p4 #ed4 ,paris1 #ahde47 ,footnote #cbc3 8,this book of the ,holy ,virginity was a translation from ,st4 ,augustine1 made by ,father ,seguenot1 priest of the ,oratory4 ,so far1 all was right2 but the priest had added to the original text some odd and peculiar remarks of his own1 which merited censure4 ,as the publication came from the ,oratory1 a community always attached to the doctrine of ,st4 ,augustine1 an attempt was made to throw the blame on those called ,jansenists40 7,note by ,nicole1 iv4 #ccb47 ,footnote #cbd3 8,m4 ,jacques de ,sainte-,beuve1 one of the ablest divines of his age1 preferred to relinquish his chair in the ,sorbonne rather than concur in the censure of ,m4 ,arnauld1 whose orthodoxy he regarded as beyond suspicion4 ,he died in #afgg40 7,note by ,nicole47 ,footnote #cbe3 ,this work was entitled 8,on the ,victorious ,grace of ,jesus ,christ2 or1 ,molina and his followers convicted of the error of the ,pelagians and ,semi-,pelagians4 ,by the ,sieur de ,bonlieu4 ,paris1 #afea40 ,the real author was the celebrated ,m4 de la ,lane1 well known in that controversy4 7,note by ,nicole47 ,footnote #cbf3 ,rponse a quelques demandes1 pp4 #bg1 #dg4 ,footnote #cbg3 ,these judgments1 or ,vota ,consultorum1 as they were called1 have been often printed1 and particularly at the end of the ,journal de ,m4 de ,st4 ,amour--a book essentially necessary to the right understanding of all the intrigues employed in the condemnation of ,jansenius4 7,note by ,nicole47 ,footnote #cbh3 ,this was ,francis du ,bosquet1 who1 from being ,bishop of ,lodeve1 was made ,bishop of ,montpelier in #afee1 and died in #afgf4 ,he was one of the most learned bishops of his time in ecclesiastical matters4 7,note by ,nicole47 ,footnote #cbi3 ,cavill1 p4 #ce4 ,footnote #ccj3 ,m4 de ,marca1 an illustrious prelate1 who was ,archbishop of ,toulouse1 before he was nominated to the see of ,paris1 of which he was only prevented by death from taking possession4 7,nicole47 ,footnote #cca3 ,nestorian heresy--so called from ,nestorius1 ,bishop of ,constantinople1 in the fifth century1 who was accused of dividing ,christ into two persons2 in other words1 representing his human nature a distinct person from his divine4 ,there is some reason to think1 however1 that he was quite sound in the faith1 and that his real offence was his opposition to the use of the phrase1 which then came into vogue1 the ,mother of ,god1 as applied to the ,virgin1 whom he called1 in preference1 the ,mother of ,christ4 ,footnote #ccb3 ,this was ,james ,sirmond 7the uncle of ,anthony1 formerly mentioned71 a learned ,jesuit1 and confessor to ,louis ,,xiii4 ,he was distinguished as an ecclesiastical historian4 7,tableau de la ,litt4 ,fran41 iv4 #bjb47 ,footnote #ccc3 ,the ,monothelites1 who arose in the seventh century1 were so called from holding that there was but one will in ,christ1 his human will being absorbed1 as it were1 in the divine4 ,footnote #ccd3 ,see ,letter i41 p4 #gd4 ,footnote #cce3 ,the persecution here supposed was soon lamentably realized1 and exactly in the way which our author seemed to think impossible4 ,footnote #ccf3 ,cavill1 p4 #bc4 ,footnote #ccg3 ,this postscript1 which is wanting in the ordinary editions1 appeared in the first edition at the close of this letter4 ,from this it appears that1 in consequence of the extreme desire of the ,jesuits to discover the author1 and their increasing resentment against him1 he was compelled to send this letter to ,osnabruck1 an obscure place in ,germany1 where it was printed in a very small and indistinct character4 ,the privileges referred to were official licenses to print books1 which1 at this time1 when the ,jesuits were in power1 it was difficult for their opponents to obtain4 ,annat had published against the miracles of ,port-,royal4 ,pascal was not permitted to publish in self-defence4 ,at the same period1 no ,protestant books could be printed at ,paris2 they were generally sent to ,geneva or the ,low ,countries for this purpose1 or published furtively under fictitious names4 ,,letter ,,xviii4 ,,to ,,the ,,reverend ,,father ,,annat1 ,,jesuit4 ,,showing ,,still ,,more ,,plainly1 ,,on ,,the ,,authority ,,of ,,father ,,annat ,,himself1 ,,that ,,there ,,is ,,really ,,no ,,heresy ,,in ,,the ,,church1 ,,and ,,that ,,in ,,questions ,,of ,,fact ,,we ,,must ,,be ,,guided ,,by ,,our ,,senses1 ,,and ,,not ,,by ,,authority ,,even ,,of ,,the ,,popes4 ,march #bd1 #afeg4 ,,reverend ,,father1--,long have you labored to discover some error in the creed or conduct of your opponents2 but ,i rather think you will have to confess1 in the end1 that it is a more difficult task than you imagined to make heretics of people who are not only no heretics1 but who hate nothing in the world so much as heresy4 ,in my last letter ,i succeeded in showing that you accuse them of one heresy after another1 without being able to stand by one of the charges for any length of time2 so that all that remained for you was to fix on their refusal to condemn 8the sense of ,jansenius10 which you insist on their doing without explanation4 ,you must have been sadly in want of heresies to brand them with1 when you were reduced to this4 ,for1 who ever heard of a heresy which nobody could explain8 ,the answer was ready1 therefore1 that if ,jansenius has no errors1 it is wrong to condemn him2 and if he has1 you were bound to point them out1 that we might know at least what we were condemning4 ,this1 however1 you have never yet been pleased to do2 but you have attempted to fortify your position by decrees1#cch which made nothing in your favor1 as they gave no sort of explanation of the sense of ,jansenius1 said to have been condemned in the five propositions4 ,this was not the way to terminate the dispute4 ,had you mutually agreed as to the genuine sense of ,jansenius1 and had the only difference between you been as to whether that sense was heretical or not1 in that case the decisions which might pronounce it to be heretical1 would have touched the real question in dispute4 ,but the great dispute being about the sense of ,jansenius1 the one party saying that they could see nothing in it inconsistent with the sense of ,st4 ,augustine and ,st4 ,thomas1 and the other party asserting that they saw in it an heretical sense which they would not express4 ,it is clear that a constitution#cci which does not say a word about this difference of opinion1 and which only condemns in general and without explanation the sense of ,jansenius1 leaves the point in dispute quite undecided4 ,you have accordingly been repeatedly told1 that as your discussion turns on a matter of fact1 you would never be able to bring it to a conclusion without declaring what you understand by the sense of ,jansenius4 ,but1 as you continued obstinate in your refusal to make this explanation1 ,i endeavored1 as a last resource1 to extort it from you1 by hinting1 in my last letter1 that there was some mystery under the efforts you were making to procure the condemnation of this sense without explaining it1 and that your design was to make this indefinite censure recoil1 some day or other1 upon the doctrine of efficacious grace1 by showing1 as you could easily do1 that this was exactly the doctrine of ,jansenius4 ,this has reduced you to the necessity of making a reply2 for1 had you pertinaciously refused1 after such an insinuation1 to explain your views of that sense1 it would have been apparent1 to persons of the smallest penetration1 that you condemned it in the sense of efficacious grace--a conclusion which1 considering the veneration in which the ,church holds that holy doctrine1 would have overwhelmed you with disgrace4 ,you have1 therefore1 been forced to speak out your mind2 and we find it expressed in your reply to that part of my letter in which ,i remarked1 that 8if ,jansenius was capable of any other sense than that of efficacious grace1 he had no defenders2 but if his writings bore no other sense1 he had no errors to defend40 ,you found it impossible to deny this position1 father2 but you have attempted to parry it by the following distinction3 8,it is not sufficient10 say you1 8for the vindication of ,jansenius1 to allege that he merely holds the doctrine of efficacious grace1 for that may be held in two ways--the one heretical1 according to ,calvin1 which consists in maintaining that the will1 when under the influence of grace1 has not the power of resisting it2 the other orthodox1 according to the ,thomists and the ,sorbonists1 which is founded on the principles established by the councils1 and which is1 that efficacious grace of itself governs the will in such a way that it still has the power of resisting it40 ,all this we grant1 father2 but you conclude by adding3 8,jansenius would be orthodox1 if he defended efficacious grace in the sense of the ,thomists2 but he is heretical1 because he opposes the ,thomists1 and joins issue with ,calvin1 who denies the power of resisting grace40 ,i do not here enter upon the question of fact1 whether ,jansenius really agrees with ,calvin4 ,it is enough for my purpose that you assert that he does1 and that you now inform me that by the sense of ,jansenius you have all along understood nothing more than the sense of ,calvin4 ,was this all you meant1 then1 father8 ,was it only the error of ,calvin that you were so anxious to get condemned1 under the name of 8the sense of ,jansenius80 ,why did you not tell us this sooner8 ,you might have saved yourself a world of trouble2 for we were all ready1 without the aid of bulls or briefs1 to join with you in condemning that error4 ,what urgent necessity there was for such an explanation6 ,what a host of difficulties has it removed6 ,we were quite at a loss1 my dear father1 to know what error the popes and bishops meant to condemn1 under the name of 8the sense of ,jansenius40 ,the whole ,church was in the utmost perplexity about it1 and not a soul would relieve us by an explanation4 ,this1 however1 has now been done by you1 father--you whom the whole of your party regard as the chief and prime mover of all their councils1 and who are acquainted with the whole secret of this proceeding4 ,you1 then1 have told us that the sense of ,jansenius is neither more nor less than the sense of ,calvin1 which has been condemned by the council4#cdj ,why1 this explains everything4 ,we know now that the error which they intended to condemn1 under these terms--the sense of ,jansenius--is neither more nor less than the sense of ,calvin2 and that1 consequently1 we1 by joining with them in the condemnation of ,calvin's doctrine1 have yielded all due obedience to these decrees4 ,we are no longer surprised at the zeal which the popes and some bishops manifested against 8the sense of ,jansenius40 ,how1 indeed1 could they be otherwise than zealous against it1 believing as they did the declarations of those who publicly affirmed that it was identically the same with that of ,calvin8 ,i must maintain1 then1 father1 that you have no further reason to quarrel with your adversaries2 for they detest that doctrine as heartily as you do4 ,i am only astonished to see that you are ignorant of this fact1 and that you have such an imperfect acquaintance with their sentiments on this point1 which they have so repeatedly expressed in their published works4 ,i flatter myself that1 were you more intimate with these writings1 you would deeply regret your not having made yourself acquainted sooner1 in the spirit of peace1 with a doctrine which is in every respect so holy and so ,christian1 but which passion1 in the absence of knowledge1 now prompts you to oppose4 ,you would find1 father1 that they not only hold that an effective resistance may be made to those feebler graces