PREFACE TO ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF KUYPER’S “MYSTICISM”
by Steve Bishop
This is a preliminary, provisional translation of a portion of Abraham Kuyper’s work, “Three Little Foxes” (“Drie Kleine Vossen“), published in 1901. The book takes inspiration from Song of Solomon 2:15: “Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes” (NKJV).
Kuyper uses the metaphor of foxes spoiling the vines to illustrate three negative influences on the church: intellectualism, mysticism, and activism. In this translation, we focus on the section about mysticism, which is still relevant today.
Kuyper himself was an intellectual and an activist, but he recognized the importance of true mysticism and sought to differentiate it from false forms. He valued personal experiences with God but cautioned against mysticism that disregarded or bypassed the authority of Scripture. He believed that spiritual insight should be grounded in the teachings of the Scriptures rather than solely relying on subjective experiences.
Kuyper distinguished between true (mystiek) and false (mysticisme): “Mystiek is the good, the necessary, and the indispensable. Mysticisme is its degeneration, its corruption, its gradual decay.” For Kuyper, false mysticism was problematic because it ignored the need for divine revelation. He emphasized that our understanding of God is limited, and while God reveals Himself through various means, mysticism should not seek to bypass or undermine the ordinary means of revelation.
True mysticism involves a deep and intimate communion with God based on His revelation, while false mysticism distorts this longing for communion through unhealthy imaginations and sinful tendencies.
He also highlighted that all revelation from God occurs through created things and that false mysticism seeks direct insight into the eternal without relying on these intermediaries.
Kuyper argued that it is undeniable that revelations and visions occur, but the mystic must demonstrate that their experiences serve the same purpose as those in Scripture. He cautioned against false prophets who relied on their own heart’s revelations.
False mysticism, according to Kuyper, leads to five detrimental outcomes: confusion of the dispensation of times, fostering spiritual self-exaltation, despising the Word, destruction of the Church’s essence, and the risk of immorality. However, he emphasized that healthy mysticism should not be banished from the Church out of fear of false mysticism.
The antidote to false mysticism, according to Kuyper, is Scripture. He emphasized the importance of relying on the Scriptures as the source of knowledge of special revelation and the control that the Word should have over all mysticism.
Kuyper concluded his thoughts on mysticism by emphasizing the need for balance. He stressed the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship between intellectual understanding and personal spiritual experiences, as well as the significance of a church bound to the Word and its confession.
Overall, Kuyper’s teachings remind us to seek a balanced approach to mysticism and to ensure that our experiences align with the teachings of Scripture.
“MYSTICISM” BY ABRAHAM KUYPER – A TRANSLATION FROM THE ORIGINAL DUTCH
Our threefold expression of life is symbolized by the head, heart, and hand. The dominance of the head over the heart and hand leads to Intellectualism, but likewise, the dominance of the heart over the head and hand leads to Mysticism. After warning against Intellectualism, we now want to briefly discuss the nature, essence, and danger of Mysticism.
We speak of Mysticism, not Sensualism. Although the latter could also be discussed, it would lead to misunderstandings. Sensualism is simply an expression of emotion, with an emphasis on sentiment. However, in the realm of religion, it is not an ordinary sentiment that creates a separate sphere. Sentiment – feeling— in the sense of a lightly stirred soul, is merely a mode of affectation and expression. It is a mode of expression and affectation that occurs in all areas of life, without being limited to the realm of religion.
The focus here is on the heart, and sentiment exerts its false influence not on the heart, but on the nervous system. Butchers, due to their constant exposure to blood, [46] often have highly sensitive nerves and can be very sentimental without it having anything to do with their hearts. Rough sailors, likewise, due to their constant exposure to danger, often have weak nerves and are often compassionate by nature, without it proving anything about the state of their hearts. And so it happens that various other people, due to temperament or their life experiences, are easily moved to tears and constantly swing between crying and laughter, without it revealing anything about the condition of their hearts. The heart beats in the more reserved and less demonstrative individual with tears often more earnestly and deeply than in the emotionally volatile person for whom sentiment has become second nature.
SENTIMENTALITY AND NERVOUSNESS
During the days of the Reformation, when the heart felt deeply and spoke, this sentimentality was far from prevalent. It was only towards the end of the nineteenth century, when people indulged more in moonlight and solemnity, and Rhijnvis Feith [1753-1824] was the beloved poet, that this tender sentimentality arose. When it infiltrated the church, the effectiveness of a sermon was measured by the number of women who fainted. The handkerchief was a key ingredient, and women with a predisposition for fainting were indispensable for the reputation and fame of a celebrated preacher.
Reading the sermons that targeted this sentimentality, one is repulsed by the nauseating sway in which strength was sought. For example, one can read the jubilee sermon of the late Dr A. Kuyper, who was a preacher in Amsterdam at that time. He claimed to have crossed the Amstel River with his staff, akin to crossing the Jordan River, and had now become a leader of two armies in Amsterdam.
We are fortunate to have moved beyond this susceptibility to nervousness. Reformed women were never suitable instruments for it. What happened in the Veluwe region under another preacher Kuyper at that time, which also spread to Zeeland, was an exceptional occurrence. Sleeping in church still occurs among us, but fortunately, fainting is almost non-existent.
Even if, in certain circles, there is still occasionally a disproportionate influence of sentiment felt, it is not a widespread phenomenon that requires confrontation. [47] Furthermore, even where this phenomenon arises, it does not possess a specific religious character.
People who are prone to tears cry just as readily when witnessing a fire or another accident, or when they are angry, and their anger cannot find expression in bitterness. This should not be misunderstood as an attempt to render the nerves inactive. We have our nerves from God, and the ability to express what fills our hearts through the vehicle of our nerves, making it perceptible to others, is undoubtedly a divine gift for which we should be thankful.
