The Acts of Famous National Councils of the Reformed Churches in France, 26 (2nd Charenton) · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. The Reply made by the Deputies of Bearn, unto this Oppoſition of the Lord Commiſſioner.
3. BUT the Deputies of the Province of Bearn return'd this Anſwer; That the Union of the Churches with thoſe of this Kingdom, in reſpect of Doctrine and Diſcipline, was not only granted to them by his Majeſty's Goodneſs, but alſo by his own expreſs Conſent, done and executed with his actual Approbation. For although by the Anſwers ſet in the Margin of the Cahiers, in the Years 1602, 1604, and 1611, his Majeſty hath thought good to ſuſpend and put off the filing of it, till after the uniting and incorporating of Bearn with the Crown of France; yet nevertheleſs, through the moſt humble Petitions of his Subjects, his Majeſty anticipated this Matter, and granted that for Doctrine, Confeſſion of Faith, and Church-Diſcipline, they ſhould be joined and united with the Reformed Churches of this Kingdom; yea, and his Majeſty permitted them to ſend their Deputies unto thoſe Eccleſiaſtical Aſſemblies convocated in it according to his Edicts: And this is undeniably proved by that Anſwer given unto the Cahier, at the Interceſſion of the Aſſembly of Loudun, and purſuant to that Grant the ſaid Province hath from time to time ſent their Deputies unto the National Synods, and particularly to that of Tonneins, Vitré, Alez, the firſt of Charenton, Caſtres, and unto this preſent Synod, who had priviledg of ſitting and voting in them, and were therein ſupported even by his Lordſhip the Commiſſioner. And in execution of the ſaid Union, their Remonſtrances concerning the well-being of their Churches were preſented unto his Majeſty by the General-Deputies, inſerted by them into their Cahiers, jointly with the Demands and Petitions of the Churches of this Kingdom, and through the Clemency of his Majeſty received a gracious Anſwer. As for Inſtance, Thoſe relating to the Reſtoration of the Paſtors Wages, and the Maintenance of the Colledg of Ortez, which will be juſtified by the Cahier preſented in the Year 1625, after that Bearn was united with France, yea, and after his Majeſty's Journey into that Country; from which it will be manifeſted that his Majeſty was pleaſed with, and granted that we ſhould be united, and he favoured, in the execution of it, his poor Subjects inhabiting the ſaid Province with his Royal Promiſes. Nor ſhould the incorporating of our Churches with thoſe of this Kingdom, be envied to us, nor be reputed a general or particular Grievance; for the Cenſures which ſome private Perſons may deſerve, will be iſſued forth againſt them by the Conſiſtories and Colloquies; and in Caſes of Appeal, they will be confirmed and executed in the Province by the Sentence of the Provincial Synods only: And as for our Paſtors, their Appeals cannot be received out of the Province but in ſome particular Caſe, as of Suſpenſion and Depoſition from the Miniſtry, and their removal from one Church unto another, or from one Colloquy unto another. In which caſe 'tis but juſt and reaſonable that they be ſubjected to, and judged by the Synod of that whole Nation, into which Bearn is now incorporated by his Majeſty's Edict; and that the Miniſters reſiding in it, ſhould be governed in the ſame manner as thoſe of France. And therefore the ſaid Union having been promiſed by his Majeſty, approved by his Grants, and executed in the Preſence of his Commiſſioners, as not derogating in the leaſt from his Authority, nor to the Publick Weal, it could not but be reputed ſufficiently authorized; and therefore we do once again moſt humbly petition his Majeſty that he would be pleaſed to allow of it: and this National Synod is moſt importunately deſired to eſpouſe and uphold it, and the rather, becauſe that the Province of Bearn and their Churches do ſubmit themſelves to the Diſcipline of the Churches of this Kingdom, acknowledging that it doth moſt intirely accord and agred with theirs, and that both of them are extracted out of God's Holy Word. But whatever the Reſult and Iſſue of this Affair may be, they reſolved to make a faithful Report of the whole unto their Province, as well for their own Diſcharge as for the great Importance of the matter.