THE Gairloch F.P. Congregation has of late been deprived of many of its useful and sympathetic members and adherents; Mr. and Mrs. Alexander MacLennan, Sand, gleaners in the fields of Holy Writ; Mrs. Mackenzie, widow of the late much-respected Mr. John Mackenzie, Boor, elder, a wise, humble, and genuinely hospitable Christian; Mr. Angus Ross, postmaster, Strath, a genial friend, and attentive listener in God’s house; Widow Ann Mackenzie, Port Henderson, a cheerful listener in the sanctuary, a good cheer to the speaker, and a great sufferer; Miss Peggy Mackenzie, Strath (Peggy Ruadh), a cheerful, lively Christian; Widow Sarah Mackenzie, 8 Port Henderson, calm and gentle and meditative in manner; and a number of others.
The death of Mrs. Margaret MacDonald, 2 Sand, Gairloch, cast a gloom over the whole district. She is very much missed. A number of Christians in the parish had not only the greatest respect for her, but often conferred with her in regard to spiritual matters. She was better known as “Bean Iain Eachain.” She had a strong constitution, but, some time before her death, she was in indifferent health, and at times suffered severe pains, but her toils are now over for ever. Her husband, an amiable creature, for many years bedridden, predeceased her. She, along with a number of others, was brought to a knowledge of the truth under the ministry of the late Rev. John Baillie, Free Church, Gairloch. She was a lively Christian, and possessed a vigorous intellect. She had many temptations, but she had very many seasons of rejoicing in God her Saviour. “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick.”
The state of the late Free Church was a great concern to her, and the controversy anent the Declaratory Act of 1892 caused much searching of heart among Christians. She and the late Miss Marshall MacDonald, Sand, had much spiritual intercourse. A day or two previous to the Sabbath when the first Free Presbyterian service was held in Gairloch, she and Marshall had a conversation anent the crisis in the Church, and their duty thereanent. They agreed that each should make the matter the special subject of private prayer, and meet again and relate the result of their pleadings with the Eternal. Marshall did not turn up; but, on Sabbath, she appeared at the “Leabaidd,” and sat beside the deceased. Rev. John R. Mackay was the preacher, and, in prayer, quoted the words, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” These were the words the two women got in their secret prayers, which decided their severing their connection with the Free Church, and joining those who came out that they might maintain the whole counsel of God, and purity of worship, and Church discipline.
The memory of the services in the “Leabaidh” is still fragrant in the minds of the hearers. It was a season in which the souls and bodies of believers were kept warm by the Truth of God.
The F.P. meetings at Sand were held in the house of the deceased. At the close of a service there the late Mr. Torquil Paterson, Melvaig, elder, and Mrs. MacDonald were, along with others, at food. Torquil and she had the dew of heaven upon their spirits. Their conversation was heavenly, and their countenances were beaming with holy delight, indicating the heavenly joy they possessed. Their souls magnified the Lord, and extolled His holy name. It was a lovely sight. Believers have joy to which the world is a stranger. They rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. “Sorrowing, yet rejoicing.”
On one occasion, the deceased and another woman travelled on foot to Shieldaig, Torridon, to attend the Communion. They lost their way in the moor. The day was far advanced, and they were both tired. Mrs. MacDonald could go no further. She said that she would cover herself with a coloured garment, so that her body could the more easily be discovered by those who would come in search. She advised her companion to go back, and report; but, before doing so, she said each of them would engage in prayer separately. In prayer she received the truth: “This is the way, walk ye in it.” She then desired her companion to ascend higher ground in front of them. She did so, and found they were in the right way, and they very soon enjoyed the hospitality of kind friends, and rich Gospel feasts.
There was in the congregation a cluster of warm Christians, who are now in the Father’s house above. They have proved that nothing shall separate them from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus their Lord. They were lovely in life, and in death they were not divided. “For ever with the Lord.”
May Jehovah, to whom alone belong mercies and forgivenesses, be the Father of the members of the bereaved family! “When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.”
D. M’K.
The late Mr. John Macdonald,
POST OFFICE, OPINAN, GAIRLOCH.