which go under the name of exciting or inefficacious1 from their not terminating in the good with which they inspire us2 but that they are1 moreover1 as firm in maintaining1 in opposition to ,calvin1 the power which the will has to resist even efficacious and victorious grace1 as they are in contending against ,molina for the power of this grace over the will1 and fully as jealous for the one of these truths as they are for the other4 ,they know too well that man1 of his own nature1 has always the power of sinning and of resisting grace2 and that1 since he became corrupt1 he unhappily carries in his breast a fount of concupiscence which infinitely augments that power2 but that1 notwithstanding this1 when it pleases ,god to visit him with his mercy1 he makes the soul do what he wills1 and in the manner he wills it to be done1 while1 at the same time1 the infallibility of the divine operation does not in any way destroy the natural liberty of man1 in consequence of the secret and wonderful ways by which ,god operates this change4 ,this has been most admirably explained by ,st4 ,augustine1 in such a way as to dissipate all those imaginary inconsistencies which the opponents of efficacious grace suppose to exist between the sovereign power of grace over the free-will and the power which the free-will has to resist grace4 ,for1 according to this great saint1 whom the popes and the ,church have held to be a standard authority on this subject1 ,god transforms the heart of man1 by shedding abroad in it a heavenly sweetness1 which1 surmounting the delights of the flesh1 and inducing him to feel1 on the one hand1 his own mortality and nothingness1 and to discover1 on the other hand1 the majesty and eternity of ,god1 makes him conceive a distaste for the pleasures of sin1 which interpose between him and incorruptible happiness4 ,finding his chiefest joy in the ,god who charms him1 his soul is drawn towards him infallibly1 but of its own accord1 by a motion perfectly free1 spontaneous1 love-impelled2 so that it would be its torment and punishment to be separated from him4 ,not but that the person has always the power of forsaking his ,god1 and that he may not actually forsake him1 provided he choose to do it4 ,but how could he choose such a course1 seeing that the will always inclines to that which is most agreeable to it1 and that in the case we now suppose nothing can be more agreeable than the possession of that one good1 which comprises in itself all other good things4 8,quod enim 7says ,st4 ,augustine7 amplius nos delectat1 secundum operemur necesse est--,our actions are necessarily determined by that which affords us the greatest pleasure40 ,such is the manner in which ,god regulates the free will of man without encroaching on its freedom1 and in which the free will1 which always may1 but never will1 resist his grace1 turns to ,god with a movement as voluntary as it is irresistible1 whensoever he is pleased to draw it to himself by the sweet constraint of his efficacious inspirations4#cda ,these1 father1 are the divine principles of ,st4 ,augustine and ,st4 ,thomas1 according to which it is equally true that we have the power of resisting grace1 contrary to ,calvin's opinion1 and that1 nevertheless1 to employ the language of ,pope ,clement ,,viii41 in his paper addressed to the ,congregation de ,auxiliis1 8,god forms within us the motion of our will1 and effectually disposes of our hearts1 by virtue of that empire which his supreme majesty has over the volitions of men1 as well as over the other creatures under heaven1 according to ,st4 ,augustine40 ,on the same principle1 it follows that we act of ourselves1 and thus1 in opposition to another error of ,calvin1 that we have merits which are truly and properly ours2 and yet1 as ,god is the first principle of our actions1 and as1 in the language of ,st4 ,paul1 he 8worketh in us that which is pleasing in his sight20 8our merits are the gifts of ,god10 as the ,council of ,trent says4 ,by means of this distinction we demolish the profane sentiment of ,luther1 condemned by that ,council1 namely1 that 8we co-operate in no way whatever towards our salvation1 any more than inanimate things20#cdb and1 by the same mode of reasoning1 we overthrow the equally profane sentiment of the school of ,molina1 who will not allow that it is by the strength of divine grace that we are enabled to co-operate with it in the work of our salvation1 and who thereby comes into hostile collision with that principle of faith established by ,st4 ,paul1 8,that it is ,god who worketh in us both to will and to do40 ,in fine1 in this way we reconcile all those passages of ,scripture which seem quite inconsistent with each other1 such as the following3 8,turn ye unto ,god0--8,turn thou us1 and we shall be turned0--8,cast away iniquity from you0--8,it is ,god who taketh away iniquity from his people0--8,bring forth works meet for repentance0--8,lord1 thou hast wrought all our works in us0--8,make ye a new heart and a new spirit0--8,a new spirit will ,i give you1 and a new heart will ,i create within you10 c4 ,the only way of reconciling these apparent contrarieties1 which ascribe our good actions at one time to ,god1 and at another time to ourselves1 is to keep in view the distinction1 as stated by ,st4 ,augustine1 that 8our actions are ours in respect of the free will which produces them2 but that they are also of ,god1 in respect of his grace which enables our free will to produce them20 and that1 as the same writer elsewhere remarks1 8,god enables us to do what is pleasing in his sight1 by making us will to do even what we might have been unwilling to do40 ,it thus appears1 father1 that your opponents are perfectly at one with the modern ,thomists1 for the ,thomists hold1 with them1 both the power of resisting grace1 and the infallibility of the effect of grace2 of which latter doctrine they profess themselves the most strenuous advocates1 if we may judge from a common maxim of their theology1 which ,alvarez1#cdc one of the leading men among them1 repeats so often in his book1 and expresses in the following terms 7disp4 #gb1 n4 #d73 8,when efficacious grace moves the free will1 it infallibly consents2 because the effect of grace is such1 that1 although the will has the power of withholding its consent1 it nevertheless consents in effect40 ,he corroborates this by a quotation from his master1 ,st4 ,thomas3 8,the will of ,god cannot fail to be accomplished2 and1 accordingly1 when it is his pleasure that a man should consent to the influence of grace1 he consents infallibly1 and even necessarily1 not by an absolute necessity1 but by a necessity of infallibility40 ,in effecting this1 divine grace does not trench upon 8the power which man has to resist it1 if he wishes to do so20 it merely prevents him from wishing to resist it4 ,this has been acknowledged by your ,father ,petau1 in the following passage 7tom4 i4 p4 #fjb73 8,the grace of ,jesus ,christ insures infallible perseverance in piety1 though not by necessity2 for a person may refuse to yield his consent to grace1 if he be so inclined1 as the council states2 but that same grace provides that he shall never be so inclined40 ,this1 father1 is the uniform doctrine of ,st4 ,augustine1 of ,st4 ,prosper1 of the fathers who followed them1 of the councils1 of ,st4 ,thomas1 and of all the ,thomists in general4 ,it is likewise1 whatever you may think of it1 the doctrine of your opponents4 ,and let me add1 it is the doctrine which you yourself have lately sealed with your approbation4 ,i shall quote your own words3 8,the doctrine of efficacious grace1 which admits that we have a power of resisting it1 is orthodox1 founded on the councils1 and supported by the ,thomists and ,sorbonists40 ,now1 tell us the plain truth1 father2 if you had known that your opponents really held this doctrine1 the interests of your ,society might perhaps have made you scruple before pronouncing this public approval of it2 but1 acting on the supposition that they were hostile to the doctrine1 the same powerful motive has induced you to authorize sentiments which you know in your heart to be contrary to those of your ,society2 and by this blunder1 in your anxiety to ruin their principles1 you have yourself completely confirmed them4 ,so that1 by a kind of prodigy1 we now behold the advocates of efficacious grace vindicated by the advocates of ,molina--an admirable instance of the wisdom of ,god in making all things concur to advance the glory of the truth4 ,let the whole world observe1 then1 that by your own admission1 the truth of this efficacious grace1 which is so essential to all the acts of piety1 which is so dear to the ,church1 and which is the purchase of her ,saviour's blood1 is so indisputably ,catholic1 that there is not a single ,catholic1 not even among the ,jesuits1 who would not acknowledge its orthodoxy4 ,and let it be noticed1 at the same time1 that1 according to your own confession1 not the slightest suspicion of error can fall on those whom you have so often stigmatized with it4 ,for so long as you charged them with clandestine heresies1 without choosing to specify them by name1 it was as difficult for them to defend themselves as it was easy for you to bring such accusations4 ,but now1 when you have come to declare that the error which constrains you to oppose them1 is the heresy of ,calvin which you supposed them to hold1 it must be apparent to every one that they are innocent of all error2 for so decidedly hostile are they to this1 the only error you charge upon them1 that they protest1 by their discourses1 by their books1 by every mode1 in short1 in which they can testify their sentiments1 that they condemn that heresy with their whole heart1 and in the same manner as it has been condemned by the ,thomists1 whom you acknowledge1 without scruple1 to be ,catholics1 and who have never been suspected to be anything else4 ,what will you say against them now1 father8 ,will you say that they are heretics still1 because1 although they do not adopt the sense of ,calvin1 they will not allow that the sense of ,jansenius is the same with that of ,calvin8 ,will you presume to say that this is matter of heresy8 ,is it not a pure question of fact1 with which heresy has nothing to do8 ,it would be heretical to say that we have not the power of resisting efficacious grace2 but would it be so to doubt that ,jansenius held that doctrine8 ,is this a revealed truth8 ,is it an article of faith which must be believed1 on pain of damnation8 or is it not1 in spite of you1 a point of fact1 on account of which it would be ridiculous to hold that there were heretics in the ,church4 ,drop this epithet1 then1 father1 and give them some other name1 more suited to the nature of your dispute4 ,tell them1 they are ignorant and stupid--that they misunderstand ,jansenius4 ,these would be charges in keeping with your controversy2 but it is quite irrelevant to call them heretics4 ,as this1 however1 is the only charge from which ,i am anxious to defend them1 ,i shall not give myself much trouble to show that they rightly understand ,jansenius4 ,all ,i shall say on the point1 father1 is1 that it appears to me that were he to be judged according to your own rules1 it would be difficult to prove him not to be a good ,catholic4 ,we shall try him by the test you have proposed4 8,to know10 say you1 8whether ,jansenius is sound or not1 we must inquire whether he defends efficacious grace in the manner of ,calvin1 who denies that man has the power of resisting it--in which case he would be heretical2 or in the manner of the ,thomists1 who admit that it may be resisted--for then he would be ,catholic40 ,judge1 then1 father1 whether