Part 19 (2/2)
Mr. William soon gave proofs of his capacity and genius, by very considerable progress made in the Latin and Greek languages. Then he was sent to the university of St. Andrews, where he studied philosophy under the memorable Mr. James Guthrie his cousin, who was afterwards minister at Stirling, ”and who (says Mr. Trail) I saw die in, and for the Lord, at Edinburgh, June 1, 1661.”
As the master and scholar were near relations, Mr. Guthrie was his peculiar care, and lodged, when at the college, in the same chamber with him, and therefore had the principles of learning infused into him with more accuracy than his cla.s.s-fellows.
Having taken the degree of master of arts, he applied himself, for some years, to the study of divinity, under the direction of Mr. Samuel Rutherford. Mr. Trail says, ”Then and there it pleased the Lord, who separated him from his mother's womb, to call him, by his grace, by the ministry of excellent Mr. Samuel Rutherford, and this young gentleman became one of the first fruits of his ministry at St. Andrews. His conversion was begun with great terror of G.o.d in his soul, and completed with that joy and peace in believing that accompanied him through his life. After this blessed change wrought upon him, he resolved to obey the call of G.o.d to serve him in the ministry of his gospel, which was given him by the Lord's calling him effectually to grace and glory. He did for this end so dispose of his outward estate, (to which he was born heir) as not to be intangled with the affairs of this life.” He gave his estate to the only brother of the five who was not engaged in the sacred office, that thereby he might be perfectly disintangled from the affairs of this life, and entirely employed in these of the eternal world.
Soon after he was licensed to preach, he left St. Andrews, with high esteem and approbation from the professors of that university, which they gave proof of, by their ample recommendations. After this he became tutor to lord Mauchlin, eldest son to the earl of Loudon; in which situation he continued for some time, till he entered upon a parochial charge.
The parish of Kilmarnock, in the s.h.i.+re of Ayr, being large, and many of the people, belonging to the said parish, being no less than six or seven miles distant from their own kirk; for which and other reasons the heritors and others procured a disjunction, and called the new parish Fen wick or new Kilmarnock.
Mr. Guthrie was employed to preach at Galston, on a preparation-day before the celebration of the Lord's supper; and several members of the new-erected parish, were present at that occasion, who, being greatly edified by his sermons, conceived such a value for him, that they immediately resolved to make choice of him for their minister; and in consequence thereof gave him a very harmonious call, which he complied with. It is said, that he, along with the people, made choice of the place of ground for building the church upon, and preached within the walls of the house before it was completed; which bears the date of being built _anno_ 1643; and he was ordained unto the sacred office Nov.
7, 1644.
He had many difficulties at first to struggle with; and many circ.u.mstances of his ministry were extremely discouraging: and yet, through the divine blessing, the gospel preached by him had surprising success; and became, in an eminent manner, the wisdom and power of G.o.d to the salvation of many peris.h.i.+ng souls.
After Mr. Guthrie came to Fenwick, many of the people were so rude and barbarous, that they never attended upon divine wors.h.i.+p; and knew not so much as the face of their pastor: To such, every thing that respected religion was disagreeable. Many refused to be visited, or catechised by him; they would not even admit him into their houses: To such he sometimes went in the evening, disguised in the character of a traveller, and sought lodging; which he could not even obtain without much intreaty; but having obtained it, he would engage in some general amusing conversation at first, and then ask them, How they liked their minister? When they told him, They did not go to church, he engaged them to go and take a trial; others he hired with money to go.--When the time of family wors.h.i.+p came, he desired to know if they made any, and if not, what reasons they had for so doing.
