Acknowledgments
This book has been the labor of many years and without the support and encouragement of many it would have never made it to the page. First, I must thank my Doktorvater, Michael McClymond, who pushed me to make my scholarship better at every turn and gave countless hours to commenting on by work. Without him, this book would be lesser in almost every respect. I would also like to thank Robert Peterson, the man who first introduced me to the doctrine of the extra Calvinisticum at Covenant Theological Seminary. He has not only offered editorial help on this work but also has been a continuous source of encouragement. To Michael Horton and Ruben Rosario-Rodriguez, I offer deep gratitude for being readers on the dissertation draft of this book. Your feedback and encouragement helped me get over the finish line.
To my PhD cohort at Saint Louis University, Alex Giltner, James Lee, and Luke Townsend, I owe lifelong appreciation both for their insights in forming the central question and methods of this study but also for their friendship and fellowship. To Billy Boyce and Kyle Dillion, I offer thanks for reading and commenting on early drafts. The fourth chapter was made possible by the generosity of the H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies at Calvin University, which offered me a research fellowship in the Summer of 2017. I would especially like to express appreciation for Karin Maag’s expertise and guidance on late-16th century Geneva. Redeemer University provided assistance in preparing the final manuscript with a Grant in Aid of Publication for editorial assistance in the Summer of 2020. Thanks also to Kevin Flatt and Robert Joustra, my colleagues at Redeemer, for their encouragement in the final stages of this work. I thank Richard Muller for his interest in and inspiration of my project as well as the editorial staff of OUP, who helped prepare this work for publication.
To Jon Easterling and Katie Heisey, thank you for your friendship and the countless evenings of humoring me as I rambled about my research or lamented the struggles of writing. I could not have done it without you. Finally, I thank my parents Ralph and Kathy Drake, without whose love and support throughout the years I could have accomplished nothing.
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain. Psalm 127:1
K.J. Drake
Hamilton, ON
December 2020