Petrus Dathenus, The Pearl of Christian Comfort, trans. Arie W. Blok (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2005). $6.

Reviewed by Rev. Shane Lems

Petrus Dathenus was a laborer for Reformed churches in the mid to later sixteenth-century. He preached and taught in Dutch Reformed churches; he also translated the newly written Heidelberg Catechism into Dutch in 1563 and published a metrical Psalter for singing. Dathenus had a hand in many liturgical resources for Reformed churches, including the forms for the administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Interestingly, with others of his day, he literally carried his pulpit on his back and preached from town to town, sometimes to crowds as large as ten or fifteen thousand.

One influential booklet that Dathenus penned was De Paarl der Christelijke Vertroosting (The Pearl of Christian Comfort). This booklet was originally a series of letters that Dathenus wrote to Elizabeth DeGrave to help her on spiritual matters. After his death, they were published in book form in 1624. This series of letters reads a bit differently than books today, because it is a dialogue. Joel Beeke notes that in this era and location in Holland, dialogue was a popular way to correspond with friends. This book, then, is a fictional dialogue between Dathenus and Elizabeth, a dialogue to help comfort her troubled soul.

Elizabeth comes to Petrus in a terribly sorrowful mood, so dejected that “one would almost become depressed just by looking at you” (p. 1). As is soon evident, Elizabeth’s soul is frightened because of the demands of the law, demands that she just cannot keep no matter how hard she tries. Dathenus quickly realizes her error: “It seems to me that your sorrow is such a sorrow, and arises out of a great misunderstanding, which is that you do not distinguish between the law and the gospel because you do not rightly know the Lord Jesus” (p. 2). He then exhorts Elizabeth for more than eighty pages to learn to regard Jesus not as another fierce Moses, an accuser and condemner, but as an Advocate and Savior as he is, properly (Ibid.). Indeed, “we say that God’s ministry is divided into the distinct parts of law and gospel” (p. 7). As well as a clear law/gospel distinction, Dathenus trains Elizabeth in other biblical themes such as faith alone, imputation, and gratitude for salvation.

This booklet is a counseling booklet in the spirit of the Reformation. As I was reading it, several times I thought I heard hints of Luther’s story as he regarded Christ as a severe judge before his conversion. As many know, a huge emphasis of Luther was to properly divide the Word—law and gospel—for no one can be a Christian teacher if he or she does not do that. This book divides the Word rightly. Dathenus walked in Ursinus’ footsteps, as Ursinus in his Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism also stressed loudly the duty for Christians—especially teachers and preachers—to distinguish between the two parts of the Bible, the law and gospel. This booklet follows Reformation teaching.

Dathenus' letters are full of Scripture. The average page has at least four clear Scripture citations as well as several alluded verses. He knew Scripture well, and he knew the difference between command and promise, law and gospel. His whole counseling method was governed by this distinction. Not only is this book a helpful tool for understanding the Reformation, it is also a great resource for living the Christian life and counseling troubled souls. Since it is written in a genre that is somewhat foreign to us, it may not be the most exciting book you’ve ever read, but it certainly is worth the effort. Also, since it is only 87 pages, it is not overly daunting. I highly recommend it!

Ratramn, On the Body and Blood of the Lord (London: Oxford, 1838). Free at Google Books.

Reviewed by Rev. Shane Lems

Around 880 AD, a priest and monk named Ratramn (or Bertram) in Corbey, France, wrote a treatise on the Lord’s Supper. Charles the Bald requested Ratramn to write this booklet to oppose the view of Paschasius Radbertus, another priest and monk in the medieval Christian church. Radbertus essentially set forth what would later be known as the Roman doctrine of transubstantiation. Ratramn opposed that view in this little treatise, arguing from Scripture and earlier church fathers for what is now called a Reformed view of the Supper (see the Belgic Confession of Faith 35, for one example).

The historical reception of this book is varied. Of course, many later Roman Catholic theologians would reject and refute it, while others in and outside the pale of the Roman church would accept and embrace it. For example, English reformer Bishop Nicholas Ridley (martyred in 1555), said that Ratramn “was the first that pulled me by the ear, and forced me from the common error of the Roman church, to a more diligent search of Scripture and Ecclesiastical writers on this matter.” Francis Turretin in his Institutes also lauds this treatise in his discussion of the Lord’s Supper.

The treatise is clear, concise, and to the point. Ratramn opens by clearly setting forth the two options. Do the elements contain Christ’s body and blood “to the eye of faith alone” or in them does our “sight gazeth on that body outwardly?” (p. 3). Ratramn goes on to explain figures of speech in Scripture, including statements like I am the living bread and I am the vine: “for substantially Christ is not Bread, nor is Christ a Vine, nor are the Apostles Branches” (p. 4). These are figures of speech which direct us to a spiritual truth.

