A Plea Answered: Wilhelmus à Brakel's Commentary on Revelation Translated

It was just over 7 years ago today that I published "A Plea to Translate Wilhelmus à Brakel's Exposition of Revelation." When Father Brakel's "The Christian's Reasonable Service" was translated into English in the 1990s -- a great service to the church indeed -- a decision was made not to translate the final portion of it consisting of his commentary on Revelation because it represented a postmillennial eschatological perspective (common to all Puritans, whether Dutch, Scottish, English or American). This omission in translation left a gap for English readers desiring both to have a full translation of à Brakel's magnum opus, and those interested to read for themselves his understanding of the last book of the Bible.

I am pleased to report that this gap has finally been filled by J. Parnell McCarter and his team at the Historicism Research Foundation who have now produced an English translation of this work titled "Not to be Ignored: Rev. Wilhelmus à Brakel's Commentary on Revelation" (2016), which is now available for purchase in paperback or digital format. For those who have been waiting, as I have, for this important work to be accessible in English, please see the announcement of this publication here for details on how to purchase your copy.

Many thanks to Mr. McCarter and those who assisted in the project for this valuable contribution to the church! 

The Humble Theologian

On April 15, 1675, Herman Witsius (having recently been offered both the positions of a professorship of theology and a local pastorate in Franeker, Holland) was awarded the degree of Doctor in Divinity at the University of Franeker, which is the second oldest university in the Netherlands (after Leiden University). It was on this occasion that he gave an Inaugural Address, which has since been published under the title “On the Character of a True Theologian.” It is considered one of the most eloquent and Biblical descriptions of true theology and true theologians. I encourage all – layman, church officers, and students alike – to “tolle lege, take up and read.” What strikes me particularly, however, is the humility of the speaker, which to me speaks volumes about what it means to be a true man of God.

Thus, my hearers, I have delineated a true theologian. How little I resemble, how very far I differ from such a one, no one knows better than myself. What groans, what tears, should not the consciousness of my ignorance, sloth, and deficiencies of every kind cause to flow forth while I reiterate on what I have declared!...I tremble and throb with emotion as often as I reflect on the nature and extent of those duties which God now requires at my hand and which you have called me to undertake. Yet ought I to lose courage on these accounts? Or should I lower the exact standard of duty that it may the less strongly condemn my deviations? This, God will never allow. I had rather, in truth, my hearers, that you should all detect how little I am what I ought to be, nay, how absolutely unqualified I am – I had rather blush a hundred times a day for my failures than that I should, by proposing an imperfect standard, displease others less and lay an unction to my own soul as foolish as flattering. (“On the Character of a True Theologian” [1994 ed.], pp. 47-48)

The Spirit of Labadism

Jean de Labadie (1610-1674), the French Jesuit-turned-Reformed theologian, exemplified a spirit that pervades even today. After leaving the Roman Catholic Church and embracing the doctrines found in John Calvin's Institutes, he protested against the corruptions found within the Dutch Reformed Church, issuing an appeal to Christians to separate themselves from her and to join his "house church." The appeal was tempting to such a prominent theologian as Wilhelmus à Brakel. In W. Fieret's biographical sketch of à Brakel, which highlights what he describes as "the Labadistic spirit of separatism," we learn more about the intersection these two men and what it meant for the Reformed Church.

The Struggle against the Labadists

During his tenure in Friesland, only one book authored by à Brakel was published; however, during his tenure in Rotterdam many would follow. A year and one half after his installation in Rotterdam, à Brakel “went to battle” against the Labadists. In two elaborate letters to a circle of friends in Harlingen he delineated his objections against this sect. It is probable that these friends had asked him for advice. In all honesty he wrote that during his tenure in Stavoren he had been sympathetic towards the Labadists and had seriously considered joining them. Yet he had wanted to know more of de Labadie and his views and therefore had traveled to Amsterdam where the Labadists had settled at that time.

He had various conversations with Anna Maria van Schurman, a very gifted woman who prior to her transfer to the Labadists had many contacts with the ministers of the Second Reformation—among others with [Gisbertus] Voetius. à Brakel also had extensive conversations with de Labadie himself. In spite of the attractive things he had heard, he was not convinced. De Labadie then gave him the advice to lay this matter before the Lord Himself and to pray for wisdom, doing so in the greatest possible solitude. à Brakel, according to this letter, had followed his advice. “Very early in the morning I went into my garden and remained there all day until late in the evening. I fasted, prayed, and supplicated to understand the will of God. I also read, and after considerable time had passed, the Lord showed me very clearly from His Word and gave a clear impression in my heart that I was in the right way, and that their way (that is, of the Labadists) was a departure from the truth.” Nevertheless, it so much appealed to à Brakel that he continually prayed, asking the Lord as it were for permission to join this group. The result was that the Lord showed him with increasing clarity the error of the Labadists while rebuking à Brakel at the same time. It was as if the Lord said: “Did I not reveal this to you? Why then do you persevere?” Subsequent to this à Brakel firmly resolved to remain in the Reformed Church. He continued to thank the Lord for having prevented him from taking a wrong step.

In what did the attraction of Jean de Labadie and his followers consist, so that even a staunch Reformed man as Wilhelmus à Brakel was strongly attracted by it? If he, as he said himself, vacillated to such a degree, people with much less education and experience must have had strife to a far greater degree. In his second letter à Brakel primarily addressed the regenerate and advised them in the strongest possible terms not to join the Labadists. It must indeed be evident that the conduct of Jean de Labadie and his followers caused much agitation in the church. However, à Brakel was not the only minister who felt attracted toward this revivalist.

Who was de Labadie and what did he teach? This Frenchman, who had been trained as a Jesuit, left the monastery in 1639; he was twenty-nine years old at that time and until 1650 traveled around as an itinerant preacher. In that year he joined the Reformed Church of Montauban, one of the Huguenot cities. He became the minister of this church and also taught at the Academy. From 1659 to 1666 Geneva was his residence. With great zeal he preached for hours about the great ideal that had to be transformed into reality: a pure church in which the Christian religion would be practiced as strictly as possible. This engendered the idea that only true believers, that is, only those who were partakers of the Spirit of Christ, constituted the pure church. Thus, within the confines of the visible church as institution, a church of the regenerate came into existence. De Labadie organized “conventicles” of true believers and thus attempted to lead the church back to the original manifestation of the Christian church in the first century—that is, as he perceived it to be.

The ideas which de Labadie proclaimed in a captivating and convincing manner—he could preach for four hours at a stretch without his hearers losing interest—met with both approbation and resistance. The proponents of these ideas were so convinced of their correctness that many could no longer be convinced to change their minds. Opponents, however, saw so much danger in these ideas that they opposed them with all their might. Therefore, there came unrest wherever de Labadie resided for some time. De Labadie‟s acceptance of a call to the French congregation in Middelburg signaled the termination of a period of great agitation for the Reformed Church in Geneva.

When he came to the Republic in 1666, he traveled on to Utrecht. The Friends of Utrecht—to which belonged, among others, Voetius and [Jodocus] van Lodenstein—gave him a friendly reception. After having been installed in Middelburg, Koelman from Sluis went to hear him. de Labadie had a tremendous reputation. The same matters which the representatives of the Second Reformation were pursuing were also his objectives. He warned strongly against the laxness of many Christians, the desecration of the Sabbath, the lack of spirituality and morality displayed by many ministers, the non-Reformed and often coarse lifestyle of many church members, etc. His calls to prayer and fasting had effect; and especially due to his many family visitations the results of his activity were noticeable everywhere. Nevertheless, there came discord also in Middelburg, and after many difficulties de Labadie, with a group of followers, moved to nearby Veere. Many supporters from Middelburg went to hear the deposed minister. The parliament of Zeeland intervened at last and expelled de Labadie. When the use of force was imminent, the exiled minister took refuge in Amsterdam.

