Rev Ewen MacQueen
We spent more than four years in the district where David lived. It is true that our calling often took us away from home, but rarely while at home was there a week that we did not meet David. What was always uppermost in his mind was: how the cause of Christ was prospering. There was not a minister of the Church but he desired to hear of them, and he was always asking if any young people were coming under concern: as he would say himself, “If others will not come under concern it will not be long until none of the poor veterans will be left”.
Although his brother-in-law was taken away, he always had a desire or affection for Achosnich and it was to him like a summer house. When the Sabbath would be past, he would take off for Achosnich, and after he had lost the sight of his eyes and the strength of his legs, although it would be a cart that would be going for peats, David would have to go with it. He had no fear of horses and once or twice he had falls through bad drivers, but David thought nothing of it. He went to Achosnich once around the time of the Rogart Communion and after spending a short time in Achosnich he desired to get to the communion. He was sitting on a hillside and, on rising up, his foot gave way and his body fell heavily on it, injuring it badly. He himself thought nothing of it, but when the foot was attended to, they said that it was bruised and at his age (at that time he was over 90 years old) a doctor advised them to put him to bed and to keep him in it for at least a week.
Thus he, at this time, missed being at the Rogart communion and, on our bringing him home, he told us how sorry he was to have been absent. He said, “The spot where you had the communion was the first place on God’s earth where I was put on my feet to speak to the question for the first time and I had a great desire to reach it again. And he got his desire fulfilled, for the next summer he was able to be present there.
His sister was removed by death many years before his own end. He had a friend who was married to a grandson of James Matheson, who lived in Badninish. David brought them both to live with himself, and they were a great comfort to him. The woman was strong to do everything necessary for his comfort, and her husband always guided him to the church. They had a neighbour who had a horse and carriage and, when David lost the strength of his legs, this man would treat him as if he were his own son. When I would be coming down the hill above the church, I could be sure that David was in the congregation on seeing the white horse.
In 1913, the congregation arranged a collection among themselves to make him a presentation. It was not because he was in poverty, but they desired to acknowledge publicly that they had not forgotten all that he had done for them. David did not know that this was being done until it was handed to him. The presentation was made in the form of a snuff box and the rest in sovereigns. He put the money in the bank and the snuff box he put to daily use.
Years before he died, before the debt incurred through building the church had been cleared, we were in conversation one day. He said, “If you would ask the congregation, or everyone that could be out next Wednesday evening, that I had a certain thing to say to them; but it is not to be mentioned until the meeting is over”. Then he told me what he desired to do. “The light in the pulpit is not very bright, although I cannot see any light, I desire two lamps to be placed on either side of the pulpit. And if, in addition, the congregation was to raise £15, the money that they themselves gave me is lying in the bank and, when all is added up, we should be cleared of every debt the congregation is under. And thus it was. The meeting was called and that very evening enough was gathered to deliver the congregation from every burden under which they were and the two lamps were set in place.
This itself will reveal to people the kind of man David Ross was and how fervently he cared for the things concerning the cause of Christ and His people. There are some that take much and do little, but David would do much and say little. When the old age pension was introduced by the state, David gave the first two payments to the cause of Christ; and in the church, on the first occasion when a special collection was being taken, he said to the people that he hoped that the making of this provision would be reflected in their giving.
The state of the nation gave him much concern as he saw the people turning away from the Word of God and being given over to so many vanities. This caused him great sorrow. As he would say himself: “They are held as prisoners by the flesh”. One day we were telling him of a report that had appeared in the newspaper. It was about women in England that were getting married and desired that the obligation of being obedient to their husbands would be removed from the marriage service. “Just so”, David said, “you are reminding me of something I heard about a sailor who was not getting on well with his wife. They went to the minister to see if he could bring about reconciliation. The minister began to exhort the sailor that he would have to be kind to his wife as she was the weaker vessel. The sailor was listening but at last he said, ‘If she is the weaker vessel, she will do with less sail’. I am of the view”, said David, “that if I was to take her to wife and she refused to be obedient, I would let her sail away.”
To show that he had an apt utterance to suit any situation, when he would see people taking more than enough of strong drink, he said that it reminded him of a story he heard of a farmer who left the lowlands and came to live inland from Dornoch. The man learned to speak broken Gaelic. It was this custom at that time that a “refreshment”, as it was called, was given to the reapers. On a certain day Mr Boag (that was the name of the farmer) was preparing the “refreshment” and, after he had put everything in order, he left the vessel he had which they called “the server” outside on the window sill. Who came the way but the bird they call the snow robin or robin redbreast. He thought that it was water in the server. He plunged his head into it, plunged it in a second time, and when Mr Boag returned the robin was lying upside down. Mr Boag looked at him and said, “O poor Robin, this liquor is too strong for your weak head, but since I never saw you drink before now, I shall look after you until you recover”. “Many”, said David, “are like the poor robin, who do not understand that this light liquor is too strong for their weak heads.”
There was something else which he used often to recount of Mr MacDonald that was in Helmsdale. Whoever he heard arguing, he would utter the words, “Seal the vision”. He explained that it was one night when Mr MacDonald was in the company of other ministers that these words spoke to him. The first time they spoke to him he paid no heed to them, and the second time they spoke he received a spiritual rebuke and he left the company.
David would not engage in any duty using the English language. It was not because he was not fluent enough in English, for when he spoke to people of that language they would think that he had no Gaelic. But he was deeply impressed that it was with reverence and godly fear that sinners should draw nigh to God and, whoever might act presumptuously, David was not one of them. I remember one day discussing with him the activities of the carnal mind, how bound it was to the earth. David lifted up his head and said, “I have neither cow nor heifer, neither sheep nor goat, neither hen nor duck; nevertheless my carnal mind is as bound to the earth as much as if I had all of them”. Yet others would little think that David Ross was thus afflicted, but the Lord’s portion was in him and, where His grace is, the carnal mind will be there to afflict him.
