The Acts of Famous National Councils of the Reformed Churches in France, 29 (Loudun) · Chapter 1 – Chapter 2
CHAP. I.
MOnſieur Deſloges Paſtor of the Church of Loudun, opened the Synod with Prayer the next day after their Meeting, viz. the Eleventh of November; and then the Lord Marquiſs of Ruvigny, who was General Deputy of the Churches, preſented his Majeſties Writ for calling this Synod, the Tenour of which is as followeth.
This Sixth Day of September, One Thouſand, Six Hundred, Fifty and Nine, the King being at Burdeaux, upon the moſt humble Petition of his Subjects of the P. R. Religion, tendered unto his Majeſty, that he would be pleaſed to permit them to Call and Aſſemble a National Synod, becauſe there had not been one held ſince that of Charenton, in the Year 1644. His Majeſty being willing to gratify and treat favourably thoſe his ſaid Subjects, he hath permitted, and doth permit them to convocate a National Synod on the Tenth Day of May next, in his Town of Loudun; but on this condition, that there ſhall be none other Affairs debated in it, than ſuch as are warranted by the Edicts, and that a Commiſſioner whom his Majeſty ſhall be pleaſed to appoint, do aſſiſt in Perſon in the ſaid Synod, as hath always been practiſed. In teſtimony hereof his Majeſty hath commanded me to expedite this preſent Writ, which he was pleaſed to ſign with his own Hand, and cauſed to be connterſigned by me his Counſellor, and Secretary of his Commandments, and of his Treaſury.
Signed LOƲIS. And a little Lower, PHELIPPEAƲX.
There appeared in the ſaid Aſſembly with Letters of Commiſſion from the Provinces, which were read by the Sieur Des Loges, and the Sieur de Freſnay Elder of the Church of Loudun, and the Sieur de M…ſon…als, theſe Perſons following.
1. For the Province of Normandy the Sieurs John Manimilian de L' Angle, Paſtor of the Church of Rouan, and Samuel Boſchart, Paſtor of the Church of Caen, accompanied with the Sieurs Daniel Gueſdon, Elder of the Church of Rouan, and Peter de la Muſſe, Eſq Lord des Roquettes, Elder of the Church of Caen.
2. For the Province of Higher Guienne, and Higher Languedoc, the Sieurs John Louis Jouſſauld, Paſtor of the Church of Caſtres, and Theophilus Arbuſſy, Paſtor of the Church of Milhaut, accompanied with the Sieurs John de Beſnes, Eſq Lord of Laſeron, Elder of the Church de Beraux, and Maſter John Braſſart, Advocate in Parliament, and Elder in the Church of Montauban.
3. For the Province of Burgundy, the Sieurs Amedeus de Chandieu Paſtor of the Church at Pont de Velles, and Peter Muſſard, Paſtor of the Church of Lyon, accompanied with Maſter Samuel Gentis (D'anthial) Advocate in Parliament, Elder in the Church of Chaalons, and Maſter Phillebert de Sage, Advocate alſo in Parliament, Elder in the Church of Autan.
4. For the Province of Lower Languedoc, the Sieurs David Euſtache, and Iſaac de Bourdieu Paſtor in the Church of Montpellier, accompanied with the Noble Francis de Toulonge, Lord of Foiſſac, Elder in the Church of Ʋſez, and Maſter Philip Beſſe, Doctor of the Civil Laws, Advocate, and Elder in the Church of Beziers.
5. For the Province of Orleans and Berry, the Sieurs John Per…ult, Paſtor of the Church of Orleans, and John Taby, Miniſter of the Goſpel, and Paſtor of the Church de la Charite, accompanied with the Noble Denis Papin, Counſellor to his Majeſty, and Receiver General for the Demeans of the County of Blois, and Maſter Paul Tonnois, Lord of Champs, Advocate in Parliament, Elders in the Church of Orleans.
