for a fermon the next Lord's-day, very early in the morning. Ac. cordingly, his people, and many others, met him at the Church, foon after four o'clock, when he preached to them from the clofe of his laft text, "But in me is thy help." And, as he had formerly done on the Lord's-day, he preached two fermons, with a fhort interval between them, and difmiffed the people before nine o'clock. Upon this melancholy occafion, he commended them to God, who alone could build them up, and help them in time of need.

The curate came to Fenwick, attended by twelve foldiers, on the Lord's-day, and difcharged Mr. Guthrie from preaching any more in that place; He declared to Mr. Guthrie, that the bifhop and committee, after much lenity fhewed to him for a long time, were obliged to pafs fentence of fufpenfion against him, for not keeping prefbyters and fynods with the rest of his brethren, and for his unpeaceableness in the church; of which fentence he was appointed to make public intimation unto him, for which purpose he read his commiffion, under the hand of the arch-bishop of Glafgow.

Mr. Guthrie replied, "I judge it not expedient to fay much in answer to what you have faid; only as you fay, that much lenity has been used towards me, be it known unto you, that I ke the Lord for a party in that, and thank him for it, first of all. Yea, I look upon it as a door which God opened to me for the preaching of his gofpel, which neither you, nor any man elfe, was able to fhut, till he gave you leave. And as to that fentence which you have paffed againft me, I declare before these gentlemen, (meaning the officers of the party) that I lay no weight upon it, as it comes from you; only I refpect the civil authority, who by their law, lay the ground for this fentence being paffed. Were it not for that, I would not give up the exercife of my miniftry for this fentence. And as for the crimes charged againft me, I do keep prefbyteries and fynods with the reft of my brethren, but I do not judge thofe you have in view, to be my brethren, who have turned their backs upon the truth of God. As to my peaceablenefs, I know that it is my duty to follow peace with all men, but I know alfo that it is my duty to follow it with holiness; and fince I could not obtain peace without prejudice to holiness, I thought myself obliged to let it. As to your commiffion, fir, to intimate this fentence, I here declare that I believe myself called of God to the work of the minifty, and did forfake the nearest relations I had in the world, and gave up myself to the fervice of the gospel in this place. I blefs the Lord, he has given me fome fuccefs in my work, and feals to my miniftry. And now fir, if you will take it upon you to interrupt me in my work among this people, I pray God to forgive you, but I must leave all the bad confequences which may fall out upon it, between God and your own confcience. I am fufpended from my minifty for abid

ing by the caufe of God and his truth, from which you and, many others have apoftatized."

At parting with the curate, Mr. Guthrie fignified his apprehenfion, that fome evident mark of God's difpleafure awaited him, for what he had been doing, and ferioufly warned him to prepare for the event. When the curate left the house, he went to the church with the foldiers, his guard, but now his hearers, and preached to them near a quarter of an hour. He then read from the pulpit the bifhops fentence againft Mr. Guthrie. Nobody came to hear him but a few children, who created fome difturbance till they were driven away by the foldiers. Indeed the people of the parish were ready to have facrificed their all, in defence of Mr. Guthrie, if he would have permitted them. The poor unhappy curate never preached any more after he left Fenwick, he went to Glafgow, but it is not certain, whether he got to his own home, which was only four miles from Glafgow, and he died in a few days in great torment. His wife and all his children died in about a year after, fo that none of his pofterity were left. The reward of five pounds given him by the bishop for that piece of bad work, was of little fervice to him: it was the wages of unrighteoufnefs, and therefore neither he nor his, had any fatisfaction in it. So dangerous a thing it is to meddle with the faithful fervants of Chrift.

Mr. Guthrie continued in Fenwick till the year 1665, when his brother, to whom he had given his estate, died; which obli. ged him and his wife to take a journey into Angus, in order to fettle their temporal affairs. He had not been long there, before he was feized with a complication of diforders, the gravel, the gout, and an ulcer in the kidneys, fo that he endured great pain, In the midft of thefe fufferings he faid, "The Lord has been ex"ceeding kind to me; and I know that if I fhould die distracted, through the extremity of pain, yet I fhall die in the Lord." He added, "Bleffed are the dead who die in the Lord, at all times, "but more especially fo when a flood of errors, fnares, and judg ments, are coming upon a nation, church, or people."

