MR. DANIEL MACKAY, Saval, Lairg, passed away to his rest on the 12th day of January of this year. He was in failing health for the last two years of his life, though able generally to be about until four weeks or so immediately before the end. He was physically a sound man, and had never been very seriously ill until February, 1918, when he contracted a severe illness from which he never fully recovered. Anyone meeting him from time to time after that could see that a change had been taken place, and that, to all human experience, there was prospect of a greater. He was not far from the fourscore years, being over seventy-six at the time of his decease.
Mr. Mackay was born on the 27th day of September, 1843, and had the unusual experience of being baptised on his birthday. The reason for this was that the parish minister was leaving the district on the following day. He was brought up at his birthplace, attended the Free Church School of Lairg, and never left, in any final way, the old home during his life.
Though instructive and pleasant to be in company with, he did not seem to be in the habit of saying much as to private experiences or particular instances of God’s goodness to him in the land of the living. Two main things we recall which may be noted. First, he remarked on one occasion that he thought that the Lord manifested Himself to him in another way than He does unto the world, when he was about thirty-one years of age, and we later on learned that the passage of truth which was the means of saving peace to his soul, was “God is love.” Secondly, he remarked on an occasion that he used to feel that he did not give God the Father that place and that honour which was His due—by word of mouth even. He felt as if he overlooked the First Person as he usually made mention of the Son, the Redeemer, in his prayers and services. Such a feeling or complaint—if it may be so called—is not unknown to the children of the Covenant. He got great relief, however, at a Communion at Creich. The Rev. George Kennedy, Dornoch, related, when serving a Table, how a godly woman, Isobel Ross to name, came to the Rev. Thomas Mackay, Lairg, with a complaint of this nature. The reply she got was, “Your complaint is a very healthy one” (‘S fallain do ghearan). This was a great comfort to Mr. Mackay.
A man of intelligent mind, he took a deep and keen interest in Church affairs for many years, and he became highly dissatisfied with matters in the Free Church prior to our movement of 1893. He ceased attending the Free Church public services for some considerable time before formal separation took place. He concluded that it was his duty to leave that Church owing to the power which he felt the words having on him—”My house is the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Fearing he had been self-deceived, he went back to the services, but the words, “How long halt ye between two opinions?” came so convincingly before him that he ceased to attend any further. For a time previous to regular services being begun, he and some others attended a prayer meeting at the late Mr. Angus Gray’s house on Sabbath evenings.
Mr. Mackay was exemplary in attendance on the means of grace, until disabled. He was a faithful office-bearer for the last five years of his life, and his presence will be much missed in the courts of God’s house on earth. He was a man much given to hospitality. He desired very much to see, before his end, one of his sons who was in Egypt, and who was repeatedly expected home. In God’s providence, they were not to meet in this world. We humbly believe that Daniel Mackay had the word and presence of God as his staff and stay on his death-bed, when the end of the journey came. Those who have the Lord as their portion have an overflowing cup, and shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. “There remaineth a rest to the people of God.”
His mortal remains were laid to rest in the Laig cemetery, in his native parish. With his sorrowing widow and members of his family, at home and from home, we very sincerely sympathise.
D. A. MACF.