There was one person, in particular, whom he would have to perform family wors.h.i.+p, who told him That he could not pray; and he asked, What was the reason? He told him, That he never used to pray any, and so could not:--He would not take that for answer, but would have the man to make a trial in that duty before him; to which the man replied, ”O Lord!
thou knowest that this man would have me to pray; but, thou knowest, that I cannot pray.”--After which Mr. Guthrie bid him stop, and said, He had done enough; and prayed himself, to their great surprise. When prayer was ended, the wife said to her husband, That surely this was a minister (for they did not know him): After this, he engaged them to come to the kirk on sabbath, and see what they thought of their minister. When they came there, they discovered, to their consternation, that it had been their minister himself who had allured them thither.--And this condescending manner of gaining them, procured a constant attendance on public ordinances; as was at length accompanied by the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ unto the praise of G.o.d.
There was also another person in his parish, who had a custom of going a-fowling on the Sabbath-day, and neglecting the church; in which practice he had continued for a considerable time. Mr. Guthrie asked him, What reason he had for so doing? He told him, That the sabbath-day was the most fortunate day in all the week for that exercise,--Mr.
Guthrie asked, What he could make by that day's exercise? He replied, That he would make half a-crown of money that day.--Mr. Guthrie told him, If he would go to church on sabbath he would give him as much; and, by that means, got his promise. After sermon was over, Mr. Guthrie asked, If he would come back the next sabbath-day, and he would give him the same?--which he did; and from that time afterwards, never failed to keep the church, and also freed Mr. Guthrie of his promise.--He afterwards became a member of his session.
He would frequently use innocent recreations, such as fis.h.i.+ng, fowling, and playing on the ice, which contributed much to preserve a vigorous state of health.--And, while in frequent conversation with the neighbouring gentry, as these occasions gave him opportunity, he would bear in upon them reproofs and instructions with an inoffensive familiarity; as Mr. Dunlop has observed of him, ”But as he was animated by a flaming zeal for the glory of his blessed Master, and a tender compa.s.sion to the souls of men, and as it was the princ.i.p.al thing that made him desire life and health, that he might employ them in propagating the kingdom of G.o.d, and in turning transgressors from their ways; so the very hours of recreation were dedicated to this purpose; which was so indeared to him, that he knew how to make his diversions subservient to the n.o.bler ends of his ministry. He made them the occasion of familiarizing his people to him, and introducing himself to their affections, and in the disguise of a sportsman he gained some to a religious life, whom he could have little influence upon in a ministers gown, of which there happened several memorable examples.”
His person was stately and well-set; his features comely and handsome; he had a strong clear voice, joined to a good ear, which gave him a great pleasure in music, and he failed not to employ that talent for the n.o.blest use, the praising of his Maker and Saviour, in which part of divine wors.h.i.+p his soul and body acted with united and unwearied vigour.
He was happily married to one Agness Campbel, daughter to David Campbel of Sheldon in the s.h.i.+re of Ayr, a remote branch of the family of Loudon.
August 1645, his family affairs were both easy and comfortable. His wife was a gentlewoman endued with all the qualities that could render her a blessing to her husband, joined to handsome and comely features, good sense and good breeding sweetened by a modest cheerfulness of temper, and, what was most comfortable to Mr. Guthrie, she was sincerely pious, so that they lived a little more than twenty years in the most complete friends.h.i.+p, and with a constant mutual satisfaction founded on the n.o.blest principles; one faith, one hope, one baptism, and a sovereign love to Jesus Christ, which zealously inspired them both. By her he had six children; two of whom only out-lived himself; both of them daughters, who endeavoured to follow the example of their excellent parents; one of them was married to Miller of Glenlee, a gentleman in the s.h.i.+re of Ayr, and the other to Mr. Peter Warner _anno_ 1681.; after the revolution, Mr. Warner was settled at Irvine. He had two children, William of Ardrie in Ayr-s.h.i.+re, and Margaret Warner, married to Mr.
Wodrow minister at Eastwood, who wrote the history of the sufferings of the church of Scotland betwixt the years 1660 and 1688, inclusive.--But to return.
