lilliaililltnilRIIIBblUlliH i ini n it !i !! [| nl il II ;1 II il !: !i li il !> !l i{ li !l fl ;i » '•««<««■•> >ri<< M (0 ^ tf CO ^ Ah k! ■^ :e O >» ^ '^ t3 % 0) c (D 0) m * •H -P VD rH CO CO rH CO CO CO rH x: 0) 00 1 ■p A tH ^ P LD m 1 1 U3 t^ O m 1 LO rH O cti u «. ■H w ^ c O tn in A e C O o ?72/ ; but that this devoutly wished-for consummation is as necessarily and infallibly following in their train without a single exception, as the diifusion of light and heat 7nust be the never-failing attendant of the sun, ivhen, according to the beautiful imagery of Scripture, he goeth forth in his might, spreading his re- splendent wings in the eastern skies. 1770.— This distinguished patron of the doc- trines of grace, and of practical experimental godliness, having favoured his connexions with his two volumes of Doctrinal Divinity, now grati- fied them with a third volume, which he properly called a Body of Practical Divinity. This he thought would be the last work he should ev^er publish. It consists of no less than .514 pages, 4to. This volume also contains the substance of what he delivered to the church and congregation, f2 100 LIFE AND WRITINGS in Carter-lane, in his usual Lord's-Day services. The sermons were heard with great attention by the members and the auditory in general ; many of whom^ to the end of their days, mentioned, with great satisfaction, the interest they felt in them. It is undeniable that the Doctor, when his theme was practical, went the full length of his subject, as much as when it was doctrinal ; but he well distinguished between the moral law as a RULE of conduct, and the ^me law as a covenant of ivorks. Under the latter consideration, he every where maintains, with our best Divines, that be- lievers are delivered from it, totally delivered, having no just reason either to expect life from its promises, or to fear death from its threatenings. But that, as a rule of obedience, it is of universal obligation, equally binding on saints and sinners, and must remain so for ever, while God is God and man is man. An extract from one or two of his paragraphs, on this head, may here suffice, instead of a multitude. '^Though the moral law is made void as a covenant of works, it still con- tinues as a rule of action and conversation. It is done away as to the form of the administration of it by Moses ; but the matter, the sum and sub- stance of it, remain firm, unalterable, and un- changeable in the hands of Christ. Believers are delivered from the curse and condemnation of it, yet they are not exempted from obedience to it. And though they are not to seek for justification by it, they are under the greatest obligations, by the strongest ties of love, to have a regard to all OF DR. JOHN GILL. 101 its commands. Obedience to the law is enforced upon them by the best of motives^ Gospel motives and principles ; and they yield obedience to it, under the best of influences. Believers in Christ ought not only to he careful to maintam, but even to excel, to go before others, in good luorks, giv- ing evidence that they have a proper regard to the unchangeable law, as to the everlasting Gospel of Christ Jesus. Let us, therefore, by divine assist- ance shew, in our lives and conversations, the truth of this doctrine, ^ that the law is not made void, but established by the Gospel;' and thus^ as it is the will of God we should, with well-doing put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, and shame them ivho falsely accuse our good conversation in Christ,' ' In this way, our practical theologist maintains the authority and perpetuity of the moral law. This he does not only in his Sermon, entitled, The Law in the Hands of Christ, and in another. The Laiv established by the Gospel, and in his chapter on the Law of God, in his Body of Divinity; but, probably, in more than an hundred sections be- sides, interspersed all through his writings. Of this his exposition of the New Testament parti- cularly will be a standing witness. But those sections of it, in which he made the true and just distinction between the law as a covenant, and the law as a rule, were the very passages which pro- voked some persons of Antinomian principles, who were excluded only a few years since from the church of which the Doctor had formerly been f3 102 LIFE AND WRITINGS pastor, when they were referred to his opinion on the law, as he had given it in his Exposition, to say in a spirit which was as malicious, as the de- claration itself was false, that the Doctor asserts we are under the law, and that we are 7iot under the law, so going forward and backward, main- taining and denying; and that they find him pal- pably contradicting himself, in certain places, five or six times in a chapter. Yea, some of them insisted on it that believers had nothing at all to do with the moral law. But, in his time, the Doctor spared no individuals who were of these infernal sentiments ; and his preaching was as pointed on the agenda as on the credenda of the Christian system. Of this, the following is no unfair specimen. While he was pursuing the course of subjects since published as his body of Practical Divinity, one of his most sincere and generous friends, from whom the writer of this page had the anecdote, took a gentleman from the country to hear him. The Doctor warmed with his subject, and the congregation was animated. He put the crown on the Saviour's head, by ex- hibiting him in the glory of his kingly office ; and, in several sentences, particularly levelled his shafts against every species of Antinomianism, yet not mentioning the term. Service over, the good friend of Dr. Gill, who had himself enjoyed the opportunity, said to the gentleman. Well, Sir, what do yo think of our Doctor to-day ? Why, said he, you must not be offended with me, but I assure you, if I had not been told it was the great OF DR. JOHN GILL. 103 Dr. Gill who preached, I should have said that I had heard an Arminian. Probably this incompe- tent judge formed his opinion, as many other mistaken persons still do ; who, when they hear any thing practical recommended, or even the terui did}/ mentioned, violently exclaim in some opprobrious terms or other ; yet^ in the super- abundance of their wisdom, 7iot knowing ivhat then say, nor whereof they affirm. However, the plenitude of their folly is no more conspicuous, than the mistake or malevolence of others, who, running to the contrary extreme, whenever they hear the doctrines of sovereign and distinguishing grace, eternal election even to holiness, and the perseverance of the saints, though it be in grace to glory, fully and scriptually preached, imme- diately cry, Antinomianism ! — horrid Antino- mianism! — Thus exhibiting the very spirit of those ancient heretics, who slanderously affirmed, con- cerning the apostolic preachers themselves, that they said Let us do evil that good may come. But Paul repelled the charge, demolished the accusation, and magnified his office ; declaring, of all such perjured plaintiffs^ that their guilt is on their own foreheads, and of such uncommon atrocity^ that their damnation is Just, The Doctor had, doubt- less, consistency enough not fairly to incur the charge of espousing contrary and totally opposite schemes. He could not be an Arminian, for he maintained the five distinguishing and Scriptural points which they de7iy. Nor could he be an Antinomian, as he for ever defded whsit they aj^rm, 104 LIFE AND WRiriNGS viz. the destructive and damning text, which is the very soul of their system, that believers are not under the moral law, as the rule of their con- duct. Yet he was charged with these glaring inconsistencies. But the Saviour himself was crucified between two thieves ; and, unwilling as his servants are to be conformed to him in his sufferings, they must not think it strange, if they also are hung up between the robbers, — Armin- nism, which robs God of his grace ; and Antino- mianism, which robs him of his glory. It will be well for them, if, on the one hand, with Christian humility and patience, they possess equanimity, which will enable them to say, It is enough that the disciple be as his Master', and if, on the other, they, at present, pity those who would thus make them spectacles unto the world, and to angels, and to men ; and, at last, with their dying breath, can pray for them, saying. Father^ forgive them, for they know not what they do. At the close of the Body of Divinity is given the Doctor's Dissertation concerning the Baptism of Jewish Proselytes. He frequently observed, in his polemical career, that " several learned men had asserted, that it was a custom or rite among the Jews, before the times of John the Baptist, Christ, and his apostles, to receive proselytes into their church by baptism or dipping, as well as by circumcision ; and these both adult and infants -, and that John and Christ took up the rite of bap- tizing from thence, and practised, and directed to the practice of it, as they found it ^ and which. OP DR. JOHN GILL. 105 they think, accounts for the silence about infant baptism in the New Testament, it being no new practice." This, he saw, was the principal refuge, the dernier resort of soine of the Psedobaptists, who are of opinion, with Dr. Hammond, that this is the BASIS of Infant Baptism ; and with Sir Richard Ellys, who, in his Fortuita Sacra, says, that he knows not of any stronger argument in ii favour of infant baptism than this. Now, as the later writings of the Jews had been referred to, in support of this hypothesis, and no earli/ au- thorities were produced, there being none in existence ; and as the Doctor found, upon exa- mination, that several respectable writers had derived