This is not a common phenomenon that requires eradication, and in no case does this phenomenon, even where it occurs, bear a specific religious character. People who are prone to crying cry just as easily when they witness a fire or other accident, or when they are angry, and their anger cannot find expression in bitterness.
We do not understand this as if we wanted to render the nerves inactive. We have our nerves from God, and the ability to express what fills our hearts through the vehicle of our nerves and make it noticeable to others is undoubtedly a divine gift for which we should be grateful.
There is also a rigidity that repels, a silence that makes one cold, an insensitivity that closes one’s heart. In some regions of our country, this rigidity is even considered an evil that must be combated. We are not marble statues or wax figures, but living individuals, and that life must come forth and show itself. It shows itself also in our eyes, in our facial expressions, in our handshake, in a friendly smile, in the heartfelt word, and, if there is truly compassion for the pain of others, also in the tears from our eyes.
Such a nervous response is healthy and beneficial. And what we criticized in sentimentality is not that healthy response, but the pathological nervous expression. An expression of nervous disorder that does not propagate from the heart to the nerves but is born in the nerves themselves.
However, as stated, the fundamental evil in religious matters does not lie in this functioning of the nerves but in the undisciplined functioning of the heart. And taken in that form, it presents itself not as sentimentality but as mysticism. Mysticism, as such, is distinct from mystic. Mystiek is the good, the necessary, and the indispensable. Mysticisme is its degeneration, its corruption, its gradual decay.
THE FILIOQUE AND FALSE MYSTICISM
The difference between these two is best felt in relation to the Filioque. As is known, Filioque is the term of the confession regarding the Holy Spirit, which the Roman and Protestant churches uphold and which the Greek Church has deleted. Filioque means and from the Son.
The difference now consisted in the fact that the Greek Church confessed that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father (and not from the Son), while on the other hand, the other Christian churches confess that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and from the Son, that is, Patre Filioque. The dispute over the Filioque, therefore, revolves around whether the Holy Spirit proceeds solely from the Father or also from the Son, and in this lies the fundamental difference between true mysticism and false mysticism.
As is also known, false mysticism is nowhere more prevalent than in Russia, and the peculiar sects that constantly arise in this vast empire, the most well-known of which is the sect that walled up its best members alive in stone quarries, repeatedly demonstrate to what extravagance this mysticism leads.
If one asks how this is related to the Filioque, here is the answer.
If the Holy Spirit does not proceed solely from the Father but also from the Son, then the works of the Holy Spirit are bound to the Revelation of the Son, as Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit taking from what is His and declaring it to us. With this confession, the work of the Holy Spirit remains bound to the work of the Son. It does not go beyond the redemptive work of the Son but is connected to it and flows forth from it. And where we believe we perceive the work of the Holy Spirit within us, it is self-evident that the Word remains our touchstone, and we know that any internal working that does not correspond to this Word, that goes against it or surpasses it is not a work of the Holy Spirit but either a play of our own spirit or an influence of demons.
Therefore, there is a connection, a bond with Christ, a bond with the incarnate Word when we hold on to the Filioque. There is a connection to the flesh and to the written Word. Then discernment and distinction are possible because the Filioque always remains, and only in the Revelation of Christ does the Holy Spirit manifest Himself. There is a connection between the great work of our Redemption and the transformative work of the Holy Spirit. To add to this as well, there remains a unity of correspondence between our inner and our churchly life, for the Church is the manifestation of the work of the Son.
On the other hand, if the Filioque is omitted, if the work of the Holy Spirit is detached from the work of the Son, and thus detached from the Word and the Church of Christ, then it becomes something in itself, something separate from Christ, something separate from the Word, something separate from the Church. And once this separation is accepted, it cannot be otherwise than that this mystical work of the Holy Spirit is soon regarded as superior to the work of Christ, above the Word, and above the Church.
Already the Anabaptists did not hesitate, even in the days of the Reformation, to present it in such a way that, yes, for ordinary people and for children, the Scripture was good enough, but those who received the work of the Holy Spirit within themselves stood on a higher plane and therefore no longer needed the Scripture. An “enlightened” person had outgrown the Scripture. From the Scripture, they moved on to Christ, and likewise to the Church. And the result was that most of these fanatics eventually rejected the Scripture, then the Church, and finally even Christ. They had ascended to a higher plane. They received direct communion with the Eternal Being. They possessed their own inner light. And the common light by which others walked had lost all allure for them.
But then it followed that every measure, every norm, and every touchstone disappeared for distinguishing true from false influence, and that eventually the unhealthiest imaginations, the most foolish representations, the most sinful inspirations were attributed by all sorts of hotheads and fanatics as the voice of the Holy Spirit [50]. There is almost no sin one can imagine –adultery, debauchery, murder, and whatever else—that has not been committed in the name of the Holy Spirit.
THE ORIGINS OF FALSE, UNHEALTHY MYSTICISM
There is some reflection required to understand clearly and distinctly what is meant by false Mysticism. It always arises from the sentiment of Psalm 42, from the “panting deer,” and therefore it is fitting for us to treat everything related to Mysticism with a certain tenderness. “Then my soul longs for God?” That is the soul’s cry. It is the thirst for the living God. The soul’s longing for communion with the Eternal Being. A desire that can sometimes degenerate into presumptuous curiosity, just as there are people who want to delve into the depths of Satan. But usually, it does not start that way.
Typically, it begins as a need to love, in a vague, infinite sense. Just as in the heart of a young man or a young girl, there can arise a vague desire to be in love. Not being in love with a specific person, but in general. This does not necessarily mean being in love in a sensual sense. We do not say that it does not often play a role or sometimes come into play as the outcome also shows how the most mystical sects eventually degenerate into the service of sinful desires. But it doesn’t have to be that way. What God said about Adam, that he had no helper corresponding to him, is meant in a holy and pure sense. Our human nature is not meant to remain alone. One can ultimately modify their disposition to the point where they find happiness in celibacy, whether as a man or a woman, but then something within us is always broken, and the person who is compelled [51] to remain alone and acknowledges their disappointment until death is much higher than the distorted one who has gotten over it and now adapted to their unnatural condition.
