Selection from the Life and Writings of William Bayly

by: William Bayly

William Bayly (1629–1675) was a seeker of God from his youth, and one who clearly saw “that all the religion in the world was but as a fading leaf when it lacked the pure life and power of God which saves from sin, and brings into unity with Him.” Having for a time sought the living Truth among dead ceremonies and empty words, he was at length reached by the power of the Spirit and became intimately acquainted with God’s covenant of life and light in His Son, Jesus Christ. He is said by those who knew him best to have been a man of an innocent and blameless life, whose conduct adorned the gospel in every sense, and whose words administered grace to the hearers. Like Apollos, “he was an eloquent man, mighty in the Scriptures,” being well acquainted with both the history and mystery of the oracles of God, through the assistance of that Spirit which gave him a true understanding of both.