their intelligecce not from the fountain head, but had copied from one another, and that the great Mr. Wall himself, according to his own acknowledgment, not being sufficiently versed in the Jewish writings, had done the same ; he felt a desire that some one man or other might be found, since the birth of Christ, who should /z«% investigate the point. And as our laborious friend did not suppose it very probable, that any of the Baptist denomination might soon rise up and take the pains in studying Rabbinical literature he had done, which yet was necessary in order to master this subject ; he thought the business properly devolved on himself. Hence he resolved to draw up the whole compass of the argument, as he has done, in his Dissertation, that it might survive him, and be used as occasion should require. This subject had been upon his mind many years, and, F 5 106 LIFE AND WRITINGS no doubt, he made references to it in his Adver- saria from time to time, as he was accustomed to do, in other instances. Having, at last, taken the circumference of the subject, he favours us with the result of his en- quiries, as they appear in the Jirst part of his piece ; the heads of which shall be given mostly in his own words : — " Now upon search " after the proof of the baptism of Jewish proselytes, says he, " it will be found — that nothing of this kind appears in the writings of the Old Testament, which chiefly concern the Jewish nation — that in the books of the Apocrypha, generally thought to be written by Jews, though there is sometimes mention made in them of proselytes to the J ewish religion, yet not a syllable of any such rite or custom, as of baptism or dipping at the admission of them — that ill the Netu Testament, where mention indeed is made of proselytes, nothing is said concerning their admission and the manner of it— that as there were 7io traces of this custom in the writings before, or about the times of John, Christ, and his apostles, so neither are there any in those which were written in a short time after ; not in Philo the Jew; nor is there t\iQ least tr^ce or hint of this custom in any Rabbinical books, said by the Jews to be written a little before or after— that ,/osephus, the Jeicish historian, in treating of whole nations, and of individuals who became Jews, and were made so by circumcision, says not a word of their baptism and dipping, which, had OF Dll. JOHN GILL 107 it been practised, could not well have been omitted by the historian— that in the most ancient Tar- gums or Chahlee Paraphrases, at the beginning, and toward the end of the first century ; nor even in the Jews' Misnah or Book of Traditions, written in the middle of the second century, or beginning of the third, where, if any where, one might ex- pect to meet with this rite or custom, no mention is made of it ; though Dr. Gale seemed to allow it, upon what Dr. VA^all had translated from Selden, without examination — and that it is not spoken of by any of the Christian fathers of the first three or four centuries." Having illustrated all these particulars, which shew, that " the rite of receiving proselytes by baptism, or dipping, among the Jews, is ?20 where mentioned in any writings before the times of John and Christ, nor in any after, nearer than the third hnd fourth centuries ; Dr. Gill proceeds to shew, that the first mention of it, for aught as yet appears, is in the Jeivish Talmuds, the one called Jerusalem, being written for the Jews at Jeru- salem, in 189, and the other the Babylonian, writien for the Jews in Babylon, and in those parts, and finished, as is usually said, about A. D. 500. And when he had given " the whole com- pass of the evidence from these writings, not omitting any thing relating to it in them, that had fallen under his observation," he adds, " Since then this rite, or custom, has no foundation, but in the Talmuds," which were written, especially the Babylonian, so distant from the apostolic age, i08 LIFE AND WRITINGS " surely it can never be thought that CArz^/Zr/TZ bap- tism was borrowed from thence ;'' the " folly and falsehood of which/' he says^ '^ would be evinced in his following chapter." This chapter consists of eleven or twelve very interesting considerations, to which the Doctor subjoins this, as an argument ad hominem — "If this custom" of Jewish pro- selyte baptism, or dipphig^ " is to be considered as a rule of Christian baptism, then sprhikling ought not to be used in it." Finally, it may be proper to observe, that Dr. Gill was not alone in his views of proselyte bap- tism among the Jews, but is justified in his prin- cipal statement by certain learned Paedobaptists themselves. For as the testimonies produced, by the several writers, in favour of the point, were not early enough to answer the purpose for which they were brought ; the late Dr. Jennings^ author of the Jewish Antiquities, has given up the argu- ment from them in favour of infant baptism. " There wants, " respecting Jewish proselyte baptism, says he, '' more evidence of its being as ancient as our Saviour's time, than I apprenend can be produced, to ground any argument upon it^ in relation to Christian baptism.'* And again, '^ After ail, it remains to be proved, not only that Christian baptism was instituted in the room of proselyte baptism, but that the Jews had any such baptism in our Saviour's time. The earliest ac- counts we have of it are in the Misnah and Gemara ; the former compiled, as the Jews assert. OF DR. JOHN GILL. 109 in the second century, the latter not till the seventh century*." Dr. Gill, making this quotation from Dr. Jennings^ says, as to accounts of it in the Mis7iah ive have none at all. Dr. Jennings, though an acknowledged Hebrean, perhaps, had not read the Misnah through ; but Dr. Gill had, and there- fore says, in another place, "It is mentioned in the Gemara, a work of later times " But he boldly adds, " T am content to risk that little reputation I have for Jewish learning, if ani/ pas- sage can be produced in the 3Iisnah, mentioning such a tradition of the Jews, admitting proselytes by baptism, or dipping, luhether adult^ or child- ren'^ To this testimony our author subjoins Dr. John Owen's. That learned man, in his Theo- logomnena, says, '^ The institution of the rite of baptism is 7io where mentioned in the Old Tes- tament, no example is extant ; nor, during the Jemsh church, was it ever used in th^ admission of proselytes ; no mention of it is to be met with in Philo, Josephus, nor in Jesus the son of Sy- rach ; nor in the Evangelic History." Dr. Gill having thus investigated his subject in all its ample round, and supported it by argument and autho- rities, concludes his Dissertation in those very remarkable words of the same great Dr. Owen, who affirms, that ^^the opinion of some learned men concerning the transfer of the rite of Jewish baptism by the Lord Jesus, which indeed did not * Jenning's Jewish Antiqu. Vol. I. p. 136. 138. 110 LIFE AND WRITINGS tlie}i exist, for the use of his disciples, fs destitute OP ALL PROBABILITY." But Sufficient justice cannot hi done to this Dissertation by any mere sketch. It merits the close attention, and will liberally reward the critical acmiien, which may be employed about it, whatever side of the ques- tion is espoused. And a proper acquaintance with this elaborate piece will create astonishment, at the Herculean labour, the deep research, the ceaseless patience, the profound literature, and the fair argument, which are signally displayed by our author in it, to the everlasting credit of his head and of his heart. And, had the church and the world been indebted to his labours, for no other effort than is made in this Dissertation on Jewish Proselyte Baptism; and in his Dissertation concerning \hQ Antiquity of the Hebrew Language, &c. he must have ranked high in the literary world as a distinguished prodigy. Both these publications certainly have placed him on lofty ground ; and, being in the full light, however insensibly to himself, he must not only have left his predecessors and cotemporaries far behind in the literary career ; but have thrown into shades his survivors, some of whom are at so vast a distance from him, by an acknowledged inferiority, that even the extreme skirts of his shadow cannot reach us. This is the man who had been represented as one of two or three, who had scarcely any learn- ing ; this is the man who had been called, by a person who was certainly his inferior, only a hot- OF DR. JOHN GILL. Ill cher in divinity. But how few, in his days, or since, have been able to say, as he, '^ in self- defence/' supposed it necessary to say of himself, that he " had read the Classics," and indeed " Virgil, at nine years of age?" That he had " read Logic, Rhetoric, Ethics, Physics, and Me- taphysics'? The Ethnic Philosophers, Plafonists, and Stoics ? The Greek and Roman historians, Herodotus, Pausanias, Livy, S alius t, &;c. f The Greek and Latin Fathers of the Christian Church, and Church History ? And that he had also read the Jewish Targums^ the Misnah, the two Tal~ muds, Babylonian and Jerusalem^ the Rahbot, Midrashim, Zohar, with other writings of the Jews, ancient and modern ? " This statement was "forced from him," in 17*^9, the 42d year of his age, when he adds, " I am not too old to learn, and, through divine goodness, do not want indus- try, diligence, and application." And proof suf- ficient he gave of the truth of this assertion. For, after the year 1739, when he penned the above distinguished section, and while his acquisitions were augmenting with his years, he published his Exposition of the whole Old and New Testament ; his Body of Divinity; and other writings. Now if these, with