ANOTHER elder has been called to his everlasting rest from among our people in Ontario, Canada. This is the fourth of our elders there that has been removed since 1902. To the first delegates sent out by our Church who met all the four, the blank is very painful.
Mr. David Mackenzie, East Williams, was highly thought of as a gracious man long before our Church took over the Canadian Mission. He met us on our way to East Williams, along with several other kind friends, with their buggies, at Ailsa Craig Railway Station. He took me into his buggy. When we came to a churtyard on the way, at a place called Nairn, he pointed to a beautiful grave stone, and told me that the East Williams congregation erected it at the grave of their late revered pastor, Rev. L. Macpherson, I said to him, “Will it not be an awful day when all that are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of man and shall come forth; they that have done good to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation?” He made no reply. After we went about two miles without another word, he said, “I have been thinking that I should make a public profession at the Communion you intend to dispense in this congregation.” I answered that if he had some grounds for concluding that a saving change had been effected in him, the Session would be very willing to meet with him. He made no reply. He came before the Session, and gave great satisfaction as regards both his intellectual and experimental knowledge. The following Sabbath he went forward to the Lord’s Table for the first time.
When the Rev. J. R. Mackay was there in the year 1903, he was elected to the office of the eldership by the members of that congregation, and was duly ordained by Mr. Mackay.
Several years ago his health became very broken, so that he was not able to attend so regularly on the means of grace in public. This year, however, he was enabled to attend all the days of the Communion which was held there on the first Sabbath of June, and on the Monday after the service he expressed that he was as happy that day as ever he was. He was only one Sabbath after this in this valley of tears, for he passed away to his everlasting rest on the 17th June. Friends came long distances to his funeral, which took place on the 19th of June. He was born in Canada, and was 73 years of age when he was taken away.
We desire to convey to his widow, all his relatives, and all friends there, the sincere sympathy of the Church at home with them in their sorrow. “Teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
N. C.