Between July, 1962, and March, 1963, three of the ministers of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland were removed from the church militant to the church triumphant. One was the subject of this obituary notice. The others were the Rev. D. J. Matheson and the Rev. D. R. Macdonald. An appropriate obituary notice of the Rev. D. J. Matheson has appeared in the Free Presbyterian Magazine from the pen of the Rev. Angus F. Mackay and we, in accordance with the wishes of our brethren, have undertaken to collect and publish a few facts about the life and ministry of the Rev. James Macleod. In doing so, we would record our sense of gratitude to the most High for the privilege of an intimate friendship, over a period of years, with those servants of the Lord, now at their everlasting rest.
James Macleod was born on the Island of Raasay on 18th December, 1883. His parents were natives of the Island and his father died when James was only four years old. His grandfather, a pious man, who would have helped the widow in her need, died two years later. Nevertheless, God, according to His own promise, made adequate provision for them. The family was blessed with good health except James, who from infancy suffered from asthma. This condition, however, was cured by an attack of measles, which, in his case, almost proved fatal. Consequently what seemed to be the messenger of death proved to be a blessing. He recovered from the infection, the asthma disappeared and he grew up to be a healthy young man. When he did start school at eight years of age he showed an aptitude for learning and in a short time was able to read and write. Like most of his generation, especially in the Highlands, he left school at the age of fifteen with the elementary education which the village school, in those days, could give. At the age of seventeen he left home for Glasgow in search of work. The journey, by steamer, took three days, and it was on a Saturday he reached his destination. On the following day he attended church and was so horrified at the Sabbath desecration he saw that he feared God would destroy the city of Glasgow that very day. Sad to say this reverence for the Sabbath soon wore off and in a very short time he found himself on the Lord’s Day enjoying sinful pleasures. He attended church when he had occasion to meet friends, and began to regard church going and religion as a farce. He himself confessed that he considered the Bible a book of Jewish fables and found himself entertaining positive animosity to it. His resolve was to shed his religious upbringing and become a practical atheist. At that time controversy was ripe between the different bodies of opinion in the Church in Scotland. The German school of Higher Criticism had its teachers in the churches and he found himself inclined to discredit the truth of the Bible. The glorious doctrines of the Word of God were not precious to him then. Therefore, the efforts of those who sought to defend them against the onslaughts of the enemy he did not appreciate. He was so alienated in his mind from the true religion that he made mock of every kind of religion. Ministers, irrespective of their denominational connections were the chief targets of his scorn. At that time the gospel was hid from James Macleod and consequently he identified himself with its enemies and, according to what we have from his own pen, his was not an isolated case. Many of his acquaintances were likeminded, and sad to say not all were recovered from the power of darkness. During the period 1860-92 rapid declension characterised the spiritual life and witness of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland. It was a time when heresy was ripe and particularly in the Free Church. This heresy was conspicuous by the determination of its authors to discredit the authenticity of the Bible, and this trend in theological thinking continued until it produced the infamous Declaratory Act in 1892 with its baneful influence on the spiritual life of Scotland. The urge to bring the true religion into disrepute drove James Macleod and many more of his generation from the fold of the church into the ungodly world, where they pursued hard after the pleasures of sin. We do not wonder, though he, in the most vehement language denounced the behaviour of those who would have deprived him of his only hope, the Word of God.
