Drawing on new primary source material, it considers the Assemblys theology in terms of the unfolding development of doctrine in the Reformed churches, in connection with the preceding and current events in English history, and locates it in relation to the catholic tradition of the western church. The book asks exactly what the divines meant at each stage of their task. At a time when claims are made that particular theologies represent historic Reformed doctrine, it is particularly important to grasp what this actually is.