his earlier publications, had been all uniformly printed in the size of his Old and New Testament, they would, it seems, have made the astonishing sum-total of above TEN THOUSAND folio pages of Divinity. All this was his own composition ; the result of his own most laborious studies ; and written with his own 112 LIFE AND WRITINGS hand^ without any amanuensis ; and published by his own care, no one reading the sheets as they came from the press but himself. This report of almost unexampled application and labour, if spread on a distant shore, where the facts were not easily ascertainable, might have been consigned to the chapter of incredibles ; but the results, the aston- ishing results^ of his learning and piety are before us ; our eyes have seen and our hands handled the invaluable productions. And we anticipate the felicity and gratitude both of the rising gene- ration, and of future ages, when the Jews^ whom the Doctor had so particularly in his eye through all his writings, as well as the Gentiles, shall be brought into an evangelical acquaintance with the whole sacred volume. Hence, contemplating the Doctor in his Theolo- gical, Polemical, and Literary career, we conclude, that, when Genius and Candour have projected his medallion, and Science with Justice shall have executed it to his praise, the well-earned memo- rial will exhibit, what, at present, is conjecturable. On the FACE of it will be seen our Author, the principal figure ; whose features the golden em- bossment gives, with perfect discrimination. In his hand is a page of letter-press, with the date of 1770 on it, intending the Jinal one he ever re- vised for publication ; at the foot of which is writ- ten, the LAST of 7nore than Ten Thousand, and which he stretches out for their acceptance to- wards a number of persons, representing Gentiles, some of whom are levelling a path for the acco- OF DR. JOHN GILL. 113 modation of others^ who are in the habit of Jews, towards whom the figure is looking, as with the ardour of desire, and the joy of expectation. On the REVERSE, a celestial Beauty appears; behind whom is seen a motley group of figures, fierce of countenance, and of various features, supposed to represent Simon Magus, the precursor of Sabel- lius, with all the succeeding Heresiarchs, and their followers of every age ; some of whom, in a later dress, appear as if appalled at an enemy, but, in their flight, meet this terrifying legend— casti- GATOR HERETicoRUM, intimating that our immor- tal Divine was the scourge and dread of heretics. The foremost figure, who turns her back upon all apostates, and appears with celestial charms, is Religion the friend of literature. Her eyes are somewhst elevated towards the heaven ; from whence the rays of an eastern sun, stretching over a range of intervening hills, one of which seems to be Mount Calvary, mildly irradiate her coun- tenance, which principally bespeaks gratitude and joy. With her left hand, gently inclining, she directs us to an inscription, which, skirting the medallion, says, in legible characters, of her fa- vourite — FLOS scHOLASTicoRUM — meaning, by a liberal translation, that he was the pride of litera- ture, at the summit of general learning, and, in his day, of unparalelled erudition in the depart- ment of Oriental literature. But, as if all this were of comparative insignificance, as indeed uni- versal science itself must be, if not consecrated to the honour of God, and the best interests of men ; 1 14 LIFE AND WRFTir^GS the celestial Beauty, with her right hand, points us to the iUuminated mount on which the Saviour expired ; while the design of the medallion, and the whole reason of the joy m her countenance, is told out, by a label issuing from her lips, which says, concerning the various literature, the pre- eminent labours, and gracious attainments, of her favourie -^ef devoted them all to his Rkdeem- er's praise. Here, if we pause, let it be to recollect, as Ur. Gill has expressed it, "^ that had it not been for learning, or learned men, we never should have enjoyed an English Bible.'' And thousands have blessed God for his talents and literature. But when the fruits of his labours are surveyed, it will seem a rational inquiry for ourselves, and which posterity will certainly be induced to make ; How could any one man perform all this labour ? It is fair to answer — it must have been naturally impossible for any person to have done it, without method, unremitted exertion, and cheerful perseve- rance. These were perenially the companions of his labours ; and delight must occasionally have mingled in their society. Indeed it may be lite- rally said that he was never tired of reading and study. General good health also administered to the execution of his design, and a very retentive memory. These things considered in their ge- neral effect, the remaining arcana will be easily developed, by knowing his manner of composing the chief parts of his Exposition of the Old and NewTestament. Had the indefatigable man studied OF DR. JOHN GILL. 115 and preached two or three sermons weekly, as he did, and made these no part of his Commentary, he never could have prepared half the work for the public eye ; but the substance, or at least the heads, of almost qvqvj sermon he preached being inserted in their proper place^ the very week they were delivered, the mighty mass increased with his months. There was seldom a week-day without a line. And, as each evening he left the weight of his mind on paper, he was quite prepared with a new morning, to enter on new sections. In going through any single book of the Scripture^ he would sometimes take only a single verse for his sermon; mor^ frequently six or eight — and seldom above ten or twelve. These he generally expounded one by one. But at other times he speedily paraphrased most of the paragraph under consideration, taking a principal verse in it, which he divided, sub-divided, and enlarged upon in the form of a short sermon. When he did so, the people frequently made this remark, — As soon as the Doctor came to the sweetest part, he left off. He did not, however, begin a book of the sacred volume, and pursue it, in every succeeding ser- mon, from the first verse of it to the last ; but he threw a pleasing variety into his discourses, by considering part of one book in the morning, of another book in the afternoon ; and then of some other on the Lord's Supper days. For example — the writer of these pages has in his possession the substance of some scores of sermons which the Doctor preached in the year 17^7? &c. By these 116 LIFE AND WRITINGS it appears^ that on Lord's Day mornings he was then constantly on the epistle to the Hebrews ; in the afternoons on the book of the Proverbs ; but on Lord's Supper days^ which were monthly, he was regularly on the Gospel of John in the afternoons. This method was very acceptable to his people, and facilitated his daily employment to himself; and to this method, principally, we are indebted, under God, for the numerous vo- lumes he published. But it may also be inquired, how he distributed his time, and whether he indulged himself in any relaxations. When the Doctor was once asked by the late Mr. Ryland, whose name is mentioned before in this Memoir, how it was he had waded through such vast labours ; he answered, it was not done by very early rising, nor sitting up late — the latter he was confident, must be injurious to aiiy student, and not helpful. The truth is, " he rose as soon as it was light in the winter^ and usually before six in the summer." In the last part of his life, not quite so early. He breakfasted constantly in his study, and always on chocolate ; but came down with his family at dinner, and, even to the last affliction, carved for them. Through the latter years of his life, he seldom went into his study after tea, unless about an hour in sum- mer, but sat below, reading some book, or cor- recting his sheets as they were issuing from the press : and with some of these he had care enough, partly occasioned by his own indistinct auto- graphy, for, at last, he wrote very small, and OP DR. JOHN GILL. J 17 considerably illegible ; and partly by the inatten- tion or incompetency of the compositors, from whom, we are certain, he has been mider the ne- cessity of getting six or seven revises of a sheet, especially of such sheets as contained learned quo- tations. These corrections, which perhaps should not be mentioned among his amusements, served, in some degree, to afford relaxation from his more intense labour, as they gave a diversified employ- ment to his mind. Never Avas he to be seen indolent. He neither wanted, nor wished for, relaxation from study ; for this v/as his element. But if avocations from laborious application are of the nature of relaxations, such he occasionally had. They consisted of 3.feiv visits to his people. He never was distinguished for the length and frequency of them. In the midst of his days also, it was his practice, once a week, to meet his min- istering brethren, at their accustomed coffee-house ; or else to spend a friendly hour with them under the hospitable roof of Thomas Watson, .Esq., an honoured member of the Baptist church, then meeting near Cripplegate. That gentleman kept an open table on Tuesdays for the dissenting min- isters of the three denominations. The Doctor generally met with them, took his part, cheerfully, in conversation, with the brethren present ; and maintained it, on their return home, whether they came back on foot, or by the boat, as they now and then did. Coming buck one day by water, an excellent minister of the Independent denomi- nation, of whom Dr. Gill was particularly