Notwithstanding his hostile outlook on religion, his moral character was good. He was not addicted to strong drink, and dutifully supported his widowed mother. A narrow escape from death in an accident at his work in Glasgow seemed to have had a sobering effect on his mind. Some time after, he changed his employer as the prospects of promotion were better, but when the desired promotion was offered he declined it because Sabbath work was involved. James Macleod was now beginning to realise that he was accountable to God for his actions. The following, in his own words, is an account of the beginning of the work of the Holy Spirit in his soul: “On a Saturday evening I went with another young person to a dance. The hall was at the lower end of Sauchiehall Street. As I went in I saw several of my acquaintances in the hall. I decided I would not dance, and to avoid offending my friends I walked out. As I was standing on the pavement with my young friend . . . I heard as if it were a voice from the firmament above me saying ‘Adam where art thou?’ ” Stunned with fear, he walked away without telling his friend where he was going, and he must have wandered about the streets for hours as it was early in the evening when he left Sauchiehall Street and he should in twenty minutes time have reached his lodgings, but instead it was 1 a.m. the following day when he arrived. The words, “Adam where art thou,” wounded his conscience, and a sense of his own lostness drove him to the brink of despair. During the days that followed, Satan tempted him to indulge his carnal passions and thus save himself from his mental agony. He, however, resisted the temptation for he now realised that he was in the presence of an holy and just God from Whom he could not hide himself. At the time he compared himself to a man under the sentence of death waiting for the day of his execution. The terrors of the Divine Law which he had transgressed pursued him day and night and nothing that he could do would appease his conscience or please God. He prayed, he read his Bible and attended church in order that he might lighten the burden of his guilt on his soul, but all in vain, for in spite of his tears and groans his misery continued month after month until the strain imposed in body and mind became evident. He stopped attending the Free Church of which he was an adherent, but continued to read his Bible, though he found little comfort in it. The first ray of light to penetrate his darkness he found in the words “All refuge failed me, no man cared for my soul” (Ps. 142: 4). He found his own case there, though the passage did not bring deliverance from his terrible bondage. It, however, encouraged him to continue reading his Bible and in doing so he discovered that his own case was not an isolated one. He saw that when the commandment came to Saul of Tarsus sin revived and he died. Yea, he realised that all men were sinners. That knowledge of the Bible, though it had a stabilising effect on his spirit, did not bring the peace of God into his soul. He had to wait the Lord’s time for this, and it was on a Sabbath evening that that time came. As he was sitting in his room, mourning over his sins, the thought passed through his mind that he should read his Bible once more. When he opened it his eyes alighted on the ninth chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews. He came to the eleventh verse, paused, and then continued to the fourteenth verse. At this point light entered and the peace of God pervaded his spirit. James Macleod was born again. By the blood of Christ his conscience was purged from dead works to serve the living God. His own description of that experience was, “There I lay, there I drank peace with God through the blood of Christ.” With childlike faith he fed on the sincere milk of the word and Satan dared not tempt him. The doctrines of salvation became most precious to him as he placed himself at the feet of Jesus. He would sit night and day with eyes wet with tears beholding as in a glass the glory of Christ, crucified for him, and the language of his soul was, Christ, “who loved me and gave himself for me.”
The peace he had with God continued for some considerable time before doubts and fears appeared. His ignorance of the letter of the Bible gave Satan the advantage over him. The adversary often made him question the existence of some passages of scripture, which formerly afforded him comfort. Once more, darkness, evil thoughts and grave doubts about the salvation of his soul took possession of his mind. He was troubled and in perplexity, while unbelief goaded him with the question, “Where is thy God now gone?” The enemy’s temptations, however, could not restrain him from frequenting the throne of grace and searching his Bible. He had the conviction that these alone could give the help he direly needed. Satan’s onslaughts made him search the scriptures in order that he might find there the truths that were made precious to him, and in his search he found Satan a liar.
His association with his former companions in sin became a source of great concern to him and he was afraid of meeting them lest he should be tempted to sin with them. This fear, however, was removed, as his former friends no longer regarded him a suitable companion for them. He was also at that time sorely oppressed with the temptation that the gospel, which was made precious to him was no longer preached in the world, because he could not find it in his own church. When labouring under this temptation, a friend suggested he should go with him to hear the Rev. Neil Cameron, St. Jude’s, Glasgow. We gather, from Mr Macleod’s own reference to this suggestion, that at the time he did not like Mr Cameron or his preaching. Nevertheless, after some persuasion, he agreed to go with his friend. They arrived in good time and Mr Cameron duly appeared, looking stern, serious and grave. The congregation was mainly composed of young people, and Mr Cameron preached law and gospel to his hearers. Mr Macleod himself used to describe that sermon as powerful and having damnation and salvation running through it from start to finish. He thanked God for the preacher and sermon, in which he found his own case clearly stated. His temptation was broken and an affection in the gospel was formed between himself and Mr Cameron, which proved to be the work of the Holy Spirit. From that day Mr Cameron became his minister, and the friendship formed became more and more intimate as those faithful servants of the Lord contended together for the faith of the gospel.
