He had many difficulties at first to struggle with; and many circumstances 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 God to the salvation of many perishing souls.
After Mr. Guthrie came to Fenwick, many of the people were so rude and barbarous, that they never attended upon divine worship; 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 worship 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 worship, 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 God.
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 fishing, 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 compassion to the souls of men, and as it was the principal thing that made him desire life and health, that he might employ them in propagating the kingdom of God, 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 nobler 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 noblest use, the praising of his Maker and Saviour, in which part of divine worship 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 shire 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 friendship, and with a constant mutual satisfaction founded on the noblest 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 shire 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-shire, 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 assembly 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 chastisement; she then saw how easily God 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 God, 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 noble 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 godly 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 God, 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.