THE following is a short sketch of the late Mrs. Catherine Macleod, Ardmail, Lochbroom, who departed this life on 21st February, 1919, aged 86 years. Mrs. Macleod was born at Braes, Ullapool, in the year 1833. In her early days she had the privilege of hearing the Gospel faithfully preached by the late Rev. George Macleod, minister in Lochbroom. When about 18 years of age, she was greatly impressed by a sermon preached by Mr. Macleod from Matt. xviii. 3—”Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” She was often in great distress after the measure of comfort and relief that she experienced from this sermon. As she retired to the solitude of her native hills to pray (which she frequently did), the precious words, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God,” in Col. iii. 3, came to her with soul-comforting power. Shortly after this, Mrs. Macleod went to the Communion in Aultbea to try and find out if she was “born again.” The first words from the first sermon that she heard at Aultbea were, “You are here, and you have come to see if you could get a mark that you are in Christ. Well, one mark that I will give you is: should you get a mark to-day, you would wish to get another to-morrow, and mark after mark as long as you are left upon the earth.”
After returning home, Mrs. Macleod was enabled to make a public profession of her faith in Christ. She joined the Church as a member in the Ullapool congregation about the year 1883. When a testimony had to be borne for the truth in 1893, Mrs. Macleod from the beginning identified herself with the F.P. Church, and she continued to attend the services in Ullapool until 15 years ago, when she became an invalid.
When the three ministers (the Revs. J. R. Mackay, M.A., Inverness, Alex. Macrae, Portree, and A. Sutherland, Ullapool) recently severed their connection with the F. P. Church and joined the present Free Church, it caused the late Mrs. Macleod much grief and pain. She told her family fully six months beforehand that they were going to leave our Church, and charged her family that they were not to follow them on any account, as she was conscious that it was their duty to remain in the Free Presbyterian Church, whoever would separate from it.
She manifested the greatest interest in the cause of Christ till her end came. Her time on bed was mainly spent in prayer. She wrestled for the conversion of souls at home and abroad. Her bodily health was so poor that her family were often afraid that she might be called away at any moment.
Four days before the end came, she said to her son and daughter, “I am going to depart, and I am going to my Beloved.” For the last four days of her life she prayed audibly, day and night, almost constantly, for God’s kingdom on earth and for His people. “Come, Beloved, and take me to be with Thyself, but Thy time is the time of love. Oh, my friends, do not be keeping me here.” Her daughter said, “Open your mouth, mother, till I wet your lips with a little wine.” She replied, “Oh, Lord, open the mouth of my soul, that I may receive out of the fulness that is treasured up in Christ. All that I desire is Christ for my soul,” and she passed away. Her remains were laid in the cemetery at Ullapool on 24th February, 1919. To all her family circle and especially to her daughter and son, who lived with her, we extend our sincere sympathy. A. F.
THERE are many people who profess to keep the Sabbath according to the Fourth Commandment, but who, somehow or other, always find a multitude of “works of necessity” to be attended to. We have seen a plain anecdote lately about a family of such people, who were pretty severely rebuked by a servant in their employ. The family were farmers. One Sabbath morning he was not, as usual, at breakfast. The son was sent to call him; but the servant said they need not wait for him, as he did not wish for any breakfast. “Why,” said the young man, “I shall want you, as soon as the dew is off, to help me about the hay.” “No,” said he, “I cannot work any more on the Sabbath; it is not right.” “Is not right!” said the other, “is it not our duty to take care of what Providence has given us?” “O, there is no necessity for it,” said he, “and ’tis wrong to do it.” “But, would you not pull your cow or sheep out of a pit upon the Sabbath?” “No, not if I had been trying all the week to push them in: I would let them lie there.” Too many people make work for the Sabbath which they could do during the week, but, instead of doing so, count upon the Sabbath as a spare day. Let such learn a lesson from the above.