Inhabitants to be brought in to them those Accusations and Informations which are made against them that it may be known and judged whether those Actions be triable in the Provosts Courts or not that so afterward according to the quality of the Crimes they may be by those Chambers remanded back unto the ordinary or judged by the Provosts according to law and reason they observing the Contents of this our present Edict And those Presidial Judges Provosts of Mareschals Vice-Bailiffs Vice-Seneschals and others who judge Soveraignly and without Appeal shall be bound respectively to obey and satisfy those Commands which shall be made them by the said Chambers and all even as they have been accustomed to be done in the said Parliaments upon pain of being deprived of their Offices LXVIII The Proclamations Bills of Siquis and Outropes of Inheritances by which a Decree is prosecuted shall be made in those places and at the hours accustomed if it may be done according to our Ordinances or else in the publick Markets provided that there be a Market in that place in which the said Inheritances do lie but where there is none they shall be made in the nearest Market Town of the Jurisdiction of that Court where a Delivery by Judgment is to be made And the Bills shall be set up and affixed upon the Posts in the said Market and at the entrance of the Auditory of the said place and by this means the said Proclamations shall be good and valid and they may proceed to the interposal of a Decree without stopping at the Nullities which may be alledged on this account LXIX All Deeds Papers Writings Evidences which have been taken away shall be restored and returned back on both sides unto their rightful Owners and Proprietors although the said Papers or the Castles and Houses in which they were kept had been taken and possessed by special Commissions from the late King now dead our most Honoured Lord and brother-in-Brother-in-Law or by Commissions from our selves or by Command of the Governours and Lieutenants-General of our Provinces or by the Authority of the heads of either Party or by any other means and pretext whatsoever LXX The Children of those persons who had departed the Kingdom since the late King Henry the Second our most Honoured Lord and father-in-Father-in-Law upon the account of Religion and the troublesome times ensuing although the said Children were born out of the Kingdom shall be reputed True Frenchmen and Natives of the Kingdom and we have declared and declare them to be such nor have they any farther need of Letters of Naturalization or other provisions from us besides this present Edict notwithstanding all Ordinances to the contrary from which we have derogated and do derogate upon Condition that the said Children born in Foreign Countries shall be obliged within the term of ten years after the publication of this present to come and dwell in the Kingdom LXXI Those of the said pretended Reformed Religion and others who have followed their Party and had farmed before the troubles any Office or Demesn or Gabell or Foreign Imposition or other Rights appertaining to us which they could not injoy because of those troubles shall be acquitted and discharged even as we do now acquit and discharge them of all receits whatsoever of the Income of the said Offices or which they may have paid any where else than into the Receit of our Treasury notwithstanding all Obligations made and passed by them on this occasion LXXII All Places Towns and Provinces of our Kingdom the Countries Territories and Lordships under our Jurisdiction shall use and enjoy the same Priviledges Immunities Liberties Franchises Fairs Markets Jurisdictions and Assises Seats of Justice as they did before the troubles began in the Month of March one thousand five hundred and eighty five and in the preceding years notwithstanding all Letters to the contrary and the Disposals of the said Lordships to other Persons provided that this was done meerly and solely upon the account of the said Troubles Which Assizes and Seats of Justice shall be revived and restored in those Towns and Places in which they were before LXXIII All Prisoners formerly detained by the Authority of Justice or by any other means yea and the Slaves in the Galleys for and upon the account of the said Religion shall be inlarged and set at full Liberty LXXIV Those of the said Religion may not be hereafter surcharged nor oppressed by any ordinary or extraordinary Taxes more than the Catholicks nor above the proportion of their estates and abilities And the Parties which shall complain of their being over-burdened shall appear before the Judges to whom the Cognisance of these matters doth appertain And all our Subjects both of the Catholick and pretended Reformed Religion shall be indifferently discharged of all Taxes which had been imposed both upon the one and other during the troubles by them who were of the contrary Party and not consenting as also the Debts contracted and not paid and expences made without their consent however they shall not be able to redemand the moneys which had been imployed in payment of the said Taxes LXXV Nor is it our intention that those of the said Religion nor others who have followed their Party nor the Catholicks who were remaining in the Towns and Places possessed and held by them and which stood up for them shall be prosecuted for the payment of Taxes Aids Grants Increase and the little Tax imposed by Henry the Second Utensils Reparations and other Impositions and Subsidies fallen and imposed during the Troubles fallen out before and till our coming unto the Crown whether by the Edicts Commands of the late Kings our Predecessors or by the Advice and deliberation of the Governours and States of the Provinces Courts of Parliaments and others from which we have discharged and do discharge them by forbidding the General-Treasurers of France and of our Revenue the Receivers-general and particular their Agents and Dealers and other Intendants and Commissioners of our Revenues to search after molest or disturb them any manner of way whatsoever whether directly or indirectly LXXVI All Chieftains Lords Knights Gentlemen Officers Corporations and Communalties and all others which have aided and succoured them their Widows Heirs and Successors shall be quitted and discharged of all moneys which were taken up and levied by them and their Orders whether they were moneys Royal how great soever the summ might be or the moneys of those Cities and Communalties and of particular Persons their Rents Revenues Plate Sale of Houshold Goods of Ecclesiastical Persons or others Trees Timber whether of and belonging to the Crown or to other Persons Fines Booties Ransoms or moneys of another nature taken by them upon the account of the troubles began in March 1585. and the other troubles foregoing until our Arrival to the Crown without that either they or their Agents imployed by them in the levying of the said moneys or who ever gave them
Persecutors employed for the attaining their ends several Years together It being no easie matter presently to accomplish their designs they needed time for the sharpning of their Tools and the better ordering of their Engins to pass by the many Traverses and Interruptions they had by foreign Wars yet that great success they had in them did mightily inflame their courage and hopes and confirm them in their grand design of a total extirpation of the Reformed SECT XXII Their first method of Law-Suits in Courts of Justice had an infinite extent By the Tricks and Quirks of Law a multitude of Churches were condemn'd and the crafty wicked Commissioners totally suppressed all Exercise of Religion in them This Trap was cunningly laid as soon as the Treaty of Peace and the King's Marriage with the Infanta of Spain were concluded For under the specious pretence of repairing the Infractions of the Edict of Nantes Commissioners were dispatched into the Provinces The Roman Catholick Commissioner was always the Intendant of the Province a proper Tool to do the Court's business armed with Royal Authority and privy to the secret of the Plot. The other a Protestant in profession some needy hungry Officer a devoted Slave unto the Court who had neither Intelligence necessary for the Affairs nor Liberty to declare his Sense and Sentiments about them The Clergy set them both up and their Agents were received as formal Parties in all Matters relating to the Reformed yea and the very Citations and Prosecutions went all in their Names And in case of different Opinions betwixt the Commissioners all Appeals from their Ordinances must be finally decided by the King and Council Thus in general all the Rights of the Reformed Churches for Exercise of Religion and for those places in which they buried their Dead and all their Dependencies were ordered to be reviewed and thereby exposed to the fresh Suits and Prosecutions of the Clergy and the mischievous Intentions of their Judges And in all this transaction you should rarely meet with one dram of Equity For the Edict having been once executed according to the intention of Henry the Fourth it needed no revisal Besides how improbable a thing was it that the Reformed who had always been the suffering Party in the Kingdom should usurp any thing in it or extend their bounds beyond what of right belonged to them But there were other designs in hand than to provide against the Violations of the Edict and therefore by those Orders given unto the Commissioners the greatest part of the Churches cited before them to prove their Rights saw themselves condemned immediately one after another by the Decrees of the Privy-Council tho' their Titles were never so clear and evident and their defence managed with as much strength and reason as possible Scarcely a Week passed in which some of these Decrees were not made and pronounced And if it fell out that the Judges for meer shame could not condemn them as it sometimes so happened tho' their number was very small in comparison of those which were condemned yet the Judges receive peremptory Orders from above to do it and do it they must tho' against their Consciences At this rate before the Year 1673 they had desolated hundreds of Churches A Monk of the Barnabite Order and Deputy for the Clergy of Bearn gloried that of One hundred and twenty three places which the Protestants had to worship God in and those upon the most legal and unquestionable Titles there remained but twenty all the rest having been demolished The Temple of Vitré in Brittaine was destroyed because they could not produce their Titles to it when as they were irrecoverably lost by Fire War or the perfidious hands of Revolters If a Church was near the Sea that was reason enough why it must be demolished So was the Temple of Carantan in Normandy served altho' a Bailywick One while they pretend the Town in which it is was taken in the Civil Wars and therefore their Temple must be returned either to the Papists or else be utterly ruinated This was the fate of that of Negrepelisse tho' it had been in the possession of the Reformed ever since the Year 1561. Nay a Church expresly mentioned in the Edict and that they had not impudence enough to call in question its Title yet they had the malice to demolish viz. the Church of Chauvigny in Poictou this was done Aug. 6. 1665. Of threescore and one Churches in Poictou in the Year 1674. there remained but one uncondemned viz. that of Niort So that above 80000 Souls were obliged to live without any Publick Worship of God at all In the Country of Gex they reduced three and twenty Churches to but two In Guienne of fourscore Churches there were but three left uncondemned by the Catholick Commissioner who was wholly governed by the Jesuite Meisnier In Normandy their fury had brought all their Churches unto those three of Caen Rouen and Diep In Provence of their sixteen Churches there remained but three If there be any Churches standing and not converted into ruinous heaps they be such as are most inconveniently situated in Marshes or low Grounds which were often overflown with Waters or unpassable in Winter so that these poor Christians were deprived of all possibility of hearing God's Word and necessitated to travel forty Miles and more to worship God publickly and to get their Children baptized for they may not do any exercise of Religion as Preaching Marrying or Administring of the Sacraments but in those places which by the Edict of Nantes were appointed for Divine Worship Besides the Papists were very barbarous and inhumane in the cruel execution of their Decrees for they would oblige the Protestants themselves to demolish their Temples with their own hands And because many of them out of Honour and Conscience would not contract the guilt of so great a Sacriledge upon their Souls as to ruinate those holy Places which were dedicated to the Service and Glory of God nor have any thing to do in that Diabolical Work their own Houses have been plundered and levelled with the ground and unconscionable Fines laid upon them This hath been the case of divers Persons of eminent quality in Poictou I could here have exhibited a Catalogue of Churches demolished in France by the King's order and that of the Council in several Provinces and Dioceses of that Kingdom in the Years 1661 1662 1663 1664 1665 1672 and 1673. But because by the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes they are now all a heap of Ruines I shall spare my self the labour of transcribing and my Reader the pains and time of reading them The Zeba's and Zalmunna's of that Kingdom have either burnt up all the Synagogues of God in it or else they have took those Houses of God into their possession SECT XXIII But the Oppressions of this kind did not terminate in the bare condemnation of Churches but particular Persons also had a very large share and
to Fountainbleau that we might wait upon the Bishop of Meaux which was a truth had the kindness for us as to order him to come to Paris and if after our Conferences ended with my Lord Bishop of Meaux we could not with a good Conscience hold Communion with the Church of Rome he would then give us when ever we should desire it a Licence for our selves and Families to depart the Kingdom and that finally my Lord of Meaux would charily preserve our Writing which had been presented unto his Majesty We all three accepted the Proposals And had several Conferences with the Bishop of Meaux But this very day we are urged to come to a Resolution and upon our refusal of signing the new Formulary we are plainly told That it is ill done of us to recoil after that of our own accord we had advanced so far and they farther tell us That our own Writing obligeth us to far greater matters than the new Formulary and that we declare in the very beginning of it That of all Evils Disunion is the greatest and that by this our Confession neither Transubstantiation nor any of those other Points debated by us could be a bar to our Re-union and that in effect we do formally re-unite ourselves by our very Writing and that by submitting our selves to the Conduct of Bishops and of their pitiful Curates we do subject our selves to the whole Ecclesiastical Discipline and that we intreating the Higher Powers who went unto Mass to believe our Sentiments to be the same with theirs who desired the Cup we were engaged at the same time to do as they did even to wait for that Reformation which was universally desired and which the King incessantly pursued as having resolv'd that the Cup should be delivered unto the People in the Sacrament And thus they boast we are caught by our own Writing which was left imprudently enough in the hands of my Lord Bishop of Meaux and which they say also at the same time is in the King 's This is the truth of our present Estate and for which we conjure you most dear Brother to send us as soon as possible your advice lest c. WE whose Names are here-under written being fully perswaded that among Christians there cannot be a greater mischief than to be divided one from another especially when as the providence of God has made us all Subjects to our King who is the most glorious Monarch in the whole World and being unmeasurably grieved that we are bound to depart his Kingdom and to subject our selves unto the authority of strangers whom we can never own for our Soveraign Lawful Princes Do declare That from this very day we can promise my Lord the Bishop of Meaux that we will subject our selves to the Sermons and Even-Songs used in the Catholick Church thereby giving a sensible demonstration of our Union with the Archbishops Bishops and Curates of France We also intreat That we may be absolutely believed to be in the same Sentiments with the Higher Powers who in conformity to the Liberties of the Gallican Church gave in divers Articles as our Historians relate to my Lord Cardinal de Joyeuse concerning the Council of Trent and until such time as they may be established by the King's Authority and signed by the most Reverend Clergy of France in the sence of the second Article of the last Edict verified in Parliament the 22d of this instant October we most humbly beseech his Majesty to grant us the liberty of abiding within his Kingdom in quality of poor private persons we calling God to witness by our Oaths That we will do nothing against his Majesty's Declarations but contrariwise we shall endeavour by our example to keep the People within those bounds of Fidelity and Obedience which we all owe unto the King and our Superiours I suppose those Articles were the same which had been demanded by the Cardinal of Lorrain and the other French Ambassadours in the Council of Trent as they be mentioned by De Mezeray in his 3d Tome p. 1470. viz. That an Ecclesiastick Person should hold but one Benefice That the Mass being finished Prayers might be celebrated in the Vulgar Tongue That the People might Communicate in both kinds That all