This article gives a biographical overview of Gijsbertus Voetius and the role he played in the Second Reformation or Further Reformation.

Source: The Banner of Truth (NRC), 1986. 3 pages.

Gijsbertus Voetius Teacher Through His Word and Life

The faithfulness of the Lord can be seen in giving watchmen upon the walls of His church. Watchmen who urged the necessity of the practice of godliness, and faith that will be shown in fruits.

These were earnest preachers, who emphasized the necessity of a further reformation of the churches. They warned against a dead orthodoxy wherein the practice of life by faith was missed. They emphasized the importance of the marks of a new life, so that hypocrites and almost-Christians would be discovered. God's own work would then be revealed and the living church would be strengthened. How necessary it is also today that we are taught who the children of God are, what they experience, what the fruits are and that these fruits will be seen in their life.

How necessary that the difference between historical faith, temporary faith and true saving faith be explained! That we may hear how sinners are led to Christ and in what way room will be made for His perfect Sacrifice. It is very important that also the steps in the life of grace are taught. We see God's wisdom and care over His church in giving not only earnest preachers, but also instructors, champions for the truth, who allied sound instruction in the doctrine with the practice of godliness.

There is difference of gifts also among God's servants and other workers in the vineyard, but if it is well, they build upon the same foundation and love the same experiential truth wherein God receives all honor for His work. And so not only Teellinck but also Voetius, the renowned professor at the Univer­sity of Utrecht, was used for the building up of God's church.

Gijsbertus Voetius:  Teacher Through His Word and LifeGijsbertus Voetius was born at Heusden in 1589, as son of an old noble family. His father, Paulus Voet, was a knight and belonged to the higher class of the nation.

We read in 1 Corinthians 1:26: "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.''

But the Lord also took some of the noble to be pillars in His church. However, they all will have learned by the work of the Spirit what we read in 1 Corinthians 1:28: "that no flesh should glory in His presence.''

The Lord blessed Voetius with rich talents which he was enabled to use in God's Kingdom. In 1604 he went to Leiden to study under famous professors, including Gomarus, who was a champion of the truth in defending the doctrine of salvation by free grace against the Arminians. Voetius was con­vinced of the necessity of this battle and agreed completely with his instructor.

Very soon afterwards he became a private teacher and became involved as a young man in the training of theologians. In 1611 he was installed as minister in the church at Vlijmen, located in a predominantly Catholic area. There he qualified himself in the Arabian language which was important for his future task. In 1617 he became minister in his native city of Heusden. At this time he became more involved in the struggle with the Arminians. Voetius became an eminent scholar, an expert in various languages.

Teellinck's practical writings made a deep impression upon him. He sup­ported Teellinck and agreed with his ideas, as well as his strict conceptions about the keeping of the Sabbath.

He expressed his opinions in Proeve van de cracht der godsaligheyt (1631). This "power of godliness" has to be seen in the life of the believers.

The scholarly Voetius was a man who stood with both feet in the reality of life. He did not withdraw himself from society. He was for some time an army chaplain and experienced the siege of 's-Hertogenbosch. He married Deliana van Diest, out of which wedlock ten children were born, of whom two became professors and were a help for their father.

Voetius was for many years a professor in theology and oriental languages at the University of Utrecht. He continued to be a preacher and a shepherd, too. His practical writings display great erudition, which was allied to childlike piety. Utrecht became a stronghold of orthodoxy and students came from far away, also many from foreign countries.

The Lord used this faithful servant to defend the truth as a watchman upon Zion's walls. Not only Arminianism, but also the ideas of Descartes (Cartesius) were a danger for the church. Descartes is sometimes called "the father of rationalism," and his ideas penetrated much of the theology of the eighteenth century. Descartes did not want to accept the revealed truth a priori (without proofs). No, he trusted on the ratio (i.e., reason) as an equivalent source of knowledge with the Scriptures. He be­lieved that by our human ratio we can construct a mathematical system of truth. His ideas also penetrated the Reformed churches.

