In this particular case language lessons will not help you much. What you are reading is nieuwnederlands which is linguistically very similar to modern Dutch, with a much clearer relation between written language and spoken language in comparison to the middelnederlands of the late middle ages. It does contain some grammatical variations that make it more akin to German, such as the capitalization of nouns, although this is already less consistent in nieuwnederlands. What arguably makes this difficult to read is the limited exposure to this form of Dutch as well as this Gothic calligraphy. It would have been much easier to read back in the day on the original paper, but since this is a still from an archive it has had its contrast value heightened to the degree of black and white, most likely because it is an older still with questionable quality or because the original was damaged (or both). All I can recommend to make reading this easier, is to read more texts in nieuwnederlands in this type of script, in order to train your brain and eye to recognize the style.

In case you are still wondering what the text is about, it deals with a decision made by the city council of Utrecht concerning the payment of a debt being owed to them by the local protestant chapters (they were unable to sustain their own pastors due to their 'flock' leaving the city in great numbers to work on the fields as there had been a particularly good harvest). It's a somewhat threatening proclamation in which they advise the chapters to come to an agreement about sharing the financial burden in order to be able to pay the costs in the future, or the city council would be forced to regulate this process themselves.

​

Transcript in nieuwnederlands:

Extract uyt de Resolutien van-
de Ed: Vroetschap der Stadt
Utrecht,
Saterdagh den 24. Iuny 1654. 's Naernoens.

Alsoo door Godes ghenadighen seghen sij-
ne kercke ende Ghemeente binnen dese
Stadt ende vryheydt van dien eenen ghe-
ruymen tijdt van Jaren / soo merckelijk is
aenghewasschen / dat de Vroetschap der
Stadt Utrecht daer door haer verplicht
heeft bevonden het ghetal vande Predikan-
ten van tijt tot tijt te vermeerderen / waer
op soodanighen seghen van Godt Almach-
tigh is gevolght dat den Ooghst tot sulcken
volheydt is ghekomen / dat noch meer Ar-
beyders daer inne behooren te werden ghe-
sonden. Ende dat het ghene tot besorginhe
vande Godts-dienst en Schoole / metten aenkleven van dien op de Capit-
elen ende kleyne Clergie tot noch toe is opghemacht / soo weynigh komt
te bedraghen / dat de Stadt tot Suppletie van 't gene tot 't voors no-
digh onderhout is behoorende / van jaer tot jaer vele duysende uyt hare
middelen heeft moeten opbrenghen ende verschieten / waer door deser
Stadts Comptoyren in soodanighen verloop gheraeckt ende noch meer
en meer gheschapen zijn te gheraecken / dattet onmoghelijk is daer inne
te continueren / ende overs nicx meer als tijdt is te ghedencken op midde-
len tot redres ende sluytinghe van verder verval. Soo is op de Vroets-
chap noodigh gheacht ende eenpaerlyck gheresolveert / datmen de vijf
Capittelen binnen dese Stadt Utrecht insinneeren sal / ghelijkmen de-
selfe insinneert bydesen / dat aenghesien 't besorgen van 't noodigh onder-
hout van Predikanten met de Appedentien van dien eygentlijck op de
Capittelen behoort gedaen te worden / als de welcke zijn ghenietende de
goederen daer toe oorspronckelijck ghedefineert: deselve die voorsienin-
ghe sullen hebben te doen / ende prompte orde te stellen / dat aen den eersten
Cameraer deser Stadt worde gherestitueert 't gene uyt Stadts mid-
delen daer toe door desen boven de ontfanghen subsidien / is ghedebour-
seert / ende voorts raet schicken om 't voorts onderhout vande Predikan-
ten ende de Appendentien van dien gheheelijck ende absolutelyck van
jaer tot jaer te betalen / ende daer van een verdeelinghen te maecken onder
malkanderen / of sal anders de Vroetschap ghenootsaeckt te zijn soodanighe
verdeelinge by haer selven te maecken / ende dien doen executeeren met sulc-
ken middelen / als men bevinde sal te behooren.

Translation in modern Dutch:

Extract uit de besluiten van de edele vroedschap (stadsraad) van de stad UtrechtZaterdag 24 Juni 1654, 's middags.