Pastors should be capable and obliged to Preach and Catechise That the abuse crept in among the Common People in the Worshipping of Images might be removed SECT LV. Now the Ministers have left the Kingdom and vast multitudes of their People steal away after them as well as they can But the King and Haman the French King and his Cabal sit down and drink whil'st that Paris as Shushan of old and all other places in which the Reformed remain are in great perplexities In every Province whithersoever the King's Commandment and his Decree came there was great Mourning among the Protestants Fasting Weeping and Wailing and many lay in Sackcloth and Ashes Yet among the Sighs and Groans or God's poor Saints who mourn for the Desolations of Zion the Ruines of their Temples and Sanctuary the loss and reproach of their Solemn Assemblies the Prophanations of their Holy Sabbaths their deprival of Religious Ordinances the banishment of their Pastors the dissipations of their Churches and the total extirpation of the pure Evangelical Religion and cannot be comforted the Popish Clergy the Monks and Jesuits have their Jubilees and Triumphs and the Pope sends a Letter to the King congratulating him for his Zeal against the Hereticks in his Kingdom and for repealing the Edict of Nantes It spake this Language The Pope's Letter to the French King congratulating him for Abolishing the Edict of Nantes Innocent the XIth to our dearest Son in Christ Lewes the XIVth the most Christian King of France Our dearest Son in Christ SInce above all the rest of those illustrious Proofs which do abundantly declare the natural inbred Piety of your Majesty that Noble Zeal and worthy the most Christian King is most conspicuous with which being ardently inflamed you have wholly abrogated all those Constitutions that were favourable to the Hereticks of your Kingdom and by most wise Decrees set forth have excellently provided for the Propagation of the Orthodox Belief as our beloved Son and your Ambassadour with us the Noble Duke de Estrées hath declared to us We thought it was incumbent on us most largely to commend that excellent Piety of yours by the remarkable and lasting Testimony of these our Letters And to congratulate your Majesty that Accession of immortal Commendation which you have added to all your other great Exploits by so illustrious an Act of this kind The Catholick Church shall most assuredly record in her Sacred Annals a Work of such Devotion towards her and celebrate your Name with never-dying Praises But above all you may most deservedly promise to your self an ample Retribution from the Divine Goodness for this most excellent Vndertaking and may rest assured that we shall never cease to pour
communicating at the Lord's Table and a Womans cohabiting with her Leprous Husband Elders and Deacons subscribe the Confession and Discipline Chap. IV. Of Vagrants Care of the Widows and Children of deceased Ministers Chap. V. Particular Matters Appeals by Ministers a Minister restored to his Reputation Clopet an accused Minister highly censured Monks and Priests revolting Chap. VI. Notes about a Book seller Poverty of the Church of Pamiers and care for it Restoration of Roberty a censured Minister Reflections upon an Intruder into the Ministry Chap. VII Roll of Vagrants Chap. VIII General Advertisements unto the Reformed Churches of France in eighteen Articles Chap. IX Fifteen Cases of Conscience resolved by Mr. Calvin Chap. X. Twelve Orders and Decrees concerning Marriages THE Synod of Vertueil 1567. Synod VI. General Matters SYNOD VI. Articles of the National Synod held at Vertueil in Augoumois the first day of September One thousand five hundred sixty and seven and in the Seventh year of the Reign of King Charles the Ninth Monsieur de L'Estre was chosen Moderator Chap. I. Alterations Additions and Annotations upon the Church-Discipline General MATTERS IT is Enacted by the Authority of this present National Synod that none shall be put into the List of Vagrants until such time as the Neighbour Churches have first proceeded against them according to the Canons of our Discipline and that they have clone their best endeavour to reclaim and reform them and there shall be kept a particular Roll of those Vagrants distinct from the Articles of the National Synod II. In Churches where there be several Ministers none of them shall give a Certificate concerning any matter of Importance without having first Communicated it with his other Brethren III. Elders may be present at Propositions of the Word of God made by young Ministers and at their Censures and may freely if it please them pass their Judgment on them IV. Such who according to the custom of the Country do falsifie disguise or corrupt their Merchandizes as Stretchers Drawers of Cloth in Poictou shall be admonished by the Consistory to forbear those Cheats and in case they should not desist they shall be laid under Censures V. Pastors who have obtained leave to follow their Studies for some time shall apply themselves to their Colloquy or Synod for its confirmation without which they may not depart their Churches lest by their departure the Churches be left unprovided VI. The determination of time and age capacitating persons to contract Marriage doth properly belong to the Civil Magistrate CHAP. II. Excommunicates and Infidels shall not be permitted Marriage without publick pennance VII WHere one Party is an Infidel or Excommunicate the Marriage shall not be celebrated in our Churches unless the Unbeliever do first make a Protestation to renounce all Idolatry and to live in the Church of God as becomes a Christian and the Excommunicate Person in like manner shall have given by publick Pennance full satisfaction for his offence to the Church VIII If there be a sufficient number of Ministers to make a Synod the Provincial Synods shall be modell'd according to the Governments But and if a Church shall complain of its being thereby incommoded and that there arise any strife about it between the Provinces a third shall be chosen to reconcile them Nothing besides the Holy Scripture to be read in the Church IX None other Writings besides the Holy Scriptures shall be read in the Publick Assemblies X. The Synod judgeth it not advisable that they should receive the Bread at the Lords Table who cannot the Cup. The Bread shall not be given in the Lords Supper to them who refuse the Cup. XI This Assembly understanding that some private persons had either spoken or written against the Discipline exercised in the Churches of this Kingdom demanded of the Deputies severally and distinctly whether their respective Churches had any scruple about the Discipline which hath been hitherto observed by us Whereunto the Deputies did all unanimously answer that their Churches did fully consent unto the Discipline and required its inviolable observation and that such who opposed this our Established Order might be censured And the absent Provinces which were but few in number have by Letters under their own hands testified their consent unto it XII If hereafter any difference should arise between two Provinces about their Redemanding of Ministers they shall choose a third to accord and arbitrate the matter between them A Pastor accused of leaving his Church shall purge himself before the Synod XIII Ministers accused for leaving their Churches without their consent first had shall be bound to make their personal Appearance before the next Provincial Synod unto which they did belong upon the first Summons that so they may clear themselves publickly And their innocency being vindicated the Church which had impeached them of unjust desertion shall be obliged to reimburse them all charges of their journey No Officer in the Church shall be said by till the Consistory have first determined it XIV Until the whole body of the Consistory have first maturely considered the causes why they should be rejected no Minister Deacon nor Elder shall reckon themselves to be rejected CHAP. III. XV. AS to the case propounded whether a Dumb and Deaf man giving Evidence by signs and gestures of his Faith and Godliness may be admitted to Communion at the Lords Table this Assembly judgeth that he may be received especially if they have had long experience of his holy Life and the Church do testifie of his Faith and Knowledge in the things of God A woman may not be compelled to live with her Lepours Husband XVI A Woman may if she please and do consent unto it live sequestred with her Leprous Husband But in case of her refusal 't is the judgment of this Assembly that she ought not to be enforced because the Commonwealth is concerned in this matter Onely she must not be wanting in her duty otherways XVII Whenever Elders and Deacons are received into Office they shall subscribe our Confession of Faith and Church Discipline or else make a publick protestation to observe it XVIII It is ordained that those words of the twenty ninth Article of our Discipline Where the Ministry is established and those also As much as possible shall be razed out of the said Article XIX Difficulties that cannot be determined by the Consistory shall be remitted to the Colloquy or Classis and from thence to the Provincial Synod XX. When any differences arise between Gentlemen professing the true Religion they shall be admonished to refer them unto their Friends and Kinred that so they may be amicably composed CHAP. IV. The Church or Province shall take care of Ministers Widows and Orphans see the Synod of St. Foy Gen. Mat. art 5. XXI SUch as being once inrolled by order of a National Synod among the Vagrants they shall never be taken off the file but
from the King and without any mixture of Superstition or Idolatry they may do it lawfully enough But and if they hold them with Idolatry or Superstition be it either from the King's Gift or the Pope they cannot do it there is sin and guilt in the case nor shall they be admitted to Communion with us at the Lord's Table For this would be a professed owning of the Pope's Tyranny who hath no rightful Dominion nor Authority in these matters but Kings and Princes only who are robbed by the Pope's Usurpation of their just Rights Power Priviledges and Authority CHAP. VII Particular MATTERS Art I. IT is now concluded that the Province of Normandy may be divided into two Provinces in case they cannot conveniently meet in one and all the Ministers shall come unto them accompanied with their Elders according to the Canon of our Discipline and not by deputies from the Colloquies Art II. As for Cozain upon reading those Letters sent us from our Brethren the English Ministers it was ordered That the two Books written by the said Cozain and dedicated to some particular Members in the Church of Bourdeaux and brought unto this present Synod by Monsieur de la Sauls should be put into Monsieur Beza's hands for his perusal and who should make report of their Contents unto us and an Answer shall be returned to our Brethren of England Art III. The Deputies of the Isle of France craved our Advice about those Points of Church-Discipline now controverted by Monsieur Ramus du Rosier Bergeron and some others Whereupon an Order was made That Monsieur de Chambrun should read in this Assembly that Abridgement made by our Brethren of the Isle of France and extracted out of Morellius's Answer to that Book De la Confirmation de la Discipline and sent by them unto this Synod together with the Book of the said Morellius in answer to it and for decision of those Points and Arguments therein contained as also Ramus and De Rosier's Books which shall be delivered unto Monsieur Cappel to be examined by him And in case there be any other Arguments found in them besides those formerly urged by Morellius these shall be also answered And Messieurs de Beza De Roche Chandieu and De Beaulieu are chosen to reply unto them And as for the Decisions and Decrees they shall be made only by the Provinces Yet liberty is given unto the By standers in case they think good to make opposition and to this purpose the Doors of the Synod shall be leâ—t wide open and silence shall not be imposed upon any Man in this matter for this time Only it shall not be made a Precedent Art IV. But this Affair having been since considered examined disputed debated and put to the Vote as it was ordered in the last mentioned Canon a Decree passed That our Church-Discipline as it hath been all along to this very day observed end practised among us so also shall it be for the future without any change or innovation in it as being grounded upon God's Word And as for those Positions asserted by Monsieur Ramus Morellius Bergeron and others 1. About the Decision of Points of Doctrine 2. About the Election and Deposal of Ministers 3. About Excommunication out of the Church and Reconciliation with and Re-admission into it 4. And lastly about Prophesying None of these shall be received among us because they have no Foundation in the Word of God and are of very dangerous consequence unto the Church as the whole hath been verified and made appear in the presence of this Synod in which all the Arguments of those Books of Ramus Morellius and Du Rozier were most narrowly sifted and discussed and this was unanimously assented to by the Declaration of all the Provincial Deputies who affirmed That they had maturely and duly considered of those Points of Discipline controverted by those Gentlemen before-mentioned And Monsieur De la Roche Chandieu was ordered to reduce and set down in writing all the Answers and Resolutions made by this Assembly unto the said Treatises and Arguments and to communicate them with the Colloquy of Lionnois that they may be printed and published Only the Relation of these Synodâ—cal Answers and Resolutions shall be writ with the greatest moderation and without mentioning the Names of any Person Art V. The Colloquy of Limmigny shall be advised to get the Memoirs of their Synod to be razed nor may they make any particular Canons of their own but shall be governed by those of our Discipline Art VI. Monsieur Berauld and his Colleagues in the Church of Montauban are charged to recover from Monsieur Comerard of Tholouse the History of the Albigenses written in their Langùage and Monsieur D' Acier shall translate it into French and having done it shall communicate it unto their Colloquy according to the Canons of our Church-Discipline and then cause it to be printed And Letters shall be written to this purpose unto the said Sieurs de Comerard and D' Acier from this Assembly Art VII The County of Messin and City of Metz shall be joyned to the Province of Champagne according to the particular Canon of our Discipline and Letters concerning it shall be sent unto them from this Synod Art VIII The Lord Admiral de Chastillon having writ a Letter unto this Synod the Churches were all admonished of their Duty to his Majesty and an Answer should be returned to this effect unto his Lordship Art IX A Vote passed but without any prejudice to the liberty of Monsieur de Saules and without debating the Merits of his Cause that a Letter should be written unto the Magistrates of Geneva thanking them for their Love and Good-will and they shall be desired to continue it unto all the Churches of France in general and particularly to those of Bearn and we do grant Monsieur de Saules tor one Year more unto the Queen of Navarre and Letters also shall be written unto her Majesty and to his Highness the Prince her Son Art X. The Churches shall be excited to assist with their Charity the poor Members of the County and Church of Orange who are in extream poverty there being no less than Twelve hundred Families of these Refugees in the single Province of Dolphiny Art XI Before that Mr. John le Gagneur shall be admitted Pastor into any one of our Churches he shall give good Evidence of his Repentance and of his Reconciliation with the Church of Geneva and we will have some considerable space of time for proving the truth of his Repentance Art XII Upon the Censure of Ramus Morellius and their Companions it was voted That Letters should be writ in the Name and Authority of this Assembly unto the said Ramus Morelly Du Rozier and Bergeron and to give them all severally to understand what was concluded by this Assembly against their Books and to re-mind them of their Duty according to God's Holy Word and a Letter
