UNIGENITUS: A constitution issued Sept. 8, 1713, by Clement XI., condemning 101 propositions advanced by Pasquier Quesnel (q.v.) in his R6flex ions moroles sur le Nouveau Testament. The bull was an important step in the successful struggle with Jansenism (see Jansen, Cornelius), and marked a distinct victory of the Jesuits over the Augustinian tendencies of their opponents. The constitution was confirmed by Clement in the bull Pastoralis officii (Aug. 28, 1718), by a decree of In nocent XIII. (Jan. 8, 1722), by Benedict XIII. and the Roman synod of 1725, and by Benedict XIV. In the encyclical Ex omnibus Christiani orbis regioni bus (Oct. 16, 1756). The reason for the condemna tion of some of the propositions was simply the rigid Augustinian sense in which they were inter preted by the Jansenists, with denial of any possi bility of the cooperation of free will, such as is taught by Semipelagianism. It is only when this is borne in mind that repudiation of many of the propositions becomes clear. It should also be noted that there was yet another side to the question Jansenism was really one side of Gallicanism (q.v.), so that there was a political as well as a doctrinal reason for its suppression. In addition to the citations from the constitution cited in Jansen, Cornelius, § 5, the following con demned propositions may be quoted as indicative of the doctrines henceforth forbidden with the Roman Catholic communion: When God does not soften the heart by the inner unction of his grace, exhortations and external graces avail only to harden it the more (5). Grace is the operation of the hand of almighty God, which nothing can hinder or retard (10). When God wishes to save a soul, and touches it with the inner hand of his grace, no human will. resists it (13). The grace of Jesus Christ is a strong, potent, supreme, in vincible grace, seeing that it is the operation of almighty will, the sequence and the initiation of the working of God incarnating and revivifying his Son (21). Faith is the primal grace, and the source of all others (27). The first grace which God grants the sinner is forgiveness of sins (28). All whom God wills to save through Christ are saved infallibly (30). Jesus Christ gave himself to death to liberate forever those first born through his blood, that is, the elect, from the hand of the destroying angel (32). The grace of Adam produced only human merits (34). The sinner is not free except to evil without the grace of the Savior (38). The will which grace does not anticipate has no light except for erring, no ardor except for hurling itself head long, no strength except for wounding itself, is capable of all evil, and incapable of any good (39). No knowledge of God, even natural, even among pagan philosophers, can come except from God; and without grace it produces only presumption, vanity, and opposition to God himself instead of the feelings of adoration, gratitude, and love (41).

The first effect of baptismal grace is to make us die to sin, so that the spirit, heart, and senses have no more life for sin than a dead man has for the things of the world (43).

Charity is the only thing that tacks with God; that alone does God hear (54).

The prayer of the impious is a fresh sin; and what God grants them is a fresh judgment against them (59).

The baptised is still under the law like a Jew if he does not fulfil the law, or fulfils it from fear alone (63).

God never afflicts the innocent; and afflictions always serve either to punish sin or to purify the sinner (70).

The mark of the Christian Church is that it is catholic, comprehending both all the angels of heaven and all the elect and just of the earth and of all the ages (72).

The Church, or the whole Christ, has the incarnate Word as its head, and all the saints as its members (74).

He who does not lead a life worthy of the Son of God and a member of Christ ceases to have within God as his Father and Christ as his head (77).

It is useful and necessary at every time, in every place, and for every class of persons to study and to know the spirit, piety, and mysteries of sacred Scripture (79).

The reading of sacred Scripture is for all (80).

The sacred, obscurity of the word of God is no reason for the laity to dispense themselves from its reading (81).

The Lord's Day ought to be sanctified by Christians by readings of piety, and above all of the sacred Scriptures; it is wrong to wish to restrain the Christian from this reading (82).

The fear of unjust excommunication ought never to hinder us from fulfilling our duty; we never go forth from the Church, even when, by the wickedness of men, we seem to be expelled from it, when we are afflicted because of love for God, Jesus Christ, and the Church herself (91).

The state of persecution and punishment which any one bears as a heretic, wicked, and impious man is often the final test and moat meritorious, since it makes man more in conformity unto Jesus Christ (98).

Many of these propositions, and many others not cited here, will seem to the Protestant unobjectionable, and even praiseworthy; but, fair judgment must not forget that the underlying spirit was antagonistic to the teaching of the Roman Church; and the attitude of rebellion which dictated the whole series would very likely, had the Unigenitus not served (though only after stubborn resistance) to check it, have proceeded to extremes which even the Jansenists little anticipated.

Bibliography: H. Denainger, Enchiridroon aymbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus;fdei eE morum,

pp. 371-379, 10th ed., Freiburg, 1908; Reich, Docu- ments, pp. 38689; A. Schill, Die Constitution Unigenitus, Freiburg, 1878; V. Thuillier, Fragment de Hist. de. la constitution Unigenitua, Paris, 1901; G. H. Putnam, Cen- sorship of the Church of Rome, i. 360 sqq., New York, 1906.