GILL, John, D. D., a Protestant dissenting minister of the Baptist denomination, was the son of Edward and Elizabeth Gill, and was born at Kettering in Northamptonshire, on the 23d November 1697. At a very early period of life his father, who was a deacon of the Baptist church at Kettering, discovered in him an uncommon capacity for learning; and his ability for literary pursuits afterwards appeared by the rapid progress he had made [7:10:523]to whatever became the object of his study. He was sent in a grammar-school in the neighbourhood, where he soon surpassed those boys who were much his seniors in age and also as pupils. He continued till he arrived at his eleventh year at this school, where he read most of the Latin classics, and likewise made considerable proficiency in the Greek language.

He left the grammar-school, however, early in life. This was occasioned by the imperious conduct of his master, who insisted that the children of dissenting parents should, with other scholars who belonged to the establishment, attend him to church on week days during the performance of divine service. The dissenters considered this requisition as a stretch of power to which his engagements with them gave him no claim; and as it was virtually making conformity a test by which his pupils were to expect the benefits of tuition, they resented his conduct, and the children of those parents who were in affluent circumstances were removed to seminaries where the same advantages might be obtained without being subject to the impositions of clerical bigotry. But as the parents of Mr Gill had it not in their power to confer upon him the same privilege, the same steps could not be taken to facilitate his advancement in learning. In order to pave the way, however, for the completion of his studies, efforts were made by several ministers, of different denominations, to get him upon one or other of the funds in London. For this purpose specimens of his progress in the different branches of literature were transmitted to the metropolis; but in answer to these applications it was objected that he was too young, and that should he continue, as it might be expected he would, to make such rapid advances in his studies, he would pass through the common course before he would be capable of taking care of himself, or of being employed in any public service. But these formidable objections were of no weight with our young scholar, whose love of learning was unconquerable. Insuperable difficulties, it is true, obstructed the way in which literary eminence is usually acquired; but these difficulties could neither repress his ardent desire of knowledge, nor damp the zeal and application with which he had devoted himself to his studies. For though his time was daily allotted to the business of his father, yet he had so far improved the hours of leisure as to be able, before he arrived at his nineteenth year, to read all the Greek and Latin authors that fell in his way. He studied logic, rhetoric, moral and natural philosophy; and learned the Hebrew language so as to read it with ease, without any other assistance than Buxtorf’s grammar and lexico.

Neither the pursuit of learning, however, nor the other necessary avocations incumbent on Mr Gill, could eradicate those religious impressions which he had received in early life. On the 1st of November 1716, he made a public profession of his faith before the Baptist church at Kettering, and was baptized the same day by Mr Thomas Wallis. Of this church Mr Gill had not been long a member before he was called to the work of the ministry; soon after which, he removed to Higham-Ferrers, with a view to pursue his studies under the direction of Mr Davis; but his stay at the latter place was interrupted by an invitation from London in 1719, t 0 preach to the Baptist church in Horβlydown, over which he was the same year, being the twenty-second of his age, ordained pastor; and this office he held upwards of fifty-one years.

Mr Gill had not been long in London, before rabbinical learning, of which he had before acquired considerable knowledge, became an object of pursuit. To faciliate his progress through the intricacies of this labyrinth, he contracted an acquaintance with one of the most learned of the Jewish rabbin. He read the Targums, the Talmud, the Rabbot, their ancient commentaries, the book Zohar, and whatever else of this kind he was able to procure. Of the oriental languages he made himself a complete master; in short, there was no branch of knowledge that could either enlarge or enrich biblical learning, which, however difficult, was not attempted and attained by him; and it may be truly asserted, that in this line he had but few equals, and that the annals of literature do not exhibit many by whom he was excelled.

In 1748, Mr GiD published a commentary on the New Testament, in three volumes folio. The immense reading and learning discoverable in this arduous work attracted the attention of the Marischal College and University of Aberdeen, and procured for him the degree of Doctor in Divinity. He died at Camberwell, on the 14th of October 1771, in the seventy-fourth year of his age.

His works are, A Commentary on the Old and New Testament, in nine volumes folio; A Body of Divinity, in three volumes quarto; The Cause of God and Truth, four volumes octavo; A Treatise concerning the Prophecies of the Old Testament respecting the Messiah; A Dissertation on the antiquity of the Hebrew Language, Letters, Vowel Points, and Accents; and Sermons on the Canticles, folio; besides a great number of sermons and controversial pieces.

Gill, a measure of capacity, containing a quarter of an English pint.