The Acts of Famous National Councils of the Reformed Churches in France, Frontispiece – To the reader
Effigies Reverendi Viri IOHANNIS QUICK Sti Evangely Ministri ano Aetat: 55o.
SYNODICON in GALLIA REFORMATA
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, toge…er 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 before Extant in any Language.
In Two VOLUMES.
By JOHN QUICK, Miniſter of the Goſpel in London.
LONDON, Printed for T. Parkhurſt and J. Robinſon, at the Three Bibles and Crown in Cheapſide, and the Golden Lion in St. Paul's Church-yard, 1692.
TO THE Right Honourable WILLIAM EARL of BEDFORD, BARON of THORNHAƲGH, Lord Lieutenant of the Counties of Middleſex, Cambridge, and Bedford, Knight of the Moſt Noble Order of the Garter, and one of the Lords of Their Majeſties moſt Honourable Privy-Council.
May it pleaſe your Lordſhip,
SEals as Coats of Arms an a kind of Hieroglyphicks. Thoſe Mother-Churches in the Valleys of Piedmont (where our holy Religion hath been conſerved in its Power and Purity, during that long black night of Popiſh Superſtition and Idolatry,) had this for their Common Seal, A Taper burning in a golden Candleſtick, ſcattering its glorious Beams in a Sable Field of thick darkneſs. It is a truth inconteſtable, that moſt of the European Nations do ſtand indebted to them for that comfortable Knowledge of the bleſſed Goſpel of our Lord Jeſus, which is now ſhining forth in its Meridian-Glory, in the midſt of them. The Famous Waldo of Lions was their near Neighbour, and received his moſt Excellent Inſtructions, together with that Book of Life the Holy Bible, from them. And Lollard, that famous Preacher in England (from whom God's Saints and Martyrs with us four hundred years ago were denominated) was one of their Barbes.
I have met, my moſt Noble Lord, with another Seal, as Illuſtrious an Hieroglyphick as the former, appertaining unto the National Synods of thoſe Renowned, and once Flouriſhing, though now Deſolate, Reformed Churches of France, which was Moſes's Miraculous Viſion when he fed his Flock under the Mount of God, viz. A Bramble-Buſh in a flaming Fire, having that Eſſential incommunicable name of God, Jehovah, engraven in its Center, and this Motto, Comburo non conſumor, in its Circumference, I burn but am not Conſumed. With this thoſe venerable Councils Sealed all their Letters and Diſpatches. A ſacred Emblem of their paſt and preſent Condition.
Whilſt Myſtical Babylon, Spiritual Sodom and Egypt, (where our Lord hath been in his moſt pretious Truths and Ordinances, and in his deareſt Saints and Members for many Ages ſucceſſively Crucified) did ſwim in the calm Ocean of Worldly Riches and Grandeurs, in the pacifick Seas of ſecular Felicities and Pleaſures, Poor Zion in that bloody Kingdom of France, hath been in the ſtorms and flames, hath paſſed from one fiery Tryal unto another, from Cauldrons of boyling Oyl into burning Furnaces, heated with fire ſeven times hotter than before, ſhe hath been driven from populous Cities, and the pleaſant Habitations of Men, unto the cold ſnowy Lebanon, to the high craggy tops of Amana and Shenir, to the frightful Dens of Lions, and to the horrid Mountains of Dragons and Leopards.
