Synodicon in Gallia reformata, or, The acts, decisions, decrees, and canons of those famous national councils of the reformed churches in France being I. a most faithful and impartial history of the rise, growth, perfection and decay of the reformation in that kingdom, with its fatal catastrophe upon the revocation of the Edict of Nants in the year 1685 : II. the confession of faith and discipline of those churches : III. a collection of speeches, letters, sacred politicks, cases of conscience, and controversies in divinity, determined and resolved by those grave assemblies : IV. many excellent expedients for preventing and healing schisms in the churches and for re-uniting the dismembred body of divided Protestants : V. the laws, government, and maintenance of their colleges, universities and ministers, together with their exercise of discipline upon delinquent ministers and church-members : VI. a record of very many illustrious events of divine providence relating to those churches : the whole collected and composed out of original manuscript acts of those renowned synods : a work never be extant in any language.

CHAP. XIX. An Expedient to preserve the CHURCH-PEACE.

11 THE Province of the Isle of France moved that, to preserve our Union, and prevent those Divisions which will otherwise creep in insensibly upon us, and that the sound Doctrine, which hath hi∣therto through the Grace of God been preached, may be alwayes taught and kept up in our Churches, and never corrupted by the Invasion and Admission of those Errors condemned in the Synod of Alez, by the Curiosity and Contentious Humour of such as love to abound in their own sence, the Province of the Isle of France moved this Synod to advise of some Ex∣pedients, vvhich might curb and bridle those unruly Spirits, vvho else vvould not be kept vvithin the stated bounds of their Duty. This Assem∣bly

received the Motion very kindly, and approving it, decreed, that all Consistories, Colloquies, and Provincial Synods should carefully see to it, that the Canons of our Church-Discipline about Printing of Manu∣scripts be most strictly observed, and that before they be carried to the Press: they be most exactly perused, and approved by those Divines vvho are appointed by the Provincial Synod so to do, and that there be ren∣dred an Account hereof unto the next National Synod. Moreover all Pastors, be it in their Writings, or in their Sermons are to keep them∣selves vvithin the bounds of Christian simplicity, and to prune off from all their Discourses and Exhortations those needless Excrescencies of curious Questions, and to oppose such Persons as shall attempt to subvert the Truth delivered to us by our Teachers of Blessed Memory, vvhose Mini∣stry the Lord so signally ovvned in the great Work of Reformation: And that they vvould so order all their Doctrines and Sermons as they might have a direct tendency to promote the Churches Peace, and the Edification of the Consciences of their Auditors.

12. Monsieur Bustonoby Pastor in the Churches of Mauleon, Sanquis, and Montori in the Land of Soules in Biscay complained that the tvvo Portions granted him by the Synod of Vitre, had not been payd him free of all Char∣ges ever since the year 1619, though it vvas so ordained by that Synod, and he therefore petitioned that vvhat vvas behind due, might be payd un∣to him, moreover that tvvo other free Portions might be granted tovvards the maintenance of another Minister in those Churches aforesaid, because he vvas not able alone by himself to performe all Pastoral Duties in them. The Deputies of the Principality of Bearne, and of the Lovver Guyenne, were heard replying to him, and afterward the Synod ordained that the Portions assigned by the Synod of Vitre and Alez should be payd him in free accordingly, and that as long as he shall serve those Churches alone without a Fellow-helper in the Work of the Ministry, their pay∣ment shall be continued to him, and when as a Colleague shall be joyned with him, there shall be another free Portion added for his Colleague also: And this Assembly intreats him to inquire and use his best endeavours to get an Assistant, and the Portion for the Assisting Pastor shall be kept in the Lord of Candals hands till such time as he be called and settled toge∣ther with him in those Churches.

13. The Church of Montauban demanded that Monsieur Ollyer, who with the Consent and Order of the Colloquy of Ʋsez, impowered there∣unto by the National Synod of Alez, was lent unto them, might now be their fixed Pastor during Life. After that the Provincial Deputies of Sevennes and Lower Languedoc had been heard speak on this Affair, The Assembly ratified that Order of the Colloquy of Ʋsez by its own Act and Authority.

14. Whereas his Grace the Lord Duke of Trimouille and the Church of Vitre demanded that Monsieur Blanchart Pastor of the Church of Conde up∣on Nereau in the Province of Normandy might be preferred unto the Church of Vitre. After hearing of the Provincial Deputies of Normandy, and reading the Decree of that Province, which in∣joyned the said Blanchart to return back unto his Cure, upon pain of being declared a Desertor of it; and the Deputies of Britain informing this Synod they had hot any Memoir or Command from their Province con∣cerning this Matter: This Assembly decreed that a very severe and rigo∣rous Censure shall be inflicted on the said Blanchart for contemning the Discipline of our Church, and that he shall return again unto the Church

of Conde within two Moneths after the Dissolution of this Synod, or if not, that he shall be then suspended from the Ministerial Office.

15. Monsieur du Bois formerly Pastor in the Churches of I a Val and la Barre but set at liberty by the Provincial Synod of Anjou complained unto this Assembly, that whereas the Church of Fontaines and Crocy in the Province of Normandy had given him a Call to the Ministry among them, the Synod of that Province would not agree unto it, nor suffer him to be settled in that Church. This Assembly after hearing the Deputies of Normandy in this case, decreed, that the said Monsieur du Bois shall be received and fixed in the Pastoral Office of the said Church of ••ontaines and Crocy until the next meeting of the Provincial Synod of Normandy.

16. Monsieur Joly petitioning this Assembly for some Relief for himself and poor Family until the sitting of the next National Synod, and that leave might be given him to aspire unto the Profession of the Hebrew Lan∣guage in case there should be a vacancy. This Assembly granted him the letter, and because of his wants, and the distressed Condition of his Fami∣ly, they do give him an Hundred and Fifty Livres, and for the future do continue unto him one free Portion under the same Name as it was granted him by the National Synod of Alez.