Conformity of the ecclesiastical discipline of the Reformed churches of France with that of the primitive Christians written by M. La Rocque ... ; render'd into English by Jos. Walker.

CONFORMITY.

It cannot be denied, but great abuses are committed, and that at all times there has been abuses committed in the Church, upon account of Attestations and Testimo∣nies granted to those of the same Communion which desire to go from one place to another, to the end they might be known to be Members of the same Church, and to be assisted in case of necessity. The Primitive Christians endeavour'd to remedy these inconveniencies two ways; The first, By ordering that each Church should maintain their own Poor. The second, In using a great deal of caution in granting these Attestations, which is exactly the two things prescrib'd by our Disci∣pline.

As to the former of these two Means, * 1.1 the 4th Council of Carthage, in the Year 398. declares, That the Poor and Ancient people of the Church ought to be more assisted than any others; and that young Widows, who are weak of Body, should be maintain'd at the charge of the Church to which they belong. In the 2d Council of Tours, assem∣bled An. Dom. 567. the 5th Canon's Title is, That each City shall maintain its Poor, and runs in these terms, That each City doth furnish according to its ability Provisi∣ons sufficient to all those of its Inhabitants which are poor and incommoded; and that as well the Curates of Villages, * 1.2 as all the Farmers which dwell there, do each nourish their own Poor, to the end they may not stray and wander about to other Towns. In the 3d Council of the same place, assembled in the Year 813. there are several directions in this matter; for the Fathers command in the 11.16. 36. Canons, * 1.3 That Bishops shall be permitted to take out of the Church stores, according to the Canonical Rules, in pre∣sence of the Priests and Deacons, what shall be necessary to maintain the Family and Poor of the Church; That the Tythes which shall be given to particular Churches, shall be distributed with great care by the Priests, according to the Bishops Order, for the use of the Church and the Poor. That it be made known to all the World, that every body should endeavour at all times to maintain their Family and the Poor; because 'tis a wicked and impious thing in the sight of God, that those which enjoy great Riches, and that abound with all manner of Wealth, should not help and assist those which are in want and misery. It is to what also amounts the 14th Canon of the 6th Council of Arles in the same year, That each have care of their Poor in time of Famine, * 1.4 or any other necessity, because 'tis written, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. The Emperor Charlemain commanded the same thing, in the first

Book of his Capitularies, * 1.5 Chap. 121, 128, 132. and in another Capitulary he made after certain Synods he assembled in the year 813. and which is in Sirmond's 2d Tome of French Councils. And I make no doubt, but this holy Discipline was Religiously practis'd in the first Ages of Christianity, when people were full of Charity, when there was no need of compelling them to the ex∣ercise of it, by Authority of Canons and Humane Laws.

I proceed to the 2d Means which I propos'd, and which regards the Attestations and Certificates which should not be granted but with much caution and circumspe∣ction, to the end those to whom they are given, should not abuse them in the places whither they go, or by the which they pass; these kinds of Certificates were very frequent in the Primitive Church, where they were called Letters, to which was given several deno∣minations, according to the several Causes under which they were consider'd; in regard of those which wrote them, they were call'd Ecclesiasticks; in regard of the relation which was betwixt those which wrote them, and which receiv'd them, they had the name of Com∣municatory, or Pacisick; moreover, they were called Cano∣nical, by reason of the Order which rendered them ne∣cessary and peculiar Letters, because they were writ in certain Terms, and with distinct Marks as they bore, if it may be so said, as had the very tokens of Christian Charity.

But besides all these respects, there was that of the persons in whose favour these Letters were written, and then they were term'd in general, Letters of Recommen∣dation, of which St. Paul makes mention in the 3d Chap. of the 2d Epistle to the Corinthians: Nevertheless, this general Term has not hinder'd that in this last regard three sorts has not sometimes been made; in the first