In the meantime, sympathy for him among the Reformed had waned, for he had severed himself from the Reformed Church. He viewed the circle of his followers as a community of the regenerate who had left the worldly national church and had joined the new “house church” of de Labadie. Elsewhere in the Republic similar house churches came into existence as well. Amsterdam evidently was not the terminus for this group; they crossed the border into Germany, and, after roaming about, settled in Wiewerd, a village south of Leeuwarden. The influential Cornelis van Aerssen had made the castle “Walta Estate” available. De Labadie himself had died in the meantime. Peter Yvon, due to his organizational talent, had succeeded in giving the congregation a solid footing. Around 1680 his following in Wiewerd consisted of about three hundred people.

The Labadists were all dressed in the same handmade, modest clothing. As a community they farmed the soil surrounding the castle. Dairy farming was also a means whereby they supported themselves. During meals there was singing and prayer and one or more persons would speak a word. Worldly conversation was held to a minimum; they preferred to share their spiritual experiences. These experiences, according to the Labadists, could occur outside the context of the Word of God. Especially during and after communion services members of the congregation would come into a state of ecstasy, believing the Holy Spirit to be working in them. They would embrace each other, skip and dance, and mutually entertain themselves in spiritual Christian love.

After Voetius and [Jacobus] Koelman had recognized the dangers of Labadism, they warned the Reformed against this error. Koelman did this in his work Historisch verhaal der Labadisten [Historical Account of the Labadists]. At the end of this work he printed the two letters of à Brakel. Yvon reacted to the contents of these letters by way of a brochure. In this manner à Brakel also became involved in the battle against the Labadists. His best known work, in which these letters were included again, was Leer en Leydinge der Labadisten [Doctrine and Government of the Labadists].

Rev. à Brakel, with the Labadists, confessed the corruption (“de verdorvenheyt”) of the church; she was corrupt from the head to the sole of the foot. The field of the Lord was filled with weeds and His threshing floor was filled with chaff. The vineyard of the Lord had become a wilderness; thorns and thistles were growing in it. After having enumerated a variety of sins which were committed by members of the church, giving a description of the government as not manifesting itself as the guardian of the church, and deploring the fact that so many ministers proved to be unfaithful shepherds, à Brakel writes: “Who would not weep when he thinks upon Zion and perceives that the Lord is departing from her?” Yet, departure from a church which is that corrupt is not permitted! “May we say that she is no longer the church of Christ due to her corruption? Shall we despise her? Shall we walk away from her? No, that is foolishness. It is certain that a corrupt church is nevertheless a church and that from the beginning until the present God has always permitted His church to be filled with many corruptions. Therefore, he who despises a church for its corruption acts contrary to God‟s Word and all experience, thereby denying her to be a church.”

Using examples from the Bible, à Brakel demonstrated that sin, corruption, and a lack of spirituality were to be found in many congregations. Consider the confusion in the congregation of Corinth and the exhortations of John to the congregations in Asia Minor. How could someone have the courage to sever himself from her and thereby despise God and Christ Himself? Thus, à Brakel was strongly opposed to the Labadistic spirit of separatism (or schismatic spirit). 

In à Brakel's magnum opus, The Christian's Reasonable Service, he wrote a chapter entitled "The Duty to Join the Church and to Remain with Her" (vol. 2, chap. 25), in which he argues that "degeneracy within the church [is] not a reason to separate from the church." 

Criticizing the Labadists directly, à Brakel states:

...it is a dreadful sin to depart from the church for the purpose of establishing one which is better, for the church is one, being the body of Christ. To separate ourselves from the church is to separate from the people of Christ and thus from His body, thereby withdrawing from the confession of Christ and departing from the fellowship of the saints. If we indeed deem the church to be what she really is, we shall then cause schism in the body of Christ, grieve the godly, offend others, give cause for the blaspheming of God‟s Name, and cause the common church member to err. By maintaining that the church is no church, we thereby deny the church of Christ, and therefore are also guilty of the sins just mentioned. We thereby displease God, who will not leave this unavenged, regardless of how much we please and flatter ourselves. Such activity the apostle opposes when he refers to such individuals as being carnal in 1 Cor 3:1, 3. He warns against this when he writes, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you” (1 Cor 1:10); “I hear that there be divisions among you” (1 Cor 11:18).

Thirdly, the Reformed Church is the only true church, albeit that her purity varies with locality. The truth is still preached purely there, sins are rebuked and resisted, and there is both the teaching of and exhortation to godliness. Thousands of godly persons are to be found there who practice holiness in a much purer fashion than those who have separated themselves. Christ dwells and walks among them. The Holy Spirit is still active by means of the Word, still converts souls daily, comforts the converted, and causes them to grow. Discipline is still exercised towards those who err in doctrine and life. In some localities this is practiced more consistently than people may perceive and be aware of. What foolishness it is, therefore, to leave the church and to enter into a barren wilderness! (pp. 61-62)

The Utrecht Circle (as it was known) was composed of some notable followers of de Labadie, preeminently Anna Maria van Schurman, a polymath who was herself known as the "Star of Utrecht" and "The Tenth Muse," which is a reflection of the appeal that this charismatic leader brought to bear on the orthodox Dutch Reformed. Even after de Labadie's death in 1674, the movement continued and colonies were attempted in both Suriname and Maryland (the latter being the first communistic colony established in the New World, 1684-1722). Much like other groups that have claimed to be too pure to join the true Church, Labadism has a great deal in common with other separatistic movements throughout the ages, even those that exist on the periphery of today's Reformed Church. The testimony of à Brakel, along with that of Koelman and others, is most valuable because they shared the stated concerns of the Labadists regarding the holiness of the church, and yet counted even the very stones and dust of Zion to be most precious (Ps. 102.14) and her unity to be striven for in accord with the prayer of Christ (John 17). 

A Song of May in November

Wilhelmus à Brakel, The Christian's Reasonable Service, Vol. 3, p. 287:

...there is joy in love, and heart of man is inclined toward joy. There is no joy in the world for you. That which is most delightful grieves you when Jesus has departed. You will have to acquiesce in a song I once made about the month of May:

How sweet is the time of songs and flowers,

in which animal and man rejoice!

Yet it is nothing but sorrow to me

as long as I miss the love of Jesus.

But if He would but speak to my soul,

"Thou art mine and I am Thine eternally,"

And cause my sinful life to disappear -- 

then it is for me the time of songs and flowers!