THIS man was called to his eternal rest on 28th March, 1919. He was born at Arrat, near Diabaig, Torridon, on 12th November, 1843; and, on 31st March, 1919, was buried in Gairloch churchyard. With his parents, about the year 1870, he removed from Arrat to Opinan, where he resided till his death.
He was a man of marked integrity, truth, and straightforwardness, and was strictly honest in all his dealings. He abhorred a contrary spirit in whomsoever he found it. The Lord’s people received hospitality in his home, and there they conversed about the things that pertained to their eternal well-being.
In 1893 he attached himself to the Free Presbyterian Church. He was true to the core. When there was a difficulty in that district in obtaining a site for a meeting-house for the Free Presbyterian Congregation, he cheerfully offered a site on his own croft. To one he afterwards stated that since then his land had yielded richer crops.
His presence in the Church cheered the preacher. He loved the gates of Zion. “Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; I love the habitation of Thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.” He was always careful in his demeanour, and evidenced much regard for the means of grace, and for the Lord’s people; but it was only some years before his death that he became a member in full communion.
The most of the time of his ten weeks’ illness was given to earnest prayer and to the reading of the Scriptures. He was much cheered by the visits of the Lord’s people. He expressed a desire that he should see two of his grandsons, who at the time were in H.M. Forces, one in Ireland, and the other in Mesopotamia. Contrary to the anticipations of the household, that desire was granted to him. As his dissolution drew near, he was very weak. He was heard faintly repeating the 11th verse of the 42nd Psalm:—
“O why art thou cast down, my soul,
Why thus with grief oppress?
Art thou disquieted in me?
In God still hope and rest.
For yet I know I shall Him praise
Who graciously to me
The health is of my countenance:
Yea, mine own God is He.”
The members of the household then sang these verses, and shortly thereafter he breathed out his spirit to God who gave it. “The memory of the just is blessed.”
The bereaved widow, son-in-law and daughter, and grand-children and relatives we commit to Him who gave and who took away. May the God of Jacob be their God!
“I will not come within my house,
Nor rest in bed at all;
Nor shall mine eyes take any sleep,
Nor eyelids slumber shall,
Till for the Lord a place I find,
Where He may make abode,
A place of habitation,
For Jacob’s mighty God.” (Psalm cxxxii. 3-5).
D. M’K.
How will the heavens echo for joy when the bride, the Lamb’s wife, shall come to dwell with her Husband for ever! Christ is the desire of nations, the joy of angels, the delight of the Father; what solace, then, must the soul be filled with, that hath the possession of Him to all eternity!—John Bunyan.
Diary of the Rev. James Calder,
MINISTER OF CROY, INVERNESS-SHIRE. BORN, 1712; DIED, 1775.
Edited from the Original MSS., with Illustrative Notes,
BY THE LATE REV. WM. TAYLOR, M.A., STIRLING.
(Continued from page 152.)
“July (Sabbath), 31st.—I preached the action sermon without to the great congregation,* and served three tables. Great cause have I to bless the Lord for the countenance and assistance He was pleased to afford the poorest and most unworthy of all His servants. I have cause to believe that there was a gale of the Spirit breathing on the congregation to-day. The dear communicants, the virgin lovers of Jesus, I observed flocking with ardour to the sacred table, singing and weeping as they came along. For many years back I have not seen such tokens and indications of the Divine presence as on this day. Blessed for ever be the Lord for His goodness and His works of wonder and grace to the children of men! May the happy fruits and effects of this day’s work be long seen and felt! Amen.”
* At the Communion at Kilmuir Easter, in Ross-shire, where he had gone to assist another of the most eminent ministers of the Highlands at that time—a man of genius as well as a good man—the Rev. John Porteous.
