The most famous document from the Assembly was the Westminster Confession of Faith. It was strictly Calvinistic and as such not only met the needs of English Presbyterians, but it was adopted by the Church of Scotland to take the place of the Scottish creed of 1560. It became the basis of Congregationalist creeds, and it was the model for statements of doctrine by English and American Baptists.
Samuel Stennett, an English Baptist minister, was born in Exeter in 1727. In 1758 he succeeded his father as pastor of the Wild Street Church in London where he remained for 37 years. He died in 1795. Stennett was the author of some prose writings and of 38 hymns.
Samuel Francis Smith, a Baptist minister, was born in Boston in 1808. He attended the Boston Latin School and entered Harvard College in 1825. After leaving Harvard in 1829 he entered Andover Theological Seminary, graduating in 1832. His first pastorate was at Waterville, Maine where he remained eight years.
Edward Mote, an English Baptist minister, was born in London in 1797. He was a cabinetmaker for some years but eventually entered the ministry. From 1852 until his death in 1874 he was pastor of the Baptist Church in Essex. He wrote more than 100 hymns.
Samuel Medley, a Baptist minister, was born in Hertfordshire, England in 1738. He joined the navy and was severely wounded. During his recovery, someone read to him a sermon by Dr. Isaac Watts, which led to his conversion. After his recovery, he entered the ministry. For the last 27 years of his life, he was the influential pastor of a large Baptist Church in Liverpool.
Marianne Hearn was born in Kent, England in 1834. She was a member of the Baptist Church and was on the editorial staff of that denomination’s religious periodical Christian World. At her death in 1909 she was called “one of the most honored women in the Baptist Church in England.”
Benjamin Francis, an English Baptist minister, was born in Wales in 1734. He joined the Baptist Church at 15 and began preaching when only 19. He accepted a call to the Baptist Church at Shortwood in 1757 and remained there until his death in 1799.