A man is only half a human being without his other half, and a woman is likewise only a half being, fitting with a counterpart. This is inherent in our whole being, in our whole nature, and not solely in a single inclination. Thus, the longing for affection is inseparable from the yearning of our being and nature; there is a longing that cries out for satisfaction, a going out of the heart toward what it knows and feels can only be found in another heart. And although it is a rare exception for this longing, this desire, when it becomes concentrated on a specific person, to be devoid of any feeling of disappointment, it remains true that this personal concentration is the most natural and healthy.
However, preceding the directing of one’s heart and affection towards a specific person, there is almost always an impersonal longing, a longing without a specific object from which it emanates. This is not the case with a young child. But as the years go by, this awareness awakens in the heart, and it is an exception for it to be awakened by a particular person. It can happen, and it occurs, but it is the exception. Hence, usually, once a certain age is reached, and the heart is not stifled by pride and self-sufficiency, that vague longing arises not to be loved but rather to love, and then that rapturous, indefinite, unrestrained character emerges, losing itself in elusive ideals. This is often more pronounced in girls than in young men. It is more prevalent among Germans than among the Dutch, and among Germans, particularly among the Saxons.
This naturally arising need for love, this longing to love, can sometimes lead to a search for a higher love, a love that transcends earthly relationships.[52]
Commandments, of which Jesus himself said that they are like one another.
It is one emptiness in the heart; one feeling that something belongs to our hearts that we cannot give ourselves; one realization that we are created and destined to exist for something else; to give ourselves to another and to experience solitude in blissful communion.
And now, in a human heart that still functions somewhat purely, two impulses are born from this, both arising from our creation. Because we are creatures, created in God’s image, our soul yearns for God; and because we are created as men or women, our hearts long for the love of one who can be our other half.
These two impulses diverge and operate independently as soon as the urge to love a human being becomes concentrated on a particular person. At that point, this finite love stands distinctively opposed to the Infinite, which knows no limit or measure.
However, as long as the longing for a human being has not yet been directed towards a specific person, and thus remains vague, indefinite, and hovering, especially in elevated natures, the distinction between these two impulses is weakened. It is then, on the one hand, a thirst for the love of the Infinite and, on the other hand, a thirst for the love of the undefined. So, both sensations flow into each other. Especially the worship of Jesus often served as the connecting link. Indeed, in Him, both the Infinite and the defined exist. There are examples in history that show how these two impulses we mentioned merged into one impulse, directed towards the Son of God and the Son of Man. A fusion that, depending on one’s disposition and soul, sometimes led to rapturous, holy worship, and other times to sliding into lust lurking behind the holy mask.
It is during the life stage we have indicated that the first seeds of unhealthy mysticism, i.e., Mysticism, typically sprout in the youthful heart. The sickly-mystical sects have often targeted young men and especially young women of those ages. Yet, this inclination usually subsides in most of those who were deceived once they marry or even just become engaged. However, in others, this unhealthy inclination is further nurtured, and it is in these individuals that true Mysticism finds its carriers and interpreters.
This almost always diverges in two directions. The sickened longing of the soul either leans towards the spiritual or the sensual side. If it inclines sensually, it leads to a deeply sinful course that ultimately ends in the most brazen immorality. If it triumphs and takes spiritual paths, it blazes up in holy zeal, which sometimes enables astonishing self-sacrifice and self-mortification but almost always accompanies extraordinary self-elevation. Already in the early centuries of Christianity, there were monasteries that housed men and women whose holy, ecstatic dedication would have embarrassed you. But the terrifying scenes that played out among Anabaptist leader Jan van Leiden’s [1509–1536] followers in Munster were known in the past and have repeated from century to century, albeit on a different scale.
When the human longing for the other half that belongs to us transcends concentration on a specific person and dissolves into a longing for God, it lends something passionate to the desire for God. Conversely, when love for God flows into human love directed towards others, it ends up pushing aside every moral barrier and ultimately sanctifies the most unholy for the lost sense of the soul.
These extremes of mixing two desires in our hearts occur exceptionally, at specific times, with specific individuals, and under specific circumstances.
NEED FOR CAUTION
If the Church of Christ exercises discipline over souls, there is no need to fear such excesses. “It is fitting for us to always be extremely cautious. We know how a small spark can ignite a great heap of wood. And from time to time, we hear of remarkable occurrences in our country that serve as a warning to us. Even among Reformed believers, there are occasionally exposed sexual relationships that show how the Devil of Mysticism still prowls like a roaring lion.
However, as such, it should not be considered a general danger, nor should it be equated with Intellectualism. It is also worth acknowledging that the Reformed Confession and Reformed church practice place a wholesome rein on any unhealthy mystical inclination.
The more common evil among us usually does not lean towards either extreme but consists of an impure direction given to piety. This danger does not arise in people who are hard-hearted and find no blessedness in piety. However, when true piety reigns in a family, a circle, or a congregation, where godliness does not merely consist of external practices and intellectual debates on deep matters, but instead softens the conscience and drives it toward God, seeking soul’s delight in love, one often sees a leaning either towards excessive activity or excessive enjoyment. It is the disruption of the proper balance between these two that allows Mysticism to take hold.
A contagious atmosphere arises easily, an impressive manner of interaction and fellowship, something overly spiritual that does not set you free but oppresses you, and under which your own soul suffers as long as you do not allow yourself to be seduced by it. These always questionable spiritual conditions persist with such power because they indeed find their foundation and origin in the desire of many souls to have a closer, more intimate, hidden communion with the Eternal Being. This is naturally wonderful. It is only in the manner in which that communion is sought that the fault lies.
