WE are frequently reminded at the expense of our fellow-sinners that here we have no continuing city. The lesson is rendered doubly impressive when young persons, and especially young Christians, are called home to their everlasting rest.
The number of those who exemplify the power of vital religion in their lives is comparatively few in our day, so that the removal of those of whom hopes might be cherished that they would take the place of older witnesses for Christ is a matter that should cause searching of heart, and should lead us to urgent prayer for the ingathering of the outcasts of Israel and the upbuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.
The subject of this brief sketch, Miss Maggie Ann Maciver, was born near Stornoway some twenty years ago. She was the daughter of Mr. Donald Maciver, missionary, and grand-daughter of the late Alexander, or Sandy, Maciver, of revered memory. Being naturally of an extremely modest and retiring disposition, she never spoke much about her spiritual experiences until near the end of her journey. She then desired her experiences of the Lord’s goodness to be made known, especially for the comfort of Christian friends whom she knew and loved.
Miss Maciver was engaged as a pupil teacher, after she attained her fourteenth year, in Laxdale Public School. Two years ago she resigned this appointment through ill health. From childhood she was the subject of serious impressions. Both by precept and example she was taught by her parents the necessity of possessing a saving interest in Christ. It was not, however, until her eighteenth year that she obtained some deliverance from the bondage in which she felt herself to be. A sermon preached by the Rev. J. R. Mackay, Inverness, was the means of greatly enlarging her views of the divine character. She declared that this sermon made her feel that it was against Jehovah she had sinned. How could He justly forgive such a sinner as she felt herself to be? Among other things, the Rev. Mr. M’Cheyne’s sermons were greatly blessed to her for comfort and deliverance. When she became ill she said to her mother that she asked the Lord if she was to recover, and that these texts came to her mind, “Vain is the help of man,” and “I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am,” leading her to conclude that she was not to get well again. The Word of God was her great support, and she loved to hear it read and expounded. The means of grace and the Lord’s people were very dear to her. Her sense of sin was deep and abiding. On one occasion she said to her mother that she was afraid when she retired to rest that she would be in hell before the morning.
Latterly she became so weak that she was confined to bed. “The accuser of the brethren,” always ready to take advantage of every opportunity to tempt and harass the believer, assaulted her with his fiery darts, but she was sustained in all her conflicts by the Word of God. One day, after having heard the 102nd Psalm read, and some remarks on the Psalmist’s desire to be prepared for death, she said to her mother that she had derived great comfort from what she had heard. Her own condition of soul at the time was somewhat similar to the Psalmist’s. Towards the end, a friend asked her if she had any message for her young friends. She replied, “Tell them to ‘strive to enter in at the strait gate.'” On the Wednesday morning, two days before she died, she thought she was about to depart, and seemed to have a foretaste of the eternal glory of the heavenly Canaan. Her sisters were present in the room and began to weep. When she noticed this she said, “Weep not for me, I am going to eternal happiness. The angels are here and they shall take away my soul. I have now received what I wanted. Doubts and fears are away. I leave my curse with sin and unbelief. I am leaving the world; I die happy.”
She longed to depart. The end came on Friday the 15th of September. Shortly before she died she said, “I am going home; I never did anything good. I have nothing of my own to trust in for eternity. Is it not wonderful what He now gives me and how He sustains me?” Shortly afterwards she passed calmly away and entered into the joy of her Lord.
“Be ye ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.”
The deepest sympathy is felt for her parents and sisters in their trying bereavement.
D. M. M.
The following sketch of some conversations with the late Miss Maciver has been sent us by another friend, and may be found interesting and profitable by our readers. This obituary, as a whole, contains a special message to the young at the beginning of a new year:—
It may be said without exaggeration that Maggie Maciver was not an ordinary young Christian. A gentleman lately pointed out to the writer, among some beautiful flowers, the rare beauty of a certain rose. Everyone who knew the subject of this notice would not hesitate to place her among the choice flowers of the Lord’s garden. Eternal things were so real to her that one could almost see her pleasant countenance speaking forth the verities of the Christian religion. Well do we remember her look—so earnest and full of meaning. She said that she was never outwardly, like most of the young women of to-day, seeking for pleasure in the sinful vanities of this world, and that she had, as far back as she could remember, thoughtful reflections about her immortal soul, but that these were, like the morning cloud and the early dew, passing away without leaving any beneficial results behind them. But she added that the time came when she could no longer be satisfied with outward conformity to the law of God. The time had indeed come when “old things” in her life were to pass away, and “all things” were to be made new. The means the Lord used to awaken her to a true sense of her position as a lost sinner were certain remarks which one of our ministers made in the course of a sermon in the Stornoway church concerning the name, Jehovah. “The minister,” to give her own words, “said that Jehovah is God the Father, from whom are all things; and God the Son, through whom are all things; and God the Holy Ghost, by whom are all things,” and she added that she got such a view of Jehovah that day that she thought that she was the vilest sinner out of hell. She also said that the very name, Jehovah, seemed to be continually ringing in her ears, and that that name used to melt her heart and humble her in the dust before Jehovah. Verily, “he is not a Jew which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter: whose praise is not of men, but of God.” (Rom. ii. 28, 29.)
