Thomas Edwards (1729–1785) was an Anglican clergyman and

divine Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

Life

Edwards was born at

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

in August 1729, the son of Thomas Edwards, and educated at the Free Grammar School, King Henry VIII's, there. In 1746 he entered St John's College, Cambridge, but migrated the following year to Clare Hall, graduating B.A. in 1750 and M.A. in 1754, and becoming a fellow of Clare. He was ordained

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

1751, and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

1753, by

Frederick Cornwallis Frederick Cornwallis (5 March 1713 – 19 March 1783) served as Archbishop of Canterbury, after an illustrious career in the Anglican Church. He was born the seventh son of an aristocratic family. His twin brother Edward Cornwallis had a mili ...

bishop of Lichfield and Coventry The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Powys, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West M ...

. In 1755 he published ''A New English Translation of the Psalms,'' &c., and in 1758 a sermon preached at St. Michaels. In 1758 he became master of the free grammar school and

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of St. John the Baptist, Coventry. In this year he married Ann Barrott. In 1759 Edwards, published ''The Doctrine of Irresistible Grace proved to have no foundation in the Writings of the N. T.,'' a book of some importance in the Calvinist and Arminian controversy, and in 1762 ''Prolegomena in Libros Veteris Testamenti Poeticos'',ib. xx. 32-5 to which he added an attack upon

Robert Lowth Robert Lowth ( ; 27 November 1710 – 3 November 1787) was a Bishop of the Church of England, Oxford Professor of Poetry and the author of one of the most influential textbooks of English grammar. Life Lowth was born in Hampshire, England, G ...

's ''Metricæ Harianæ brevis Confutatio,'' which led to a controversy of some length. In 1766 he proceeded D.D., and in 1770 was presented to Nuneaton in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

, where he passed the rest of his life, having severed his connection with Coventry in 1779. He lost his wife in 1784, and dying in June 1785 was buried at

Foleshill Foleshill is a suburb in the north of Coventry in the West Midlands of England. Longford, Courthouse Green and Rowley Green are to its north and Keresley is to its west. The population of the Ward at the 2011 census was 19,943. History Fole ...

. He was of a mild and benevolent temper, and fond of retirement. His chief friend was

Edmund Law Edmund Law (6 June 1703 – 14 August 1787) was a priest in the Church of England. He served as Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge, as Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy in the University of Cambridge from 1764 to 1769, and as bishop of Carlisl ...

, bishop of Carlisle.

Theology

From a theological perspective, Edwards was an Arminian divine.

Works

* ''The Doctrine of Irresistible Grace proved to have no foundation in the Writings of the N. T.'', 1759 * ''Prolegomena in Libros Veteris Testamenti Poeticos'', 1762 * ''Epistola ad doctissimum R. Lowthium,'' 1765. * ''Two Dissertationes'', 1767. * ''Due Dissertationes,'' 1768. * ''The Indispensable Duty of Contending for the Faith,'' 1773. * ''Selecta quædam Theocriti Idyllia'' (350 lines of Theocritus, 250 pages of notes, and 20 pages of addenda, &c.)

References

Citations

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Thomas 1729 births 1785 deaths 18th-century English Anglican priests 18th-century English non-fiction writers 18th-century English male writers Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Arminian ministers Arminian writers English religious writers Clergy from Coventry