DR. ALEXANDER COMRIE (1706-1774)

Born at the twilight of the Second Reformation in Holland, Alexander Comrie felt led to spend his life in defense of its truths and in the propagation of its basic tenets which he believed were thoroughly Reformed. Like Voetius before him, Comrie played a synthesizing role as theologian, for he attempted to crystallize a merger between three streams of thought: the Reformation, Scholasticism, and Pietism. In this he was not without success, for despite his inability to revive the Second Reformation per se, he did leave behind a legacy of writings still widely read and reprinted in Holland, South Africa, and North America until this very day.

In regard to the Second Reformation specifically, Comrie devoted his efforts to three major tasks: (1) the progress of experiential truth among church members via sermons that were Bible-centered in content, God-centered in outlook, and Christ-centered in essence; (2) the further clarification of the basic doctrine of faith and its relationship to justification and assurance among Reformed theologians in particular; and (3) the demolition of the stark forms of heresy inherent in Romanism, Arminianism, Neonomianism, and Rationalism.

Alexander Comrie's background eminently qualified him for the tasks he felt called to shoulder. Born in the Scottish village of Perth in 1706, Comrie grew up under the godly training of parents who intended him to follow his great-grandfather, Andrew Gray, and George Hutcheson, his mother's step-father, into the ministry. As a young boy, he was catechetically instructed by Ebenezer and Ralph Erskine, the latter of whom he calls "my faithful old friend, whom God used as the guide of my youth." It is probable, though not certain, that Comrie was converted as a boy under the Erskines's ministries.

Comrie received an excellent education in his youthful days, but had to temporarily relinquish his studies at twenty years of age due to economic hardship. Comrie traveled to the Low Countries, and found employment under the God-fearing Mr. Adriaan VanderWilligen, an "esteemed merchant" of Rotterdam. Two years later, in September 1729, Comrie matriculated at Groningen University as a student of divinity in order to sit under two champions of Reformed theology, Antonious VanDriessen and Cornelius VanVelsen. In 1733 he transferred from Groningen to Leiden in order to study philosophy under 's-Gravensande, who had the greatest single influence upon him of any of his teachers. After a year at Leiden he achieved his Doctorate in Philosophy on October 5, 1734 with a dissertation entitled De Moralitatis Fundamento et Natura Virtutia (a critical study of Rene Descartes).

Shortly thereafter, Comrie applied to the Classis of Leiden and Neder-Rhynland to be examined with a view to entering the ministry. This examination took place on November 2, 1734 where he was assigned the "proof sermon" text of 2 Timothy 2:20-21, was examined in biblical languages and theological subjects, and was called upon to explain his internal calling to the ministry. After a highly successful examination, Comrie accepted a call from the Dutch church of Woubrugge, where he was installed by his lifelong peer and occasional co-author, Nicolaas Holtius, from John 3:14-15. Comrie's inaugural on Zechariah 6:15 exemplified his thirty-eight years as Woubrugge's pastor.

Through his ministry the church at Woubrugge became the center of a spiritual movement that spread throughout a large portion of Holland. Moreover, Comrie was instrumental in strengthening the faith of many God-fearing people, so that when he went emeritus on April 4, 1773 due to illness, the whole of the United Provinces were aware that one of God's choicest gifts to His church in the Netherlands was gradually being removed. Comrie was noted throughout these years to be an effective pulpiteer, both in the proclamation of the Word and in public prayer. Moreover, he appears to have had the ability to maintain on even keel gifts for both preaching and pasturing throughout his long ministry. It was said of him that he visited his entire parish of approximately 125 families two times per year, and that his visitation was noted for its usefulness in strengthening the church. Far from being mechanical, his visits were generally one hour in length, and both practical and personal. The last twenty months of his life, Comrie spent in Gouda as pastoral supply, and both died and was buried there in December 1774.

Throughout his many Woubrugge years, Comrie wrote extensively on the doctrine of saving faith and its relationship to justification. It was for his contributions to the doctrine of saving faith that Comrie has become most well-known. His major Dutch works include: Stellige en Praktikale Verklaringe van den Heidel-bergschen Catechismus (Amsterdam: N. Byl, 1753; reprint ed., Barneveld: G.J. van Horssen, 1976); Verzameling van Leerredenen (Leiden: Johannes Hasebroek, 1749); Verhandeling van eenige Eigenschappen des Zaligmakenden Geloofs (Leiden: Johannes Hasebroek, 1744) — his magnum opus, unfortunately translated only piecemeal into English; Brief over de Rechtvaardigmakinge des Zondaars door de onmiddelyke Toerrekening der Borggerechtigheit van Christus (Amsterdam: N. Byl, 1761); ARC des Geloofs (Sneek: F. Holtkamp, 1860), and Examen van het Ontwerp van Tolerantie (Amsterdam: N. Byl, 1753-59).

The only complete work of Comrie translated into English is The ABC of Faith (trans. and introduced by J. Marcus Banfield [Ossett, W. Yorks: Zoar Pubs., 19781), which includes fifteen biographical pages. Additional information on Comrie's life can be found in William Steven, History of the Scottish Church, Rotterdam (Edinburgh: Wangh & Innes, 1883), pp. 197-98n; "Comrie, Alexander," Dictionary of National Biography IV, p. 910; A. Kuyper, "Alexander Comrie: His Life and Work in Holland," Catholic Presbyterian 7 (1882):20-29, 192-201, 278-84; Geoffrey Thomas, "Alexander Comrie: Contender for the Faith," Banner of Truth 65-66 (Feb/Mar 1969):4-8, 29-35; A. Vergunst, "Dr. Alexander Comrie," De Saambinder 51 (1973); #25, p. 2; #27, p. 2; #29, p. 1; #31, p. 3; #32, p. 2, and "Comrie on Faith," Insight Into, June 1983, pp. 3-7. The two best biographical sources for Comrie are the two dissertations published on him: Anthonia Gerrit Honig, Alexander Comrie (Utrecht: H. Honig, 1892), pp. 1-182, and J.H.R. Verboom, Dr. Alexander Comrie, predikant van Woubrugge (Utrecht: De Banier, 1964), which includes a history of his congregation as well.

Finally, it needs to be said that Rev. G.H. Kersten, the leading founder of the Netherlands Reformed denomination, was influenced more by Comrie than any other theologian. The need for the translation of additional works of Comrie is very great (cf. the announcement in this issue requesting donations for this task).

May the Lord grant us to remain stedfast with the solid Reformed truth Comrie was enabled to teach and to live, so that the precious doctrine of saving faith may be a vibrant reality among us.

Note: Most of the above is extracted from my doctoral dissertation, "Personal Assurance of Faith," in which chapter 7 is devoted to expounding Comrie's teachings on saving faith and assurance.

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