English Hypothetical Universalism: John Preston and the Softening of Reformed Theology

by Jonathan D. Moore

Overview

John Preston (1587–1628) stands as a key figure in the development of English Reformed orthodoxy in the courts of Elizabeth I and James VI. Often cited as a favorite of the English and American Puritans who came after him, he nevertheless stood as a bridge between the crown and the nonconformists. Jonathan D. Moore retrieves Preston from his traditional place as one of the "Calvinists against Calvin," provides a convincing argument for Preston's unique hypothetical universalism, and calls into question common misperceptions about Reformed theology and Puritanism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802820570
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	06/25/2007
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Foreword     ix
Acknowledgements     xii
Abbreviations     xv
Preston's Life
A Biographical Introduction     3
Preston's Heritage
William Perkins and Elizabethan Particularism     27
Preston's Theology
The Divine Decree     71
The Death of Christ     94
The Gospel Call     112
Defender of the Faith at the York House Conference     141
Preston's Mentors
Bishops James Ussher and John Davenant     173
Conclusions
Conclusions     217
Bibliography
A Bibliographical Note on Preston's Works     230
Preston's Works     240
Other Primary Sources     256
Secondary Sources     275
Index     296

Editorial Reviews

Eamon Duffy
— University of Cambridge
"Historians of Stuart England have only recently come to grasp the centrality of the intricate controversies of Reformed theologians about sin and grace, divine sovereignty and human freedom, for the interaction of religion and society, and even for the alignments of local and national politics. Jonathan Moore's learned, subtle, and incisive exploration of the thought of one of the shapers of Protestant thought in the England of James VI and Charles I brings a new sophistication to the analysis of the place of theology in the intellectual history of early Stuart England. Fascinating in its own right as a study in the varieties of English Calvinism, his study is also an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the theological tensions that provide the context for the English Civil War."
 
Anthony Milton
— University of Sheffield
"This subtle, shrewd, and learned study of a vitally important topic offers an important corrective to existing work on the period. Jonathan Moore makes a compelling case for John Preston's hypothetical universalism, and in the process provides a completely new slant not just on the York House Conference but on the whole Arminian dispute that rocked the Church of England in the 1620s. This sophisticated study should be required reading for anyone working on religious thought in the early Stuart period."
 
Alan Ford
— University of Nottingham
"Essential reading for anyone interested in seventeenth-century religion. Clear, confident, and convincing, Jonathan Moore not only transforms our knowledge of John Preston but also reshapes the way in which we view the development of early modern Calvinist theology."

From the Publisher