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. XVII.

ON reading the Seventeenth Article of General Matters of the last National Synod, divers Deputies related, how that it was gene∣rally believed in their Provinces, that the said Synod contrary to the Custom of our Churches had Treated and Debated of State-Matters. Whereupon this Assembly informed them, that it was never the in∣tention of that National Synod to have meddled with an Affair of that Nature, the Cognisance and Decision of which had been alwayes left unto Political Assemblies, which were called by His Majesties Writt expresly to that end, and farther that the Synod in doing what it did was wholly to testifie its Obedience unto His Majesties Will, notified to them by the Lord Commissioner Galland, and confirm'd by the very Letters of His Majesty, declaring absolutely and precisely His Com∣mand and Pleasure therein. Moreover, should not our Pastors have yielded that Obedience, they might all of them have been branded for pragmaticalness, and taking upon them the cognisance of Matters Fo∣reign to their profession, which they never once desired, every one of the Pastors protesting for himself, that they wished from their Souls never for the future to be called unto such Assemblies, whatever Ad∣vantages might thereby accrew unto them for His Majesty, And the Judgment past in this case by the Synod of Alez in the first Article of General Matters is an Ample Testimony that they were prejudged against it long before.

12. Whereas the Sieurs Guidon and d' Huysseau. had received Letters of Attorney to prosecute Monsieur Palot, and they were not revoked, but upon condition that the Lord Malat should be associated with them, which the said Lord Malat would not yield unto, now that the said Act of Revocation may not be construed in a sinister Sence, as if the aforesaid Sieurs Guydon and d' Huysseau had been deficient either in diligence or faithfulness, who contrariwise for those self-same Ver∣tues have deserved exceeding well of our Churches. This Synod de∣clareth, that it would have been a singular satisfaction to it in case the said Sieur Malat might have been induc'd to undertake the prosecution of that Affair which was joyntly committed to him, and the afore∣mentioned Sieurs Guydon and d' Huysseau, who were not only alwayes exempted from all Defaults, but also from the very Suspicion thereof, and that all kind of Testimonials and Thankfulness is due and owing them for their Capacity, Carefulness, Diligence, Integrity, and Sin∣gular Love and Zeal unto the Weal and Happyness of our Churches, nor cannot in the least be refused them. Wherefore this present Order passed for their discharge shall be inserted into the Acts of this Synod, that it may be carried into all the Provinces, that so none may plead or pretend his Ignorance, and Unacquaintedness with the intentions of this present, and of the last immediately preceding Synod.

Monsieur Palot of St Antonine presented a Petition unto this Assembly on behalf of his Brother Palot, that it would be pleased to cause all processes commenc't against him by the Lord Malat to cease, and that Arbitrators might be chosen on both sides with full power to determine the differences betwixt him and the Churches of this Kingdom. Let∣ters also from the Lord Malat were read, informing it of the great pro∣gress he had made in the Suit against him. Whereupon the Synod finding the Complaints and Requests of the said Palot to be unreasona∣ble, and that from their former Experience, they could only conclude them done on purpose to gain and spin out time, and to elude if possi∣ble the Prosecutions already begun, it voted Thanks to be given unto the Lord Malat for his care and pains, and that he be intreated to con∣tinue his Travel and Diligence in this Affair; and the like thanks were ordered unto Monsieur Arnault for his singular Affection to the Weal of our Churches; and the Lord Commissioner Galland was also earnestly desired to befriend our Churches with his kind Assistance at Court; and to speak for us unto the Kings Majesty, that His Gracious Majesty would be pleased to ordain that Justice might be done us.

Letters were read from the Lords Marbaut, de Massanes, Bigot, and de Launay, Commissioners named by the last National Synod to treat on behalf of all our Churches with Persons capable of bringing the Sieur Palot to give us some reasonable satisfaction. And also Monsieur Me∣strezat another of those Commissioners made report, of what had been done herein as we••l by himself as by those others joyned in Com∣mission with him. Whereupon all their Actions were ratified and ap∣proved.

In reading that Act of the Synod of Charenton containing His Ma∣jesties Answer unto the Sieurs Cottiby and du Bois Saint Martyn Depu∣ted by the said Synod unto His Majesty, in which hope was given un∣to the Churches, that the Prohibition issued out against Monsieur du Moulin should be taken away, and that he should be restored unto his Ministry in this Kingdom. And a Letter to this self-same purpose from the Church of Paris also, requesting our Intercession with His Maje∣sty, that he would be Graciously pleased to grant unto the Churches the injoyment of their hopes. The Deputies of the Isle of France joyned with them in this their request. Whereupon it was resolved, that His Majesty should be most humbly petitioned to grant leave unto the said Monsieur du Moulin to return into France, and to the Exercise of his Pastoral Office in his aforesaid Church, and the said Monsieur du Moulin shall be required by Letters from this Synod to joyn vvith the Chur∣ches in their Petition for his return and re-settlement in France, and that he shall address himself also by a particular Petition of his ovvn unto His Majesty, that he may be restored unto his Charge, vvherein by the Blessing of God he had such eminent success, that so if it may be, His Majesty by so many importunate Petitioners may be prevailed vvith to grant us our desires.

The Provincial Deputies of Lower Guyenne and Poictou being heard, it was voted that the Churches of Rochechouart and Limoges should con∣tinue joyned unto the Province of Lower Guyenne, as they have been heretofore: notwithstanding that they were separated from it by a Decree of the last National Synod, because they cannot subsist if they be divided, nor can the Church of Limoges be united unto Poictou with∣out too much enfeebling the Colloquy of Limousin.

Maister Peter Guillemin Pastor in the Church of La Bour presented his Petition unto this Assembly, that the Summ of Three Hundred Livres granted the said Church by the former National Synods may be conti∣nued, and that the Summ of Threescore Livres more might be bestow∣ed upon them for the breeding of a young Scholar, who may be here∣after capable of serving the said Church, and to preach in their Lan∣guage, and that His Majesty may be petitioned, that He would grant according to His Edicts Two Places more for Religious Worship unto the Faithful of the said Countrey of Labour. It was voted that this Petition in all its Parts and Members should be fulfilled, on this Con∣dition, that the Scholar to be maintained by them be presented unto the next Synod of Lower Guyenne, and that the said Province of the Lower Guyenne do yield an accompt of the said Summ of Sixty Livres unto the next National Synod, as also of the Three Hundred Livres granted unto the said Church of La Bour, and the Pastor there shall be obliged for the future to assist in Person at the Provincial Synods of Lower Guyenne.

After the last Canon was voted, This Assembly recollected that here∣tofore the National Synod of Tonneins had granted unto Monsieur Busthonoby Pastor of the Churches in Soules the Summ of Three Hundred Livres to defray the Charges of Printing some certain Books in the Biscayan Language, and that since by a Decree of the Synod of Vitre the Province of Lower Guyenne was reimburst the said Summ, which they had beforehand advanced to that purpose. Whereupon Order was given unto the said Province to call in its next Synod the aforesaid Mon∣sieur Busthonoby to an accompt how he did imploy and dispose of the said Moneys, and to bring in that Accompt unto the next National Synod.