This volume is a sequel of sorts to my first book, Politics, Religion and the British Revolutions: The Mind of Samuel Rutherford (Cambridge, 1997). Like Samuel Rutherford, John Goodwin was a zealous and learned Protestant divine, and a prolific pamphleteer during the 1640s and 1650s. Both men addressed major contemporary controversies over armed resistance, predestination and free will, and religious toleration. Both were resident in London in the critical years of the mid-1640s. It is not clear if they ever met face to face, but they were certainly familiar with each other's work. Yet Rutherford and Goodwin represent radically different versions of early modern Protestantism. Rutherford was a Scot; Goodwin was English. Rutherford was a Covenanter; Goodwin a supporter of the regicide and the republic. Rutherford was a high Calvinist; Goodwin a champion of Arminianism. Rutherford was a formidable proponent of divine right Presbyterianism; Goodwin a leading Independent. Rutherford defended traditional Reformed notions of religious uniformity and coercion; Goodwin became one of England's leading tolerationists. Together they introduce us to the major religious controversies in mid-seventeenth-century Britain. This intellectual biography of Goodwin is a contribution to ongoing debates over Puritanism, the English Revolution and intellectual change.

During research and writing for this book, I have incurred many debts, both institutional and personal. The British Academy provided vital support by awarding several small research grants that enabled me to visit libraries and archives in London, Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester and Norwich.