Maggie continued in this frame of mind until she learnt to submit to the sovereignty of Jehovah, the God of Israel, as a lost creature, whom He would be eternally just in casting out of His sight. But she found access unto Him in these words of Zechariah, “I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, The Lord is my God.” It is interesting to notice that it was through the Old Testament that she became conscious of her need of reconciliation; and it was through the Old Testament she became conscious of being reconciled. It is also worthy of remark that it was through the very name that she was convinced of her vileness and ruined condition that she also was made whole; and in the original, the words, “The Lord is my God,” read “Jehovah is my God.” She told us that this was exactly what she apprehended when the light of Jehovah’s countenance was lifted upon her soul in the above-mentioned Scripture. She said that she understood that Jehovah had become her God. It was when her father was reading the chapter at the family worship in which the above-mentioned words occur that light arose for dear Maggie, and she said that she could hardly refrain from shouting for joy before the household gathered around her bedside, “Jehovah is my God.” With a view to elicit her thoughts, the question was asked her some time after this, if she thought that she loved Christ better than the Father, and she looked as if she wondered that such a question would be asked, and she replied in Gaelic, “Cha-n’eil ann ach an aon Dia,” which may be translated, “Jehovah is one.” No one, however, is to conclude from this that she did not fully understand the distinction there is between the persons of the Trinity in unity, for Jehovah was to her, God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost—one God.
The writer remembers the last day he saw her—it was in the month of June. She remarked that she had a very comfortable day the preceding day, which was the Sabbath. She said that she was able to read herself, and that she was reading in the Song of Solomon. It was suggested that she was getting on very well when she was able to feed in such pasture as the Song of Solomon, and she smiled but made no reply. It was then asked her what part of the Song she was reading, and she said that she read a good part of it, but that these words, “Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes,” were made very, very sweet to her soul. She seemed, however, reluctant to tell what she understood by these words; but afterwards the cause of her reticence was evident. It was remarked that such words were wonderful words, and she said they were; and it was then asked if she thought it was Christ who was saying this about His Church, and she replied that she did think so. Then the question was put as to what she understood by “one of thine eyes”—”Do you think it is faith that is meant by the expression?” And she answered that she was thinking it was faith. It was afterwards suggested that it was probably the eye of faith that ravished the heart of Christ, and that very likely the eye of faith was almost closed with grief for a sight of the Beloved when Christ said these words about it. It seems that this was exactly her feeling at that very time, for she afterwards said that although she was yesterday happy, she was that day very empty in her experience as to the blessings of the Gospel—hence her backwardness in speaking of the truth which had been such a comfort to her on the preceding day. She said one day: “I have not always the light of His countenance, but I am never without hope.” She was asked another day if she believed she would be the happiest creature in the world, even although confined to her bed, if she enjoyed the light of God’s countenance, and she replied, “I know I would be.” She was then asked if she was reconciled to the will of the Most High, who had laid His hand upon her in such affliction, and she answered, “I must be.” It was asked if she meant by that that she could not make better of it; or that she felt that it would be very sinful on her part to complain of such dealings, and she replied by saying: “I would consider myself a fearful creature if I did not submit to what God sent.” Those who heard her making these remarks felt that they had never seen such an example of what it was to be reconciled to the will of God, and they could not but envy her, afflicted though she was in her body.
But, in conclusion, the writer is led to remark that as her views of Jehovah were the brightest and clearest he ever had the pleasure of listening to, so on the other hand her views of the emptiness of the creature were equally clear. The remark was made one day when she seemed to be very dull: “You will not have much trouble about sin lying on your bed; you will not be sinning like those of us who are abroad in the world?” Her answer was that she had trouble, and when asked what was troubling her, she replied with a look of intense earnestness which we will never forget, “my ignorance of God.” It was pointed out to her that it ought to be a source of comfort to God’s people that there were moments in their life when they could not but understand that they enjoyed the favour of God. She said, “If these moments would only continue!” We may say that our beloved friend is now where there never will be a cloud intervening between her soul and the light of the countenance of Jehovah whose favour she knew and prized so much in this vale of tears. “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light upon them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Rev. vii. 16-17.) A. M.