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Robert Govett 1813-1901
| "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 |
(Short Biographical thoughts taken from Gleanings from Robert Govett by Sentinal 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!
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!
Robert Govett