Robert Purnell (1606-1666) was by trade a carpet weaver,
probably a native of Bristol, England, in 1640. With four others,
he became a founder member of the Broadmead Baptist church in
the city. In the 1650s, the church became exercised over the
question of infant baptism. So much so, in 1654 Thomas Ewins
(the pastor) and Purnell (a ruling elder), travelled to London and
were baptised by Henry Jessey. Purnell wrote several books,
among which were these that I have used in this article: A Little
Cabinet Richly Restored (1657), being his largest work of 467
pages, Good Tidings For Sinners (1652), No Power But Of God
(1652),The Way To Convert A Sinner (1652), and A Serious
Exhortation To An Holy Life (1663). |