Pastors and Elders as they be obliged by that Article of our Discipline otherwise they shall have no power of Voting in that Synod XIII In explaining the fifth Article of the tenth Chapter of our Discipline concerning Funerals it was decreed That Ministers should hinder the distribution of the Deceased's Alms at their Interrments that so those inconveniences which would otherwise fall out may be prevented XIV That Article of the Synod of Saumur concerning the Administration of Baptism after Singing the last Psalm before the Blessing shall be inserted into the eleventh Chapter of our Discipline XV. Having read and carefully examined the Memoirs sent from the Provinces concerning the fifth Article of the thirteenth Chapter of our Discipline about the Form in which Promises of Marriage are to be conceived and uttered this Assembly ordereth That both that Article of the Discipline and of the last Synod of Saumur shall be amended and that the Churches be left to their own liberty and discretion either to use the words de praesenti or de futuro XVI In explaining the tenth Article of the same Chapter this case was propounded by the Colloquy of Foix A Man espoused the Widow of the Deceased who was married to his own Sister in a former Marriage The Synod judgeth That such a Marriage is not incestuous nor comprised in the said Article forasmuch as Affinity ceaseth by Death and proceedeth not beyond the Persons conjoyned by that said Affinity XVII A Question was moved upon reading the 16th Article of the 13th Chapter Whether it were lawful to give them a Certificate to be married out of their own Churches Who desired it for this reason only that they might avoid Bewitching and Impotency procured by tying the Point This Assembly ordaineth That it shall not in the least be granted them and adviseth them not to give way unto such fears proceeding from their weakness and unbelief and the Faithful are exhorted to arm themselves against such Attempts by an entire confidence in God's Holy Word and by fervent Prayers to vanquish such Illusions and to come unto the Ordinance of Marriage when blessed in our Churches with more Reverence Attention and Devotion than is usual XVIII The Assembly decreed about the 23d Article of the same Chapter concerning Widows Marriages That they shall not be admitted to contract Marriage till seven Months and fourteen days be fully expired after their Husbands Death XIX The 21st * * * It 's the 20th Article Article of the same Chapter being examined the Church in the House of her Highness the King's Sister craved Advice for their Conduct in that great Concern of her Royal Highness's Marriage with the Prince of Lorrain because althô she had employed the Authority of the Provincial Synod and of divers famous Persons both within and without the Kingdom yet she cannot any longer hinder it This Synod approving their Duty judgeth this Marriage utterly unlawful nor shall it be permitted in any of our Churches and Letters to this purpose shall be written to her and all Ministers are enjoyned carefully to observe this Article otherwise they shall be suspended and deposed from their Ministry And this Injunction shall be annexed to the Articles of our Discipline N.B. She would not be married after the Popish way and could not after the Protestants Henry IV. her Brother found out a temper got the Archbishop of Roven his Natural Brother to pronounce only the formal words of Marriage in his Cabinet the King himself joyning their Hands and the Duke of Barr went immediately to Mass and she to a Sermon at Court See the 28th Artic. of Part. Matters of the Nation Synod of Gâ—rgâ—aâ— XX. A Case was propounded upon the Article of Incests A Maid was married in her Nonage to one who in his first Marriage had espoused her Aunt by Papal Dispensation and had Children by her now she is since come to the knowledge of the Truth embraceth and makes open profession thereof but not her Husband she also hath born him Children may this Woman be received into Communion with our Churches This Assembly distinguishing between Affinity and Consanguinity and considering the time wherein the said Marriage was contracted and that the Dispensation such as it was is reputed a Law in this Kingdom and because the Husband is of the contrary Religion adviseth That without approving the said Marriage she be received unto Communion with us in the Sacraments And this shall be published unto the People XXI On the Article of Publick Penance for Scandals the Province of Higher Languedoc moved Whether a Man convicted and condemned by the Civil Magistrate for a certain Crime which yet he pertinaciously denieth may be received to the Peace and Fellowship of the Church without undergoing Publick Penance This Assembly judgeth That in the first place the past Life of this condemned Person be revised and examined and then the Accusations brought in against him the Witnesses attesting them and the Judges passing Sentence on him and then to ponder all Circumstances and Proofs over and above what were produced before the Magistrate and if alter the greatest diligence used herein and Adjurations made him in the Name of God to confess the Truth he still persists in his denyals he may be received unto the Lord's Table provided that the Church be publickly acquainted in his presence that the Judgment of the whole Process lieth between God and his own Conscience XXII Instead of those words in the beginning of the * * * It is now the 23th Art 26th Article of the same Chapter Who shall have dwelt there shall be inserted Who being espoused shall have dwelt together XXIII A Case being moved Whether Lands might be purchased on these Terms That you keep up Divine Service as 't is called in the Church of Rome This Assembly is of Opinion That we should make a difference between those who purchase upon Terms of paying such and such Suits and Service unto a Bishop Abbot or Curate and those who in downright Terms scruple the causing Mass to be said or sung the former of these be not liable to Church Censures but the latter must be informed that they cannot with a safe Conscience neither possess nor acquire such Lands or Leases XXIV Proctors and Advocates i. e. Attorneys and Counsellors professing the Reformed Religion may not take of their own accord Monitories out of the Popish Ecclesiastical Courts But Judges being Publick Persons and having Authority to declare what is Law and ought to be done may order what they shall do in such Cases XXV The last clause of the 13th Article in the Chapter of Ministers shall be struck out because 't is comprised in the 15th Article of the last Chapter of our Discipline concerning Particular Orders XXVI Divers Provinces complaining of the Licentiousness of Printers in publishing all sorts of Books Cities and Churches having Printers in them are advised to suffer no Book to get into the Press
our King directed unto this Assembly being read wherein she demanded a Supply of Ministers for her Court it was voted That the Church in her Royal Highness's House should be supplied from the first Day of July next unto the first Day of October following by the Province of Normandy and from the first of October to the first of April next following by the Church of Sedan and from the said first of April 1602 by the other Provinces who in their turns should each of them send a Minister who shall be in actual Service six Months according to this Order now declared viz. The Lower Languedoc Orleans Dolphiny Anjou the Higher Languedoc Poictou the Lower Guyenne Xaintange Vivaretz and Burgundy unless the said Church be not before-hand provided of two able Pastors particularly appropriated to it And her said Royal Highness shall be by our Letters sent to her expressy to this purpose advised to get them and that the Moneys she bestows upon the Schools of Bearn may be employed by her Royal Highness towards the maintenance of a competent number of Proposans And that the Church in her Royal Highness's Court may not at any time be left unprovided the Provinces are all obliged to supply her with two Ministers that in case one should be detained by some lawful lett or hindrance the other may be always ready to serve in his stead XI In answer to the Letters of the Churches of the Low Countries this Assembly decreeth That the Province of Normandy shall continue to give them Notice of the Time and Place of our National Synods XII Letters shall be written to Monsieur de la Fontaine intreating him to use his endeavours for begetting a right understanding between Dr. Sutcliffe Saravia and our Churches XIII It is decreed That for time coming the Province authorized to convene the National Synod shall be so impowered to publish the General Fast which is to be observed in all our Churches upon emergent Providences XIV Letters shall be written to the Doctors and Professors of Divinity in the University of Leyden intreating them not to ordain our French Proposans Students in their University but whenas they have finished their Course of Theology to send them into France that here being called unto the Ministry they may receive Imposition of Hands in the face of our Churches XV. The Book entituled Elenchus Novoe Doctrinoe is dismissed over to the perusal of the Provincial Synod of Dolphiny and in case they approve of it and prefix a Preface to it it may be Printed XVI The Church of Paris is required to examine Three Books the one called Apparatus ad Fidem Catholicam the other Advice for the Peace of the Church and the third having this Title Seen by the King And in case the Propositions which some have extracted out of them be not contained in them then the Acts of the Synod of Montpellier relating thereunto shall be razed out and the Provinces by the Authority of this Assembly are enjoyned to raze them out CHAP VI. Particular MATTERS I. THE Differences between the Synods of Higher Languedoc and Lower Guyenne concerning the Churches of Nerac Leyrac and others of the Lower Armagnac which had been sent up to this Assembly by the last Synod of Montpellier it being impossible now to determine them because the Deputies of the Lower Guyenne had neither Orders nor Instructions about them are remanded back unto the next Provincial Synod of Xaintonge finally to determine them and that by the Authority of this Assembly And the said Synod of Lower Guyenne for not sending Instructions unto their Deputies concerning those Affairs is hereby censured II. The Province of Normandy reporting the extream Poverty of the Church of Lunere being utterly disabled from ever satisfying their old Debt unto Monsieur Vatble the said Province is exhorted to do their utmost endeavour that it may be satisfied by them III. That Decree of the Synod of Montpellier concerning Monsieur de L' Espoir having never been put in execution this Assembly enjoyneth the Province of Higher Languedoc to see it executed and in case of their neglect that then the said M. de L'Espoir shall return to the Church of Boslebec Since this Ordinance the Deputies of Higher Languedoc agreed with those of Normandy to re-imburse the Church of Boslebec whatever Charges they may be at in getting a Pastor one half whereof was to be born by those of Pamiers and another half by the said Province of Higher Languedoc or else to maintain for them for two Years space a Proposan in the University of Montauban or if they pleas'd to give them an hundred Crowns to be employed by them to this very purpose in ready Money IV. The Demand of Monsieur Caille is turn'd over to the Synod of Dolphiny to take care about it But this Article was struck out by the following National Synod of Gap V. Letters shall be once more written to the Duke de L'Esdigueres about the 17000 Crowns belonging to the Churches of Lower Languedoc and the Article of the Synod of Montpellier declaring those Moneys to have been raised towards the maintenance of Proposans shall be corrected and amended VI. In pursuance of what was decreed by the same Synod of Montpellier the Churches of Cormes and of St. John du Bruil shall be incorporated with the Colloquy of Vigan and the Synod of Lower Languedoc shall see that this Order be observed VII The Church of Lions desiring a Pastor and that one may be given them out of Dolphiny which hath several of their Ministers residing in the Churches of that Province it 's ordered That the said Province of Dolphiny do furnish that Church of Lyons and if possible to lend them at least for some Months Monsieur Chamier VIII The French Translation of The Harmony of Confessions done by deceased Monsieur Saluart is dismissed to the Synod of Higher Languedoc to be perused by them and if they judge it expedient then to Print it but with the Latine Annotations of Monsieur Goulart IX The Province of the Isle of France demanding Messieurs de L'Estang and de la Valleé to be restored to them who are now in Poictou have a Grant given them to prosecute their Right in the next Provincial Synod of Poictou X. This Assembly judging Monsieur Pellart to belong of Right unto the Isle of France ordaineth the Church of Marans in which he now serveth to yield up unto those of the Isle of France such a Proposan as they shall best like of within four Months otherwise that time being laps'd the said Monsieur Pellart shall be surrendred unto the said Province XI To the Case propounded by the Deputy of Brittany this Assembly gives it in as their Judgment That the Lords and Gentlemen Patrons of Churches and Chappels wherein Mass is sung cannot with a good Conscience repair them no although by not doing it they forfeit their Right of Patronage and Presentation to them XII The
Answer to it the 27th of May 1617. THE National Synod held at Vitré in the Province of Brittain having deputed unto his Majesty Messieurs Peter Hesperian Pastor of the Church of St. Foy in the Lower Guienne Denis de Bouteroue Pastor of the Church at Grenoble in Dolphiny Albert de Mars Esq Lord of Balene Elder of the Church at Maringues in the Vpper Auvergne and William Gerard Esq Lord of Moussac Elder in the Church of Moussac and Province of Lower Languedoc they were admitted into his Majesty's presence the 27th day of the same Month and the said Mr. Hesperian did express himself in these words unto the King SIRE THere be now prostrate at your Majesty's Feet in our Persons all your Subjects professing the Reformed Religion represented by the National Synod Assembled by your gracious Permission and under your Royal Authority in your City of Vitré who have deputed us unto your Majesty to testify unto your Majesty the extraordinary joys and thankfullness of your said Subjects both to our God and your Majesty for that the Kingdom is in Peace your Authority in great Splendour and your Sacred Person at full Liberty and this by that wise and generous resolution which you have undertook and executed by a just punishment of the grand Disturber of your Kingdom and Oppressor of your Authority and which was worst of all of one who had exposed your Sacred Person to the most imminent and apparent dangers This Action of your Majesty was altogether extraordinary it was an Enterprise purely divine and miraculous for it turned in a moment the storm into a calm Wars into Peace our frights into assurance our perils into security and tyranny into a most rightful and righteous Government At this instant as if your Sacred Majesty were now come unto the Crown France knoweth that it hath a King and the whole World That the King of France is most worthy to reign and govern At this instant that your Majesty holds the Reins of Government in your own hands all your Subjects do render that most humble obedience and subjection which is due unto you and particularly those of the Reformed Religion who are most ready and willing to hazard and adventure their Estates their Honours and their very Lives for your Majesty's Service And in truth Sire this Assembly which hath deputed us unto your Majesty was no sooner formed but that it did most solemnly protest and swear as we also are charged in the name and behalf of all the Churches Reformed in your Kingdom now to protest and swear that we will never depart from that most humble obedience and most faithful service which as your true liege and natural born Subjects is our bounden duty unto your Majesty And we feel and know that we are indispensably obliged to it by those numberless favours and benefits which we received from Henry the Great our late King and your Majesties Father of most glorious Memory and by those continued to us by your Majesty and which we hope shall be still vouchsafed us because we believe that the maintenance of your Authority is our Security and the firmness of your Crown that of our repose and safety But yet there is another Bond and Obligation stronger than all these upon us even that of our Conscience and Religion which from the divinely inspired Scriptures are taught and instructed to subject our selves unto the higher Powers and that to resist them is to resist the Ordinance of God who we know hath exalted your Majesty unto the Throne put the Crown upon your Head the Scepter into your Hand and all Heroick Vertues into your Royal Heart And therefore Sire next and after our God we do acknowledge your Majesty to be our only Soveraign And 't is an Article of our Creed that there is no middle Power between God and the Kings 'T is with us reputed a most damnable Heresy to call this truth in question and to turn it into disputation is a capital Crime to be punished by the Judges This Lesson Sire we learnt of our Predecessors this we believe and publish in all places and this Doctrine we preach from our Pulpits in our Churches and teach from the Press unto the World and we will live in it Sire that our Posterity after us may learn and practise it by our Example Therefore is it that we hope your Majesty crediting and considing in our immoveable Loyalty will be pleased to continue to us the benefits of your Edicts and that your Royal Ears will be open to our Complaints and Grievances and that holding the Ballance steady and right you will do us upon all occasions right and justice By which your Majesty will the more confirm us in our unchangeable purpose and resolution to live and die in the quality of your most humble most faithful and most obedient Subjects and Servants Monsieur Hesperian having finished his Speech his Majesty returned this Answer Do you continue to serve me faithfully and you may be well assured that I will be a good and kind King unto you and that I will preserve you according to my Edicts And taking from him the Letter which the Synod had written him he gave it to Monsieur de Pontchartrain commanding him to read it and return an Answer to it Printed by Abraham Saugrain living in St. James his Street over against the three Sawcers according to the Licence given the 16th of June 1617. and Signed by H. de Mesmes CHAP. VIII General Matters 1. THE Motion of Lower Languedoc 1 Paris 38. for certain new Canons about Divorces was not accepted 2. This Assembly Ordained at the request of the same Province Figeac 8. that such Parents who chuse for their Childrens Baptism Sureties of the Romish Religion though they appear not in Person but by their Proxies of the Reformed Religion shall be prosecuted both Parents and Proxies with all Church-Censures 3. Notice shall be given in all our Churches to take special heed Saumur Obs 11. that they give no Attestation unto the Moors banished out of Spain and who wander from one Church to another till they be very well satisfied of their Religion and religious Conversation and such as have been already received and make their abode in any of our Churches shall be once more examined with all possible care as to their Faith and Knowledge and Life and in all Attestations that shall be given them express mention shall be made of their having been baptized and of the number of their Children 4. The Deputies of Xaintonge moved Liâ—â—s p. ni 30. whether Moors and other Infidels that were brought away by pure force out of their Native Country into Christendom and baptized by Popish Priests without any previous Instructions in the Doctrines of Christian Religion ought to be Rebaptized they having been since duly Catechized by our Protestant Ministers This Assembly though it acknowledgeth abundance of defaults in their Baptism doth yet notwithstanding
