A Body of Divinity: Wherein the Doctrines of the Christian Religion Are Explained and Defended, Being the Substance of Several Lectures on the Assembly's Larger Catechism

A Body Of Divinity: Wherein The Doctrines Of The Christian Religion Are Explained And Defended, Being The Substance Of Several Lectures On The Assembly's Larger Catechism" by Thomas Ridgley is a polemical, 18th?century systematic treatise defending core Christian doctrines in a catechetical form. It surveys the Trinity and the deity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and begins a rigorous treatment of God’s decrees, including election and reprobation. The work argues that God’s purpose to save the elect is immutable and that election and reprobation arise from God’s perfections, foreknowledge, and plan, not human whim, while preserving moral agency and the role of means in salvation. It confronts objections about sovereignty, universalism, and determinism by careful scriptural exegesis and confessional rhetoric, aiming to harmonize divine sovereignty with human freedom. The volume emphasizes practical godliness, perseverance, and humility before revealed truth, presenting doctrine as inseparable from worship, obedience, and the believer’s daily life.