Particular Pilgrims

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.”

For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"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."

For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"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."

For more information, visit about CBTS, visit #CBTSeminary.org

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.

John Gill Pt.3: Death of Elizabeth Gill | Particular Pilgrims

"We learn the most about John and his daughter Elizabeth because when she died at age 12, he preached her funeral sermon. This was printed and he appended a short account of things she told her parents in the days leading up to her death. In the sermon John refers to her as “our dear child”. And at the service he suddenly had to break off his prepared remarks because “my affections will not permit me”. Later, he and his wife collected from memory as best they could what Elizabeth had said and this became “An Account of some Choice Experiences of Elizabeth Gill, who departed this life May 30, 1738.”

For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

"In the last episode, we learned of John Gill’s early years up to the time of his baptism and membership in the Little Meeting at age 19. And as he suspected, his concerns about being asked to preach were immediately confirmed. For on the very day of his reception into membership, he was asked to expound Isaiah 53 in a private home. The next Sunday he was requested to preach, which he did, from 1 Cor. 2:2, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified”. Other sermons followed. As Graham Harrison said, “His life’s work as a preacher of the gospel had begun."

For more information visit, CBTSeminary.org

"In our studies of 18 th century English Particular Baptists, we now come to one of the most important, namely, John Gill. Highly respected in his own day, he fell from favor in the 19th century. But within the last generation, there has been a resurgence of interest in him and his writings."

For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

The Spiritual Life of Anne Brine | Particular Pilgrims

"Anne’s early Christian experience was similar to many others in that immediately after conversion, spiritual joys flooded in. She quaintly says, 'I was for a considerable time, as it were, dandled on the knee of Love. At sometimes I was in such transports of joy as cannot be expressed'. The relief of conscience and clarity of faith overwhelmed her in thankfulness."

For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

In this episode on the life of Anne Brine we will hear in her own words of her teenage conversion and then I’ll make a few observations.

For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org