A brilliant English pastor, born in 1813 and died in 1901.
"Mr. Govett wrote a hundred years before his time, and the day will come when
his works will be treasured as sifted gold." Charles H. Spurgeon
"One of the profoundest [works of Revelation] that I know of is the work of
Robert Govett. My own opinion is that he brings to his interpretation a more
thorough knowledge of the Scriptures in their bearing on the last book of the
Bible than any other writer of his generation." Dr. Wilbur M. Smith
"Few men could equal Govett for originality of thought. He also possessed a
well-ordered, disciplined mind. He could trace a theme through Scripture with
unerring logic." Dr. Cyril J. Barber, The Minister's Library
"Reared in Staines, Middlesex, Robert Govett entered Worcester College, Oxford,
in 1830, and after graduation was awarded a life fellowship in 1835. Ordained
(1836-37), he became curate at St. Stephen's Church, Norwich, where his
preaching attracted great crowds until in 1844 he confessed that he had forced
his conscience on the matter of infant baptism and forthwith resigned his curacy
and his fellowship. Most of the congregation left the Church of England and made
Govett their pastor; services were held in Victoria Hall, Norwich, and by 1848
he had baptized 300-400 former Anglicans. Surrey Chapel, Norwich, was opened in
1854, and Govett ministered there to the end of the century. This
nondenominational church still flourishes."
"Govett's writings are extensive, of varying quality, and often marked by a high
level of scholarship, a superbly logical approach, extraordinary originality,
and complete faithfulness to biblical revelation. Much concerned with
eschatology (Apocalypse, 1864, and other works), he held that much of the Book
of Revelation is to be understood literally." R. E. D. Clark, The New
International Dictionary of the Christian Church, J. D. Douglas, general editor,
page 426.
(The following is from Gleanings from Robert Govett by Sentinel Kulp)
Robert Govett was born in England in 1813 and died at Norwich, England, in 1901.
He enrolled at Worcester College at Oxford in 1830, received a Bachelor of Arts
degree from Eaton in 1834, became a Fellow of Worcester in 1836, and received
his M.A. in 1837.
During the years of his ministry, he became well known because of his brilliant
deductive and analytical capabilities. There were few men who equaled him in his
ability to use common practical sense (logic) to weed out any weaknesses in a
point of debate, and he was fearless in pursuing a line of thinking for the
purpose of bringing it to a close. He was of the opinion that the Scriptures
should always be open to a fresh scrutiny based upon new light that might have
been received and, because of this, as the years passed he became independent of
many of the denominational views that he had previously adhered to.
He seems to have been one of the first, if not the first, to present a clear
view of the judgment seat of Christ and its purpose in relation to the
millennial kingdom. Thus, it is a point of emphasis throughout most of his
writings. Through Scripture, he clearly delineates between eternal life, the
free gift that God gives to those who accept the payment His Son made, and the
prize, the reward of the millennial reign, which one can attain to by producing
the good works or fruits that emanate from a walk of faith. The latter of the
two is held out to all the saints by the Almighty, but it is only given to those
who have submitted to the work of the Holy Spirit toward personal
sanctification.
Though he started his duties in the Church of England as an Anglican minister,
it was upon witnessing a full immersion baptism that he became immediately
convinced of the Scriptural integrity of it, and, further, was so convicted of
the error of infant sprinkling that shortly thereafter he resigned from his
position within the Church of England, without knowing how he would sustain
himself. It was at this time, having been faithful to the truth shown to him,
that the Lord intervened. And, as a reward for his obedience, a pastorate was
provided at an independent fellowship in Norwich.
Events such as these became a cycle that were repeated many times throughout his
life. As the Lord would faithfully reveal some new truth to him, he would
respond in practice to it by correcting his views and preaching to conform to
the revelation and light just received. These were few areas within his own
beliefs that were held sacred. As a result, in his pursuit for the truth, he was
open to examining the most orthodox of doctrines. Though at times this meant
being ostracized by those within Christianity who had allowed tradition to
settle in and take over where once the life of the Head through the guidance of
the Spirit existed, he was willing to pay the cost. Furthermore, he was so taken
up with knowing and serving a loving Lord, who was alive in his life in a very
practical way, that he never married. Rather, he remained faithful to the call
that was upon his life, pastoring the flock that had been given to him at
Norwich until the Lord saw fit to take him home.
There are two characteristics within his writings that are predominant, and each
yields a testimony of one who had matured into an intimate walk with the Lord.
One was his ability to take the multi-facets of the types, shadows, and symbols
of the Word and overlay them so as to compare them against each other: an
approach he used to confirm whether his understanding of them was in line with
the reasons and purpose God had given them. For instance, if the underlying
symbolism conflicted with what appeared to be the literal meaning of a portion
of Scripture, he would set about to resolve the conflict. Thus, his writings are
rich in the types and shadows of the Old Testament, which he felt must be
learned if one is to expect a proper understanding of their fulfillment in the
New Testament. The other, is the ability he developed to enter into the
prophetic sense of the Word. A trait which is distinctive among those who have
grown sensitive in their spirit to the mind of the Spirit, to the point that
they have acquired an acute ability to draw from the living Word or Rhemma.
In closing, let me quote what the great preacher Charles Spurgeon said of Robert
Govett: He "wrote a hundred years before his time, and the day will come when
his works will be treasured as sifted gold." As so much of what Robert Govett
taught, preached, and warned the people of his day has arrived in our time,
surely that day has come. In his day, he was an instrument used of the Lord to
lead the souls of men from the milk of the word to the meat. It is my hope and
prayer that these insights gleaned from the ten-thousand-plus pages of his works
will be a source for the feeding and nourishing of the saints of this
generation, who, for the most part, have not had the opportunity to partake of
the works of this great servant of the Lord!