he holds that grace may be resisted1 when he says1 8,that we have always a power to resist grace1 according to the council2 that free will may always act or not act1 will or not will1 consent or not consent1 do good or do evil2 and that man1 in this life1 has always these two liberties1 which may be called by some contradictions40#cdd ,judge1 likewise1 if he be not opposed to the error of ,calvin1 as you have described it1 when he occupies a whole chapter 7#bast7 in showing 8that the ,church has condemned that heretic who denies that efficacious grace acts on the free will in the manner which has been so long believed in the ,church1 so as to leave it in the power of free will to consent or not to consent2 whereas1 according to ,st4 ,augustine and the council1 we have always the power of withholding our consent if we choose2 and according to ,st4 ,prosper1 ,god bestows even upon his elect the will to persevere1 in such a way as not to deprive them of the power to will the contrary40 ,and1 in one word1 judge if he do not agree with the ,thomists1 from the following declaration in chapter #dth3 8,that all that the ,thomists have written with the view of reconciling the efficaciousness of grace with the power of resisting it1 so entirely coincides with his judgment1 that to ascertain his sentiments on this subject1 we have only to consult their writings40 ,such being the language he holds on these heads1 my opinion is1 that he believes in the power of resisting grace2 that he differs from ,calvin1 and agrees with the ,thomists1 because he has said so2 and that he is1 therefore1 according to your own showing1 a ,catholic4 ,if you have any means of knowing the sense of an author otherwise than by his expressions2 and if1 without quoting any of his passages1 you are disposed to maintain1 in direct opposition to his own words1 that he denies this power of resistance1 and that he is for ,calvin and against the ,thomists1 do not be afraid1 father1 that ,i will accuse you of heresy for that4 ,i shall only say1 that you do not seem properly to understand ,jansenius2 but we shall not be the less on that account children of the same ,church4 ,how comes it1 then1 father1 that you manage this dispute in such a passionate spirit1 and that you treat as your most cruel enemies1 and as the most pestilent of heretics1 a class of persons whom you cannot accuse of any error1 nor of anything whatever1 except that they do not understand ,jansenius as you do8 ,for what else in the world do you dispute about1 except the sense of that author8 ,you would have them to condemn it4 ,they ask what you mean them to condemn4 ,you reply1 that you mean the error of ,calvin4 ,they rejoin that they condemn that error2 and with this acknowledgment 7unless it is syllables you wish to condemn1 and not the thing which they signify71 you ought to rest satisfied4 ,if they refuse to say that they condemn the sense of ,jansenius1 it is because they believe it to be that of ,st4 ,thomas1 and thus this unhappy phrase has a very equivocal meaning betwixt you4 ,in your mouth it signifies the sense of ,calvin2 in theirs the sense of ,st4 ,thomas4 ,your dissensions arise entirely from the different ideas which you attach to the same term4 ,were ,i made umpire in the quarrel1 ,i would interdict the use of the word ,jansenius1 on both sides2 and thus1 by obliging you merely to express what you understand by it1 it would be seen that you ask nothing more than the condemnation of ,calvin1 to which they willingly agree2 and that they ask nothing more than the vindication of the sense of ,st4 ,augustine and ,st4 ,thomas1 in which you again perfectly coincide4 ,i declare1 then1 father1 that for my part ,i shall continue to regard them as good ,catholics1 whether they condemn ,jansenius1 on finding him erroneous1 or refuse to condemn him1 from finding that he maintains nothing more than what you yourself acknowledge to be orthodox2 and that ,i shall say to them what ,st4 ,jerome said to ,john1 bishop of ,jerusalem1 who was accused of holding the eight propositions of ,origen3 8,either condemn ,origen1 if you acknowledge that he has maintained these errors1 or else deny that he has maintained them--,aut nega hoc dixisse eum qui arguitur2 aut si locutus est talia1 eum damna qui dixerit40 ,see1 father1 how these persons acted1 whose sole concern was with principles1 and not with persons2 whereas you who aim at persons more than principles1 consider it a matter of no consequence to condemn errors1 unless you procure the condemnation of the individuals to whom you choose to impute them4 ,how ridiculously violent your conduct is1 father6 and how ill calculated to insure success6 ,i told you before1 and ,i repeat it1 violence and verity can make no impression on each other4 ,never were your accusations more outrageous1 and never was the innocence of your opponents more discernible3 never has efficacious grace been attacked with greater subtility1 and never has it been more triumphantly established4 ,you have made the most desperate efforts to convince people that your disputes involved points of faith2 and never was it more apparent that the whole controversy turned upon a mere point of fact4 ,in fine1 you have moved heaven and earth to make it appear that this point of fact is founded on truth2 and never were people more disposed to call it in question4 ,and the obvious reason of this is1 that you do not take the natural course to make them believe a point of fact1 which is to convince their senses1 and point out to them in a book the words which you allege are to be found in it4 ,the means you have adopted are so far removed from this straightforward course1 that the most obtuse minds are unavoidably struck by observing it4 ,why did you not take the plan which ,i followed in bringing to light the wicked maxims of your authors--which was to cite faithfully the passages of their writings from which they were extracted8 ,this was the mode followed by the curs of ,paris1 and it never fails to produce conviction4 ,but1 when you were charged by them with holding1 for example1 the proposition of ,father ,lamy1 that a 8monk may kill a person who threatens to publish calumnies against himself or his order1 when he cannot otherwise prevent the publication10--what would you have thought1 and what would the public have said1 if they had not quoted the place where that sentiment is literally to be found8 or if1 after having been repeatedly demanded to quote their authority1 they still obstinately refused to do it8 or if1 instead of acceding to this1 they had gone off to ,rome1 and procured a bull1 ordaining all men to acknowledge the truth of their statement8 ,would it not be undoubtedly concluded that they had surprised the pope1 and that they would never have had recourse to this extraordinary method1 but for want of the natural means of substantiating the truth1 which matters of fact furnish to all who undertake to prove them8 ,accordingly1 they had no more to do than to tell us that ,father ,lamy teaches this doctrine in tome #e1 disp4 #cf1 n4 #aah1 page #edd1 of the ,douay edition2 and by this means everybody who wished to see it found it out1 and nobody could doubt about it any longer4 ,this appears to be a very easy and prompt way of putting an end to controversies of fact1 when one has got the right side of the question4 ,how comes it1 then1 father1 that you do not follow this plan8 ,you said1 in your book1 that the five propositions are in ,jansenius1 word for word1 in the identical terms--iisdem verbis4 ,you were told they were not4 ,what had you to do after this1 but either to cite the page1 if you had really found the words1 or to acknowledge that you were mistaken4 ,but you have done neither the one nor the other4 ,in place of this1 on finding that all the passages from ,jansenius1 which you sometimes adduce for the purpose of hoodwinking the people1 are not 8the condemned propositions in their individual identity10 as you had engaged to show us1 you present us with ,constitutions from ,rome1 which1 without specifying any particular place1 declare that the propositions have been extracted from his book4 ,i am sensible1 father1 of the respect which ,christians owe to the ,holy ,see1 and your antagonists give sufficient evidence of their resolution ever to abide by its decisions4 ,do not imagine that it implied any deficiency in this due deference on their part1 that they represented to the pope1 with all the submission which children owe to their father1 and members to their head1 that it was possible he might be deceived on this point of fact--that he had not caused it to be investigated during his pontificate2 and that his predecessor1 ,innocent ,x41 had merely examined into the heretical character of the propositions1 and not into the fact of their connection with ,jansenius4 ,this they stated to the commissary of the ,holy ,office1 one of the principal examinators1 stating1 that they could not be censured1 according to the sense of any author1 because they had been presented for examination on their own merits1 and without considering to what author they might belong3 further1 that upwards of sixty doctors1 and a vast number of other persons of learning and piety1 had read that book carefully over1 without ever having encountered the proscribed propositions1 and that they have found some of a quite opposite description3 that those who had produced that impression on the mind of the pope1 might be reasonably presumed to have abused the confidence he reposed in them1 inasmuch as they had an interest in decrying that author1 who has convicted ,molina of upwards of fifty errors3#cde that what renders this supposition still more probable is1 that they have a certain maxim among them1 one of the best authenticated in their whole system of theology1 which is1 8that they may1 without criminality1 calumniate those by whom they conceive themselves to be unjustly attacked30 and that1 accordingly1 their testimony being so suspicious1 and the testimony of the other party so respectable1 they had some ground for supplicating his holiness1 with the most profound humility1 that he would ordain an investigation to be made into this fact1 in the presence of doctors belonging to both parties1 in order that a solemn and regular decision might be formed on the point in dispute4 8,let there be a convocation of able judges 7says ,st4 ,basil on a similar occasion1 ,ep4 #ge72 let each of them be left at perfect freedom2 let them examine my writings2 let them judge if they contain errors against the faith2 let them read the objections and the replies2 that so a judgment may be given in due form1 and with proper knowledge of the case1 and not a defamatory libel without examination40 ,it is quite vain for you1 father1 to represent those who would act in the manner ,i have now supposed as deficient in proper subjection to the ,holy ,see4 ,the popes are very far from being disposed to treat ,christians with that imperiousness which some would fain exercise under their name4 8,the ,church10 says ,pope ,st4 ,gregory1#cdf 8which has been trained in the school of humility1 does not command with authority1 but persuades by reason1 her children whom she believes to be in error1 to obey what she has taught them40 ,and so far from deeming it a disgrace to review a judgment into which they may have been surprised1 we have the testimony of ,st4 ,bernard for saying that they glory in acknowledging the mistake4 8,the ,apostolic ,see 7he says1 ,ep4 #ahj7 can boast of this recommendation1 that it never stands on the point of honor1 but willingly revokes a decision that has been gained from it by surprise2 indeed1 it is highly just to