MYSTICISM DISTORTED
At this point that mysticism comes into play. Mysticism, in its purest form, is the pursuit of a deep, intimate communion with the divine, with God. However, as with any human endeavour, mysticism can be distorted and misinterpreted. False mysticism arises when the longing for communion with God is twisted and distorted by unhealthy imaginations, foolish representations, and sinful incitements. It can lead to a departure from the true path and the embrace of misguided beliefs and practices.
[55]
Do you understand what it means when it says that God, in order to reveal Himself, hides? If so, then you will also understand that a desire arises to penetrate through that concealment. Although it may not be possible, one can imagine that it is. And to live based on this imagination is the root of unhealthy, and later sinful, mysticism.
Let us further explain this somewhat brief and fragmented explanation.
Unless God Himself wills it, no creature can comprehend anything about Him, let alone know or understand Him. If God had not endowed a portion of His creatures with the ability to comprehend, perceive, and know, not a single creature would ever have known anything about God. God would have existed for Himself from eternity to eternity. “Known to Himself, and no one else.” It could have been a magnificent world, a true paradise with abundant plant life, teeming with life, pleasure, and song, even richer and more beautiful than the animal world we possess. And yet, as long as neither angel nor human, nor any other rational creature, had arisen in that world, that entire magnificent world would have never even suspected the existence of God.
If we want to know God, or at least something about God, He Himself begins by giving us an eye and an ear, and in the strictest sense, we know or understand nothing about God except through His own act. When God makes us able to see, then we see; when God makes us able to hear, then we hear. Otherwise, it remains eternal darkness and a silent grave-like stillness around us and within us.
Now, God has given us the eye and implanted the ear within us, and in connection with this, He has also given us the understanding, the comprehension, and the ability to perceive. All of this is His gift. But let us assume that our human nature possesses this gift. It may be weakened by sin, but as such, it still belongs to us as humans.
But now, let us go further.
Now, two possibilities can be considered: either that God can be spied upon, searched, and comprehended in His essence by us against His will, [56] or that the creature can only perceive anything about God to the extent that God allows Himself to be seen and heard.
This distinction applies to our own lives as well. In the Levant, whether in Algiers and Tunis or in Egypt and Istanbul, no Oriental woman is ever seen. She is there, and she may be allowed into the house and even go out on the streets, but as soon as a stranger could catch a glimpse of her, she covers her face. Thus, you see an appearance that, apart from its forms, reveals nothing more than woollen, linen, or silk fabric; and it is only the voice you hear that tells you that you are dealing with a living being, a human.
This same distinction continues constantly. An old peddler, sitting in the marketplace with his scrap metal, sits there in public, for all to see. Any skilled photographer, if the peddler’s face is interesting, can capture it and later sell it as a study. But no one can possess the portrait of a noble lady unless she herself bestows it. This goes even further. Perhaps there are a hundred or more people who know us by sight and would recognize us, but in our hearts, we allow only a very few to see inside. And unless we openly display our heart’s secrets (which also happens), only those very few individuals, with whom we have intimate relationships and to whom we reveal ourselves in quiet confidence, truly know us.
So, there is much in the world that we perceive when it pleases us, but there are also things in the world that we can only perceive if they intentionally and willingly reveal themselves to us.
I can dig into the ground and see what substance it contains. I can chemically analyse various substances and observe their effects. This is true of a plant and, to a certain extent, even of an animal. And although the stars are far away, humans have eventually discovered means to spy on them even to the point of determining their composition through spectral analysis. [57] But when it comes to a living human being, this is different. If the examining judge encounters someone pretending to be mute, he cannot obtain anything from him. A human being has the ability to reveal himself and the ability to remain hidden, even the ability to deceive through pretence.
Now let us transition from humans to angels. You believe that angels exist, you believe that they work, and you admit that they can also work upon you. Particularly when it comes to the evil angel called Satan, you know this all too well. Yet, except for those few cases reported in Holy Scripture of angels appearing, you lack any means to spy on, discover, or observe angels. You know what has been said about them and what has been told to you, but you do not see, hear, or know the angels themselves. An angel can reveal himself, and this has occurred on rare occasions, but an angel can also remain hidden, and this is the norm, and you are powerless in the face of it. If you try to force this, you can only rely on your imagination. You can imagine what an angel looks like, how they might whisper certain things to you, but it is all a play of the imagination. Deceptive play. The end result remains that the world of angels is separated from you by an impenetrable curtain.
And now, the Eternal Being. Regarding the Eternal Being, you have no means whatsoever to perceive or discover it unless God Himself has provided you with such a means. But what is certain is that no creature can ever discover, spy on, or perceive anything of God against His will; rather, it is only through His will and with His will. Therefore, there is no knowledge or science of the Almighty except to the extent that He Himself wills and intends it, giving you knowledge and science. In short, it is only to the extent that He reveals Himself.
GOD’S SELF-REVELATION
God has chosen to reveal Himself, and He continues to do so. He reveals Himself so that we may know Him. Consequently, it is both a sin and a mistake to consider that God reveals Himself [58] to us in any way contrary to His will. Our understanding of God is entirely dependent on His self-revelation.
[58] It reveals, from that revelation to take no notice, as if to represent himself differently than He reveals himself in His revelation to us. The way in which God reveals Himself is outside of us and within us. Outside of us, in all creation, “for both His eternal power and divine nature have been understood and seen from the creation of the world.” But also, outside of us in history. Outside of us in prophecy. Outside of us in Christ. Outside of us in the Word. Outside of us in the church.
And then within us. Through our God-consciousness that He created within us. Through our cognitive ability. Through our conscience. Through the work of the Holy Spirit within us. But no matter how far this revelation outside of us and within us extends, it is always a revelation in and through the creature, in and through the created, through phenomena, through appearances, through deeds, through words, or whatever it may be, but always, and here the emphasis is placed, these revelations come to us through and in the world. So, if you imagine God on one hand, and the world on the other hand, and yourself as being in that world, then God never reveals Himself to you outside of that world, but always through that world.