m. 19. Alez Obs 6. upon this Synod touching the most proper means of entertaining a good Correspondence with all Orthodox Churches and to procure a good Union in Doctrine betwixt us and them and to invite over unto the same Communication even those that are of a different perswasion from us All the Provinces declared what had been done by them as to this matter This Assembly did thereupon judge expedient that we should make a little halt till such time as those who had first made these Overtures did prosecute this affair with more vigour And in the mean while Monsieur Rivett Pastor of the Church of Touars Chauves Pastor of the Church in Sommieres Chamier Pastor and Professor in the Church and University of Montalban and du Moulin Pastor of the Church of Paris are nominated a Committee and to consult of such a project as will best conduce to the accomplishing of this design After which in case they be summon'd and called forth unto this work they shall all meet together at Saumur and conjointly with the Lord du Plessis and the Pastors and Professors of Divinity in that Church and University deliberate about it and shall draw put a Plot of it which shall be sent into every Province there to be perused and debated by their Synods that so their Deputies may come prepared for it unto the next National Synod 7. Whereas divers Provinces had charged their Deputies to demand of this Assembly a National Fast to be celebrated in all the Churches of this Kingdom Gergeau g. m. 13. Now for that it hath pleased God to turn away his wrath from us and to give us manifest tokens of his goodness it was not judged expedient at this time to proclaim a General Fast but according to the Canons of our National Synods that Province whose right it is to Convene the next National Synod is ordered to consult with our Lords the General Deputies about it who are intreated that in case any emergent Providence doth summon the Churches to sanctify an extraordinary Fast to confer with the Consistory of Paris about it and to acquaint the said Province therewith whose Synod being assembled and resolving on it they shall give notice of the time for its Celebration unto all the other Provinces 3 Rochel g. m. 9. and in the Roll. See at the Conclus of Tonneins above Art 3. after the Roll. 8. The Deputies of the Churches in the Principality of Bearn gave in their reasons wherefore they had not accepted that priviledge of calling this present National Synod which was at their request granted them by the last held at Tonneins and on those terms and condition mentioned in the Article of the said Synod This Assembly did not now â—â—dge it reasonable that those Churches should be subject to the Discipline of our Churches in this Kingdom or that for the present they should immedâ—â—â—â—y depend on our National Synods Privas p. m. 14. See the second Synod of Charenton 2 Obs upon the Acts of the former National Synod But nevertheless they shall give in their final resolutions what they intend to do unto the next National Synod and in case they be of the same mind then as they are now this Assembly declareth that their Deputies may have the priviledge of sitting and voting in our National Synods upon this Condition that they shall first ask leave of the Provinces to give in their Suffrages in such Cases as concern the Churches of this Kingdom 9. It was told in this Assembly how much the Church of Sancerre was oppressed by the Earl of Marans one of whose men had but a few days since assassinated a very Eminent Member of that Church It was immediately judged necessary to write unto his Majesty about it and that the Lord of Bertreville our General Deputy should deliver with his own hands unto the King this our Letter and most humbly Petition his Majesty that Sancerre may be kept up as one of our Cautionary Towns by his supream Authority and that the Inhabitants thereof may injoy peace and quietness since it hath pleased God to give it unto the rest of his Majesty's Subjects and our General Deputies shall be very urgent for it 10. That Canon of our Church-Discipline binding Ministers to a personal residence on their Churches shall be most exactly observed by all the Provinces 1 Paris 12. Montauban g. m. 10. Alez Obs 8. on the Synod And whereas this hath been broken by too many and principally in the Higher Languedoc divers of their Pastors living at Montauban and not with their flocks every one of these are injoined to depart from thence with their Families unto those places where their Churches are gathered and this at the farthest within three months after that this Canon of the present Synod shall have been signified to them and the Consistory of the Church of Montauban is ordered to give notice thereof unto all these Non-Residents inhabiting their City And in case they refuse to yield obedience unto it we declare them from this very instant suspended the holy Ministry And Colloquies and Synods shall immediately upon such suspension provide a supply of Pastors for those vacant Churches who shall oblige themselves personally to reside among them And the said Consistory of Montauban shall notify unto the Churches the suspension of their Pastors and that they have full power to chuse and call in any other according to the Canons of our Church-Discipline And the next National Synod shall be informed by the Provinces of their duty in this particular 11. To obviate the Complaint made by several Provinces how that their Commissioners having received their moneys from the Lord of Candal do keep it in their own hands longer than they ought denying many times that they have received any from him The said Lord du Candal is desired that either himself or his Commissioners would be pleased to send a Copy of their Receipts as soon as they be given him or them unto such persons in every Province as shall be named to him for this purpose That so the Province may be certainly informed at what time and to whom he paid in their moneys and the poorer Churches may not be left unpaid and unprovided for divers Months together as they have been by the wickedness of those Receivers Commissionated by the Provinces upon the pretexts but now mentioned 12. Forasmuch as divers Deputies in this Assembly declared that they brought not with them moneys enough to defray their Charges during this Session The Deputy of the Lord du Candal being how in Town was ordered to supply them and that out of the Dividend belonging to their Provinces for which sums so received by them they shall be accountable unto their respective Provinces 13. Whereas we are at present necessitated to be at unusual expences in dispatches deputations and extraordinary businesses for the Churches this Assembly requireth the Lord of Candal to pay in unto our
years old heretofore Pastor in the Church of St. Stephens in Forest tall of Stature Chestnut-colour'd Hair Head lifted up he was deposed for Adultery by the Province of Vivaretz 3. John Pressac alias Martin born at Montauban formerly Minister in the Church of Brieteste in Albigeois an Apostate of mean Stature about thirty years old he hath little eyes sunk deep into his Head and purblind brown Chestnut Hair pale Visag'd great Nose rash and haughty in speaking 4. N. Laurens an Apostate born at Montpellier a little dwarfish Fellow about thirty years old bald headed black Beard little Eyes great Lips pale-Visag'd formerly Pastor in the Church of Aymargues in Lower Languedoc publickly accused of Adultery 5. Hector Joly formerly Pastor in the Church of Montauban in the Higher Languedoc about Nine and forty years old pretty tall of Stature black Hair'd was deposed by this Synod for the hainous Crime of Fornication 6. Stephen Giraud heretofore Pastor of the Church of Gemauzac in Xaintonge about two and thirty years old high enough of Stature black Hair red Fac'd his Eyes sunk into his Head was deposed by the Synod of Xaintonge with hopes given him and a promise of being restored but he was totally deprived and deposed by this Synod for Drunkenness Adultery and Theft 7. John Cottelier sometimes Minister in the Church of Nismes in the Lower Languedoc about Five and thirty years little of Stature but a well compacted Fellow bald headed black Hair scarce any Beard high Forehead he was deposed for Fornication and other Crimes 8. Paul Daude formerly Minister in the Church of St. John of Gardonenque Deposed by the Sentence of the Provincial Synod of Sevennes and his Deposition was confirmed in this for divers notorious Crimes he is a Fellow about two and thirty years of Age of a flaxen colour'd Hair red Beard a long and ghastly Visage great Nose Ferrets Eyes sunk deep into his Head and yet poreing upon the Earth and short of Stature 9. N. Philippin born at Newcastle in Switzerland tall enough and great necked red Beard a bald uplifted Head wide open Nostrils lame of his right hand he was sometimes Pastor of the Church of Chasteau Dauphin but interdicted the Ministry for divers Natural Infirmities by the Synod of Dolphin and now a Vagabond Done and Decreed in the National Synod of Alez which sate from the First day of October till the Second of December 1620. Signed in the Original by du Moulin Moderator Brunier Assessor Vignier Scribe Papillon Scribe and by all the rest of the Deputies The Synod of Alez began on a Thursday and ended on a Wednesday The Original was lodged in the Archives of Rochell THE Acts Canons Decisions and Decrees OF THE XXIV NATIONAL SYNOD OF The Reformed Churches OF FRANCE AND OF BEARNE HELD IN The Town of Charenton St. Maurice near Paris the First day of September and ended the First of October in the Year of Our Lord 1623. By the Authority and Permission of Lewis XIII King of France and Navarr being the Sixty Fourth King of this Realm in the Fourteenth Year of his Reign In which Sate the First Commissioner for His Majesty the Lord Augustus Galland a Member of the said Communion according to His Majesties Letters Patents of the 17th of April 1623 verified in Parliament the Second of May following it being His Majesties Pleasure that alwayes in all Colloquies and Synods for the future there shall be present an Officer of the King professing the Reformed Religion to represent his Person and see that nothing but Ecclesiastical matters were Treated and Debated in them as had been Decreed by the Edict The CONTENTS of the Synod of CHARENTON Chap. I. THE first Commissioner from the King in a National Synod the Lord Augustus Galland Deputies to the Synod Election of Officers Chap. II. The Kings Commission to the Lord Galland Chap. III. A great Debate about this Commission Chap. IV. Approbation of the Confession of Faith Chap. V. Observations upon the Discipline Chap. VI. Observations upon the Synod of Alez Chap. VII Reflections upon those Observations made by the Synod of Alez on two Acts of the National Synod of Vitre Chap. VIII Reflections upon their Appeals Chap. IX Reflections upon their Chapter of General Matters Chap. X. Reflections upon that of particular Matters Chap. XI Reflections upon their Colledges and Vniversities Chap. XII One Observation on their General Laws for the Vniversities Chap. XIII Appeals unto this National Synod Chap. XIV Of General Matters Chap. XV. A Remarkable passage about Monsieur Primrose Pastor of the Reformed Church of Bourdeaux and Arnoux the Jesuit See G. M. 16. Chap. XVI A Canon passed in Obedience to the Kings Letter that no Ministers should be Deputies unto Political Assemblies See G. M. 17. Chap. XVII The Causes of the French Kings unwillingness to suffer Monsieur du Moulin to be Minister in the Church of Paris or elsewhere in the Kingdom A Catalogue of du Moulins Works Dr. Twisses Testimony of him and them Chap. XVIII Particular Matters Chap. XIX An Expedient to preserve the Churches Peace P. M. 11. Chap. XX. An Account of Curcellaeus another Ecebolius P. M. 17. Chap. XXI Mr Camerons Address unto the Synod P. M. 33. Chap. XXII Of Vniversities and Colledges Chap. XXIII The Lord of Candals Accompts Chap. XXIV A Dividend of Moneys among the Provinces Chap. XXV The Roll of Apostates Chap. XXVI The Decision of the Arminian Controversies Canons about Predestination Election and Reprobation Errors rejected Chap. I. Of Christs Death and Mans Redemption by it Errors rejected Chap. II. Of Mans Natural Depravedness Conversion and Gods Method in it Errors rejected Chap. III. The Saints perseverance Errors rejected Chap. IV. all subscribed by the Moderator and Deputies XXVII Remarks upon some of the Members of this Synod THE FIRST Synod of Charenton 1623. The 24th Synod SYNOD XXIV 1623. In the Name of God Amen The Acts of the National Synod of the Reformed Churches of France held at Charenton near Paris the First of September and divers Dayes after in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Six Hundred Twenty and Three CHAP. I. The Kings First Commissioner Deputies and Synodical Officers THE Lord Augustus Galland Councellor of the King in His Council of Estate and Attorney-General of the Kingdom of Navarre was Commissionated by His Majesty to open this Synod by his Royal Authority and to be present in all its Sessions as shall be afterwards Declared There appeared as Deputies for the Province of Normandy Mr. Benjamin Basnage Pastor of the Church of Charenton John Maximilian de Baux Lord de L' Angle Pastor in the Church of Roan John Lewis Mustel Esq Lord of Boisroger Elder in the Church of Ponteau de Mer and James de la Loys Elder of the Church of St. l o. As for the Province of Orleans and Berry Mr. Simon Jurieux Pastor of the Church of Chastillon on the Loir James Imbert Durant Pastor of the Church
of one and the same Faith and Acts of Love and Charity because they are part of the same Mystical Body whose Members have none other aim or end than with one heart to serve God and the King in peaceable Lives and Liberty of Conscience so as for the Churches in other Nations they never had nor ever will have any Intelligence Alliance or Correspondency with them than what shall be approved by God and His Majesty desiring always to live in peace under the Wings of His protection Farther the Council protesterh that our Churches had never the least intimation or knowledge that any of their Members professing the Reformed Religion have tamper'd in any Plots or Treasons with the Spaniard or other Enemies of this Crown and if it could be proved to them that there be such as were ingaged in those pernicious designs and practises we would be the very first with heart and hand to subscribe unto their Condemnation and to abhor both them their Complices and Adherents as we now do from our very Souls profess our Abhorrency and Detestation both of them their Doctrine and practise who having divers times attempted to Assassinate the Sacred Persons of Kings do to this very day uphold and mantain Intelligencies and Correspondencies both at home and abroad within and without the Kingdom against their pretious Lives and Imperial Crowns Dignities and Regal Authority As for that Canon past in the Synod of Realmont and read now unto us This Council cannot conceal its grief for the great wrong done unto that Synod because it was enforced by His Majesties Commissioner then personally assisting in it to frame an Act which seems to take for granted that there were some Ministers accused of holding Intelligence with the Spaniard the most implacable Enemy of France and of our Churches though in truth there was not so much as one found guilty of that Crime and the Churches cannot but adore the goodness of God unto them that after the most diligent and rigorous Inquiries made to this purpose not one of our Pastors could be impeached and that the malitious and shameless Calumnies of our most invenim'd and inveterate Adversaries could never fasten or prove their Accusation upon any one particular Person of one Communion The Event having at last demonstrated that our Churches were condemned most unjustly and cleared and proclaimed innocent of all those Accusations before the whole World And as for the two following points This Assembly is resolved to give full contentment unto His Majesty And whereas our former National Synods have made a Canon about the first so will this also be as careful to enact another And the Acts of this Assembly shall answer for the second so that His Majesty shall ever have Universal Obedience Subjection Fidelity and most Faithful Service from our Churches whereunto we are obliged by our Natural Duty the Motions of our Conscience and the Ordinance of our God CHAP. V. The Kings Warrant for Choice of a New General Deputy THE Lord Commissioner Galland having been informed of the Death of the Lord Maniald one of the General Deputies of our Churches unto His Majesty did on the Five and Twentieth day of September present unto this National Synod this following Warrant dispatched by Express Order from His Majesty This day the Three and Twentieth of August One Thousand Six Hundred and Twenty Six His Majesty being at Nants and considering that the term of Three vears was now expired in which the Lords of Montmartyn and Maniald who had been chosen General Deputies