pened when interrupted in his preaching was owing to the violence and malignity of his opposers. He produced copies of his sermons which he had preached, and they were afterwards printed. His answers were so satisfactory that, on the report of the committee made to the House, he was not only discharged, but a vote passed that he might have liberty to preach in any part of Suffolk, when the minister of the place did not himself preach there. For these false charges a cost of £60 was incurred.

Mention is made to his having in London collected a "considerable school on Great Tower Hill," and to his having been chosen master of St. Mary's Axe Free School, in London.

It appears that when in London he preached for some time in the public churches with great approbation; but the Assembly of Divines disapproving of his preaching against a National Church, Established Uniformity, and Infant Baptism, gave him much trouble. He relates the following as to his imprisonment :-"The committee for plundering ministers sent their warrant to the keeper of Ely House to apprehend me, and bring me in safe custody before them. They took me out of my house, carried me to Ely House, and there kept me prisoner several days, without any bail; and at last carried me before the committee, who asked me several questions, to which I gave them sober and discreet answers. Among others, the chairman, Mr. White, asked me who gave me authority to preach? I told him the Lord Jesus Christ. He then asked me whether I were a minister? I answered that I was made a priest by the prelate of Peterborough ; but I had renounced that ordination, and did here again renounce the same. They asked me by what authority I preached in Bow CHURCH? I told them, after I had refused the desire of the churchwardens three times one day after another, their want of supply and earnestness prevailed with me, and I went thither. They opened the pulpit door, and I went up and preached from Isaiah lviii., and gave them such an account of that sermon (thirty ministers of the Assembly of Divines so called being present,) that they could not gainsay, but made me withdrew, and said nothing to me, nor could my jailor take any charge of me; for the committee had called for him, and threatened to turn him out of his place for keeping me prisoner so many days. So I went away without any blame, or paying my fees."

Finding he could not without offence continue to preach in the Established churches, he withdrew and opened a meeting-house in Great St. Helen's. From the popularity of Hansard Knollys as a preacher, his congregation was large-seldom less than one thousand hearers. A Baptist Church was formed about two or three years afterwards; he was ordained over it in 1645, and continued to preach

among them, except when prevented by imprisonment and other persecutions, till his death. "The life of Mr. Knollys," writes Ivimey, "was little less than a constant scene of vexation and distress, especially after the restoration of the King. The mad insurrection of Venner and his frantic associates supplied a pretext to the Court to punish the obnoxious Nonconformists; and in this persecution Mr. Knollys had his full share. It is, however, stated that not one Baptist was found to be amongst those fanatics. At that time he was imprisoned in Newgate for eighteen weeks. Upwards of four hundred godly and peaceable persons were confined with him, who knew nothing of the design till, at the King's coronation, they were all, by an act of grace, set at liberty."

The words of the Apostle were, indeed, literally fulfilled in the experience of this good man, that "we have here no continuing city !" We can trace him from this country to America, and then back again; from England into Wales, from London to Holland, and from thence into Germany, then back to Rotterdam, and from the latter place to London once more. These wanderings about, too, were not the effects of choice, but of necessity. They, however, furnished him with numerous instances of the providential mercies of God toward him. It was during his absence in Holland and Germany his property was confiscated to the Crown; and when the law did not sanction the act, a party of soldiers was despatched to take forcible possession of his property.*

66

When the act against conventicles was passed, 1670, he was taken at a meeting in George Yard, and committed to the Compter, Bishopsgate Street. Obtaining favour in the eyes of the keepers, he had liberty to preach twice every day in the Common Hall, and most of the prisoners came to hear him, and some of them blessed God that he was sent to the prison. He was soon after set at liberty at the Old Bailey Sessions."t

In 1684 he was imprisoned six months in the New Prison. Neither his age nor former sufferings could screen him from the malice of those who, to introduce despotism and Popery, were the enemies of all who were zealous to defend civil and religious liberty. He was now in his 84th year; and it was credibly reported that a little time before he was imprisoned, a lord came to him from the Court and asked him whether he and his friends of his persuasion would accept of a toleration gladly? The excellent man replied, “I am old, and know but few men's minds." Being further pressed for an answer he said, "I am of opinion that no liberty but what came by Act of Parliament

would be very acceptable, because that would be stable, firm, and certain." To such artful conduct did the Court descend, in order to make the Dissenters wish for a toleration which would include the Papists. It ought to be recorded, to the honour of this apostolic man, that he preferred a prison to any concession that would effect the interest of the Church of Christ.

Such was his popularity, that the owner of the property where he preached in Great St. Helen's was instigated to remove him; and in 1688 he is referred to as having a meeting-house at Broken Wharf, Thames Street, where the assemblies of ministers and messengers met in 1689 and 1692.

This eminent man spent upwards of seventy years in the ministry, and was more than fifty years pastor of a Baptist Church. He lived to the advanced age of ninety-three, "and quited the world in transport of joy," 19th September, 1691, and was buried in BunhillFields, having survived all the persecutions to which he had been subjected, and at his advanced age was particularly active in promoting the union and prosperity of the Baptist churches.