[His absence from home at this time was prolonged for a month. The following extract will explain the causes. The sea perils he speaks of were encountered doubtless on the ferries of the Cromarty and Beauly Firths:—]
“December 8th.—. . . Set forward for Croy. Met with many of my dear and much-beloved flock, who had heard that I had been sick, and sick unto death. They received their poor unworthy pastor with a joy and gratulation far beyond my deserving. May I be daily preparing for that infinitely important event which is every moment approaching, and cannot be at any great distance from one of my age, and may, for aught I know, be just at the door, and against which the youngest and the strongest have not the least security for one day, or hour, or moment. O may I be helped, therefore, by divine grace to improve every day and hour as if it were the last. Whatever time my Master cometh, O may He find me employed heart and hand in His blessed work! Amen. Conference with several of my dear and precious ones immediately after my return. And being now, through the Lord’s mercy and His good hand upon me and with me, come home in peace and health, after a winter journey attended with many perils by sea and land, though the distance was not great, I desire to bless the Lord with all my heart for His great goodness to me since I went from home till this hour. Blessed be His name, who kept mine eyes from tears, my feet from falling, and my soul from death. Blessed be His name for ever for the gracious countenance He was pleased to afford me in some comfortable measure in all my sacred ministrations more publicly and more privately since I went from home. What shall I render to the Lord for His wonderful and undeserved goodness to His most unworthy servant? Heaven and earth praise Him! Amen. Before I set out, my gracious Lord encouraged my feeble mind, my drooping spirit, by these gracious words (Deut. xxiii. 25), ‘As thy days, so shall thy strength be,’ and every day He made good His gracious word to my soul. Still may I plead the same promise—I need it now as much as ever, and shall need it to the last day and the last hour. O may I believe, and I shall see the salvation of my God! Amen.
We now reach the last year of Mr. Calder’s diary and life. It was a year of much bodily feebleness, and comparatively few matters of external importance are recorded; but the spiritual progress of the saint nearing heaven is beautifully manifested. We shall therefore linger amid the year’s records, before coming to the happy close of the holy life we have been tracing.
“1775. January 1st, Sabbath Evening.—This first Sabbath and first day of the new year was to me and, I hope, to my dear flock, a good day, a precious day of the Son of man. The gracious Lord was pleased to countenance the ordinances of His grace by His benign presence, and I hope made His people joyful in His house of prayer; for which I desire to bless and adore His holy name. I trust that what we have felt and tasted this day of the Lord’s goodness is an earnest of greater and richer communications in the course of this year, whoever may live to see it. O may it prove a memorable year for the conversion of sinners and the edification of saints! Amen.
“Wednesday, 4th.—The Lord was very good to me this day, both in public and in private. Glory be to His name! Amen. Alas! I felt this eve the horrid air of that black spue of hell—pride. Lord, destroy this spawn of the devil, and win my blessing! Amen.
“Sabbath, 8th.—This was one of my dearest, sweetest, and best days. Glory be to His name! Yet I have infinite need of the blood of sprinkling to take away the iniquity of my holy things. O let my person and services be accepted in the Beloved! Amen.
“Thursday, 12th.—This morning felt sweet and most precious liberty of access through my adorable Mediator, His most perfect atonement, and prevailing intercession. Oh how happy was I—and not the less so as I was called to attend our monthly meeting this day! I hoped this delightful frame would continue all the day, and be of great benefit to myself and my people; but, alas! while I was calling my family to attend the morning sacrifice, being crossed a little, I spoke a few words with an unbecoming warmth of spirit; this marred my sweet frame, and brought darkness and straitness on my soul. I attended the meeting, but was sadly destitute of that light and liberty which the Lord has been pleased sometimes to afford His most unworthy servant on such occasions. Oh! when shall I learn to be vigilant and tender, meek and humble, and to walk softly and circumspectly with my God? Lord, forgive my pride, my peevishness, and my folly, and my numberless shortcomings in Thy service! Amen.
“Friday, 13th.—Would wish, if it be the Lord’s will, to be something retired this day—have many calls to be so. May the Lord shine on my retirement by His blessed Word and Spirit, for the sake of His dear Son, the Lord Jesus! Amen.
Afternoon.—Had little time for retirement to-day, part of my time being spent in conference and prayer with a young person from P—y,* deeply exercised and concerned about salvation. More time with a serious young man, lately recovered from a dangerous fever, and, I hope, a sincere seeker of the Lord. But all was richly made up to me through the Lord’s mercy this evening at family worship, and especially in secret, where I had more light and life, more faith and love, more comfort and refreshment, and more freedom of access to the ever-blessed God through Christ than I enjoyed of a great while. What shall I render to the Lord for His great and undeserved goodness to my poor soul! O, that I had a heart to praise him! Heaven and earth praise Him! Amen. Lord, be not now as a wayfaring man that tarrieth for a night! O, leave me not! O, let me not leave Thee! Let me not do anything to provoke Thee to depart from me! Amen.
