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. V. Of General MATTERS.

I. IT was resolved, That those who had been appointed by the National Synod to answer the Writings of our Adversaries, should be re-imburst all Charges they were at in Printing their Works: But such as were appoint∣ed by a particular Province unto such a Task, that Province shall take care to defray their Expences. And therefore in pursuance of this Order, the Province of Higher Languedoc and Guyenne are required to give satisfaction unto Monsieur Sonis, for his Costs and Trouble in Printing his Books against Spend.

II. Whereas divers Abuses be committed in giving Attestations for the re∣moving of Law-Suits from Inferiour Courts, to the Courts of the Edict; all the Faithful are enjoyned to take out Attestations, if possible they can, from their own Churches; and the Pastors of Churches in which the Courts of the Edict be established, are hereby forbidden to give any Attestations unto Strangers, unless they be such as are personally known to them or their Elders.

III. Ministers and Elders shall not count that they be appealed from, unless such Appeals had been allowed of by the whole Consistory.

IV. We judge it an unfitting Practice to be introduc'd into our Churches, however, it be common among some other Forreign Churches of Christ, to send out Proposans into Country Villages, there to preach whole Months upon Tryal, before Ordination.

V. Whenas Imposition of Hands is given Ministers at their Ordination, they shall be no more sent for one Year only unto a Church; but that Or∣der prescribed by our Discipline, shall for the future be most strictly ob∣served.

VI. Ministers and Churches are left in full liberty, whether they will or not appoint, that the Pastors assist in Person at Betrothings and Marriage-Promises.

VII. It is decreed by this Assembly, That the Bread and Cup in the Holy Eucharist shall be distributed by none but the Ministers and Elders, who shall with their own hands put them into the respective hands of every individual Communicant.

VIII. Provincial Synods are ordered to take an especial care, that the Wi∣dows and Orphans of poor Ministers deceased in the Service of their Provin∣ces be provided for.

IX. Altho' the Faithful may be ill reported of, yet in case they be not by the Consistory suspended from the Lord's Table, they shall be admitted Sure∣ties for Infants at Baptism.

X. The Letters of her Royal Highness the Dutchess of Bar, and only Si∣ster of our King, directed unto this Assembly being read, wherein she de∣manded a Supply of Ministers for her Court: it was voted, That the Church in her Royal Highness's House, should be supplied from the first Day of July next, unto the first Day of October following, by the Province of Normandy; and from the first of October, to the first of April next following, by the Church of Sedan, and from the said first of April 1602, by the other Pro∣vinces, who in their turns should each of them send a Minister, who shall be in actual Service six Months, according to this Order now declared, viz. The Lower Languedoc, Orleans, Dolphiny, Anjou, the Higher Languedoc, Poictou, the Lower Guyenne, Xaintange, Vivaretz, and Burgundy, unless the said Church be not before-hand provided of two able Pastors, particularly appro∣priated

to it. And her said Royal Highness shall be by our Letters sent to her expressy to this purpose, advised to get them; and that the Moneys she bestows upon the Schools of Bearn, may be employed by her Royal High∣ness, towards the maintenance of a competent number of Proposans. And that the Church in her Royal Highness's Court may not at any time be left unprovided, the Provinces are all obliged to supply her with two Ministers, that in case one should be detained by some lawful lett or hindrance, the o∣ther may be always ready to serve in his stead.

XI. In answer to the Letters of the Churches of the Low Countries, this Assembly decreeth, That the Province of Normandy shall continue to give them Notice of the Time and Place of our National Synods.

XII. Letters shall be written to Monsieur de la Fontaine, intreating him to use his endeavours for begetting a right understanding between Dr. Sutcliffe, Saravia, and our Churches.

XIII. It is decreed, That for time coming, the Province authorized to convene the National Synod, shall be so impowered to publish the General Fast, which is to be observed in all our Churches upon emergent Providences.

XIV. Letters shall be written to the Doctors and Professors of Divinity in the University of Leyden, intreating them not to ordain our French Propo∣sans, Students in their University; but whenas they have finished their Course of Theology to send them into France, that here being called unto the Ministry, they may receive Imposition of Hands in the face of our Churches.

XV. The Book entituled, Elenchus Novoe; Doctrinoe, is dismissed over to the perusal of the Provincial Synod of Dolphiny, and in case they approve of it, and prefix a Preface to it, it may be Printed.

XVI. The Church of Paris is required to examine Three Books, the one called Apparatus ad Fidem Catholicam; the other, Advice for the Peace of the Church; and the third having this Title, Seen by the King: And in case the Propositions which some have extracted out of them, be not contained in them, then the Acts of the Synod of Montpellier, relating thereunto, shall be razed out, and the Provinces by the Authority of this Assembly, are en∣joyned to raze them out.