From Reformation to Further Reformation⤒🔗

After we touched on the views of Luther and Calvin and data from the Reformed confessions about experiential preaching in the previous chapters, we now arrive at the next movement in Dutch church history — the Further Reformation.

It is extremely difficult to precisely describe what we understand by the further Reformation, because it is a rather complex movement. Discussions address the following points:

1. When exactly does the Further Reformation begin? Should Jean Taffin be considered part of it, or does the movement really start with W. Teellinck?
2. How far does the Further Reformation stretch in time? Is it a broad current from 1600 to 1750, that is from W. Teellinck to Th. Van der Groe, or even to Ewaldus Kist (†1822)? Or must we limit it to the 17th century, and classify the remainder as Reformed Pietism?
3. Should we, or can we speak of phases in the movement? If so, what are the characteristics of each of these phases? Or is it better to speak of directions, or perhaps even of modalities with the Further Reformation, each with their own points of orientation? Or should we go for the idea of several focal points, to which I increasingly tend lately? These focal points would then be, among others, Zeeland, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Delft, and the region of Oldambt in Groningen. These are the epicentres of the movement.
   To answer these questions, much research will be needed.
4. Finally, to avoid even more questions, a key question is where the roots lie of the Further Reformation. As of late, fingers especially point in the direction of puritanism in England and Scotland. This would be especially the case for Zeeland. Others, however, think of the influence of medieval mysticism and scholasticism. Besides, didn’t the inheritances of the Middle Ages continue to work in puritanism? Don’t we clearly see these medieval influences get through in the “Utrecht Circle”? People also say, “It was in the air.” But what was in the air in that case, and why was it in the air just at that time, why did it come out of the air expressly with these theologians?

You will notice that many relevant questions remain around the movement of the Further Reformation, and that much research is still required. In any case, and everyone agrees on that, within the Further Reformation preaching takes an extremely important place and function. The preaching is strongly characteristic of it. It was through their sermons that the men of the Further Reformation brought their visions and ideals to the people. Many books they published were based on sermons they had adapted. These are sermons with a unique quality. Experientiality has a standard place in them. The preaching of the Further Reformation is conspicuously experiential preaching.

General characteristics of this preaching←⤒🔗

If we now further explore this preaching of the men of the Further Reformation, we can identify two sets of characteristics. First, there are several general characteristics it shares with contemporary trends. Next, there are characteristics which are unique to this movement itself.

Among the general characteristics we first identify that, in the sermons, departures from the straight and orthodox doctrine are clearly pointed out, opposed, and rejected. In the sermons presented in the churches, people could listen to various elements of the controversies between remonstrants and counter-remonstrants, between Voetians and Cocceians, and so on. Polemics did well on the pulpits. Occasionally the podium would thunder with internal disputes. Also, many ethical, social, and political wrongs and sins among all strata of the people and in government circles were mentioned by name, condemned in sacred terms, and prophetically reprimanded. Entire registers of sins were enumerated. I think of a sermon by Rev. Hieronymus Alutarius of Gorkum about the “Terrifying Flood,” in which popular sins among people of the Alblasserwaard and the Vijfheerenlanden (rural areas east of Rotterdam), were condemned in a very serious manner. They included fornication, indecent clothing, drunkenness, neglect of the poor and widows, extortion, fairs, and card games. Disasters and war-time defeats were interpreted as God’s judgments on the richly blessed but gravely sinning Netherlands. From their preacher’s box , the men of the Further Reformation blazed the trumpet to call with prophetic fire for a “necessary” reformation of life and morality. This was part and parcel of experiential preaching!

Allegorizing, that is spiritualizing text content, was commonly practiced, and the Dutch “old authors” (early experiential preachers) of the Further Reformation were masters of it. One could identify many fine specimens of this. It was especially the Song of Solomon they would run with, but also with the attributes of the temple and the carriage of Solomon. Even common everyday things were applied in spiritual, experiential ways to the relationship between Jesus and the soul, such as a ladies’ tea party “to dampen worldly and vain discourses.”