A True Theologian

Herman Witsius, On the Character of a True Theologian, pp. 46-47 (1994 RAP ed.):

Show me a man who, intently meditating on sacred realities, does not simulate gravity by his beard or dress but, panting after the things which are above and eternal, holds in low estimation the sumptuous halls of the rich and the whole earth itself, with its gold and silver; who, satisfied with the grace of Christ the Saviour and the fellowship of the Divine Spirit inhabiting his breast, looks down as from a lofty eminence upon all the vanities and allurements of the world, coveting neither pleasures, nor wealth, nor honors; who, devoting himself wholly to the care of souls, and the defense, promotion, and enlargement of the kingdom of Christ, does not give himself up to secular business or politics, watches for no office, is no demagogue, does not pay court to the great, does not cringe to his ecclesiastical superiors, nor lord it over God's heritage, and, accurately assigning to the church, the college, and the civil power their proper relative places, confines himself to his own church or chair; who, the farther he advances in the contemplation of the things which are above and in the practice of chair; who, the farther he advances in the contemplation of the things which are above and in the practice of virtue, is the less disposed to tarnish the glory of his neighbor, measuring himself not by himself, but with those who are more perfect, and above all, with the perfect law of God; who, whensoever the cause of God, the salvation of souls, the defense of the Church, and the guardianship of the heavenly doctrine call for exertion, is all on fire with zeal for God and would rather die a hundred deaths than that one jot should be yielded to the enemy in that cause which is not his, but his Lord's; who, at the same time, would seek no revenge for personal injuries, would bear with moderation reproaches directed against himself, and in doubtful matters not insist upon his own opinion; who, as was said of Athanasius by the ancients, stands firm as a rock against the assaults of the violent, but as a magnetic center of attraction and union to those at variance; who, always exercising prudence, attempts nothing rashly, exerting himself unobtrusively even in the most difficult undertaking; who in fine, not feignedly nor lightly, but with the most unaffected simplicity, is ready to throw himself at the feet of all, preferring himself to no one, but everyone to himself, is forward to give honor to all, esteeming his neighbor more than himself -- show me, I say, such a man, and I will salute him as A TRUE THEOLOGIAN; him will I revere, him will I embrace, acknowledging that he is, and that in him is, the glory of Christ.

Father Brakel's Translation Anniversary

Today marks the 300th anniversary of the death of "Father Brakel," a giant among the Dutch Nadere Reformatie, who was translated to be with his Savior on October 30, 1711. Author of the classic devotional systematic theology and his magnum opus, The Christian's Reasonable Service, Wilhelmus à Brakel was born on January 2, 1635, in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.

His father, Theodorus à Brakel, was himself a noted minister (whose pastoral career began in 1637), and his mother, Margaretha Homma ensured that Wilhelmus grew up in a pious home. All five of Wilhelmus sisters died in their youth, leaving him alone to survive his parents. Just as the prayers of Theodorus' grandmother made a deep impression upon Theodorus, so too did the prayers of Theodorus and Margaretha make an early and deep impression upon Wilhelmus. Before joining the Labadists, Anna Maria van Schurman was among those who visited the family home. Theodorus himself was known to spend a third of each day in private prayer and meditation. Theodorus published a devotional work under the title Het Geestelyken Leven; after his death, Wilhelmus would later publish a set of his father's spiritual manuscripts under the title De Trappen des Geestelyken Levens (The Steps of Grace in Spiritual Life), which includes a spiritual dialogue between father and son.

Wilhelmus followed in his father's footsteps and was ordained to the ministry in 1659, yet continued his studies in Utrecht under the mentorship of Gisbertus Voetius for several more years due a lack of pulpit vacancies. His pastoral career began at Exmorra, Friesland in 1662, where he married Sara Nevius. Eventually, he settled in Rotterdam where he finished his ministerial labors. He was involved in a few controversies over the years, including his notable defense of the church (and Jacobus Koelman, in particular) against the Erastian tendencies of the Dutch government, and the siren call of the Labadists, that is, Jean de Labadie and his followers, who sought, much like Harold Camping in our day, to draw believers away from the organized church in pursuit of a "pure" church. As concerned as à Brakel was about the spiritual health of the Dutch Reformed Church in his day (particularly in regards to the issue of Sabbath-keeping), he wisely resisted the temptation to remove himself from the means of grace established by Christ in the ordinances and ecclesiastical institutions of the church, and ably responded to Labadist arguments in Leer en Leydinge der Labadisten (Doctrine and Government of the Labadists), later also affirming the duty to join the church as espoused in Article 28 of the Belgic Confession. It was at Rotterdam that he wrote his magnum opus, De Redelijke Godsdienst (1700, 3 volumes; the definitive third edition of 1707 contained 2,350 pages; the English translation by Bartel Elshout under the title The Christian's Reasonable Service was published in 4 volumes, 1992-1995). (The English translation remains incomplete, since a decision was made not to translate the final section of this work consisting of à Brakel's exposition of the Book of Revelation, see here for my earlier plea for this to be translated.) This work, contemporaneous with the publication of Matthew Henry's Commentary in England, represents, in my view, the high-water mark of Dutch Puritan orthodoxy and spiritual piety. It is his greatest legacy to the church, and in large measure the reason why he came to be known endearingly as Father Brakel when, during the 18th century, readings from this beloved devotional work were so often a part of Dutch family worship that it went through 20 editions in that century alone.

More can be learned about the life of this Puritan giant of the faith at Dr. Elshout's website here as well as here; and The Christian's Reasonable Service may be read online or downloaded here. If you have not previously been acquainted with the life and works of Wilhelmus à Brakel, this anniversary of his passing provides a good opportunity to learn more and, I trust, be greatly edified. It is good to remember the saints who have gone before us, and it may be truly said of such a man as Father Brakel that "the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance" (Ps. 112.6).

Sabbath Reflections

Wilhelmus à Brakel, The Christian's Reasonable Service, Vol. 3, pp. 146-147:

Reflection is also needful to preserve the sabbath disposition and blessing. First, this consists in reflecting upon how the day was spent publicly and privately, and upon the sins which one has committed; that is, laxity, listlessness, lack of spirituality, and the failure to abhor these. Confess this with sorrow before the Lord, and seek forgiveness through Christ.

Secondly, it consists in reflecting upon the good we have performed on this day, upon the upright objective to hallow the sabbath, and the efforts to do everything in such a manner as is pleasing to God. It furthermore consists in reflecting upon the blessings, refreshments, comforts, illumination, and quickening we enjoyed from the Spirit of the Lord. One must acknowledge this and rejoice in this, even if it were ever so little. Even if the insatiable desire of our soul has not been satisfied, we should yet thank the Lord for the good we received.

Thirdly, it consists in the acknowledgment of God‘s goodness to His church in giving her the sabbath, enabling her to gather publicly and conduct all her public worship services, and for the privilege to enjoy a holy rest.

Fourthly, it consists in yearning and longing for the rest which remains for the people of God (Heb 4:9), in rejoicing in this hope, in forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Blessed is he who thus begins, observes, and ends the sabbath.

Time is Precious

John Flavel, "An Exhortation to Redeem the Time with the Utmost Diligence" in Pneumatologia: A Treatise of the Soul of Man, in Works, Vol. 3, p. 483:

Time is deservedly reckoned among the most precious mercies of this life; and that which makes it so valuable are the commodious seasons and opportunities for salvation which are vouchsafed to us therein: opportunity is the golden spot of time, the sweet and beautiful flower, growing upon the stalk of time. If time be a ring of gold, opportunity is the rich diamond that gives it both its value and glory.

Willem Teellinck, Redeeming the Time (Preface):

Men say there is nothing more valuable than time, and they speak the truth; for their life, which is their most valuable possession, is none other than a bundle of hours, days, weeks and so on; but many have scarcely spoken thus before they dispose of their time as if it were useless rubbish by the basketful: what folly! Look -- in time there is a certain fatness and marrow which is excellently valuable and delicious: and the vigour of our life is therefore lengthened out to us by God, that we may fetch good out of it and our souls thrive in fatness. We sadly deceive ourselves, if think that one hour of our life is lengthened out to us by God other than for the furtherance of His glory and the salvation of our souls.

So it is well for us to consider each hour of life permitted to us as a special gift, bestowed upon us in mercy by the great God for our profit; and just as certainly we merit eternal misery for each hour of our life ill-spent or lived unprofitably, were the Lord to deal with us as we deserve. And, the deep consideration of what we owe to God and Christ in His service, and how shamefully neglectful we have been hitherto, should cause us in justice to redeem our time with all diligence. The more so, seeing that our life is not only very short but also very uncertain; wherefore we should rightly view each day which dawns upon us as that which could be the last day of our lives, and on that account never dare to put off for one hour the discharging of our conscience before God. (Heb. 3.7; Psa. 119.60).

