SDB History: Samuel Stennett

Samuel Stennett

1727-1795

Dr. Samuel Sten­nett was born in Ex­e­ter, in 1727. He was con­vert­ed and was bap­tized when young. Like his fa­ther he was a man of super­i­or tal­ents and great er­u­di­tion. One authority says: “His pro­fi­cien­cy in Greek, La­tin and Or­i­ent­al tongues and ex­ten­sive ac­quaint­ance with sac­red lit­er­a­ture, are so abundantly dis­played in his val­u­able works that they can­not fail to es­tab­lish his re­pu­ta­tion for learning and genius.”

In 1763 he was made a Doc­tor of Di­vin­i­ty by King’s Coll­ege, Aberdeen. He min­is­tered to the Lit­tle Wild Street church as his fa­ther’s assistant for ten years; and as its pas­tor, af­ter his fa­ther’s death, for thir­ty-sev­en years. The meeting house was rebuilt dur­ing his min­is­try. His fa­ther, Jo­seph Sten­nett, D.D.; his grandfa­ther, Jo­seph Sten­nett; his great-grand­fa­ther, Ed­ward Sten­nett; his bro­ther, Joseph, and his son, Jo­seph, were all Bap­tist min­is­ters—and Sab­bath-keep­ers.

Dr. Sam­u­el Sten­nett was a hymn writ­er of note. He wrote the beau­ti­ful and well known hymn, “Majestic Sweet­ness Sits En­throned;” al­so “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand.”
[Adapted from Se­venth Day Bap­tists in Eur­ope and Amer­i­ca, Vol. 1, pp. 11-18]

MAJESTIC SWEETNESS SITS ENTHRONED, 1787

Majestic sweetness sits enthroned Upon the Savior’s brow; His head with radiant glories crowned, His lips with grace o’erflow, His lips with grace o’erflow.	To Him I owe my life and breath And all the joys I have; He makes me triumph over death And saves me from the grave, And saves me from the grave.
No mortal can with Him compare Among the sons of men; Fairer is He than all the fair Who fill the heav’nly train, Who fill the heav’nly train.	Since from His bounty I receive Such proofs of love divine, Had I a thousand hearts to give, Lord, they should all be Thine, Lord, they should all be Thine.
He saw me plunged in deep distress And flew to my relief; For me He bore the shameful cross And carried all my grief, And carried all my grief.