Another helpful section is paragraph XLIII (p. 24), where Ratramn discusses the visible/invisible and outward/inward aspects of the Holy Supper. “Whence they are called the Body and Blood of Christ, because they are received not as what they outwardly appear, but as they are made inwardly by the operation of the Spirit of God.” As our bodies are physically fed and sustained by the bread and wine, so are our souls refreshed and nourished by the living Bread, Christ (Ibid.). Ratramn is clear: “For in its nature it is bread, but sacramentally it is the true body of Christ, as the Lord Jesus Himself declareth, ‘this is my body’” (p. 30). Almost 700 years later, the Reformation and Reformed orthodox would use nearly the exact same statements in describing the Supper.

There are many other clear discussions of sacramental language, the spiritual feast in the Supper, and biblical support for Ratramn’s position in this treatise. He also has extensive quotes from the church fathers, including Ambrose, Hierom, Augustine, Fulgentius, and others. Clearly, Ratramn views himself not as an inventor or innovator, but a follower of those who had gone before him. He even says that he was “not leaning to my own wit, but following in the steps of the Holy Fathers (p. 3).

I highly recommend reading and studying this short treatise for a few reasons. First, it is indeed a wonderful exposition of the spiritual feast we have in the Lord’s Supper: it is devotional. Second, it shows that Calvin didn’t make up his “spiritual” understanding of the Lord’s Supper: it is a good lesson in historical theology. Third, it is relatively easy to read, which makes it a good tool for teaching and learning: it is doctrinal. This book can be found in its entirety on Google Books, and even if you’re on a tight budget, you can print and staple this short book for a very low cost. Google Books also has the original Latin version if you want to compare the English and the Latin. The book is simple, short, clear, helpful, and inexpensive. There are no excuses why you shouldn’t read it!

Willem Teelinck, The Path of True Godliness, trans. Annemie Godbehere, ed. Joel R. Beeke (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2006). $11.00.

Reviewed by Rev. Shane Lems

In a word, this book is a workout. It is a workout because many Christians today are only accustomed to books full of “steps;” how to have a better marriage, how to be successful in the workplace, how to hear the Spirit’s voice in a noisy world, and so on. It is a workout because this is not another moralistic manual written at an eight-grade level. Teelinck’s Path of True Godliness is a book about sin, about mortification, about the difference between heaven and hell, about living Reformation theology every day. This book is a workout because it hurts to hear about the reality of sin and eternal death, yet it is a profitable workout because it highlights the truths of the things of God, the unseen things that never pass away.

Joel Beeke’s introduction helps set the stage for the book. Beeke rightly notes that the reader must take two important factors into mind when reading this book. First, the historical context in Teelinck’s pastoral ministry was full of laxity and indifference about matters of the faith. People came late to church if they came at all; often they would chat during the service or put off the baptism of their children. Parents were not teaching their children the truths of the faith and the Lord’s Supper was treated as a trivial nicety. Secondly, he was writing to encourage Christians and exhort them not to be conformed to this world, not to love this world, and other similar biblical exhortations on sanctification.

The Path of True Godliness is separated into nine sections:
bq. 1) The character of true godliness
2) The kingdom of darkness opposes the practice of godliness
3) The kingdom of grace promotes godliness
4) Godly living is the true goal of life
5) The means to attain the true purpose of life
6) Using God-given means to practice true godliness
7) Motives to practice godliness derived from God’s attributes
8) Motives to practice godliness derived from our own condition
9) Three more reasons for practicing godliness.

There is not a Scripture index nor is there a detailed breakdown of the table of contents, both of which would have been helpful, but there are section headings throughout the book, which makes for ease of reading and referencing.

One of my favorite parts of the book is Teelinck’s section on suffering and affliction in chapter three (for reasons of brevity, I will limit the description to a few sentences, though the entire section is outstanding). Teelinck wrote that the Spirit offers suffering believers three assurances in their suffering: 1) They are precious in God’s sight, 2) They will greatly benefit from their afflictions, and 3) They will not be given more than they can bear (1 Cor 10.13). Under this third point, he reminds us that the cup of suffering sent our way will never be stronger than we are able to bear (p. 115). It will be prepared not according to our merits but according to our strength. “Although a loving father uses a stinging switch to bring his child to his senses, he does not wear the rod out on the back of his child or beat him mercilessly but uses it with restraint. God’s children would lose all courage if they saw a sharp rod such as Assur…or the devil assault them unless they know that God’s hand was holding the rod. Knowing that consoles them and gives them hope” (ibid.).

One area that Teelinck disappointed was in chapter six, where he discussed using God-given means to advance in godliness. Here I thought he would strongly emphasize the means of grace—preaching, and the two sacraments. Instead, he focused on private prayer, devotions, and daily self-examination–of course these things are very important for the Christian, but the means of grace are the chief means to godliness (Cf. WLC Q/A 155). On the other hand, private habits of godliness in the Christian life are sometimes neglected, so it can be beneficial to emphasize these things as Teelinck did. Also worth noting is the fact that Teelinck wrote extensively about the Lord’s Supper (p. 23).