Jonathan Edwards, The Preciousness of Time, and the Importance of Redeeming It:

Time is precious for the following reasons:

First, because a happy or miserable eternity depends on the good or ill improvement of it. Things are precious in proportion to their importance, or to the degree wherein they concern our welfare. Men are wont to set the highest value on those things upon which they are sensible their interest chiefly depends. And this renders time so exceedingly precious, because our eternal welfare depends on the improvement of it. — Indeed our welfare in this world depends upon its improvement. If we improve it not, we shall be in danger of coming to poverty and disgrace; but by a good improvement of it, we may obtain those things which will be useful and comfortable. But it is above all things precious, as our state through eternity depends upon it. The importance of the improvement of time upon other accounts, is in subordination to this.

Gold and silver are esteemed precious by men; but they are of no worth to any man, only as thereby he has an opportunity of avoiding or removing some evil, or of possessing himself of some good. And the greater the evil is which any man hath advantage to escape, or the good which he hath advantage to obtain, by anything that he possesses, by so much the greater is the value of that thing to him, whatever it be. Thus if a man, by anything which he hath, may save his life, which he must lose without it, he will look upon that by which he hath the opportunity of escaping so great an evil as death, to be very precious. — Hence it is that time is so exceedingly precious, because by it we have opportunity of escaping everlasting misery, and of obtaining everlasting blessedness and glory. On this depends our escape from an infinite evil, and our attainment of an infinite good.

Second, time is very short, which is another thing that renders it very precious. The scarcity of any commodity occasions men to set a higher value upon it, especially if it be necessary and they cannot do without it. Thus when Samaria was besieged by the Syrians, and provisions were exceedingly scarce, “an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.” 2 Kin. 6:25. — So time is the more to be prized by men, because a whole eternity depends upon it; and yet we have but a little of time. “When a few years are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return.” Job 16:22. “My days are swifter than a post. They are passed away as the swift ships; as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.” Job 9:25, 26. “Our life; what is it? It is but a vapour which appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Jam. 4:14. It is but as a moment to eternity. Time is so short, and the work which we have to do in it is so great, that we have none of it to spare. The work which we have to do to prepare for eternity, must be done in time, or it never can be done; and it is found to be a work of great difficulty and labor, and therefore that for which time is the more requisite.

Third, time ought to be esteemed by us very precious, because we are uncertain of its continuance. We know that it is very short, but we know not how short. We know not how little of it remains, whether a year, or several years, or only a month, a week, or a day. We are every day uncertain whether that day will not be the last, or whether we are to have the whole day. There is nothing that experience doth more verify than this. — If a man had but little provision laid up for a journey or a voyage, and at the same time knew that if his provision should fail, he must perish by the way, he would be the more choice of it. — How much more would many men prize their time, if they knew that they had but a few months, or a few days, more to live! And certainly a wise man will prize his time the more, as he knows not but that it will be so as to himself. This is the case with multitudes now in the world, who at present enjoy health, and see no signs of approaching death. Many such, no doubt, are to die the next month, many the next week, yea, many probably tomorrow, and some this night. Yet these same persons know nothing of it, and perhaps think nothing of it, and neither they nor their neighbors can say that they are more likely soon to be taken out of the world than others. This teaches us how we ought to prize our time, and how careful we ought to be, that we lose none of it.

Fourth, time is very precious, because when it is past, it cannot be recovered. There are many things which men possess, which if they part with, they can obtain them again. If a man have parted with something which he had, not knowing the worth of it, or the need he should have of it; he often can regain it, at least with pains and cost. If a man have been overseen in a bargain, and have bartered away or sold something, and afterwards repents of it, he may often obtain a release, and recover what he had parted with. — But it is not so with respect to time. When once that is gone, it is gone forever; no pains, no cost will recover it. Though we repent ever so much that we let it pass, and did not improve it while we had it, it will be to no purpose. Every part of it is successively offered to us, that we may choose whether we will make it our own, or not. But there is no delay. It will not wait upon us to see whether or no we will comply with the offer. But if we refuse, it is immediately taken away, and never offered more. As to that part of time which is gone, however we have neglected to improve it, it is out of our possession and out of our reach.

If we have lived fifty, or sixty, or seventy years, and have not improved our time, now it cannot be helped. It is eternally gone from us. All that we can do, is to improve the little that remains. Yea, if a man have spent all his life but a few moments unimproved, all that is gone is lost, and only those few remaining moments can possibly be made his own. And if the whole of a man’s time be gone, and it be all lost, it is irrecoverable. — Eternity depends on the improvement of time. But when once the time of life is gone, when once death is come, we have no more to do with time; there is no possibility of obtaining the restoration of it, or another space in which to prepare for eternity. If a man should lose the whole of his worldly substance, and become a bankrupt, it is possible that his loss may be made up. He may have another estate as good. But when the time of life is gone, it is impossible that we should ever obtain another such time. All opportunity of obtaining eternal welfare is utterly and everlastingly gone.

Archibald Alexander, Thoughts on Religious Experience, pp. 367-369:

XVII. My next counsel is, that you set a high value upon your time. Time is short; and its flight is rapid. The swiftness of the lapse of time is proverbial in all languages. In Scripture, the life of man is compared to a multitude of things which quickly pass away, after making their appearance; as to a post, a weaver's shuttle, a vapour, a shadow, &c. All the works of man must be performed in time; and whatever acquisition is made of any good, it must be obtained in time. Time, therefore, is not only short, but precious. Every thing is suspended on its improvement, and it can only be improved when present; and it is no sooner present, than it is gone: so that whatever we do must be done quickly. The precious gift is sparingly parcelled out, by moments, but the succession of these is rapid and uninterrupted. Nothing can impede or retard the current of this stream. Whether we are awake or asleep, whether occupied or idle, whether we attend to the fact or not, we are borne along by a silent, but irresistible force. Our progressive motion in time, may be compared to the motion of the planet on which we dwell, of which we are entirely insensible; or, to that of a swift-sailing ship, which produces the illusion that all other objects are in motion, while we seem to be stationary. So in the journey of life, we pass from stage to stage, from infancy to childhood, from childhood to youth, from youth to mature age, and finally, ere we are aware of it, we find ourselves declining towards the last stage of earthly existence. The freshness and buoyancy of youth soon pass away: the autumn of life, with its "sere leaf," soon arrives; and next, and last, if disease or accident do not cut short our days, old age with its gray hairs, its wrinkles, its debility and pains, comes on apace. This period is described by the wise man, as one in which men are commonly disposed to be querulous, and to acknowledge that the days draw nigh in which they have no pleasure. "The keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows are darkened. When men rise up at the noise of the bird -- when all the daughters of music are brought low, and there shall be fears. And the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper be a burden."

Time wasted can never be recovered. No man ever possessed the same moment twice. We are, indeed, exhorted "to redeem our time," but this relates to a right improvement of that which is to come; for this is the only possible way by which we can redeem what is irrevocably past. The counsels which I would offer to the young on this subject are: Think frequently and seriously on the inestimable value of time. Never forget that all that is dear and worthy of pursuit must be accomplished in the short span of time allotted to us here. Meditate also profoundly, and often, on the celerity of the flight of time. Now you are in the midst of youthful bloom, but soon this season will only exist in the dim shades of recollection, and unless it has been well improved, of bitter regret.

If you will make a wise improvement of your time, you must be prompt. Seize the fugitive moments as they fly; for, otherwise, they will pass away before you have commenced the work which is appropriated to them.

Diligence and constancy are essential to the right improvement of time. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." "Work while it is called to-day." Walk while you have the light; for the dark night rapidly approaches, when no work can be done.