Omdat door God's genadige zegen zijn kerk en de gemeente binnen deze stad, en door de vrijheid van een ruim aantal jaar, zo opvallend is gegroeit, dat de vroedschap van de stad Utrecht daar door zichzelf verplicht heeft bevonden het aantal predikanten van tijd tot tijd uit te breiden, waarop een zo grote zegen van God Almachtig is voortgekomen dat de oogst tot zulke volheid is gekomen dat nog meer arbeiders daarheen moeten worden gestuurd. En dat hetgene tot voorziening van de godsdienst en scholing, met de afhankelijkheid van dezen op de kapittels en de lage geestelijkheid dat tot nu toe is gezien zo weinig komt te bedragen, dat de stad tot aanvulling van hetgene tot het nodig onderhoud behoort, van jaar tot jaar vele duizenden uit haar middelen heeft moeten opbrengen en spenderen, waar door de rekenkamers van deze stad in zodanig verloop zijn geraakt en meer en meer in financieel verval zijn geraakt, dat het onmogelijk is daar mee door te gaan, en er overigens ook niets meer te bedenken is om herstel en verder verval uit te sluiten. Zo is door de vroedschap nodig geacht en unaniem besloten, dat men de vijf kapittels binnen de stad Utrecht informeren zal, en dat bij deze doet, dat met betrekking tot het verzorgen van het nodig onderhoud van predikanten en toebehoren eigenlijk op de kapittels behoort gedaan te worden, met de goederen die daar toe oorspronkelijk voor bedoeld zijn: dezelfde voorzieningen hebben te doen, en wel zo snel mogelijk, dat aan de eerste kamer van deze stad word terugbetaald datgene dat uit de liquide middelen van de stad daar toe door de eerder genoemde is uitbetaald, en adviseerd om het nodig onderhoud van de predikanten en toebehoren geheel van jaar tot jaar te betalen, en daar van een verdeling te maken onder elkaar, anders zal de vroedschap genoodzaakt zijn zulk een verdeling zelf te maken, en die doen uitvoeren met zulke middelen als men nodig vindt.

Translation in English:

Excerpt from the decisions of the noble city council of UtrechtSaturday 24 June 1654, Afternoon.

Because of God's merciful blessing the church and populace of this city - as well as due to the peace of a number of years - have grown staggeringly, the city council of the city of Utrecht has committed itself to periodically expand the number of pastors, which resulted in such a blessing by God Almighty, that the harvest has come to such a bounty that more workers have to be sent there. As a result, the provision of religious service and education, which depends on the chapters and lower clergy has dwindled to such a degree, that the city had to financially support the costs of maintenance, spending thousands yearly, causing the financial offices to become destitute and unable to continue with this support, lacking any realistic means of repairing or stopping this financial burden. As such the city council has found itself necessary, and unanimously decided, to inform the five chapters of the city, and by these words does so, that in regards to the maintenance of the pastors and associates this should in fact be done by the chapters with the financial assets originally intended for that purpose: these assets should, and quickly, be repaid to the city's paramount council exactly that which has been paid from the city's coffers, as well as advises to pay the maintenance costs fully on a yearly basis, dividing the burden among the chapters, otherwise the city council will be forced to make this division themselves, and execute this with any means they deem necessary.

Well, the bottom line is going to be practice, practice and practice. There's a steep learning curve here because you're dealing with new things at once. (for some reference, the first words in the body are 'Also door Godes ghenadighen"):

1. Different letter shapes. This particular text is in 'Duyts style' . You have the long-s alongside the 's' shape we have today; there's also an old fashioned 'r' shape and a 'z' shape resembling what you'd only see in some cursive styles today.

2. Older and non-standardized spelling. There was more variation in spelling before and also different conventions where people did apply rules. You have for instance using 'i' for 'j' (because it's is how stuff was originally spelled in Latin; 'j' is a later variant of 'i') so "Iuny" for "Juni", also 'y' for 'i' as in "uyt" for "uit". You have (from today's perspective) added 'h's like "ghenadighen" for "genadigen". And just plain non-standard spelling like "ommoghelijck" for "onmogelijk". One tip is that it sometimes helps to read out loud; focus on what word it sounds like rather than what it looks like on the page.

3. Vocabulary. You have to learn old words and deal with semantic shifts in meaning and usage. As the title illustrates, that includes how loan words are used too; "Extract" is an extract as in "plant extract" in modern Dutch but in the sense it's being used here, you'd more likely use a native word like uittreksel or samenvatting.

That's roughly in order of increasing difficulty. The letter shapes don't require any special training; they're only hard in the beginning when you don't know then but also don't know the spelling so you you don't which letters to expect either. Once you "crack the code" and learn the letters to not need to think about them, you can read that text almost as fast as this one. It's just a matter of getting used to it.

When it comes to spelling, a lot of the changes are fairly regular. The main problem here is not being able to figure out which word it is in normal form or what the modern equivalent of it is, which is why the main thing is vocabulary. You'll need a good historic dictionary, preferably one that lists spelling variants. Fortunately there's a good one online for Dutch (and Frisian).

Obviously there are textbooks and courses on the language and its historical development, but IMHO that's not really necessary just for reading early modern texts like this. Although you have to be careful to not leap to conclusions too much and check that words mean what you think they mean. (consider how many English speakers wrongly think "Wherefore are thou, Romeo?" is querying his location)

When it comes to vocabulary the best way to learn is simply to read. (and look words up when necessary). www.literatuurgeschiedenis.nl has some historic texts (of all ages) with translations into modern Dutch, for instance Constantijn Huygens, 1653:

Original	Modern
Ô Spoinsse waijn der waijne	O, Spaanse wijn der wijnen,
wa komd’ ons wel te pas! Wa wast e nobel man,	wat kom je ons goed van pas! Wat was 't een nobel man
die ou ieerst euijt de dreuijf in 'tvat, en in de kan,	die u eerst uit de druif, in 't vat en in de kan
en in se kaeltje goôt!	en in zijn keeltje goot!
was saijde suet en krachtigh!	Wat ben je zoet en krachtig,
Was saijd’ e nobel nat!	wat ben je een nobel nat!

These kinds of abridged versions spares you from having to deal both with unknown words and font, and also having to look up the words.