 Originally, the court had the power to mete out sentences, with excommunication as its most severe penalty.The government contested this power and on 19 March 1543 the council decided that all sentencing would be carried out by the government.In 1542, Calvin adapted a service book used in Strasbourg, publishing "La Forme des Prières et Chants Ecclésiastiques" (The Form of Prayers and Church Hymns).