prevent any from profiting by an act of injustice1 and more especially before the ,holy ,see40 ,such1 father1 are the proper sentiments with which the popes ought to be inspired2 for all divines are agreed that they may be surprised1#cdg and that their supreme character1 so far from warranting them against mistakes1 exposes them the more readily to fall into them1 on account of the vast number of cares which claim their attention4 ,this is what the same ,st4 ,gregory says to some persons who were astonished at the circumstance of another pope having suffered himself to be deluded3 8,why do you wonder10 says he1 8that we should be deceived1 we who are but men8 ,have you not read that ,david1 a king who had the spirit of prophecy1 was induced1 by giving credit to the falsehoods of ,ziba1 to pronounce an unjust judgment against the son of ,jonathan8 ,who will think it strange1 then1 that we1 who are not prophets1 should sometimes be imposed upon by deceivers8 ,a multiplicity of affairs presses on us1 and our minds1 which1 by being obliged to attend to so many things at once1 apply themselves less closely to each in particular1 are the more easily liable to be imposed upon in individual cases40#cdh ,truly1 father1 ,i should suppose that the popes know better than you whether they may be deceived or not4 ,they themselves tell us that popes1 as well as the greatest princes1 are more exposed to deception than individuals who are less occupied with important avocations4 ,this must be believed on their testimony4 ,and it is easy to imagine by what means they come to be thus over-reached4 ,st4 ,bernard1 in the letter which he wrote to ,innocent ,,ii41 gives us the following description of the process3 8,it is no wonder1 and no novelty1 that the human mind may be deceived1 and is deceived4 ,you are surrounded by monks who come to you in the spirit of lying and deceit4 ,they have filled your ears with stories against a bishop1 whose life has been most exemplary1 but who is the object of their hatred4 ,these persons bite like dogs1 and strive to make good appear evil4 ,meanwhile1 most holy father1 you put yourself into a rage against your own son4 ,why have you afforded matter of joy to his enemies8 ,believe not every spirit1 but try the spirits whether they be of ,god4 ,i trust that1 when you have ascertained the truth1 all this delusion1 which rests on a false report1 will be dissipated4 ,i pray the ,spirit of truth to grant you the grace to separate light from darkness1 and to favor the good by rejecting the evil40 ,you see then1 father1 that the eminent rank of the popes does not exempt them from the influence of delusion2 and ,i may now add1 that it only serves to render their mistakes more dangerous and important than those of other men4 ,this is the light in which ,st4 ,bernard represents them to ,pope ,eugenius3 8,there is another fault1 so common among the great of this world1 that ,i never met one of them who was free from it2 and that is1 holy father1 an excessive credulity1 the source of numerous disorders4 ,from this proceed violent persecutions against the innocent1 unfounded prejudices against the absent1 and tremendous storms about nothing 7pro nihilo74 ,this1 holy father1 is a universal evil1 from the influence of which1 if you are exempt1 ,i shall only say1 you are the only individual among all your compeers who can boast of that privilege40#cdi ,i imagine1 father1 that the proofs ,i have brought are beginning to convince you that the popes are liable to be surprised4 ,but1 to complete your conversion1 ,i shall merely remind you of some examples1 which you yourself have quoted in your book1 of popes and emperors whom heretics have actually deceived4 ,you will remember1 then1 that you have told us that ,apollinarius surprised ,pope ,damasius1 in the same way that ,celestius surprised ,zozimus4 ,you inform us1 besides1 that one called ,athanasius deceived the ,emperor ,heraclius1 and prevailed on him to persecute the ,catholics4 ,and lastly1 that ,sergius obtained from ,honorius that infamous decretal which was burned at the sixth council1 8by playing the busy-body10 as you say1 8about the person of that pope40 ,it appears1 then1 father1 by your own confession1 that those who act this part about the persons of kings and popes1 do sometimes artfully entice them to persecute the faithful defenders of the truth1 under the persuasion that they are persecuting heretics4 ,and hence the popes1 who hold nothing in greater horror than these surprisals1 have1 by a letter of ,alexander ,,iii41 enacted an ecclesiastical statute1 which is inserted in the canonical law1 to permit the suspension of the execution of their bulls and decretals1 when there is ground to suspect that they have been imposed upon4 8,if10 says that pope to the ,archbishop of ,ravenna1 8we sometimes send decretals to your fraternity which are opposed to your sentiments1 give yourselves no distress on that account4 ,we shall expect you either to carry them respectfully into execution1 or to send us the reason why you conceive they ought not to be executed2 for we deem it right that you should not execute a decree1 which may have been procured from us by artifice and surprise40 ,such has been the course pursued by the popes1 whose sole object is to settle the disputes of ,christians1 and not to follow the passionate counsels of those who strive to involve them in trouble and perplexity4 ,following the advice of ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,paul1 who in this followed the commandment of ,jesus ,christ1 they avoid domination4 ,the spirit which appears in their whole conduct is that of peace and truth4#cej ,in this spirit they ordinarily insert in their letters this clause1 which is tacitly understood in them all--8,si ita est--si preces veritate nilantur--,if it be so as we have heard it--if the facts be true40 ,it is quite clear1 if the popes themselves give no force to their bulls1 except in so far as they are founded on genuine facts1 that it is not the bulls alone that prove the truth of the facts1 but that1 on the contrary1 even according to the canonists1 it is the truth of the facts which renders the bulls lawfully admissible4 ,in what way1 then1 are we to learn the truth of facts8 ,it must be by the eyes1 father1 which are the legitimate judges of such matters1 as reason is the proper judge of things natural and intelligible1 and faith of things supernatural and revealed4 ,for1 since you will force me into this discussion1 you must allow me to tell you1 that1 according to the sentiments of the two greatest doctors of the ,church1 ,st4 ,augustine and ,st4 ,thomas1 these three principles of our knowledge1 the senses1 reason1 and faith1 have each their separate objects1 and their own degrees of certainty4 ,and as ,god has been pleased to employ the intervention of the senses to give entrance to faith 7for 8faith cometh by hearing071 it follows1 that so far from faith destroying the certainty of the senses1 to call in question the faithful report of the senses1 would lead to the destruction of faith4 ,it is on this principle that ,st4 ,thomas explicitly states that ,god has been pleased that the sensible accidents should subsist in the eucharist1 in order that the senses1 which judge only of these accidents1 might not be deceived4 ,we conclude1 therefore1 from this1 that whatever the proposition may be that is submitted to our examination1 we must first determine its nature1 to ascertain to which of those three principles it ought to be referred4 ,if it relate to a supernatural truth1 we must judge of it neither by the senses nor by reason1 but by ,scripture and the decisions of the ,church4 ,should it concern an unrevealed truth1 and something within the reach of natural reason1 reason must be its proper judge4 ,and if it embrace a point of fact1 we must yield to the testimony of the senses1 to which it naturally belongs to take cognizance of such matters4 ,so general is this rule1 that1 according to ,st4 ,augustine and ,st4 ,thomas1 when we meet with a passage even in the ,scripture1 the literal meaning of which1 at first sight1 appears contrary to what the senses or reason are certainly persuaded of1 we must not attempt to reject their testimony in this case1 and yield them up to the authority of that apparent sense of the ,scripture1 but we must interpret the ,scripture1 and seek out therein another sense agreeable to that sensible truth2 because1 the ,word of ,god being infallible in the facts which it records1 and the information of the senses and of reason1 acting in their sphere1 being certain also1 it follows that there must be an agreement between these two sources of knowledge4 ,and as ,scripture may be interpreted in different ways1 whereas the testimony of the senses is uniform1 we must in these matters adopt as the true interpretation of ,scripture that view which corresponds with the faithful report of the senses4 8,two things10 says ,st4 ,thomas1 8must be observed1 according to the doctrine of ,st4 ,augustine3 first1 ,that ,scripture has always one true sense2 and secondly1 ,that as it may receive various senses1 when we have discovered one which reason plainly teaches to be false1 we must not persist in maintaining that this is the natural sense1 but search out another with which reason will agree40#cea ,st4 ,thomas explains his meaning by the example of a passage in ,genesis1 where it is written that 8,god created two great lights1 the sun and the moon1 and also the stars10 in which the ,scripture appears to say that the moon is greater than all the stars2 but as it is evident1 from unquestionable demonstration1 that this is false1 it is not our duty1 says that saint1 obstinately to defend the literal sense of that passage2 another meaning must be sought1 consistent with the truth of the fact1 such as the following1 8,that the phrase great light1 as applied to the moon1 denotes the greatness of that luminary merely as it appears in our eyes1 and not the magnitude of its body considered in itself40 ,an opposite mode of treatment1 so far from procuring respect to the ,scripture1 would only expose it to the contempt of infidels2 because1 as ,st4 ,augustine says1 8when they found that we believed1 on the authority of ,scripture1 in things which they assuredly knew to be false1 they would laugh at our credulity with regard to its more recondite truths1 such as the resurrection of the dead and eternal life40 8,and by this means10 adds ,st4 ,thomas1 8we should render our religion contemptible in their eyes1 and shut up its entrance into their minds40 ,and let me add1 father1 that it would in the same manner be the likeliest means to shut up the entrance of ,scripture into the minds of heretics1 and to render the pope's authority contemptible in their eyes1 to refuse all those the name of ,catholics who would not believe that certain words were in a certain book1 where they are not to be found1 merely because a pope by mistake has declared that they are4 ,it is only by examining a book that we can ascertain what words it contains4 ,matters of fact can only be proved by the senses4 ,if the position which you maintain be true1 show it1 or else ask no man to believe it--that would be to no purpose4 ,not all the powers on earth can1 by the force of authority1 persuade us of a point of fact1 any more than they can alter it2 for nothing can make that to be not which really is4 ,it was to no purpose1 for example1 that the monks of ,ratisbon procured from ,pope ,st4 ,leo ,,ix4 a solemn decree1 by which he declared that the body of ,st4 ,denis1 the first bishop of ,paris1 who is generally held to have been the ,areopagite1 had been transported out