I also want to point to analogizing, especially in the sermons of the “old authors.” They would take an everyday aspect and then say that they are similar spiritually. For instance, someone who does not feel sick does not go to see a doctor. Similarly, someone who does not feel his sins, who does not feel spiritually sick, would also not go to Jesus, the great Doctor. Hence, one must first feel spiritually sick before one may go to Jesus. In that way, they use a logical, natural conclusion from natural life to explain a text.

The final general tendency I want to mention is the mystical moment in the preaching. That was, as it were, “in the air” at the time. We also find it in the sermons of Anabaptists, Walloons, serious Cocceians, and even Remonstrants of that time. However, with the preaching of the Further Reformation, it is fully developed. Here lies the experiential charisma of this movement. That brings into view the special features of this preaching.

Special properties←⤒🔗

We first pay attention to the broad application (applicatio). Normally, only a brief application is given of the text and its context. However, in their sermons, Further Reformation preachers quickly move on to the application, of which, in comparison to other movements, they are the masters. One may call their sermons “applicable sermons.” Their word was straight to the point, even if they often spoke in the third person about “the man, the sinner” as was the custom at the time. They penetrated the hiding-places of the human heart and everything that may trouble it. They had consideration for the various conditions of spiritual life. They warned against self-deception and called for self-examination, to see whether people inwardly knew the matters the words referred to. They questioned whether their daily life really corresponded with the regulations of the Lord, for by its fruits one knows the tree.

Within this broad application, one can hear a heavy tone of penance. False Christians were shaken to wake up. The preachers indicated well what the difference was between appearance and reality, announced curse and judgment, sharply proclaimed the justice of God regarding the souls and the hidden aspects of the heart, and where possible, admonished people to humble themselves before the Lord God.

In this way, they fully entered experiential life. The “old author” likes to speak about spiritual states in which a human may find himself. This was home turf for this preacher, and he displayed much experience from a personal charisma. There were even preachers who would speak about experiential matters straight from their own hearts. This led to sermons without prior studied preparation but presented straight from the impulse and leadership of the Holy Spirit. They would then speak about experientiality from experientiality! In that way, various states of the unregenerated and regenerated would be depicted, in which each preacher had his personal sensitivity for a certain state. For instance, “old father” Smytegelt was especially and always again occupied with “the troubled,” because, as many said, he was still troubled himself; and Rev. Theodorus van der Groe paid much attention to the “false believer” and “false grace,” because he himself used to be a false believer like that himself!

Within this exhibit of experientiality in the preaching, they provided much room for the so-called marks by which to know whether one did or did not belong to the children of God. In these marks one could solidly distinguish the vile from the real, the false from the true. These marks served three roles in the sermons of the Further Reformation. First, they intended to uncover the listeners from false grounds, so they would not think to be regenerated if they lacked the life and experiences of the regenerated. Further, by naming and accurately describing the marks, they meant to help the doubtful ones discover whether they already had some grace and right experiences. In the third place, by mentioning the marks, the preacher wanted to teach the listeners to determine their part in the grace and election of God and so to bring them to certainty that they did really belong, by observing the presence of one or more marks in their own lives. In that way, among others, at best the unregenerated would be exposed, and, at worst, the regenerated would still be comforted. In his “Het Gekrookte Riet” (The Bruised Reed, see Isaiah 42:3), Rev. Smytegelt mentions no less than 296 marks, especially for the troubled ones.

