VirginiaHuguenot
Puritanboard Librarian
I've noticed that, on this board, it is always those that follow the English Puritans that are arguing for strict Christian Sabbath while the Dutch Reformed are usually either ambivalent or silent in the matter. I am not studied enough in the various streams to tell whether my suspicion that Presbyterians have a much stricter tradition than others bears out. I do find it interesting, though, that folks like J.I. Packer really love the Puritans but take certain elements of their development while they leave others.
I, for one, consider myself a follower of the English, Dutch, Scottish and Irish Puritans when it comes to Fourth Commandment. The Dutch Puritans were known as the Nadere Reformatie, and their strict view of the Fourth Commandment is indistinguishable from the English Puritans, both with respect to the Christian Sabbath, and its prohibition against recreation, for example, and with respect to opposition to man-made holy days such as Christmas, which is a Fourth Commandment issue. The Dutch Reformed as a group include the Nadere Reformatie (examples include Gisbertus Voetius, Jacobus Koelman, Willem Teellinck and Wilhelmas a'Brakel, and the 1574 Provincial Synod of Dordrecht); the Cocceians (followers of Johannes Cocceius), who believed the Sabbath was Jewish and no longer binding on Christians; and those whose views are reflected in the Heidelberg Catechism and the statement of the 1619 Synod of Dort on the Fourth Commandment, which also allowed for the observance of man-made holy days in its Church Order. Thus, there is a range of views among the Dutch Reformed historically, which ought to be kept in mind when comparing the Dutch Reformed and English Puritan traditions. For some interaction on these themes, see the threads below:
http://www.puritanboard.com/f54/continental-view-sabbath-33355/
http://www.puritanboard.com/f18/continental-reformed-vs-puritan-reformed-25233/