You are in, God’s throne is outside of that world, and therefore every ray of divine light that will reach you must pass through that world to reach you. The full revelation is Christ, but when the Word becomes flesh, that is, assumes human nature from this world. So, if you think of God and the world, then all revelation from God is a revelation that enters into the world and comes to you through the world. Revelation of God outside of the world could only exist if you could go out of the world, leave behind everything that is from the world, and thus come to God. But that is precisely what you cannot do. At least not in this life. And therefore, in this life, you are absolutely bound to the revelation of His Being, which comes to you through and in the world. This also applies to the Holy Spirit within you. Because He is in you and you are [59] in the world, and you perceive the work of the Spirit only in a human way.
Therefore, Theology belongs in science. Science is the knowledge of the cosmos, that is, of the world. If, therefore, the knowledge of God was to come to you outside the world, then Theology would be outside of science. Now, on the other hand, since all revelation, both general and special, goes through and in the world, it belongs to the cosmos, and thus the science of this revelation is a part of science.
THE PROBLEM OF MYSTICISM: SHORT CIRCUITING REVELATION
But now consider false mysticism. With this, mysticism is not satisfied. It does not want to be content with this revelation of God that comes to us through and in the world, but it wants to seek access to God outside the world; it wants to reach communion with God apart from revelation; and thus, by disregarding the world and the revelation that has arisen in it, it wants to grasp the essence of God directly.
It may give this the name of meditation, contemplation, or whatever else, but its aim is always to penetrate into the essence of the Most High God apart from the revealed means. It cannot rest on the fact that God reveals Himself only through the veil of revelation. It wants to remove that veil, that curtain, and does not rest until it imagines that it has God, sees God, and enjoys God directly, immediately, without any intervening action. That is what we said, that by revealing Himself, God hides Himself. He reveals as much of Himself as He desires and thus prevents you from penetrating deeper. He wants you to stand respectfully before the curtain through which He reveals Himself and to withdraw your audacious hand whenever you attempt to push aside that curtain.
God in Christ, that is, in the incarnate Word, revealing Himself to you, but also hiding Himself from you behind the incarnation of the Word. The same is true of one person to another. We never see each other in our true essence. You have never [60] seen the soul of your own child. You see before you a human bodily form, you see an eye, a face, you hear a voice, you see deeds, you notice expressions, but you never see the soul itself, as it truly is. In that respect, a person remains a mystery to you. You can only know one person in essence, and that is yourself. Therefore, it is entirely natural that this is even more so with the Lord our God. It cannot be otherwise; it must be so. He knows Himself and no one else. Outside of the cosmos, you cannot, and no human being can, penetrate into the essence of God. But when someone is not satisfied with this, wants to force it, and strives to see and understand more and deeper, and then begins to indulge in imaginations, holding those imaginations as reality, then that unhealthy state of religion occurs, which is called mysticism.
Even when we discussed the Filioque, this became apparent. Yet now it is explained in its essence, and we will explain how it arises from that. All revelation from God is in or through created things, and now false mysticism wants to receive insight into the eternal and have a vision of the Eternal directly and in its own way, apart from those created things, without intermediate means. The thought of this arises, do not be surprised by this, when reading the Holy Scripture.
THE EXAMPLE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL
Just think of the holy apostle Paul, whose letters stand in direct contrast to mysticism, and who constantly reports of wonderful things that happened to him, of revelations that were incomprehensible to him personally. Does he not relate himself how, fourteen years ago, [61] “he was caught up to the third heaven”? A revelation that took place in such a mysterious way that he adds himself: “whether in the body or out of the body I do not know.” But even though he himself cannot say whether he was lifted up with body and soul or with only the soul, he surely and explicitly tells us that he “was caught up into Paradise” and that in that Paradise he “heard inexpressible words,” such words “which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” (2 Cor. 12:1-4).
Whether this, as some claim, refers to what happened on the road to Damascus or to an entirely different revelation, let that remain undecided; but it is certain from the apostle’s explanation that something entirely extraordinary happened to him, something beyond the ordinary order of things, and something in which he felt he could boast as a sign of special grace.
Yet Paul remained in complete control of himself. His God cared for his soul. He keenly felt that such a revelation tempted him to pride and self-exaltation. Should he not be an entirely exceptional person if such a thing were granted to him above others? And herein lies the difference between an apostle like Paul and the sickly mysticism: The sickly mystic gives in to the inclination toward spiritual self-exaltation, while the holy apostle opposes that inclination even as it arises in his own heart.
He is willing to boast, but not in a foolish manner. He acknowledges that the extraordinary revelations he received were not for his own glory, but for the glory of God. He understands that these revelations are not a measure of his own worthiness or spirituality, but rather a manifestation of God’s grace and mercy. The apostle Paul further demonstrates his humility and wisdom when he speaks of a [62] “thorn in the flesh” that was given to him, a messenger of Satan to torment him. He pleaded with the Lord three times to remove it, but the Lord responded, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:7-9).
This is precisely the opposite of what you observe in mysticism. The mystically obsessed sink further and further into contemplation of such ‘visions and revelations.’ Whether they are true or imagined, they do not even investigate. They surrender themselves to it. They seek their all in it. They tell and recount them, embellishing them as they tell. In the end, for their own sense, they become an extraordinarily spiritually privileged person, in their own eyes an extraordinary object of revealing grace, and they are pleased when they realize that others also honour them as a special child of God because of these revelations.
THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE GENUINE AND THE FALSE
This is the practical distinction between the genuine and the false. When extraordinary instruments were needed in connection with God’s Special Revelation, who had to receive extraordinary revelations, God also provided them with the antidote so that they would not become a spiritual sacrifice of their extraordinary calling. On the other hand, those who walk in the imagination of visions and revelations do not appreciate the importance of that counterweight and therefore, almost always to a greater or lesser degree, give themselves over to spiritual pride and self-exaltation.