fond. 118 LIFE AND WRITiNGS said to him, when there was a great swell of the tide, and some of the gentlemen were uneasy, Ah ! Doctor, you don't fear, you love much water : Yes, he replied, I do love much water in its proper place, and [ love you too ; but Brother Bentley, a little water, in a barber's basin, is enough for some people. You know what I mean, Brother. Yes, said Bentley, in a good humour, 1 do. All smiled. The repartee was quite in the spirit of genuine friendship ; and it was natural for one of them, when they were got on shore, and parting, quite in the fraternal way, to say. Well, Doctor, much water, however, has done no one of us any harm. True, said he, and we are all sure, that sprinkling alone would never have brought us safe to land. It seems also that, while his mother was alive, he had the annual pleasure of visiting her at Ket- tering, and of seeing the fruits of his early ministry m that neighbourhood. But the moment he re- ceived the news of her death, he laid down his pipe, and, from that time, never smoked again. Though, previous to this, he never disgraced him- self as a great smoker. Besides this he had the pleasure, once in the close of every year, to meet the principal people of his congregation, at some public dinner, with a view the better to procure pecuniary aid for them in the inclement season. At this meeting he would generally unbend. And, though excessive loquacity was no trait in his character, he was as ready to converse, and to answer questions, which OF DR. JOHN GILL. 119 all were at liberty to propose, as any judicious person could have desired, i^ome of his most active friends enlivened these meethigs^ by dis- creetly introducing such persons, members of the church or not, to whom they knew the Doctor was partial. On such occasions, the great John Ryland, sen., often graced and invigorated the company. The Doctor was fond of him as a ge- nuine Calvinist, a good Hebrew scholar, and as having read as much English divinity as any man in his day. Their conversation, being on cheerful and interesting subjects, chained the attention of the company, and generally produced a reluctance at parting. If any thing could detain him from the study, it was the conversation of such a friend as this — or of the eminent Mr. Toplady. There was a mutual and an endearing friendship between these two. They agreed in almost every point of theology. Dr. Gill had read the Fathers, Toplady was acquainted with several of them. Persons of his talents always afforded him relaxation. Some of his own people alsc> well knew how to render his visits interesting to themselves and pleasing to him. He would seldom converse on trifles; but, touch the string of prophecy— the calling of the Jews — the latter-day glory — or, introduce any interesting question on Christian experience, he was engaged at once, and out of the abundance of the knowledge and grace, treasured in his heart, his mouth freely spake. Indeed he felt himself sometimes interrupted, by people who, knowing not the worth of time as 1^0 LIFE AND WRITINGS he esteemed it, called upon him, from the country, principally that they might have the pleasure of saying they had seen and conversed with him. It was a toil to him to be detained when no informa- tion could be either gained or given. But with people of the right description he was very free. The worthy Mr. Geard, pastor of theBaptist church at Hitchin, is a proof of this. Among his many cheerful recollections, it will always be one, how Dr. Gill received him, as soon as he found that he had come from Bristol to London, with the only design of seeing this great man. They talked and dined together, and the Doctor was happy in ob- taining every information concerning the Academy at Bristol, to which Mr. Geard belonged, the con- dition of the churches, and the general state of religion in the western parts of England. The Doctor now resided at Camberwell, a village about two miles from London- Bridge. Here his garden also afforded him amusement. He would v/alk in it, weed the plots, yea, and sometimes work in it, with pleasure, almost to the close of life. But when he was here alone, yea, and even at his meals, he was not quite unemployed about his sacred work ; for his family have noticed, how commonly " the activity of his mind might be judged of by the motion of his lips." Thus, in a sort, he was always in his studies. But labour and literature, abstractedly con- sidered, are not intended to constitute the highest style of man ; and as they form not his only ex- cellence, our attention is recalled to the other OF DR. JOHN GILL. 121 walks of life, which Providence had assigned him, in each of which he appears to advantage. He was a genuine Dissenter from the Esta- blished Religion, as appears by his whole life, and by his little piece, entitled. The Dissenters Rea- sons for separating from the Church of England. But as a Dissenter, he considered himself under signal obligations always to discover his love to the Hanoverian succession — no one was a heartier friend to the present family on the throne than »Tohn Gill. The Amor Patrice roused his best feelings; and in his prayers you might feel the love of his country. It swelled his bosom in his earlier career, and continued with him to the very last of life. Had pride been made for man, with towering ambition we should have introduced part of one of his sections under this article, which he wrote in the time of the great Rebellion ; and the page bears his own date at the foot of it, Decem- ber 2^ 1745. Writing on Psalm xxv, 3. Let them be ashamed, ivhich transgress without cause ; or, as he reads it^ act treacherously without cause, as King David's subjects did ; he adds, ^' Such are those who are now risen up against our right- ful Sovereign King George ; a parcel of perfidious, treacherous wretches ; some of them who were in the last rebellion, and obtained his father's PARDON ; others that partook yearly of his royal bounty, for the instruction of their children, and all have enjoyed the blessings of his mild and gentle Government ; and therefore are without cause his enemies.'' This is the heart of a genuine 6 122 JLIFE AND WRITINGS Dissenter — here is the true patriotism — and mani- fested at a time when tribes of the national hierarchy had been tacking from one side to another^ entirely as it suited their interest. This was the Dissenting minister and pastor of Carter- lane ; and as was the shepherd so were his flock. As a MINISTER, in his early days few persons were more animated than himself^ and he gave himself wholly to divine things. His constant studies prepared him for his public work, render- ing it easy to himself, and beneficial to his people. He came into the pulpit, at times, with an heavenly lustre on his countenance, in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ ; enriched, and generally enriching. In preaching funeral ser- mons, and on other extraordinary occasions, when he was a young man, and surrounded with large congregations, his exertions have been such that the people have conveyed to him, as well as they were able, three or four handkerchiefs to wipe his face, in one discourse. The sermons, which were not inserted in the body of his Exposition, he generally wrote an outline of, making what might be read in less than ten minutes. Such we have yet preserved in his own hand- writing. The ideas contained in these manuscripts it is certain were familiar to him when he entered the pulpit. But he delivered not his sermons memoriter, as it is phrased; treasuring up words, as a schoolboy does his lesson. Of him it cannot be said ** He toiVd, and stowed his lumber in his brain — He toil'd, and then he dragg'd it out again." OF DR. JOHN GILL. 123 He had so mastered his subject before he appeared among his people^ that it was totally unnecessary for him to adopt the servile method execrated in this couplet. And when, after a course of years, the fervour of his youth had much abated, his public labours commanded attention. But this was not secured by a flood of eloquence, by rhetorical action, by meretricious ornaments, or by any of the eccentricities which gain upon weak persons. But the effect was produced by his solemn deport- ment, his expressive language, his perspicuous method, his nervous reasoning, his interesting address ; and, by his substantial matter delivered with accuracy. And, all being ornamented with his own personal religion^ and crowned with the superabundant influences of the Spirit of God, he sometimes preached as with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, and poured out his prayers, with divine freedom and fervency, into the very bosom of God. As a PASTOR he presided over the flock with dignity and affection. Mingled were his cares and comforts — such as other faithful shepherds have experienced in their different situations. In the course of his ministry he had some weak, some unworthy, and some very wicked persons to deal with. As to the feeble of the flock, it may be truly declared he was an affectionate friend and father to them. He really " bore with their weak- nesses, failings, and infirmities," and particularly when he saw they were sincerely on the Lord's side. A godly woman visited him one day, in g2 124 LIFE AND WRITINGS great trouble about the singing ; for the clerk, in about three years had introduced two new tunes. Not that he was a famous singer, or able to con- duct a variety of song. The young people were pleased ; but the good woman could hardly bear it. The Doctor, after patiently listening, asked her whether she understood singing ? No, she said. What ! can't you sing ? No ; she was no singer, nor her aged