In summary, this book is not an easy or comfortable read. It does not make a person feel good about himself because Teelinck calls sin what it is and describes the devil in stark terms. However, he also makes the reader look away from himself to the Scriptures, the gospel, God’s attributes. For that reason, it is worth the read: in this book the reader is surrounded by Scripture and shown the stark difference between worldliness and godliness as well as the mercy, love, and grace of God. Here is Teelinck’s emphasis in one sentence: “We must therefore begin to practice all this, not in our own strength, which means absolutely nothing, but in the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is the strength of our life and by whom we can do all things…(Eph. 6.10)” (p. 39).

Nicolaas H. Gootjes, The Belgic Confession: Its History and Sources (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007). $22.79.

Reviewed by Rev. Wes Bredenhof

Over the years, numerous commentaries have been published on the firstborn of our confessional family, the Belgic Confession. Most of these commentaries give a brief overview of the history of the Confession, but these introductions are typically regurgitated from the research of others. Moreover, up till the publication of this book, we did not have a work in English dedicated to the study of the history and background of the Belgic Confession.

The author, professor of dogmatics at the Theological College of the Canadian Reformed Churches in Hamilton, Ontario, has carefully studied all the available source documents and presents some fresh, surprising results. Since the publication of his earlier research on the subject, we knew for certain that the authorship of the Confession rests with Guido de Bres. But what we didn’t know was how much of a threat de Bres presented to the Roman Catholic Church. This knowledge comes through a relatively unknown painting of the era in which de Bres is included with other Reformers such as Calvin, Beza, and Luther. Gootjes includes a reproduction of the painting along with some valuable commentary.

Besides his fascinating discussions of the history and authorship of the Confession, the author also explores the influence of Calvin and Beza. The mention of the latter is especially interesting, since he is often overlooked in discussions (in English) regarding the sources of the Confession. Through the course of three chapters, Gootjes traces the development of the authority of the Confession, noting that it was adopted by the churches in the Netherlands very early on, probably even before its publication in 1561. Chapter 7 deals with the Synod of Dort and the discussions concerning the Confession at the Synod and leading up to the Synod. This is an engaging section, especially for its portrayal of Arminius and his fudging with the Confession. With an eye to discussions of our day, it was also remarkable that the Synod of Dort discussed the inclusion of the doctrine of the active obedience of Christ. The chairman of the Synod, Bogerman, attempted to have Article 22 rephrased so as to make room for a denial of this doctrine. In the end, all the delegates except for two (Bogerman and one other) voted this down and instead decided to strengthen the statement about this matter. The book concludes with a chapter surveying the various translations—this chapter is meant to be a survey, so it is not comprehensive (the early history of the Confession in Spanish is not mentioned, for instance). Nevertheless, it does reveal the widespread adoption of this creed.

Being a student of the Belgic Confession myself, I have been long anticipating this work. Gootjes did not disappoint! I am confident that this will be the definitive English source on the Confession’s history for many years to come.

Graeme Goldsworthy, Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics: Foundations and Principles of Evangelical Biblical Interpretation (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2006). $19.14.

Reviewed by Rev. Wes Bredenhof

There is nothing more important than rightly understanding the Bible. In its essence, we believe that the Bible is a clear revelation from God. Yet because of the fall, what should be clear is many times clouded by human sin and weakness. For this reason, when there are difficulties in understanding the Scriptures, it is the divine Scriptures themselves that must shed light and lead the way.

One man from our own tradition who understood this was Dr. Seakle Greijdanus (1871–1948). Greijdanus was a professor of New Testament in the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands. In 1946 he published his most important work, Scripture Principles for Scripture Interpretation. In this book (a summary of which can be found at my website, www.bredenhof.ca), Greijdanus drew out in detail what it means to believe that “Scripture interprets Scripture.” We call this a presuppositional approach to hermeneutics; this approach to the science of Scripture interpretation says that we have to begin with the presupposition that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God that also speaks to this science.

In Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics, Graeme Goldsworthy (a retired lecturer from Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia) follows the same presuppositional method of Greijdanus, develops it further, and applies it to our contemporary situation. In the first four chapters, Goldsworthy lays out the presuppositions for a Biblical way of interpreting the Bible. While not mentioning Greijdanus, he does give credit to another Reformed theologian from our tradition who promoted presuppositional methodology, Cornelius Van Til. In the following section, the author goes through the history of hermeneutics and illustrates the various ways in which the gospel has been eclipsed through different theological and philosophical developments. In the final section, using what he developed in the first section and taking the cautions of history to heart, Goldsworthy proposes a reconstruction of “evangelical hermeneutics” along biblical, gospel-centered lines. He concludes with a helpful section on “hands-on hermeneutics,” a “proposed list of some important ingredients in understanding the Bible.”

This is an important book for our age, an age (not unlike others) in which proper understanding of the Scriptures is under attack. While it is a technical book that would serve well as a text for college and seminary students, informed “laypeople” would also benefit from Goldsworthy’s gold. This is the third Goldsworthy book that I’ve read in the last year ( According to Plan & Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture being the others) and while the other two are also worth recommending, Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics is his best work I've read to date.