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. XIV. Of particular Orders and Advertisements.

• CANON I. NO Person shall be received into Communion with the Church, till such time as be have first publickly renounced all the Superstitions and Idolatries of the Romish Church, and in particular the Mass.
• CAN. II. No godly Man shall be allowed to intermeddle with any matters con∣joined with Idolatry, such as those they call the Baisemains, or Le Dedans de Leglise, nor to cause Masses and Vigils to be said, nor to ordain Monks▪ who be solely ordained to this purpose. But to hold Priories, Revenues, Rents, Chanteries, and Tithes, and to pay the profits of them unto the Popish Ecclesiasticks, for as much as they be Temporal Lords, it is a thing indifferent, and they that will do it may take their Liberty. Nevertheless the Faithful shall be advised not to intermeddle with these matters if they find any abuses in them, or an appearance of evil Consequences, of all which Consistories and Colloquies shall pass a prudent judgment.
• CAN. III. Such as by unlawful means, as by Papal Bulls, or a sum of money, shall buy or hold Benefices, or such as in like manner shall directly or indirectly maintain Idolatry, shall be denounced Persons utterly unworthy of Commu∣nion with our Churches in the holy Supper of the Lord, nor shall they be admit∣ted to it. And as for Benefices, of which any one may have an Advowson∣age, whether by Presentation from the Lord of the Mannor, a Lay-Patron, or by the Bishops Gift, the Faithful are advised not to accept of them, though tender'd to them, if there be a tacit or express condition of any ser∣vice to be performed unto the Idol.
• CAN. IV. Printers, Booksellers, Painters, and other Artificers, and in general all the Faithful, and particularly such as bear Office in the Church, shall be admonished that they do not in the least act any thing in their Calling that tends directly to countenance the Superstitions of the Church of Rome; and as for secret Acts, and the Censure incurred by them, their judgment is left unto the Consistory.
• CAN. V. Notaries, Scrivenors, and others, who by the Duty of their Callings are obliged to sign and seal indifferently all matters which are brought unto them, they shall not be censured for receiving Testaments, passing Con∣tracts, and expediting Letters, which concern Idolatry, nor Judges for their judging Causes concerning Ecclesiastical Estates, and the Execution of the Edict.
• CAN. VI. Arbitrators shall not in any manner of way intermeddle with things, which concern Idolatry, either directly or indirectly.
• CAN. VII. Neither Counsellors nor Attorneys at Law shall plead in those Causes which tend to the suppression of the Ministry of the Gospel, or to the set∣ting up of Mass, nor shall they in any manner of way whatsoever be allowed to give their advice or assistance unto the Romish Churchmen, in those

• Causes which do either directly or indirectly tend unto the oppression of a Reformed Church.
• CAN. VIII. Neither Bishops, nor Officials, nor Arch-Deacons, as they be now Con∣stituted, have of right any Civil or Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction. However because the Faithful are sometimes constrained to appear before them for obtaining their own just dues, which otherwise would be detained from them, in case they he turned over to them by the Civil Magistrate (to whom they shall first make their applications) they may warrantably enough have recourse unto them.
• CAN. IX. Godly Advocates ought not in any wise to plead in the Officials-Court; unless in those Cases in which they be necessitated to prosecute the right of their Clients before them, according to the last foregoing Canon.
• CAN. X. It is not in it self unlawful to exercise civil Jurisdictions, as to act as At∣torneys for and under Ecclesiastical Persons, unless in such Cases, which they call spiritual.
• CAN. XI. The Faithful may not take out, or cause to be Executed, any Monitory or Writ of Excommunication from the Church of Rome.
• CAN. XII. Forasmuch as it is neither lawful not expedient to heat the Popish Preach∣ers, nor any others who have intruded themselves without a lawful Call, the Flocks shall be hindred by their Pastors from going to them, and such as shall go, they shall be called into the Consistory, and Censured according to the nature of their offence.
• CAN. XIII. Lords, Gentlemen and others, shall be admonished according to the Di∣scipline of our Church, not to entertain in their Houses, any scandalous or incorrigible Persons, and above all, that they do not suffer any Priests to sing Mass, or to dogmatize and debauch their Domesticks, nor shall they admit of any such again into their service, if they have once discarded them.
• CAN. XIV. Fathers and Mothers shall be exhorted to be very careful of their Chil∣drens Education, which are the Seed-Plot, and promising hopes of God's Church. And therefore such as send them to School to be taught by Priests, Monks, Jesuits and Nuns, they shall be prosecuted with all Church-Cen∣sures. Those also shall be Censured who dispose of their Children to be Pages, or Servant unto Lords and Gentlemen of the contrary Religion.
• CAN. XV. They whose Brethren, Sisters, or other Kindred, have quitted their Monasteries to serve God in liberty of Conscience, shall be exhorted to re∣lieve them, and to provide for them according to the duties of humanity and Consanguinity.
• CAN. XVI. Neither Ministers nor other Members of the Church may print any Books composed by themselves or others concerning Religion, nor may they at all publish them, until they have first Communicated them unto the Colloquy, or if need be, unto the Provincial Synod. And in case the matter be urgent (requiring speedy dispatch) unto the Universities, or to two

