The Acts of Famous National Councils of the Reformed Churches in France, 25 (Castres) · Chapter 11 – Chapter 14
CHAP. XI.
THE Writt having been read, the Council voted a Conference to be held about its Contents at my Lord Commiſſioners Lodgings, and Twelve Perſons Deputies of the Council were conſtituted a Committee to this purpoſe. Who having made Reports of the whole, The Council conſidering the change hapned in Affairs by the unexpected and ſudden Death of the Lord Maniald, and the importunities of the Lord Montmartyn his Colleague to be diſcharged, of ſuch a Borden, as he ſaith, is impoſſible to be born by himſelf alone, and the preſſing neceſſities of our Churches requiring that ſome Perſons ſhould take upon them the care and management of their Affairs, who might ſollicite them with renewed vigour, but principally His Majeſties Writt animated by the Exhortations of his Commiſſioner the Lord Gallanbd, who declared according to that Anſwer made unto the Addreſs preſented by the Deputies, that the ſtate of His Majeſties Affairs would not permit His Majeſty to grant us at preſent a General Aſſembly, And that in caſe this Council would not nominate the Deputies, his Majeſty himſelf would do it, even as he had already took courſe to do it, having by his Writt and Warrant of the Thirtieth of September expreſly joyned the Lord Hardy in the Commiſſion of the General Deputies with the Lord Montmartyn. For all theſe reaſons, and to avoid an infinite number of viſible inconveniencies: The Council proceeded to Elect thoſe Six Perſons, which were to be preſented to his Majeſty, and by plurality of Suffrages were choſen the Lords Claudius Baron of Gabrias, and Beaufort, Lewes de Champagne Earl of Suze, Henry de Clermont d' Amboiſe Marqueſs of Gallerande, for the Nobility, and the Lords Baſin Advocate in Parliament living at Blois Texier the Kings Advocate in the Seneſchalſy of Armagnac, and Lazaras du Puy Counſellor in the Preſidial Court of Bourg in Breſſe for the Commons, that ſo his Majeſty may out of them chooſe two, whom he beſt liketh, to exerciſe the Office of General Deputies.
But foraſmuch as that Canon eſtabliſhed in our Churches under the good pleaſure of His Majeſty for the nomination of the ſaid General Deputies, requireth that every third year by an expreſs Warrant from his Majeſty, there ſhould be called a General Aſſembly, and that before it there ſhould be particular Aſſemblies held in all the Provinces to prepare their Cahiers, Memoirs, and all other Juriſdictions of the Provinces, and to deliver them unto their hands who ſhall be deputed unto the General Aſſembly, which after wards culleth out thoſe Cahiers which moſt concern the Churches, and are to be preſented unto his Majeſty for the Advancement of His Service, and the Peace and Repoſe of His Subjects, And whereas 'tis full Six years ago ſince the laſt Politick Aſſembly, was graciouſly permitted us by His Majeſty, and that the former National Synods held at Alez and Charenton, and this alſo of Caſtres conformable to them, have peremptorily decreed that none of our Paſtors ſhall henceforward intermeddle with State-Affairs, or aſſiſt perſonally in Politick Aſſemblies, which alſo His Majeſty hath approved, The Council, becauſe it would not tranſgreſs His Majeſties Declarations, nor the Canons of the Synods before-mentioned, nor cauſe any prejudice to that Government which the goodneſs of our Kings have approved in the Churches of this Realm, and which His Majeſty hath given us to underſtand that he will not aboliſh, declareth that 'tis none of its deſign nor deſire by this Election, whereunto the Churches are neceſſitated, and the Kings Will obligeth them to prejudice in the leaſt the Rights and Priviledges of General Aſſemblies, to whom the care of State-Affairs doth properly belong, nor ſhall it bind the ſucceeding National Synods to act after this manner. Wherefore it chargeth the General Deputies who ſhall be accepted by His Majeſty, to demand at the end of Eighteen Moneths with the profoundeſt ſubmiſſions, and importunities imaginable his Majeſties Writt of the Summons for the General Aſſembly, even as it hath pleaſed His Majeſty to give unto our Churches the firm hopes thereof by His Royal and inviolable promiſes expreſſed in plain and formal words in his Writt before-mentioned. And whereas the intendment of this Office is in the name of our Churches, to repreſent unto His Majeſty all thoſe Matters, which concern the Weal and Service of His Majeſty, and the Repoſe and Subſiſtance of