William Macdonald was born at Tigharry, North Uist, on the 8th day of October, 1868. As a young man he went to Perth to learn the blacksmith trade. Having finished his course there, he efficiently carried out his work to the satisfaction of all his customers. When he married, he made his home in Tigharry, where he remained for the rest of his life. He had a large family of seven daughters and three sons. Between his trade, and the attention which his small farm required, he worked hard, diligently and cheerfully for his livelihood.
Until his early manhood, he lived without God, and without hope in the world. In his later years, he would say, “During those days of my ignorance I had no sin,” meaning that he had no true sense of sin and guilt before God. When his family were still little children, he was convinced by the Holy Spirit of his miserable and lost state in view of eternity. Under conviction of sin, he was brought very low mentally and physically. Although he was of an inherently strong constitution, he felt at times very weak and void of interest in anything belonging to this world—his distress of soul was so poignant. His prayer and heart’s desire, above everything else, now was that his soul would be delivered from the “Wrath to come.” He continued in this state of soul concern and spiritual anguish for a very long period during which he was terribly assaulted by the devil. His beloved wife was greatly concerned for him in his distress as she was well aware of at least some of the horrible suggestions made to him by the Wicked One. During this time, he often roamed all alone for hours on moors and meadows, seeking forgiveness of sins, and rest for his weary soul, only to return home late in the evening, tired and forlorn, afraid that his soul would be lost for all Eternity. William realised, through bitter and solemn experience, that “the wages of sin is death.”
In this state of mind, he left home on a Sabbath morning to go to the Public Worship of God. On arriving at the place of worship, he went over to the back of the church, and there, when his reason seemed to be giving way, he experienced the Word of God coming with power, light, comfort and joy in the Holy Ghost to his tired, distressed soul. The portion through which he got liberty was, “But we are not of them who draw back into perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Heb. 10:39. After the service, like the Ethiopian eunuch, “he went on his way rejoicing.”
For a considerable time he enjoyed much of communion with God, when by faith he beheld “the Glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ.” He now applied himself with quickened interest to his work at the anvil and in the fields. One day, however, while he was working at peats, and greatly cast down by the temptation that it was not the saving work of Grace that had begun in him, the truth in Isaiah 61:1: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound,” came with much light and unction to his understanding so that, as he himself related, his body was strengthened as well as his soul. After a long day’s hard work he came home without feeling in the least tired—the Peace of God that passeth all understanding filled his heart and mind.
He had his share of sore trials in his wilderness journey. At one time, he was accused by a son of Belial of stealing a sheep of his. William felt this wicked accusation keenly. Naturally of a quick-tempered disposition, he was about to leave his own home with every intention of chastising this malicious enemy when the Word of God checked him. The portion which restrained him was: “For ill men’s rod upon the lot of just men shall not lie; lest righteous men stretch forth their hands unto iniquity.” Ps. 125:3. In due course, it became very evident that the hand of God in judgment had fallen upon his wicked accuser.
He witnessed publicly on the Lord’s side in the Free Presbyterian Congregation of North Uist where he was afterwards elected and ordained as an elder. He was a great admirer of the late worthy Rev Donald Macfarlane and Rev Donald Macdonald. Those godly ministers were both natives of North Uist. William was a faithful witness for the Word of God and for the testimony which those able ministers of the New Testament raised on the side of the Truth in Scotland in 1893. He feared no man when he stood for the Word of God and the Cause of Christ. The North Uist Congregation had no doubt about that when they experienced a very sore trial with regard to the testimony of the Church. William was a real Christian gentleman. It certainly could be said of him that he was “a lover of good men.” When there was no minister in the Free Presbyterian Congregation of North Uist, he frequently presided at the Public Worship. At such times, his experimental discourses were very acceptable to the godly in the congregation. He often lectured from the Epistle to the Ephesians. Having been convinced by the Holy Spirit that he was at one time far off and having savingly experienced what it was to be “made nigh by the Blood of Christ,” he valued the inspired epistle. He had an able and alert mind which enabled him, under the teaching of the Spirit, to speak experimentally and properly in giving marks of Grace at the “Question Meeting.” At such meetings those blessed with spiritual discernment highly appreciated his able exercises. One of our senior ministers has remarked that he was of the opinion that William Macdonald was the ablest theologian among “the men” whom he met in the Western Isles.
One evening after a service at a communion season, while he was getting near home, his mind was so much exercised in meditation on the Person of Christ, especially with regard to His Incarnation, that he turned back and walked a long distance to the manse to get the view of a senior minister on the point with which his mind was exercised. With the answer that the minister gave him, he left the manse satisfied and happy, thinking nothing of walking another four miles to his home in Tigharry. From his deep sense of sin he often in his prayer quoted from the seventh chapter of Romans.
During the last three years of his life, he was not able to attend the Public Means of Grace. Concern for the congregation, which during those years had no settled pastor, lay heavily on his mind, but he was taken away from this world before the vacancy was filled. Before he was taken away, however, he had the joy of seeing one of his sons publicly professing the Lord and afterwards ordained an officer-bearer in the congregation. Through the infirmities of old age, he eventually took to his bed. On his death bed, he had a good measure of assurance of his interest in Christ. About three weeks before the end came, he expressed in our hearing (and that was our last meeting with him in this world), that his hope for Eternity was in Christ and in Him alone. At the age of 90 years he passed away to his everlasting rest on the 4th day of March, 1959, in the early morning.
To his widow, sons and daughters who loved and respected him highly, we extend our sympathies. What need we have of men like William Macdonald to be raised up by the Lord in our congregations! “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into His harvest.”—A. MACKAY.