The rise of mysticism [63] can most likely be explained by the desire and inclination to apply to oneself and see realized in one’s own life what happened to the instruments of Special Revelation in earlier days. Just as God revealed Himself to His prophets and apostles, so they want God to reveal Himself to their own souls. The distinction between what happened then to bring about Special Revelation and the life of Christians that was to follow once that Special Revelation was complete is not felt or understood.
They want it to be as it was then, just as it is now. And when the imagination is vivid, and they believe they receive visions and revelations, they naturally look down on those who do not have these special experiences and instead hold to the light given in Special Revelation. They want a greater, a higher light. And if they succeed in convincing themselves that such a higher life has fallen to their lot, it soon becomes firmly established in their minds that the light bestowed on them surpasses the light of the Word, and they begin to look down on the Holy Scriptures as if they were the ABC book for beginners, but something they have long surpassed.
The same thing is sometimes observed in the realm of ministry. Paul could declare, and had to declare, that he was called to the ministry not by men but by God Himself, so people then get the impression that a direct calling to the ministry is higher than a calling that comes to us through men.
Practically all the leaders of the mystical sects have risen in that consciousness; and those who regularly read the Herald recall [64] will remember from earlier years, how in an otherwise highly esteemed brother, but who since chose his own ways, we had to fight that same error, defended with appeal to Galatians 1:1.
Now it is quite true that this perception of having received visions and revelations does not go as far with everyone. There are even many who look for it in nothing other than the fact that God brings certain words of Scripture to their minds, something which, in the ordinary sense, every child of God will confirm from his own experience. Only, and here you recognize the beginning of the error, those who lean toward mysticism do not look for something real in this, but something special, and are inclined to see in this presentation of the words of Scripture an extraordinary guidance from God.
They will therefore repeatedly tell others about it, and if they notice that this makes an impression, they multiply the incidents and go up in their own estimation. Going up in one’s own estimation, is the invariable sign that a sickly and therefore sinful condition has entered.
However, different, and divergent the phenomena may be, mysticism almost always finds its origin in what the Scriptures themselves tell us of what happened to the prophets and apostles, and in part to the first Christians. It is therefore so wrong to fight Mysticism by denying the possibility of such visions and revelations, and to present them in themselves as absurd. He who takes this path immediately contradicts Scripture itself, and cannot be convinced of error, because the mystic immediately refers to Scripture and presents you with numerous statements from it, which show how the holy men of God in former days actually received such revelations. And then you stand powerless.
Consequently, you would have to doubt what the prophets and apostles report about themselves. And if you cannot do this, and if you ultimately have to admit that similar things happened to these holy men as these mystics claim about themselves, then you cannot escape the conclusion that they are on the same level as those holy men, and that you, who lack and deny such experiences of the soul, are inferior to them in spiritual worth. The Lord God has dealings with them that He does not have with you. And the necessary consequence is that, precisely because of your misguided opposition, you strengthen the mystic in his intentions, instead of correcting him in his error.
In assessing and combating Mysticism, at least in its formal aspect, it is rather important to, on the one hand, clearly recognize the possibility of such visions and revelations and acknowledge that they did indeed take place; and, on the other hand, derive from the motive with which they occurred at that time, the rule that explains why they do not occur again now.
If they occurred at that time for a specific purpose, with a clearly identifiable intention, then the burden of proof rests on the mystic who claims that they also happened to him, to demonstrate that they serve the same purpose and have the same intention in his case. And if he cannot do that, but rather it becomes apparent that this purpose does not exist in his case, then the ground for his claims collapses beneath him.
It is especially important, in connection with this, to point out the fact that alongside the prophets, false prophets also arose who likewise claimed visions and revelations, but the Scripture testifies that they relied on the visions of their own hearts.
However, just as Mysticism must be firmly resisted by our Reformed Churches because it confuses the dispensation of the times, fosters spiritual self-exaltation, ends up despising the Word, destroys the Church as the Church, and risks falling into immorality.
[66]
One should not banish healthy mysticism from the Church out of fear of false Mysticism.
FALSE MYSTICISM UNDERMINES THE WORD AND CHURCH
Mysticism corrupts the dispensation of the times because it seeks to maintain, in this dispensation after the apostles, what belonged only to the dispensation of the prophets and apostles, namely, immediate inspiration.
It fosters spiritual self-exaltation because the person with the alleged “inner light” considers themselves more intimately admitted to the communion of their God than others and looks down condescendingly upon them as privileged. It ends up despising the Word because the “inner light” renders the Word unnecessary and spares the effort of Scripture examination. It destroys the Church as the Church because in this manner religion becomes an individual matter between God and the soul, authority diminishes, and ultimately the institution of the ministry is undermined, and everyone acts independently, at most aligning themselves with their own circle. And finally, it risks falling into immorality due to the natural affinity between mystical love for God and the mystical nature of sexual love.
FIVE EVILS OF FALSE MYSTICISM
History also shows how every prolonged movement stemming from the source of Mysticism has led to these five evils. More could be added, but these five represent the historical trajectory.
But woe to the one who, in order to avoid this abomination, swings to the opposite extreme and, out of fear of Mysticism, also banishes holy mysticism from the door of their heart. Then the heart withers, faith impoverishes, love wanes, all freedom departs from the essence of piety, and one shipwrecks their vessel on the rock of lifeless intellectualism.
SCRIPTURE AS THE WATCHMAN
The sentinel guarding the border that separates true mysticism from sickly Mysticism is the Holy Scripture. To attain knowledge of God and ourselves, it is not mysticism but the Holy Scripture that serves. Even now, [67] after eighteen centuries, we will believe in Christ “through the word of the apostles.” Did not Jesus pray for them, “and for those who would believe in Him through their word”?
