THE

EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE.

APRIL, 1811.

MEMOIR

OF

THE LATE REV. GEORGE COWIE,

OF HUNTLY.

In

THE late Rev. George Cowie, of Huntly, was born near Bamff, on the 26th of July, 1749, of parents placed in circumstances which the world calls respectable; but who appear to have been like most of the inhabitants of that country, at that time, fully satisfied without any experience of real religion. Mr. Cowie's father having had several daughters, vowed, that if he were favoured with a son, he should be devoted to the service of the church. Tho' this vow was doubtless founded in ignorance, yet the great Disposer of all events made it subservient to the accomplishment of his gracious designs. consequence of it, his son at the age of seven years was sent to the grammar-school; and at 12 gained a bursary by competition, at Marischal College, Aberdeen. Here he pursued his studies successfully for the usual period; and was appointed a schoolmaster in the Presbytery of Huntly, being 16 years of age. Of this part of his life, he says, in his Diary, That he was dead in trespasses and sins, living in the lusts of the flesh; pleasing himself, but displeasing and dishonouring God, under the power of unbelief, hardness, blindness, pride, presumption, profaning the name and Sabbaths of the Lord, cursed by the law, and despising the gospel of God; so that if he had been cut off in this state, he must have perished to all eternity, and that without remedy.'

His first alarm about his soul was occasioned by witnessing the death of an uncle, in the year 1765. This salutary alarm was confirmed by a variety of threatenings from the word of God, which stuck so fast in his conscience, that he was brought very low. He knew not any experienced Christian to whom he could unbosom his complaint; and those whom he took

for such, being utter strangers to his case, by their unsuitable directions only increased his malady.

The consequence was, that in the course of the year, the report flew round the country that Cowie was mad with religion; and this report, like that of the Jews, respecting our Saviour's resurrection, is believed by many graceless people to the present day. Indeed, if madness consists in having a thorough acquaintance with the depravity of the human heart, the divine spirituality, and moral obligation of the law of God, very few in our day have dived so deep into these subjects, through the course of a whole life, as this man of God did, upon his very entrance into a life of faith upon the Son of God. The effects of such deep convictions were suitable, but very unaccountable to the ignorant people among whom he lived. To them it appeared mad employment for a man to continue a whole night in the exercises of devotion; or to see him go past his parish-church, and travel 20 miles to hear a gospel-sermon. Therefore this poor youth was subject to cruel mockings, when his case required the tenderest sympathy.

His spiritual conflicts were great, and his deliverance from them very gradual. He was, however, by means of secret prayer and meditation on the divine promises, preserved from sinking under them, until, by the ministry of some pious Antiburghers, who began about that time to preach in the north, he was taught the way of the Lord more perfectly. The advantage which his soul obtained by the doctrine and godly conversation of these men, induced him to join in full communion with them, in August, 1766. Soon after having been ejected from his school in the Establishment, he was persuaded to study divinity among his new connections; by whom he was ordained in February, 1771, to the pastoral office at Huntly.

Truth requires it to be noticed here, that the chief cause of Mr. Cowie in joining the Secession, was not the peculiar tenets which distinguish them from other Presbyterians; some of which (as their testimony against the Cambuslang work, their excommunication of the Burghers, &c.) he always disapproved of, and testified against; but his grand object was to have fellowship with the pious ministers and spiritual Christians whom he found in that body; and who had, like himself, been made the subjects of the Spirit's sanc tifying influence, and taught a nobler theme of preaching and conversation than the distinguishing badge of any party.

His own ministry at Huntly and round it, was peculiarly blessed of God; and as during his life he saw much cause to deal closely with every man's conscience, on the vanity of resting in forms and sound principles, so he was the honoured nstrument of collecting and building up a church of serious

practical Christians. A number of these indeed are gone to heaven; but some, who are still alive, justify this assertion. It was an usual practice with him, when he heard Arminianism, Baxterianism, Antinomianism, &c. exploded, while he trusted that grace would preserve him from these errors, to pray that the Lord would save him from a carnal, secure, unbelieving heart, which he said was the worst error of them all.

During the first years of his ministry, he preached, alternate ly, in six different places, each eight or ten miles from his own house; places which now occupy the labours of eight or nine preachers. Notwithstanding the exertions requisite for attending to the concerns of a number of individuals so widely scattered over the country, and many of them deeply exercised about their souls, his preaching always possessed a pe culiar charm, which seldom accompanies that which is the effect of mechanical labour and theoretical study. It found its way to the hearers' hearts, being usually the effusion of his own; and frequently accompanied with that unction from the Holy One, which enables men to discern the reality, and feel the solemnity of eternal things. He endured at first much contempt from a profane world, and occasional opposition; but none of these things moved him: his mind was staid upon the Lord, in whom he always found an hiding-place. Besides, he found much refreshment from the good society of the people of God, whose meetings he statedly attended to his dying day. On nothing did Mr. Cowie bestow more constant attention than the state of religion in his own soul. He looked well to the paths of his feet, and pondered all his goings: he was jealous over himself with a godly jealousy, lest after he had preached the gospel unto others, he himself should be cast away. This produced great searchings of heart, while such salutary enquiries often issued in the relief and establishment of his mind. Thus in his Diary, December 28, 1774, he writes, 'Alas! I am a poor timorous creature, above many, I believe. Lord, help me, for thy mercies sake! Keep for me, and clear to me that which thou hast given. I am tempted to think that the faith of hypocrites is operative; yet I believe they are rather rejoiced with the hope of happiness than taken up about heart-holiness. Gospel doctrines may touch their affections, work about their hearts, and produce some things like graces of the Spirit; but they never have their hearts won and renewed; their will itself renewed, quickened, and subjected. They are not sincerely won from sin; they are not brought out of themselves to Christ for righteousness and strength, in any sweet, hearty, and powerful way: their convictions are neither so deep nor so decisive as to make salvation by Christ absolutely necessary. On these accounts I have some hope that my situation is different from that of hypocrites. Therefore, Hold fast till I come.'

