Legacy of the Saints from the 17th Century
Isaac Watts – English Christian minister, hymn writer, theologian, and logician. He was a prolific hymn writer and is credited with 750 hymns. Watts displayed a propensity for rhyme from an early age. “To see the dull indifference, the thoughtless air that sits upon the faces of a whole assembly, while the psalm is upon their lips”. Watts was passionate about the worship of God. He battled the high church of England – breaking through with his exposition of the Psalms.
John Owen – was an English theologian and “was without doubt not only the greatest theologian of the English Puritan movement but also one of the greatest European Reformed theologians of his day, and quite possibly possessed the finest theological mind that England ever produced”
Thomas Brooks – was an English non-conformist Puritan preacher and author. He served as a Chaplain in the English Navy to the admiral of the parliamentary fleet. After 8 years at sea, he was often called to preach before Parliament. He was one of 2,000 Puritan ministers that fell victim to the 1662 Act of Uniformity. He was a beloved pastor and he cared deeply for every soul in his care.
Richard Baxter – Perhaps the most unique feature of Baxter’s ministry is the sheer volume and scope of what he wrote. Baxter would preach occasionally, but he devoted the majority of his time to writing, leaving behind, in total, a library of over 150 treatises and countless letters and papers.