By that time Mr Macleod’s health was badly impaired and gave cause for alarm. He contracted whooping-cough, which seemed to have affected his chest. His doctor ordered him home to Raasay for a complete rest and, after some time there, he completely recovered but he had no desire to return to Glasgow. Instead, he decided to take a share in a fishing boat for his livelihood. This venture, however, proved unsuccessful, and it was becoming more and more evident to him that the Lord had something better for him. At the time the spiritual needs of the people gave him great concern, and though he had as yet no thought of the ministry, he felt a strong desire to proclaim the word of God to his kith and kin. His brothers encouraged him to study for any profession he chose but he could not decide on any definite course. Eventually he decided to emigrate to Canada with his brothers but he soon discovered that this was contrary to the will of God and therefore he could not do it. The matter of preaching the gospel continued to occupy his mind and, having prayed for light on what his duty was, he was led to leave himself at the disposal of Him, Who doeth all things well. He felt that if he were destined to preach Christ to sinners, the Lord would open up the way for him. As he pondered these thoughts in his mind, a letter from the Rev. Alexander MacRae, Portree, reached him, suggesting they should meet on a certain date. Mr MacRae did not disclose in his letter the reason for asking for the interview, but Mr Macleod regarded the request as another step towards the way prepared for him by the Lord. When they met, Mr MacRae told his reason for sending for him. He told Mr Macleod that he wanted him to hold services at the south end of Raasay. After some hesitation he agreed, believing that that was the will of God. It was a decisive moment in his life. The path of duty was made clear to him and, like Paul, necessity was laid upon him to preach the gospel.
After serving as a lay preacher for some time in Raasay, he resolved to study for the ministry in the Free Presbyterian Church. He took his arts course in Glasgow University and studied theology under the tutorship of the late Rev. J. R. MacKay, M.A., Inverness. After completing his theological course, he was licensed to preach the gospel by the Western Presbytery of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland at Portree on the 16th of April, 1919, and he was ordained by the same court at Kyle of Lochalsh on 17th June of the same year. Immediately after his ordination he was sent as the church deputy to Canada. There he laboured among the church people until the following year, when he returned to be inducted on 7th September, 1920, to the pastoral charge of the Glendale congregation. There he remained until January, 1932, when he was translated to the charge of the Greenock congregation. In both congregations he had seals of his ministry, and though he often complained of lack of fruit, he was not left without evidences of the blessing of God on his ministry. Although he was often approached to accept a call to other congregations, he remained to the end in Greenock. During his long pastorate of the Greenock congregation the recorded testimony of the Kirk Session was that he endeavoured by Divine grace to faithfully warn sinners of their sins and of the certainty of perishing eternally if they did not repent. It is also recorded that the gospel preached by him became the power of God unto salvation to many souls. Mr Macleod’s labours were not by any means confined to his own congregations. He assisted his brethren at communions, where his services were in great demand and highly prized by the Lord’s people. The unconverted listened with attention and interest to his powerful sermons. Few of the ministers of the church were better known not only to the church people but to those of other denominations also. He travelled widely at home and on various occasions visited the congregations of the church in Canada and the U.S.A. During those visits he met many types who enlarged his vision of the spiritual needs of mankind. His interests were world-wide because he fervently desired the coming of God’s kingdom in the earth. Anything suggestive of opposition to this kingdom Mr Macleod could not tolerate. He was as convinced as John Calvin (Calvin, Knox and Boston were his favourite authors) that the Papal system was the devil’s masterpiece whereby he ruined souls. Consequently with pen and word he exposed its machinations. This necessitated a close study of Roman Catholicism, and Mr Macleod could be regarded as an authority on the subject. Other forms of Satan’s kingdom came under his scrutiny and exposure. He was on several occasions Moderator of Synod, he was for a time Convener of the Foreign Mission Committee, and he served on many of the Synod Committees.
During his long ministry he saw many changes in his own country and throughout the world. He lived through two world wars and saw their momentous effects on the lives and behaviour of men everywhere. He welcomed the improvement in the social and material conditions of his own people and others, but over against that he saw a moral and spiritual pattern developing, which caused him deep concern. He lived to see a materialistic spirit abroad, which set at naught spiritual values, and he was not silent in warning the nation of the danger. This contrasted unfavourably with the moral and spiritual conditions in his early life. While there was much ungodliness then, the witness for the claims of the Divine law was clear and uncompromising. Mr Macleod saw the tail end of a season when vital godliness characterised the life of the Highlands, and he mourned to see the spiritual desolation which had already covered the south of Scotland and was moving northward. He did what he could to warn his fellow countrymen of the danger, but apathy too often was the response to his clarion call.