Why their Heavenly Father ſhould afflict and exerciſe ſo frequently, and ſo ſeverely, theſe his Children and Churches, he himſelf informeth them by that weeping Prophet. All thy Lovers have forgotten thee, They ſeek thee not, for I have wounded thee with the Wound of an Enemy, with the chaſtiſement of a cruel one for the multitude of thine Iniquities, becauſe thy Sins were increaſed. Why crieſt thou for thy Afflictions? Thy ſorrow is incurable, for the multitude of thine iniquity: becauſe thy Sins were increaſed, I have done theſe things unto thee. And in truth the mournful Relicks of theſe Calamitous Churches do juſtify God in all the evil that is befallen them, do condemn themſelves, and kiſs his Rod, accepting patiently the puniſhment of their Iniquity. But this Bramble-Buſh, though always burning, is not conſumed. This is a Miracle of divine Mercy entailed upon them for many Generations. I will mention the loving kindneſſes of Jehovah, and the praiſes of Jehovah, according to all that Jehovah hath beſtowed on them, and his great goodneſs towards the Houſe of Iſrael, which he hath beſtowed on them, according to his Mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving kindneſſes. In all their affliction he was afflicted with them, and the Angel of his preſence ſaved them, in his love and in his pity he redeemed them, and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. When they paſſed through the Waters he hath been with them, and through the Rivers they have not drowned them; and though they have walked through the fires, yet they have not been burnt up; thoſe Flames have purified and refined, but not devoured them. And though theſe laſt ſtorms, like the Fluctus decumani, have been the worſt and foreſt, yet they have not been without Illuſtrious tokens of God's gracious preſence with them, and moſt merciful providence over them. He hath made the Earth to help the Woman, he hath ſpread a Table for their ſuſtenance in the Wilderneſs, and provided for them in their flights, diſperſions and baniſhments, a moſt quiet habitation; and in this laſt and greateſt perſecution that ever did befal them, they have found in this Land, as well as in other Proteſtant Countries, an inviolable Sanctuary: and which cannot but be obſerved, it was in that very juncture when thoſe two ſmoaking Firebrands, Rezin with Syria, and the Son of Remaliah, were in a joint Confederacy, totally to extirpate the bleſſed Goſpel, as out of France, ſo out of theſe Fortunate Iſlands, they met with a ſafe Harbour in Great Brittain. The pernicious Plot was carried on as vigorouſly here at home, againſt the Reformation, as it was cruelly Executed in Kibroth Hattaavah, that Land of Graves from whence they fled, and where thouſands of God's Saints were buried alive. When the Bartholomaean Maſſacre was projected in the laſt Age, there was a deſign to have tricked over ſome of our moſt Noble Patriots unto that unfortunate Marriage (in which more Blood was drunk than Wine) who ſhould have been Sacrificed together with that Valiant Lord Admiral de Colligni, and the other Proteſtant Lords. And the ſame deſign was revived, and put again here in practice an hundred and thirteen years after. For Popery and Antichriſtian Tyranny could not be re-eſtabliſhed in England but by thoſe old methods, which Tarquin the Proud ſuggeſted to his Son Sextus for his Reſtoration, viz. The lopping off the Heads of our Chiefeſt Noblemen. Then that Noble Lord, the Honour of his Age, the ſingular Hope and Darling of his Country, and ſincere Profeſſor of our holy Religion, your Eldeſt Son, fell a Victim to their Malice, and was by their miſchievous Cabal, as a Stag Royal, hunted down unto deſtruction. Our God will ſometimes be honoured with the Sufferings of great Perſonages. But then the Nation loſeth its beſt Blood and vital Spirits. So that all that feared God in the Land, and were true Lovers of their Native Country, did deeply ſympathize with your Lordſhip in your ſore Affliction, for it was not only a meer Perſonal one to your Lordſhip, but common and general to the whole Church and Nation.
The good Lord preſerve us from ſeeing any more of thoſe black days, and put a period to the Calamities of his poor Churches, and turn back their Captivity, and gather his diſperſed, and build up Jeruſalem's Walls, and make her a praiſe once more in the Kingdom of France, and may the glory of the ſecond Houſe of Reformation there be greater than the firſt.
Time was when the Reformed Churches of France had many ſparkling Stars in their Firmament, many burning and ſhining Lights in their Congregations, many wiſe and eminently learned Maſter-Builders in their Temples and Synodical Aſſemblies; ſome account of whom, and of their worthy Atchievements, for the edifying of their numerous Auditories in that Faith once delivered unto the Saints, in Chriſtian Love and Unity, in their Sacred Order and Diſcipline, I do now from Authentick Pieces, and Original Papers, in this my poor Labour, preſent unto your Lordſhip. Had thoſe Reverend and accompliſht Divines, thoſe Noble and Prudent Gentlemen, who compoſed their Holy Councils, been this day alive, and your Lordſhips great and generous Bounty, extended to their poor Exiles, refugeed amongſt us, been notified to them, they would have depoſited theſe their Acts into your Lordſhips hands, as into the ſecureſt Archives. But what they could not do, I preſume to do for them, moſt humbly tendring this Synodicon unto your Lordſhip's Patronage. May your Lordſhip graciouſly pardon the tediouſneſs of this Epiſtle, and vouchſafe me the Honour, May it pleaſe your Lordſhip, to be reputed,
London, March 12. 1691/…. Your Lordſhip's Moſt humbly devoted, and obedient Servant, JOHN QƲICK.
TO THE READER.
THrough Divine Aſſiſtance, I have at laſt finiſhed this very much deſired Work, and it is now offered unto your view and peruſal. I hope it will be not a little ſerviceable to the Church of Chriſt, for whoſe Edification I have herein laboured. It had been Publiſhed before now, had not the exceeding Colds of January and February hindred the Work, and Workmen.
Notwithſtanding all my Cares in overſeeing and Correcting the Preſs, yet upon my Reviſal, I have met in both Volumes, with ſome Errata's. Litteral ones are not worthy your diſpleaſure. For thoſe which are more material, and do pervert the ſence, I muſt beg your Patience, and to amend them with your Pen, according to the enſuing Table.