Man is so proud, he likes to comprehend and if he cannot explain, he is unwilling to accept. The lesson that the Lord Jesus gave unto His disciples when putting a child in the midst of them, is so practical and necessary for us. A child trusts his father and believes his word. A little child does not discuss but accepts it, for ... father has said so.

There were more dangers which threatened the young Reformed churches. There was the error of dispensationalism, views advanced by Johannes Cocceius, professor of Hebrew in the University of Franeker and later professor of theology in Leiden. Cocceius was really a gifted theologian, who wrote his own dogmatics and made some sound contributions to the development of the truth. But he advanced views that were contrary to our confession. He taught a kind of dispensationalism wherein he revealed a view on the covenant that emphasized the historical and temporal character of various dispensations of the covenant.

In conformity with these, Cocceius and his followers also attacked the Sabbath and they insisted that the Lord had not intended that one day of the week would be a special day of worship for the new dispensational church.

They argued that the Sabbath commandment was only ceremonial and now in the new dispensation we are free to serve God and are not bound to a certain day which we would have to hallow. This was a dangerous attack on the hallowing of the Lord's Day.

In this "Sabbath conflict," Voetius was a defender of the strict hallowing of the Lord's Day. Also in this respect he favored the ideas of the English Puritans. And indeed, by the respect shown to God's Day we can see the state of religion in a country, in a church and also in personal life.

When God renews our heart, then there will be love and high esteem for God's people, for His ordinances and also for the Sabbath.

Voetius, the learned professor at the University of Utrecht, was a humble student in the school of free grace. Gijsbertus Voetius:  Teacher Through His Word and LifeThis appears in his writings, lessons, and daily life. Characteristically, he spoke about "science which has to be combined with piety" at his installation as a professor. His notions are evident in his book about Beoefening van de vroomheid ("exercitia pietatis," 1669).

This book contains practical instruction, advice and encouragements, about prayer, as well as obstacles for prayer, answers to prayer, reverence and piety in prayer; spiritual mourning and gladness; the right way to spend your days at work; the keeping of the Sabbath; spiritual desertions; dying well; martyrdom, and the conversation of Christians.

That he was a man of practice is clearly proved by his catechizing the little orphan children in his city. Therein can be seen the true fear of God, which makes upright and humble. His bio­grapher wrote: "There was no greater delight for him, than to teach even the smallest children in some odd corner between the high walls of the old church and that in a very familiar and simple way."

It happened sometimes that learned foreign theologians, planning to visit him, seeing he was not at home and hearing that he was in the church, went there and found him in the midst of "his children."

It seemed quite unusual to them to find there a simple man, with professorial respectability, making himself of an insignificant stature by spending some of his precious time instructing little children in the first principles of godliness. Perhaps certain visitors felt this task to be too insignificant for this renowned scholar, but the professor felt highly privileged to be enabled to teach the little ones the elements of truth.

This well-armored warrior of the doctrine of free grace stayed some hours peacefully among his young "students." He saw the great importance of this early instruction and was able, in spite of his broad education and his high position, to give his lessons in a simple way.

What a privilege to have humble watchmen upon Zion's walls, such examples of the truth that they taught and defended!

Gijsbertus Voetius:  Teacher Through His Word and LifeHe remained an active preacher until 1673, when he was 84 years old and was active in his professorship until one month before his death in 1676. Because of his profound influence in theology through instruction in various positions, by preaching and by writing, Voetius can be considered the most important representative of the Second Reformation.

He was highly influenced by others, including W. and E. Teellinck, the English Puritans, and also medieval mysticism (e.g., Thomas A Kempis).

Above all, he was taught in that experiential knowledge of the truth by the same Teacher, at the same school, as Mary attended, who received instruction at Jesus' feet.

Who is our instructor? What is the place that we desire?

His instruction gives us a place among little children and will enable God's servants also to feed the lambs of the flock.

Such men, in humbleness, will be useful to the welfare of the church and of our families.

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