30
October 1711 A.D. Dutch Theologian and
Pastor, Wilhelmus à Brakel, passes
to the next world.
Wilhelmus à Brakel (2 January 1635, Leeuwarden – 30 October 1711, Rotterdam), a contemporary of Voetius and Witsius, was a major representative of the Dutch Further Reformation (known in Dutch as De
Nadere Reformatie). This movement was contemporaneous
with and greatly influenced by English
Puritanism. Scholars in the Netherlands have defined this movement as follows:
“The Dutch Second
Reformation is that movement within the Dutch Reformed Church during the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, which, as a reaction to the declension or
absence of a living faith, made both the personal experience of faith and
godliness matters of central importance. From that perspective the movement
formulated substantial and procedural reformation initiatives, submitting them
to the proper ecclesiastical, political, and social agencies, and/or in
conformity therewith pursued in both word and deed a further reformation of the
church, society, and state.”
à Brakel and his ministry functioned
at the approximate center of this Pietistic movement, both historically and
theologically. On a time line, beginning in 1606 with the ministry of the
father of the Nadere Reformatie, Willem
Teellinck, and terminating in 1784 with the death of Theodorus
Vander Groe, à Brakel's ministry (particularly his most important pastorate in
Rotterdam from 1683–1711) marks the center of this time line. However, more
significantly, his ministry represents a remarkable balance of the Nadere
Reformatie relative to both its early and concluding stages.
His prominence as a major
representative of this movement is largely due to his magnum opus The
Christian’s Reasonable Service. After its initial
publication in 1700, this four volume work was quickly recognized as a
monumental contribution to the literature of the Nadere
Reformatie. It has been argued by scholars that this work is a
synthesis of the best Puritan literature published in
England and the Netherlands. Nadere
Reformatie scholar, F. Earnest Stoeffler puts it this way, “He
supplied Reformed Pietism with a theological
textbook which…came out of a tradition wholly native to the Netherlands. In it
he…preserved the balance between the mystical and ethical elements in
Christianity which is so characteristic of the great Pietists in the Reformed
communion.”
As a result of this work, à Brakel has
permanently endeared himself to hearts of Reformed believers in the
Netherlands. Already during his lifetime, the affection for him was such that
he was fondly referred to as “Father Brakel”—a title by which he is known in
the Netherlands until this day. For more than three centuries the influence of The
Christian’s Reasonable Service has been such that
“Father Brakel” continues to be the most influential of all the representatives
of the Nadere Reformatie
(frequently referred to today as Dutch Puritanism). Since the publication of The
Christian’s Reasonable Service in English, his
influence is growing steadily among both scholars and lovers of Puritan literature as well.
The uniqueness of à Brakel's work lies
in the fact that it is more than a systematic theology. His selection of the
title is already an indication that it was not merely his intention to present
a systematic explanation of Christian dogma to the public. In selecting the
words of Romans 12:1 as the basis for his title, à Brakel not only wished to
indicate that it is an entirely reasonable matter for man to serve the God who
has so graciously revealed Himself in His Son Jesus Christ by means of His
Word, but he primarily wished to convey that God demands from man that he serve
Him in spirit and in truth, doing so in an intelligent, reasonable, and godly
manner.
à Brakel wrote this work for church
members—not for theologians, though it was his wish that they benefit from it
as well. This explains why this work is permeated with practical application of
the doctrines he so thoroughly explains. à Brakel's intent in writing is
inescapable: He intensely wished that the truths expounded may become an
experiential reality in the hearts of those who read. He establishes the
crucial relationship between objective truth and the subjective experience of
that truth.
Experiential theology explains how the
doctrines of Scripture become an experiential reality in the hearts and lives
of believers. One could say that experiential religion is doctrine experienced.
It is unquestionably à Brakel’s intense desire that his exposition of the
doctrines of Scripture would lead to the experience of the reality of these
doctrines. Once you grasp this, you will observe how in the theological
sections of his chapters he lays the ground work for the experiential
application. His aim in “doing theology” is the edification of the believer. He
does this by describing what the experiential application of the expounded
doctrine should be, and by describing what it often is when believers struggle
to appropriate the precious truths of Scripture.
Works
- Brakel, Wilhelmus à. The Christian's Reasonable Service. 4 vols. Translated by Bartel Elshout. Grand Rapids, Michigan—Reformation Heritage Books.
No comments:
Post a Comment