Page:Protestant Exiles from France Agnew vol 2.djvu/46

 l’Anniversaire de La Revocation de l’Edit de Nantes,” by Rev. James Du Plessis, chaplain of the French Hospital of London.

As to church discipline, the French consistories watched over the morals of their members with great conscientiousness. In the countries where they took refuge, there was one scandal which kept all the consistories of their churches fully employed for some years. Weiss says, “During 1686, 1687, 1688, the London consistory, at its weekly meetings, was almost exclusively occupied with receiving the evidences of the repentance of those who, after having abjured their faith for self-preservation, had stolen away from their persecutors. . . . The ministers examined their depositions, listened to the recital of their sufferings, and received them anew into the communion of their brethren.” Burn, in his “History,” has preserved the following minute: — “Le Dimanche, 13me May 1688, Elizabet Cautin de St. Martin de Retz. Susanne Cellier, et Marie Cellier sa soeur, de La Rochelle, ont fait recognoissance publique au Presche du matin — l’une pour avoir été au sermon feignant d’etre l’Eglise de Romaine, les autres deux pour avoir signé l’Abjuration. Monsieur Coutet les a recues.” I have the following note from the register of Le Tabernacle, London:— “Melchizedec Girard of the town of Rochelle confessed having lapsed into Romanism, and asked pardon of God in presence of this assembly, and was received into the communion of the church by the pastor, Mr. C. Pegorier, 6th January 1701.” A certain stigma is attached to the name of one under discipline, even in a deed of restoration. On the other hand, in the list of refugees who received pecuniary aid (which are preserved in the Archbishop's Library at Lambeth), each individual, who stood firm and was tortured and imprisoned for such steadfastness, is honoured by having placed opposite to his or her name the word confesseur or confesseuse. The following, among others, were relieved in 1706 (about twenty-one years must be deducted from what was the age of each at that date to ascertain their age in 1685):—

Mr Burn gives a specimen of a, similar to the certificates which communicants in Scotland now must obtain on transferring themselves from one congregation to another:—

“Monsieur Guillaume Benoist et Magdalon Hanet son femme ont été membres de notre Eglise, en laquelle ils ont participe a la Ste Cène aux autres exercises de pieté publics et solennels, et ont vêcu honêtement et sans scandale qui ont venu à notre connoisance. Nous les recommandons à la grace et garde de Dieu, et à la communion de nos frères de Londres ou ils font état de se retirer. Fait à Amsterdam le 16 Juin 1746.

“Par les Conducteurs de l’Eglise Wallonne du dit lieu et au nom de tous,

These témoinages were granted by the consistory when applied for; the applications were called demandes de tesmoinage. When a member was enrolled, the date of his tesmoinage was added to his name, and also the church or influential individual who had granted it. For instance, in the Threadneedle Street register of admissions we find, 28th May 1682, Par tesmoinage de Jean Destrilles de la Clide.

In the precept that baptism ought to be administered in public, they also agreed with the Scottish discipline. The Portarlington consistory (see the Ulster Journal of Archaeology) decided, that, on a formal representation to that church-court that