for His Subjects professing the P. Reformed Religion and in that Quality and Office to reside and serve at Court and to attend upon His Majesty in all his Progress and Motions and that there must be a new Election of some other Deputies to succeed them in their Office and considering farther that this Election could not be more conveniently done than in a National Assembly and Council which His Majesty hath permitted His said Subjects of the Reformed Religion to hold in the City of Castres this September next ensuing that so they may not be put to unnecessary Expence and Trouble as they would otherwise be if they should be forced to call another Assembly on this occasion His Majesty for these considerations and divers other good and important reasons relating unto his Service the Repose and Tranquillity of his Government and Kingdom hath granted License unto the Deputies which shall be present at the said National Council to treat and choose new Deputies who may reside and serve in that Quality near his Royal Person instead of the said Lords of Montmartyn and Maniald and this in the presence of the Lord Galland one of the Lords of our Council of State and Commissioner unto the said National Assembly and to propose unto him Six Persons capable faithful and most affectionately inclin'd unto His Majesties Service and the Publick Peace that out of them His Majesty may prick two unto the said Office of General Deputies by means whereof those aforesaid Lords of Montmartyn and Manyald shall be discharged of their Imployment observing the forms in such cases accustomed provided alwayes that in the Assembly aforesaid there shall not be any other Matters debated or handled excepting what concern the Discipline of their Religion as has been determined by His Majesties Edicts and Declarations In testimony whereof His Majesty hath commanded me to expedite this present Writt Signed by His Own Royal Hand and Countersigned by me one of His Most Honourable Privy Council and Secretary of State and of his Commands Signed Louis and a little lower Philippeaux CHAP. VI. The Synods deliberation upon the Writt THE Assembly consulting upon His Majesties Writt and considering that it does not contain an Express Command but only a simple permission to nominate General Deputies and that it doth in such a manner restrain the said permission as that it leaveth unto this Assembly no liberty nor power at all of calling the said Lord of Montmartyn to an Accompt who hath from the first time of his Election unto this present day exercised the said General Deputation much less to give Instructions unto such as may be Elected unto the said Office Besides that this Assembly durst not adventure upon the said Election without an open violation of His Majesties Edicts Letters Patents and Sealed Letters and of our usual and accustomed Order and the Solemn Protestation of former Synods who have expresly declared that they desired and intended utterly to forbear all cognisance of Affairs of this Nature And farther that the Churches had been for a very long time together deprived of the Assistance of His Majesties Bounty and that it would be needful most humbly to petition him to order his Royal Promises to be observed and entirely accomplished and fulfilled For these Causes and Reasons and particularly that we might keep within the bounds of Order and to the Ancient practice of the Churches The Council judged
Scribes In pursuance of the Canon made in the Synod or Privas The Provinces are injoyned to see that the Deputies of every Church do make Oath that they shall not give their Votes nor Suffrages unto such as brigue their Elections and Deputations unto our National Synods CHAP. XIII The Confession of Faith approved THE Confession of Faith being read word by word and every Article distinctly in its due Order it was approved and ratified by the Unanimous consent of all the Deputies both Pastors and Elders who protested as well for themselves as for their Provinces that they would live and die in the profession of this Faith teach it in their Churches and see it inviolably to be observed CHAP. XIV Observations on reading the Church-Discipline 1 AFter those words in the Fifth Canon of the First Chapter Without power of administring the Holy Sacraments these shall be added nor of solemnizing Marriages 2 In reading the Nine and Twentieth Canon of the same Chapter the Council declareth that by the discord mentioned in that Canon we are to understand not only what is moved by the Pastor but by the Church or Members among themselves also 3. On the first Canon of the third Chapter it was declared that whosoever accepted the Office of an Elder cannot be constrained to execute it if before his Reception thereinto the consent he had once given be again revoked by him 4. When the sixth Canon of the eighth Chapter was read at the request of the Provincial Deputies of Berry it was voted That Provincial Synods should be obliged before they brake up to proceed unto Censures even as in the like case a Decree had been framed for Colloquies 5. All our Churches are exhorted faithfully and exactly to observe the ninth Canon of the twelfth Chapter concerning the Administration of the Cup in the Lords Supper and to be accountable for their Obedience to it unto the next National Synod 6. The eighth Canon of the Ninth Chapter shall be razed but of our Discipline as being superfluous and unpracticable in our Churches 7. The same judgment having past on the fourth Canon of the tenth Chapter it was amended and changed into these words Churches which have been accustomed to make Publick Prayers on some certain days of the Week may continue that order which for many years they have so happily observed and other Churches may imitate their good example when as the Lord shall bless them with Ability and Opportunity and it may contribute unto their Edification 8. And Pastors also in the faithful discharge of their duties shall indeavour by their Remonstrances and Exhortations to prevent those great dishonours done unto Almighty God by that general contempt of his Holy Word preached very many neglecting Sermons and Publick Publick Ordinances of Religious Worship yea and Family-Prayers of which Omissions a multitude of Heads of Families Housholders and their Domesticks are exceeding guilty 9. The eighteenth Canon of the thirteenth Chapter shall be couched in this form Such as dwell in those places where the Publick Exercise of our Religion is not est ablished may cause their banes of Matrimony to be published in the Popish Churches it being a matter purely political 10. The Churches are injoyned by this Synod to give in an account unto their Colloquies and Provincial Synods of all Infractions of the sixteenth Canon in the fourteenth Chapter of our Discipline and Colloquies and Synods are to censure such Offenders whether they have violated it by printing of Practical or Controversal Treatises 11. When the twenty fourth twenty fifth and twenty sixth Canons of the fourteenth Chapter were read it was voted That this ensuing Canon should be made and read in all the Churches as soon as the Deputies were returned unto their respective Provinces CHAP. XV. An Act against Debauchery FOrasmuch as the Wrath of God is visibly revealed from Heaven against the Ungodlyness of Men and is notoriously poured out upon those who being once enlightned from above and called to the knowledge of the Heavenly Truth have afterward kept it under Hatches through their Unrighteousness that so they might more freely wallow in the Abominations of this World and turn the Grace of God into lasciviousness The National Synod of the reformed Churches of this Kingdom Assembled by His Majesties Licence in the Town of Gastres unable to behold without weeping Eyes and a wounded bleeding heart after such dreadful Judgments and Desolations as have befallen us the reigning Dissolutions and Debauches of those Persons who style and own themselves Members of Gods Church though in very truth and deed they be horrible Profaners of his Holy Name and dishonourable Professors of our most Holy Religion by their Impious and Licentious Lives and do as much as in them lieth deny the power of Godliness by their open and shameless ingratitude to his Divine Goodness Now for the avoiding of Gods burning Wrath and Indignation and more and more to stir up the Bowels of his Fatherly Compassions which he was pleased to remember for us even in the midst of Judgment yea and then also when as he smote his sinful Heritage with his forest and severest strokes and that upon our Conversion and Reformation his special Love and favour may be had and obtained and that this peace which against all hopes he hath given a stiff-necked and rebellious People who have bitterly provoked him to Jealousie and as it is too too evident have nothing profited by his Rod of Discipline and Correction may be preserved and continued This National Synod decreeth That all the Churches of this Kingdom shall be sollicited by the most powerful Motives and Arguments to humble themselves deeply in a most serious Repentance before his Divine Majesty and utterly to abandon all Vanities Luxury 's Fantasticalness and sumptuous Superfluities in Apparel those unseemly Ornaments and delights of lascivious Curles Paintings Naked Breasts Dances Balls Masquerades Wassaile-Feasts Carnevalls and all other unfruitful works of Darkness that so the Faithful Reforming their Lives and producing Fruits worthy of Repentance may demonstrate themselves by their good Works to be the conscientious Guardians of that pretious Jewel or saving Truths which is deposited with them And all Consistories are injoyned to exert that Authority given them of God diligently to suppress their Insolencies who glorying in their shame and ignominy may attempt in aftertimes to continue in any of their disorderly and sinful practises and should set themselves to resist those Remonstrances which the Great and Holy God hath or may issue forth against them by his Sacred Word And that this most needful Canon may be executed with the greater Faithfulness Care and Facility This Synod doth ordain that it shall be read publickly in all our Churches and an Account of its Observation shall be given in unto Colloquies and Synods on pain of being responsible in their own Persons particularly for all its Transgressions and Violations The whole Church Discipline having been read
his Holy Spirit thereunto the Churches of this Kingdom do injoy that great Blessing of Peace and yet nevertheless there remain in the hearts of many Persons very deep resentments of their past Sufferings which may prove hereafter the Seeds of new Broils and Dissensions whereby the Honour of God and of our King and the Publick Tranquillity of the Nation may be exceedingly prejudiced and endammaged It exhorteth in the Name and Authority of God Almighty all the faithful to suppress and stifle those bitter Animosities which the unhappyness of our late Civil Wars may have enkindled in them and that none of Our Members do trouble their Neighbours for Matters done during those Troubles sith the Remembrance of them is abolished by His Majesties Edicts and Declarations of Peace and that they would embrace each other with a Cordial Love and Affection and live for the future as Members of one and the same Body contending mutually and mostly who shall do His Majesty the best and greatest Service and repair the woful breaches in the House of God And in particular the Inhabitants of this populous City ate Exhorted to render all Reverence aâ—â— Obedience unto their Magistrates and Superiours as being established over them by the Authority of God and the Magistrates also are to exert their Duties towards them who be subjected to their Government with all due and becoming Moderation and Fatherly Affection That so all sorts of Persons both Superiours and Inferiours may aim and level in all their Actions at the Glory of God the Service of the King and the Peace and Safety of the Common-wealth 3. The Synod confirming the Canons of former Synods about an exhibition unto Monks decreeth that in case a Monk cannot be maintained by that Province in which he was born and that the said Province will not contribute any thing towards his subsistence then the Province which is charged with him shall make application to the Lord of Candal and take his allowance out of the Moneys belonging to that Province where he first lived and quitted his Frock and Idolatrous Religion 4. Hereafter in the breaking up of these National Synods the Deputies shall carry home with them the Accompts rendred by the Lord of Candal for Moneys distributed by him unto every Province that so all suspicions of partiality in the Dividends of His Majesties Bounty may be suppressed 5. All the Provinces are expresly enjoyned by this Synod that they do not prefer our Proposans before Ancient Pastors unto vacant Churches and in case any Moderators of Colloquies or Synods shall suffer this Canon to be violated they shall be suspended from their Charges 6. That no Pastor discharged by Colloquies or Synods may hereafter assume unto himself a liberty of wandring from one Province unto another and so intrude himself into a particular Church without the consent of Colloquies and Synods a matter which redounds exceedingly to the dishonour of the Ministry and is become a most Notorious Scandal The Synod ordaineth that when as a Pastor shall be taken off the Service of his Church and can not be presently setled in another yet shall he be obliged to live within the bounds of that Province either as a Pastor discharged or else as one imployed in such a manner as the Province shall judge convenient until such time as he meet with a Call unto some other Church whether within or without the Province desiring him to be their fixed Pastor 7. The Pastors of the Church of Paris are ordered to revise the Marginal Texts in our Confession of Faith and to inform the Churches which have Printers to take special notice of their Remarks and to see that it be printed according to their corrected Copy without any difference 8. Such Churches as have Printing-Houses belonging to them shall advise our Printers to be careful that they insert no Historical Remarks into the Calendars which may occasion trouble unto the Churches and irritate the rage and malice of our Adversaries 9. There shall not be inserted into the Lettâ—â—s of Deputation unto Colloquies and Provincial Synods from particular Churches those self-same clauses of absolute submission which are used in the Provincial Letters unto the National Synod 10. 'T is left wholly to the Discretion of Consistories what censures they shall inflict on such who assist in Person at Baptisms Marriages or Funerals solemnized by the Church of Rome 11. That Canon of the National Synod of Gap about Burying in Temples and Church-yards shall be most exactly observed by all the Churches CHAP. XXVI An Act to preserve the Churches Writings Deeds c. 12 DIvers Papers of very great Importance to our Churches being lost to their unspeakable prejudice and all occasioned through their neglect of choosing some one particular Church in each Province wherein the Originals of all proceedings by our General Deputies might be deposited This Synod desirous to prevent so great a disorder for the future Decreeth That all Writings remaining in their hands who have been imployed in the General Deputation shall be redemanded of them by the Consistories of those Churches in which they make their Residence that so they may be more carefully preserved than heretofore And the Originals of all Declarations Writts Answers unto Cahiers and such other Papers concerning the General Body of our Churches shall be carried unto Rochell and lodged up in the Archives there And as for other Papers and Acts of Proceedings relating to particular Churches there shall be one Church in every Province which shall have the keeping of them that so upon all occasions we may tell where to find them And to this purpose there was named for the Province of Higher Languedoc the Church of Montauban for the Lower Languedoc the Church of Nismes for Sevennes Anduze for Anjou Loudun for Burgundy Gex for Vivaretz Privas for the Lower Guyenne Ste Foy for Poictou Niort for Xaintonge Rochell for the Isle of France Paris for Normandy Alencon for Britain Belin for Dolphiny Die for Berry Chastillion on the Loir and for Provence Aignieres 14. Whereas divers Provinces have been charged with the Memoirs of very many Churches groaning under the cruel Oppressions of our Adversaries who do daily deprive them of their Liberty of Conscience in the Service of God and of those Rights and Priviledges granted us by the King and Necessity requiring us to seck out some Remedy against such growing Mischiefs from his Majesty's Justice and Protection Monsieur le Haucher was ordered to collect into one Body all those Grievances aforesaid and all others which have been averred and signed by two Pastors or Elders shall immediately upon the Departure of this Council be sent unto him that all may be gathered into one general Bill and laid at his Majesties Feet with our most humble Petitions unto his Majesty that he would be pleased to extend his Royal Protection unto his most faithful Subjects of the Reformed Religion who have no greater Ambition in the World than