Readers of the magazine will be familiar with Mr Macleod’s discourses which have appeared in these pages. As an example of his preaching we may quote from a sermon he preached in St. Jude’s, Glasgow, on 18th May, 1937:
“Let us now briefly consider the ministry of the everlasting gospel. We can never understand the gospel nor be able to preach it unless we are born again. Every preacher of the everlasting gospel, before he can preach in accordance with the mind of God as set forth in His own Word, must be born again. It is no proof at all that you are born again to be a mere minister, an elder, or church member. That is not the new-birth; church membership is not a qualification for heaven. It is essential to be in Christ by faith otherwise you can not be a servant of Jesus Christ in the gospel ministry. There are thousands of men out today who prove by their conduct, and public statements, that they are not in Christ because they do not believe the Word of God. If they do not believe the inspired Word how can they accept the Word incarnate. They are hirelings, not servants of Jesus Christ.”
However, as Dr. Chalmers has said, “Many of the constituents of spoken eloquence cannot be embodied in a volume or offered to the public eye through the medium of authorship. There are the tones of earnestness, which may be heard; the manner of sincerity, which may be witnessed; the eye of intelligent sensibility, which may be seen; the vehemence of an impassioned delivery, which may be made to stimulate and to warn the spectator; that significance of gesture and action, which carries in it a real conveyance, both of meaning into the understanding and of affection into the heart of those who are listening. Every one of these may tell most eloquently and powerfully upon an audience and yet none of these can be introduced by any artifice of human skill within the limits of a written composition.”
The spoken eloquence of the Rev. James Macleod with its tone of earnestness and impassioned delivery cannot be embodied in an obituary notice. One had to hear him to be able to appreciate his stature as a public speaker. He had the innate art of holding the attention of his audience, even when they were secretly roused to no ordinary indignation against his doctrine. Those of us who heard him must confess that he was a born orator. This native talent became most evident when he spoke in Gaelic—his native tongue. Of a very striking appearance and endowed with a strong personality, a powerful intellect, a wide interest in people, a love for justice, a capacity for acquiring knowledge as well as a determination to impress his hearers with the importance of his subject, he was well fitted to take his place among public speakers. These gifts, however, in the natural man were only the water in the pots of stone. It was when this water was turned into wine that the Rev. James Macleod became a true herald of the cross—a Jeremiah in his own generation. He was one who never minced his words when denouncing sin, nor spared his tears over a back sliding people. He loved his nation and did his best to persuade it to return to the “old paths.” At the throne of grace he embraced within the compass of his petitions all nations, and it is our conviction that these will one day be answered. He was often misunderstood and was regarded by his adversaries as a sectarian whose interest in others was purely selfish. The truth is that he earnestly desired the salvation of souls whether these were Jews or Gentiles. His contacts outside his own denomination were frequent and wide and, with few exceptions, profitable.
His general health continued good almost to the end, which came rather unexpectedly. He arrived at Edinburgh on Wednesday, 14th November, 1962, to assist at the communion. He seemed to be in his usual health and was very happy in his mind. That evening he preached with his customary zest and very acceptably. On Thursday evening he preached a most impressive sermon on the words “I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. ii: 20). He proclaimed the gospel with liberty and unction. At night he retired feeling well and very happy as he spoke about the love of Christ. Early on Friday morning, however, he took a stroke, which paralysed his right side, and the end seemed near. It was his own desire to depart this life then, and that desire he expressed in those words, “I want to go to be with my dear Saviour for I am tired of sin and of sinning.” Nevertheless, the hour of his departure had not yet come and he lived until 8th January, 1963. During his short illness he endured considerable bodily distress but his end was peaceful. The news of his death was received with great sorrow everywhere. A prince and great man had fallen in Israel; another praying voice was silenced and another breach made in the ranks of the watchmen on the walls of Zion. The Rev. James Macleod had entered into the joy of his Lord while his admirers and friends mourned the loss.
His mortal remains were taken to Skye from his son-in-law’s house in Larbert to be buried in Dunvegan cemetery beside the grave of his daughter, Daisy, who passed away in 1954. She also feared the Lord and her end was peace. The large attendance of people of all denominations at his funeral bespoke how highly respected he was.
To his sorrowing widow, his family and brother we extend our sincere sympathy in their sore bereavement. We also express our sympathy with his congregation in the great loss they have sustained. May the God whom their friend served be their God. “The just shall be had in everlasting remembrance.”
D. C. and J. M.