Let every thing be done in its season. There is a time for all things; and let all things be done in order. The true order of things may be determined by their relative importance, and by the urgency of the case, or the loss which would probably be sustained by neglect.

If you would make the most of your time, learn to do one thing at once, and endeavour so to perform every work, as to accomplish it in the best possible manner. As you receive but one moment at once, it is a vain thing to think of doing more than one thing at one time; and if any work deserves your attention at all, it deserves to be well done. Confusion, hurry, and heedlessness, often so mar a business, that it would have been better to omit it altogether.

Beware of devolving the duty of to-day on to-morrow. This is called procrastination, which is said, justly, to be "the thief of time." Remember, that every day, and every hour, has its own appropriate work; but if that which should be done this day, is deferred until a future time, to say the least, there must be an inconvenient accumulation of duties in future. But as to-morrow is to every body uncertain, to suspend the acquisition of an important object on such a contingency, may be the occasion of losing forever the opportunity of receiving it. The rule of sound discretion is, never to put off till to-morrow, what ought to be done to-day.

Christian, Be Not Vexed

Willem Teellinck, Redeeming the Time, p. 36:

76. When you begin to consider the things which are happening all over the world, always remember that the Lord is working in them. He who can bring light out of darkness, will yet from the completed and combined work bring forth something glorious. Be not therefore too much vexed that there appears somewhere to come an ill stroke in your own affairs, or in the affairs of God's people in your day, as is now the case; for the Lord would not permit this to take place, did He not mean to use it as a background to give the whole work a more beautiful lustre.

Semper Reformanda

It was Jodocus van Lodenstein, Dutch Puritan, who first coined the saying Ecclesia semper reformanda est ("the church must always be reforming") (Michael Bush, "Calvin and the Reformanda Sayings," in Herman J. Selderhuis, ed., Calvinus sacrarum literarum interpres: Papers of the International Congress on Calvin Research (2008), p. 286).

Andrew Symington, The Principles of the Second Reformation:

The period commencing in 1638, and continuing for the ten years which follow, has been usually known, in the ecclesiastical history of this country, by the designation of the Second Reformation, to distinguish it from a period of longer duration in the preceding century, usually called from its priority, not its excellence, the First Reformation.

Cotton Mather, Introduction to Magnalia Christi Americana, Vol. 1, p. 26:

'Tis very certain, that the first Reformers never intended that what they did should be the absolute boundary of Reformation, so that it should be a sin to proceed any further; as, by their going beyond Wicklift, and changing and growing in their own Models also, and by the confessions of Cranmer, with the Scripta Anglicana of Bucer, and a thousand other things, was abundantly demonstrated.

James Kerr, A Third Reformation Necessary: or, The Piety, Principles, and Patriotism of Scotland's Covenanted Martyrs; With Application to the Present Times:

In the Reformations in the times of Luther, and Knox, and Henderson, the people awoke from their lethargies and rose up in new life to carry on the work to its completion. Be up then and doing, we beseech you, and, by the help of Almighty God, we may yet succeed in driving the battle to the gate. The restoring of the ruined temple of the Covenanted Reformation, and thereby the effecting of a Third Reformation for Scotland,—this is the work of the present hour, the work of every true patriot, of every lover of the Church, of every lover of Christ’s crowns. "When Christ comes," said Richard Cameron, "to raise up His own work in Scotland, He will not want men enough to do it." May He come soon, then, to raise up His tabernacle that is fallen, and restore it from ruins, as in days of old! Awake! why sleepest Thou? Pluck Thy hand, even Thy right hand, out of Thy bosom. Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, Most Mighty, and ride forth for the sake of truth, and meekness, and righteousness. Take to Thee Thy power and reign. Reign over Scotland, and over Ireland, and over England. Reign over Europe, and over Asia, and over Africa, and over America. Take the throne of every heart, and the throne of every household, and the throne of every community, and the throne of every church, and the throne of every nation, and the thrones of all worlds; and let every knee bow and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

"Thou shalt arise, and mercy yet
Thou to Mount Zion shalt extend;
Her time for favour which was set,
Behold! is now come to an end.

"Thy saints take pleasure in her stones;
Her very dust to them is dear;
All heathen lands and kingly thrones
On earth Thy glorious name shall fear."

And, when this sublime prophecy of Old Testament times shall have been fulfilled, there shall go up from the redeemed and emancipated millions of the broad earth, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, the triumphant ascription,—"Alleluia! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth!"

The Duty to Join the Church

Wilhelmus à Brakel, The Christian's Reasonable Service, Vol. 2, pp. 55-56:

It is the duty of everyone who desires to be saved to turn to the church, making diligent effort to be accepted as a member of the church community.

First, this is God's way whereby He leads the elect unto salvation. "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:47); "Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from His people" (Isa. 56:3).

Secondly, this has been the task of the apostles in accordance with their commission (Mat. 28:19), as is to be observed in the entire Acts of the Apostles.

Thirdly, this is consistent with the nature of God's children. As soon as they are converted, they cannot rest until they have been received into the bosom of their spiritual mother (Gal. 4:26).

Fourthly, this is the consistent confession of the church of all ages, and particularly of churches of the Netherlands. In article 28 of the Belgic Confession we read: "We believe, since this holy congregation is an assembly of those who are saved, and that out of it there is no salvation, that no person of whatsoever state or condition he may be, ought to withdraw himself, to live in a separate state from it; but that all men are in duty bound to join and unite themselves with it."...

Fifthly, the church is the glory of Christ. It is there that Christ is confessed and proclaimed throughout the world, being held forth as a banner upon a hill around which one must gather himself. This is the city upon a hill, and a light shining in the darkness. She is the means whereby truth is made known and preserved, and the means unto the conversion of souls. Everyone is therefore obligated to facilitate this by joining himself to the church.

Establish Thou The Work of Our Hands

Herman Witsius, Sacred Dissertations on the Lord's Prayer, pp. 301-302:

But this prayer teaches us (3.) the duty of depending on the favour of God. As the phrase, OUR BREAD, implies a promise of the industry necessary to obtain it in a lawful manner, so the prayer that God may GIVE it to us, contains an acknowledgment that our industry will be of no avail without the divine blessing. It deserves notice that the same chapter of the Book of Proverbs which contains those words, "the hand of the diligent maketh rich,"4 contains also these words, "the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it."1 Before engaging in any work which may belong to our respective callings, let us earnestly implore the blessing of God upon our labours. This is particularly necessary every morning, when we are about to undertake our daily and ordinary duties. Moses2 has furnished us with words singularly appropriate to such occasions: "Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." "The work of our hands," which is mentioned more than once, implies a promise of industry; but a consciousness of dependance on the divine kindness, and a desire to obtain it, are as plainly expressed by the prayer, that "the beauty of the Lord our God may be upon us, and that he may establish the work of our hands."

4 Prov. 10.4
1 Prov. 10.22
2 Ps. 90.17

Father Brakel on Family Worship

Wilhelmus à Brakel, The Christian's Reasonable Service, Vol. 3, pp. 464-465:

The Time of Prayer

First, the time of prayer, considered in a general sense, is every day, every opportunity -- always. Specific times of prayer are when we engage in it corporately -- be it in public gatherings, in private gatherings, or in our individual family worship which ought to be conducted in every Christian family. This ought to occur both morning and evening, and if the opportunity permits it, also at noon. At this time the father -- or if he is absent or unable to do this, the mother -- must read a chapter, speak about it, catechize children and servants, sing a psalm together, and bow and offer a prayer -- all in accordance with the ability the Lord grants each one. Joshua desired to serve the Lord with his house (Josh. 24:15), and Cornelius feared God with all his house (Acts 10:2). One must make of his home a small church, for then the Lord will bless the home. Children and servants will learn to fear the Lord and thus will experience salvation. It will beget mutual love, there will be mutual respect, restraining everyone from sin, and one will exemplify godliness to each other and follow each other in this way. We must make use of all these opportunities, and take them into consideration, both when praying and when following the example of others.