Ressent 547. La Motte Antony de Creze 548. Curban Claudius Marshall 549. Joran Andrew Guerin 550. Lormarin Peter Maurice 551. Riez Andrew Genoyer 552. La coste James Bayly 553. Merindol James Malat. 554. La Charce Andrew Beruard 555. Grasse Peter Mercurin 556. Luc John Durier 557. Soderon John Bernard 558. Manosques Paul Guardinar 559. Velaux James Rescent Fourteenth Province and Provincial Synod of Orleans and Berry divided into three Colloquies having twenty nine Churches and thirty Pastors 1st The Colloquy of Sancerre Gien and Nivernois 560. St. Leonard near Corbigny Stephen Monsanglard 561. Chastillon on the Loing Simon Jurieu 562. Gien upon the Loir Daniel Jamet 563. Chastillon on the Loir Louis Margone 564. Bruion Bennet de la Roche 565. Henry Chemont Dantigny enjoyeth the Ministry of Isaac Babaud 566. Sawerre Paul Alard a Rocheller 567. La Charité John Taby 568. La Scelle and Dolat Anne Poat 569. Despueilles Elijah Semeele 2d Colloquy of Orleans and Blaisois 570. Blois Nicholas Vignier and Paul Testard 571. Romorantin Jacob Brun. 572. Cheleure and Boudara David Horace 573. Boisgency John Guerin 574. Basoches and Denouville Jerom Belon 575. Orleans James Imbert and Durand 578. Chasteaudun James Lancy 579. Dangeau Lewes Tuissard 3d Colloquy of Bourbonnois 580. Argenton Bliseus Saluon 581. St. Amand and Belet Lewis Scoffier 582. Delise Peter Falquet 583. Moudun René Bedé 584. Ambusson William Vignon 585. Gergeau destitute 586. Bourges destitute 587. La Chastre and St. John Verin destitute 588. Suilly destitute Fifteenth and last Province and Provincial Synod of France is the Province of Normandy divided into five Colloquies having thirty five Churches and forty Pastors 1st Colloquy of Roan 589. Roan hath John Maximilian de L'anglé Peter Erondelle and David Primrose 590. Orbes Abraham le Seneschal 591. Quillebaeuf William Cacherat 592. Saucourt Charles De lossat 593. Pont Levesque Stephen Fudes 594. Eureax Peter le Tellier 2d Colloquy of Caux 595. Dieppe Abdias de Mondenis and Moyse * * * The Son of this Cartaud sâ—â—â—â—â—ed his Father and in the Year 1685 he turn'd Apostate Cartaud 596. Boislebec James de Larrey 597. Luncrey and Basqueville Isaac de la Balte 598. Seintet Isaac de la Motte 599. Fescum David Guellode 600. Haure de Grace John Baudowin 3d Colloquy of Caen. 601. Caen John le Boniver Lord of la Fresnay John de Ballehache and Samuel Bochart 602. Baali Samuel Bajeux 603. Bayeneux John le Breton 604. St. Vast Stephen le Sage 605. Trencens Antony le Genevois 606. Geffosse David Chanduret 607. Les Essars John Tappin 4th Colloquy of Falaise 608. Atis Peter Morin 609. Presnat David Bourgat 610. Mezieres Peter Baulran 611. Vire William Blanchard 612. St. Silvain Noah Gallot 613. Condé upon Noireau John Blanchard 614. Falaise Peter Baycux David de Caux a Pastor without a Church 5th Colloquy of Constantin 615. Ste mere Eglife Benjamin Banage and Antony de Lassleur 616. Dulé Mark Maurice 617. St. Lo Vincent Soler 618. Groussy Jeremy Charitier 619. Gaure Jehoiachin le Moyne 620. Cheffresne Isaac de Vennes 621. Chassagne Luke Boquet 622. La haye dupuy destitute 623. Serizi destitute There is in this Province a sixth Colloquy viz. the Colloquy of Alencon but it and its Churches are both omitted in this Catalogue Sixteenth Province and Provincial Synod is the Province of Bearn Which Province being in the Principality of Bearn did always appear by two Deputies chosen by their Synod in the National Synods of the Reformed Churches of this Kingdom and were in this of Castres represented by the Lords Peter de Rivall Pastor in the Church of Nay and John de Pommerede Advocate in the Parliament of Navarre Elder in the Church of Morlas but the said Deputies did not bring with them the Roll of the Churches and Pastors in their Province so that they could not be registred CHAP. XXXVIII A Letter of the Church of Geneva to the National Synod of Castres Most Reverend Honoured and Dear Brethren THere has not been a National Synod of the Churches for these many Years last past held in France but that we have made tenders of our Duties to them because of that strict and intimate Communion we have with them all in our common Lord. We have also new Ingagements unto Thankfulness and to abound in Thanksgivings for the infinite Mercies of our God which are Day by Day and from one Year unto another accumulated upon and continued to his Churches the Lord renewing his tender Compassions so miraculously in their Preservations But if ever we had any cause for so doing 't is now that we are in a most extraordinary manner obliged to it for his gracious Providence shines forth with a most admirable Lustre in the defence of your Churches and particularly in the free enjoyment of your Religious Assemblies so that at the many strange Accidents which have befallen you for divers Years together and the Tempests with which the Kingdom of France hath been assaulted and battered the sore and grievous Afflictions of many of our Brethren having astonished our Souls and overwhelmed our Hearts with Sorrows had made us almost despair of ever seeing the comfortable returns of Peace unto your Realm and of Repose and Settlement for your poor afflicted Churches and the Exercise of your most excellent Discipline than which a better was never practised in the Christian World And now in this Calm the Divine Wisdom gathers his Children as the Hen doth her Chickens under his Wings and reneweth the Face of his Church in your Congregations as the Eagle doth his Youth And this Mercy should be the more prized and esteemed by us because it is not in this Day a common Favour and Benefit vouchsafed of God unto all those whom he had once honoured with the knowledg of himself in the Gospel For besides that the subversion of so many Provinces the dismal Desolations or those sometimes flourishing Churches in Germany Bohemia Moravia and the Valtoline are yet continued and the Dissipations and Dispersions are still growing and augmenting and the Judgments of God from Heaven are following one upon the neck of another one dreadful Ravage calling upon another to make haste Therefore we lie prostrate night and day at the Feet of our Heavenly Father adoring his rich Grace in Christ Jesus for setting bounds unto the Fire of his Wrath so that all his Churches are not totally devoured by it And we most ardently beseech his Divine Majesty that as he keeps the Hearts of Kings in his own Hands so he would be pleased to inspire your King with Counsels of Favour and Peace for his People and tender Love unto your Churches that under his Government and Authority the Name of God may be celebrated with Liberty of Conscience and Truth may bring forth Faith in the World and Righteousness from Heaven may yield the Fruit of True and Saving Peace Moreover we do also carry upon our Hearts unto the Throne
more particular notice of them unto the Lord Galland we will not therefore detain you any longer than to acquaint you that you may give an intire Credit to whatsoever the Lord Galland shall in out Name declare unto you Moreover we do assure you that as we are very well satisfied with the Carriage and Conduct of your Synod and of your Deputies to us you shall upon all Occasions that occur receive the sensible Pledges of our Good-will Given at Monceaux this 21 st of September 1631. Signed in the Original Louis and a little lower Philippeaux and subscribed To our Dear and Well-beloved the Deputies of the National Synod of our Subjects professing the pret Reformed Religion assembled by our Permission at Charenton 18. His Majesty's Letters being read the said Deputies made report That when they were called into his Majesty's Council and the King having heard them he answered them in these words I have heard and understood all that you have said and you may rest assured that I will preserve you according to my Edicts Give me the Cahier and I will peruse it with my Council After which his Eminency the Lord Cardinal told them That his Majesty was exceedingly satisfied with the Conduct of the Synod and particularly with them their Deputies And it was his Majesty's Intention to maintain his Subjects of the Religion in their Liberty granted by his Edicts and to give them the enjoyment of his Favours and the Fruits of his Royal Good-will and his Majesty had prevented the Petitions of the Churches having already ordered a certain Sum of Money to be delivered unto the Lord of Candall to be distributed among them And his Majesty in token of his accepting the Synod's Petition had taken off the Prohibition laid upon those two Ministers the Sieurs Banage and Beraud and hath permitted them to assist according to the Trust reposed in them by their Provinces in the Synod And as for the Sieur Bouteroue his Majesty hath not been as yet informed of the Contents of the Book written by him nor of the Contents of the Decree denounc'd against him by the Parliament of Grenoble but as soon as he shall have the knowledg thereof he will write unto the Lord Galland his Commissioner and by advising with him will take some effectual course to answer the Request of this Assembly about admitting the said Lord of Bouteroue And as for the rest of their Petitions mentioned in the Cahier presented by them the Deputies unto the King his Majesty was resolved to deal with his Subjects in a manner suitable to his Soveraign Dignity and the Sacred Authority of his Royal Word and would give them most favourable Answers after the breaking up of the Synod and not otherwise 19. Whereupon the Assembly approving the Conduct of their Deputies did give them its hearty Thanks for their Care Faithfulness and Dexterity manifested in the discharge of that Trust committed to them And afterwards his Majesty's Commissioner the Lord Galland acquainted the Synod That by the Letters which he had received from his Majesty and the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal and the Lord de la Vrilliere Secretary of State that his Majesty was very well pleased yea highly satisfied with the Conduct and Moderation of this Assembly and with those Testimonials and Expressions rendred by them of their Affection and Obedience to his Majesty and that within a few days this Synod should receive the Effects of this his Good-will in a very considerable Sum of Monies his Majesty resolving to gratify them so far as to defray the Charges the Assembly must needs be at out of his own Treasury and to bear the Expences of all the Deputies in their Travel and Sojourning here And he farther exhorted the Synod and all the Churches in general to continue in their Duty upon which depended their Preservation and that it would give them a most solid ground to expect and hope for his Majesty's most speedy and favourable Answer unto their Cahier which they had sent unto him and which would be dispatch'd as soon as the Synod was broke up and he desired that they would not be over-long nor tedious in their Sessions for many Reasons that he could give And whereas his Majesty for divers very great and weighty Considerations and Motives had by his Writ the eleventh of August last interdicted the Sieurs Beraud Banage and Bouteroue from being Members of this National Synod and by his express Injunction had ordered their removal out of their respective Provinces and that they should in no wise exercise their Ministry either in Languedoc Normandy or Dolphiny Now out of his meer Grace and Respect had to the most humble Petition of this Synod presented him by their Deputies it hath seem'd good unto him to restore those Reverend Persons Mr. Banage Beraud and Bouteroue unto their respective Churches and given them leave to sit according to that Trust reposed in them as Deputies in this very Synod but chargeth them withal to use for time coming more and greater Moderation in their Writings and Sermons in which it is his Majesty's Pleasure that they should be more circumspect and reserv'd and to keep themselves within the Bounds prescribed them by the Discipline And as for the Sieur de Bouteroue before his Majesty will ordain his Restoration his Majesty desireth to be informed of the Sentence past against him in the Parliament of Grenoble because it relates unto a certain Book written by the said Bouteroue 20. Upon this Declaration made by the Lord Commissioner of his Majesty's Good-will and of his favourable Inclinations unto the Churches it was unanimously voted and decreed That most humble Thanks should be returned unto his Majesty for the Grant of his Gracious Favours and that a new Address should be made him by this Assembly with an humble Petition for the restoration of the Sieur de Bouteroue and that the Synod might have Licence given it to sit without a Dissolution till such time as the Monies destin'd by his Majesty's Liberality for the defraying of its Expences be paid in and distributed according to he Intention of his Majesty by the Synod it self conformably to that Order which hath been always observed in the Dividend of Monies granted us by his Majesty CHAP. VIII Election of General Deputies 21. SEveral Provinces requesting that his Majesty should be pleased to grant out his Royal Writ of Licence for the Election and Nomination of General Deputies the Lord Commissioner declared That it was his Majesty's Pleasure that this Assembly should agree with him in the choice of two Persons acceptable unto his Majesty who might exercise the Office of General Deputies and reside near his Person and attend the Court in all its Progress and Motions The Synod having conferr'd in private by its Commissioners with the forementioned Lord did nominate the Lord Marquess of Clermont and the Lord Galland Lieutenant General in the Bailiwick of the Artillery and of
the Provinces but with these Conditions First That they be not bound to send more than two Deputies unto our National Synods Secondly That Judicial Sentences past by and in the Province until now shall not be revoked nor reversed Thirdly That Pastors serving in the said Province shall not be translated into another Province Fourthly That the Appeals of private Persons may not be received in these National Synods The Synod absolutely granting the two first Conditions doth nevertheless exhort the said Province to send equal number of Deputies with the other Provinces unto the National Synod whenas his Majesty shall be pleased to permit one to be held in the Provinces bordering on that of Bearn And as for the two other Conditions provided that the said Deputies shall promise on behalf of their Province to own the Authority of our National Synods and to take out their Appeals in the Form specified Canon the 10th of the 8th Chapter of our Discipline the Synod yieldeth unto their Demand assuring them that it will take a most particular Care of their Edification and as it intendeth not to lose its Right unto divers Pastors born in the Provinces of the Higher and Lower Guyenne who are now actually employed in that of Bearn so also it will never use it to their evident Prejudice but in every Matter and especially in that of removing Pastors either from the Churches they are now serving or from out of the Province the National Synod will give full proof of their fraternal Charity and Affection Article 2. Upon this Debate the Lord Galland his Majesty's Commissioner remonstrated That the Conjunction of the Churches of Bearn with those of this Kingdom and particularly their Submission unto the Discipline of the Reformed Churches of France and the Power of appealing from Bearn unto the National Synods here were Matters of that Nature that they could not be done without the King's Permission because such Conjunctions depend upon Soveraign Authority that the late King Henry the Fourth of happy Memory had already determin'd this Question having in the Years 1602 and 1604 permitted the Churches of Bearn to assist at the National Synods of France hereby to conserve an Union in Doctrine but he also decreed that they should bring in their Cahiers of Complaints distinct from those of France And in the Year 1615 whenas the Political Assembly of Grenoble demanded this Union it was denied in that Answer given to the 22d and 23d Articles in these Words That the late King did never permit nor approve of the Vnion of the pret Reformed Churches of Bearn with those of France nor will his Majesty now permit it until such time as the said Principality shall be re-united and re-incorporated with the Crown of France But yet in the mean while the Deputies of Bearn may bring in their Petitions by themselves which shall be answered according to Reason Against which Answer the Assembly of Rochel having took great Exceptions and in a particular Article at the Conference of Loudun in the Year 1616 there was returned an Order little differing from the Cahier of Grenoble so that the Land of Bearn not having since had any Permission from the King to join it self unto the Churches of France it cannot be done but must be confined to the plain and simple terms of Petition Besides the Consequences of this Union have been formerly resented for the Churches of Bearn shrowded with the shadow and hope of a powerful Assistance were transported to such dismal Excesses as make a very mournful History in that of our Times And all Authors are agreed that the Land of Bearn was originally a Member of the Kingdom of Navarre lying on the other side of the Pyrenean Mountains though subject to our Kings of the Merovingian Line as is evident from Gregory of Tours who relateth that the Bishops of the said Territory came unto the Council of Agde in the Year 506 and to that of Mascon in the Year 588. And the Lord of Bearn acknowledged the Kings and Kingdom of France for his supream Lord and did Homage to them and to their Sovereign Authority But in the Year 1512 Louis the twelfth King of France to make some Compensation for and to sweeten the Loss of the Kingdom of Navarre usurped by Ferdinand King of Arragon granted unto John of Albret and Katharine of Navarre his Wife that the Land of Bearn should enjoy its Charters and Priviledg of Soveraignty until such times as it should be otherwise determined by meet and competent Judges And since that the Country of Bearn hath been accounted a Principality distinct from the Kingdom and independent without any reservation That in the Year 1571 Jane Queen of Navarre set up a Church-Discipline whose Execution is limited within the Bounds of that Principality and the Laws are all enacted and sworn to by the States of the Country and maintained to this very day from the observation whereof the Subjects cannot withdraw themselves nor without the permission of their Prince may they take upon them to constitute Judges in Church or State much less to enlarge the Bounds of Appeals whenas by the Laws of Bearn they are to be terminated by its Provincial Synods and within the Country it self as is in like manner done in the City of Metz and Principality of Sedan And should this Conjunction be admitted Causes would be drawn out of the Province which would be an Innovation of dangerous Consequence to his Majesty's Authority and to this little Province and contrary to its Union which hath preserved the Country in its Laws Forts Customs and domestick Prerogatives The Deputies of Bearn to give some colour unto this Union say That this Union was permitted by the King that it hath been exercised by his Majesty since the uniting of Bearn with the Crown of France that it was approved by the said Lord Commissioner in the National Synod of Castres in the Year 1626. But here are divers Mistakes The Truth is that Henry the Fourth of happy Memory and the King now reigning most gloriously have not permitted nor promised the Union of the said Churches nor was it permitted by the Cahier of the Year 1615. But the Answer unto the Union demanded was deferred till after the Country was united with that of France so that the victorious Arms of his Majesty having subjected the Land of Bearn to his Obedience and the Union of the Country made by his absolute Authority notwithstanding all former Grants and Priviledges the Subjects are bound to have recourse anew unto his Majesty And although by the Cahiers of the Year 1615 the Union of the Churches was put off till the Union of the State yet none may therefore assert that because the State is united with the Crown of France the Union of the Churches must therefore of Right be made also but that it may be obtained there is need of a new Address unto his Majesty that he would by his Sovereign Authority
