The Life and Times of Dr. John
Gill
by
Dr. Stanford E. Murrell
·
·
1687, November 23. Born at Kettering, in Northamptonshire,
England.
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·
1716,
November 1. Makes a public confession of
faith in Christ and is baptized.
1716, November 4. On this Lord’s Day he was
received as a member into the church, Mr. Thomas Wallis, pastor, and partook of
the Lord’s Supper.
·
·
1716,
November 11.
During the evening service he preached a sermon on 1 Corinthians 2:2.
·
·
1718, Marries Elizabeth Negus of
London.
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·
1719,
September 20. Accepts
the call to pastor Hosly-down, Fair-street, Southwark, about a mile from London
Bridge.
·
·
1720, March
22. Ordained
to the ministry in a public ceremony with the laying on of hands. Soon after
his ordination he drew up A Declaration of the Faith and Practice of the
Church of Christ at Horsly-down.
·
·
1723. Dr. Gill is taken ill with
numerous afflictions including a severe fever that threatened his life.
·
·
1724. Begins an exposition of the
Song of Solomon, preaching 122 sermons to his congregation from this
book. In the same year his first printing was a sermon preached from Romans
5:20,21 on the death of Mr. John Smith, a deacon of his church.
·
·
1725. Publishes a work entitled, The
Urim and Thummim found with Christ, from Deuteronomy 33:8.
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·
1726. Publishes a pamphlet
called, The Manner of baptizing with water, cleared up from the Word of God
and right Reason, etc. and another work, A Defense of the ancient Mode,
etc.
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·
1728. Publishes his Exposition
of the Song of Solomon. Other publications this year included The
Prophecies of the Old Testament respecting the Messiah.
·
·
1730. Publishes a work on The
Resurrection of the Dead and another work on Justification, and The
Necessity of good Works to Salvation.
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·
1731 Publishes his Treatise on the
Doctrine of the Trinity.
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·
1735. Publishes The Cause of
God and Truth setting forth the doctrines of grace.
·
·
1736. Publishes Truth Defended,
a response to an anonymous writer who examined the Doctrines in the
Supralapsarian Scheme.
·
·
1737,
December 31. Preaches an important sermon, The Doctrine of Grace cleared from the
Charge of Licentiousness.
·
·
1738. Publishes Remarks on Mr.
Samuel Chandler’s Sermon preached to the Societies for the Reformation of
Manners, relating to the moral Nature and Fitness of Things. The origin of
evil is considered and the vindication of God is upheld (theodicy).
1738, May 30. Death of daughter Elizabeth
Gill, age thirteen. Her father preached her funeral from 1 Thessalonians
4:13,14.
·
·
1746. The first volume of his Exposition
of the whole New Testament is published. The second in 1747 and the
third in 1748.
·
·
1748. Receives a diploma from the
Marischal College and University at Aberdeen creating him Doctrine in Divinity.
·
·
1749. Dr. Gill writes a treatise,
called, The Divine Rite of Infant Baptism examined and disproved.
·
·
1752. Publishes his pamphlet on
the Doctrine of the Saints’ final Perseverance.
·
·
1752, March
15. Escapes
being killed in his study from a violent hurricane.
·
·
1753. Publishes a pamphlet
entitled Anti-Paedobaptism.
·
·
1755. Dr. Gill publishes Dr.
Crisp’s Works having written a brief Memoir of the doctor’s life
and taking the opportunity to exonerate himself from the charge of
Anti-nomianism.
·
·
1756, March
24. Dr. Gill preaches his
farewell sermon at a Wednesday evening lecture from Acts 26:22,23. He desires
to devote his time to finishing An Exposition of the whole Old Testament.
·
·
1757. Dedicates a new church in
Carter-lane, Saint Olave’s-street, near London Bridge, preaching two sermons on
Exodus 20:24, which are published as Attendance in Places of religious
Worship, where the divine Name is recorded, encouraged.
·
·
1757-58. Publishes his Exposition
of the Prophets, and an Exposition of the Revelation.
·
·
1764,
October 10.
Mrs. John Gills dies at age 68 after being married for more than 46 years.
·
·
1767. Publishes his Dissertation
concerning the Antiquity of the Hebrew Language, Letters, Vowels, Points,
and Accents.
·
·
1769. Publishes A Body
of Doctrinal Divinity.
·
·
1770. Publishes A Body of
Practical Divinity.
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·
1771,
October 14.
Dr. John
Gill dies about 11:00 AM at his house in Camberwell, Surrey, aged seventy three
years, ten months, and ten days He is buried near Moorfields in the family
tomb.
·
·
1773,
January. Death
of daughter Mary who had married Mr. George Keith, a bookseller in
Gracechurch-street.
·
· 1774-1777. The second edition of the
New Testament Exposition is published.
The Late Rev. John Gill, D. D.
by
John Rippon
Edited by
Dr. Stanford E. Murrell
Thou hast given a standard to them that fear thee;
that it may be displayed because of the truth
~*~
Psalm 60:4
2
A BRIEF MEMOIR OF THE
LIFE AND WRITINGS OF THE LATE
REV. JOHN GILL, D. D.
BY JOHN RIPPON, D. D.
Late Pastor Of The Church Of Christ Assembling
At Carter Lane Meeting House, Tooley Street.
TO WHICH IS ADDED
AN ELEGY ON THE DEATH OF DR. GILL,
BY
BENJAMIN FRANCIS.
The
late Dr. John Gill was, in various respects, so distinguished an individual, whether we have regard to his talents, his
industry in improving them, the eminence to which he attained in oriental and
classical literature, or his Christian character, that one may be justly
surprised so little is generally known of his life and labors. Were we to have
recourse to any of our biographical dictionaries for information on the
subject, we should find the article dismissed in about twenty lines, giving us
a meager outline of
3
the place of his birth, his
family, education, and the various publications
with which he enriched the
literature of his country, while the most
interesting and instructive
parts of his biography are wholly un-noticed.
and learned man, is that which
was compiled by the late Dr. John Rippon,
his successor in the work of
the ministry, and prefixed to Dr. Gill’s
“Exposition of the Bible,” in
nine volumes, quarto — of course accessible
only to those who happen to be
in possession of that laborious
undertaking, the number of
whom must be comparatively few. It is
presumed that a re-publication
of the former, in a detached form, and at a
moderate price, can scarcely
fail of meeting with a favorable acceptance at
the hands of the religious
community, more especially, as tending to bring
this great and learned man
more prominently before the public, and so
doing his character that
justice which hitherto it has not received.
The following has been printed
verbatim from the above-mentioned
memoir, which will account for
an occasional reference to the Commentary
which will be observed in the
perusal.
4, Three Tun Passage, Newgate
Street,
March 1838.
4
A BRIEF MEMOIR OF THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF THE
REVEREND AND LEARNED
JOHN GILL, D.D.
THE Reverend Dr.
JOHN GILL was certainly one of the greatest and best
of men. In
contemplating a summary Memoir of him, it cannot be the
province of wisdom
sedulously to neglect any authentic documents or traits
of his character,
merely from an apprehension that they have been
previously known.
Such there are; but as it is not probable that one of his
warmest admirers
in a thousand can possibly have enjoyed the perusal of