Coffee with John Gill

B.A.-“Tell us when were you born and when did you die?”
J.G.-“My life span was thus, I was born on November 23, 1697 and departed from this life in 1771.  I confess I can’t remember the day since I was not here.”
B.A.-“Okay?  What was your family life like growing up as a boy?”
J.G.-“My father was a member of a union church even though he was unashamedly a Baptist.  Later though his Baptist convictions got the better of him and he soon withdrew when the issue of baptism and communion could not be resolved.  Interestingly, less than a century later, Andrew Fuller would be pastor of the church I grew up in.  When I was a boy, I studied Greek, Hebrew, and Latin.”

B.A.-“What were the events related to your conversion?”

J.G.-“I confessed Christ on November 1, 1716 (19 years old) and was later baptized.  I must say though that the Lord had been convicting me about my soul since as early as age 12 that I can recall.”

B.A.-“After your conversion to Jesus, how did your life progress in Him?”

J.G.-“I was received into the membership of the church the following Sunday (November 4) and later that evening gave an exposition on Isaiah 53.”

B.A.-So that I understand this.  You came to salvation in Jesus one Sunday.  Then you were received into the church the next Sunday, and that evening you preached?”

J.G.-“Correct.”

B.A.-“What happened next?”

J.G.-“I saw how God was using me.  The following Sunday I was asked to speak again this time on the text 1 Corinthians 2:2.”

B.A.-“And that is how you began your preaching ministry almost immediately after your conversion?”

J.G.-“Quite right.  At the encouragement of the church, I pursued my calling.  I preached frequently in surrounding towns and villages but soon consented to settle in as pastor in the church in Kettering.”

B.A.-“How was your first pastorate?”

J.G.-“It was brief.  I was there approximately four years.  I then became pastor at the Horsly-down church in Southwark.”

B.A.-“Horsly-down Baptist Church had an outstanding tradition of solid preaching did it not?”

J.G.-“It did.  This of course was the church of Benjamin Keach and Benjamin Stinton before me.”

B.A.-“And how long were you pastor there?”

J.G.-“I would remain their pastor for the next 51 years until my death.”

B.A.-“In addition to your pastoral responsibilities, you took on other engagements as well correct?”

J.G.-“Yes,  I was asked by several denominations to speak at a Wednesday evening lecture, something I did for 27 years every Wednesday.”