Thus, this preaching of the Further Reformation can be characterized as deeply analytical and sharply discriminating preaching. The listeners are increasingly divided into all kinds of sorts or classes. This is also called the classification method. They initially distinguish between two states with a clear and very sharp caesura. The two states are the unregenerated or unconverted state and the regenerated or converted state. In that way there are children of the devil, the ungodly, but also children of God, the pious. Within each of these two states they further distinguish between many conditions or stations, into which members of the congregation may be sorted or sort themselves. This distinguishing and sorting is already found in the beginning of the movement. For instance, Rev. Willem Teellinck already dissected and separately addressed four types of name-Christians in his “Een Diaologue” (1607). As the movement developed further, these distinctions were increasingly systematized, according to a dogmatically defined and logical order of salvation. This order of salvation always begins with one’s initial being uncovered to his sins and knowledge of his own depravity. For the second aspect of what one must then experientially learn and live through, this must develop into being troubled, one’s sense of sin, and consternation with guilt by a sharp preaching of the law. After all, it is the law that exposes one to his misery. This is the way it goes with all whom the Holy Spirit cultivates towards salvation. Only after this the Gospel can be opened. Defeated sinners may be directed to Christ, who is successively discovered as necessary, fitting, and precious. That is how they seek their refuge with the Saviour, initially with much fear and trembling, but gradually with more conviction and confidence to then embrace him in faith and make him their own. Next, in him they will find justification, sanctification, and assurance. This assurance may then be mediate or immediate. It is mediate if one is assured by the promises in the Bible that all who accept Christ in faith are true children of God. It is immediate, if the Holy Spirit in an especially powerful and sweet way assures us in our heart with inner conviction that we are the Lord’s. In this way the soul attains the peak of mystical living in and living through salvation with the immediate assurance and sealing of the Spirit.

The specialty of the sermons of the representatives of the Further Reformation lies in these descriptions of the inner experiential life and attempts to provide spiritual leadership in temptations, abandonments and fluctuations. In this aspect, the Further Reformers had their own charisma. A.A. van Ruler once said that this “experiential theology, according to its pastoral character, brought about a sharply analyzing and deep drilling psychology for the pneumatic (spiritual) life, long before people knew of modern depth psychology.”

Comparison and evaluation←⤒🔗

If we now generally compare this preaching of the Further Reformation with that of the Reformation, especially that of Calvin, we certainly notice the difference. In the preaching of the Further Reformation the proclamation of the promises of the Gospel is pushed to the background through the exposition of the marks and states of grace. Emotional experiences of the Christian rise above the deeds of salvation of the Christ: “The analytical concept of faith betrays the extent to which attention is concentrated on the believing person and his experiences. While experientiality is inherent to faith in the Reformation, experiential enjoyment receives added value here (in the Further Reformation, T. Br.) above accepting in faith” (J. van Genderen).

With Calvin, all preaching is proclamation of the promise indeed. It is about a living proclamation of God’s grace and gospel of salvation for the whole congregation, and for everyone who gets to hear this gospel. On behalf of God, Calvin directly calls for faith in Jesus and assures people from the beginning of the full salvation in this Saviour, while he also warns with deep gravity for the rejection of God’s word of promise and the love of Christ in it. Preaching is, in its totality, from the beginning to the end proclamation of God’s will of salvation for sinners. One may respond in faith or unbelief to that proclamation, and that response is also in totality. In that way Calvin definitely also knows of the caesura, and discerning preaching, but he does not know the classification method of the Further Reformation. He does know of people who are entangled and hardened in their sins and unbelief and all the experiences that come with it. He does know of people in temptation, abandonment, joy and gratitude. However, Calvin sees all these situations as the variable and possibly frequently returning moments in the lives of his hearers. Calvin does not know of the tempted, the troubled, the confirmed, the assured, and the sealed, who at one point have left the station behind of their struggle, being troubled, confirmation and so on, to which they never will return and in which the state of assurance should be viewed as the terminal of faith. In his sermons, Calvin had an open eye and a warm heart for the variability of the life of faith and the variety of situations of life of both unbelievers and believers, but all of it remained covered under the same proclamation of the gospel, which is paired with the certain testimony of the one certainty of faith, that he who believes is the Lord’s forever. That is fully biblical and confessional-reformed experientiality.