A Curious History

...simple expressions; his designs were much more vast and more glorious, and he only lacked a favorable occasion to raise the Standard and to declare war on our Churches. To better seek a quarrel and a pretext to break away, he did not appear at the following Synod held in Leiden in September of the year 1667. However, it was there that this spirit of pride—unable to bear that the ClassisA regional governing body in the Reformed Church, composed of ministers and elders. of Amsterdam and the previous Synod held in the same city had confirmed by article that the Synod of Heusden had valid reasons for summoning him—so much did this alleged affront weigh on his heart—demanded again through a petition of grievance from his Church, which the Deputies read, that both rulings be reformed.

But this was something that all the justice in the world could not grant him. Thus, the Synod judged by a specific article that everything should remain as it was. It declared that the Church of Middelburg had been wrong to prevent Labadie from attending the Synod, where his presence was so necessary, and that he, Labadie, should be obliged, as well as all other Pastors who shall be received from now on, to sign the Confession of the Walloon Churches. This was the same Confession he had criticized in a private letter, claiming it contained several expressions, applications, and explanations that were improper and ill-suited to a public Confession of Faith, and that it was full of errors and erroneous propositions contrary to the Scriptures and to what

to what true Evangelicals In the 17th century, "Evangelical" was a term used to describe those adhering to the Protestant or Reformed faith. must believe or teach. All of this led the Synod to order that the said Confession be printed alongside the one revised by the National Synod of Dordrecht The Synod of Dordrecht (1618–1619) was a landmark assembly that established the official doctrines of the Dutch Reformed Church. in its current form, and to add an article showing that Labadie had strayed from his duty in three points:

1. regarding discipline, by teaching a doctrine not accepted among us, by having books printed without the Synod's consent, and by refusing, on his own authority and in the middle of a full assembly, to give the bread and wine of the Holy SupperThe Eucharist or Communion service. to Mr. Henry du Moulin, his colleague; 2. regarding his rebellion, which he showed by the fact that, despite the express prohibition several times made to him, he did not stop peddling his opinion concerning the glorious reign of Jesus Christ on earth This refers to Labadie's "Chiliasm" or millenarianism—the belief in a literal 1,000-year kingdom of Christ on earth before the final judgment, which was considered heterodox by many Reformed authorities., and had an entire book printed on it, regardless of the previous Synod’s prohibition, even boasting several times in public that he would sooner have his hand cut off than be forced to do what had been ordered; 3. regarding the atrocious insults and invectives against our Synods and the Pastors who compose them; nevertheless, the assembly grants him this grace, as much in consideration of his gifts (which it admits are acceptable if well employed) as in consideration of his Church, to halt the course of justice and not proceed to his suspension, which it judged