Perhaps you’ve never heard of Petrus van Mastricht, seventeenth century Dutch pastor-theologian? That Mastricht is not read more in our time would be to the dismay of Jonathan Edwards. In a letter to Joseph Bellamy, who had written Edwards asking his opinion on various books, Edwards gives high praise for Mastricht’s Theoretical-Practical Theology:
But take Mastrict for divinity in General, doctrine Practice & Controversie; or as an universal system of divinity; & it is much—better than Turretine or any other Book in the world, excepting the Bible, in my opinion.1
According to Edwards, not only is Mastricht’s work better than the great Reformed theologian Francis Turretin’s Institutes, but “better than . . . any other book in the world.” Hyperbole? Maybe. Regardless, a commendation like this from no one less than Jonathan Edwards makes Petrus van Mastricht worth reading.
For the Love of the Word
Not only does Mastricht excel in dogmatics, but also in the practical or applicational work of theology. For example, in his discussion of Scripture, Mastricht devotes a section to “Seven motives for loving Scripture.” Listen in as Pastor Mastricht incentivizes you to love the Bible given its Divine origin:
The following supply us the reasons why we ought to be moved to love the Word of God. (1) Its origin and author, who is not some common person, wise man, or great man, some prince and secular monarch, but rather, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the great and mighty God (2 Tim. 3:16), for which reason Scripture is called the oracle of God (Rom. 3:2), of Christ (Col. 3:16), and of the Holy Spirit (Acts 28:25; 2 Peter 1:21). But if, therefore, we love the writings of pious, wise men, why would we not love the writings of the wisest and best God—especially when all human writings are spattered with falsities, ignorance, vanities, and so forth, while on the contrary the divine oracles are in every respect prefect and satisfactory, far from any vanity (Ps. 19:7–8); most wise (Ps. 19:7,9); and most pure and refined (Num. 12:3; Ps. 12:6)?2
It’s a rhetorical question, of course. If we love the writings of mere men, we must surely love the words of God.
We are moved to love the Scriptures not only given its divine origin, but also, according to Mastricht, given Scripture’s efficacy:
[we ought to be moved to love the Word of God] (6) by its efficacy, for which reason power is attributed to it (Rom. 1:16; James 1:21), and energy (Heb. 4:12; 1 Thess. 2:13). This is not common efficacy, but efficacy to grace, to the life and salvation of the soul, for which it is called the word of grace (Acts 14:3; 20:32), and likewise, the word of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19), the word of life (John 6:68; Phil. 2:16), and the word of salvation (Acts 13:26; Heb. 2:3). Indeed, neither is this a slight and vain efficacy, but by far the greatest sort of efficacy, for which reason it is likened to things that are most powerful in their efficacy—for example, fire (Jer. 5:14; Luke 24:32), water (Isa. 55:10; Deut. 32:2), a hammer (Jer. 23:29), and a double-edged sword (Heb. 4:12), and so forth. What is more, its efficacy is also manifold and varied: it illuminates the mind (Ps. 19:8–9; Acts 8:31; 26:17–18); it sanctifies the heart (John 17:17); it converts (Ps. 19:7); it regenerates (James 1:18); it kindles faith (Rom. 10:17; Gal. 3:5); it penetrates and lays bare the secret things of the heart (Heb. 4:12–13; 1 Cor. 14:23–25); it strengthens (1 John 2:14) so that we might be able to conquer all things, the world, the devil and so forth; it comforts (Rom. 15:4); and it guides (Acts 8:31).3
The Scriptures are God’s words. Therefore, they are powerful to do what only God can do.
One test of whether a theologian is worth reading or not comes down to how we answer this all-important question: does a particular theologian’s work lead you to love Scripture more? In the case of Mastricht, the answer is a resounding yes.
Edwards, Jonathan, and Stanley T. Williams. “Six Letters of Jonathan Edwards to Joseph Bellamy.” The New England Quarterly 1, no. 2 (1928): 226–42/230. https://doi.org/10.2307/359767.
Petrus van Mastricht, Theoretical-Practical Theology: Prolegomena, trans. Todd M. Rester (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2018), 1:185–86.
Mastricht, Theoretical-Practical Theology: Prolegomena, 186.