The first thorough treatment of Francis Johnson as the central focus of an academic work. Once referred to as the 'Bishop of Brownism' by one of his contemporaries, Johnson's theological and practical influence on Christian traditions as diverse as the Baptists, Congregationalists, and English Independents demonstrated the wide breadth of English Separatism's formative influence.

The Reformed tradition is characterized by a rigorous commitment to theological formulation, yet it is equally known for its commitment to rooting its life and practice in the authority of God’s Word. While these two commitments are commonly acknowledged, the path from biblical interpretation to doctrinal formulation is often overlooked. Examining a diverse group of thinkers across the chronological and international spectrum of the Reformed tradition, this book demonstrates the depth and intricacies involved in the tasks of exegesis and dogmatic construction, the ways they intersect, and the effect it has on the church. Table of Contents: Preface - Richard A. Muller 1. An Appreciation of James De Jong - Calvin Van Reken 2. Calvin's Teaching Office and the Dutch Reformed Doctorenambt - Joel R. Beeke 3. An Immeasurably Superior Rhetoric: Biblical and Homiletical Oratory in Calvin's Sermons on the History of Melchizedek and Abraham - Richard A. Muller 4. Calvin's Lectures on Zechariah: Textual Notes - Al Wolters 5. Adopted in Christ, Appointed to the Slaughter: Calvin's Interpretation of the Maccabean Psalms - Keith D. Stanglin 6. Peter Martyr Vermigli and Aquinas Justice of War Doctrine - Mark J. Larson 7. Beza's Two Confessions as Sources of the Heidelberg Catechism - Lyle D. Bierma 8. Henry Ainsworth, Harried Hebraist - Raymond A. Blacketer 9. The Interpretation of Christ's Descent into Hades in the Early Seventeenth Century - Jay Shim 10. Critical and Catholic Exegesis in the Seventeenth-Century Low Countries - John S. Bergsma 11. Biblical Interpretation and Doctrinal Formulation in John Flavel's Works - Won Taek Lim 12. The Hobbes-Bramhall Debate on the Nature of Freedom and Necessity - J. Mark Beach 13. Bible Commentary for the Untutored: The Bijbelverklaring of 1780 1795, by Jacob van Nuys Klinkenberg and Gerard Johan Nahuys - Arie C. Leder 14. Herman Hoeksema was Right (on the three points that really matter) - John Bolt

Drawing on hitherto unexamined manuscripts, this book challenges the standard narrative that English presbyterianism was successfully extinguished from the late sixteenth century until its prominent public resurgence during the English Civil War.