ters;" all together confifting of three full octavo volumes. His "Expolition" has lately been republifhed by the reverend Mr. Fofter; and it is much to be wifhed, that the volume of his "Select Works" had accompanied that edition. The truly pious foul can fcarce find more profitable reading befide the Bible.

T

MONSIEUR CLAUDE.

HE good and great Mr. John Claude, a minifter of the church of Paris, born at Sauvetat in the province of Angenois, in the year 1619, was one of the most eminent men of the ecclefiaftical profeffion. He ftudied as far as philofophy under his father, who was also a minifter; and afterwards, going through a courfe of divinity, was ordained at Montauban in the year 1645. He was made minifter of a church of Fief, called la Freine, where he officiated a twelvemonth. Afterwards he became minifter of a church of St. Africk in Rovergne; and eight years after, paftor of that of Mimes. As the proteftants had an univerfity in the city of Mimes, Mr. Claude had there an opportunity of difplaying one of his chief talents, which was happily explaining a theological fubject; and he used to read private lectures to fuch as were candidates for the miniftry. He had undertaken to refute the piece, called The Method,' which was written by cardinal Richelieu against the proteftants; but hearing, that Mr. Martel, the profeffor of divinity at Montablau, had a fynodical commiffion for that purpose, he laid afide that defign. Having opposed, in the fynod of the Lower Languedoc, a man, whom the court had won over to attempt a re-union, he was punifhed for it by a decree of council, which forbad him the exercife of the functions of a minifter in Languedoc, after he had exercised them eight years at Mimes. He went to Paris to get, if poffible, this refolution taken off; and, after staying

books our language affords, and cannot but confider it as a great honor conferred upon me by Providence, to have been an inftrument of prefenting it to the world in fo correct a form; as well as of refcuing many other inftructive pieces of that excellent and amiable Author, from the oblivion in which they had so long been buried.*

VOL. III.

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there fix months to no purpose, he took a journey to Montauban, where he preached the day after his arrival, and accepted the offer which the people of that church

made him.

During this journey, he wrote a little book, which gave rife to the most famous difpute, that ever was carried on in France between the proteftants and Roman catholics. The occafion of it was this: Meffieurs de Port-Royal were at that time ufing their utmost endeavors to make a convert of Mr. de Turenne to the Romish religion; and for that purpose prefented him with a little piece, in which they pretended to fhew, that the proteftant churches had always believed what is taught in that of the Romanifts, concerning the real prefence, and that a change of belief, fuch as the proteftants suppose, is impoffible. Mr. de Turenne's lady, who always dreaded what happened after her decease, namely, that her husband would turn Roman catholic, did all that lay in-her power to confirm him in the proteftant faith. For this reafon fhe caufed an answer to be made to the piece of Meffieurs de Port-Royal; and Mr. Claude was appointed to write it. He acquitted himself so admirably well upon this occafion, that feveral copies were taken of his anfwer, which were fpread every where, both in Paris and in the provinces; fo that had it been printed, it could not have been made much more public. Meffieurs de Port-Royal, hearing of this, thought themselves abfolutely obliged to anfwer it; which they did, by publishing, in the year 1664, the famous work, entitled, La perpetuitè de la foi de l'eglise catholique touchant l'eucharifte,' that is, The perpetuity of the catholic church in regard to its doctrine of the eucharift. It contains the firft piece, and a reply to Mr. Claude's anfwer. This minifter, who was then at Montauban, wrote a reply, which was printed with his first answer in the year 1666. This work is entitled, "Refponfe aux traites, intitulez, La perpetuite," &c. that is, An anfwer to two treatifes, entitled, "The perpetuity, &c." There is no doubt, but the merit of Mr. Claude's book contributed greatly to its fame; but neverthelefs, the ftate in which fanfenifm was at that time, was one chief caufe of the mighty noife this work made. For the Janfenifis confidered Mr. Claude's triumph as nothing, provided it could but leffen the joy of Meffieurs de Port-Royal; and therefore, for the fake of promoting their own caufe, they fpread in all places the name and merit of Mr. Claude. So neceffary is it, as Bayle juftly

