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. II. General MATTERS.

I. NO Province shall claim any Primacy or Preheminence over another.

II. The Deputies of every Province are charged to ad••ise and press their respective Provinces, to look carefully to the Education of their Youth, and to see to it, that Schools of Learning be erected, and Scholastick Exer∣cises, as Propositions and Declamations be performed, that so their Youth may be trained up and prepared for the Service of God and of his Church in the holy Ministery.

III. Synods and Colloquies shall proceed against ungrateful Persons, to their Ministers by all consures, according to the 27th. Article of our Disci∣pline, under the Title of Ministers.

IV. Colloquies and Synods shall use their best and utmost diligence that the Tenth Article in the Chapter of Ministers be most punctually observed, concerning Forsakers of their Ministery, who upon slight and trivial Grounds do abandon it, and their Churches.

* 1.1V. The Provincial Synods shall keep a Memorial of the Widows and Children of deceased Ministers, especially of those who died in their Churches Service, that so they may be relieved, and maintenance may be given them out of the common Stock of the Churches in their respective Provinces, according as their necessities shall require.

VI. The Synod of Upper Languedoc shall ordain two or three of their Assembly, and such as they esteem best fitting for that Service, to answer the publick Writings of our Adversaries, and in their Replies and Refutations they shall deport themselves according to the Canons of our Discipline in that case, provided with all Gravity, Piety, Civility and Moderation.

* 1.2VII. Churches shall be admonished more frequently to practice Catechi∣sings, and Ministers shall Catechise by short, plain and familiar Questions and Answers, accommodating themselves to the Weakness and Capacity of their People, without Enlargements, or handling of common Places. And such Churches as have not used this Ordinance of Catechising, are hereby exhorted to take it up. Yea, and all Ministers shall be obliged to Catechise their several Flocks at least once or twice a Year, and shall exhort their Youth to submit themselves unto it conscientiously. And as for their Me∣thod in preaching and handling the Scriptures, the said Ministers shall be ex∣horted not to dwell long upon a Text, but to expound and treat of as many in their Ministery as they can, fleeing all Ostentation and long Digressions, and heaping up of parallel Places and Quotations; nor ought they to pro∣pound divers Sences and Expositions, nor to alledge, unless very rarely and prudently, any passages of the Fathers, nor shall they cite prophane Authors and Stories; that so the Scriptures may be left in their full and sovereign Authority.

* 1.3VIII. There shall be no publick Penance done in the Church without ex∣press Confession of the Cause, and Crime committed by this publick Penitent.

* 1.4IX. For the future none shall be chosen, if possible, into the Eldership or Deaconry, whose Wives are of a contrary Religion, according as the Apo∣stle Paul hath ordained. Nevertheless, that the Church may not be depri∣ved of the Service of divers godly and well-deserving Persons, who by rea∣son of past ignorance have Wives of another Religion, they may for this pre∣sent necessity be tolerated, provided they do their endeavour by Instructions and Counsels to convert their Wives, and to bring them into Communion with the Church.

X. Neither Ministers nor Elders may give Attestations without an express and punctual Declaration of the Places and Persons Names, and the way which they intend to travel, who obtained these Certificates at their hands. And if any Attestations are presented to them without these Circumstances, they are required to vacate and tear them in pieces, and those who granted them shall be censured in the next ensuing Colloquy or Synod.

Notes

• * 1.1

  For the Wi∣dows and Or∣phans of Mi∣nisters, see the Synod of Vertueil, Ge∣neral Matters, 22.
• * 1.2

  Concerning publick and private Ca∣techisings.
• * 1.3

  In publick Pe∣nance the Cause and Sin must he confessed.
• * 1.4

  They shall not be chosen El∣ders nor Dea∣cons who have Popish Wives.