place, there were Litterae Dimissoriae, Letters of License, by virtue of which, Ecclesiasticks of one Church, were admitted to do the Functions of their Calling in another, and could even be receiv'd into their Clergy, * 1.6 and be Members of it, provided they were absolutely Dimissoriae, as appears by the 17th Canon of the 6th Oecumenical Council. Secondly, Litterae Commendatiae, Letters of Recommendation, which were given to strange and un∣known Clerks, or to Lay-men which were separated from the Communion, to the end, to recommend them as Believers, and as being out of the Censures of the Church. The 13th Canon of the Council of Chalcedon speaks of the former, Where it forbids to suffer strange and unknown Clerks to say Service in another Church, with∣out having Letters of Recommendation from their Bishops. And Zonaras, a famous Greek Canonist, makes mention of the latter, on the 11th Canon of the same Council, and on the 12th and 13th Canons of those attributed to the Apostles. * 1.7 The Frier Blastares makes almost the same remark in his Alphabetical Collection of Canons. To conclude, The Council of Chalcedon requires, that Letters Pacifick only, should be given to the Poor. See here the manner it explains it self in the 11th Canon; We appoint that all the Poor, and those which have need of assistance, have in their Journeys, along with them, Eccle∣siastical Letters only Pacifick, and not Letters of Recommen∣dation; because Letters of Recommendation should not be given but to those which are some way suspected: Yet I observe this distinction han't always been kept, and that the Coun∣cil of Antioch, in the 7th Canon, forbids to receive a Stran∣ger without having the Pacifick Letters, which that of Chalcedon accords to the Poor and Indigent. Gregory of Na∣zianzen expresses himself thereupon in a manner which sufficiently shews they were Letters of Recommenda∣tion,

as the Interpreter has translated it. In short, in his 3d Oration, which is the 1st against Julian the Apo∣state, he saith, That amongst many things which that Cowardly Fugitive from the Truth endeavour'd to in∣troduce the use and practise of amongst the Gentiles, in imitation of Christians, * 1.8 he desir'd above all things, To establish the use of those Letters of Recommendation, by the which, saith this Ancient Doctor, we send from one Country to another, those which are poor and in necessity: Zozomen in his Ecclesiastical History, writes the same thing of this Emperor, and saith, That by virtue of these Letters by which Christians recommended the Strangers of their Communion, they were lodged, and care was taken of them where ever they went, and in what Country so∣ever they came, as much as if they had been Friends, and a long while known and acquainted; and that all this was done on account of the Character the Letters gave of them, and which were as 'twere the Mark and Symbol of their Profession; and as I conceive, 'tis what Tertullian calls the Contesseration of Hospitality; that is to say, the mark and sign, at the sight whereof, the right of hospitality was us'd towards those which shew'd it; and 'tis probable Lucian had a regard to this Custom, when speaking of a Stranger, * 1.9 he saith, that in Travelling, he found plentiful assistance amongst the Christians, whereby he was abundantly supplied with all things.

There is yet something farther to be considered in this matter, to wit, That Christians were so circumspect in granting these Letters of Recommendation, that they examin'd those which had them, and oblig'd them to give an account of their Faith, to avoid all fraud and surprise. * 1.10 The 58th Canon of the Council of Eliberi, or Eluira in Spain, in the year 305. orders it so; the 33d

of the Apostles is no less express, without insisting on the Interpretations of Balsamon, Zonoras, and Aristenus, Greek Canonists, which have understood it in this sense. I can't tell but Lucian does again allude to this practise of Christians, when he said, That they receive certain Dogma's which he mentions, without exactly searching the Truth; but I know very well, that we, on this occa∣sion, do the same as the Primitive Christians did, not only through Custom, but also by Order of our National Synods. That of Charanton, the Establishment whereof is cited in the Article we Examine, That of Charanton, I say, in the year 1623. enjoins; Exactly to Examine, as well the Attestations, as those which have them, to have from their own mouth, testimony of their Religion, and In∣struction.

As for the Order our Discipline prescribes, to give and renew from Church to Church the Recommendatory Letters, it is the same in substance of that establish'd by the Synod of Sardis, An. Dom. 347. in the 8, 9, 10, and 11. Canons, and particularly in the last, where it ap∣points Bishops, which are on the way, to Examine these Letters of Recommendation, and to ask of those which have them, the Cause and Reason of their Travelling; or to subscribe their Letters if they are just, and to re∣fuse them Communion, if they have fraudulently got them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Can. 85, & 101. Tom. 1. Concil. p. 730.
• * 1.2

  Tom. 1. Conc. Gall. p. 332.
• * 1.3

  Tom. 2. Conc. Gal. pag. 297, 298, 302.
• * 1.4

  Ib. p. 271.
• * 1.5

  Pag 324. c. 11.
• * 1.6

  Tom. 5. Concil. p. 327.
• * 1.7

  Cap. 9. Litt. A. p. 94.
• * 1.8

  Tom. 1. p. 102.
• * 1.9

  Dial. de Pereg.
• * 1.10

  Ubi supra.