Wilhelmus à Brakel

à Brakel's prominence as a major representative of this movement is largely due to his magnum opus, The Christian's Reasonable Service. After its initial publication in 1700, his four-volume work was soon recognized as a monumental contribution to the literature of the Further Reformation. It has been argued by scholars that this work is a synthesis of the best Puritan literature published in England and the Netherlands. Further Reformation scholar F. Earnest Stoeffler stated, “He supplied Reformed Pietism with a theological textbook which came out of a tradition wholly native to the Netherlands. He preserved the balance between the mystical and ethical elements in Christianity which is so characteristic of the great Pietists in the Reformed communion.”

As a result of this work, à Brakel has become important to Reformed believers in the Netherlands, both during his lifetime and beyond. He is fondly referred to as “Father Brakel”, a title by which he is still known in the Netherlands. For more than three centuries, the influence of The Christian's Reasonable Service has been such that à Brakel continues to be one of the most significant representatives of the Further Reformation. Since the publication of The Christian's Reasonable Service in English, his reputation has grown among scholars and followers of Puritan literature.

à Brakel's work is particularly distinguished for going beyond the systematic theology found at the time. His selection of the title is an indication that it was not his intention to merely present a systematic explanation of Christian dogma to the public. In directly quoting the Bible for his title, à Brakel indicated to Christians that it is an entirely reasonable matter for a man to quote the Bible to show belief and following of the book. His choice also conveyed that God asks men to serve him in spirit and truth, doing so in a reasonable manner.

à Brakel wrote this work for church members and not for theologians, though he hoped that theologians could benefit from it as well. To accomplish this, he ensured that The Christian's Reasonable Service was permeated with a practical application of the doctrines he explains. In his writing, à Brakel wished that the principles he expounded could become an experiential reality to those who read his work. He established the crucial relationship between objective beliefs and the subjective experience of those beliefs.

Experiential theology explains how the doctrines of the Bible become a reality in the hearts and lives of believers. Religious experiences are seen as bringing religious beliefs from text into subjective involvement. In the theological sections of his chapters, à Brakel lays the groundwork for experiential application. His aim in practicing theology is to edify believers. He does this by describing what the experiential application of the expounded doctrine should be and by describing what it often is when believers struggle to appropriate the words of the Bible.