Born in the town of Huntley in the region of Aberdeenshire in 1824, Matheson was one of five children raised by humble parents. While Duncan’s parents were faithful church attendees, there was precious little gospel being preached in the official Church of Scotland. Armstrong describes the situation as “worship without clarity, prayer without passion – these describe the times of Matheson’s childhood church experience.” However, there were preachers who stood against the apathy and cold formality of the Church of their day and became known as Dissenters. One of the more famous of these godly preachers was Duncan’s great uncle, George Cowie who came to minister in Duncan’s village. Cowie’s passionate ministry and earnest gospel preaching drew crowds from near and far away. Many who heard him went away convinced of the gospel and having turned to Christ. Years later, after his conversion, Duncan would frequently pray for a “double portion” of his great uncle’s ministry.

Like so many of the evangelists we have previously met, Duncan came to Christ after a period of intense conviction and struggle. He was consumed with the thoughts of the sad state of his unconverted soul. He struggled mightily with the reality of hell and damnation that faced him on the one hand and his constant and ever present propensity for sin on the other. He experienced the tragic loss of a younger sister followed by a period of personal illness where his spiritual struggle intensified. For a year he regularly heard Robert Murray McCheyne in the parish of Dundee. McCheyne’s preaching brought him even further under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Later that year, his mother died after a lengthy bout of consumption. Her dying words urged him to come to the savior, but still he resisted. One year later, he heard a message by Andrew Bonar on Psalm 11 that prompted him to re-consider the state of his soul. Shortly after he sought out a private meeting with an elderly pastor who spoke clearly and frankly to the state of his soul and his need for Christ.

“Young man, were I to say I am pleased with you, you would go down that stair in a happy frame, but you are yet far from the kingdom of God. You have never yet dealt with the justice of God. His justice in condemning you for breaking his law has never entered your thoughts. I see you are angry with God for not giving you salvation as the reward of works. But it must be grace from first to last.”

Finally, God removed his blindness and on October 26th, 1846, Duncan came to Christ and was born again.

Immediately he engaged in a lifelong ministry of making the gospel message known to others through lay preaching and through the distribution of gospel literature. Interestingly, Duncan tells that his early days after conversion were days of spiritual struggle over certain doctrines that troubled him for years. Yet in the midst of this struggle, he knew enough to realize God had given him eternal life and wanted him to take that message to others.

Although Duncan preached for over two decades, his real ministry was the printing and distribution of biblical literature challenging men to consider their eternal state. His first tract consisted of extracts from Edwards, Thomas Boston, and Flavel interwoven with his thoughts. Over 10,000 copies of this first effort were handed out. During the Crimean War, Duncan had a powerful witness through his tract ministry. On one occasion he handed out some 25,000 tracts in less than a week. Over the course of the war he would personally distribute 52,000 tracts, 622 bibles, 1,477 New Testaments in English. He gave away thousands more in French. After the war, he went to Sardinia where he distributed 2,347 Italian Bibles, 1,230 New Testaments and over 3,400 other books and tracts. Eventually he started and edited a gospel newsletter entitled, The Herald of Mercy, which would reach a monthly circulation of 32,000. During this time, he also preached regularly. In August of 1859 God began to bless his preaching with unusual power and a spiritual awakening began in the town of Aberdeen that would follow him to other towns and villages throughout Scotland for the next two years.

Duncan passion for the gospel and his concern for lost men continued to be the drive behind his ministry right up until his final week of life. He once said, “I do not know if ten minutes of my life ever pass without thinking of the salvation of souls.” Eventually 20 grueling years of ministry took their toll and after a brief time of illness (during which he continued to preach and write) he passed into the presence of his savior on September 16th, 1869. His life reminds us that the Lord of the Harvest will send forth laborers into His harvest. May the Lord raise up again in our day, men like Duncan Matheson who will abandon their lives for the glory of God and the advancement of His name among the nations.