Acknowledgments
This work would never have seen the light of day were it not for the many persons who came alongside me to encourage, support, and challenge in countless ways. For all of this assistance I am grateful. As this study first appeared in its dissertation form, I am indebted to my primary supervisor, Prof. Dr. Henk van den Belt. Throughout the several years that Dr. van den Belt has worked with me on this project, he has not only demonstrated his wide knowledge and abilities in all things Reformation and post-Reformation, but perhaps more importantly modeled for me what a wise, caring, and patient teacher-mentor looks like. I also owe a great deal to my secondary supervisor, Prof. Dr. Gijsbert van den Brink; his comments, suggestions, and advice strengthened the argument and flow of this work.
Others too took an interest and in a variety of ways offered their support. I am thankful for the extensive libraries of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary (PRTS), Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS), and Princeton Theological Seminary (PTS) from which I was able to attain many of the resources used for this project. I owe special thanks to Laura Ladwig, librarian at the William Perkins Library at PRTS, who always kept a keen eye out for any book or resource related to my topic—and, I’m told, she does this for the projects of numerous other researchers. Several people have contributed by reading through draft versions of either the whole work or separate chapters: Ryan Hurd, Brennen Winter, Dr. Adriaan Neele, Michael Borg, Ian Macleod, and Antoine Theron, thank you for the conversations, advice, and suggested areas for improvement you willingly provided. I am grateful for John Muether’s excellent work on the index, as well as Sandra Barrett’s help in reading through and proofing the entire manuscript. I am also thankful for the assistance received from Dr. Daniel Timmer for several French translation questions, and from Dr. David Noe for assistance in the Latin. Drs. David Murray and Joel Beeke also provided great encouragement along the way, periodically “checking in” to gauge my progress.
Raised in a large family—I am number nine of thirteen—I grew up knowing and experiencing the value of family solidarity. I would not have embarked on this journey were it not for the loving support and confidence of my parents and siblings; I owe a great deal to my brothers and sisters, and especially my mom and dad. Thank you for your love! I am also immensely grateful for the wife and four children with which God has blessed me. Thank you Kezia, Owen, Isla, and Kiri for your patience with me as I worked on this “long book.” Allyson, you have proven throughout our marriage (and this project) to be a constant source of encouragement and help. Thank you for your creative ways of prodding me to “cross the finish line” (i.e., filling a candy jar with classic quotations taped on each chocolate bar), and for always filling in the gap during my time writing. As indicated in this work’s dedication, you are your own standard as you are far “above all the rest.” Finally, I am thankful to my God and Savior who has given me strength and perseverance to complete this task. If this work should bring greater understanding and wonder of King Jesus, I will be satisfied.