{"id":24496,"date":"2025-03-19T22:47:16","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T22:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/?p=24496"},"modified":"2025-03-19T23:06:06","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T23:06:06","slug":"41-bible-doctrine-gills-body-of-divinity-and-the-table-of-contents-rearranged","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/2025\/03\/41-bible-doctrine-gills-body-of-divinity-and-the-table-of-contents-rearranged\/","title":{"rendered":"41 Bible Doctrine &#8211; Gill\u2019s \u2018Body Of Divinity\u2019 And The Table Of Contents Rearranged"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>A transcript of the video teaching<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I would like to welcome you back to another study in Bible Doctrine. In our previous study, I presented to you the Table of Contents belonging to Gill\u2019s \u2018Body of Divinity\u2019. He has arranged his teachings under a doctrinal and a practical body of theology. The doctrinal body is made up of seven \u201cbooks\u201d, or branches, of theology, with a total of one-hundred-and-seven chapters. The practical body is made up of four \u201cbooks\u201d, or branches, ending with an Appendix, having a total of forty-nine chapters. All in all, Gill\u2019s systematic theology has a total of eleven chapters, one Appendix and one-hundred-and-fifty-six chapters.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Now, for the purpose of aligning these branches and chapters with the Framework of Sovereign Grace, I have rearranged the headings. For this study, I will show you how I have rearranged the Table of Contents, and make some general observations that I hope will help you better understand the basic structure of Gill\u2019s teachings. I should point out, therefore, that I have changed the chapter numberings to reflect this new arrangement. However, the content of each chapter has not been changed.<\/p>\n<p>I have reduced the original eleven \u201cbooks\u201d (or branches) to three main headings:<\/p>\n<p>I. Of God<\/p>\n<p>II. Of God\u2019s Revelation<\/p>\n<p>III. Of God\u2019s Works<\/p>\n<p>I have also reduced the original one-hundred-and-fifty-six chapters to one hundred-and-fifty-one, having subtracted the Appendix on Jewish Baptism, and the five chapters belonging to it.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Beginning with the first heading, that \u201cOf God\u201d, there are thirty chapters.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The first nine speak of the Godhead in general. This includes the essence of His Being, together with the plurality of Persons existing in the one indivisible Godhead:<\/p>\n<p>1. His Being (Existence)<\/p>\n<p>2. His Nature (Spirituality and Simplicity)<\/p>\n<p>3. His Unity<\/p>\n<p>4. His Godhead (Plurality)<\/p>\n<p>5. His Personal Relations<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">6. Personality of the Father<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">7. Personality of the Son<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">8. Personality of the Holy Spirit<\/p>\n<p>9. His Names<\/p>\n<p>The last twenty-one chapters speak of God\u2019s attributes in particular. Now, it is helpful to know at this early stage how Gill arranges the attributes of God. There have been a number of different ways Theologians have organized the divine attributes. For instance,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Some distinguish between the natural and moral attributes. The natural attributes would be those things which belong to God\u2019s constitutional nature, such as His simplicity, self-existence and infinitude; the moral attributes would be those things which belong to God\u2019s moral nature, such as holiness, justice and goodness.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Others distinguish between the absolute and the relative attributes. The absolute attributes would be those things which belong to the essence of God\u2019s nature apart from creation, such His simplicity, self-existence and infinitude; the relative attributes would be those things which belong to the essence of God\u2019s nature in connection with creation, such as His omnipresence, love and mercy.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Others distinguish between the incommunicable and the communicable attributes. The incommunicable attributes would be those things which belong to God\u2019s nature without extension to the creation, such as His simplicity, self-existence and infinitude; the communicable attributes would be those things which belong to God\u2019s nature that are extended to the creation, such as His power, love and goodness.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Now, broadly speaking, all three arrangements are quite similar in distinction. Perhaps the most popular of these groupings would be the last, that which goes by the name of the incommunicable and the communicable attributes. However, John Gill departs from these divisions, choosing another arrangement, which in my view, is more Scriptural and honorable to the Godhead. His arrangement is based upon John 4:24: \u201cGod is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.\u201d What is God? He is a Spirit Being. What does His Spirit Being look like? All of the divine attributes are forthwith descriptive of God as a Spirit Being. Here then, is how Gill arranges the divine attributes:<\/p>\n<p>10. His Attributes and Immutability<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">God, as a Spirit, is Uncreated.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">11. His Infinity<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">God, as a Spirit, is Active.