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In his fevere afflictions, he ftill adored the conduct of Divine Providence; tho' at the fame time, he longed for his diffolution, and expreffed the fatisfaction and joy with which he should make the grave his dwelling place, when it pleafed God to give him reft. His compaffionate Lord indulged the pious breathings of his foul; for after eight or ten days illnefs, he was gathered to his fathers, in the houfe of his brother-in-law, at Brechin, on October 10, 1665, in the 45th year of his age.

During his fickness, he was vifited by the bishop of Brechin, and several of the epifcopal minifters, who all had an high value for him, notwithstanding he expreffed his forrow, with great freedom, for their compliance with the corrupt eftablishment in religious affairs. He died in the full affurance of faith, as to his own intereft in Chrift, and under the pleafing hopes that the Lord would return in mercy to the church of Scotland. Mr. Jo

Mr. John Livingfton has given him the following character? "Mr. Guthrie was a man of a most ready wit, fruitful invention, and appofite comparifons: qualified both to awaken and to pacify the conscience; upright and zealous for the cause of Chrift, and a great light in the weft of Scotland. In his doctrine, he was as full and free as any one had ever been; which, together with the excellency of his preaching gifts, did fo recommend him" to the affections of his people, that they turned his glebe-land into a little town, every one building a houfe upon it, in order that they might be near their beloved minifter, and have all the advantages of his pious labours and holy conversation which they could obtain."

Mr. Crawford fays of him, "He was a burning and a fhining light by the favour of the old Earl of Eglinton, he was fuffered to fhine after many others were put out. He converted and confirmed many thoufands of fouls, and was efteemed the beft preacher in Scotland."

Mr. Guthrie was accounted a very extraordinary person for comforting those who were under spiritual exercises. Many reflected on him for giving up his miniftry on account of the bifhop's fentence; but his reverence for the civil power was very great, and like many others in Scotland he almoft idolized the family of the Stuarts, notwithfanding they cruelly oppressed the religious people of Scotland.

Mr. Guthrie never preached in Fenwick after his suspension; but he went with many of his parishioners to Sturton, to hear a young minifter. On one of thefe occafions, as he was returning home, fome of the people were not satisfied with the young man's preaching. Mr. Guthrie replied, "You are mistaken in the man, he has made a good fermon; and if you please you fhall hear a good part of it over again: Accordingly they fat down on the ground, while he rehearsed the fermon, with his ufual ferver of fpirit, and they were convinced of their mistake: So much had the fermon loft by the manner of the minifter's delivery, and fuch was the people's attachment to Mr. Guthrie.

All who knew him allow, that he was a man of an excellent understanding; his voice was ftrong and clear, and managed with an agreeable cadence. He was fingularly useful in adminiftering confolation to the wounded foul: Perfons afflicted in fpirit, came far and near to him, and received much fatisfaction and comfort. Those who were very ignorant in his parish, when he came first into it, were forrowful at his departure, and would have refifted the curate had Mr. Guthrie permitted them.

The Character

The Character and Encouragement of CHRIST'S Minifters: a SERMON preached before the Conference at Leeds, Auguft 6, 1793. BY MR. THOMAS TAYLOR.

MATTHEW XXVIII. 20.

"And lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."

SUCH commiffioned to go
UCH is the gracious declaration of our adorable MASTER, to