Thus, there are not two sources of revelation of the knowledge of God: first, the Scripture, and secondarily, mysticism. The Scripture alone is the source of knowledge of Special Revelation, and there is no second source of “inner light.”
What Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would guide the apostles into all truth, take from what is His, and reveal it to them, was written with respect to the apostles, not us. We are not like the apostles but dependent on them. What the mysticism of the heart does is not to increase that knowledge or add new revelation to that knowledge but to apply that knowledge to ourselves, explain it to us, truly make it for our own hearts, and transform it from objective to experiential knowledge and enjoyment.
Both are found in the one faith. Faith is not only an assured acceptance of everything that God has revealed to us in His Word, but it is also, at the same time, a firm, certain, and unwavering trust that all of that also concerns us and benefits us. The Word provides us with the objective description that reveals the matter to our consciousness, but the matter itself remains the mystery of our hearts.
The Holy Scripture cannot regenerate you; only God, through the Holy Spirit, can do that in your heart. However, from your heart alone, you would never understand what the act of God is, and it is only through the Scripture that you can come to know the new birth as an act of God. The new birth itself does not come through the Word; however, it is only through the Word that you can understand what the new birth is, and it is brought forth in your consciousness. This is also affirmed in 1 Peter 1:23.
And so, it is with everything. That there is a Christ, who He was and is, what He did and suffered, and how He now lives in heaven to intercede for us—none of these can be known or understood except through the Word. The Word reveals these truths to our consciousness.
[68]
Praying, the Word alone teaches you. But your personal connection to Christ and His connection to you is not worked by the Word alone, but by the mystic in the heart. It is what Calvin called the Unio mystica, the mystical union and incorporation into Christ.
Likewise, the Scripture speaks to you about the love of God, which should be your love for your God. But the fire of that love burns in the mystic of your heart. The Scripture instructs you about the necessity and manner of prayer. But the blessed act of prayer itself is a mystical interaction between you and your God. One who disregards this is left with a splendid hearth, but without fire, a refined recipe, but without the medicine. It is like a painted loaf of bread that cannot satisfy one’s hunger.
Even further, we shall speak.
MEDITATION AND CONTEMPLATION
We mentioned earlier meditation and contemplation in a disapproving sense, and we will explain why. The system of meditation and contemplation, as a system, intends that we set aside our thoughts, silence all external impressions, sink into quiet and motionless pondering, and thus, detached from our own thoughts, concerns, and the world around us, wait for emotions, sensations, and upwellings, in order to seek communion with the Eternal Being, apart from life itself. This presupposes that we possess a separate higher sense or perceptual organ for this purpose and that it is through this higher sense organ that we perceive the immediate presence of God.
Even the principled mystics go further in this regard and consider that the highest is attained only when we lose ourselves, annihilate ourselves, and merge into God Himself. It is mystical pantheism. Through self-mortification, fasting, isolation, and much more, one strives to achieve this.
[69]
Unwittingly, the soul enters into an unusual, overstrained state. Eventually, it becomes ecstatic. The imagination runs wild, and it is impossible to say what a person in such states has not imagined, heard, seen, and felt. Taken in this sense, contemplation must be rejected. God is known not in frenzy and excitement, but in sobriety, clarity, and the calmness of faith.
However, it is quite different when the soul seeks to approach God from unity. A preacher who prepares his sermon only with his ideas, without bringing the living essence of his congregation closer to him while writing, preaches poorly. If you write a letter of condolence with mere phrases, without envisioning the grieving widow, you weary her, but you do not comfort her. And in the same way, if you pray solely in prayer terminology, without lifting your soul to that Eternal Being whom you invoke, there is murmuring, but not true prayer.
There are zealous people who zeal for Christ but have never personally sought Jesus or had communion with Him in the sanctuary. And that is unspiritual; it becomes mechanical, lacking vital warmth, entangled in abstractions, unable to see the essence. Insofar as meditation and contemplation aim to counteract this dry intellectual and verbal activity, we applaud them.
However, there is a condition: all mysticism must always remain under the control of the Word.
It must be so, and for this reason: our hearts are susceptible to all kinds of impulses, influences, and intrusions. A word, an image, a representation can arise in your heart from God, from Christ, through the work of a good angel. But similar things can also arise within you through the workings of your own sin, your own past, your environment, by Satan or one of the demons. Satan can even appear to you as an angel of light.[70] Therefore, you lack all certainty that any experience, impulse, or suggestion is truly from God unless you verify it. And you can only exercise this verification if you hold onto the Word. Not by distorting the Word according to your experiences or supposedly spiritual interpretations, but by taking the Word in its objective truth and clarity. Only when these two work together—on the one hand, the clear, distinct knowledge of the objective Word, and on the other hand, the mystical realization of the work of grace and the experience of grace in the heart—then there is that true assurance of faith that allows both elements of faith to come into their own.
MYSTICISM AND THE EMOTIONS
Another circumstance deserves attention in this regard. Mysticism often finds a prepared field in a particular state of our emotional life. Not everyone’s disposition is the same. Let us leave aside whether the classification into temperaments is accurate, as it is usually presented. However, it is certain that there are people who are easily moved, reserved, deeply conscious, superficial, tenacious, and those who jump from one thing to another, vengeful and quick to forgive. One person is cheerful, while another is melancholic by nature. With one person, you are amazed by their energy, while with another, you encounter a wilfulness that irritates you. There are stingy, materialistic people without feeling, and others who would generously give away their wealth. There are people with easy and difficult temperaments, those who are prone to anger and those who have self-control. In short, there is a whole range of people who attract you and people who repel you.
This original disposition rooted in nature and temperament is then, secondly, influenced by the body, especially the nervous system, by health, by exhaustion, and by overexertion. [71] And thirdly, it undergoes the influence of experiences and life’s lessons. In addition, there is the influence of suggestion, which refers to the immediate impact that influential individuals possess to subtly manipulate the spiritual life of others, also known as “mesmerizing” or “hypnotizing.”