• Pastors appointed by the Synod, who shall attest under their own hands, that they have perused and examined the said Writings.
• CAN. XVII. They that handle the Histories of holy Scripture in Poems, are admo∣nished not to blend or intermingle Poetick Fables with them, nor to give unto God the names of a false God, nor to add unto, nor take any thing from the Sacred Scriptures; but they shall confine themselves as near as they can unto the words of it.
• CAN. XVIII. Neither the Canonical nor other Books of the Bible shall be transformed into Comedies or Tragedies.
• CAN. XIX. Churches, which have Printers belonging to them, shall advise them not to print any Books concerning Religion, or the Discipline of the Church, without having first Communicated them unto the Consistory, because of those manifold Inconveniencies, which have formerly happened upon this account. And neither Printers, nor Booksellers, nor Hawkers, shall sell any Books of Idolatry, or that be Scandalous, stuffed with Ribauldry, or Impiety, which tend to the corrupting of good Manners.
• CAN. XX. Although Priests cannot lay any just claim or title unto Tyths in regard of their Ministry: yet nevertheless they must be paid, because of the King's Command, and for the avoidance of Scandal and Sedition.
• CAN. XXI. According to his Majesties Edict the Faithful shall be exhorted to give none offence by working upon Holy-Days.
• CAN. XXII. All Usuries shall be most strictly forbidden and suppressed, and matters of Loan shall be regulated according to the Kings Ordinance, and the Rule of Charity.
• CAN. XXIII. All violence and injurious words against the Members of the Church of Rome, as also against Priests and Monks, shall not only be forborn, but also as much as may be shall be totally suppressed.
• CAN. XXIV. Swearers, who in passion or levity do take God's holy Name in vain, and others who blaspheme the Divine Majesty, shall be most severely censured; and if after the second admonition they be not reclaimed, they shall be then suspended from the Lord's Table. And all Outragious Blasphemers, For∣swearers, and such like Persons, shall in no wise be tolerated in Church-Communion: But immediately for their first offence shall be suspended the Lord's Supper: and if they continue in their Ungodliness, they shall be pub∣lickly Excommunicated.
• CAN. XXV. The Churches shall admonish the Faithful of both Sexes to retain Mode∣sty, and that most especially in their Habits, and shall take care, that all Superfluities, heretofore committed in them, may be retrenched. But yet our Churches shall not make any Decree about it, because it is an affair properly belonging unto the Civil Magistrate; yet may they endeavour by their Remonstrances, that his Majesties Edict concerning these matters be more diligently observed.
• ...

• ... CAN. XXVI. No Person shall be deprived of Communion at the Lord's Table for wear∣ing any fashion of Apparel, which is ordinarily and usually worn in this Kingdom. But under this head those ought not to be comprised which carry with them a notorious Badge of Lasciviousness, dissolution, or over-curi∣ous novelty, such as naked Breasts, Painting, and the like, with which Men and Women cloath and abuse themselves. And Consistories shall do their ut∣most to suppress these Impieties, and shall proceed against the Refractory by Suspension from the Lord's Table.

