nities. It was made their task to inquire into the nat- ure of the assistance derived from grace, and its mode of operation. On Jan. 16, 1598, the opinions of Molina were thus summarized : (1) A reason or ground of God's predestination is to be found in man's right use of his free- will. (2) In order that the grace which God bestows to enable men to persevere in religion may become the gift of perseverance, it is necessary that they may be fore- seen as consenting and co-operating with the divine assistance offered them, which is a thing within their power. (3) There is a mediate prescience which is neither the free nor the natural knowledge of God, and by which he knows future contingent events before he forms his decree.* (-1) Predestination may be consid- ered as either general (relating to whole classes of per- sons), or particular (relating to individual persons). In general predestination there is no reason or ground for it beyond the good pleasure of God, or none on the part of persons predestinated ; but in particular predestina- tion (or that of individuals) there is a cause or ground in the fjreseen good use of free-will. In 1601, finally, the decision of the congregation was rendered. It pro- nounced in favor of the Thomistic opinions. But not- withstanding this decision, the Jesuits, who were al- most en masse with the Molinists, succeeded in prevail- ing on Clement VIII to reopen the case; and a new congregation was appointed, consisting of fifteen cardi- nals, five bishops, and nine doctors, over whom the pope himself presided on seventy-eight different occa- sions between March 20, 1602, and Jan. 22, 1605; but when about to pronounce sentence he died, and the congregation's sittings had to be continued under his successor, Paul V, from September, 1605, until March, 1606. Yet even after the expiration of such a long pe- riod of deliberation, covering over two hundred sittings, a settlement of the question seemed less likely than ever ; and pope Paul, not wishing to condemn or to ap- prove either partly, public policy requiring that the pope should not make an enemy of France by deciding against the Jesuits, nor of Spain by deciding against the Dominicans, quietly concluded to discontinue the sit- tings, simply announcing that he reserved to himself the right of giving his verdict when he should see fit. Only, in dismissing the contending parties, in 1607, he forbade their publishing anything more on the subject. This command, however, was but little regarded, and the Scientia media of Molina came to be substantially adopt- ed by Jesuit theologians, while all his adversaries, the upholders of " efficacious grace," have protested against this system as semi-Pelagianism. Jansenius, for in- stance, accuses Molina of disregarding St. Augustine, and of misrepresenting his opinions, etc. Bossuet says, in answer to this reproach of semi-Pelagianism (see his ans^ver to Jurieu, Avertisseme>it aux Protestants), "As for M. Jurieu's objection of our Molinists being semi- Pelagians, if he had only opened their books he would have seen that they recognised in all the elect a gra- tuitous preference on the part of divine grace — a grace ever predisposing, ever necessarj^ for all pious deeds. This we never find among the semi-Pelagians. Go- ing further, or making grace to be preceded by some purely human acts with which it is then connected, I do not hesitate to assert that no Roman Catholic will contradict me when I say that this would be a fearful mistake, which would take away the very foundation of humility, and that the Church would never tolerate it, after having so often decided, and lately in the Coun- cil of Trent, that everything good, even to the first dis- position of the sinner to be converted, comes from an impelling and predisposing grace, which is preceded by
* In Molina's theology the "uatiin-.l" knowledge of God is that of what he effects by his direct power or by second causes. His " free" knowledge is that of what he purposes of his own free-will. His mediate " knowledge" ("scientia media") is that of what will depend on the free- will of his cieatnres, whose actions he foresees by a knowledge of all the forces hv which those actions will be brouglit about and controlled.
no merit." Molina wrote also Be Justitia et Jure (Cuen- 9a, 1592, 6 vols. fol. ; Mayence, 1659). See Antonio, Nova Bibliotheca Hispano ; Alegambe, De Script. Soc. Jesti, p. 314 sq. ; Ahrege de VHist. de la Congregation de A uxiliis ; Bossuet, A vertissement aux Protestants ; Encycl. des Gens du Monde ; Fleury, Eccl. Hist, clxxxiii, 4 ; Le Clerc, Bibl. Unii: et Hist. vol. xiv ; Aug. le Blanc, Hist. Congreg. de AuxiL Gratia: Divin, (Domin.) ; IMeyer, Hist. Controv. de Divin. Gratia AuxiL (Jesuit) ; Kuhn, Kathol. Dogmatik, i, 291 sq. ; Ranke, Hist, of the Papacy, i, 587 sq. ; ii, 90 sq. ; Nicolini, Hist, of the Jesuits, p. 231, 232 ; Walch, Religiose Sti-eitigkeiten ausser d. lather. Kirche, 1, 269 sq. ; Schrcickh, Kirchengeschichte s. d. Ref. iv, 295 sq. ; Hagenbach, Hist. Doctrines, ii, 202, 278, 280, 288 ; Bickersteth, Christian Student, sec. iv, p. 233 ; Wet- zer u. Welte (Roman CaihoYic), Kirchen-Lexikon,yi\, 199 sq.
Molineeus. See Moulin, De.
Molinari, Antonio, a Venetian painter, who flourished in the early part of the 18th century, was a pupil of Antonio Zanchi, whose maxims he afterwards renounced, creating a style of his own. Molinari paint- ed some excellent works for several of the Venetian churches, but his pictures were very unequal in merit. Lanzi says that in his best works, " as the History of Hosea, in the Corpus Domini at Venice, he displays a style no less solid than pleasing, which equally satisfies the judgment and the eye. There is a study of both design and expression, ample beauty of forms, richness of drapery, with a taste and harmony of coloring not surpassed by any artist of the time." See Lanzi, Hist, of Painting, transl. by Roscoe, ii, 295 ; Spooner, Biog. Hist, of the Fine A rts, ii, 575.