John Gill (theologian)
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- For other persons named John Gill, see John Gill (disambiguation).
John Gill (born at Kettering, Northamptonshire on November 23, 1697 and died October 14, 1771) was an English Baptist, a biblical scholar, and a staunch Calvinist. In his youth, he attended the Kettering grammar-school, mastering the Latin classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow Gill throughout his life.
About age twelve, Gill heard a sermon from his pastor, William Wallis, on the text, "And the Lord called unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel, Horsleydown, Southwark in 1719. In 1757, his congregation was in need of larger premises and moved to a Carter Lane, St. Olave’s Street, Southwark. His pastorate lasted fifty one years. This Baptist Church later became the Metropolitan Tabernacle and was pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
In 1748, Gill was honorarily conferred degree of Doctor of Divinity from the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar and a voluminous author. His most important works are:
- The Doctrine of the Trinity Stated and Vindicated (London, 1731)
- The Cause of God and Truth (4 parts, 1735-1738), a retort to Daniel Whitby's Five Points
- An Exposition of the New Testament (3 vols., 1746-1748), which with his Exposition of the Old Testament (6 vols., 1748-1763) forms his magnum opus
- A Dissertation on the Antiquity of the Hebrew Language (1767)
- A Body of Doctrinal Divinity (1767)
- A Body of Practical Divinity (1770).
[edit] References
- Ella, George (1995). John Gill and the Cause of God and Truth. Eggleston, England: Go-Publications.
- Nettles, Thomas J. (1986). By His Grace and for His Glory: A Historical, Theological, and Practical Study of the Doctrines of Grace in Baptist Life. Grand Rapids: Baker Books. ISBN 0-8010-6742-1
- Rippon, John (1838). Brief Memoir of the Life and Writings of the Reverend John Gill. Reprint: Hess Publications, 1998. ISBN 0-87377-920-7
[edit] External links
- John Gill's Exposition of the Old and New Testaments - his magnum opus
- The John Gill Archive - containing most of Gill's published works, including many sermons and tracts, The Cause of God and Truth, A Body of Doctrinal Divinity, and A Body of Practical Divinity, and Solomon's Song.
- Biographical sketch from The Baptist Page.
This article includes content derived from the public domain Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, 1914.ro:John Gill