  N. B. That Clause in the middle of this Canon, Printed in another Letter, is found in my Parisian and Quevilly Editions of the Discipline, yet injoined by the National Synods held at St. Foy, 1578. Canon 21. of General Matters. The second of Rochel, 1581. Art. 41. Explaining the 26 Canon in the last Chap∣ter of the Discipline, and the Synod of Montauban, 1594. Canon 45. of Gene∣ral Matters.

• CAN. XXVII. All Dances shall be supprest, and such as make a Trade of Dancing, or make Custom of being present at Dances, having been sundry times ad∣monished, in case they prove contumacious and Rebellious, they shall be Excommunicated, and all Consistories are charged to see that this Canon be most heedfully kept and observed, and in the name of God, and by the Authority of this Synod, that it be read publickly in their Churches. And Colloquies and Provincial Synods are exhorted to have an observing eye on those Consistories, which shall not perform their duty in this particular, that they may be censured.

  N.B. Provincial Synods is left out by pure omission from my other Editions but those of Paris and Quevilly.

• CAN. XXVIII. Mummings and Juglings shall not be suffered, nor Wassail-days, nor keeping of Shrovetide, nor Players at Heypass, nor Tumblers, nor Tricks of Goblets, nor Puppet-Plays; and Christian Magistrates are exhorted not to permit them, because they do feed curiosity, and cause a great deal of waste and loss of time. Moreover it shall not be lawful for the Faithful to go to Comedies, Tragedies, Interludes, Farces, or other Stage-Plays, acted in publick or private, because in all Ages these have been forbidden among Christians, as bringing in a corruption of good Manners, but then most of all when as the Sacred Scriptures come to be profaned. Yet nevertheless when as in a Colledge it shall be found profitable for Youth to represent any History, it may be tolerated; (provided always, that the subject matter thereof be not comprised in the holy Scripture: which was never given us for matter of sport, but purely to be Preached for our Instruction and Com∣fort.) And this also shall be done very rarely, and with advice of the Col∣loquy, which shall first have the sight and perusal of the Composition.
• CAN. XXIX. All Plays forbidden by the Kings Edicts, as Cards, Dice, and other Games of hazard, avarice, lasciviousness, notorious loss of time, or scan∣dal, shall be suppressed, and the Persons reproved, and admonished in the Consistories, and censured according to Circumstances. No Lotteries can be approved, although they were or were not allowed by the Civil Magi∣strate: and the godly Magistrates professing the Reformed Religion, are exhorted to restrain them.

• ...

  N. B. This last Clause of the Canon is only in my two Editions of Paris and Quevilly.

• CAN. XXX. It is a thing purely indifferent to be present at those Feasts and Banquets which are made by those of the Popish Religion, when as they are Espou∣sed, Married, or their Children are born. However the Faithful are ad∣monished to use them for edification, and seriously to ponder with them∣selves whether they be Masters of so much strength as to resist the dissolu∣tions and other evils committed at them, and especially whether they can reprove them. And under these Feasts those are not to be comprised, which Priests make at the Celebration of their first Mass; for it is utterly unlaw∣ful for any one who fears God to countenance them with his presence.
• CAN. XXXi. None of the Faithful shall be present at their Marriages and Banquets, who, that they may espouse a Party of the contrary Religion, do revolt from the profession of the Gospel. But as for them, who have a long time ago Apostatized, or have been always Papists, 'tis left unto the Prudence of the Faithful to consider with themselves whether it may be expedient for them or no.
• CAN. XXXII. They that Challenge, or cause others to be challenged unto a Duel, or being challenged do accept of it, and kill their Parties, although they may have afterward obtained their Pardon, or may be otherwise justified, shall yet notwithstanding have the censure of Suspension from the Lord's Table, inflicted on them, and their Suspension shall be published without delay, and in case they would be received unto the Churches Peace, they shall first undergo publick Penance, making acknowledgment of their great of∣fence.
• CAN. XXXIII. These Articles contained in this Book of Discipline, are not established among us in such a manner, but that if the Churches benefit do require it, they may be changed: Yet shall not any Ministers, Consistories, Collo∣quies, or Provincial Synods have power to add, change or diminish, with∣out the advice or consent of a National Synod.

Notes

• Chap. XIV. Of Particular Orders.