His Subjects, and that to this purpoſe, it is abſolutely needful that there ſhould be Aſſemblies held in the Provinces, unto which there may be brought all the Complaints, Remonſtrances and Propoſitions of all and every one of our Churches that from them they may be brought unto the General Aſſembly, and the whole might be there examined, and depoſited into the hands of the General Deputies; and this preſent Council being an Aſſembly of another Nature, and having no Commiſſion from the Provinces, it could not furniſh the Deputies now Elected with thoſe neceſſary Memoirs and Inſtructions. They therefore who ſhall be retained by His Majeſty to diſcharge and execute this Office ſhall moſt humbly petition His ſaid Majeſty that he would permit in every Province ſuch an Aſſembly as ſoon as poſſible, in which all Complaints and Remonſtrances meet for His Majeſties peruſal may be collected and layd at His Majeſties feet by thoſe Lords aforeſaid, our General Deputies, to whom they ſhall be ſent, that ſo by this means His Majeſty may be duely and truely informed of the Deportments and Grievances of all his Proteſtant Subjects, becauſe there is not any thing of greater importance to his Weal and Service than this is. The Council hoping much from His Majeſties great goodneſs, is emboldned to paſs beyond its accuſtomed Bounds and Order, and to diſpenſe with it ſelf in this particular. Otherwiſe it would have perſiſted in its moſt humble ſupplications, that it might not be obliged unto the ſaid Election.
The ſaid Lords General Deputies ſhall confer with the Miniſters of State, (it being a thing of indiſpenſable neceſſity) how they may hold a correſpondency with the Provinces, and the Provinces with them; becauſe without ſuch a correſpondency all their actings, yea, and their Office it ſelf would be utterly uſeleſs and unſerviceable unto the Churches.
Every Province ſhall draw up a Cahier of the grievances of their Churches, and of particular Perſons profeſſing our Religion, which ſhall be tranſmitted unto the Church of Paris, which ſhall compile them into one general Cahier, to be depoſited into the hands of the General Deputies.
CHAP. XII. A Remonſtrance of the Lord of Angoulins on behalf of the Mayor, Sheriffs, and City of Rochell.
WHEN as the Council had thus decreed in purſuance of His Majeſties Pleaſure, that they would proceed unto an Election of General Deputies to reſide near His Majeſty, the Lord of Angoulins one of the Sheriffs of the City of Rochell, Elder of the Church there, and Deputy for the Province of Xaintonge, remonſtrated that in all ſuch Actions the Lords, Mayor, Sheriffs, and free Burgeſſes of the ſaid City had in all times the Priviledge of a Province, and their Deputies did ever appear in Perſon in all general Politick Aſſemblies, and in National Synods alſo, when as the General Deputies were to be choſen, and he petitioned the Council that he might be granted his Vote in the ſaid Election, not only in his Quality as Deputy of the Province of Xaintonge, but alſo in that his particular quality, as Deputy of the ſaid Lords, the Mayor, Sheriffs, and free Burgeſſes of the ſaid City, according as he was commiſſionated with full powers ſo to do by the ſaid Lords, which he produced, and were Signed by Gachot Secretary of their Council, the Fourteenth day of the laſt October. The Deputies of the Province of Xaintonge were heard hereupon, who declared that the ſaid Lord of Angoulins being one of their Colleagues, and Deputy together with them, might as ſuch have his voice in the ſaid Election, or otherwiſe their Province would ſuſtain a very conſiderable prejudice, if one of its Deputies ſhould be excluded from giving his ſuffrage in the ſaid Election. The Synod doing right unto the ſaid Petitioner the Lord of Angoulins, and not judging it reaſonable that a ſingle Perſon ſhould have a double Vote in ſuch an Occurrence as this, decreed, that the ſaid Lord of Angoulins ſhould only have one ſingle Voice in the ſaid Election, but however it ſhould be left unto his own choice to take what quality he pleaſed whether of Deputy for the Province of Xaintonge, or of the City of Rochell only. And the ſaid Lord of Angoulins did at that inſtant, though it ſhould not be drawn in conſequence, nor made a precedent for the future, nor prejudice the Rights and Priviledges of the ſaid Town and Province, declare that he chooſe to give his Vote in quality of Deputy for the ſaid City of Rochell. And this preſent Act was granted him, that he had made the ſaid Declaration.