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">12. His Life<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">13. His Omnipotence<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">God, as a Spirit, is Rational.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">14. His Omniscience<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">15. His Wisdom<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">God, as a Spirit, is Volitional.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">16. His Sovereign Will<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">God, as a Spirit, is Affectionate.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">17. His Joy<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">18. His Love<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">19. His Grace<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">20. His Mercy<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">21. His Long-suffering<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">22. His Hatred<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">23. His Anger and Wrath<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">God, as a Spirit, is Virtuous.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">24. His Goodness<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">25. His Holiness<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">26. His Justice and Righteousness<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">27. His Veracity<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">28. His Faithfulness<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">God, as a Spirit, is Majestic.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">29. His Sufficiency and Perfection<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">30. His Blessedness<\/p>\n<p>Now, you see, this is a far better arrangement of the divine attributes, than arbitrarily dividing them between the natural and the moral, or the absolute and the relative, or the incommunicable and the communicable. I believe, my dear friends, you will very much enjoy studying these chapters on the Godhead.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Let us now look at the second heading, that \u201cOf God\u2019s Revelation.\u201d There are only three chapters belonging to this branch of theology:<\/p>\n<p>31. Creation (General)<\/p>\n<p>32. Providence<\/p>\n<p>33. Scripture<\/p>\n<p>While it is obvious why the \u201cScripture\u201d has been classified under the heading, it may not be so clear why God\u2019s \u201cCreation\u201d and \u201cProvidence\u201d are placed here. Referring you to the Framework of Sovereign Grace, you notice the Lord makes Himself known by what He has made (Creation), what He does (Providence) and what He says (Scripture). Of course, the Lord also makes Himself known to the conscience, with the law inscribed upon our hearts; and He also makes Himself known by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit; but the chapters dealing with these latter revelations are reserved for the third heading, that \u201cOf God\u2019s Works\u201d. It is under this second heading, we have three dedicated chapters on the subject of God\u2019s revelation\u2014what He has made, what He does and what He says. What God has made and what He does are general revelations, while what He has said in Scripture is a particular and special revelation.<\/p>\n<p>This brings us then to the third heading, that \u201cOf God\u2019s Works.\u201d There are one-hundred-and-eighteen chapters. By far, this is the longest of the three sections, but it is helpfully divided into two main parts\u2014the eternal decree of God and His providential governance. Now, this is an important distinction to make when studying the teachings of Gill. And it is therefore appropriate I give an explanation of the difference between them. It is helpful if I use the Framework of Sovereign Grace to illustrate it. When Gill speaks on the subject of God\u2019s eternal decree, he is referring to God\u2019s masterplan for the ages. It is the blueprint for all that God will do in time and creation. And then, of course, when Gill speaks on the subject of God\u2019s providential orderings, he is referring to the actualization of God\u2019s masterplan throughout the course of history. It is the bringing about of all that God has ordained to accomplish from eternity. So, there is a stark difference between eternity and time. God is eternal, existing outside of time; time is temporal, existing within the confines of creation. From eternity, God drew up a blueprint of time, creation and all events that ever shall come to pass. In time, God brings that blueprint to pass according to His providential governance. And so, we could call the blueprint of God\u2019s eternal decree the doctrine of Predestination; and the realization of that decree in time the doctrine of Providence. Predestination relates to God\u2019s eternal decree; providence relates to God bringing to pass His eternal decree in time. And you see, this distinction between God\u2019s eternal decree and His providential orderings mustn\u2019t be viewed as two separate realities, running alongside each other. That is the mistake made by the conditional Primitive Baptists. You will hear them speak about an eternal salvation, which they relegate to God\u2019s eternal decree, and time salvation which they relegate to God\u2019s providential orderings, but they do not believe God\u2019s eternal decree is aligned with His providential orderings. By distinguishing between eternity and time, they have created two distinct realities, insomuch that what may be true from eternity, is not necessarily realized in time. That, my dear friends, is a terrible misunderstanding of these matters, and in fact, leads to many erroneous teachings. And that is not what John Gill meant when he made this distinction between eternity and time. No, rather, Gill teaches that what God has ordained from eternity, is brought to pass throughout the course of history, which is why He is able to make \u201call things beautiful in His time\u201d. This is why \u201cwhatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.