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. III. Of Elders and Deacons.

• CANON I. IN those places where the Order of our Discipline is not yet set up, El∣ders and Deacons shall be chosen by the joynt Suffrages of Pastors and People; but where it hath been already established, the power of chusing them, and that with pertinent Prayers unto the occasion, shall reside in the Consistory together with the Pastors, and they shall be nominated with an audible Voice in the said Consistory, that they may know in what busines∣ses they are to be employed. If they consent, they shall on two Lord's days following be declared to the People, that so their consent also may be obtained; and if on the third Sabbath there be no opposition made, they shall be then publickly received with solemn Prayers, standing upright be∣fore the Pulpit, and be thus ordained unto their Offices, they subscribing our Confession of Faith and Church-Discipline; but if there fall out any opposition, it shall be determined in the Consistory, and in case it cannot

• be there composed, it shall be wholly remitted to the Colloquy, or Provin∣cial Synod.
• CAN. II. Henceforward, if it may be possibly avoided, none shall be chosen El∣ders or Deacons of the Church, whose Wives are not of the true Religion, according to the Apostles Canon. Yet notwithstanding, that the Church may not be deprived of the Labours of several worthy persons, who in the days of their ignorance espoused Women of a contrary Religion, they shall be tolerated, because of the present necessity: provided that they do pro∣duce good evidence of their serious endeavours for instructing of their Wives in that Faith and true Worship of God practised in our Churches.
• CAN. III. The Elder's Office is together with the Pastors, to oversee the Church, to gather and keep up the solemn Assemblies, and to take care that the Members in communion do personally appear at those holy Congrega∣tions, to make report of Scandals and Offences in Consistory, and with the Pastors to take cognizance, and pass censures on them. In general, it is to have the same care with them in all concerns about the Order, Mainte∣nance, and Government of the Church. Moreover, in every Church there shall be reserved in Writing a Breviate of the particulars belonging unto their Office, according as the circumstances of time and place may call for it.
• CAN. IV. The Deacon's Office is to collect and distribute, by the advice of the Con∣sistory, Moneys unto the Poor, Sick, and Prisoners, and to visit, and take care of them.
• CAN. V. It doth not belong unto the Deacon's Office to Preach the Word of God, nor to Administer the Sacraments; yet because of our present distress, the Consistory may chuse certain Elders and Deacons to catechize the respe∣ctive Families of the Church, as also in the Pastor's absence, Elders are per∣mitted on Week-days, if chosen thereunto by the Consistory, to Pray pub∣lickly with the Church, and therein they shall use the ordinary form, and in reading of the Scriptures, none other but the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament shall be read. And whereas in divers Provinces it hath been a custom for Deacons to catechize in publick, the Inconvenien∣ces which have already, and may hereafter happen from it, being well considered, the Churches are exhorted, where this custom is not intro∣duc'd, not at all to admit it, and those in which it hath took place to for∣sake it, and to endeavour, that the said Deacons, if of competent abilities, do enter as soon as may be into the Ministry.
• CAN. VI. Elders and Deacons may be present at Propositions of the Word of God, which are made by Ministers, besides their ordinary Sermons, or by Scho∣lars that are Proposans, and at those Censures which shall be past upon them, and shall give their judgment of these Exercises: but the decisive judgment in point of Doctrine is principally reserved unto Pastors, Ministers, and Do∣ctors of Divinity, who be duly called into that Office.
• CAN. VII. The Office of Elders and Deacons, as it is now in use among us, is not perpetual; yet because changes are not incommodious, they shall be ex∣horted to continue in their Offices as long as they can, and they shall not lay them down without having first obtained leave from their Churches.
• ...

• ... CAN. VIII. Neither Elders nor Deacons shall claim any primacy or jurisdiction over one another, whether in nomination unto the People, or in precedency, or in order of voting, or in any matters depending upon their Offices.
• CAN. IX. Elders and Deacons shall be deposed for those very crimes and causes for which the Ministers of God's Word are: and if being condemned by the Consistory, they should make an Appeal, they shall yet notwithstanding continue suspended from their Offices, until such times as the Colloquy or Provincial Synod shall have decided their affair.
• CAN. X. Elders and Deacons being deposed, shall not be restored in any other man∣ner or form than is used in the re-admission of deposed Ministers.

Notes

• Chap III. Of Elders and Deacons.
• Chap IV. Of The Office of a Deacon.