6. For the Province of Sevennes, the Sieurs Henry B…udan, Paſtor of the Church de la Salle, and Stephen Broche, Lord of Mejannes, Paſtor of the Church of St. Hippolite, accompanied with Edward de Charlot, Eſq Lord and Baron of S. John de Gardonenque, Elder in the Church of the ſame Place, and Peter de Gallieres, Eſq Lord of Pont d' Arti, Elder in the Church of Merveil.
7. For the Province of Brittain, the Sieur Iſaac Guitton, Paſtor of the Church of Sion, accompanied with Monſieur John de la Rochelle, Lord of Mornay, Elder in the Church of Roche Bernard.
8. For the Province of Poictou, the Sieurs Stephen le Blois, Paſtor of the Church of Fontenay le Compte, and John Chabrol, Paſtor of the Church of Thouars, accompanied with Sir Peter Prevoſt, Knight, Lord of La Javeliere, Elder in the Church of Chantonnay and Puybelliard, and Charles Prevoſt, Eſq Lord of La Simonie Elder in the Church of Champagne and Mouton.
9. For the Province of Provence, the Sieurs John Bernard, Paſtor of the Church de Velots and Marvelle, and John Morius Eſq Lord of Eſpaſſon and of La Baſtide, Elder in the Church of Manoſque.
10. For the Province of Anjou Touraine, Le Maine, Loudunois, Vandoſme, and the Greater Perche, the Sieurs Moyſes Amyraud, Paſtor and Profeſſor of Divinity in the Church and Univerſity of Saumur, and James de Briſſac Lord des Loges Paſtor of the Church of Loudun, accompanied with the Sieurs Daniel de Goyett, Doctor of Phyſick, Elder in the Church of Angiers, and Maſter Stephen des Landes, Preſident in the Extraordinary Aſſizes of Vaudomois, and Elder in the Church of Vandome.
11. For the Province of the Iſle of France, Brie, Picardy, Champagne, and the County of Chartres, the Sieurs John Daille, Paſtor of the Church of Paris, and Benjamin Tricotell, Paſtor of the Church of Calais, accompanied with Maſter Thierry de Marolles, Advocate in Parliament, and Judg in the Praeſidial Court of Vitry, Elder of the Church in that Town, and Peter Loride Lord of Galiniers, Advocate in his Majeſties moſt Honourable Privy Council, and Elder in the Church of Paris.
12. For the Province of Xaintonge, Aunix, and Augoulmois; the Sieurs John Gommarc, Paſtor in the Church of Vertueil, and Iſaac Marchand, Paſtor in the Church of St. John d' Angely, accompanied with John de Morell, Eſq Lord of Thiac, of Vigier, and of Salle, and Francis Lacons, Eſq Lord of Courelles, and Elder in the Church of Cognac.
13. For the Province of Dolphiny, the Sieurs Adrian Chamier, Paſtor of the Church of Montlimard, and Alexander Dize, Paſtor of the Church of Grenoble, accompanied with Maſter Francis Goudran, Advocate in the Parliament of Grenoble, and Elder in the Church of Grenoble.
14. For the Province of Lower Guienne, the Sieurs John Riccotier, Miniſter of Bourdeaux, and Jeremiah Viguier, Paſtor of the Church of Nerac, accompanied with Maſter Jacob Mayſonnais, Advocate in Parliament, and Elder in the Church of Bourdeax, and with Sir James de Laumont, Knight, Marqueſs of Baiſſe Caumont, Elder in the Church of Nerac.
15. For the Province of Bearn, the Sieur Arnald de Cazamajore, Paſtor of the Church of Olleron.
16. For the Province of Vivaretz, Velay and Forrest, the Sieurs Iſaac Homel, (he Died a moſt conſtant Faithful Martyr) Paſtor of the Church of Sajon and Valance, and Peter January, Paſtor of the Church at La Gorſe, accompanied with Sir James D' Arlande, Kt. Lord of Mirabel, and Elder in the Church of Villeneufve de Bergues, and with Maſter Timothy Baruil, Doctor of the Civil Laws, Advocate, and Elder in the Church of Privas.