If a person with an already over-sensitive emotional life, an overstimulated imagination, and an overstrained religious life reaches a point where their condition becomes precarious, they become an easy target for mysticism. The person who is nervously disturbed cannot tolerate any form of institutionalized religion. Therefore, they reject confessions, churches, offices, discipline, and eventually even the Bible itself, seeking instead the freedom of spiritual activity, with inspirations, impulses, upwellings, emotions, visions, revelations, and, ultimately, wild fantasies.
Whether or not they will fall into this state depends on two factors. First, it depends on the individuals or circles they come into contact with. Second, it depends on their own temperament. A person with a great deal of spontaneous creativity can become wildly mystical on their own, without being influenced or led astray by others. However, in most cases, it is others who tempt and ensnare them. The ordinary no longer captivates or satisfies them. When they hear rumours of a person or group in their village or elsewhere where strange things are happening, they feel compelled to be part of it. That must be it. In no time at all, they become entangled in the snares of mysticism. If others have strange experiences, visions, or revelations, they must have them too. At first, they only hear about them partially. Then they immerse themselves in them. Finally, they claim to have them themselves. Eventually, even a psychiatrist would have difficulty distinguishing between spiritual-mystical delusion and partial insanity. Just think of Appeltern, where such doctors believed they had the authority to make judgments, even though they completely lacked knowledge of mysticism.
Furthermore, there is the influence of suggestion, which refers to the immediate impact that influential individuals possess [72] to subtly manipulate the spiritual life of others, also known as “mesmerizing” or “hypnotizing.”
We cannot elaborate on this further now, but it is a fact that certain individuals, through their gaze, their voice, their entire demeanour, can exert such extraordinary influence on others, especially on weaker individuals, that the latter almost follow them blindly and surrender themselves to them.
A suggestive power that works splendidly when emanating from a noble spirit but works most disastrously when possessed by a deluded or immoral person.
There is no doubt that in every circle where Mysticism destroys the soul, there was or still is such a man or woman who can exercise such suggestion. And since it is precisely the nervously overstimulated individuals who are most susceptible to such suggestion, it is quite natural that many of these unfortunate souls fall into the trap without suspecting it.
Thirdly, there is an immensely powerful force in the company of others. Someone who makes no progress when alone with the person they want to persuade will find the resistance already weakened when they introduce them into a group of like-minded individuals and strip them of their independence through the richness of the multitude. This is “the psychology of the crowd” (la psychologie de la foule), as it has been called, which exhibits completely different phenomena than the psychology of the individual, and to which too little attention has been paid in our Christian morality.
We owe to this power the seeking of the communion of saints, but also, when things go wrong, this same power becomes seductive, especially in exclusive, sociable spiritual circles. Many so-called “fellowships” that began spiritually but ended in the flesh provide evidence of this.
Finally, in the fourth place, there is the unknown soul force that presents itself in various forms and creates such peculiar phenomena in abnormal circumstances. The well-known Camille Flammarion [1845_1925], the great astronomer, recently published a work titled [73] “L’inconnu et le problème psychique,” in which he collected the allegedly reliable accounts available to us regarding signs of life from the departed, telepathy, spiritual communication, clairvoyance, the world of dreams, and premonitions—thousands of reports with location, date, and names of individuals—which led him to the conclusion that, apart from how it should be explained, certain relative truth cannot be denied to all these stories any longer. He will address Hypnotism later.
However, regardless of one’s opinion on this matter, it is a fact that magnetizers, hypnotists, Swedenborgians, and others refer to certain events, phenomena, and sensations that persist too strongly to be simply explained as products of ordinary imagination.
It is beyond doubt that pathological elements are involved; it is highly likely that they often reveal states of illness. Nevertheless, they justify the suspicion that indeed direct soul-to-soul influences can occur, which are not bound by our normal life relationships. Whether they should all be explained as stemming from sin or sickness, let us leave that open. But it does appear to be established that under certain circumstances, the soul reveals powers unknown to us.
Especially as belief in the Revelation of Holy Scripture diminishes, millions and millions of people, even among the highly civilized class, are captivated by these phenomena. They could not believe the Scripture, so they turned to these mystical phenomena, which, in fortune-telling, card-reading, and much more, increasingly deviate onto an almost always sinful path. However, be that as it may, it is entirely natural that, if such workings exist, they also promote Mysticism in an extraordinary manner.
Spreading beyond all scientific or ecclesiastical control, these phenomena fill the mind, arouse a thirst for such hallucinations, and seem to provide a certain basis for the feeling of truth and certainty in these spiritual ecstasies.
[74]
In Russia especially, one can see where these fanaticisms lead, and it will be seen that they are still increasing, and spirits will again become wild among us unless faith, together with science, erects a barrier against these excesses. Therefore, one must be cautious, even in our churches.
THE NEED FOR THE PREACHING OF THE WORD
Let the Intellectualist understand and comprehend that giving stones for bread precisely fosters the arbitrariness of Mysticism; and let the emotional person realize that it takes so little effort to revive this Mystical trend, but soon it would become evident that they cannot control the spirits they carelessly summoned.
Healthy church life, especially sound preaching, is the only preservative here.
In a congregation bound to the Word, churchly ordered, living in its confession, and taught through appropriate, psychologically interpreted truths in its soul’s distress and soul’s experience, Mysticism will never break out. But if there is one-sidedness, either by emphasizing the dry intellect to the forefront, neglecting the intimate spiritual life with God; or by regarding the confession and knowledge of truth as indifferent and thus relying solely on experience and emotion, then it only depends on the circumstances whether the congregation will be destroyed, and a rupture can also occur in our churches from which it will not recover in half a century.
Balance remains the lesson of wisdom. Maintaining a healthy relationship between the head and the heart is the demand that must never be neglected for the Church of Christ.