father before her. And, though they had had about an hundred years be- tween them to learn the old hundred tune, they could not sing it, nor an^ other tune. The Doctor did not hurt her feelings, by telling her that people who did not understand singing were the last who should complain ; but he meekly said. Sister, what tunes should you like us to sing ? Why, Sir, she replied, I should very much like David's tunes. Well, said he, if you will get David's tunes for us, we can then try to sing them. Such weak good people may be found among most denominations of Christians. But he sometimes was accosted by rude people, and in his own congregation. A cynical old man, who had taken an antipathy against some of his minister's tenets, oftener than once had grinned contempt at him from the gallery ; and then would meet him at the foot of the pulpit- stairs, and ask. Is this preaching? repeating his question. The insolence at first met no answer from the preacher. But, it seems, he determined not to be often treated in this manner. Not long after, the said churl, planting himself again in the same position. OF DR. JOHN GILL. 125 expressed his contempt somewhat louder ; Is this the great Doctor Gill ? The Doctor^ immediately? with the full strength of his voice^ looking him in the face, and pointing him to the pulpit, said, Go up, and do better— Go up, and do better. This was answering a fool according to his folly. iVnd the answer afforded gratification to all who heard it. But the holy man felt himself exceedingly dis- tressed when any of his communion disgraced their profession, by errors either in doctrine, or in practice. From both sources he had his share of sorrows, as the records of his faithful church- discipline evince. A single extract shall here be given respecting some, who seemed pleased enough, in their own w^ay, with the work of Christ, but who were totally inimical to the work of the Spirit. Understanding, that several of the mem- bers positively denied the doctrine of an internal principle of sanctifying grace ; or, in other words, of a new nature infused into the heart by the Holy Spirit, in regeneration ; the Doctor seriously brought the business before the church, and, as he, by virtue of his pastoral office, kept the church- book, he has made this entry in it of the result of the transaction, with his own pen : — ^^ Agreed that to deny the internal sanctification of the Spirit, as a principle of grace and holiness wrought in the heart ; or as consisting of grace communi- cated to and implanted in the soul, which, though but a begun work, and as yet incomplete, is an abiding work of grace, and will abide, notwith- standing all corruptions, temptations, and snares, 126 LIFE AND WRITINGS and be performed by the author of it until the day of Christ, when it will be the saints' meetness for eternal glory ; is a grievous error, which highly reflects dishonour on the blessed Spirit and his operations of grace on the heart, is subversive of true religion and powerful godliness, and renders persons unfit for church- communion. Wherefore, it is further agreed, that such persons who appear to have embraced this error be not admitted to the communion of this church ; and should any such who are members of it appear to have received it and continue in it, that they be forthwith excluded from it." Tavo members then present declaring themselves to be of the opinion condemned in the above resolution, and also a third person who was absent, but who was well known to have been under this awful delusion, were consequently ex- chided that evening. But, notwithstanding this report, it would be unpardonable were this article not also to main- tain, that few have been the pastors, in any situa- tion, to whom greater respect has generally been shewn than to himself; a respect, which, towards the last, might have been termed a reverence of the reverend man. Vea, it seems almost impossi- ble for any people to have retained a more pro- found respect for their pastor, after his death, than the people who had been his care. They always spoke of him in the highest terms. They gladly made him the subject of their conversation. They were happy to hear any one speak of him with his merited respect. All of them, without OP DR. JOHN GILL. 127 exception, endeared themselves to his successor, by the affectionate remembrance they preserved of his departed worth. It deserves to be repeated, that this is a fair description of each of the mem- bers who survived him, as thirty or forty did for many years. All of them are at this tlme^ gone down to the dust, except one afflicted brother of the church, who is now in years, and has been supposed, for several months past, to be tottering on the verge of life. The Doctor not only watched over his people, ^^ with great affection, fidelity, and love ;" but he watched his pulpit also. He would not, if he knew it, admit any one to preach for him, who was either cold-hearted to the doctrine of the Trinity ; or who denied the divine filiation of the Son of God; or who objected to conclude his prayers with the usual doxology to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as three equal Persons in the one Jehovah. Sabellians, Arians, and Socinians, he * This mention of the only surviving member of the old church, which had been under Dr. GilVs care, was written in Devonshire, in September y 1809, where Dr. Rippon had been recommended for the benefit of his native air ; having been laid aside, almost entirely, from his pastoral work, through the four summer months ; the leisure parts of which should have been employed in preparing this sketch of the life of his honoured predecessor for the public eye. But having been so long afflicted, and one while brought near the gates of death, he was prevented from writing such a Memoir as he wished, which might have been worthy of the name of Gill, and not in every respect unworthy of the public notice. But his state of convalescence, at length, allowing him to write an hour or more in a day, he has paid some attention to the subject. 128 LIFE AND WRITINGS considered as in perfect opposition to the Gospel, and as real enemies of the cross of Christ. They dared not ask him to preach, nor could he, in conscience, permit them to officiate for him. He conceived that, by this uniformity of conduct, he adorned the pastoral office. At Church-meetings he was admired ; one while for his gentleness and fidelity ; and' another while for his self-possession and wisdom. And when it was necessary for him to magnify his office (and no one knew better how to do it), he discovered himself to be both the servant of Christ, and the servant of the church for his sake. But if in any part of his pastoral work he ex- celled himself, it was at the Lord's'Supper. Here he was solemn, sententious, and tender; as his people often have remarked : — He set before their eyes their dying Lord ; How soft, how sweet, how solemn every word I How were their hearts affected, and his own '. And how his sparkling eyes with glory shone 1 In Conversation with his people he was very deliberate. He weighed their cases of conscience; he considered their trouble. And, not being un- practised in the solution of doubts, he sometimes resolved them by a single sentence, or by a few apposite words. It was one of his talents so to do. His ministerial and pastoral labours, ^'by the blessing of God, were much ownied for the awaken- ing, conversion, comfort, edification, and esta- OF DR. JOHN GILL. 129 blishment of many." Several persons, who had been converted under his ministry, were after- wards called to the important work themselves. The Rev. Messrs. John Brine, William Anderson, and James Fall. These three he thought of with pleasure and gratitude. Mr. Briiie is a well- known writer of the superior cast, belonging to the old school. And Mr. Anderson, as well as Mr. Fall, maintained respectable characters, died before the Doctor, and for each of them he printed a funeral sermon ; from which they appear in an honourable light. Notwithstanding his exalted attainments and usefulness, he was meek, humble, and of a sym- pathizing spirit. His strong affections discovered themselves on various occasions ; especially on the hearing of any remarkable success attending the Gospel, either in private families, in parti- cular churches, in the colonies of America, or elsewhere. And how must he have been de- lighted when he received information, from abroad, of the acceptableness and utility of his own works ? Such information was not unfre- quent. The opinion of many may be conveyed in the language of one from America ; probably, the late excellent and invaluable Dr. Samuel Still- man, of Boston : " I have daily reason to bless God for your valuable Exposition of the Old and New Testament, and for which thousands will bless God after you have ceased from your labours— a work from which, I doubt not, the church will derive the greatest advantage to the 130 LIFE AND WRITINGS end of time. You, Sir, have laboured, and we entei' into your labours ; and by them, many of Christ's ministers are far better qualified to un- fold the mysteries of the Gospel to their hearers." Applications were made to him for advice, from different ministers and churches beyond the Atlantic; as well as from ministers and congrega- tions of his own denomination at home. And all found him ready to assist, to sympathize, and to administer counsel. This, by great numbers, has been gratefully acknowledged. During the two last years of his life, he was seldom capable of preaching more than once on a Lord's Day. This affected the attendance of the congregation. The juvenile part of the audience first attended in other assemblies, and afterwards joined them. Hence it became matter of con- versation, whether, on the whole, it might not be desirable to procure constant assistance for the Doctor in his ministerial work. The subject hav- ing been duly considered, the invaluable pastor made up his mind for himself, and thus wrote to the people : — " That Christ gives 2)astors to churches is certain, but that he gives co-pastors is not so certain. A co-pastor is an officer the Scripture is entirely silent about— and which is much the same thing as if a woman should marry another man, whilst she is under the law, do- minion, and power of her former husband. The instance of Timothy serving with the Apostle Paul, as a son with a father, is not the case ; for they were neither of them pastors of any parti - OF DR. JOHN GILL. 131 cular churches^ much less co-pastors. The one was an apostle, the other an evangelist, and both extraordmary ministers. The one accompanied the other in his travels into different countries, and was sent by him into different parts, but stayed not long in any place."