The Gospel Standard
A High-Calvinist Magazine “The Gospel Standard; Or Feeble Christian’s Support” started in 1835 by a printer named John Gadsby (1808-1893). This was the son of William Gadsby (1773-1844), whose aim it was to support and promote the gospel labours of his father. Referring to the origin of the magazine, John wrote: "I suggested to my father that we ought to have a magazine of our own. He was quite startled, and said, 'Jack!' (he mostly called me Jack), ‘you cannot afford it. You will lose money by it.' “‘I quite expect so,’ I replied, ‘but that is of no consequence for the Lord has given me a good business, as you know. We ought to have a magazine.' “He took time prayerfully to consider, and then said, ‘Well, if you begin, I will try and help you, and I hope our labours will not be in vain.' “Now, without his help, I could not have commenced. He, therefore, was the founder. I was only the originator.” William and John were the first editors, followed by others among which were John M’Kenzie (?-1849), Joseph Philpot (1802-1869), Grey Hazlerigg (1818-1912), Charles Hemington (1830-1904), Joseph Hatton (1821-1884), James Dennett (1828-1900), James Popham (1847-1937), John Gosden (1882-1964) and Benjamin Ramsbottom (1929–2023). In 1878, the Gospel Standard Aid and Poor Relief Societies acquired ownership of the magazine, the trustees of these organizations referred to as the Gospel Standard Committee. A Directory was also included, whose “ministers and churches have signified their adherence to the fundamental enrolled Articles of Faith of the Gospel Standard Societies. This embodies separation from all Strict Baptists who do not hold as essential these Articles, and it is expected that the solemn subscription and its implications will be honoured by all whose names appear, by loyalty to our distinctive position as a body of Churches.”
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How Do We Discern The Lord’s Guidance?
It is well for those who are duly sensible of their own weakness and fallibility, and of the difficulties with which they are surrounded in life, that the Lord has promised to guide his people with his eye, and to cause them to hear a word be hind them, saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it," when they are in danger of turning aside either to the right hand or to the left. For this purpose he has given us the written word to be a lamp to our feet, and encouraged us to pray for the teaching of his Holy Spirit, that we may rightly understand and apply it. It is, however, too often seen that many widely deviate from the path…
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Ir-religious Associations
How good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity and love, but how few there are that in truth, love, and godly fear we can walk and dwell with. Whatever men may say about the great prospects of religion in this day, for my own part I can see but little of them; for where a man is honest and bold enough to open his mouth wide for Christ's true gospel, all the jackadandies, and ape-like parsons, whom the devil hath dressed up as angels of light, are about that poor soul, to slander, injure, and degrade him. Indeed, my good and godly brethren, I mean no offence to any one in particular, but do speak the truth in Christ Jesus,…
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Who Is A God Like Unto Our God?
Gospel Standard Magazine No. 237 — September 1, 1855 —Vol. 21, Pages 283,284 Dear Friend,—I was glad to hear from you and learn something of your estate: to hear that the good hand of the Lord was upon you as well as upon many others of the chosen race, the instructed, corrected, and quickened family of the Almighty. I am tolerably well, better than I deserve to be. I am a great debtor to the great Creditor, and have no hope to stand before him with acceptance only in and through the great Surety and his great and all-sufficient satisfaction, and receive a forgiveness of all my debts out of the love and mercy of the Creditor and Surety, revealed, brought home and applied unto…
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The “Old School Baptists” In America
Gospel Standard Magazine No. 102 — June, 1844 — Vol. 10, Pages 161-165 [The letters below were written to our departed friend W. Gadsby, and would have appeared earlier but from the pressure of other matter. Mr. Booth's letter will, we think, be found to contain an interesting account of our American brethren. We do not mean to say that we approve of all that is contained in it; but we did not consider ourselves at liberty to alter or omit. It is to the "Old School Baptists"[1] that James Osbourn, whose experience we have reviewed, belongs; and in several of his works which we have read, (and we believe we possess them all,) he frequently speaks of them, and seems to be fully united…