\u201d (Ecc 3:11,14,15)<\/p>\n<p>Now, returning to the table of contents, the first section, on God\u2019s eternal decree, has sixteen chapters.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>34. Works of God in General<\/p>\n<p>35. Special Decrees of God<\/p>\n<p>36. Decree of Rejection<\/p>\n<p>37. Eternal Union of Elect unto God<\/p>\n<p>38. God\u2019s Eternal Act of Justification<\/p>\n<p>39. Everlasting Council of the Godhead<\/p>\n<p>40. Everlasting Covenant of Grace<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">41. Role of Father in the Covenant<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">42. Role of Son in the Covenant<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">43. Christ as Covenant Head of the Elect<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">44. Christ as Mediator of the Covenant<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">45. Christ as Surety of the Covenant<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">46. Christ as Testator of the Covenant<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">47. Role of Holy Spirit in the Covenant<\/p>\n<p>48. Properties of the Covenant of Grace<\/p>\n<p>49. Delight of God in Himself<\/p>\n<p>You notice that Gill focuses attention upon the everlasting covenant of the TriUne Jehovah\u2014the electing love of God the Father, the redeeming grace of God the Son and the sanctifying power of God the Spirit. What He has to say on these matters is largely wrapped up in the agreement made between the Persons of the Godhead from eternity. Not that this covenant has of yet been brought to pass in time, but that the terms and promises of the covenant have been drawn up and agreed upon from eternity. And you see, Gill doesn\u2019t teach, as the 1689 Confession teaches, that there is a distinction between the covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace. You will remember from previous studies, the 1689 Confession sets forth a covenant of redemption between the Persons of the Godhead from eternity, then a covenant of works God made with Adam before he fell, conditioned upon his obedience to the law, then a covenant of grace God made with Adam after he fell, conditioned upon faith in Christ. But Gill rejects that view. He teaches there is only a covenant of redemption, otherwise called the covenant of grace, made between the three Persons of the Godhead from eternity, conditioned only upon the terms and promises made between the Father, Son and Spirit. And then there is a covenant of works God made with Adam in time. Unregenerate sinners are in relationship to God under the authority of the covenant of works, whereas regenerate sinners are in relationship with God under the authority of the covenant of redemption, or grace. I emphasize this point, because if you come at Gill\u2019s theology based on the framework of the 1689 Confession, you will make a mess of his teachings, resulting in much confusion. It is for this reason I role my eyes in pity when hearing Moderate-Calvinists boast how much they enjoy Gill\u2019s teachings\u2014they don\u2019t understand his teachings. Just as they have misunderstood the Scriptures based on their preconceived ideas drawn from the 1689 Confession, so they misunderstand Gill for the same reason.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Well, that is how Gill handles the eternal decree of God. This then brings us to the providential governance of God in time, which contains the remaining one-hundred-and-two chapters of Gill\u2019s systematic theology. Again, this is a very large section, but it can be helpful divided into seven main parts:<\/p>\n<p>1. Creation of angels and humans.<\/p>\n<p>2. Covenant of Works.<\/p>\n<p>3. Covenant of Grace.<\/p>\n<p>4. Christian and church relations.<\/p>\n<p>5. Domestic and governmental relations.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>6. Death and the afterlife.<\/p>\n<p>7. World to come.<\/p>\n<p>There are three chapters in connection with the creation of angels and humans.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>50. Creation of Angels<\/p>\n<p>51. Confirmation of Elect Angels<\/p>\n<p>52. Creation of Man<\/p>\n<p>There are eight chapters in connection with the covenant of works. Now, I should mention here, I have noticed an increasing number of people, claiming to hold to Hyper-Calvinist views on sovereign grace, deny there is a covenant of works. They say you can\u2019t find the word covenant in Genesis 2, and the whole notion is unscriptural. Well, I need not repeat my view on this matter, as I have set it out quite clearly in many previous studies. I wish only to say in connection with this study, that Gill believed God made a covenant of works with Adam, and that this is the covenant under which all unregenerate sinners remain in relationship to God\u2014they are under the curse of the covenant of works, in consequence of their sins.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>53. Man in State of Innocence<\/p>\n<p>54. Law Given to Adam<\/p>\n<p>55. Sin and Fall of First Parents<\/p>\n<p>56. Nature and Effects of Sin of Man<\/p>\n<p>57. Imputation of Sin to Adam\u2019s Posterity<\/p>\n<p>58. Corruption of Human Nature<\/p>\n<p>59. Actual Sins and Transgressions<\/p>\n<p>60. Punishment of Sin<\/p>\n<p>There are sixty-two chapters in connection with the covenant of grace. Once more, this is a long section, but is helpfully divided into three more parts:<\/p>\n<p>1. Dispensations of the covenant of grace.<\/p>\n<p>2. Fulness of time, the Son is sent.<\/p>\n<p>3. Appointed time, the Holy Spirit is sent.