* And to his family and the friends to whom he most freely unbosomed himself, he said, " I should not like a co-pastor to hang about my neck, nor an assistant to be dangling at my heels. ^' The Doctor's hand-writing, when he came' to reside in town, was sufficiently legible and bold ; but it was gradually smaller to the close of life, when but few could easily make it out. He was what is generally termed short-sighted, but his sight was strong ; and it pleased God wonderfully to preserve it to him, much as he must have used his eyes. So that he corrected the last work he published without the help of glasses, which he never used. Nay, he could read, even by candle- light, the smallest print, till within a few weeks of his death. When young his voice was pretty loud, but as he advanced in years it was much lower. In the last part of his ministry it became very feeble, but he was generally heard by his audience, and his own people perfectly understood him. And what had abated in the energy of his manner was coni- * This is part of the Doctor's letter inserted in the church- book ; it is dated April 29, 1771, the year of the Doctor's dis- solution. 132 LIFE AND WRITINGS pensated by the solidity of his matter, and the devotional spirit with which he delivered it. The Doctor's person was of the middle stature- neither tall nor short, well proportioned, a little inclined to corpulency; his countenance was fresh and healthful^ expressive of vigour of mind, and of a serene cheerfulness, which continued with him almost to the last. He now gave his Body of Divinity to the world, which was the last thing he ever expected to publish. His last labours among his dear people were the sermons he preached from the Song of Zacha- rias, Luke i. 78. By the reinissioii of their sins- through the tender mercy of our God, was the last text he preached from. His health had been on the decline some time ; and he thought his work was done. The decay of nature, however, was very gradual, frequently attended with a violent pain in his stomach, and a loss of appetite ; " so that in the last six months he did not partake of six ounces of animal food." But he bore the visitation of his heavenly Father with patient composure.^ and sweet resignation to the divine will ; never uttering a single complaint. He sometimes appeared to wish he could have finished the Song oi Zacharias ; and also the Soni^j of good old Simeon, in which he thought there was something resembling his own case. And especially he longed to be at his nunc dimittis ; Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, with what follows. And he thought, should he live to OF DR. JOHN GILL. 133 s;o through it, God might then grant him his dis- mission, and let him also depart in peace. But his decline increasing daily, he could not appear in the pulpit, and proceed in his delightful work. Notwithstanding, he continued to be emjAoyed in his study, till within two or three weeks of his decease, and always appeared calm, serene, and cheerful. He received the warning of his dissolu- tion, being seized for death in his study. But his FAITH WAS UNSHAKEN, AND HIS HOPE FIRM TO THE LAST. To his dear relative, the Rev. Mr. John Gill of St. Albans,* he thus expressed himself: " I de- pend wholly and alone upon the free, sovereign, eternal, unchangeable, love of God, the firm and everlasting covenant of grace, and my interest in the Persons of the Trinity, for my whole salva- tion ; and not upon any righteousness of my own ; nor on any thing in me, or done by me under the influences of the Holy Spirit;" and then, as con- firming what he had said, " not upon any services of mine, which I have been assisted to perform for the good of the church,'' do I depend, " but upon my interest in the Persons of the Trinity; the free grace of God, and the blessings of grace stream- ing to me through the blood and righteousness of * This worthy minister, nephew of the Doctor, died at St. Al- bans, March 8, 1809, aged 79 years. He preached the Lord's Day before he died nearly in his usual serious manner ; and had been pastor above 50 years. His funeral sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. SutclifF of Olney ; and his body was interred just within the doors of his meeting-house. 134 LIFE AND WRITINGS Christy as the ground of my hope. These are no new things to me, but what I have been long ac- quainted with ; what I can live and die by, I ap- prehend I shall not be long here, but this you may tell to any of my friends/' Nearly in the same words he expressed himself to other friends. To one, he said, ^' I have no- thing to make me uneasy." And then repeated the following lines from Dr. Watts, in honour of the adored Redeemer. He rais'd me from the depths of sin, — The gates of gaping hell ; And fijc'd my standing more secure Than 'twas before I fell. This tranquility of soul, this internal joy and peace of mind, never left him. The last words he was heard to speak were " O my Father, my Father !" If from good works could rise our last relief, Who more could boast than this renowned chief? But these afforded not the least delight, They vanish'd, like a vapour, out of sight. Not on his character, which stood renown'd, Not on his labours, which Jehovah crown'd, He placed the least dependence ; from his soul He did most readily renounce the whole : And, from salvation, fix'd on the rich blood And righteousness of his incarnate God. There were his hopes, his rest, his joy, his crown, And at his feet he laid his labours down. Clear was his prospect of the promis'd land. Where, in full view, he saw his Saviour stand : He on his everlasting love rely'd, Sunk in his arms, and IN FULL glory died. OF DR. JOHN GILL 135 Thus he gloriously terminated his mortal career, without a sigh or a groan, on the 14th day of October 17/1^ at ahout eleven o'clock in the fore- noon, at his house in Camberwell, Surrey, aged seventy-three years, ten months, and ten days. His removal was deeply felt. It spread a solemn gloom over the church in which he had honour- ably presided more than pifty-one years. They immediately assembled to consult on the best method of shewing the last token of respect to their departed, venerable, pastor. The church unanimously desired that they might have the honour, if not of making the arrangements for the funeral, yet of defraying the expences of it. But the affluent circumstances and tender affection of the bereaved family induced them to decline the proposal which had been respectfully delivered to them by the deacons. But, on the day of inter- ment, the members and hearers of the society, in a vast train of mourning-coaches, affectionately followed his remains to the Dissenting burying- ground near Moorfields, where he was deposited in the family tomb, which is situated, according to the intersections by which the ground is divided, in the distance of 19 east and west; 65 and 66 north and south. His respected friend and ad- mirer, the Rev. Mr. Toplady, then in the bloom of life, most earnestly desired he might officiate at the grave. This affectionate respect was suitably acknowledged, but Dr. Gill was conscientiously a Dissenter, though he might in his youth have been 136 LIFE AND WRITINGS sent to one of the universities^ had he and his parents approved of it. And as he finished his course, most intimately united to his ow7i deno- mination, without even the semblance of a derelic- tion either of principle or practice, the church were happy in the appointment of the Rev. Ben- jamin Wallin, M. A. to deliver the address at his grave, and Dr. Samuel Stennett to preach the funeral discourse ; though Dr. Gill " had left directions behind him, not to have any funeral sermon preached on his account, as he never was fond of these services. '^ The address and ser- mon were printed; the numbers besides, which were preached all through Great Britain, and in various parts of America, when the providence was known, exceeded, probably, all that had ever been known before or since, respecting an indivi- dual, — proclaiming, as with the voice of unusual lamentation, a great man is fallen in Israel. After his decease, most of his printed Sermons and Tracts were collected together and published in three volumes quarto. We terminate this imperfect Memoir with the subsequent brilliant paragraphs ', furnishing what we flatter ourselves will be considered one of the first pieces of Biography that has ever appeared in the English language. We are indebted for it to the pen of that elegant and forcible writer, the Rev. Augustus Montague Toplady, A. B. written July 29, 