, a learned French theologian, was born in December 1675, at Rheims,
, a learned French theologian,
was born in December 1675, at Rheims, of obscure and
poor parents. The religious of St. Genevieve, who served
the parish of St. Denis at Rheims, undertook his education, and he was admitted doctor of divinity in that city in
1702, and became successively chaplain at Notre Dame,
canon of the collegiate church of St. Symphorien, and, in
1704, canon of the cathedral at Rheims. He was also
made governor of the little seminary of St. James by M
Le Tellier, but was deprived of that office on this gentleman’s death in 1710, and forbidden to preach or confess,
on account of his zealous opposition to the bull Unigenitus.
Being afterwards excommunicated by M. de Maille, who
succeeded M. le Tellier as archbishop of Rheims, he went
to Paris, and afterwards to Holland, where he remained
ubout a year with father Quesnel and Messrs. Petitpied
and Fouillou; but when Louis XIV. died, the proceedings
at Rheims were declared null, and M. le Gros returned
thither in 1716. He was a zealous promoter of the appeal
to a future council, and was the soul of the faculty of theoJogy; but M. de Mailli obtained a lettre dt cachet against
him in 1721, by which he was banished to St. John de Luz.
This sentence, however, he evaded, by living concealed
four or five years. In 1725, he went into Italy to observe
what passed in the council appointed by Benedict XIIL
and at length retired to Holland, and there spent the last
twenty-five years of his life, excepting a voyage he made
to England. The archbishop of Utrecht chose him professor of divinity in his seminary at Amersfort, and he
died at Rhinwick, near Utrecht, December 4, 1751, aged
76. His principal works are, 1. “Le Renversement des
Libenes de l'Eglise Gallicane dans r affaire de la Constitution Unigenitus,
” 2 vols. 12mo. 2. “La Sainte Bible traduite sur les textes originaux, avec les differences de la
Vulgate,
” Sept Lettres
Theolo^iques contre le Traite des Prets de Commerce, et
en ge‘ne’ral contre toute Usure,
” 4to. 4. “Dogma Ecclesiae circa Usurum expositum, et vindicatum;
” with several
other pieces in Latin against usury, 4to. 5. “Observations sur une Lettre attribute a ieu M. de Launoi sur
l'Usure,
” 4to. 6. “Eclaircissement historique et dogmatique sur la Contrition,
” 12mo. 7. “Motifs invincible*
d‘Attachement a l’Eglise Romaine pour les Catholiqnes,
ou de Re-union pour les pretendus Reformes,
” 12mo.
8. “Meditations sur la Concorde des Evangiles,
” 3 vols.
12mo. 9. “Sur l'EpStre aux Remains,
” 2 vols. 12mo.
10. “SurlesEpitrescanoniques,
” 2 vols. 12mo. ll.“Memoire sur les Droits du second Ordre,
” 4to. 12. “Me
”moire sur l'Appel au futur Concile,“4to; several tracts
on the Constitution, the Miracles, ascribed to M.Paris;
the Convulsions, &c. 13.
” Manuel du Chretien,“which
contains the Psalms, the New Testament, and the Imitation, 24to. A book in twelves, entitled
” Eclaircissement sur les Conciles genéraux," is also attributed to M.
le Gros.