ant himself. Threatened with persecution, he fled to Holland, and thence crossed to England, where he became intimate with the most eminent men of the church of England, such as Stillingfleet, Tillotson, and Compton, Bishop of London.

In 1678, he published a new edition of his Commentary, and corrected the popish errors with which it abounded. Being urged to prosecute his literary labors, the Bishop of London gave him free access to his library. There he met with some writings of the English Baptists, and was struck with the fact that they so clearly developed the true Protestant principles. In the Bishop's family there was a young woman who was much ridiculed by the other domestics for being a Baptist. By means of her, however, he obtained an interview with Rev. Hansard Knollys, at the house of a nobleman near at hand, where Mr. Knollys used to visit. Afterwards he became acquainted with Gosnold, and united with the Baptists under his ministry. It is said that on this account he lost most of his former employments, and most of his old friends, except Dr. Tillotson, who was distinguished for a noble magnanimity of mind, which led him to esteem the merits of other men, however much they from himself.

differed in opinion

De Veil was held in high esteem among the Protestants in France. A very friendly letter from Claude was prefixed to his Commentary on the Acts, which was published in 1685. We do not hear of his being settled over any church after he united with the Baptists, but that they, "in consideration of his abilities,

on his dismission from his place, raised him a salary which he enjoyed till his death."*

WILLIAM DELL, M. A., was educated at the University of Cambridge, and was a clergyman of the church of England, officiating in the parish of Yeldon, in Bedfordshire. Nothing is known of his holding any connexion with the Baptists, until the civil wars, when the subject of reforming the church became agitated. To that question he brought all the energy of his intellect, and all the warmth of his heart. Deriving from his Bible clear views of the spirituality of the present dispensation, he announced the sentiment, that "to make the whole kingdom a church was a mystery of iniquity." It is said by Dr. Calamy, that Baxter's most frequent disputes with Dell, was about liberty of conscience, "that is, that the magistrate had nothing to do in matters of religion by constraint or restraint, but every man might not only hold and believe, but preach and do in matters of religion what he pleased."

In the year 1645, Mr. Dell became chaplain in the army, and preached regularly at the head-quarters of Sir Thomas Fairfax. He was intimate with Oliver Cromwell, and the leading men of those times. In 1646, he was appointed to preach before the House of Commons on a public fast-day. In the course of his sermon he took occasion to speak of the evil of persecution, and of using external force in promoting religion. The preacher who followed him, animad

*Crosby 4: p. 259.

verted on that part of Mr. Dell's discourse, and defended the right of the magistrate to interfere in matters of conscience. This led to public discussion by means of the press, and thus Mr. Dell stood forth as a leader of the party who favored religious liberty, and Mr. Love, his opponent, a Presbyterian, was at the head of those who advocated persecution.

In 1649, Mr. Dell was appointed master of Caius College, Cambridge, and retained his station until he was ejected by the act of uniformity.

VAVASOR POWELL was a native of Radnorshire, in South Wales, where his name has been well known for nearly two centuries, and not only there, but throughout the whole Principality, has been remembered with sentiments of reverence and affection. He was born in 1617, was educated at Jesus College, in Oxford, and went into orders in the established church, about the year 1640. In his youth he was of a gay and impetuous turn of mind, yet, while at Oxford, made great proficiency in the knowledge of languages, and in various branches of literature.

A considerable time elapsed after he became a clergyman, before he knew any thing of experimental religion. In his early days he had been much addicted to a profanation of the Sabbath, and an instance of this kind was made the occasion of arousing his attention and converting him to God. "Being one Lord's day, a stander-by, and beholder of those that broke the Sabbath by divers games, and being there himself, in his clerical dress, or as he calls it, in the habit of a

foolish shepherd, he was ashamed to play with them, yet took as much pleasure therein as if he had; a certain Puritan in the mean time passing by, and seeing him there, came to him, and very mildly asked him, "Doth it become you, sir, that are a scholar, and one that teacheth others, to break the Lord's Sabbath thus?" To which he answered, like the scoffers in Malachi, "Wherein do I break it? you see me only stand by; I do not play at all." "But," replied he, "you find your own pleasure herein, by looking on, and this God forbids in his holy word." So he opened his Bible and read these words, in Isaiah, 58: 13, particularly that expression, "Not finding thy own pleasure upon the Sabbath day." Such was the pertinency of the passage, and the power that came with the word, that he was quite silenced and so far convicted, as to resolve never to transgress in this way again.

From this small beginning, a thorough change of mind and character soon ensued, to which the ministry of the pious and zealous Walter Cradock and other puritans, who were beginning to break out in Wales, greatly contributed. He soon became established in knowledge, and began to preach among his countrymen in the character of an itinerant evangelist.*

After this era of his life, Mr. Powell became an intrepid champion of the Cross, and his history is full of adventure. He suffered much from persecution, which waxed hotter in proportion to his increase of popularity

* Cambro-British Biography, by Rev. William Richards, LL. D., p. 143. London, 1820.

as a preacher. On that account,. in 1642, he left Wales, and went to London.

The intrepidity of his character may be judged of in some degree from the fact, that while residing at Dantford, in Kent, the plague broke out in the town. Many houses were shut up, and the dead bodies were carried out by his chamber wall and window, yet did he not suspend his labors, but preached constantly three times a week; and though some that had the sickness upon them came to hear, both he and his family escaped the contagion.

Vavasor Powell was at one time a warm friend of Cromwell, on account of his love of religious liberty; but when Cromwell seized the protectorate, Powell openly denounced him as an usurper, and earnestly remonstrated against it with the men in power. Nevertheless, he was the first of the nonconformist ministers who suffered under the reign of Charles II. Even before the arrival of the king, the agents of the government had marked him for their prey. The most relentless persecution was then carried on in Wales, without respect to age or sex. Mr. Powell was cruelly treated, and at last died in prison, in October, 1670, in the 53d year of his age, and the 11th of his imprison

ment.

Dr. Richards says, "he bore his last illness with great patience, and would bless God and say he 'would not entertain one hard thought of God for all the world,' and could scarcely be restrained at the very height of the disorder from acts of devotion, and from expressing his sentiments of zeal and piety." His remains were deposited in Bunhill Fields, in the pres