obferves

obferves upon this occafion, for fome books to appear at certain feafons, and to be wrote against certain perfons, rather than at other junctures. Mr. Arnauld undertook to refute Mr. Claude's book, and published a large volume in the year 1669. Father Nouet, a famous jefuit, engaged in the controverfy, and published a book against Mr. Claude, who wrote an answer to it, which was printed in 1668. Some prefer this answer to his other pieces; and we are told, that it was his favorite piece. The author of the Journal des favans,' difcharged his artillery against Mr. Claude, by inferting an extract of that jefuit's book: And this occafioned Mr. Claude to publish a very witty provinciale against the author of the journal. It is an anonymous letter, and entitled, "Lettre d'un provincial à un de fes amis fur le fujet du journal du 28 Juin 1667," that is, "A letter from a provincial to a friend, occafioned by the journal of the 28th of June 1667;" which letter was anfwered by the journalist fome time after. This conteft went no farther; but with regard to Mr. Arnauld, who had added two more volumes to the former, Mr. Claude was forced to engage in a very laborious ftudy, in order to examine the tenets of the Greek church, and thofe of the Eastern fchifmaticks: And he fhewed great learning and abilities in the answer he made to him. The Janfenifts only made a general reply to Mr. Claude's book. They published their Prejugez legitimes contre le Calvinifme, that is, Juft prejudices against Calvinifm: Which Mr. Claude refuted by one of the best works, fays Bayle, that either himself or any other proteftant clergyman ever compofed. It is entitled, "Defenfe de la reformation," that is, "A defence of the reformation:" was first printed in 4to. at Roan in 1673, and afterwards at the Hague in 1682, 12mo.

Mr. Claude, as we have obferved, was elected minifter of the church of Montauban: It was about the year 1662. Four years after, he was forbid by the court to exercise his functions there, which obliged him to go a fecond time to Paris. He continued there near nine months, without being able to remove the obftacles of his return to Montauban. During this interval, he was invited to the church of Bourdeaux; but the congregation of Charenton, being unwilling to lofe a person of Mr. Claude's abilities, gave him alfo an invitation in the year 1666. From that time, to the revocation of the edict of Nantz, he did very great fervice to that church, and to the whole body, by his excellent works; and by the detail he de-.

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fcended

fcended to, concerning the affairs which the deputies of provinces communicated to him. No man was ever better qualified to head either a confiftory or a fynod, or to difpute off-hand. He difcovered this latter talent in the laft conference, which Mademoiselle de Duras defired to hear. This lady, it feems, would not forfake her religion, till fhe had heard Mr. Claude and the bishop of Meaux difpute in her prefence: She accordingly had her with; for thefe two illuftrious champions difputed together at the countefs de Roie's her fifter's, the first of March 1678. Each difputant wrote the relation of his conference, and afcribed the victory to himself. These relations were at first only handed about in manuscript; but at last the bishop of Meaux published his relation in the year 1682, and that of Mr. Claude followed foon after. Mr. Claude was diftinguifhed from the rest of the minifters, by the manner in which the court ordered him to leave the kingdom. He, like them, had a fortnight allowed him to leave it: But the Romish clergy found means to fhorten even that time. For on Monday the twenty-fecond of October 1685, the day on which the revocation of the edict of Nantz was registered at Paris, Mr. Claude at ten in the morning was ordered to leave France in twenty-four hours. He obeyed with the utmost fubmiffion; and fet out, attended by one of the king's footmen, who was ordered to conduct him to the frontiers of France; and who, though he executed his orders faithfully, yet treated Mr. Claude with civility: fo true it is, that exalted merit has a great influence even on the hearts of those who do not love the proteftant religion. He fet out from Paris in the Bruffels coach; and his fame flying before him procured him feveral obliging offices from many perfons in his journey. He paffed through Cambray, where he lay; and was there prefented with fome refreshments by the jefuits. The father rector did Mr. Claude the honor to pay him a vifit, which Mr. Claude returned; and the difference of religion did not interrupt this obliging correfpondence and marks of reciprocal esteem.

Mr. Claude made Holland his place of refuge; where he met with a very kind reception, and was honored with a confiderable penfion by the prince of Orange. He ufed to preach from time to time at the Hague; and his last fermon was on Christmas-day 1686: where he displayed his excellent talent fo admirably, that the princefs of Orange was greatly affected and extremely pleased with him. The authors of the fupplement to Moreri's dictio

nary