1772. Such were the indefatigable labours, such the OF DR. JOHN GILL. 137 exemplary life, and such the comfortable death of this great and eminent person. If any one man can be supposed to have trod the whole circle of hvmian learning, it was Dr. Gill. His attain- ments, both in abstruse and polite literature, were (what is very uncommon) equally extensive and profound. Providence had, to this end, endued him with a firmness of constitution, and an un- remitting vigour of mind, which rarely fall to the lot of the sedentary and learned. It would, per- haps, try the constitutions of half the literati in England, only to read, with care and attention, the whole of what he wrote. The Doctor considered not any subject super- ficially, or by halves. As deeply as human saga- city, enlightened by grace, could penetrate, he went to the bottom of every thing he engaged in. With a solidity of judgment, and with an acute- ness of discernment, peculiar to few, he exhausted? as it were, the very soul and substance of most arguments he undertook. His style, too, resem- bles himself; it is manly, ner^^ous, plain: con- scious, if I may so speak, of the unutterable dignity, value, and importance of the freight it conveys ; it drives, directly and perspicuously to the point in view, regardless of affected cadence^ and superior to the little niceties of professed refinement. Perhaps, no man, since the days of St. Austin, has written so largely, in defence of the system of Grace; and, certainly, no man has treated that 138 LIFE AND WRITINGS momentous subject, in all its branches, more closely, judiciously, and successfully. What was said of Edward the Black Prince, " that he never fought a battle, which he did not win ;" what has been remarked of the great Duke of Marlborough, " that he never undertook a siege, which he did not carry;" maybe justly accommodated to our great Philosopher and Divine : who, so far as the distinguishing Doctrines of the Gospel are con- cerned, never besieged an error, which he did not force from its strong holds ; nor ever encoun- tered an adversary, vv^hom he did not baffle and subdue. His learning and labours, if exceedable, were exceeded only by the invariable sanctity of his life and conversation. From his childhood, to his entrance on the ministry ; and, from his en- trance on the ministry to the moment of his dis- solution ; not one of his most inveterate opposers was ever able to charge him with the least shadow of immorality. Himself, no less than his writ- ings, demonstrated, that the Doctrine of Grace does not lead to Licentiousness. Those who had the honour and happiness of being admitted into the number of his friends can go still further in their testimony. They know, that his moral demeanour was more than blameless : it was, from first to last, consistently exemplary. And, indeed, an undeviating consistency, both in his views of evangelical truths, and in his obe- dience, as a servant of God, was one of those OF DR. JOHN GILL. 139 qualities, by which his cast of character was emi- nently marked. He was, in every respect, a burn- ing and a shining light — Burning with love to God, to Truth, and to Souls — ^ Shining, as '^ an en sample to believers, in word, in faith, in purity;'^ a pattern of good works, and a model of all holy conversation and godliness. The Doctor has been accused of Bigotry, by some, who were unacquainted with his real temper and character. Bigotry may be defined such a blind and furious attachment to any particular principle, or set of principles, as disposes us to wish ill to those persons who differ from us in judgment. Simple Bigotry, therefore, is, the spirit of persecution, without the power : and persecu- tion is no other than bigotry, armed with force, and carrying its malevolence into act. Hence it ap- pears, that to be clearly convinced of certain pro- positions as true : and to be steadfast in adhering to them, upon that conviction : nay, to assert and defend those propositions to the utmost extent of argument ; can no more be called Bigotry, than the shining of the Sun can be called Ostentation. If, in any parts of his controversial writings, the Doctor has been warmed into some little neglects of ceremony toward his assailants ; it is to be ascribed, not to bigotry (for he possessed a very large share of benevolence and candour), but to that complexional sensibility, inseparable, perhaps, from human nature in its present state ; and from 140 LIFE AND WRITINGS which^ it is certain^ the Apostles themselves were not exempt. His Doctrinal and Practical Writings will live, and be admired^ and be a standing blessing to posterity, when their opposers are forgotten, or only remembered by the refutations he has given them. While true Religion, and sound Learning have a single friend remaining in the British Empire, the works and name of Gill will be pre- cious and revered. May the readers of this inadequate sketch? together with him, who (though of a very different denomination from the Doctor) pays this last and unexaggerated tribute of justice to the honoured memory of so excellent a person, participate, on earth, and everlastingly celebrate in heaven, that sovereign Grace, which its departed Champion so largely experienced — to which he was so distin- guished an ornament — and of which he was so able a defender. His Works are, his Exposition of the Old and New Testament, nine volumes, folio — Exposition of the Canticles — The Cause of God and Truth, each in one volume, quarto — Body of Divinity^ three volumes, quarto — And Sermons and Tracts, published after his death, in three volumes, quarto. OF DR. JOHN GILL. 141 The following Latin inscription, drawn up by the Rev. Samuel Stennett, D. D. is engraved on the Doctor's tomb in Bunhill-Fields. IN HOC CCEMETERIO CONDVNTVR RELTQVI^ lOANNIS GILL, S, T. P. VIKI VIT^ INTEGRI DISCIPVLI lESV INGENVI PRiECONIS EVANGELII INSIGNIS DEFENSORIS FIDEI CHRISTIANS STRENVI QVI INGKNIO ERVDITIONE PIETATE ORNATVS LABORIBVSQVE PERMAGNIS SEMPER INVICTVS ANNOS SVPRA QVINQVAGINTA DOMINI MANDATA FACESSERE ECCLESIiE RES ADIVVARE HOMINVM SALVTEM ASSEQVI FERVORE PERPETVO ARDENTE CONTENDIT IN CHRISTO PLACIDE OBDORMIVIT PRIDIE ID. OCTOBRIS A. D. MDCCLXXI. -ETATIS SVM LXXIV. AN ELEOY ON Cbe Beatft OF THE REV. JOHN GILL, D. D. AN ELEGY, By BENJAMIN FRANCIS. To me to live is Christy and to die is gain, — Phil. i. 21. When the brave hero in the Christian cause, Fir'd with the love of his redeeming Lord, Clad with salvation, arm'd with truth divine, And just embarking on some grand intent, Midst yawning billows and surrounding death. Bade lasting farewell to his much belov'd Ephesian brethren, on th' Ionian shore ; Mean while declaring, with prophetic lips. They should no more his face on earth behold : The holy elders, overwhelm'd with grief At final parting with the man of God, Embrac'd him ardent in their throbbing breast, H 146 AN ELEGY ON THE DEATH And bath'd with tears his venerable face. Thus the bright flame of sacred Christian love, Glow'd in their bosoms ; thus their hearts dissolv'd In flowing grief for the departing saint. Stretching his pinions for his native skies. And thus the grief of weeping Zioa flows, For her belov'd, divinely valiant Son, Who long had watch'd upon her tow'ring walls. Timely alarm'd her of approaching foes. And fought her battles with heroic zeal ; Whose dreaded fall fair Salem feels around, And Judah mourns through his extensive land. O kindly aid me, thou celestial muse ! Whose inspiration taught the royal breast Of Jesse's son his elevated strains ; Aid me, O muse, in solemn notes to sing, A prophet's death, that claims our pious grief. As from the summit of some trackless hill, Bewilder'd pilgrims, dreading the black shades, And sad inclemence of approaching night. With eager look gaze on the setting sun. And court his guidance to some peaceful cot ; OF DR. JOHN GILL. 147 y So heav'n-born pilgrims, taught by thee, great Gill, The sacred path to Paradise on high. With throbbing bosoms, and with weeping eyes. Saw thee descending, tho' with easy steps, , The steep of life, (eternal grace thy stay,) Down to the gloomy vale, where grisly Death Spreads ten-fold horror, roaring for his prey'. Not that we dread ought respecting thy Victorious combat with the king of dread : The mighty captain of salvation fought. And, for thee, vanquish'd the alarming foe. Nor was thy calm and steady soul disturb'd By his loud terrors, as she safely pass'd Through his dark borders, to the realms of light. On truth eternal, and unchanging love. Firm stood thy feet, 'midst the cold stream of death, Smit with the mantle thy Redeemer wrought. To part with thee, — our ever watchful guide, — To part with thee prompts our succeeding tears. Excites our sorrow, and our fear alarms. No more we see thy venerable face In sacred Zion, at her solemn feasts. Exciting pleasure, reverence and love. No more we hear thy heart-reviving tongue, Touch'd with a coal of bright celestial fire, h2 148 AN ELEGY ON THE DEATH r Unfold the wonders of redeeming grace ! No more new streams of truth divine we taste, From thy unwearied and exhaustless quill ! Thy learned pen, incessantly employ'd. For half an age, in thy great Master's cause. Thy hand has chang'd for never-fading palms ; And thy vast labours in the gospel field. For fifty-five revolving suns, receive The bright reward of an immortal crown. The radiant orb that brings the welcome day. With chearing light, and genial warmth replete^ In the fair east, begins, with early dawn. His rapid journey to the distant west; — Spreads gladness round the gloomy beds of pain. Bids sorrow smile, and melancholy sing j — Invites the lab'rer to his various toil, And