Ecclesiastical Affairs though relating unto all the Provinces in general as it hath been of late practised by the Synod of Nismes who entred into a Correspondence with that of Dolphiny and the Church of Montlimart about the Ministry of Monsieur Creguts and with that of Sevennes and the Church of Anduze for the Ministry of Monsieur issue out Orders relating to the general State of the Churches and for the same Reason his Majesty forbiddeth the Provincial Synods the Indiction of publick National Fasts 4. In the second Place that there may be a more firm Peace established in the State it is his Majesty's Pleasure that all Ministers do preach unto his Subjects that Obedience which is due unto him and to his Authority and Commandment by the Word of God and that it is no wise lawful for them whatever Causes or Occasions may induce them to it to revolt from nor take up Arms against their Soveraign And sith it may so fall out that some things may be enacted by the Government and Civil Magistrate which for want of knowledg of their true Springs and Motives may seem prejudicial to the Liberty of your Confidences although it be his Majesty's Intention to uphold and conserve it for you therefore his Majesty doth expresly forbid all and every one of you to tax or condemn his Government for any evil Designs against your Religion And farther that in none of your Sermons or Writings you make use of those Expressions of Torments Martyrs and Persecutions of the Church of God 5. Also that the Blessing of Peace may be promoted whenas you shall have occasion to speak of the Pope and of those of the Roman Catholick Religion of its Sacraments and Ceremonies you are not to call him Antichrist nor them Idolaters nor to use any unbecoming Words that may offend or scandalize them upon Pain of Interdiction i. e. of silencing the Ministers and dissolving the religious Church-Meetings and of greater Punishments You be also prohibited all injurious Words and Proceedings against such Ministers and other Persons who shall have quitted your Religion tor that of his Majesty 6 Finally That the Publick Peace may not be disturbed by any Writings or licentious Discourses no Books treating of your Religion whether printed within or out of the Kingdom shall be sold till they have been first examined and approved by two Ministers authorized thereunto otherwise they shall be all seized and confiscated 7. Moreover forasmuch as to resist the Orders of inferiour Magistrates deriving their Power as Beams from the Sun of Soveraign Royal Authority is to resist his Majesty himself and to subvert the very Publick-Weal his Majesty being informed that a Proposition was set on foot in the Synod of Andusa that the Marriage of a certain Person called Audebert who had remarried after a Divorce obtained from and decreed by the Judg there should not be celebrated his Majesty enjoineth you all now that you be assembled in this National Synod to resolve on it that all your Churches shall acquiesce in and conform unto all Orders of the Civil Magistrate in this Particular about the disannulling of Marriages and to take an especial care for the future that this Default be repaired 8. Thirdly It being his Majesty's Desire and Purpose to continue unto you the Possession and Injoyment of his Edicts which are granted and accorded to you and it being but just and equitable that you also on your part should observe them and not in the least infringe or violate them His Majesty injoineth all Ministers that in Obedience to the 10th Article of the Edict of Pacification made in January 1561 and those Letters Patents duly obtained thereupon and enrolled that they do preach only as in Duty they are bound in those Places where they make their actual residence and he forbiddeth them all Excursions from thence to preach in those Places which they call Annexations And his Majesty being informed of the manifest Contempt and Violation of this his Ordinance hath given me in charge to reiterate this his Prohibition and commands you to obey it upon the Penalties imported in the said Letters and in the Decree of his Council and threatens you in case of Non-compliance with a total Forfeiture and Deprival of all the Priviledges and Benefits of his Edicts 9. And whereas also you are permitted by the forty fourth Article of Particular Matters in the Edict of Nants to assemble your selves before a Judg Royal and by his Authority to make an equal Tax and to levy Monies necessary for defraying all Synodical Charges and the Maintenance of your Ministers in the Exercise of your Religion his Majesty doth forbid your said Ministers to take the Moneys out of the Poors Box or of Legacies bequeathed to pious Uses for the Paiment of their Sallaries or the fifth Penny out of that Fund for the Maintenance of your Universities and this upon very good and considerable Grounds because it is not any ways reasonable that the Moneys given and destined to the Poor should be diverted and imployed to any other Usage 10. And farther since it cannot be imagined that any Person could be guilty of such extream Baseness and Ingratitude as to refuse a Contribution to the Support and Maintenance of his own Pastor however lest there should be such an one and to prevent it for the future his Majesty explaining the 44th Article before-mentioned doth permit you every New-year's-day or in one or some of those twelve Days in the beginning of the Year to make an Assembly of the principal Inhabitants of every Town or Church in the Nature of a Consistory to consult about their Pastors Wages Charges of Journies unto Colloquies and Synods and for the Maintenance of the Professors and Regents in your Universities and for the Reparation and upholding of your Temples and to make an Accompt and List of all Persons able to contribute unto the said Charges which being brought before a Judg Royal shall be authorized by him and then every one so taxed and assessed by him shall be compelled to pay in his Part and Quota and in case of his Refusal it shall be levied by Distress and Fine notwithstanding his Opposition or Appeal as is done in the ingathering of his Majesty's Revenues And therefore his Majesty forbiddeth all Ministers to beg from Door to Door for their Maintenance 11. And his Majesty being informed that the said Synod of Nismes hath granted unto Mr. Petit Minister of the Gospel as Professor of Divinity the Sum of seven hundred Livers he doth now decree that the said Sum shall be paid out of the Monies destined to the Maintenance of Universities by the last National Synod and is to be taken out of the Dividend belonging to those three Colloquies which compose the said Synod and his Majesty commandeth and injoineth you to observe and keep those aforesaid Canons as well for the Payment of your Pastors as for the railing of the Monies 12. I have
that by his means they may as soon as possible have the Honour of waiting upon and Saluting His Majesty and Present Him with the Letters of this Assembly and shall follow His Orders when and after what manner they ought and may speak unto the King and to the Lord Cardinal and to the Lord Chancellor And having paid their Duties to the King the Lord Cardinal and to our Lord the Principal Ministers of State they shall give them to understand with what Respect and Thankful Acknowledgments we have received from the mouth of the Lord de St. Marc His Majesty's Commissioner in this Assembly those assurances given us in His Majesty's Name for preserving us the Privilege of His Edicts and to continue to us His Royal Favours But they shall not conceal that all the Members of this Assembly were exceedingly surprized and astonished that immediately after those aforesaid Assurances given us by the Lord Commissioner he made such Proposals to them as had no agreement at all with these Promises of His Majesty's good Will unto us as when He declared That he was charged by the King to forbid all Ministers to serve their annexed Congregations which tends to the utter Ruine of the far greatest part of our Churches and depriveth a vast multitude of the Professors of our Religion of their Spiritual Consolation As also when he propounded as from the King That it was his Majesty's desire That we should ratisie Baptism Administred by Midwifes and others who have no Call so to do which is formally contrary to our Belief They shall also insist on this That His Majesty be acquainted and from their own Mouths with that Rigorous Decree of the Council concerning the hanging forth of Tapistry and Adorning of our Houses on that Festival which they call by the Name of The Holy This being a matter directly contrary to the Edicts made in our Favour They shall take care also to Petition our Lord the Cardinal and the Lords of the Council and especially the Lord de Buillon That they would be pleased to supply this Assembly with Moneys for the defraying of our Charges and Expences during the Sessions thereof as hath been always accustomed to be done by His Majesty And the rather because for a very long time notwithstanding His Majesty's Promise we have not received one Farthing of His Bounteous Liberality The Assembly leaveth it to the Prudence of these our said Deputies either to prolong or shorten their abode at Court according to the Success of their Negotiation and they be ordered to acquaint us upon all occasions of what is necessary to be done by us CHAP. XXVI 3. Monsieur Ferrand's Speech made unto my Lord the Cardinal Duke of Richelieu My Lord SIth that in our days and under the Incomparable Wisdom of Your Government Peace and Justice are so Gloriously preserved that the Greatest Monarch of the Vniverse is not only known to be the Just King but also the King of the Just by the strict Observation of His Edicts and Sacred Orders The Ministers and Elders Assembled in a National Synod under the Favourable Authority of His Majesty and the Good Counsels of Your Eminency have took the Boldness to send us unto His Majesty as to the Common Father of His Subjects to render to Him Their most unfeigned Thanks and to Present Him Their most Humble Requests and in all Humility to demand His Royal Protection against those Violences which do every day Rob and Spoil us of His Favours and have most expresly charged us to Implore on this Account the Succours and Assistance of Your Eminency And that Experience we have formerly had hereof filleth our Hearts with Hopes for the future Because the Stedfastness of God and the King's Word are visible in the Face of Your Eminency You being Their most lively Protraiture We cannot be ignorant My Lord That Your Eminency is that Intelligence who moves this admirable Monarchy with the greatest Regularity That Assistant Spirit of this Great Body which heretofore was like one of the Floating Islands but now Your most Admired Conduct hath bound it so fast with the Chains of the Royal Authority that in the Greatest and most Astonishing Tempests it abideth firm and immovable And it will be with France as with the Land of Licia which tho' subject unto Storms and dreadful Earthquakes yet no sooner are those Tempestuous Winds which caused them dissipated but that the Inhabitants thereof do enjoy for Forty Days together 〈◊〉 most Wonderful Calm and Tranquility but these days of our Tranquility shall be Prophetical a Year for a Day and may Your Eminency's Life be prolonged to a full Century of those Years And we do protest in the Presence of God that we own our selves bound Eternally to Obey His Majesty by the Laws of our Birth and Conscience and for His Majesty's Favours continually accumulated upon us And therefore we do Address our Prayers without intermission unto the Sovereign Lord of Heaven and Earth that he would be pleased to keep his Anointed as the Apple of his Eye His Majesty being the very Heart and Life of His Kingdom and that he would take from our days to add unto His and to add unto Yours also My Lord whom we reckon next to God and the King our surest Sanctuary hoping for some Rays and Beams of Your Eminency's good Will to be imparted to us that may quicken us under those disconsolating Troubles with which we are menaced and be a most meet and proper Remedy for those Afflicting Evils which press in sore upon us from every part and quarter of the Land And Your Eminency's Reward for this signal goodness of Yours extended to us will be the continuance of that Glory You have most justly acquired in all Christendom and we shall beg of God in our Prayers and may the Divine Majesty actually fullfil them to pour down upon Your Eminency an abundant Confluence of his best Blessings and that we may obtain this Consolation to be believed by Your Eminency that with all sincerity of Heart and Soul we are My Lord Your Eminency's most Humble and most Obedient Servants Banage Moderator of the Synod Coupe Assessor Blondel and de Launay Scribes CHAP. XXVII A Copy of the Bill of Grievances presented unto His Majesty by the Sieurs Ferr and Pastor of the Church of Bourdeaux Gigord Pastor of the Church of Montpellier and De Cerisy an Elder Deputed by the National Synod of Alanson May the 7th 1637. unto the King SIRE THe Deputies of Your Subjects of the Reformed Religion Assembled by Your Majesty's Permission in a National Synod at Alanson do most Humbly Petition That according to Your wonted Goodness and Justice continued to them You would be pleased to vouchsafe us the enjoyment of Your Edicts and Declarations of Peace which have to their very great prejudice been broken and violated in every Article and particularly in divers places of Your Kingdom nor can we get our Damages repaired