all whom he hath commiffioned to go forth in his name, call poor, perifhing finners out of darkness into his marvellous Fight. Indeed, the work is awful, very awful, and highly im portant; and every one who engages in it, has great need to look at his Call, and to be fully convinced that he is fent of GOD his Saviour, who is the LORD of the Vineyard. For if he run, and is not fent, he is an intruder into the fervice, and will not profit the people. His having a little learning, the hand of a bishop, a prefbytery, or a conference, are not fufficient evidences, that he is called by our Saviour into this great and important work. No, virtually his Call must be previous to any of thefe, or he is merely fent by men: Thefe can only give him a formal commiffion to act in their respective denominations. Minifters must first be approv ed of by the MASTER, and then received by the fervants. It is right that this fovereign Prince fhould chufe his own Minifters. When the Apostles were about to eleft one to fill up the place of Judas, they requested that GOD himself would make the choice. Thou, Lord, (faid they,) which knoweft the hearts of all men, fhew whether of thefe two thou hast chofen, that he may take part of this miniftry and apoftleihip. * The great Apoftle accounted it the highest honour that he was ordained and sent by the Head of the Church, without the formality of ordination, even by the other apoftles. Hence he addreffes the Galatians, "Paul, an Apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jefus Chrift, and GOD the Father, who raifed him from the dead." + Moreover he obferves, when it pleafed GOD to reveal his Son in him, that he might preach him among the Heathen, he conferred not with flefh and blood; he neither waited for ordination, nor ftarted at diffi culties, but fet about the work affigned him immediately: And I prefume, in fome degree, this must be the cafe with every Servant fent into the Vineyard. And if he is fent forth, what abundant need is there for him to take heed of his miniftry that he fulfil it. Many are his own wants and weakneffes; and many will be his enemies and great is the wildom which is neceffary to guide the fouls of men thro' the ftorms of life, the temptations of fatan, and the numerous errors and fnares of the World. Nevertheless, be of good cheer, while you hear your Mafter fay, "Lo I am with you alway, even to the end of the world." That this is a Promife made to all his fervans, in every age and country, is plain from the unlimited time, emphatically declared to be even to the * Aus i. 24. Gal. i. 1.

VOL. XIX. Nov. 1796.

end

end of the World. From hence, with all due respect to my Brethren in the Miniftry, and this numerous audience, I purpose

I. To confider the gracious Promifer.
II. To whom the Promife is made.
III. The Promise itself.

1. If we confider him

I. First then, refpecting the Promifer. in his divine character, we fhall find him the Lord, the Lord GOD, gracious and merciful, forgiving iniquity, tranfgreffion, and fin. He is the high and lofty One that inhabiteth Eternity; whofe Name is holy, who spake and it was done, who commanded, and it ftood faft; before whom "the morning stars fung together, and all the fons of GOD fhouted for joy." It is he who measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, meted out heaven with a fpan, and comprehended the duft of the Earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains.in fcales and the hills in a balance. Before him the nations are as a drop of the bucket, and are accounted as the small duft of the balance, and he taketh up the ifles as a very little thing. It is he who fitteth on the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grafshoppers; that ftretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and fpreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.* From these and many other paffages, it appears, that he is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, ruling in the armies of the heavens above, and doing his pleasure among the inhabitants of this lower world: Being GOD over all, he is the SOURCE of Wisdom, Love, Power, Life, Liberty, and Happiness.

2. Let us attend to his more complex character as Mediator, as GOD and Man united in one Perfon. Here we fee him "the Brightness of his Father's Glory, and the Express Image of his Perfon." Here we behold him performing his three effential Offices for us, as Prophet, Prieft, and King. Here we see him as our Wisdom, Righteoufnefs, Sanctification, and Redemption. Having made fatisfaction by the Blood of his Cross, for our numerous offences, and continually interceding for us. How much depends upon that prevailing Interceffion! By that glorious undertaking, we can with confidence draw nigh to GOD, and our prayers find acceptance; fo that "having a great High Priest, who is paffed into the Heaven, JESU's, the Son of GOD, let us come boldly to the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." This is a never-failing fpring of confolation, and therefore he fays, "because I live, ye fhall live alfo." How much depends upon this great and important truth? Here is GOD in our nature, putting away fin by the facri fice of himself! Does Juftice demand fatisfaction? The wounds of our Immanuel can answer for us. Does the Law plead it's broken precepts, and denounce it's tremendous curfes? There fits its ample Fulfiller, who hath redeemed us from all its threatnings. Should Satan, the Accufer of the Brethren, dare to plead our numerous fins and follies? there is his bruiser who will plead our cause.

* Ifa. xii. 98.

3. If