of ,france1 and conveyed into the chapel of their monastery4 ,it is not the less true1 for all this1 that the body of that saint always lay1 and lies to this hour1 in the celebrated abbey which bears his name1 and within the walls of which you would find it no easy matter to obtain a cordial reception to this bull1 although the pope has therein assured us that he has examined the affair 8with all possible diligence 7diligentissim71 and with the advice of many bishops and prelates2 so that he strictly enjoins all the ,french 7districte prcipientes7 to own and confess that these holy relics are no longer in their country40 ,the ,french1 however1 who knew that fact to be untrue1 by the evidence of their own eyes1 and who1 upon opening the shrine1 found all those relics entire1 as the historians of that period inform us1 believed then1 as they have always believed since1 the reverse of what that holy pope had enjoined them to believe1 well knowing that even saints and prophets are liable to be imposed upon4 ,it was to equally little purpose that you obtained against ,galileo a decree from ,rome1 condemning his opinion respecting the motion of the earth4 ,it will never be proved by such an argument as this that the earth remains stationary2 and if it can be demonstrated by sure observation that it is the earth and not the sun that revolves1 the efforts and arguments of all mankind put together will not hinder our planet from revolving1 nor hinder themselves from revolving along with her4 ,again1 you must not imagine that the letters of ,pope ,zachary1 excommunicating ,st4 ,virgilius for maintaining the existence of the antipodes1 have annihilated the ,new ,world2 nor must you suppose that1 although he declared that opinion to be a most dangerous heresy1 the king of ,spain was wrong in giving more credence to ,christopher ,columbus1 who came from the place1 than to the judgment of the pope1 who had never been there1 or that the ,church has not derived a vast benefit from the discovery1 inasmuch as it has brought the knowledge of the ,gospel to a great multitude of souls1 who might otherwise have perished in their infidelity4 ,you see1 then1 father1 what is the nature of matters of fact1 and on what principles they are to be determined2 from all which1 to recur to our subject1 it is easy to conclude1 that if the five propositions are not in ,jansenius1 it is impossible that they can have been extracted from him2 and that the only way to form a judgment on the matter1 and to produce universal conviction1 is to examine that book in a regular conference1 as you have been desired to do long ago4 ,until that be done1 you have no right to charge your opponents with contumacy2 for they are as blameless in regard to the point of fact as they are of errors in point of faith--,catholics in doctrine1 reasonable in fact1 and innocent in both4 ,who can help feeling astonishment1 then1 father1 to see on the one side a vindication so complete1 and on the other accusations so outrageous6 ,who would suppose that the only question between you relates to a single fact of no importance1 which the one party wishes the other to believe without showing it to them6 ,and who would ever imagine that such a noise should have been made in the ,church for nothing 7pro nihilo71 as good ,st4 ,bernard says6 ,but this is just one of the principal tricks of your policy1 to make people believe that everything is at stake1 when1 in reality1 there is nothing at stake2 and to represent to those influential persons who listen to you1 that the most pernicious errors of ,calvin1 and the most vital principles of the faith1 are involved in your disputes1 with the view of inducing them1 under this conviction1 to employ all their zeal and all their authority against your opponents1 as if the safety of the ,catholic religion depended upon it2 whereas1 if they came to know that the whole dispute was about this paltry point of fact1 they would give themselves no concern about it1 but would1 on the contrary1 regret extremely that1 to gratify your private passions1 they had made such exertions in an affair of no consequence to the ,church4 ,for1 in fine1 to take the worst view of the matter1 even though it should be true that ,jansenius maintained these propositions1 what great misfortune would accrue from some persons doubting of the fact1 provided they detested the propositions1 as they have publicly declared that they do8 ,is it not enough that they are condemned by everybody1 without exception1 and that1 too1 in the sense in which you have explained that you wish them to be condemned8 ,would they be more severely censured by saying that ,jansenius maintained them8 ,what purpose1 then1 would be served by exacting this acknowledgment1 except that of disgracing a doctor and bishop1 who died in the communion of the ,church8 ,i cannot see how that should be accounted so great a blessing as to deserve to be purchased at the expense of so many disturbances4 ,what interest has the state1 or the pope1 or bishops1 or doctors1 or the ,church at large1 in this conclusion8 ,it does not affect them in any way whatever1 father2 it can affect none but your ,society1 which would certainly enjoy some pleasure from the defamation of an author who has done you some little injury4 ,meanwhile everything is in confusion1 because you have made people believe that everything is in danger4 ,this is the secret spring giving impulse to all those mighty commotions1 which would cease immediately were the real state of the controversy once known4 ,and therefore1 as the peace of the ,church depended on this explanation1 it was1 ,i conceive1 of the utmost importance that it should be given1 that1 by exposing all your disguises1 it might be manifest to the whole world that your accusations were without foundation1 your opponents without error1 and the ,church without heresy4 ,such1 father1 is the end which it has been my desire to accomplish2 an end which appears to me1 in every point of view1 so deeply important to religion1 that ,i am at a loss to conceive how those to whom you furnish so much occasion for speaking can contrive to remain in silence4 ,granting that they are not affected with the personal wrongs which you have committed against them1 those which the ,church suffers ought1 in my opinion1 to have forced them to complain4 ,besides1 ,i am not altogether sure if ecclesiastics ought to make a sacrifice of their reputation to calumny1 especially in the matter of religion4 ,they allow you1 nevertheless1 to say whatever you please2 so that1 had it not been for the opportunity which1 by mere accident1 you afforded me of taking their part1 the scandalous impressions which you are circulating against them in all quarters would1 in all probability1 have gone forth without contradiction4 ,their patience1 ,i confess1 astonishes me2 and the more so1 that ,i cannot suspect it of proceeding either from timidity or from incapacity1 being well assured that they want neither arguments for their own vindication1 nor zeal for the truth4 ,and yet ,i see them religiously bent on silence1 to a degree which appears to me altogether unjustifiable4 ,for my part1 father1 ,i do not believe that ,i can possibly follow their example4 ,leave the ,church in peace1 and ,i shall leave you as you are1 with all my heart2 but so long as you make it your sole business to keep her in confusion1 doubt not but that there shall always be found within her bosom children of peace1 who will consider themselves bound to employ all their endeavors to preserve her tranquillity4 ----- ,footnote #cch3 ,decrees of the pope4 ,footnote #cci3 ,the papal constitution formerly referred to4 ,footnote #cdj3 ,the ,council of ,trent is meant1 when ,pascal speaks of the council1 without any other specification4 ,footnote #cda3 ,the reader may well be at a loss to see the difference between this and the ,reformed doctrine4 ,some explanations will be found in the ,historical ,introduction4 ,footnote #cdb3 ,this sentiment was falsely ascribed to ,luther by the ,council4 7,leydeck1 ,de ,dogm4 ,jan4 #bge47 ,footnote #cdc3 ,diego 7or ,didacus7 ,alvarez was one of the most celebrated theologians of the order of ,st4 ,dominick2 he flourished in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries1 and died in #afce4 ,he was brought from ,spain to ,rome1 to advocate there1 along with ,father ,thomas ,lemos the cause of the grace of ,jesus ,christ1 which the ,jesuit ,molina weakened1 and indeed annihilated4 ,he shone greatly in the famous ,congregation de ,auxiliis4 7,nicole's ,note47 ,footnote #cdd3 ,his ,treatise passim1 and particularly tom4 #c1 l4 #h1 c4 #bj4 ,footnote #cde3 8,it may be proper here to give an explanation of the hatred of the ,jesuits against ,jansenius4 ,when the ,augustinus of that author was printed in #afdj1 ,libertus ,fromond1 the celebrated professor of ,louvain1 resolved to insert in the end of the book of his friend1 who had died two years before1 a parallel between the doctrine of the ,jesuits on grace1 and the errors of the ,marseillois or demi-,pelagians4 ,this was quite enough to raise the rancor of the ,jesuits against ,jansenius whom they erroneously supposed was the author of that parallel4 ,and as these fathers have long since erased from their code of morals the duty of the forgiveness of injuries1 they commenced their campaign against the book of ,jansenius in the ,low ,countries1 by a large volume of ,theological ,theses 7in folio1 #afda71 which are very singular productions40 7,note by ,nicole47 ,footnote #cdf3 ,on the ,book of ,job1 lib4 viii41 cap4 #a4 ,footnote #cdg3 ,surprise is the word used to denote the case of the pope when taken at unawares or deceived by false accounts4 ,footnote #cdh3 ,lib4 i41 in ,dial4 ,footnote #cdi3 ,de ,consid4 lib4 ii41 c4 ult4 ,footnote #cej3 ,alas6 alas6 ,footnote #cea3 ,i4 p4 q4 #fh1 a4 l4 ,,letter ,,xix4 ,,fragment ,,of ,a ,,nineteenth ,,provincial ,,letter1 ,,addressed ,,to ,,pere ,,annat4 ,,reverend ,,sir1--,if ,i have caused you some dissatisfaction1 in former ,letters1 by my endeavors to establish the innocence of those whom you were laboring to asperse1 ,i shall afford you pleasure in the present1 by making you acquainted with the sufferings which you have inflicted upon them4 ,be comforted1 my good father1 the objects of your enmity are in distress6 ,and if the ,reverend the ,bishops should be induced to carry out1 in their respective dioceses1 the advice you have given them1 to cause to be subscribed and sworn a certain matter of fact1 which is1 in itself1 not credible1 and which it cannot be obligatory upon any one to believe--you will indeed succeed in plunging your opponents to the depth of sorrow1 at witnessing the ,church brought into so abject a condition4 ,yes1 sir1 ,i have seen them2 and it was with a satisfaction inexpressible6 ,i have seen these holy men2 and this was the attitude in which they were found4 ,they were not wrapt up in a philosophic magnanimity2 they did not affect to exhibit that indiscriminate firmness which urges implicit obedience to every momentary impulsive duty2 nor yet were they in a frame of weakness and timidity1 which would prevent them from either discerning the truth1 or following it when discerned4 ,but ,i found them with minds pious1 composed1 and unshaken2 impressed with a meek deference for ecclesiastical authority2 with tenderness of spirit1 zeal for truth1 and a desire to ascertain and obey her dictates3 filled with a salutary suspicion of themselves1 distrusting their own infirmity1 and regretting that it should be thus exposed to trial yet withal1 sustained by a modest hope that their ,lord will deign to instruct them by his illuminations1 and