of Two Hundred Livres but with this Proviso That in case the Lord General Deputy shall come to Town within the Fortnight that then they pay in the said Two Hundred Livres to the Consistory of the Church of Paris who are to dispose of it towards the Redemption of our poor Captives in Barbary and in case they should be necessitated to sojourn there any longer time than the Fortnight the Remainder of the Monies allowed them for their Expences in their Hands shall be conscientiously restored by them 16. The Lord Marquis of Clermont who was intrusted with those Assignations made unto our Churches out of certain Offices belonging to the Commissioners of real Seisures having brought them by Mr. Cooper unto this Assembly an Order passed that the Sieurs de L' Angle and Cottiby Joynt Deputies with the Sieurs Morande and Pellue or any of them who should remain at Paris to receive the Lord General Deputy should remit them into his Hands and intreat his Lordship to deal in them and compound on such Terms as he together with the Consistory of Paris shall judge to be least disadvantagious unto the Churches Moreover the foresaid Committee are empowred by this Synod to give whatever Acquittances or Discharges may be meet and necessary on those Accompts which were formerly brought in by the Lord of Candall whether arising from the Debets of Acquittances which may or shall be produced or from those of Commissioners for real Seisures which were used in Reprisal and left in the Hands of the Lord Marquis of Clermont And as for what is clearly owing unto the said Lord of Candall upon his last Accompt in case Satisfaction may be given him out of any other part of Reprisal the said Committee are ordered and empowred to see it done The Lord General Deputy upon his Arrival shall according to Order and Custom take the usual Oath which shall be administred to him by the Consistory of the Church of Paris CHAP. VI. A Copy of the Second Letter writ unto the King Sire 17. WE have deputed the Sieurs de L' Angle and Cottiby Pastors and de Morande and Pellue Elders to lay at your Majesty's Feet our most humble Thanks for your great Goodness we having opened and finished our Synod under your Royal Authority and to petition your Majesty as we do from the very bottom of our Souls that you would hear graciously the most humble Requests of your most faithful and most obedient Subjects of our Religion who in divers parts of this Kingdom are mourning and groaning for being deprived of the means of serving God according to the Dictates of their Consciences and that Liberty which hath been granted by the Kings your Majesty's Predecessors of most glorious Memory and confirmed by your Majesty at your first coming to the Crown unto them They do also sorrowfully complain that through the Rigour of some of your Officers they be excluded all Employments and cannot though they have served Apprenticeships be admitted to set up as Masters for themselves in any one kind of Trade whatsoever Such injurious Actions as these quite contrary to the intention of your Edicts depriving them of all honest ways of gaining their Livelyhoods as your Majesties other Subjects do These things Sire shall be more particularly reported in our Bill of Grievances which we presume to present unto you and to which we hope your Majesty will vouchsafe us a favourable Answer That so your Throne being supported by Piety and Justice during your Majesty's most happy Reign Mercy and Truth may meet together Righteousness and Peace may kiss and embrace each other and all sorts of Vertues may abound and flourish and Heaven may pour down its most precious Benedictions upon your Sacred Person and People And after you have lived many a long Year enjoyed the Glorious Victories and magnificent Triumphs of David the continunl Peace Felicity and Riches of Solomon we may end our days praising God and blessing your Majesty and leave unto our Posterity after us this Title in which Sire we do most and principally glory of being for ever From Charenton January 26th 1645. Sire Your Majesties most Humble most Faithful and most Obedient Subjects and Servants the Pastors and Elders assembled in our National Synod by your Majesties Permission at Charenton and in the Name of all Garrissoles Moderator Basnage Assessor Scribes Blondel and Le Coq A Copy of the Second Letter written by the Synod unto the Queen Madam AS we began this Assembly with most sincere Professions and Protestations of our inviolable Loyalties so do we now conclude it with our most humble Thanks and Acknowledgment for your Majesty's Bounty and Clemency extended to us We should Madam be taxed with Ingratitude if we had not a deep Sense of the King 's and your Favours because it was through your Majesties gracious Permission that we obtained the Priviledg of Convening in this Synod Incomparable is the Wisdom of your Regency who now sit at the Helm of the French Empire and govern it with such Happiness that whilst the Neighbour Kingdoms are shattered to pieces with the dreadful Stems of War France only enjoyeth a most happy Calm a most blessed and peaceful Tranquility We have had the Happiness to follow our Business quietly and to meet with no disturbance during the whole Session under the Covert of your Royal Protection And your Majesty hath deigned another Addition to your former Favours in granting us a General Deputy by whose mouth our most humble Petitions may come into your Sacred Presence and you have from the Fountain of your Liberality poured out so many Illustrious Tokens of your Grace and Bounty upon us that our Hearts are most sensibly affected with Gratitude unto your Majesty And therefore have we once more presumed to send the Sieurs de L'Angle and Cottiby Pastors together with the Sieurs de Morande and Pellue Elders to tender unto your Majesty our most humble and repeated Thanksgivings and to implore the Protection of your Sovereign Justice for all those who living in Communion with us under the benefit of your Edicts confirmed by his Majesty at his first coming unto the Crown do yet suffer contrary to your Intention and to your Royal Clemency very many and sore Troubles in all the Provinces of the Kingdom If Madam an assurance of having numberless Hearts at your Devotion Hearts burning with Zeal and Love for the Service of our lawful Prince and who be rooted through an inviolable Fidelity in this Generous Design never in the least to yield to any of your People in any Points of Duty in the most absolute and most entire Obedience and who are immovably resolved to live and die in your and his Majesty's Service be capable of exciting our just Hopes We Madam will live in this Persuasion that we shall gain and merit the continuance of your Favour which will be an universal Remedy for all our Maladies that so to the
to debate of these very matters we doubt not in the least but that he will allow us to receive those Letters and Memoirs which contain their Informations and Instructions to us In short our whole Religion being grounded upon the Word of God and this Word teaching us to fear God and honour the King we never perform any Act of Religious Worship to that Great God who created us in which we do not offer up a Prayer with our most ardent Vows for the Supreme Power here on Earth and particularly for all that are in Authority over us and upon all occasions that occur unto us we do leave Impressions hereof upon the Souls of the Faithful who are Members of our Churches in our Sermons And we are well assured that before the breaking up of this Synod your Lordship my Lord Commissioner shall see not in one single Exhortation only but in many those inviolable Inclinations we have unto the Weal and Happiness of the Government and that Obedience which we are all unanimously resolved to render unto the Will and Laws of our Prince when as they be not contrary to that of the Law of God who is the King of Kings And as his Majesty hath hitherto been pleased to favour us with our Liberty of serving God according to that Light we have received and in the Purity of the Gospel and whereas my Lord Commissioner hath now declared to us his Majesty's good Pleasure to uphold us favourably in this Liberty under the Protection of his Edicts and to exert that Authority which God hath put into his Hands to secure us from their Attempts who would deprive us of it and as we have no ground nor cause to complain of Oppression and Persecution so also we shall not make use of any such Terms as are expressive of them and we shall upon all Occasions give clear and ample Evidence of that respect we bear unto our Sovereign and we shall take a most especial care for keeping the Publick Peace of which our Actions Words and Writings and these Last shall never be published but according as we are allowed by the Edicts and regulated by the Canons of our Discipline and by the Decrees of our National Synods shall by the Grace of God be most valid and authentick Sureties for us as they have been in times past so for the future And as we shall never render our selves unworthy of his Majesty's favour so we hope that he will continue to extend unto us the Honour of his Love and good Will and that he will ordain all Governors of his Provinces Places and Fortresses and all Officers in Parliament and all other Courts of Judicature where Justice is administred to see that his Edicts be carefully executed that so there being no violation of them on their parts we also on ours may never have any occasion for the future of complaining to his Majesty who next and after God is our only Sanctuary to whom we may betake our selves for Refuge against all Injustices and Oppressions And as for what is past there being very many Places in this Kingdom where the good Intentions of his Majesty have not been followed and where those of our Religion have been disturbed in the Exercises of it and have suffered very great Violences in their Families in their Children in their own Persons and in their Estates in sundry and divers ways contrary to what is granted us by the Edict And the inferiour Judges have been so far from doing us right that even they have been the very Persons who have encouraged the Animosity of many others against us Our King being the Image and Vicegerent of God and who will undoubtedly endeavour to resemble him as in the Independency of his Power and Glory of his Majesty so also in his Justice and Clemency He therefore cannot but approve that afflicted persons do make their Addresses to Heaven to be supported under their Sufferings and comforted in their Afflictions so we also should have recourse unto his Royal Throne for Support under our Burthens and Redress of our Grievances and the Conservation of our Invaded Liberties and Properties And whereas his Lordship my Lord Commissioner was pleased to say That his Majesty hath greater reason to complain by far of his Subjects of the Reformed Religion for their Infractions and Transgressions of the Edict as if they had either in Languedoc or any where else attempted to restore the Preaching of Gods Word by overt Actions by mere Force and Violence contrary to the publick Peace and the General Laws of the Kingdom we profess that the hearing of this Relation was a most sensible Grief and Sorrow to us We do not complain in the least of your Lordship my Lord Commissioner for you did but follow those very Orders and Instructions which were given you We receive with all possible respect and humility whatever comes from his Majesty because we reverence his Authority and because we have many Pledges and Tokens of his Kindness and Love unto us But we are exceedingly grieved and concerned that those who are near his Majesty do us very ill Offices and slander us unto him representing our Actions in very odious colours so that in stead of informing him that the Exercise of our Religion hath been violently abolish'd and removed from very many places where it was permitted by the Edicts and that our Temples have been demolished by main Force and in an Hostile manner they have dispersed wicked false Stories of us at Court as if we had some new and unlawful Enterprizes and Designs in our Heads Besides we have another thing of very hard digestion that whereas the Canons of our Discipline do expresly forbid those of our Communion to send their Children unto Jesuits and to other professed and avowed Enemies of our Religion because that through their fiery and inconsiderate Zeal for their own they turn every Stone and use all sort of means to prevent them from that Duty they owe unto God and to their Parents yea and to his Majesty himself and we being allowed the Exercise of our Discipline as well as of our Religion why should we be counted blame-worthy for our care in the Religious Education of our Children and for our just Severity in censuring their sinful negligent Parents And whereas some of ours are accused for reproaching and other injurious Carriage towards such Persons as have quitted our Communion for that of the Church of Rome we are so far from approving of those Actions towards them that 't is well known we require all our Members to pray for them and to labour by all pious means to reduce them into the good way of Eternal Salvation But we profess our utter Ignorance of any such Abuses offered unto our Revolters And in stead hereof this we know that there be open Violences done unto those godly Persons who do forsake the Communion of the Romish Church and joyn themselves unto ours And we hope
that his Majesty will not be offended if we produce Instances and Proofs hereof in that Bill of Grievances we intend to present unto him And as for the Poor's Monies which they suggest unto his Majesty to have been diverted from those uses whereunto they were destinated We most humbly beseech my Lord Commissioner to do us that Favour as to acquaint his Majesty that we take so great care of our Poor that rather than they should want things needful for them and wander up and down the Streets and make a Trade of begging our Ministers are of that generous Spirit they would first suffer their own Wages to be defalked and that Abatements should be made of their slender Stipends So that his Majesty in stead of being displeased at our Conduct and the pretended Infractions on our part of his Edicts being better and more truly informed by your Lordship my Lord Commissioner and by my Lord General Deputy his Protection will be continued to us and that he will be pleased to shrowd us from those Violences done us by those who delight in breaking of those Edicts and Spoiling us of those Priviledges which were granted us by his Majesty's Predecessors We do acknowledge that our National Synods cannot be held without a great deal of Labour and Expence but their meeting from time to time being absolutely necessary for us we undergo the Travail and Burden with a great deal of chearfulness And his Majesty having hitherto enabled us by his Bounty to bear in some measure the charge of it we cannot but promise our selves from his Royal Goodness the continuance thereof and that he will not deprive us of his Liberality when as we shall be obliged to come from all parts of the Kingdom unto these General Assemblies And could those Affairs which are brought unto these Synods be terminated any where else we would most willingly spare our selves the pains and trouble of travelling from one end of France unto another and to sit down about other Mens business for some Weeks at so great a distance from our own Habitations and Families as the most of us do But it being absolutely impossible that our Religion should subsist without these Assemblies and there having been a very long Interval of Years elapsed since the last held at Charenton unto this present we having found by sad Experience that Delays and Time do multiply Affairs and cause them to be dispatched with the more and greater difficulty we perswade our selves and ground our Perswasions and Confidence upon that unparallel'd Goodness of our Sovereign that it will be acceptable to him that my Lord our Deputy General should demand and press his Majesty to suffer it to be called when as the Necessities of our Churches do require it for the composing of our Affairs according to the Canons of our Discipline and as hath been customarily practised every three Years And as for that Expedient of ending matters in our Provincial Synods there is so great a quantity of Affairs of another Nature that without a total Subversion of our Discipline they can never be determined but in our Triennial National Synods And whereas his Lordship my Lord Commissioner was pleased to touch at our holding Correspondency with Foreigners over and besides what hath been said and is recorded in the Acts of former National Synods In answer to this there be yet several Persons now present who can very well remember that the Kings his Majesty's Predecessors did permit our Churches to hold up a Correspondence with our Neighbours in matters concerning our Religion and Discipline yea and as occasions offered that we should send our Deputies to them And however the People of Geneva Switzerland Germany and of other Countries do live under a Form of Civil Government quite different from ours yet because those Nations be Friends and in League with France and principally because our Religion is animated universally by the same Spirit and that it inspireth all its Professors with an inviolable Respect and Obedience for the Higher Powers of what kind or nature soever they be in any State the Kings his Majesty's Predecessors had never any reason to complain that this Correspondency was in any wise prejudicial to their Authority So that if it should please his Majesty our Sovereign Lord to give us once again the same Liberty he might be fully assured as ever of our inviolable Fidelity And as for our Students when as ever it shall please his Majesty as we most Humbly request him so to do to give them License of Visiting Foreign Universities there shall be no cause to fear that their good Inclinations should be corrupted or that they should return Home disaffected to the Person and Government of their Prince And as for Letters or Writings from Foreign Parts we shall not receive nor peruse any of them unless his Majesty's Commissioner do approve of it There is yet one Word more to be spoken about the duration of this Synod which my Lord Commissioner saith must be very short because it is his Majesties Pleasure it should be so To which we reply with all imaginable Duty and Reverence unto his Lordship that the length of these Assemblies doth depend upon the multitude of Business which cannot be dispatch'd in a trice but require time for so doing It is now Fifteen Years since we had a National Synod so that 't is an easie matter to judge that as Businesses are multiplied extraordinarily so are their Difficulties together with them And as it lay not in our Power to prevent their out-breaking at first so now is it not in our power so to shorten the time of the Sessions of this Synod as we would but it must of necessity exceed the ordinary term of former National Synods for otherwise we must leave many Affairs undecided or else their Decision must be precipitated But in case his Majesty had not declared his Pleasure to us herein yet it is the general Interest of our Churches and of every one of us in particular to hasten as much as possibly we can our return to our respective stations and therefore consequently we shall avoid all Delays and Protractings of Businesses which if unnecessary cannot but be very prejudical to us But whereas over and besides this Consideration his Majesty hath been pleased to notifie his Intentions to us we do most humbly beseech your Lordship my Lord Commissioner to believe that we will not lose one Moments time but shall intend our Synodical Affairs with all assiduity and diligence imaginable But our principal Request unto your Lordship is that your Lordship would be pleased to assure his Majesty that as we be Natural born French-men so have we the Interests and Glory of France lying at our Hearts and as we are Christians so we know our selves inviolably obliged to the Observation of that Apostolical Precept To Fear God and Honour the King We have already said it and we do once again repeat it that