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!

David Powlison, Seeing With New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2003). $13.21.

Reviewed by Rev. Wes Bredenhof

Whether we like it or not, we live in a psychologized world. By that I mean that psychology and psychiatry have donated various concepts to our general societal outlook. As believers, we are not immune to these trends—in fact, there are a good many authors who would try and have us accept various psychological theories and perspectives as consistent with the Christian worldview.

We can thank God for an author like David Powlison who thinks critically about these developments. Powlison teaches Practical Theology at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia and is also on staff at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation in that same city. He has years of practical experience in the field of counseling and anyone who has heard him speak will remember his deep insights and strong commitment to the gospel of the Scriptures.

That commitment comes through consistently in this book, a collection of (revised) articles that have appeared over the last few years in the Journal of Biblical Counseling (a very worthwhile periodical). This is the first of a three-volume set on Christian counseling. This first volume deals with conceptual questions; the second (Speaking Truth in Love) deals with methodological and institutional questions. A third volume will deal with apologetical issues.

Some of the highlights from this book include Powlison’s expositions of passages from Ephesians and the Psalms in the first part, “Scripture Opens Blind Eyes.” I deeply appreciate Powlison’s pointed applications of God’s Word and his powerful use of illustrations and word pictures. In the second part, “Reinterpreting Life,” Powlison deals with a number of topics. For instance, the question, “What If Your Father Didn’t Love You?” is tackled in chapter 10. Can you have a proper understanding of God as Father if your earthly Father was absent or abusive? In another chapter, Powlison deals with the nature of God’s love. He shows us how it is “better than unconditional.” I came away from that chapter much more impressed with God. As one last example, he works through Gary Chapman’s idea of love languages in chapter 14. Is that a concept that we can work with? Powlison gives a balanced, biblical analysis that you won’t find elsewhere.

Who can I recommend this book to? Definitely to pastors and elders. But this book is also for teachers and others who are involved in helping people develop and change (parents too!). It isn’t a technical counseling manual that requires specialized knowledge. Rather, it’s written at a popular level and above all, Seeing With New Eyes endeavours to work consistently with the Scriptures and point people to the Saviour. I think Powlison succeeds.

Edward T. Welch, Depression: A Stubborn Darkness (Winston-Salem: Vantage Point, 2004). $10.19.

Reviewed by Rev. Wes Bredenhof

Depression has been described as the common cold of mental illnesses. Many of us know people who chronically or periodically suffer with this ailment. Many of us ourselves suffer, often in silence. This being the case, it’s always good to know of some helpful resources that direct us back to God’s Word for the support and encouragement we need. This book by Ed Welch is one such resource that I can highly recommend.

Ed Welch is the author of several helpful books, including When People are Big and God is Small. He is a professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and a counsellor, faculty member and director of the School of Biblical Counseling at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation. His years of experience both in counselling and in teaching the Scriptures are reflected in this volume.

The book begins with a vivid description of what depression is and what it’s like to experience it. For those who live with depressed people, this will be enormously helpful. It’ll give you an idea of what your loved one is experiencing. From there, Welch goes on to describe the ways in which depression is suffering and how we’re to interpret that suffering in the light of the Bible. He examines what depression is saying to us and goes on to look at ways that the depressed person can be helped. Welch acknowledges the place of medication in treatment for depression, but he urges his readers to be circumspect. The book closes with some exhortations from Scripture to humility, hope, thankfulness and joy. Like his other books, this one is really devotional in character. Skilfully using the Word, Welch drives us to God and, more specifically, to Christ the Saviour. It is a long book, but the chapters (26 of them) are short enough to read in one sitting.

There are a good deal many helpful insights in this book. This is not the “grin and bear it” brand of counselling, nor is it the brand that simply tells us that depression is a disease like cancer, a disease that might be helped solely by medical treatments. Welch’s approach is balanced and Biblical. All in all, when that stubborn darkness descends on you or someone you love, Ed Welch could be the one to bring the light of the Scriptures to bear with a good result.