An accidental blog

"If God is sovereign, then his lordship must extend over all of life, and it cannot be restricted to the walls of the church or within the Christian orbit." Abraham Kuyper Common Grace 1.1.

Tuesday, 20 May 2014

British Calvinists: Thomas Goodwin (1600-1680)

Thomas Goodwin (1600-1680) born in Rollesby, Norfolk, graduated from Christ's College, Cambridge in 1616 with a BA. At Emmanuel he was influenced by the preaching of John Preston and Richard Sibbes. During this time he wrestled with doubts about his faith, the lessons of  which are contained in his A Child of Light Walking in the Darkness

In 1633 he resigned his clergy posts in Cambridge and became aligned with the independent congregationalist principles of church government. After marrying Elizabeth Prescott in 1638 he went to Arnhem and worked with Philip Nye (1596-1672) to make the church there a model of congregationalism. 

In 1640 Goodwin returned to London and set up an independent congregation in the parish of St Dunstan's-in-the-East. 

He was with Nye one of the independent representatives at the Westminster Assembly in 1643-52. Goodwin, Nye, Jeremiah Burroughes, William Bridge and Siddrach Simpson (1600-1655) were known as the 'Five Dissenting Brethren'.

Oliver Cromwell appointed him as one of his chaplains and appointed him as president of Magdalen College, Oxford.

Together with John Owen he helped to draw up the Savoy Declaration of Faith and Order. 

Many of his writings are available here: http://www.prdl.org/author_view.php?a_id=311






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