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. VII. The Deputies return from Court, with the King's Answer and Letter to the Synod.

16 THE two and twentieth day of this Month, those aforemen∣tioned Deputies unto his Majesty, Monsieur Amyraud and de Villars, returned with Letters from his Majesty unto the Synod, the Te∣nour of which followed.

A Copy of his Majesty's Letter unto the Synod.

By the KING.

Dear and Well-beloved,

WE have seen, by your Letter of the 13th Instant, and farther under∣stand, by word of Mouth, from your Deputies, and by the Memoirs presented to us, the Demands which you have to make us on those Matters de∣bated in your Synodical Assembly, and now called by our Writ of Licence, to sit at Charenton. And forasmuch as we have informed the said Deputies of our Intentions on the greater part of your Demands, and that we have given a 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 21st 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 re∣port, 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 preven∣ted the Petitions of the Churches, having already ordered a certain Sum of Money to be delivered unto the Lord of Candall to be distri∣buted 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 As∣sembly, 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 favoura∣ble Answers after the breaking up of the Synod, and not other∣wise.

19. Whereupon the Assembly approving the Conduct of their De∣puties, 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 Assem∣bly, 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 Depu∣ties 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 Dol∣phiny: Now out of his meer Grace and Respect had to the most hum∣ble 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 Depu∣ties 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 circum∣spect and reserv'd, and to keep themselves within the Bounds pre∣scribed them by the Discipline. And as for the Sieur de Bouteroue, be∣fore his Majesty will ordain his Restoration, his Majesty desireth to be informed of the Sentence past against him in the Parliament of Gre∣noble, because it relates unto a certain Book written by the said Bou∣teroue.

20. Upon this Declaration, made by the Lord Commissioner of his Majesty's Good-will, and of his favourable Inclinations unto the Chur∣ches, it was unanimously voted and decreed, That most humble Thanks should be returned unto his Majesty for the Grant of his Gracious Fa∣vours; 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 Dissolu∣tion, 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 gran∣ted us by his Majesty.