The Acts of Famous National Councils of the Reformed Churches in France, Synod 23 (Alès) · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. General Laws for the Univerſities of the Reformed Churches of FRANCE.
1 IN every Univerſity there ſhall be a double Council, The one Ordinary, compoſed only of Paſtors of the Churches, and Publick Profeſſors, and of the Principal of the Colledge, and the Preſident of this Council ſhall be the Rector. The other extraordinary, made up of the principal and moſt Eminent Church-Members to be choſen by the Guild-Hall of the Town; provided that theſe Electors be Perſons profeſſing the Proteſtant Reformed Religion, or elſe they ſhall be choſen out of the Conſiſtories, in caſe they have not the Power and Priviledge of the Civil Government in their hands; And the Paſtors and Publick Profeſſors ſhall be all Members of this Extraordinary Council. Rut their Preſident ſhall be freely choſen by them according to the Circumſtances of Places and Perſons.
2. The ordinary Council ſhall meet once a Week: The Extraordinary ſhall be aſſembled only when as Occurrences and Matters of great Importance are offered, or at the requeſt of the Ordinary.
3. The Duty of the Extraordinary ſhall be to chooſe Profeſſors, and Regents of Claſſes, to Suſpend, and Depoſe them from their Office, or otherwiſe to cenſure them according to their Demerits, and eſpecially thoſe who having been frequently admoniſhed to look diligently unto their Charge are found refractory, and rebel againſt the ordinary Council. And it ſhall be one part of the Office of the Extraordinary Council to diſpoſe of the Univerſity-Moneys.
4. The Ordinary Council ſhall have a watchful Eye overall Publick Profeſſors, Regents, and Auditors, that every one performe duely his bounden Duty.
5. The Rector ſhall be choſen from among the Paſtors and Profeſſors, excepting only the Principal, who can never attain that Honour, and the Rector ſhall continue in Office one year at leaſt, yet the Ordinary Council of the Univerſity may chooſe him again, and prolong his time in the Rectoral Chair if they ſee good reaſon for it.
6. All the Members of the Ordinary Council, not one of them excepted ſhall be ſubject, yea, and the Rector alſo, and his Colleagues, unto the Cenſures which be generally given four times in the Year, before the Celebration of the Lords Supper; as in the Conſiſtories, and the Regents being aſſembled together with the Principal, who ſhall then be preſident, they ſhall all be ſubject unto this Canon.
7. Theſe are called by us our Publick Profeſſors, the Profeſſors of Divinity, of the Hebrew and Greek Tongues, of Philoſophy, the Mathematicks, Eloquence, and all others.
8. We ſhall need Two Profeſſors at leaſt in Divinity, one of which ſhall Expound the Holy Scripture, without expatiating into Common Places. The other ſhall read Common Places. If God do bleſs us with Ability we will have a Third, and then one of them ſhall Expound the Old Teſtament, and the other the New: And the Third ſhall handle Common Places, which he ſhall have finiſhed at leaſt in Three years time, with that brevity and ſolidity as becomes a Scholar. And that the Students may be the more profited, our Profeſſors in Divinity ſhall dictate to them the general heads of their Lectures.
9. Doctors and Profeſſors of Divinity ſhall be choſen by the Extraordinary Council of the Univerſity, and preſented to the Provincial Synods there to be Examined, Admitted, and Confirmed, according to the Third Canon in the Second Chapter of our Church-Diſcipline.
10. Every one of them ſhall read Four Lectures a Week, and ſhall exerciſe their Scholars in Propoſitions every Week, both in Latin and French, according to that Order, and upon thoſe days, appointed by the Council of the Univerſity.
11. There ſhall be private Diſputations in Divinity every Week, and publick ones once a MonethMonth under every Profeſſor.
12. All Students in Divinity ſhall be regiſtred by the Rector, they having been firſt of all examined by the Ordinary Univerſity-Council, and bringing with them good and valid Teſtimonials of their Life and Converſation, and of their proficiency in Humanity and Philoſophy; that ſo they may be turned back in caſe they have made no progreſs nor advancement in that preliminary Learning.
13. And all thoſe aforeſaid Students ſhall be bound to be perſonally preſent at all Theological Lectures, Propoſitions, and Diſputations, as alſo to propoſe and maintain Theſis, and every one of them ſhall diſpute ſucceſſively in his and their reſpective turns, and according to the Courſe and Order of their Matriculation: Excepting alwayes the Freſh-men or new Comers, who may be excuſed from Propoſitions and Publick Diſputations for Six Moneths time, or one year, at the Diſcretion and Judgment of the Profeſſors.
14. The Divinity Theſes for Publick Diſputation ſhall be very brief, yet comprehending, if poſſible, a full common place: However without loading them with Objections, which may be offered in Diſpute, nor with a long Scrol of Arguments, to confirm the Truth, for this would turn the Theſes into Volumes.
15. The Student in Divinity that is to maintain a Theſis, before Diſputation ſhall make a brief Suppoſition in Latin diſcovering the Deſign and Tendency of the Theſis, thereby to exerciſe his Style, and render himſelf the more uſeful and accompliſhed.
16. The Scholars ſhall paſs a free and modeſt Cenſure upon every Propoſition in that ſelf ſame Language in which it was delivered, and in the abſence of the Propoſan firſt by the Students in Divinity, next by the Profeſſors and Paſtors, and the Paſtors and Divinity Profeſſors each of them in their turn ſhall be Moderators of this Cenſure.
17. Theſe ſaid Students in Divinity may chooſe from among themſelves a Pretor and Six Aſſeſſors, who ſhall keep the Catalogue of their Colleagues Names and every one in order give Notice of the time of his Exerciſes, and they may make by-Laws among themſelves, which ſhall be ratified and approved by the Univerſity-Council, who alſo ſhall ſee to it, that every one of them do according to this preſent Order exerciſe themſelves in Diſputations and Propoſitions, and neglect no means for their growth and increaſe in Wiſdom and Learning for their after-ſerviceableneſs.
18. All Students in Divinity ſhall be examined once a year, thoſe at leaſt who receive Penſions from the Provinces or particular Churches, that ſo we may have a more faithful and juſt account of them, and thereby to quicken them the more unto their Studies, and to a better improvement of their time and parts.