The Provinces of Bearn and Dolphiny, ſhall inquire into the Cauſes why the Sieurs de Labadie, Elder in the Church of Luibeite, and Deputy for the Province of Bearn, and de Montelar, Elder in the Church of Beaufort, Deputy for the Province of Dolphiny, have abſented themſelves from this Aſſembly, and ſhall give an Account thereof unto the next National Synod.
The ſaid Sieurs des Loges, and du Freſnay, Elder of the Church in Loudun, did, together with the Lord Marqueſs of Rouvigny, General Deputy, gather the Suffrages of all the Deputies in this Aſſembly, in Two Bills in Writing, (each of them having One,) for the Election of the Moderator, Aſſeſſor, and Scribes; and there were choſen by plurality of Votes the Sieur Daille for Moderator, the Sieur de L' Angle Aſſeſſor, and the Sieurs Des Loges, Paſtor, and de Loride an Elder, for Scribes of the Synod; who being Choſen, did all of them take their Places accordingly.
CHAP. II.
AS ſoon as the Officers of the Synod were nominated and ſeated, the Lord de Magdelaine, Counſellor to his Majeſty in his Court of Parliament at Paris, and Deputed by his Majeſty, to ſit as his Commiſſioner in this Aſſembly, deliver'd the King's Letters patents for his Commiſſion; which being Read, they were Tranſcribed and Inſerted into the Body of the Acts of this Synod, whoſe Form and Tenor was as followeth.
Copy of his Majeſties Letters Patents given to the Lord Commiſſioner.
LOƲIS by the Grace of God, King of France and of Navar, To our Truſty and Beloved Conſellor in our Courts of Parliament of Paris, the Lord of Magdelaine, Greeting.
We have permitted our Subjects of the Proteſtant Religion, to hold in our Town of Loudun, on the Tenth Day of November next a National Synod, compoſed of all the Deputies of the Provinces of our Kingdom, for to treat of matters concerning their Religion; and being to chooſe a Perſon fitly qualified, and of known Loyalty and Fidelity to us to aſſiſt in it, and as our Commiſſioner to repreſent our Perſon in the ſaid Aſſembly; we well knowing thoſe Services which you have rendered us in ſundry Honourable Imployments, wherein we had Commiſſionated you, and which you have moſt worthily Diſcharged. We have therefore judged, that we could not make a better choice than of your ſelf, being well aſſured that you will continue to us the Proofs and Evidences of your Affection to our Service. For theſe cauſes, we have Commiſſionated and Deputed, and we do now Commiſſionate and Depute you the ſaid Lord of Magdelaine by theſe Preſents, ſigned with our Hand, to paſs over unto our Town of Loudun, and in our place and ſtead to aſſiſt in the Synod there Convocated, that you may then and there propound and anſwer all thoſe things which we have given you in Commandment, according to thoſe Memoirs and Inſtructions we have delivered to you. And you are to take ſpecial care, that no other matters be there propoſed nor debated, but ſuch as ought of right to be treated of in thoſe Aſſemblies, and which are permitted by our Edicts; and in caſe they ſhould enterpriſe any thing to the contrary, you ſhall hinder it, and by Interpoſing of out Authority ſuppreſs it; or you ſhall ſpeedily adviſe us of it, that we may by ſuch courſes as in our Wiſdom we ſhall judge moſt fit, obviate and prevent it. And for ſo doing, we give you power, commiſſion and ſpecial command by theſe Preſents; for ſuch is our Pleaſure.
Given at Bourdeaux, this Sixth day of September, in the Year One Thouſand, Six Hundred, Fifty and Nine; and of our Reign the Seventeenth. Signed LOƲIS. And a little Lower, PHELIPPEAƲX. And Sealed at the lower end, with the Great Seal and Yellow Wax.