Nadere Reformatie on Common Grace

Herman Kuiper, Calvin on Common Grace, Appendix, pp. i-iv:

Petrus van Mastricht, professor at Utrecht in the latter half of the seventeenth century, and author of a work on Reformed Dogmatics which still has an excellent reputation, recognizes two kinds of divine grace besides saving grace. He speaks of a universal grace, by which God dispenses what he terms natural gifts to each and every creature. According to this author we must attribute to this universal grace food and drink and all those things which are necessary for the preservation of man and beast, and especially those gifts and powers which belong to the nature of man and constitute him a free agent. Van Mastricht also makes mention of a common grace, by which God grants promiscuously to both the elect and the reprobate gifts which pertain to men as moral beings. To this common grace he attributes not only such gifts as ingenuity, wisdom, prudence and all the moral virtues found among the heathen and the unbelieving, but also those gifts which seem to be much more closely related to the benefits of saving grace, namely, the external preaching of the Word and a certain illumination by the Holy Spirit such as is found in men who have temporary faith. 1

Johannes à Marck [(1656-1731)], another very prominent theologian, published in 1686 a compendium which exerted great influence on many succeeding generations of Reformed thinkers. In treating of divine grace he first of all distinguishes between grace as a divine attribute and grace in the sense of the gifts of God's gratuitous favor. With respect to grace in the latter sense he accepts among others the division of common and saving grace. 2 It is remarkable, however, that he usually speaks of a more common grace instead of simply saying common grace when he refers to the divine grace granted to the non-elect. So, for instance, he declares that temporary faith differs from saving faith not only as to its duration but also [as] to its origin, its origin being not truly saving grace, but a more common grace. 3 It is also worthy of note that this writer considers the external preaching of the Gospel, which extends beyond the circle of the elect, a fruit of the more common grace of God, 4 and that he teaches that many of the blessings which redound to those who perish, such as the proclamation of the Gospel, the abolition of idolatry and the illumination of the Spirit, are blessings which proceed from the sacrifice of Christ 5 -- an idea also found with Turretinus 6 and Witsius. 7

Wilhelmus à Brakel, a minister of the Gospel in Rotterdam, published in the year 1700 a popular dogmatics bearing the title Redelyke Godsdienst [The Christian's Reasonable Service]. However men may differ as to the merits of this work, it can hardly be gainsaid that Brakel was in his day the spokesman of a large group of Reformed believers. Speaking of the grace of God, Brakel, after combatting various divisions of grace which he considered erroneous, presents his own scheme in Vol. I, Chapter 30, Section 26. Here it is: [what follows is translated from The Christian's Reasonable Service, Vol. 2, p. 215, one of at least three places à Brakel addresses and distinguishes common and saving grace in this systematic theology: "(1) There must be a distinction between the gift of grace and the given grace. The gift of grace is the goodness of God, the fountain from whom proceeds all the good which a man receives. Given grace refers to the benefits which man receives, has, and possesses. ... (2) Grace is either common or special. God bestows common grace upon all men by granting them temporal benefits. “Nevertheless He left not himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven” (Acts 14:17). To this grace also belongs all the good which God bestows all who are called, by giving them the Word–the means unto repentance and salvation. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11). In addition to this, God generally gives illumination, historical faith, convictions, and inner persuasions to almost become a Christian (cf. Heb. 6:4-6).

Special grace is the effectual call whereby man is illuminated with wondrous spiritual light, effectually changing his wil, and thus in very deed translating him out of darkness into light, out of death to life, and from the dominion of sin and the devil to Christ and His kingdom."]

From this citation it is clear that Brakel attributes to common grace the bodily blessings men receive, the preaching of the Gospel, historical faith and all those gifts of the Spirit which are granted to those who have temporary faith.

1 P. van Mastricht, Theoretico-Practica Theologia, II, 17, 18....II, 17, 16...II, 17, 17...II, 17, 32...

2 Johannes à Marck, Compendium Theologiae Christianae Didactico-Elencticum, IV, 42...

3 idem, XXII, 8...

4 idem, XVIII, 16...

5 idem, XX, 24...

6 F. Turretinus, Institutio Theologiae Elencticae, XIV, 14, 11...

7 H. Witsius, De Oeconomia Foederum Dei, II, 9, 4...

Counsel of Peace

Abraham Hellenbroek's catechism A Specimen of Divine Truths asks the question "What do you understand by the Counsel of Peace?" (Q. 22).

A. The eternal will of the Father to redeem the elect through Christ's suffering, and the will of the Son to offer Himself as the Surety for the elect.

In Nicholas Greendyk's exposition of the catechism, An Explanation of Rev. A. Hellenbroek's Catechism "A Specimen of Divine Truths," pp. 137-138, he first quotes from Herman Witsius' Economy of the Covenants to define this Counsel of Peace, or Covenant of Redemption as it is also called, the special covenant or transaction between Father and Son to effect the salvation of his people.

Herman Witsius, Economy of the Covenants, Vol. 1, pp. 165-166:

II. When I speak of the compact between the Father and the Son, I thereby understand the will of the Father, giving the Son to be the Head and Redeemer of the elect; and the will of the Son, presenting himself as a Sponsor or Surety for them; in all which the nature of a compact and agreement consists. The scriptures represent the Father, in the economy of our salvation, as demanding the obedience of the Son even unto death; and upon condition of that obedience, promising him in his turn that name which is above every name, even that he should be the head of the elect in glory: but the Son, as presenting himself to do the will of the Father, acquiescing in that promise, and in fine, requiring, by virtue of the compact, the kingdom and glory promised to him.

Then Greendyk goes on to quote Isaac Ambrose' intriguing exposition of Isaiah 49, which reveals in dialogue form this Counsel of Peace between Father and Son. I will quote a portion that extracted by Greendyk as well as a little more by Ambrose.

Isaac Ambrose, Looking Unto Jesus, pp. 54-55:

The covenant concerning man's salvation is the last and main particular I instanced in: I dare not be too curious to insist on the order of nature, and the rather, because I believe the covenant betwixt God and Christ from everlasting, is interwoven with the decree, foreknowledge, and election above. So the apostle tells us, "He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world," Eph. 1:4. Mark that, in Christ. There was an eternal plot betwixt the Father and the Son; there was a bargain made (I speak it with reverence) betwixt God and Christ, there was a covenant betwixt the Lord and his Son Jesus Christ, for the salvation of the elect; and of this observe we especially in these following texts.

