Monergism Books

Description: The full title of this fine work is "The Christian's Reasonable Service in which Divine Truths Concenting the Covenant of Grace are Expounded, Defended against Opposing Parties, and their Practice Advocated as well as the Administration of the Covenant in the Old and New Testaments." This edition is translated by Bartel Elshout and edited by Joel R. Beeke.

Those acquainted with Dutch Reformed orthodoxy with know that the name of Wilhelmus a Brakel is among the most venerated of the theologians representing the Dutch Second Reformation period which is similar and coincides with English Puritanism. This veneration is largely due to the profound influence of his magnum opus De Redelijke Godsdeinst, now being made available in English for the first time as The Christian's Reasonable Service.

Monergism Review: I have read all the major Reformers from Augustine to Calvin to Luther, all the big name classics, but I must admit, I have never read anything clearer than Brakel. When first purchasing this set the man who sold it to me said that “if he was forced to live on a desert island and could only take one set this wd. be it” . I thought he was crazy, and very much under read. Then I read Brakel for myself. The man’s rational was totally justified! I wd. take Brakel over Calvin. To many Christians this sounds like a big leap, but Brakel is possibly the easiest work I have ever read. Far easier than Calvin, and for myself, I take what I can know. No point in reading a book if you will never understand it. For the record, I do understand Calvin, Luther and friends, but I can understand Brakel first and I can understand him better. Importantly, this work is not readable because it contains shallow fragments and watered down doctrine suitable only for beginners. Instead, the work is in-depth and easy to understand; in most cases this is a rare combination. Contains no puritanical-wordiness, or John Owen five page sentences, doctrine is sound, thoroughly Reformed, practical and concise. If I only had one choice wd. I take this set to a desert Island? Well… I wd. have to give it a bit more thought, but I assure you it wd. be on the very top of my list and should be on every Christian’s shelf...  
--B. K. Campbell