Foraſmuch as there be divers defaults in the Letters of Commiſſion brought by the Deputies of ſome Provinces; They ſhall be all exhorted by their Deputies to ſee that Canon of the Synod of Tonneins executed, which had ordered that the Names and Surnames of all Deputies ſhould be expreſly inſerted into them: As alſo to take ſpecial heed that all Letters of Commiſſion and Memoirs be in no wiſe Signed by the Perſons Deputed unto the National Synods, nor by thoſe who are ſubſtituted in their ſtead in caſe of Sickneſs or Death, or any the like accident, but by the Officers of the Provincial Synods as Moderators, Aſſeſſors, and Scribes.
In purſuance of the Canon made in the Synod or Privas, The Provinces are injoyned, to ſee that the Deputies of every Church do make Oath that they ſhall not give their Votes nor Suffrages unto ſuch as brigue their Elections and Deputations unto our National Synods.
CHAP. XIII.
The Confeſſion of Faith approved.THE Confeſſion of Faith being read word by word, and every Article diſtinctly in its due Order, it was approved and ratified by the Unanimous conſent of all the Deputies, both Paſtors and Elders, who proteſted as well for themſelves as for their Provinces that they would live and die in the profeſſion of this Faith, teach it in their Churches, and ſee it inviolably to be obſerved.
CHAP. XIV. Obſervations on reading the Church-Diſcipline.
1 AFter thoſe words in the Fifth Canon of the Firſt Chapter, Without power of adminiſtring the Holy Sacraments, theſe ſhall be added, nor of ſolemnizing Marriages.
2 In reading the Nine and Twentieth Canon of the ſame Chapter, the Council declareth, that by the diſcord mentioned in that Canon we are to underſtand not only what is moved by the Paſtor, but by the Church, or Members among themſelves alſo.
3. On the firſt Canon of the third Chapter it was declared, that whoſoever accepted the Office of an Elder cannot be conſtrained to execute it, if before his Reception thereinto, the conſent he had once given be again revoked by him.
4. When the ſixth Canon of the eighth Chapter was read at the requeſt of the Provincial Deputies of Berry, it was voted, That Provincial Synods ſhould be obliged before they brake up to proceed unto Cenſures, even as in the like caſe a Decree had been framed for Colloquies.
5. All our Churches are exhorted faithfully and exactly to obſerve the ninth Canon of the twelfth Chapter, concerning the Adminiſtration of the Cup in the Lords Supper, and to be accountable for their Obedience to it unto the next National Synod.
6. The eighth Canon of the Ninth Chapter ſhall be razed but of our Diſcipline, as being ſuperfluous and unpracticable in our Churches.
7. The ſame judgment having paſt on the fourth Canon of the tenth Chapter, it was amended and changed into theſe words. Churches which have been accuſtomed to make Publick Prayers on ſome certain days of the Week may continue that order, which for many years they have ſo happily obſerved, and other Churches may imitate their good example, when as the Lord ſhall bleſs them with Ability and Opportunity, and it may contribute unto their Edification.
8. And Paſtors alſo in the faithful diſcharge of their duties ſhall indeavour by their Remonſtrances and Exhortations to prevent thoſe great diſhonours done unto Almighty God by that general contempt of his Holy Word preached; very many neglecting Sermons and Publick Publick Ordinances of Religious Worſhip, yea, and Family-Prayers, of which Omiſſions a multitude of Heads of Families, Houſholders, and their Domeſticks are exceeding guilty.
9. The eighteenth Canon of the thirteenth Chapter ſhall be couched in this form, Such as dwell in thoſe places where the Publick Exerciſe of our Religion is not eſt abliſhed may cauſe their banes of Matrimony to be publiſhed in the Popiſh Churches, it being a matter purely political.
10. The Churches are injoyned by this Synod to give in an account unto their Colloquies and Provincial Synods of all Infractions of the ſixteenth Canon in the fourteenth Chapter of our Diſcipline, and Colloquies and Synods are to cenſure ſuch Offenders, whether they have violated it by printing of Practical or Controverſal Treatiſes.
11. When the twenty fourth, twenty fifth, and twenty ſixth Canons of the fourteenth Chapter were read, it was voted, That this enſuing Canon ſhould be made, and read in all the Churches as ſoon as the Deputies were returned unto their reſpective Provinces.