In Isaiah 49:1,2,3,4. The prophet seems to set it dialogue-ways; one expresseth it thus: First, Christ begins, and shows his commission, telling God how he had called him, and fitted him for the work of redemption, and he would know what reward he should have of him for so great an undertaking. "The Lord hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name, and he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft, in his quiver hath he hid me," Isa. 49:1,2. Upon this, God answers him, and tells him what reward he should have for so great an undertaking; only at first he offers low, viz: only the elect people of Israel. And he said unto me, "Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified: Or, Israel it is in whom I will be glorified by thee," Isa. 49:3. Christ who stood now a making his bargain with him, thought these too few, and not worth so great a labor and work, because few of the Jews would come in, but would refuse him, and therefore he says, he should labor in vain, if this were all his recompense, "Then said I, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain," Isa. 49:4. And yet withal he tells God, that seeing his heart was so much in saving sinners, he would do it howsoever for these few, comforting himself with this, that his work or his reward was with the Lord. Upon this God comes off more freely, and opens his heart more largely to him, as meaning more amply to content him for his pains in dying. "It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel," Isa. 49:6. That is not worth dying for, I value thy sufferings more than so, "I will also give thee for a light to the gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth." Methinks I imagine as if I heard God speak unto Christ from eternity, "See, here I have loved a remnant of mankind both of Jews and gentiles, with an everlasting love, I know they will sin and corrupt themselves, and so become enemies to me, and liable unto eternal death; now thou art a mighty person, able to do what I require of thee for them; if thou wilt take upon thee their nature and sins, and undertake to satisfy my justice and law, and make them a believing holy people, then I will pardon them, and adopt them in thee for my sons and daughters, and make them co-heirs with thee, of an incorruptible crown of life." And then Christ said, "Lo I come, to do thy will, O God," Heb. 10:7,9. Then Christ as it were, struck hands with God, to take upon him the nature and sin of man, and to do and suffer for him whatsoever God required of him. Certainly thus was the whole business of our salvation first transacted betwixt God the Father and Christ, before it was revealed to us. Hence we are said to be given unto Christ. "I have manifested thy name (saith Christ) unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me," John 17:6. This very giving implies, as if the Father in his eternity should have said to the Son, "These I take to be vessels of mercy, and these thou shalt bring unto me, for they will destroy themselves, but thou shalt save them out of their lost estate." And then the Son takes them at his Father's hand, and looking at his Father's will, "This is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing," John 6:39. He thereupon takes care of each, he would not for a world any of them should be lost, which his Father hath given him, they are more dear than so.
...
In Isaiah 42:1.6, this very covenant is expressly mentioned. Thus God speaks of Christ. "Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth: -- I will give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the gentiles," Isa. 53:11. Psalm 40:6. Yea, this covenant and agreement seems to be confirmed with an oath, in Heb. 7:28. And for this service Christ is required to "ask of God and he will give him the heathen for his inheritance," Psalm 2:8. Observe how the church of God is given to Christ, as a reward of that obedience which he showed in accepting of the office of a surety for us. This stipulation some make to be that counsel of peace spoken of by the prophet, "And the counsel of peace shall be betwixt them both," Zech. 6:13. (i.e.) between the Lord, "and the man whose name is the Branch," verse 12. And for this agreement it is that Christ is called the second Adam; for as with the first Adam God plighted a covenant concerning him and his posterity, so also he did indent with Christ and his seed concerning eternal life to be obtained by him.

Promises of God

In Richard Baxter's The Life of Faith, found The Practical Works of Richard Baxter, Vol. 3, he speaks of the value of taking to heart the promises of God. After giving this direction ('Direct. 34. Lay up in your memory, particular, pertinent, and clear promises, for every particular use of faith') he proceeds to list particular scripture promises grouped topically in a list of 27 topics (pp. 657-664). Likewise, Samuel Clark devoted a whole book to compiling particular Scripture Promises topically for the edification and comfort of the saints. How precious are God's promises, and the benefit of keeping them in mind and thereby strengthening our faith ought not to be underestimated.

Jacobus Koelman, The Duties of Parents, p. 94:

159. Because the promises of God are special grounds for use in prayer, you must also have them read and memorize according to their ability certain special promises that God has given us in his Word concerning various matters.We must make these the content of our prayers. It would take too much space to sum them up here. There is a little book by Nicholas Byfield titled The Promises; or a Treatise Showing How a Godly Christian May Support His Heart (London, 1618) in which a large number of these promises have been included.

Nicholas Byfield, The Promises; Or, a Treatise shewing how a godly Christian may support his heart with comfort, Against all the distresses which by reason of any afflictions or temptations can befall him in this life. Containing all the most comfortable places through the whole Bible, orderly digested:

It will be profitable for us to consider briefly the worth of the promises; they are called the unsearchable riches of Christ (Eph. 3:6, 8), to assure us that he is a very rich man that hath his heart stored with the promises of God well applied. The Apostle Peter saith (2 Pet. 1:3) that they are great and precious promises, which God hath given to us. Promises in our hearts are better than pearls or precious stones in our chests. They are the inheritance God gives to his people in this life, and therefore they are called the heirs of promise (Rom. 4); a greater portion than any king on earth can give to his child. The very keeping of the records of these promises was a great prerogative to the Jewish nation (Rom. 9), and it is accounted a singular happiness for the Gentiles that they may now partake of those promises (Eph. 3:6). Little do we know what wrong we do to our souls, when we keep them ignorant of the promises; and it is one of the greatest offices under the sun to dispense these promises to man (2 Tim. 1:1; Titus 1:1-3).

Reformed Thomas à Kempis

Gisbertus Voetius was a great admirer of both Thomas à Kempis and Willem Teellinck. Reflecting the Reformed pietism characteristic of the Nadere Reformatie, or Dutch Further Reformation, in Voetius' preface to Teellinck's treatise on Romans 7, The Wrestlings of a Converted Sinner, Voetius described the writings of Teellinck thus:

In them he has abundantly demonstrated how his mind was engaged with Scripture, his heart always deeply stirred by divine matters, and his spirit transported from idle preoccupation with the world to contemplation of heaven. In summary, what a steadfast and experienced practitioner of his profession he was, so that he may rightly be regarded as a second Thomas à Kempis, albeit a Reformed one, in our age.

Willem Frijhoff and Marijke Spies, Dutch Culture in a European Perspective: 1650, Hard-Won Unity, pp. 363-364:

This was no small praise, considering that Voetius called the latter's Imitation of Christ a godly book second only to the Bible. A Reformed Thomas à Kempis -- this was indeed important, for even though De imitatione Christi was read by many Protestants it was still considered a Roman Catholic book. Willem Teellinck had in fact been apprehensive of its Catholic qualities. He had used the work extensively and quoted entire passages from it, but without citing the source and always within the framework of his own Calvinist doctrine.

Voetius solved this problem differently. He was able to do so thanks to a new translation of the work with a clearly Protestant slant. The translator, the jurist Cornelis Boey (Boyus) ... had added poems with a Calvinist tenor and left out the entire fourth part -- which dealt with the Holy Communion and was thus unacceptable to Protestants. When this translation came off the press, Voetius wrote a recommendation, stressing the importance of the work for the "inner exercise of godliness and devotion." He also wrote an introduction in which he cautioned against certain Catholic elements one might encounter in the text; and he suggested a certain reading "order."

Both Teellinck and Voetius saw the great value of à Kempis' stress on the devotion of the inner spiritual life to God, and desired to extract that and present it to the world in a Reformed context for edification. This is particularly evident in Teellinck's Sleutel der Devotie openende de Deure des Hemels voor ons (The Key of Devotion Opening the Door of Heaven), in which Teellinck borrowed much from à Kempis, without explicit attribution, with the aim of setting his extracts squarely within a Reformed Protestant context.

Arie de Reuver, Sweet Communion: Trajectories of Spirituality from the Middle Ages through the Further Reformation, p. 113:

Teellinck's ambivalent assessment, however, does not detract in the least from the fact that countless times he quotes from Thomas' Imitation. Striking examples of this are, first that his main source consists of a Roman Catholic translation of à Kempis' well-known tract, and second that in his Sleutel Teellinck not only quotes from its first three books, but cites copious passages from the fourth book, which deals with the eucharist, the section that in the Reformed editions of the day was intentionally omitted. To be sure, not just the Sleutel contains a great deal of à Kempis material. The same holds true for his Soliloquium and for his Het Nieuwe Ierusalem. One hardly needs to guess at the cause of Teellinck's "ecumenical" endeavor. The cause is that he recognized himself in a mystical spirituality borne by experiential communion with God and a glowing love for Jesus. While he did not hesitate to cleanse this pre-Reformation spirituality of its "impure stains," his perspective nevertheless embraced a breadth that crossed its own confessional boundaries. The purpose would have been none other than an evangelistic one. For Teellinck was certainly Reformed to the core, but at the same time he was also Christian to the core. As a Reformed Christian he accorded true devotion not just to the Reformed people, but to the entire Christian tradition. He wanted to make this catholic breadth recognizable expressly by his ties to late medieval spirituality.

