WILSON, John Grover, clergyman, born in Middletown, New Castle County, Delaware, in 1810; died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 20 February, 1885. He was educated at Delaware college, and became a minister of the Methodist Protestant church. This connection he severed in 1855, but while affiliating with the sect called Christians, or Campbellites, he never formally joined them. On the contrary, he and the church to which he ministered in Philadelphia continued until his death to be free from any denominational associations. The society still exists, and is known as the " Ebenezer Independent Christian church." Mr. Wilson never used the prefex " Reverend" in writing his name, but instead preferred the initials V. D. M., a contraction for "Verbi Dei Minister" --minister of the word of God. He expounded his peculiar views in various periodicals, and especially in the " Homiletic Magazine and Repository of Pastoral Theology" (1843-'4), which was founded by him. From 1842 till 1845 he was secretary of the Baltimore annual conference of the Methodist Protestant church. He published, among other works, " Discourses on Prophecy" (Philadelphia, 1850) ; " A Vindication of the Scheme of Redemption " (1858); " Writings in Prose and Verse" (1860); "The Gospel of the Epiphany" and "The Branch of David" (1867); " The Sabbath and its Law"; " Lyre of my Youth"; and " God, All in All," a prize poem.