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.

ANSWER II.

ABout Consistories there was this Question, How may we carry ourselves towards those Delinquents who are guilty of Crimes deserving Civil or Corporal Punishments? for if you call them into the Consistory their Crime will be published, for the Magistrate is usually present in the Consistory.

The Brethren of Geneva's ANSWER.

• Article. I. IT's very difficult in this case to shut the Doors against those Persons who delight in Sin; for one Inconveniency draws on another. It is a most mischievous things, that the King's Officers, being of another Religi∣on, are brought by an absolute Power, into the Consistory: but so it is, and there is no Remedy. They have more power than could be wished them; so that sith we cannot hinder it, if they have just cause of punishing Delin∣quents, even let them do it.
• Article. II. If it be alledged, That this will hinder poor Sinners from a free Confes∣sion and Acknowledgment of their Offences, and that we shall be utterly dis∣abled to bring them unto Repentance; and that there will be a world of Hy∣pocrisie, and Ostentation, and Dissembling in our Churches. But what can't be helpt must be endured, till such time as God shall have blessed us with a better Remedy: However, there may be some course found out whereby poor Wretches who are fallen into scandalous Offences, may be saved from Peril: Let two or three Members of the Consistory remonstrate to them in private their Miscarriages; and though they may palliate and dissemble the matter, yet we may be contented to have dealt thus with them: In short, we must use our best Endeavours to divert the bad Affections of the Church's Ene∣mies from it, and to keep them from hurting and doing that mischief to it they would. But in case the Crimes be scandalous, rather then nourish them, let Discipline be exercised. In those Towns where the Magistrates are god∣ly Persons, and Professors of our Religion, there may be means of communi∣cating the matter to them, that so they may punish and chastise these Offen∣ders gently, and after a Christian-manner, who deserve to be punished by Law. And so the Consistory shall be exempted of blame; and the Confes∣sion shall not be made to it, but to the Civil Magistrate.