It is not too much for us to say that he was in every way the wisest man that we have met in our day. When he would see that someone’s usefulness to the cause of Christ on earth was coming to an end, he earnestly pled that that person would be prepared and brought home to that habitation of which Christ said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions . . . I go to prepare a place for you.” More than one could be mentioned of whom he spoke to me like this: “It is not right to pray that he should be left. There is many a failing associated with old age and it would be better if he was taken away.”
One of whom he would thus speak was James Murray who was in Rogart and also Angus Grey that was in Lairg. To both of them he felt united, as he would say himself, “When they were taken away, they left a massive breach behind them”.
In this connection he would tell of a conversation that took place between Alexander Gair and other friends. Alexander and these friends were walking together and Alexander turned and spoke thus to them, “O men, you are complaining of the day in which you live and the Christians of your day, but if you were living in the generation coming after you, you would say that the Christians of this generation were head and shoulders above them. And the generation coming after that, I am not going to say but there shall be among them those in whom there will be the grace of God, but they shall be so ineffective in rebuking sin and in witnessing on the side of Christ that I am comparing them to the seed potatoes that would be left to the farmer after he had finished planting and he found it difficult to decide whether to plant them or not to plant them for fear that they would not grow.” “And” said Angus, “that is the poor generation that has overtaken us. They are there and I believe that they have the fear of God in them, but in view of the height to which evil has risen, they are poor, weak veterans unable to oppose the evil that is coming like a flood”.
As he came to the end of his days it was indeed very solemn to see him guided in through the door of the church. When he would catch hold of the head of the pews, he would say to his guide, “I will manage myself now”. Often we watched him making his way toward the pulpit, his head bald, white, without covering, bent down, pouring out his heart, saying, “O Beloved, wilt Thou not be here today? O Beloved, have mercy on us.” He would proceed in this manner until the church officer placed him in his seat. But he would not long stay there. When he would hear the psalm being given out, he would be up beside the precentor in case he might miss a word. I have to say that he was my friend and guide, for he taught me in a friendly way, saying, “If you could get to their consciences, it would be better than to stir up their resentment. When their natural resentment is stirred up they will not listen to anything”. His words would be like smooth oil that would refresh the heart and would overcome the opposition of nature.
Since we came to know him, the men would leave David, as they say, to give out the question.2 He would be in no haste to arise. The congregation would be silent for a few minutes and they would see David bestirring himself, while praying that the One ruling would keep him in order and also those who would be called to speak to the question. With that he would rise, his head bent and his plaid on his shoulder, and he would say, “Since I see no man is rising to give out the word, I do not wish to hinder the business of the day”. While Angus Murray was alive, when he would see David arise, he would be heard saying, “O precious noble youth, may the Creator bless you”. Usually, while David had his eyesight he would announce the chapter and verse in which the question was and we heard him also often saying, “There are more than 60 years since we first heard these words being given out as a question”. He would then tell who it was that gave out the question and add, “How unlike I am to the men who were there”.
We also heard him often say what “Havie” (Gustavus) Munro said to Dr Aird.3 The Doctor was often complaining of how few they were becoming who could really speak to the question and how he feared that they would have to dispense with the day. “O well, the man of God said, “while you have a man that will give out the question and one that can speak to it, you should not give up the question day”. After he had said some words in this way on the business of the day and the low state of God’s cause on earth, he would say to the minister who was to open the question, “You divide it as you see fit yourself”. Throughout his last years, he would be persuaded to speak to the word that was given out, and there was no one with the least degree of spiritual discernment who would not appreciate that David Ross was a prince in Israel and not a child, for the Lord bestowed on him natural wisdom above many, as well as great grace.
At the time that King George V was to be crowned, it was a matter of great concern to him, and one that cost him many prayers, that they were proposing to change the coronation oath. And when it was changed, he said, “Many a year of prosperity and peace was enjoyed by this nation since the Protestant oath was set in place, but it is hard to believe that she will enjoy the like peace for many years after this. But I am thankful that I am found drawing near the end of my pilgrimage”. Often he said to us, “The people of this place have more regard for the ground than they have for the things of eternity. I do not know where to look today for anyone that I would encourage to come forward to the Lord’s Table, but there are one or two and, if of themselves they came forward, I would not take it upon myself to keep them back.”
At meetings of the Kirk Session he was a bright light; he possessed much patience; he was civil and he was faithful in God’s house. He was not influenced by family relationships although that was laid to his charge, and also to the charge of Angus Murray in former times. From the time we knew him, we discovered that he had been taught what he did not forget till the day of his death: that the Lord’s cause was more precious than anything pertaining to the flesh.
In regard to the esteem in which he was held, he was given a place by the highest men in the county, and there were few who would take upon themselves to deny that he was a wise and righteous man. Although, as they might say, they did not care for his godliness, yet they would confess that it would be good for them to be like him and that he was a wonderful man. He had friends in many places who made known how greatly they esteemed him, and in this connection we may tell what he himself, from time to time, related of a worthy man whom he knew. When he would be away at a communion and he came home again, some of the friends would be asking him if he met anyone to whom he became newly bound since he left home. The man answered, “O well, I never met anyone since I left for whom I would give a pinch of snuff”. By that he meant that he had not met many that caused him much rejoicing of soul.
1This article continues a translation, by Rev John MacLeod, of an account of the life of David Ross, Dornoch, which was originally written in Gaelic. The first four articles were printed in volume 22 of The Free Presbyterian Magazine.
2The fellowship meeting, most often on the Friday of a communion season.
3Gustavus Aird, the Free Church minister of Creich, in Sutherland.