sustain them by his power2 and believing1 that that peace of their ,saviour1 whose sacred influences it is their endeavor to maintain1 and for whose cause they are brought into suffering1 will be1 at once1 their guide and their support6 ,i have1 in fine1 seen them maintaining a character of ,christian piety1 whose power4444 99 99 99 99 99 ,i found them surrounded by their friends1 who had hastened to impart those counsels which they deemed the most fitting in their present exigency4 ,i have heard those counsels2 ,i have observed the manner in which they were received1 and the answers given3 and truly1 my father1 had you yourself been present1 ,i think you would have acknowledged that1 in their whole procedure1 there was the entire absence of a spirit of insubordination and schism2 and that their only desire and aim was1 to preserve inviolate two things--to them infinitely precious--peace and truth4 ,for1 after due representations had been made to them of the penalties they would draw upon themselves by their refusal to sign the ,constitution1 and the scandal it might cause in the ,church1 their reply was4444 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,end ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,carters' ,,catalogue4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,removal4 ,robert ,carter ,brothers have removed from ,no4 #bhe1 to ,no4 #ecj ,broadway1 corner of ,spring-street4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- #ecj ,broadway1 ,new ,york1 ,august1 #ahef4 ,,robert ,,carter ,,brothers' ,new ,publications4 ------------------------------------ ,the ,gospel in ,ezekiel1 ,by ,thomas ,guthrie1 ,d4,d4 #abmo4 #a #jj4 ,typical ,forms and ,special ,ends in ,creation4 ,by ,james ,mc,cosh1 ,,ll4,d41 and ,dr4 ,dickie4 #hvo4 #b #jj4 8,those who have read ,mc,cosh's great work on the ,divine ,government1 will not wait for any favorable testimony to any thing that comes from his pen1 but will regard his name on the title-page as a sufficient voucher for all that is to follow4 ,the present work fulfills any expectations1 even the highest1 that could have been awakened by the preceding one4 ,it is alike comprehensive in its range1 accurate and minute in its details1 original in its structure1 and devout and spirited in its tone and tendency4 ,it illustrates and carries out the great principle of analogy in the ,divine plans and works1 far more minutely and satisfactorily than it has been done before2 and while it presents the results of the most profound scientific research1 it presents them in their higher and spiritual relations40--,argus4 ,dr4 ,williams's ,sermon on ,missions4 #ahmo1 cloth1 gilt edge4 #be cents4 ,dr4 ,rice's ,sermon on ,preaching4 #ahmo1 cloth1 gilt edge4 #be cents4 ,caird's ,sermon before the ,queen4 #ahmo1 cloth1 gilt edge4 #be cents4 ,the ,theology of ,inventions2 or1 ,manifestations of ,deity in the works of ,art4 ,by the ,rev4 ,john ,blakely4 #abmo4 #ge cents4 ,emblems from ,eden4 ,by ,james ,hamilton1 ,d4,d4 #ahmo4 #cj cents4 ,the ,christian's ,great ,interest4 ,by the ,rev4 ,william ,guthrie1 with ,introd4 by ,dr4 ,chalmers4 #ej cts4 ,evening ,incense4 ,by the author of the 8,morning and ,night ,watches40 #dj cents4 ,lectures to ,young ,men ,delivered1 in ,london for #ahef4 #a #jj4 ,evenings with the ,romanists4 ,by ,rev4 ,hobart ,seymour4 #abmo4 #a #jj4 ,dr4 ,sprague's great work4 ,the ,annals of the ,american ,pulpit4 ,by ,w4 ,b4 ,sprague1 ,d4,d4 ,vols4 #a and #b1 ,,congregationalists4 #hvo4 ,the first volume commences with ,john ,robinson1 the first ,new ,england ,pastor1 and extends to #aggj2 and the second volume from this period to the close of #ahee4 ,these volumes contain sketches of about three hundred ,congregational ministers1 including every one who has been considerably distinguished1 with contributions by a large proportion of the most prominent clergymen of different denominations1 as well as from many of the most distinguished statesmen now on the stage4 ,in all cases in which there is any person living to testify concerning the character1 there are original letters of personal recollection2 and in all other cases the author has appropriated what has been written and published by the cotemporaries of the subjects who could speak from actual knowledge4 ,these volumes contain the most complete1 as well as most interesting history of this branch of the ,christian ,church that has yet been published4 ,the ,power1 ,wisdom1 and ,goodness of ,god1 as manifested in the ,constitution of the ,human ,soul1 ,a ,course of ,lectures by ,r4 ,s4 ,storrs1 ,d4,d4 #hvo4 ,africa's ,mountain ,valley4 ,by the author of 8,ministering ,children40 #afmo4 #fj cents4 ,the ,christian ,philosopher4 ,by ,thomas ,dick1 ,d4,d4 ,re-written and enlarged1 with #agj illustrations4 ,trade and ,letters4 ,three ,lectures by ,w4 ,a4 ,scott1 ,d4,d4 #afmo4 ,lee on the ,inspiration of ,holy ,scripture4 #hvo4 ,essays2 ,theological and ,miscellaneous4 ,by ,charles ,hodge1 ,d4,d4 #hvo4 ,sacred ,classics4 ,a series of the choicest productions of the great ,divines of the seventeenth century1 such as ,jeremy ,taylor1 ,bates1 ,beveridge1 ,bishop ,hall1 ,butler1 ,howe1 ,baxter1 ,leighton1 and others4 ,the volumes will be in neat #abmo form1 large type1 and uniformly bound in cloth4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,new ,,juvenile ,,books4 ,edward ,clifford2 or1 ,memories of ,childhood1 ,with six illustrations4 #afmo4 #ge cents4 8,from the first page to the last1 we read this beautiful and impressive story with increasing interest1 and do not hesitate to commend it to every family and ,sunday-school library in our land4 ,it bears internal evidence of being the work of a finished writer1 who1 endowed with a sensitive temperament1 and bereft in early infancy of a dear mother's tender sympathies and care1 felt deeply the cold indifference of those who could not appreciate the chords of a mind so delicately strung40--,christian ,observer4 ,tales of ,sweden and the ,norsemen4 ,illustrated4 #afmo4 #ge cents4 ,these sketches interest the mind with historic truth made winning and lively by a style of beautiful simplicity4 ,tales from ,english ,history4 ,by the same4 #afmo4 #ge cents4 8,prepared for young readers1 and admirably done4 ,in simple1 yet appropriate style1 some of the more prominent and romantic episodes are detailed1 in a way at once to convey valuable information1 and to excite a desire for further acquaintance with history4 ,when truth is so attractive1 and there is so much of it1 there is but little need to resort to fiction for the instruction of the young40--,evangelist4 ,tales from ,travelers4 ,by ,maria ,hack4 ,illustrated4 #afmo4 #ge cents4 8,the contents of this volume will prove more attractive to ingenuous youth than stories of giants and castles1 and more wonderful than fiction40--,observer4 ,the ,adopted ,son1 and other ,tales4 ,by the author of the 8,claremont ,tales40 #ahmo4 #ej cents4 ,aunt ,edith2 or1 ,love to ,god the ,best ,motive4 ,by the author of 8,florence ,egerton40 #ahmo4 #ej cents4 ,new ,editions1 in cheaper form1 of ,,florence ,,egerton4 #ahmo4 #ej cts4 ,,emily ,,vernon4 0 #ej 0 ,,jeanie ,,morrison4 0 #ej 0 ,,kate ,,kilborn4 ,by the same author4 #ahmo4 #ej 0 ,,southern ,,cross ,,and ,,southern ,,crown4 0 #ej 0 ,,contributions ,,of ,q4 ,q4 ,,by ,,jane ,,taylor4 #ahmo4 #ej 0 ,,abeokutta4 ,,by ,,miss ,,tucker4 0 #ej 0 ,,may ,,dundas4 ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,geldart4 0 #ej 0 ,,fritz ,,harold2 ,,or1 ,,the ,,temptation4 0 #dj 0 ,,ashton ,,cottage1 ,a ,,tale4 0 #dj 0 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,expository ,,works4 ,dr4 ,hodge's ,commentary on ,ephesians4 #hvo4 #b #jj4 8,this is a work for the minister1 for biblical scholars1 and for all who can appreciate the mature results of thorough study and sacred learning in the lucid exposition of a very interesting portion of the ,word of ,god4 ,it is not a hasty production1 but an elaborate commentary1 giving in a condensed style1 with great clearness1 the precise meaning of every passage in this rich ,epistle1 exhibiting1 as understood by the author1 the glowing thoughts that warmed and kindled the affections of the inspired ,apostle while composing it40--,chn4 ,observer4 ,dr4 ,jacobus's ,notes on the ,gospel of ,john4 #abmo4 #ge cents4 8,the ,author1 by his learning1 taste1 and skill1 is eminently qualified for the responsible work of an annotator on the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,in his ,notes1 he combines the marrow and fatness of many commentators with his own ideas1 and associates his comments with a ,harmony of the ,gospels1 in a very impressive manner40--,zion's ,herald4 ,this volume completes ,dr4 ,jacobus's ,commentary on the ,gospels--,vol4 ,i4 being ,matthew--,vol4 ,,ii41 ,mark and ,luke--,vol4 ,,iii41 ,john4 ,the volumes are all uniform1 price #b #be for the set4 ,dr4 ,moore on ,haggai1 ,zechariah and ,malachi4 #hvo4 #b #jj4 8,this volume we regard as a substantial and highly valuable contribution to the biblical literature of the country4 ,the prophecies which form the subject of it1 are the more interesting from the fact that they were the last which were delivered previous to the ,messiah's advent4 ,the work is not so critical as to be above the popular mind1 while yet it shows a familiar acquaintance with the rules of ,scripture interpretation1 and is evidently the production of a mind at once well balanced and trained to thorough research40--,argus4 99 ,dr4 ,sampson on the ,greek ,text of the ,hebrews4 #hvo4 #b #ej4 8,this is an eminently learned work1 and is designed especially to aid in a critical investigation of this portion of ,scripture1 while yet there is no ostentatious display of erudition1 nor any thing that approaches an affectation of originality4 ,the introduction is at once clear1 concise1 and comprehensive4 ,in the body of the work1 the author gives us rather the results of his inquiries than the processes by which he arrived at them4 ,his analyses show much patient labor1 as well as accurate discrimination40--,puritan ,recorder4 99 ,owen on ,hebrews4 #h vols4 #hvo4 #ab #jj4 8,few and far between1 and among the richest gifts of ,god to man1 are such great and good theologians as ,john ,owen4 99 99 99 ,it is mentioned as a matter of thankfulness that ,dr4 ,owen was led to concentrate all his rare endowments and vast resources on the exposition of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews40--,n4 ,y4 ,observer4 99 ,dr4 ,eadie on ,colossians4 #hvo4 #b #jj4 8,a work of great learning and skill1 pervaded with a truly ,christian spirit40--,evangelist4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,commentaries ,,on ,,the ,,bible4 99 ,pool's ,annotations4 ,new edition1 on larger paper1 #c vols4 royal #hvo4 ,sheep4 #aj #jj4 8,of the general character of this work1 it is sufficient to say that it brings out in a felicitous and concise manner the meaning of the text1 without connecting with it any extended practical remarks4 ,it contains not only the whole of the sacred text1 as many commentaries of that day did not1 various readings also1 together with parallel passages2 and though it never transcends the capacity of an ordinary ,english reader1 yet it evidently comes from a rich store-house of biblical learning4 ,it disposes of difficult passages1 not by gathering all the opinions that have been put forth concerning them1 but by stating the writer's own mature judgment1 with the grounds on which it has been formed4 ,the notes are generally brief1 condensed1 perspicuous1 and easily remembered40--,puritan ,recorder4 99 ,henry's ,commentary4 #e vols4 quarto4 ,sheep4 #ae #jj4 8,it is becoming more and more the