Free and Impartial Thoughts on the Sovereignty of God, the Doctrines of

Finch, Richard, 1710-1763Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.3
Word count
123K words
Chapters
13

Tags

English Originals Religion Religious PhilosophyEnlightenment ThoughtRational FaithTheological ReflectionFree WillEnglish ThoughtMoral ArgumentEighteenth CenturyClassical ReligionSpeculative Tradition

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Free and Impartial Thoughts, on the Sovereignty of God, The Doctrines ofAuthor: Finch, Richard, 1710-1763,Language: English, Class: BT: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Doctrinal theology, God, Christology, Release Date: Mar 24, 2009

Editor's review

This is an eighteenth-century theological treatise by the English author Richard Finch on the sovereignty of God and related doctrines, part of the free Project Gutenberg e-book series and classified under Christian doctrinal theology. For readers studying eighteenth-century English theological writing, the Puritan tradition, or doctrinal controversy, it provides a primary text searchable in the original; the phrase “free and impartial thoughts” in the title signals a polemical style rather than a systematic theology textbook. Its reading value lies mainly at the level of historical source and style: one can observe the wording, citation methods, and argumentative structure of theological reasoning of the time. Because the book is in English and was written early, modern readers need some English reading ability and theological background knowledge. It is suitable as supplementary material for theology courses, a sample for historical English textual analysis, or reference reading for those with research interest in the sovereignty of God; it is not suitable as an introductory faith reader or devotional book.

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Reading tips

  1. Read the table of contents and title page first to confirm the scope of the topic, then decide which chapters to read closely.
  2. Keep a theological glossary at hand and note special eighteenth-century English usages as you go.
  3. Read alongside doctrinal works of the same period, comparing argumentative structure and citation habits.
  4. If only studying style, select two or three representative passages for close reading and analysis.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English? According to the materials, the book is in English and is a public-domain e-book released by Project Gutenberg. Chinese readers need some English reading ability; the materials do not indicate a Chinese translation.
Can I read it without a theological background? Not very advisable. The book discusses the sovereignty of God and related doctrines, is a doctrinal theology treatise, and was written in the eighteenth century; its argumentation and terminology pose barriers for readers without background. It is best to first acquire basic knowledge of Christian doctrine.
Which subject classification does it belong to? The materials classify it under BT, i.e., Christian doctrinal theology under philosophy, psychology, and religion, involving topics related to God and Christology. It is not a general history or devotional literature.
What should I note about using the e-edition? The book is released by Project Gutenberg as a free public-domain e-book, and the original text can be obtained directly. As an electronic version of an early text, readers are advised to verify chapter structure and terminology themselves and, if necessary, compare with paper or scholarly editions.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Finch, Richard, 1710-1763 Author

Richard Finch (1710–1763) was an eighteenth-century English author whose life and identity are sparsely documented in publicly available sources; his nationality, education, and professional career cannot be reliably established. What can be confirmed is that he left a work entitled Free and Impartial Thoughts, on the Sovereignty of God, The Doctrines of, which is the only item by him held in this collection. Judging from its title, the book discusses the sovereignty of God and related doctrines, and thus belongs to the genre of religious and theological controversy. The phrase "free and impartial thoughts" suggests that the author intended to address contested questions in a rational and even-handed manner. Writings of this kind were common in eighteenth-century English religious publishing and were generally aimed at readers divided over doctrinal issues, with argument and persuasion as their purpose. Owing to the limited sources, his specific views, publication circumstances, and contemporary influence remain to be further examined.