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>There are seven chapters in connection with the dispensations of the covenant of grace.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>61. Administration of the Covenant of Grace<\/p>\n<p>62. Covenant of Grace\u2014Patriarchal<\/p>\n<p>63. Covenant of Grace\u2014Mosaic<\/p>\n<p>64. Covenant of Grace\u2014Kings<\/p>\n<p>65. Introduction of the New Covenant<\/p>\n<p>66. Of the Law of God<\/p>\n<p>67. Of the Gospel<\/p>\n<p>In essence, what Gill does in these chapters is trace the covenant of redemption as it is revealed and applied to sinners throughout the course of history. Beginning with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, Gill demonstrates that this is the only way sinners have been chosen, redeemed and sanctified by the TriUne Jehovah.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>There are twenty-three chapters in connection with the fulness of time, the Son is sent.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>68. Kingly Office of Christ<\/p>\n<p>69. Prophetic Office of Christ<\/p>\n<p>70. Priestly Office of Christ<\/p>\n<p>71. Incarnation of Christ<\/p>\n<p>72. Humiliation of Christ<\/p>\n<p>73. Active Obedience of Christ<\/p>\n<p>74. Passive Obedience of Christ<\/p>\n<p>75. Redemption by Christ<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">76. Causes of Redemption<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">77. Objects of Redemption<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">78. Texts Which Seem to Favour Universal Redemption<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">79. Satisfaction of Christ<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">80. Propitiation and Reconciliation by Christ<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">81. Pardon and Forgiveness of Sin<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">82. Justification<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">83. Adoption<\/p>\n<p>84. Burial of Christ<\/p>\n<p>85. Resurrection of Christ<\/p>\n<p>86. Ascension of Christ<\/p>\n<p>87. Christ at Right Hand of Father<\/p>\n<p>88. Intercession of Christ<\/p>\n<p>89. Blessings of Christ<\/p>\n<p>90. Scriptural Reign of Christ<\/p>\n<p>There are thirty-two chapters in connection with the appointed time, the Holy Spirit is sent.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>91. Regeneration<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">92. Effectual Calling<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">93. Conversion<\/p>\n<p>94. Sanctification<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">95. Good Works in General<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">96. Liberty Of The Sons Of God<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">97. Ten Commandments<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">98. Object of Worship<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">99. Internal Worship, Godliness<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">100. Communion with God<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">101. Knowledge of God<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">102. Faith in God<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">103. Fear of God<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">104. Repentance toward God<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">105. Trust and Confidence in God<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">106. Grace of Hope<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">107. Grace of Love<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">108. Spiritual Joy<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">109. Peace and Tranquility of Mind<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">110. Contentment of Mind<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">111. Thankfulness to God<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">112. Humility<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">113. Self Denial<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">114. Resignation to the Will of God<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">115. Patience<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">116. Christian Fortitude<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">117. Zeal<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">118. Wisdom and Prudence<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">119. Godly Sincerity<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">120. Spiritual Mindedness<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">121. Good Conscience<\/p>\n<p>122. Perseverance of the Saints<\/p>\n<p>This then completes Gill\u2019s teachings on the covenant of grace, of the covenant of redemption, as God brings it to pass in time. We then come to the Christian life and church relations, there being fourteen chapters.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>123. Gospel Church<\/p>\n<p>124. Baptism<\/p>\n<p>125. Duties of Church Members<\/p>\n<p>126. Church Discipline<\/p>\n<p>127. Church Officers, Particularly Pastors<\/p>\n<p>It is worth pointing out here, John Gill did not teach each church should be overseen by a plurality of elders. Far from it. Gill set forth the view maintained by all Strict and Particular Baptist churches from the 18<sup>th<\/sup> century onwards. Each church should appoint one pastor, assisted by a group of deacons. To this day, historic Particular Baptist churches function in this way. It was the Reformed Baptist movement which introduced the concept of plural elderships within Baptist churches. The concept is based upon a Presbyterian structure of church order. However, since the Reformed Baptist movement now dominates and controls the narrative, those ignorant