Ridgley, Thomas, 1667?-1734

Epithet: MD

Thomas Ridgley was born in London around 1667. He studied for the ministry in Wiltshire and was selected to assist the Pastor Thomas Gouge at the independent church at Three Cranes in London in 1695. On Gouge's death in 1700, Ridgley succeeded as Pastor and remained in his office until his own death in 1734. In 1712 he was elected to the office of Divinity Tutor at the Fund Academy, which was established by the London Congregational Fund Board. In 1719 Ridgley participated in the Salter's Hall debates, arguing for strict adherence to the Church of England's 39 Articles. Rejecting liberalizing doctines as Arianism and Arminianism, Ridgley propounded a conservative Calvinism. He published several sermons and lectures and wrote many religious works, including "The Unreasonableness of the Charge of ... Creed-making," (1719) and "An Essay concerning Truth and Clarity," (1721) both written about the Salter's Hall subscription debates. His work, Body of Divinity, (1731), regarding the catechism of the Anglican Church, became a textbook for moderate Calvinism and garnered its author an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the University of Aberdeen. He died March 27, 1734.