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. Of Schools.

• CANON I. THE Churches shall do their utmost endeavour to erect Schools, and to take care of the instruction of their Youth.
• CAN. II. Regents and Masters of Schools shall subscribe the Confession of Faith and Church-Discipline, and the Towns and Churches shall nor admit any one into this Office without the consent of the Consistory of that place.
• CAN. III. Doctors and Professors in Divinity shall be chosen by the Synod of that Province in which our Universities do lie, and they shall be Examined, not only in Lectures made by them upon the authentick Edition of the Greek and Hebrew Texts of the Old and New Testament, which shall be given them, but also by a disputation of one or more days, as upon advice taken shall be judged best; and being found. Persons of sufficient abilities, if they are not Pastors, the right hand of Fellowship shall be given them, they having first promised, that they will with all faithfulness and diligence discharge their duty, and handle the holy Scriptures with all purity, ac∣cording

• to the Analogy of Faith, and the Confession of our Churches, which together with our Church Discipline shall be subscribed by them.
• CAN. IV. That our Churches may be always furnished with a sufficient number of Pastors, and of other Persons fit to govern them, and to preach the Word of God unto them, they shall be advised to chuse those Scholars who be al∣ready well advanced in good Learning, and be of the most promising hope∣ful Parts, and to maintain such in the Universities, that they may be there prepared and fitted for the Work of the Ministry, ever preferring the Chil∣dren of poor Ministers, if ingenious, before all others; of which the Col∣loquies shall take a most especial care. Kings, Princes, and Lords shall be exhorted and petitioned particularly to mind this important Affair, and to lay by some part and portion of their Revenues towards their maintenance, and the richer Churches shall do the like. Colloquies and Provincial Sy∣nods shall as they see meet notifie and sollicit this Affair, and take the best courses that matters of so great necessity may be successful; and if single Churches cannot do it, their Neighbours shall joyn with them, that one poor Scholar at the least may be maintained in every Colloquy; and rather than this design should miscarry, the fifth Penny of all our Charities shall be set apart, if it may conveniently be done to be imployed in this service.
• CAN. V. A Proposition out of the Word of God shall be made by the Scholars of every Church, as time and place may conveniently bear it; at which Exer∣cises Pastors shall be present to preside and order the said Proposans.

  N. B. There were general Statutes made for the Ʋniversities of the Reformed Churches of France, in the National Synod of Alez. By whom they were drawn up, is now out of my mind: but those for the Ʋniversity of Montauban were com∣posed by Monsieur Beraud the Father, who was the first Divinity-Professor in it. Those for the Ʋniversity of Die in Dolphiny were composed by the great Chamier; which I have lying by me, written with his own hand, and which I shall publish, if the Lord lend me life, in his Icon.

Notes

• Chap. II. Of Schooh.