It was my original hope to make the theology of Charles Simeon and his influence within the Church of England the subject of my research. However, inasmuch as "the apostle of the Cambridge Evangelicals" had already been studied by others, I was grateful to the Very Reverend Hugh Watt, D.D., D.Litt., former Principal of the New College, Edinburgh, for his suggestion to study, instead, Dr. John Edwards. Edwards was a distinguished, but now forgotten, predecessor of Simeon at Holy Trinity Church. My interest, therefore, has been divided between the theological and historical aspects of seventeenth century religion, and their continuing or recurring influence upon the eighteenth century awakening. This accounts for the space devoted to the period of Edwards's life and that which followed, and to the survey of the works of his "successors" both prominent and obscure, in Calvinistic thought. The thesis has been limited to the subject; yet, to examine the background and the later significance of his ideas seemed a vital part of the task. It will be observed that, for the sake of a more readable text, quotations from Edwards's works have been edited as regards spelling and punctuation. The sense of the passages, however, has been carefully maintained. A number of titles, moreover, received abbreviation in the Bibliography and footnotes. The aim, then, has been to discover and delineate the doctrines of the man in the light of his predecessors, contemporaries, and those who followed in his train. Little did the writer hope for as much significance as has been found; but the material has made the outline of the chapters. The thesis has grown from the reading of, and about, this voluminous writer of Cambridge, and the problem has been to limit the number of pages. Edwards brought introduction to several brilliant minds of the two centuries in which he lived. I thank him for this noble introduction to them and have sought to enter with sympathy into the experiences of their humbler contemporary in thinking and preaching.

The theology of John Calvin, while not differing primarily in substance from traditional Reformation thought, was revolutionary in its impact on the cultural life of the believer. For Calvin, Christ was the Cosmic Redeemer through whom all of life was effected. Nothing in the life of the believer therefore was secular. Society, as a whole, was but a reflection of the grace of God and hence was an arena of concern for all people. Consequently, Calvin, the man, and Calvinists, later took an active role in the temporal life of man, concerning themselves with the governing of the state as well as the church, and the propagation of the arts and sciences.

Fundação Mary Harriet Speers / Num primeiro momento, destaca-se a história da IPIB, desde sua origem teológica em Calvino até sua constituição, demonstrando a influência norte-americana na teologia da Igreja. Na segunda parte, apresenta-se a metodologia através da qual foram analisados os discursos. Para tal análise, foi escolhida a ética reformada como parâmetro de discussão. Por fim, foram examinadas as prédicas a partir do viés ético, contrapondo-as com a história da IPIB, juntamente com os documentos oficiais da referida igreja. Como hipótese, foram identificados dois grupos de ação na IPIB: um evangelical carismático e outro ecumênico. Percebeu-se, também, que não é possível construir uma ética na IPIB apenas através dos preceitos calvinistas, sem uma atualização que vise urna hermenêutica inclusiva em Jesus Cristo. / This dissertation offers an analysis of sermons preached in the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil (IPIB) in search of its theological profile. The first chapter presents IPIB's history, from its theological origins in Calvin until its constitution, highlighting the North American influence on the theology of IPIB. The second chapter explains the methodology by which the sermons will be analysed. Ethics in a Reformed perspective was chosen as the discussion's parameter. Finally, selected sermons are investigated in this ethical perspective, contrasting them with IPIB' s history, together with the official documents of this church. As a hypothesis, two groups acting within IPIB are identified, an evangelical-charismatic and an ecumenical one. It is also noted that it is not possible to construct an ethics within IPIB merely in calvinist terms, without renewing it in the light of an inclusive hermeneutics centred in Jesus Christ.