What was always the bitterest ingredient in his cup, was to observe professors, satisfied with the form, while ignorant of the power of godliness. Over the deplorable state of these persons, has the writer of this seen him shed many tears. On their account has he heard him preach many an awful sermon, while they sat with all the ease and confidence imaginable,— the effect of their awful delusion! The servant of the Lord marvelled at their unbelief; and was grieved, because of the hardness of their hearts: yet he seldom lost his labour; for these sermons were blessed to the awakening of others, while those whom he had in his eye, sat them out like pillars of marble, or statues of brass.

When the Missionary Exertions began in England, his very soul entered into the views of those who were active in it; and he scarcely preached or prayed without evidencing how much his heart was in that work. At the same time he found the use of an evangelical application of Jethro's counsel to Moses; and as he had a goodly number of well instructed and judicious Christians in his church, he called for their help in the Lord's service. A number of Sabbath-schools were opened; at which hundreds were instructed in Huntly and the adjacent country, in the truths of the gospel. These institutions were much countenanced of God; and considerable numbers were by their means added to the church. In one of these schools such a society was collected, as found themselves able to support a gospel ministry; and have now Mr. D. Morrison, late of Hoxton Academy, for their pastor. As an additional inducement to others to begin, or encourage such means of usefuiness, I shall transcribe a paragraph or two from his Diary about this time, to shew the effect they had upon his mind:In attending the Sabbath evening-schools in the chapel, I found things which I did not find before. The scholars gave many proofs from Scripture of the evil of the sin of pride. I felt a power attending the repetition of so many Scriptures, to which I had been too much a stranger hitherto. I saw, by a kind of spiritual intuition, that man is an accountable creature; and that there was a fault, w.ong, or evil, in sin. This did not arise from any process of reasoning, but appeared self-evident; and that our minds were so made, that we could not but think so. I felt this strongly and powerfully; and that it was just with God to put away sin and sinners from him, or to punish it. I also felt a love to, and approbation of, that work of God, whereby he punishes sin; and my heart loved his doing so; I saw it to be a desireable part of God's character."

At another time he writes, "This night in the school, an immense number of texts were repeated, upon man's being in a state of sin, and on salvation by Christ. These were attended with so much power to my soul, that it revived the ex

perience of my early years, when I commonly thought the Bible the plainest and sweetest of all books; and used to say, 'That the waters tasted sweetest at the fountain.' In these instances, I found a power attending the repetition of the Scriptures in the schools, beyond any thing that has hitherto attended sermons, or even meetings, for this long time back. I know it was from God, by its power and light, and its turning my natural notions upside down.' These exertions were also accompanied with a considerable revival in Mr. Cowie's congregation; many of whom enjoyed a short millennium: but neither their activity, success, nor enjoyments, gave security against opposition and persecution; for some of the Antiburgher ministers in his connection, complained of what they deemed irregularity in such proceedings, repeatedly censured his conduct, and at length excluded him from their communion. On which occasion he thus wrote to a friend :-'This is not the first time that I have been excommunicated by men upon earth; and richly do I deserve to be forever excommunicated by Him whom I have offended more than any other; but instead of frowning on me when the world have, he meets me in love, as he did my brother, the blind man of old.'

It was a singular blessing to him at this time that his people clave to him as one man; and, excepting three or four, whose defection was little felt, continued to do so till his death. It pleased the Great Head of the church in May, 1805, to send the harbingers of death to his honoured servant, while his people viewed him as newly entered upon a more enlarged sphere of usefulness. He was seized by a violent fit of apoplexy, which threatened immediate dissolution. He, however, recovered from this alarming stroke so far as to appear again in public; although it was too obvious to others that his continuance on earth was near its close. The above Mr. Morrison, formerly one of his Sabbath school teachers, left the Academy to supply his church; yet, so knit was Mr. Cowie's heart to his people, that, for the ten months he lived after these shocks, scarce a Sabbath passed without addressing them in some form from his beloved pulpit. About this time he was favoured with a remarkably reviving and heart - ravishing view of the manner in which the whole salvation of God is exhibted to and received by us. What he intended to convey, by the manner in which he expressed himself on this occasion, was precisely that of the prophet in Isaiah, lv. 1, ‘That the blessings of redemption were to be obtained without money, and without price.' At one time, for example, he said, That he had learned more under his late illness, the meaning of one simple word, better and to more advantage, than he had done before by all his study. It was that word for NOUGHT; he told his people, that if they only understood in religion how to receive a 1 from Christ for nought, it would be