Comrie as Pastor and Teacher

Several questions have been asked regarding statements made by Comrie in his second letter to Jean Louis Verster, a young fellow-minister. The old fathers at times made strong statements, as was evident in this letter, where Comrie said, “It is Satan ‘s own work to keep us away from the Savior who is offered to us. This he does either by magnifying our sins so much that it seems that they are committed against the Holy Spirit and thus are unpardonable, or, if this is not possible, by coming as an angel of light to torment our soul by urging the necessity of repentance and contrition. And since our legalistic heart and Unbelief have a delight in this and agree with it, we are starved and kept back from the gospel.”

Self-deceit

This is what Comrie literally said in this letter, without further explanation of what he meant by it. He certainly did not mean that repentance and faith are not necessary, for that would be contrary to what the Lord Jesus Himself said in Mark 1:15b, “Repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

The statements of our forefathers can be misinterpreted and misused so easily. How many people there are who say, “I have accepted Jesus, I believe in Him, and I trust in His work.” They need a Jesus for themselves, because they feel so sad, so miserable, so lonely, and perhaps guilty, and they want to feel better. That is why they need a savior. However, they do not need a Jesus to deliver from sin—it never became their greatest burden—and to bring them back unto God. He never became their supreme good, they never cried because they had grieved Him so much by their sin and because they missed Him. There was never room made in their heart for Christ.

Thus the most precious truths of the rich gospel message can be misused. This, however, does not mean that the gospel should not be proclaimed in all its fullness and freeness to the chief of sinners.

As we have stated before, we have to consider that Comrie had to fight a long battle with antinomianism and neonomianism. If we do not realize this, some of his remarks, also the one quoted above, may be misinterpreted. As Comrie himself gave no further explanation of it in his letter, it might be helpful to explain this a little more.

Satan's devices

The neonomians are literally those who teach a new law. They teach all kinds of requirements and conditions which must be fulfilled before sinners are allowed to flee to Christ, and thus they change the gospel into a new law. This teaching gave Comrie much concern. As a true and faithful minister of the gospel, he was afraid that God's Word would be obscured by human teachings which agree so much with our legalistic hearts. It is so humiliating for our flesh that we cannot and may not bring anything in our hands when we come to Christ.

Even God's people, as well as Comrie himself, who knew this tendency of his own heart, are so inclined to try to find something in themselves which they can bring as an offering to the Lord. They hope that their broken heart, their deep sorrow, their repentance, their contrition, the frames of their heart, might incline the heart of God to be merciful to them.

What a lesson it is to buy without Money and without price at the market of free grace. Yet that is where it has to come in a sinner's life. Joseph's brothers paid money for corn, but all they paid they received back in their sacks. That is a painful, but very necessary, lesson.

The devil also knows that there are those who cannot find anything in themselves but sin and guilt, enmity and corruption. Those he will attack as an angel of light. He will say that they may not come to Christ until they have a deeper sorrow, more heartfelt repentance and contrition. Thus he will try to keep those heavy laden ones away from the great Physician, from the only remedy for them.

Without money and without price

Comrie, as a true pastor, knew not only the devices of Satan but also the struggles of truly discovered sinners. He knew that only a gospel of buying “without money and without price” would be good tidings for those who no longer have anything. Only such a message can give comfort to a poor and needy people. However, Comrie also knew the danger that people would deceive themselves with high contemplations, with a rational understanding and believing of the truth, without the true heart-knowledge of these things. That he did not want to deny that the Spirit leads sinners to Christ in the way of repentance and sorrow, through the discovering work of the Spirit, is evident in his other writings. In his catechism explanation of the Lord's Days 1 to 7, he mentions the different steps by which so often the Lord leads sinners to Christ.

It is necessary to die unto the law by the law. Those who miss that may become people who are pious in their own eyes, and they may stand miles above God's truly missing people, but they are still enemies of Christ and do not understand the gospel.

Comrie also knew that our heart is so inclined to fall back into our “first religion,” that of the covenant of works. He knew that we will always try to bring some money to the market of grace; but our hands have to be emptied. For such souls, however, only a true gospel, not mixed with the law, or obscured by all kinds of conditions which must first be fulfilled, will give hope. This is a gospel not for those who are qualified, but for sinners. These are good tidings for those who learn to understand that in themselves there is nothing which can make them acceptable in the sight of God, and who only hope in His mercy.

The old fathers

As we have seen, Comrie does not build up the hypocrite but warns against self-deceit. However, he also saw the danger that the gospel truth would not be rightly understood, and as a true pastor and teacher he instructed his young fellow-minister in the riches of God's Word.

How necessary it is that we search the writings of Comrie and of other Reformed forefathers, such godly men as Hellenbroek, Boston, Owen, á Brakel, and others, to learn what they have taught.

They clearly taught how the Spirit makes room for Christ and glorifies Him by leading sinners into the depth of their fall, so that they may become bankrupt before God. Many in our days boast that they are saved, but have never been lost. May God keep us from such self-deceit.

However, the same forefathers were not afraid to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ and the free invitations of the gospel. Sinners are welcome to Christ, and are called to come to the great Physician. Outside of Him there is no salvation. But only those will come to Him who have lost all their money and are brought to the end of their own efforts. He has said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He has also said, “All that the Father giveth Me, shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.”

Whosoever may come to Him will find life and favor of the Lord. That is the gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ, and may that by grace be true meat for us and for our children.

This is a gospel not for those who are qualified, but for sinners.

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