True Christianity
The poem's main point is the definition of true believe. The narrator leads the reader towards the explanation that true Christianity is only to be found in the pure interpretation of the original word of God, namely the Bible. The poem does not only criticize theologians who try to interpret the word and make their interpretation the law, but also talks about the negative impact various Bible-translations had on the true understanding of the word. The poem concludes that true Christianity is found within the pure interpretation of the word by everyone, as simple interpretations are probably the right ones. Dryden rejects views of Chosen people, rather focussing on the basic Christian rule that good people would be rewarded and bad people would be punished.
Believers VS Non-Believers
A recurring theme is the argumentation that by Catholic and other Chosen denominations standards, most people that have lived on this planet would be considered to burn in hell for all eternity. Dryden rejects this notion, saying that the Provenance of God's word is true in all times and places, transcending the Christian world and allowing all good people to arrive in heaven. For the narrator of the poem, the only source of wisdom can be found within the word of the Lord, that is the Bible and all other sources that have been allegedly kept by the Catholic Church.
Religious Elitism
One of the main contention within the poem is the thought that some religious rites are better than others. The narrator explains that all Christian rites come from the same source, namely from the first true believer Noah. His religious believes were true and have been distorted through history to create all different forms of Christianity as it existed in the 17th century. This thought process leads to the conclusion that all forms of worship are flawed to some extent and no one can know which one is the least flawed. That is why such elitist explanations about the one true way to worship God, as proclaimed by Catholic or other denominations are discarded by Dryden. The poem only leaves one way to find God, which is to find your own interpretation next to the universal laws stated in the holy scripture.
The right to rule
While not explicitly part of the poem itself, the whole piece is a huge counterargument against the Catholic claim to the British throne. Using all arguments that have been explained before, the author writes within the introduction and also in the poem that he is true to his crown, blatantly taking sides in a rather violent war.