standard commentary of the ,church4 ,christians of all denominations1 and of all grades of intellectual attainment1 find it their refreshment1 their food1 and their pleasure to peruse it steadily1 and in so doing they can reap a great reward4 ,we knew1 some years ago1 a lady in humble life1 more than sixty years of age1 who borrowed the folio edition of ,henry's ,commentary1 and keeping it always open on her bed1 was accustomed to run to it whenever a single moment of leisure offered itself2 so that1 by patient continuance in well-doing1 even at that late period of life1 she traveled through the successive volumes1 to her own great spiritual and intellectual improvement2 and in her latest hours1 when on her dying bed1 she expressed her gratitude for the opportunity which she had thus enjoyed of becoming better acquainted than ever before with the meaning of ,god's ,holy ,word40--,observer4 99 ,doddridge's ,expositor4 ,the ,family ,expositor2 or1 a ,paraphrase and ,version of the ,new ,testament1 with ,critical ,notes and a ,practical ,improvement of ,each ,section1 by ,philip ,doddridge1 ,d4,d4 ,royal octavo4 ,the late ,bishop of ,durham 7,dr4 ,barrington71 in addressing his clergy on the choice of books1 says3 8,in reading the ,new ,testament1 ,i recommend ,doddridge's ,family ,expositor1 as an impartial ,,interpreter ,,and ,,faithful monitor4 ,other ,expositions might be mentioned1 greatly to the honor of their respective authors1 for their several excellences2 such as1 elegance of exposition1 acuteness of illustration1 and copiousness of erudition2 but ,i know of no ,expositor who unites so many advantages as ,doddridge2 whether you regard the fidelity of his version1 the fullness and perspicuity of his composition1 the utility of his general and historical information1 the impartiality of his doctrinal comments1 or1 lastly1 the piety and pastoral earnestness of his moral and religious applications4 ,he has made1 as he professes to have done1 ample use of the commentators that preceded him2 and in the explanation of grammatical difficulties1 he has profited much more from the philological writers on the ,greek ,testament than could almost have been expected in so multifarious an undertaking as the ,family ,expositor4 ,indeed for all the most valuable purposes of a ,commentary on the ,new ,testament1 the ,family ,expositor can not fall too early into the hands of those intended for holy orders40 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,new ,,religious ,,biographies4 ,dr4 ,cheever's ,life of ,cowper4 #abmo4 ,illustrated4 #a #jj4 8,the author of this work could scarcely have selected a subject better adapted to his own peculiar genius1 than this which he has here chosen4 ,he has treated it at once philosophically1 practically1 and spiritually2 has evinced a profound insight into the mysteries of human nature1 the nicest discrimination in respect both to intellectual and moral qualities1 and a deep sympathy with the sublimity and tenderness1 the joys1 and griefs1 and hopes of the exalted character he commemorates40--,puritan ,recorder4 99 ,memoirs of ,john ,m4 ,mason1 ,d4,d4 ,by ,dr4 ,van ,vechten4 #hvo4 #b #jj4 8,this delightful memoir of a great captain in ,israel will be hailed as a valuable addition to the religious biography of our country4 ,the literary execution of the work is equally creditable to the talents and taste of the author1 and the most ardent admirers of ,dr4 ,mason will admit that while a spirit of fulsome eulogy is avoided1 there is ample justice done to the memory of a great and a good man40--,pbn4 ,banner4 ,memoirs of ,john ,kitto1 ,d4,d4 ,author of 8,daily ,bible ,illustrations10 etc4 #b vols4 #abmo4 #b #jj4 8,we have rarely heard of a more remarkable instance of the triumph of talent and energy over circumstances the most adverse4 ,he began life struggling with the evils of poverty1 and the baleful influence of an intemperate father4 ,a dangerous fall from a ladder1 when he was a mason's boy1 rendered him hopelessly deaf4 ,being considered unable to support himself1 he was put into the workhouse2 and after a series of vicissitudes which would have overwhelmed an ordinary boy--at one time working as a shoemaker1 at another as a barber's apprentice1 and by various shifts managing to toil along his rugged pathway--he at length1 through a kind ,providence1 struck the highway on which he afterwards traveled successfully to distinction and usefulness40--,presbyterian4 ,memoirs of ,capt4 ,vicars of the #igth ,regiment4 #afmo4 #ge cents4 8,the subject of these memoirs1 was generous and noble in his natural disposition1 in all his intercourse with his fellows4 ,as a soldier he was brave1 and as an officer skillful and prompt2 but all these things were eclipsed by the ardor and devotedness of his piety4 ,among the soldiers in the ,crimea he spent his leisure hours1 in ministering spiritual consolation to the sick and dying in the hospital4 ,in the lives of missionaries which we have read1 none have proved by their works a better right to be called a missionary than he40--,witness4 ,the ,victory ,won4 ,by the ,author of 8,captain ,vicars10 #ahmo4 #be cents4 ,memoirs of ,adelaide ,leaper ,newton4 ,by the ,rev4 ,john ,baillie4 #ge cents4 8,this is certainly a rare specimen of female biography4 ,the subject of it was among the most gifted and cultivated of her sex4 ,the ,word of ,god was not only the light1 but the food of her soul2 and the enjoyments of heaven seem to have been in no small degree vouchsafed to her before she left the world40--,puritan ,recorder4 ,the ,martyr of ,sumatra4 ,a ,memoir of ,henry ,lyman4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,bickersteth1 ,rev4 ,edward4 99 ,complete ,works4 #af vols4 #aj #jj4 ,exposition of the ,epistles of ,john and ,jude4 #fj cents4 ,,binney1 ,rev4 ,thomas4 ,is it possible to make the ,best of ,both ,worlds8 #fj cts4 ,,bridges1 ,rev4 ,charles4 ,a ,manual for the ,young4 #afmo4 #ej cents4 ,,chart ,of the ,sacred ,history of the ,world4 #a #ej4 ,,da ,,costa1 ,dr4 ,isaac4 ,israel and the ,gentiles4 #abmo4 #a #be4 ,the ,four ,witnesses4 #b #jj4 ,,fletcher1 ,rev4 ,alexander4 ,addresses to the ,young4 #afmo4 #fj cents4 ,,hewitson1 ,rev4 ,w4 ,h4 ,letters and ,remains4 #b vols4 #b #jj4 ,,howels1 ,rev4 ,william4 ,remains and ,extracts from ,sermons4 #ge cents4 ,,lectures ,,to ,,young ,,men4 ,delivered in ,london4 ,series of #ahed-e-f4 ,each #a #jj4 ,,ryle1 ,rev4 ,j4 ,c4 ,expository ,thoughts on the ,gospels2 for ,family and ,private ,use4 #abmo4 ,,smith1 ,rev4 ,john ,pye4 99 ,scripture ,testimony to the ,messiah4 #b vols41 #hvo4 #e #jj4 99 ,,self-,,explanatory ,,reference ,,bible4 #hvo4 ,half-calf1 #d #ej2 ,turkey morocco1 #f #jj4 ,,swete1 ,rev4 ,john4 ,family ,prayers4 #afmo4 #fj cents4 ,,village ,,churchyard4 #dj cents4 ,,village ,,pastor4 #dj cents4 ,,village ,,observer4 #cj cents4 ,,words ,,to ,,win ,,souls4 #ge cents4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,fireside ,,library4 ,,first ,,series4 #ej cents per volume4 ,,adopted ,,son4 ,,aunt ,,edith4 ,,ballantyne',s ,,mabel ,,grant4 ,,blossoms ,,of ,,childhood4 ,,brett',s ,,indian ,,tribes4 ,,brother ,,and ,,sister4 ,,bunyan',s ,,pilgrim',s ,,progress4 ,,clara ,,stanley4 ,,claremont ,,tales4 ,,drummond',s ,,emily ,,renon4 ,,duncan',s ,,children ,,of ,,manse4 ,,duncan',s ,,scottish ,,peasantry4 ,,far ,,off4 ,,florence ,,egerton4 ,,geldart',s ,,may ,,dundas4 ,,hamilton',s ,,happy ,,home4 ,,infant',s ,,progress4 ,,jamie ,,gordon4 ,,jeanie ,,morrison4 ,,kate ,,kilborn4 ,,louis ,,and ,,frank4 ,,mackay',s ,,fam4 ,,heatherdale4 ,m#8,,crindell',s ,,convent4 ,,my ,,school ,,day',s ,,and ,,compan4 ,,near ,,home4 ,,osborne',s ,,world ,,of ,,waters4 ,,pollok',s ,,tales ,,of ,,covenant4 ,,sigourney',s ,,olive ,,leaves4 ,,sigourney',s ,,letters ,,to ,,pupils4 ,,sinclair',s ,,holiday ,,house4 ,,taylor',s ,,contrib4 ,,of ,q4 ,q4 ,,tucker',s ,,abbeokuta4 ,,tucker',s ,,rainbow ,,in ,,north4 ,,tucker',s ,,southern ,,cross4 ,,week1 ,,the4 ,,william ,,wilberforce4 ,,woodcutter ,,and ,,exiles4 ,,second ,,series4 #dj cents per volume4 ,,ashton ,,cottage4 ,,charles ,,roussell4 ,,commandment ,,with ,,promise4 ,,duncan',s ,,cottage ,,fireside4 ,,frank ,,netherton4 ,,fritz ,,harold4 ,,johnson',s ,,rasselas4 ,,michael ,,kemp4 ,,opie ,,on ,,lying4 ,,richmond',s ,,annals ,,of ,,poor4 ,,sigourney',s ,,boy',s ,,book4 ,,sigourney',s ,,girl',s ,,book4 ,,taylor',s ,,original ,,poems4 ,,third ,,series4 #cj cents per volume4 ,,cameron',s ,,farm4 ,,daughter4 ,,frank ,,harrison4 ,,great ,,journey4 ,,kennedy',s ,,anna ,,ross4 ,,kennedy',s ,,prof4 ,,not ,,principle4 ,,kennedy',s ,,father ,,clement4 ,,kennedy',s ,,philip ,,colville4 ,,my ,,school-,,boy ,,days4 ,,my ,,youthful ,,companions4 ,,sinclair',s ,,charlie ,,seymour4 ,,stories ,,on ,,lord',s ,,prayer4 ,,three ,,months ,,under ,,snow4 ,,taylor',s ,,display4 ,a ,tale4 ,,fourth ,,series4 #be cents per volume4 ,,australia1 ,,loss ,,of ,,the4 ,,bunbery',s ,,glory1 ,,glory4 ,,collier',s ,,tale4 ,,fisk',s ,,orphan ,,tale4 ,,kennedy',s ,,decision4 ,,kennedy',s ,,jessy ,,allan4 ,,pastor',s ,,family4 ,,pollok',s ,,helen ,,of ,,glen4 ,,pollok',s ,,persecuted ,,family4 ,,pollok',s ,,ralph ,,gunmel4 ,,true ,,heroism4 ,,walter ,,binning4 ,,wings ,,and ,,stings4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,juvenile ,,library4 ,square1 #ej cents each4 ,,clever ,,stories4 ,,little ,,lessons4 ,,rhymes ,,for ,,the ,,nursery4 ,,mamma',s ,,bible ,,stories4 ,,sequel ,,to ,,bible ,,stories4 ,,hundred ,,short ,,tales4 ,,tender ,,grass4 ,,call ,,to ,,the ,,lambs4 ,,fanny ,,and ,,her ,,mamma4 ,,child',s ,,own ,,story-,,book4 ,,limed ,,twigs4 ,,new ,,cobwebs4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,annie',s ,,first ,,book4 #ce cents4 ,,annie',s ,,second ,,book4 #dj cents4 ,,duty ,,is ,,safety4 #be cents4 ,,jack ,,the ,,sailor ,,boy4 #be cents4 ,,think ,,before ,,you ,,act4 #be cts4 ,,hymns ,,for ,,infant ,,minds4 #dj cts4 ,,very ,,little ,,tales4 #b vols4 #ge cts4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,carters' ,,publications4 ,the ,rich ,kinsman4 ,the ,history of ,ruth the ,moabitess1 by ,stephen ,h4 ,tyng1 ,d4,d4 #afmo4 #a4 8,the author presents this work in the hope that it will be found adapted to enlighten the minds of the young in some of the great subjects of ,scriptural instruction4444 ,the author has been long impressed with the feeling that neither commentaries nor sermons have yet made that simple and practical use of the fullness of ,scripture truth for which it is adapted--perhaps he might say for which it is designed4 ,the young mind certainly can be interested in the word of ,god1 as a book full of attraction as well as full of truth4 ,whoever can be made in any degree the instrument of leading to this result1 by bringing out to view the real attractions of ,scripture1 confers so far an invaluable benefit upon others40--,extract from the ,preface4 ,the ,truth and ,life4 ,a ,,series ,,of ,,discourses4 ,by ,bishop ,mc,ilvaine1 of ,ohio4 #hvo4 #b4 8,we have seldom met with a more admirable volume of ,sermons than the one now lying before us4 99 99 99 ,the subjects are varied1 but in all there is the same clearness1 and fullness of ,gospel truth4 99 99 99 ,we can assure our readers that there is a freshness and power pervading the work1 which is most delightful to find in this age of flimsy sentiment and idealistic abstractions40--,banner4 ,the ,saints' ,everlasting ,rest4 ,by ,richard ,baxter4 ,the ,,only ,,complete ,,edition ever published in the ,united ,states4 ,one volume royal #hvo4 #b4 8,there are no religious works which have had1 next to ,john ,bunyan's 8,pilgrim's ,progress10 so extensive1 increasing1 and continued circulation1 as those of ,richard ,baxter4 #8,the ,saints' ,rest' is eminently a favorite with ,christians1 and has been richly blessed4 ,the volume in general use is an abridgment1 well executed1 of the original1 and is not as much as one-half of its compass4 ,however well condensed1 an abridgment can not retain and exhibit all the merits of the original1 and very many of the lovers of the smaller volume will hail and embrace the opportunity of obtaining the original work1 in the present neat and acceptable form40--,christian ,intelligencer4 ,discourses on ,truth4 ,by ,j4 ,h4 ,thornwell1 ,d4,d41 ,president of the ,south ,carolina ,college1 ,columbia1 ,s4 ,c4 #abmo4 #a4 8,the ,ethics are of the loftiest standard1 breathing a pure theology1 and informed by a sound psychology1 and presented in a form of compacted logic4 ,it is a tonic for both mind and heart to read these able expositions of the moral system of ,christianity4 99 99 99 ,to those who think1 it will be found a dish of strong meat1 the inward digestion of which will give vigor to both the mental and spiritual man40--,watchman and ,observer4 ,fritz ,harold2 or1 the ,temptation4 ,by ,mrs4 ,sarah ,a4 ,meyers4 #afmo4 ,illustrated4 #dj cents4 ,may ,dundas2 or1 ,passages from ,young ,life4 ,by ,mrs4 ,thomas ,geldart4 ,illustrated4 #afmo4 #ej cents4 ,the ,christian ,patriot4 ,a ,memoir of ,william ,wilberforce4 #ge cents4 ,this new ,memoir of the ,christian1 the patriot1 and philanthropist1 is from the pen of a gifted ,american lady1 and will be read with intense interest by all classes of readers4 ,the ,autobiography and ,reminiscences of the ,rev4 ,wm4 ,jay4 #b vols4 royal #abmo4 #a #be4 8,few names are so extensively known in the ,christian communities of ,great ,britain and the ,united ,states as that of ,william ,jay4 ,his #8,morning and ,evening ,exercises' is in the great majority of ,christian families4 ,the ,autobiography is written in a style of great simplicity and pleasantness4 ,the reminiscences by ,mr4 ,jay of prominent individuals with whom he was well acquainted--as ,john ,newton1 ,richard ,cecil1 ,robert ,hall1 ,william ,wilberforce1 and others1 are graphic and entertaining1 and replete with anecdote40--,christian ,intelligencer4 8,this is a delightful work4 ,the autobiography is a simple story of his life1 in letters addressed to his children1 beginning with bricklayer boy at ,beckford's ,abbey1 whose sweet face attracted the attention of ,cornelius ,winter1 and led to the bringing out of the #8boy preacher1' and ending with the venerable patriarch of ,bath1 whose name and writings were known and loved all over ,protestant ,christendom40--,watchman4 8,as an autobiography1 this will do to go along with that of ,hugh ,miller40--,journal4 ,by the same author4 ,i4 ,morning and ,evening ,exercises4 ,a new edition in #d royal #abmo vols4 #d4 8,this edition of the ,exercises is in four large #abmo volumes4 ,it is remarkably well printed in large1 clear type1 and on clear1 white paper1 so that the old and those of weak sight can enjoy the good things prepared for them by one of the most pious and best writers which the world has produced40--,christ4 ,advocate4 ,,ii4 ,female ,scripture ,characters4 #abmo4 #a4 8,by all sincere ,christian women1 the world over1 this volume will be regarded as a spiritual treasure40--,presbyterian4 ,paley's ,evidences of ,christianity1 ,with ,notes and ,additions4 ,by ,charles ,murray ,nairne1 ,m4,a4 #abmo4 #a4be4 8,it would be a work of supererogation1 at this late day1 to dwell on the peculiar excellences of ,paley's treatise on the ,evidences of ,christianity4 ,it is not probable it will ever be superseded4 ,its learning1 its exactness1 its wonderful clearness of thought1 its logical force1 are incomparable4 99 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,american editor has fortified the points in which ,paley has failed1 and1 by his additional matter1 has unquestionably furnished the best1 as well as the safest edition of ,paley extant40--,presbyterian4 8,the ,editor of this work1 we hesitate not to say1 is a man of extraordinary intellect and acquirements1 and he has done what it may safely be said that few are capable of doing1 has given additional attraction and value to ,paley's ,evidences of ,christianity4 ,the introductory article1 entitled #8,claims of ,divine ,revelation1' could never have been the production of any other than a master-mind40--,puritan ,recorder4 8,as one of the impregnable defences of the historical verity of the facts of ,christianity1 the work of ,paley stands unrivaled and complete4 99 99 99 ,the notes and additions of ,prof4 ,nairne make it more valuable than any edition hitherto published4 ,the labors of ,chalmers1 ,hill1 ,wardlaw1 ,campbell1 ,alexander1 ,hitchcock1 ,miller1 ,birks1 and many others1 are here put under contribution40--,presbyterian of the ,west4 ,the ,footsteps of ,st4 ,paul4 ,by the author of the 8,morning and ,night ,watches40 #abmo4 ,illustrated4 #a #jj4 8#8,the ,footsteps of ,st4 ,paul' is the title of an able and instructive work1 presenting a consecutive history of the life1 labors1 and teachings of the great ,apostle4 ,it interweaves1 in the narrative1 all the direct disclosures of the ,acts1 the incidental intimations of the ,epistles1 all the outside information extant1 and many conjectural statements derived from a comparison of different parts of ,scripture4 ,but he has written it in an animated and graphic style1 and imbued it with a fine spirit4 ,it leaves a strong impression on the reader's mind4 ,it is copiously illustrated with maps and engravings1 and is every way a scholarly performance40--,evangelist4 8,the ,carters have published a multitude of good books1 but1 unless we greatly mistake1 this will be reckoned among the best of them40--,puritan ,recorder4 ,by the same author4 ,i4 ,the ,words of ,jesus4 #afmo4 #dj cents4 8,this admirable little volume illustrates and applies some of the precious utterances of the blessed ,saviour1 in language chaste1 simple1 affectionate1 and urgent1 enlightening the thoughts1 exciting the affections1 subduing the passions1 guiding the soul1 like the star of ,bethlehem1 to the meek and lowly ,saviour40--,watchman4 ,,ii4 ,the ,mind of ,jesus4 #afmo4 #dj cents4 ,,iii4 ,morning and ,night ,watches4 #afmo4 #fj cents4 8,a precious volume of religious truth most pleasingly and scripturally presented for the comfort and edification of the people of ,god40--,observer4 ,,iv4 ,family ,prayers4 #afmo4 #ge cents4 8,simple1 evangelical1 earnest1 and well-adapted to prove a devotional help40--,christian ,herald4 8,direct1 fervent1 and comprehensive40--,evangelist4 ,v4 ,the ,woodcutter1 and ,the ,exiles4 #ahmo4 #ej cents4 ,,vi4 ,the ,great ,journey3 ,a ,,pilgrimage ,,through ,,the ,,valley ,,of ,,tears ,,to ,,mount ,,zion1 ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,the ,,living ,,god4 ,illustrated4 #afmo4 #ej cents4 ,family ,prayers4 ,by the ,rev4 ,john ,swete1 ,d4,d4 #afmo4 #fj cents4 ,family ,expositions of ,john and ,jude4 ,by the ,rev4 ,edward ,bickersteth4 #afmo4 #fj cents4 ,the ,young ,man's ,friend and ,guide through ,life to ,immortality4 ,by the ,rev4 ,john ,angel ,james4 #afmo4 #ge cents4 8,the young men of our land have in this book a rare treasure4 ,every page is fraught with instruction of momentous interest4 ,no young man who would prepare for the life that now is1 and for that which is to come1 should fail to read it40--,advocate4 ,preces ,paulin2 or1 ,devotions of the ,apostle ,paul4 #afmo4 #ge cents4 8,a gem of no ordinary worth4 99 99 99 ,we may briefly describe it1 and this because we think its title fails to do so1 as a ,treatise on ,prayer1 founded on the instances of prayer recorded of1 and by1 the ,apostle ,paul4 ,it is searching1 devotional1 practical1 and profitable40--,christian ,annotator4 ,philip ,colville1 a ,covenanter's ,story4 ,by ,grace ,kennedy1 author of 8,anna ,ross40 #ahmo4 #cj cts4 ,the ,dead in ,christ2 their ,state1 ,present and ,future4 ,by ,john ,brown1 ,d4,d4 #afmo4 #ej cents4 ,memoir of ,john ,frederick ,oberlin1 ,pastor of the ,waldbach in the ,ban ,de ,la ,roche4 #ahmo4 #dj cents4 8,the mind that does not rise from this memoir excited and mightier for ,god1 has a heartlessness and apathy none will covet40--,halsey4 ,israel and the ,gentiles4 ,contributions to the ,history of the ,jews from the earliest time to the present day4 ,by ,dr4 ,isaac ,da ,costa4 #a4be4 ,stray ,arrows4 ,by the ,rev4 ,t4 ,l4 ,cuyler1 new and enlarged edition4 #ahmo4 #dj cents4 ,emily ,vernon2 or1 ,filial ,piety ,exemplified4 ,by ,mrs4 ,drummond4 #ej cents4 8,most cordially do we recommend it as a gift to young ladies who have passed their sixteenth birthday40--,british ,mothers' ,magazine4 8,the story is simple1 but beautiful in its simplicity2 while here and there we meet with passages of exquisite grace and pathos4 ,it has our hearty recommendation40--,commonwealth4 ,a ,chart of the ,sacred ,history of the ,world from the ,creation to the ,birth of ,christ1 ,being a ,synchronical arrangement of the leading events of sacred and profane history2 subdivided into periods1 embellished by pictorial illustrations1 and accompanied by a concise ,introductory ,sketch1 and copious notes4 ,folio4 #a4ej ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,transcriber's ,notes ,some inconsistencies in spelling1 hyphenation1 and punctuation have been retained4 ,this file uses underscores to indicate italic text and equals signs to indicate bold text4 ,itemized changes from the original text3 p4 ix3 changed 8,protestanism0 to 8,protestantism0 7,protestantism1 like the primitive ,church17 p4 xxxiii3 changed 8,sarbonne0 to 8,sorbonne0 7,expelled from the ,sorbonne17 changed 8be0 to 8he0 7for the eucharist1 he insinuated7 changed 8,sarbonne0 to 8,sorbonne0 7expulsion from the ,sorbonne17 p4 xxxv3 changed 8,sarbonne0 to 8,sorbonne0 7before the ,sorbonne was in dependence17 p4 #id3 changed 8perfeet0 to 8perfect0 7the most perfect harmony7 p4 #ajc3 added missing quote mark based on context and #ahge ,chatto ,windus edition 7written in letters of gold407 p4 #ajd3 changed 8terrribly0 to 8terribly0 7,i am terribly afraid7 p4 #aaj3 changed 8nnmber0 to 8number0 7the number of our offences7 p4 #adc3 changed 8,filiutus0 to 8,filiutius0 7as ,filiutius says47 p4 #adf3 added missing quote mark based on context and #ahge ,chatto ,windus edition 7gone into desuetude'7 p4 #afh3 changed 8sylllogism0 to 8syllogism0 7a syllogism in due form17 p4 #bjd3 added missing quote mark based on context and #ahge ,chatto ,windus edition 7than to live well4'7 p4 #bji3 inserted missing opening quote mark 7#8if the confessor imposes7 based on context as well as #ahdg ,john ,johnstone edition1 #ahge #ahih ,chatto ,windus editions p4 #baa3 changed 8was0 to 8has0 7who has probed this question7 p4 #bah3 added missing quote mark based on context 7sufficient with the sacrament4'7 p4 #bhf3 changed 8surmont0 to 8surmount0 7to surmount external obstacles7 p4 #cbb3 removed extraneous closing quote mark based on context and #ahge ,chatto ,windus edition 7adored in the sanctuary7 p4 #cdj3 removed extraneous closing quote mark based on context and #ahge ,chatto ,windus edition 7you may profit by my example47 p4 #cde3 removed extraneous closing quote mark based on context and #ahge ,chatto ,windus edition 7any more than his book87 p4 #cdg3 changed 8,m4 de l a,lane0 to 8,m4 de la ,lane0 based on #ahij ,houghton1 ,osgood ,and ,company edition4 p4 #cdi3 added missing closing quote based on context and #ahge ,chatto ,windus edition 7purgare1 sed facere047 ,in the end-of-book publisher's catalog1 some repeated words were indicated by quote marks 7074 ,these were replaced with the repeated word1 for formatting reasons4