Part I Protheoria: Threefold later controversy — calumnies, adiaphora, real heads

From that time there have been Controversies with the Flaccians, and with the Bergen men, and with their grandsons, in nearly a threefold difference — besides that prior one concerning the Lord's Supper, or the mode of receiving Christ's Body in the Eucharist. I. Other Controversies not born from the doctrine of the Reformers, but from extortions of it — not from things handed down, but from things affixed — which are therefore not questions of right, but of fact. For example: Whether the Reformed make natural Reason the Judge of sentences of faith; or Philosophy the principle of Theological conclusions? Whether they assert an absolute necessity of human actions, a Stoic fate, a Manichaean or Predestinarian Heresy? Whether they so make God the author or cause — physical or moral — of Sin? Whether they deny God's Omnipotence, in the Chapter of Corporal presence, or His Mercy, in the other Chapter of Universal Grace? Likewise whether they divide the Natures of Christ, or think with Nestorius, because they distinguish the Natures in the unity of the Person? Whether they take away the force and efficacy of Christ's Death? Whether the Sacraments are to them bare signs, bare tokens? Whether they deny and assail every presence of Christ in the Eucharist? Whether they deny all grace to Infants, or the seed of faith, of grace, of regeneration, and so on? And these Controversies, as they are calumnious, so in the matter itself they are null — about which nevertheless Eckhard, Meisner, Musaeus, Gerhard, Hutter, Mentzer, Calov, Dorsch, Danhauer, Schlüsselburg, and others are laborious and almost wholly occupied.

II. Certain others are less principal or weighty — for example, concerning certain Adiaphorous Rites and Ceremonies around Baptism, the Eucharist, Confession, kneeling at the name of Jesus, or the adornment of Temples, the use of Images, of Feasts, and so on. Which Rites it is agreed are not equally employed by all Lutherans, having arisen partly from Luther's temper against Carolostadius in the cause of Images, and so on. III. Finally other Controversies are more real, or principal, concerning Heads of Doctrine that arose after Luther: for example concerning the Person of Christ, and the Omnipresence of the Human Nature; concerning Predestination and its annexed heads; and at last concerning Baptism. And these we chiefly attend to in this place, as also the Eucharistic Controversy, so that the State of the Controversy may be clear to our Hearers. They are to be seen more fully in Ursinus, Polanus, Zanchi, Sadeel, Beza, Danaeus, Pareus, Wendelin, Alting, Masson, Johann Crocius, Maresius, Hoornbeek, Hottinger, Arnold, Heidegger, and others.