Notwithstanding the various engagements of Hansard Knollys, he found time to publish many works-twelve are enumerated by Ivimey.*

It is highly interesting in observing how WILLIAM KIFFIN and HANSARD KNOLLYS acted so frequently together in the important religious engagements of their times, for a long succession of years. In the public documents, in association letters, or in ordination services, these devoted men appear to have taken the lead in the Baptist denomination.

BENJAMIN KEACH was a distinguished man in his day. He was born at Stokehaman, in Buckinghamshire, February 29, 1640. He applied himself very early to the study of the Scriptures, and observing them to be entirely silent as to the baptism of infants, he began to suspect the validity of the baptism he had received in his infancy; and after having deliberated upon the matter, was baptised, upon a profession of his faith. The Church with whom he was united discovered his piety and talents, and in 1658 he was called to the solemn work of the ministry.

There being liberty in England for all sorts of preachers, as well as for all kinds of opinions, during two years after he had been engaged in the ministry, he met with no trouble or opposition at that time; but soon after the return of Charles II, persecution again revived, and the Baptists were the first that suffered under it.

Ivimey, vol. 1, p. 357.

It appears that Benjamin Keach had no small share in the sufferings of the times. He was often seized when preaching, and committed to prison,-sometimes bound, sometimes released upon bail, and sometimes his life was threatened. A band of troopers came when he was preaching in Buckinghamshire in great rage and violence upon the assembly, and swore they would kill the preacher; accordingly he was seized, and four of the troopers declared their resolution to trample him to death with their horses, and, laying him bound upon the ground, prepared themselves for the fact; but the officer seeing their design, rode up towards them, and just as they were going to spur all their horses at once upon him, interposed and prevented them. Then he was taken up and tied behind one of the troopers, cross his horse, and so carried to gaol; from whence, after some time of suffering great hardships and trouble, he was released."*

It was in 1664 that Mr. Keach wrote a little book, entitled, "The Child's Instructor; or, a New and Easy Primer." Several of his friends desired him to print it for the use of their families, and accordingly it was printed in London without his name being affixed to it (Hansard Knollys prefixed a preface to it.) Among several things asserted were that infants ought not to be baptized-that laymen having abilities might preach the gospel-that Christ should reign personally upon the earth in the latter day, &c. The publication of this little book soon brought down upon him the indignation of the higher powers. Mr. Keach's books were seized, and he was bound over to the assizes to answer for the offence. His indictment was, that being "a seditious, heretical, and schismatical person, evilly and maliciously disposed and disaffected to his Majesty's government, and the government of the Church of England, did maliciously and wickedly, on the first day of May, in the sixteenth year of our Sovereign Lord the King, write, print, and publish, or cause to be written, printed, and published, one seditious book, entitled, The Child's Instructor; or, a New and Easy Primer; wherein are contained, by way of question and answer, these damnable positions, contrary to the Book of Common Prayer and the Liturgy of the Church of England; that is to say, in one place you have thus written :

"Q. Who are the right subjects of Baptism?

"A. Believers, or godly men and women only, who can make confession of their faith and repentance.

"In another place you have maliciously and wickedly written these words:

* Crosby, vol. 2, p. 186.

"Q. How shall it go with the saints?

"A. (), very well; it is the day that they have longed for; then shall they hear that sentence, 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you;' and so shall they reign with Christ on the earth a thousand years, even on Mount Sion, in the New Jerusalem, for there will Christ's throne be, on which they must sit down with him.

"In another place you have wickedly and maliciously written these plain English words :

"Q. Why may not Infants be received into the church now, as they were under the law?

"A. Because the fleshly seed is cast out, though God under that dispensation did receive Infants in a lineal way by generation; yet he that hath the key of David, that openeth and no man shutteth, that shutteth and no man openeth, hath shut up that way into the church, and hath opened the door of regeneration, receiving in none now but believers.

"Q. What, then, is the case of Infants?

"A. Infants that die are members of the kingdom of glory, though they be not members of the visible church.

'Q. Do they, then, that bring in Infants in a lineal way by generation (into the church) err from the way of truth?

"A. Yea, they do; for they make not God's holy word their rule, but do presume to open a door that Christ hath shut, and none ought

to open.

The reader must be referred to the interesting and lengthened account of his indictment and trial, as given both by Crosby and Ivimey in their histories of the Baptists.

As might be expected, a verdict was obtained against him. Being called to the bar, the judge passed sentence as follows:-"Benjamin Keach, you are here convicted for writing, printing, and publishing a seditious and schismatical book, for which the court's judgment is this, and the court doth award,-That you shall go to gaol for a fortnight without bail or mainprize; and the next Saturday to stand upon the pillory at Ailsbury, in the open market, for the space of two hours, from eleven of the clock to one, with a paper upon your head with this inscription-'For writing, printing, and publishing a schismatical book, entitled, The Child's Instructor; or, a New and Easy Primer. And the next Thursday to stand in the same manner, and for the same time, in the market of Winslow; and there your book shall be openly burnt, before your face, by the common hangman,

Crosby, vol. 2, pp. 189, 191.