guides the trav'Uer in the dubious road ; — Succours each tribe of every growth and kind, To life produc'd by his prolific beams ; — I'he russet plains with chearful green adorns, And barren hills clothes with abounding corn ; — Warms the cold regions near the northern pole. Thaws isles of ice, the frozen sea unbinds; — Soars far above each interposing cloud,^ OP DR. JOHN GILL. 149 And walks serene beyond the raging storm; — When gently down the distant hiU he slides, And seems extinguish'd in the western sea^ He rides aloft still in the blaze of day, Pursues unwearied his diurnal course. And rises glorious in the crimson east. So, heav'n-taught Gill ! shone thy transparent breast. With light divine, imbib'd from the sole fount Of evangelic and celestial truth : So glow'd thy bosom with the sacred fire Of love supreme to thy redeeming God, Divinely kindl'd in thy tender mind. Nor ought abated with advancing age : Hence thy loud praises for abounding grace. Thy deep concern for never-dying souls, And tender feelings for each brother's woe : Hence, for thy Saviour^ thy unwearied zeal. Thy various labours, and incessant toil : And hence, thy relish and supreme esteem For ev'ry stream of sacred truth, that flows From revelation's hallow'd spring, unmix'd With muddy error, and insipid forms. Soon in the morning of thy days, began Thy willing feet, with pleasmg haste, to tread h3 150 AN ELEGY ON THE DEATH The sacred paths of wisdom, peace, and joy : Soon did thy tongue, in evangelic strains, Begin to sound the great Redeemer's name. That brought salvation to a dying world : And soon thy quill, dipt in atoning blood. Began to paint the beauties of thy Lord, His glorious features, and surprizing love. As the nice labours of the pencil grow More fare and precious, with improving time ; So the productions of thy able pen. Where attributes and truths divine are seen In beauteous order, and engaging light, Shall unborn ages lastingly admire. Thy various volumes shall instruction yield. To sons of learning, and to sons of grace ; Shall teach the pastor how the flock to feed, And guide the footsteps of his willing charge. When the late day of glorious grace shall dawn. The impious Gentile and blaspheming Jew Shall read, believing, thy prophetic page. With deep repentance, and exalted joy. Celestial truth display'd her beauteous charms And radiant crown, to thy admiring eyes, Engag'd thee early in her sacred cause. OF DR. JOHN GILL. 151 And flr'd thy soul with ardour from above. Pleas'd and resolv'd the heavenly fair to serve, And combat error with undaunted zeal. Thy stripling hand began to wield the sword Divinely temper'd, with amazing skill. Sword of the Spirit ! piercing through the soul ! With this brave weapon thy heroic arm Nobly defended evangelic truth, And pierc'd the heart of heresy and sin : On either side gigantic errors fell^ And Satan trembled for his dark domain. Through the wide field of science intricate. Where oft proud error his tall standard rears, The vet'ran foe thou closely didst pursue. And drive him headlong from his boasted ground. With ceaseless ardour and progressive steps. Thy nimble feet trod the extensive field Of human knowledge, and her paths explor'd ; There thrives improvement ; there rehgion reaps Abundant fruit, though of terrestrial growth. Sweet to the taste, and wholesome to the mind ; And there thou gather'dst a surprsing fund Of solid learning, sown, from age to age. In foreign lands, Chaldea, Palestine, J 52 AN ELEGY ON THE DEATH Arabia, Egypt, Italy, and Greece. Thy application, how intensely great ! Early and constant as the morning star : Strong smells the lamp in all thy learned page. How warm thy zeal for every truth divine ! How vast the toil of thy laborious pen ! Kind Heav'n be praised for such extensive grace. And splendid gifts, bestow'd on mortal man. Thus fraught thy mind, and thus enflam'd thy breast, With heavenly wisdom, and seraphic love ; Bright didst thou shine in thy extensive sphere. And light celestial round the nation spread ; Fair light divine, that penetrates the deep Benighted caverns of the human mind ; The ransom'd tribes in paths of pleasure guides, Through vales of sorrow to the realms of joy ; Gilds the black horror of indignant death ; Sheds a bright lustre on the gloomy grave ; And paints upon the ravish'd eye of faith. The glorious image of eternal things. Nor light alone springs from thy splendent page j A genial warmth glows in each sacred line. And thaws the centre of the frozen soul ; From living faith's deep penetrating root, Extracts obedience, purity, and joy ; OF I>R. JOHN GILL. 153 Chears the fair shoots of growing hope ; and dyes The golden produce of unfading love. Sad and alarming, that pernicious weeds Of vice and error should, in Zion, thrive Beneath the rays of evangelic truth ; While not the rays of evangelic truth Contain the poison, but the noxious weeds. So, wanton minds, in former ages, turn'd Heav'n's purest mercy into foulest crimes. Deep didst thou dig in revelation's mine. For soul- adorning truths, which far excel The glowing rubies of the Persian court. And shine transparent through thy golden page. Close was thy converse, intimate and sweet, For half a cent'ry, with the men of God, Apostles, prophets, patriarchs, priests, and kings. Who, from the mouth of inspiration, wrote The sacred volume, thy industrious pen. With arduous toil, and skill profound, explain'd. The peerless glories of thy bleeding Lord, Seen through creation. Providence, and grace ; The bright displays of everlasting love. To all the heirs of never-fading bliss ; 154 AN ELEGY ON THE DEATH OF The awful wonders of the mystic cross ; And the vast joys of the celestial world, — Were thy exalted and thy darhng theme. Thy nervous pen describ'd th' eternal hills, Where the clear stream of full salvation springs, The spreading tree of life immortal grows, And golden mines of saving grace are found ; And how that stream of full salvation flows, In vast meanders, down to earth and time, At Calvary the guilt of Salem drowns. Removes her staines, her fainting mind revives. And fills her sons with never-ending joy. Nor error's cloud, nor envy's baleful mist. Can veil the splendor of thy radiant page. Thy radiant page harmonious truth displays. Deep penetration, and seraphic love. Nor will it cease to shine from age to age. Till the bright dawn of everlasting day. Nought dead of thee, but thy dissolving clay, Thy mental sorrows, and corporeal pains : Here live thy labours to the end of time, The monument of thy renowned name. While thy bless'd soul in realms celestial dwells. OF DR. JOHN GILL. 155 Sweet realms celestial ! far beyond the reach Of Satan, sin, temptation, grief, and death ; Where fair perfection round each angel shines ; Where glory blazes on seraphic eyes ; Where crystal joy in streams eternal glides ; And endless life smiles in unfading bloom. Oft to those realms, while yet to earth confin'd, On faith's swift pinions, soar'd thy heav'n- born -soul ■- With transport viewed the everlasting hills, Bright with the sunshine of Jehovah's love ; And wished to tread the goodly mount of God. But now, thy spirit, O immortal Gill, Is thither wafted on angelic wings. And placed among thy kindred saints on high. Now thou beholdest with extatic joy. And tearless eyes, that glorious face divine We love unseen, whose beatific smiles Shed endless bliss on heaven's triumphant host. Now thou unitest with the countless throng. In ceaseless praises to the Lamb that died His foes to conquer, and his friends to save. Now thou communest, on exalted themes. With saints and angels of superior size ; With Gabriel, Enoch, Abr'am, Moses, Paul, 15G LIFE AND WRITINGS Brine, Stennett, Wilson, and each bosom friend. Now thou perusest with supreme delight, The numerous volumes of surprising range, Wherin are found the everlasting plan Of new creation, infinitely fair, — The matchless wonders of redeeming love, — The fresh achievements of victorious truth, — And growing list of spirits glorified ; Expecting, joyful, when thy slumbering dust. Shall hear the trump of the arch- angel sound, In thy redeemer's glorious image rise To life immortal, and thy soul rejoin. Thus, while our tears bedew thy sleeping clay, And trembling Zion thy departure mourns. Thy deathless mind incessant joys imbibes. In the bless'd presence of the God of love ; While flaming seraphs and triumphant saints, Joy to behold thee in the realms of bliss. Nor long our feet this howling desart tread. Amidst the footsteps of voracious Death, Ere we ascend the everlasting mount. Where all the ransomed of the Lamb shall meet, Behold his glory with immortal eyes, OF DR. JOHN GILL. \oJ And sing his love in high seraphic strains. There would we join thee in harmonious praise, To Him that reigns on heav'n's eternal throne. Dispensing bliss. And while we wishful gaze On the bright hills beyond the vale of woe, And view thee sitting, with perfection clad, On shining Tabor at thy Saviour's side ; We cease to weep around thy peaceful tomb. And bless thy exit to the world of joy. O kind Redeemer, fain would we exchange These parched desarts, these annoying thorns, For the sweet streams and never-fading flow'rs, That glide aud blossom in Emmanuel's land ! Fain would we see thy long expected reign On the new earth, and for a thousand years : When the blessed subjects of thy peerless crown, Shall round thee sit on their resplendent thrones ; When death shall die ; when grief shall ever cease, And bliss and glory in perfection bloom. .f> NEW WORKS RECENTLY PUBLISHED BY JOHN BENNETT, 4, THREE-TUN PASSAGE, IVY LANE, PATERNOSTER ROW 1. 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