We continue with our survey of the open and closed communion debate in preparation for a later review of John Collett Ryland’s principles and practices related to it. Next I’ll review the interactions of John Bunyan and William Kiffen.

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Before I finish the study of John Collett Ryland’s interesting life, I want to explore three topics in which he played a significant or exemplary role. One of these is his view of who was qualified to partake of the Lord’s Supper. Another is his version of High Calvinism and his interactions with William Carey. And finally, there is his important place in 18th-century English education.

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"Ryland was a friend to everyone he thought to be a true believer. So he was personal friends with like-minded men such as John Gill and John Brine. But he was also friends with those of a different kind of Calvinism such as Andrew Gifford, Robert Hall Sr., and John Rippon."

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The life and ministry of John Collett Ryland will transition our studies away from hyper-Calvinism among Particular Baptists. He is an appropriate figure for this move because he was
close friends with a number of orthodox men with varied views on Calvinism.
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Hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist circles in the 19th century grew and changed in significant ways. But rather than continue on into the 19th century too far, I want to take another approach to complete, for now, our look at hyper-Calvinism in Baptist circles. Let me point you to a 5 volume study entitled “The Strict Baptist Chapels of England.”

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William Gadsby was much more than a preacher to his Manchester congregation. He also wrote for them, which is surprising, given his poor education. He produced hymns for their worship, tracts for the controversies of the day, a magazine to edify them during the month, a catechism for their children, and sermons to read.

Gadsby's errors in teaching are not unimportant, but they do remind us that the sovereign God is not bound to only work salvation through men with perfect doctrine. As the medieval saying goes, “God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines.”

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"Just over a year after John Gill’s death, another man was born who called himself a Strict and Particular Baptist. He stood in the line of those often called hyper-Calvinists. His name was William Gadsby and while he shared the strong Calvinism of Gill, his life circumstances and ministry were considerably different in some ways. If you have heard his name before, it is probably in relation to his well-known hymnal, usually referred to simply as “Gadsby’s Hymns”. He was a man of conviction and generosity; a writer and editor; but foremost a fervent and frequent preacher."

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"The question some of you may have been waiting to hear addressed is the relationship between John Gill and hyper-Calvinism. Does Gill qualify as such? For some historians and theological writers, to ask the question is to answer it: of course he was. For them, Gill is the arch hyper-Calvinist who espoused damaging errors and practices. Others claim that Gill was simply a Calvinist fully in line with the previous generations of Particular Baptists. And there are many others at various places along the continuum between these two poles."

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Today, John Gill is predominantly known for his writings. These amounted to over 10,000 folio pages. A folio was the full sheet of paper, 19 by 24 inches, then used by printers. With this quantity of output, no wonder one man gave Gill the nickname, “Dr. Voluminous”. I’ll describe many of his writings in the next few minutes, but what is not usually appreciated is that virtually all of his publications grew out of his pastoral ministry. John Gill was first and foremost a pastor, serving a specific London congregation and from there made connections with other Baptist churches and orthodox Christians. So Gill’s primary work was feeding the Word of God to the flock of God where he had been placed. And he did this with tireless diligence.