of Particular Baptist doctrine and history assume plural elderships have always been the mode of church governance. That is not true, my friends. The Reformed Baptists are responsible in large part for undermining Baptist polity in our modern era. I have been praying for many years that the Lord would put in the hearts of gospel preachers a desire to look into these matters for themselves, rather than taking as gospel truth the Reformed Baptist narrative. Please listen to me, the Reformed Baptists know a little bit about the 17<sup>th<\/sup> century Particular Baptists, leading up to the 1689 Confession, but know absolutely nothing of the reforms and developments thereafter. They live in ignorance of the doctrine and history belonging to the Particular Baptists from the 18<sup>th<\/sup> century onwards. They jump from 1689 to the 1950\u2019s, assuming everything in between agrees with wishful narrative. But it doesn\u2019t. And John Gill sets the record straight on the subject of church governance, in this section of his theology.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>128. Duties of Members Towards Their Pastor<\/p>\n<p>129. Office of Deacon<\/p>\n<p>130. Place and Time of Public Worship<\/p>\n<p>131. Lord\u2019s Table<\/p>\n<p>132. Public Ministry of the Word<\/p>\n<p>133. Public Hearing of the Word<\/p>\n<p>134. Public Prayer<\/p>\n<p>135. Lord\u2019s Prayer<\/p>\n<p>136. Singing Psalms<\/p>\n<p>There are four chapters in connection with the domestic and governmental relations.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>137. Duties of Husband and Wife<\/p>\n<p>138. Duties of Parents and Children<\/p>\n<p>139. Duties of Masters and Servants<\/p>\n<p>140. Duties of Magistrates and Subjects<\/p>\n<p>There are three chapters in connection with death and the afterlife.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>141. Death of the Body<\/p>\n<p>142. Immortality of the Soul<\/p>\n<p>143. Separate State of the Soul<\/p>\n<p>There are eight chapters in connection with the world to come.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>144. Second Coming of Christ<\/p>\n<p>145. Resurrection of the Body<\/p>\n<p>146. Conflagration of the Universe<\/p>\n<p>147. New Heaven and New Earth<\/p>\n<p>148. Millennium\u2014Reign of Christ<\/p>\n<p>149. Last and General Judgment<\/p>\n<p>150. Final State of Wicked in Hell<\/p>\n<p>151. Final State of Saints in Heaven<\/p>\n<p>Now, my dear friends, this is my rearrangement of the table of contents for Gill\u2019s systematic theology. Under the first heading, that \u201cOf God\u201d, there are two main sections with thirty chapters. Under the second heading, that \u201cOf God\u2019s Revelation\u201d, there is one main section with three chapters. Under the third heading, that \u201cOf God\u2019s Works\u201d, there are two main sections, with one-hundred-and-eighteen chapters. This gives us a total of three main sections, with one-hundred-and-fifty-one chapters.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Broadly speaking, I think I have made it clear that Gill\u2019s teachings very much fit into the framework of sovereign grace. But this I must show you in more detail, by aligning all of the one-hundred-and-fifty-one chapters with the framework. Although I was aiming at doing that in this study, I will have to postpone it for next time, otherwise we might be here for another thirty minutes or longer. I therefore close this study with the hope that what I have presented to you has been a useful guide to better understand Gill\u2019s system of theology as a whole. Until we meet again next week, I trust you will know the presence and the blessings of the Lord.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"simplefavorite-button\" data-postid=\"24496\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"1\" style=\"box-shadow:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none;-moz-box-shadow:none;\"><div class=\"bookmark-off\"><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I would like to welcome you back to another study in Bible Doctrine. In our previous study, I presented to you the Table of Contents belonging to Gill\u2019s \u2018Body of Divinity\u2019. He has arranged his teachings under a doctrinal and a practical body of theology. The doctrinal body is made up of seven \u201cbooks\u201d, or branches, of theology, with a total of one-hundred-and-seven chapters. The practical body is made up of four \u201cbooks\u201d, or branches, ending with an Appendix, having a total of forty-nine chapters. All in all, Gill\u2019s systematic theology has a total of eleven chapters, one Appendix and one-hundred-and-fifty-six chapters.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now, for the purpose of aligning these branches and chapters with the Framework of Sovereign Grace, I have rearranged the headings. For this study, I will show you how I have rearranged the Table of Contents, and make some general observations that I hope will help you better understand the basic structure of Gill\u2019s teachings. I should point out, therefore, that I have changed the chapter numberings to reflect this new arrangement. However, the content of each chapter has not been changed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12749,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1052],"tags":[1235,1209],"class_list":["post-24496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jared-smiths-bible-doctrine","tag-bible-doctrine","tag-theological-labels","post_format-post-format-video"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24496"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24505,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24496\/revisions\/24505"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.baptists.net\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}