The Further You Go, The Greater the Temptations

...we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. (Acts 14.22)

C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, p. 209:

The fine flower of unholiness can grow only in the close neighbourhood of the Holy. Nowhere do we tempt so successfully as on the very steps of the altar.

Johannes Hoornbeeck, Spiritual Desertion, pp. 96-97:

Fourth, God's people have these trials in common. They do not touch you alone, with others being passed by; no, they come to everyone. It is true that they touch the one more and the other less, but since they are not sent to anyone except for the purpose of salvation, they bring greater fruit of salvation to those who are more heavily burdened. Think about the most saintly -- above whom you may not place yourself (and you do not want to). Think about Christ, our Lord. How did he bear these trials and abandonments? How much did the Son of God, who could not be abandoned completely, suffer? Truly, everything. And would you now want to be an exception above all these? Certainly not, for do you not consider yourself blessed in their company?

Augustine says, "The Master of medicine has first drunk from the bitter cup himself, so that the sick would not hesitate to drink from it." We have already spoken about Christ's trials. We know that it was said of him, "In all things he was like we are; he was tempted but without sin" (Heb. 4:15). Hence, all those who want to live a godly life in Christ have to expect such oppressions. "Who of the saints," Jerome asks, "has been crowned without battle?" Thomas à Kempis declares, "I have never known a godly person who did not at times have this removal of grace." And Otto Casmannus says, "No one becomes saved who is not trained in this battle, before or in death." All this was not foreign to the saints of the Bible either. Listen to Job in chapters 6 and 7; to David in Psalms 13, 32, 38, 39, 42; to Asaph in Psalm 77; and to Heman in Psalm 88. The man of God Luther, enabled by God, was used daily for the great work of the reformation of God's church, and he felt the abandonment of spirit. Both he and others testified to this. Casmannus says about Luther, "In 1527, the holy man Luther felt the heat of these trials so strongly that he, ill in body and soul from them, lay in bed, and later he himself testified that he would rather be imprisoned in the darkest dungeon his whole life than endure that pain again for one hour." One can name several martyrs who were similarly attacked, often just before their death. Someone therefore said, not without good reason, "Let this be a sign to you to know that when you are advancing on the road to the city of the King and are coming closer, that you will undergo the greatest temptations; the further you go, the greater the temptations. Because God does not give great gifts without great temptations."

Martyr for Calvin

It is often said that the Reformed are followers of a man, John Calvin, rather than Christ. Charles Spurgeon responded to this charge by pointing to the substance of what Calvin preached and identifying it as merely the gospel:

I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.

Wilhelmus à Brakel once wrote a long pastoral letter to the persecuted saints of the Netherlands titled "A Letter of Exhortation to Be Steadfast in the Confession of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Truth in Time of Persecution and Martyrdom." This letter is found in The Christian's Reasonable Service, Vol. 3, pp. 359-376. In it, he discusses various temptations that persecuted believers were subject to, among which is this charge:

The best they can do is laugh about me, calling me a martyr -- not of the Lord Jesus, but of Calvin.

His counsel in the face of such a charge is this:

...there is the temptation of suffering from an evil reputation of being disobedient to the government, of having committed a given evil, of being stubborn, and being but a martyr for the sake of Calvin and his errors. You must skillfully resist this temptation for you know very well that they do not have an evil deed as a basis for torturing you, but they rather do so to cause you to deny the truth. They have but fabricated this evil reputation. You know indeed that Calvin is not the issue; you do not esteem him more highly than other faithful ministers. You do not rely upon his word but only upon the Word of God. God, angels, and believers also know this -- yes, it is even known to the enemies, and they take occasion to harden their heart and render yours weak by way of this evil reputation. Thus, the Jews dealt with the Lord Jesus and said, "For a good work we stone Thee not; but for blasphemy" (John 10:33); "This man calleth for Elias...let us see whether Elias will come to save Him" (Mat. 27:47, 49). It is therefore no wonder that the enemies, having the same nature, do the same things. The Lord will reveal the reason for your suffering in the day of judgment, and your glory in heaven will not be diminished, but be increased. Be therefore faithful.

Getting Past the Word 'Puritan'

It is very easy to dismiss a doctrine or practice as 'Puritan' rather than to study it in the light of the word of God. The practice is very old, and is continued in our culture today, even within the church, even amongst Reformed Christians. In our society, the word 'Puritan' conjures up images of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter or evokes the recollection of H.L. Mencken's quip that "Puritanism is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy." The Puritan-minded are not ashamed of the label assigned to them, but desire above all that people would look at the substance of the thing, more than the label, and Berean-like, then consider whether it is in accord or not with God's word.

Lewis Bayly, The Practice of Piety, p. 86, describes those hindrances which keep sinners back from endeavoring after Biblical piety, among which he lists the use of semantics by the ungodly in their vocabulary designed to label evil good and good evil:

8. The last, and not the least block at which piety stumbles in the course of religion, is by adorning vices with the names of virtues: as to call drunken carousing, drinking of healths; spilling innocent blood, valour; gluttony, hospitality; covetousness, thriftiness; whoredom, loving a mistress; simony, gratuity; pride, gracefulness; dissembling, compliment; children of Belial, good-fellows; wrath, hastiness; ribaldry, mirth: so, on the other side, to call sobriety in words and actions, hypocrisy; alms-deeds, vain-glory; devotion, superstition; zeal in religion, Puritanism; humility, crouching; scruple of conscience, preciseness, &c. And whilst thus we call evil good, and good evil, true piety is much hindered in her progress.

Gisbertus Voetius expounds upon this theme in his Selectae Disputationes Theologicae, "Concerning Practical Theology," Part II, as quoted by John W. Beardslee III, ed. and trans., Reformed Dogmatics: Seventeenth Century Reformed Theology Through the Writings of Wollebius, Voetius, and Turretin, pp. 282-283:

The wholeness and precision of faith and conduct which all the pious are required to seek and to desire have now been assigned by some to a hated "Puritanism." That this has happened to purity of faith and teaching is shown by the vernacular works of the Remonstrants as well as by their Apologia, and by the innovators who began to spread Remonstrant errors in England after the meeting of the Synod of Dort in 1619, and who attacked those who were orthodox in this hateful business, as they regarded it, by the name of Cathari or Puritans; namely, those who were zealous for purity and the orthodox doctrine of the total grace of God, against the old and new scraps of Pelagian depravity. As to conduct and morals, Lewis Bayly, the bishop of Bangor, has witnessed in his widely distributed and famous book The Practice of Piety that piety has often been disparaged under the name of Puritanism. Since we see that the name was first conceived and used by papists in England, in order to have a label for those who desired simplicity of ceremonies and church organization, concern for good works and praxis, it is necessary to inquire whether those on whom they wished to place the label Puritan were ignorant of practical theology or hostile to it. The Puritan teaching must be earnestly studied, to see whether it agrees with the word of God or not, whether it carries on a struggle over shadows and words. I do not remember that it has been proved by anyone that the conduct and praxis that the Reformers urged, and that we urge with them, contradict the word of God.