Hendrik de Cock

Infobox Person
name = Hendrik de Cock

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birth_date = Birth date|1801|04|12
death_date = death date and age|1842|11|14|1801|04|12
occupation = Minister

Hendrik de Cock (April 12, 1801 - November 14, 1842) was a Dutch minister.

Hendrik de Cock protested against the perceived theological liberalism in the Netherlands government controlled Dutch Reformed Church in the 18th Century. This protest lead to the Secession (Afscheiding) of 1834. He is sometimes called the father of the Secession of 1834.

Early life

Hendrik de Cock was born in the city of Veendam, Groningen, the Netherlands on April 12, 1801 to father Regnerius Tjaarda de Cock and mother Jantje Kappen. His grandfather Regnerius Tjaada de Cock was a Minister in the Dutch Reformed Church around 1750.

His parents were associated with the Dutch Reformed Church. Shortly after de Cock's birth his family moved to Wildervank, Groningen. In 1824 he married Frouwe Venema (b 1803 - d 1889).

Education

He entered into the University of Groningen to study to become a Minister of theology. In 1823 he graduated from this university.

He was called to the of Eppenhuizen, Groningen and (shortly after his marriage in 1824) ordained there as a Minister. He would serve this congregation for three years until in 1827 he became Minister in Noordlaren, Groningen for two years.

History

In 1829, Hendrik de Cock became Minister of the Dutch Reformed Church in the town Ulrum, near the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. He was not evangelical but his congregation was. One of the members gave him the Canons of Dordt to read. This, plus his own discovery of John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, led to a great change in his preaching.

This change in his people attracted many people from other congregations to his worship services. Later these same people requested Hendrik de Cock to baptize their new babies. They could not, in good conscience have their babies baptized in their own churches, partly because the old Baptism Form had been replaced with, in their view, other heretical practices and liturgy, and partly because if the old Form was still used they could not answer "Yes" to the question whether they "believed the doctrine taught in their church was the truth of God's Word".

After careful consideration, consultation with others and with his Consistory, and through anxious prayer, Hendrik de Cock baptized these children. This infuriated the clergy from the other congregations whom in turn notified the authorities. It was in fact this issue which was brought to Classis by Hendrik de Cock's colleagues in protest against him. In his defense he wrote a pamphlet defending what he and his consistory believed to be the truth. This sparked off much debate and as a result he was suspended as a Minister on December 13, 1833 by the Dutch Reformed Church.

in order to maintain law and order in the Reformed Church, to protect the name and honour of the ministers of the Gospel, and to prevent more disorders, divisions, and revolutions in several congregations in our Fatherland; . . . if preachers as DeCock were not halted in their reckless enterprise, this Board fears the worst.

Hendrik de Cock submitted to his suspension and stayed off his pulpit but tensions continued to rise. They reached a kind of climax when Rev. Heinrich Scholte (later to settle and establish a colony in Pella, Iowa), known to be friendly to him, was forbidden to preach in Hendrik de Cock's church so that a modernist could occupy the pulpit. The congregation did not take kindly to this and the police were called in to prevent what was a near riot.

Hendrik de Cock refused to ‘recant’ and finally, with his congregation, officially parted (seceded) on October 13, 1834 from the Dutch Reformed Church. The next day they signed the [http://spindleworks.com/library/smith/scaneva.htm Act of Secession or Return (1834)] .

Other churches also left the Dutch Reformed Church to join Hendrik de Cock in forming the Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (CGKN). These churches and their members would be called 'The secessionists' or "Seceders".

The Secession (Afscheiding)

The Secessionists or Seceders were made to suffer terribly for their convictions by the Dutch Reformed Church via the Dutch government. Their meetings were often broken up by mob violence, or they were fined or imprisoned. On October 25th, 1834 a company infantry (104 soldiers) were sent by the Dutch government to Ulrum and to other places where the seceders had established separate congregations and were billeted in the homes of the seceders. These people, usually rather poor (also why the other clergymen held them in contempt), were forced to feed and shelter the soldiers, tend to their needs, live their lives with the soldiers always present. These soldiers stayed there until the end of January 1835, whereafter half of them still remained there until July 7, 1835.

As a counter-measure to the secession the Dutch government reinstated an old French law from the time of Napoleon, forbidding an assembly of larger than 20 people. This made it difficult, if not impossible, for the Seceders to gather to worship.

If any regulations imposed on them were broken, they were fined vast sums of money. And if they were unable to pay the fines their possessions were sold in Sheriff's sales and the proceeds paid to the government. If even this did not suffice, they would be imprisoned. Hendrik de Cock himself was fined 150.00 florin (guilders) and spent three months in prison separated from wife and family.

Not until under King Willem or William II in 1841 would this counter-measure and the religious persecution end.

Later years

In 1837 Hendrik de Cock was called to the city of Groningen to be minister (Dominee) of the Reformed Church (Gereformeerde Kerk). He would serve this congregation until his death from a lung sickness, at the age of 41, on November 14, 1842. He is buried in Groningen at the Southern Cemetery (Zuiderbegraafplaats) in a well marked (and maintained) grave. He was survived by his wife and five children three of whom were very young. De Cock's grave stone was erected in 1891 (two years after his wife died) and renewed in 1911.

The known names of his children are Helenius de Cock (son), Eelbrina de Cock (daughter) and Jantje de Cock (daughter) (born January 20, 1836).