When Mr. Guthrie was but young and new married, he was appointed by the general a.s.sembly to attend the army. When he was preparing for his departure, a violent fit of the gravel (unto which he was often subject) reduced him to the greatest extremity of pain and danger; which made his religious spouse understand and improve the divine chastis.e.m.e.nt; she then saw how easily G.o.d could put an end to his life, which she was too apprehensive about, and brought herself to a resolution never to oppose her inclination to his entering upon any employment, whereby he might honour his Maker, though never so much hazard should attend it.
While he was with the army, upon the defeat of a party he was then with, he was preserved in a very extraordinary manner; which made him ever after retain a greater sense of the divine goodness; and after his return to his parish, was animated to a more vigorous diligence in the work of the ministry, and propagating the kingdom of the Son of G.o.d, both among his people and all round about him; his public preaching, especially at the administration of the Lord's Supper, and his private conversation conspiring together for these n.o.ble purposes.
After this, Mr. Guthrie had occasion again to be with the army, when the English sectaries prevailed under Oliver Cromwel. After the defeat at Dunbar Sept. 3d, 1650, when the army was at Stirling, that G.o.dly man Mr.
Rutherford writes a letter to him; wherein, by way of caution, near the end, he says, ”But let me obtest all the serious seekers of his face, his secret sealed ones, by the strongest consolations of the Spirit, by the gentleness of Jesus Christ, that Plant of renown, by your last accounts, and by your appearing before G.o.d, when the white throne shall be up, be not deceived with these fair words: though my spirit be astonished at the cunning distinctions, which are found out in the matters of the covenant, that help may be had against this man; yet my heart trembleth to entertain the least thought of joining with these deceivers[137].” Accordingly he joined the remonstrators, and was chosen moderator at that synod at Edinburgh after the public resolutioners went out and left them.
The author of his memoirs saith, ”His pleasant and facetious conversation procured him an universal respect from the English officers, and made them fond of his company; while at the same time his courage and constancy did not fail him in the cause of his great Master, and was often useful to curb the extravagancies of the sectaries, and maintain order and regularity.” One instance of which happened, at the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, at Glasgow, celebrated by Mr. Andrew Gray.----Several of the English officers had formed a design to put in execution the disorderly principle of a promiscuous admission to the Lord's table, by coming to it themselves without acquainting the minister, or being in a due manner found worthy of that privilege.----It being Mr. Guthrie's turn to serve at that table, he spoke to them, when they were leaving their pews in order to make the attempt, with such gravity, resolution and zeal, that they were quite confounded, and sat down without making any further disturbance.
About this time that set of heretics, called quakers, endeavoured to sow their tares in Fenwick parish, when Mr. Guthrie was some weeks absent, about his own private affairs in Angus.--But he returned before this infection had sunk deep; recovered some who were in hazard of being tainted by its fatal influence; and confounded the rest, that they despaired of any further attack upon his flock.--This wild set had made many proselytes to their demented delusions in Kilbryde, Glasgow, and other neighbouring parishes; yea, they prospered so well in Glasford parish, that there is yet a church-yard in that place, where they buried their own dead, with their heads to the east, contrary to the practice of all other christians.
After this, he had several calls for transportation to other parishes, of more importance than ever Fenwick was; which places were, Renfrew, Linlithgow, Stirling, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. But the air and recreation of a country life were useful to him, in maintaining a healthful const.i.tution; and, above all, the love his flock had to him caused him put on an invincible obstinacy, against all designs of separation from them; a relation, when it is animated with this principle of the spiritual life, and founded on so n.o.ble a bottom, enters deepest into the soul; and a minister can scarce miss to have peculiar tenderness and warmth of divine affections to those whose father he is after the Spirit; and hath been honoured of G.o.d, in bringing them to the kingdom of his Son, and begetting them through the gospel; whose heavenly birth is now the highest pleasure and brightest triumph of his life, and will be one day his crown of glory and rejoicing. And doubtless, when Mr.
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