Williams, Edward. A Defence of Modern Calvinism: containing an Examination of the Bishop of Lincoln's Work, entitled A Refutation of Calvinism. London: James Black, 1812. First Edition. [4721]
Sometime rebound in brown library cloth, white ink numbers base of spine, bookplate, and perforated name stamp on tp, end papers with two scuffs from removed labels. 9 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches, 544 clean and unmarked pp. Good. Hardcover.
Edward Williams (1750-1813), Welsh Dissenter who associated in early life with the Methodists, and later with the Independents of Calvinist beliefs. He was minister of several congregations in England and in his later years the superintendent of the Independent Academy at Rotherham. Williams was instrumental in the founding the London Missionary Society and was the first editor of the Evangelical Magazine. He authored several books on theology and on the Christian ministry, as well as polemical works against Abraham Booth on Baptism, Daniel Whitby on the Five Points, and Bishop Tomline on Calvinism.
By "Modern Calvinism" Williams means that Calvinism as believed by churches devoted to the doctrines of grace, who did not therefore embrace every conclusion that John Calvin stated in his writings. Williams shows the much of the reasoning of Bishop Tomline was directed towards a straw man, and that the Bishop's theology was not in conformity with the doctrines of grace. He shows that the Bishop's use of the Church Fathers was often out of context, irrelevant, and contradictory.