“Monday, 16th.—Conference and prayer with J—t M—y, a hopeful young person craving access to our fellowship meeting, which is granted, as I hope the work is real. Exhortation and prayer with one of my servants under the Lord’s hand. The Lord sanctify this affliction to her, to me, &c. . . . The Lord was kind to-day. Most of all in secret late at night. One of the sweetest nights I had for years past. The fullest freedom in presenting the most important petitions in the name of Christ, in the sweet, fragrant, prevailing name of Jesus, with full assurance that they should be answered in due time, and that assurance founded on His faithful, sweet, and express promises. Blessed, blessed, for ever blessed be His name! Amen.
“Thursday, 19th.— . . . Secular business at noon. . . . Sweetness, ineffable sweetness in secret and family worship this night.
“Friday, 20th.— . . . Received the mournful news of the death, or rather the gentle, easy, quick translation of that eminent servant of the Lord, the very reverend and very valuable Mr. Jo. Porteous. Though this man of God was well-stricken in years, yet his death makes a great blank, and will be sorely felt by numbers of the Lord’s servants and people in this northern corner; for he was indeed a burning and a shining light—full of faith and of the Holy Ghost—full of piety, zeal, candour, benevolence, and charity, and every grace and virtue that could adorn the minister and the Christian. This, with many other sore breaches of the same kind that have been made of late in the tribe of Levi in this northern corner, is truly alarming and judgment-like. O may we learn the language of this awful dispensation, and be helped to make the right improvement of it! And may the adorable Head of the Church, with whom is the residue of the Spirit, repair this great and mournful breach! * Amen.
* There lay two stormy ferries between Mr. Calder’s parish and Kilmuir Easter, in Ross, that of the eminent minister whose death he here laments. Accordingly he seems to have had less intimate personal intercourse with him than he had (for example) with Mr. Hector M’Phail, whose death he so very tenderly recorded last year. Mr. Porteous’s memory is very fragrant; and not only his sayings carried down by popular tradition, but his extant manuscript sermons prove him to have been a man of original genius as well as great piety.
“February 11th.—Received to-day a very pious and comfortable letter from the noble and worthy Lady G—n—y † with the joyful news of a hopeful revival of religion at Edinburgh. Blessed be God for this! O may the Spirit be poured out in greater abundance there, and in every corner of our Lord’s vineyard! Amen.
† Lady Glenorchy.
“Thursday, March 2nd.—This morning early before the dawn felt my soul in a dismal way—not only dark, dull, stupid, but likewise froward, peevish, sullen, and perverse, and bound up in the chains of unbelief. Ah! how alarming, how distressful was my case! Pray I could not for some time. I moaned, chattered, and cried, ‘Woe! woe! Alas! what of the old black poison has been lurking in my heart! For many long years I have not felt such soul-distress. Soon after I rose, I was helped to pour out my heart in mournful and bitter accents before the Lord, who was pleased to relieve me gradually from this dreadful oppression of His infinite mercy, by bringing some precious truths and promises of His Word to my remembrance with light and power—particularly Heb. vii. 25: ‘He is able to save them to the uttermost that come to God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.’ In this blessed passage I found enough to complete my deliverance, and to fill me with peace and joy in believing. Now He caused light to arise out of the thickest darkness, and turned the tempest to a sweet calm—may heaven and earth praise Him! ‘To save to the uttermost!’ What’s that? To recover from the greatest misery to the highest felicity—from the depths of destruction to the heights of fruition—from the jaws of the roaring lion to the embracements of redeeming love—from the lowest hell to the highest heaven—from eternal death and perdition to everlasting life and glory.
“Sabbath, 12th.—The Lord was very gracious to-day to His poor unworthy servant. May He follow the work with a remarkable blessing, and forgive my shortcomings! Amen.
“Monday, 13th.—This morning the Lord sent me a sweet cordial—the happy fruit of the countenance He vouchsafed to yesterday’s work. A—e M’D—d, who was long under a spirit of bondage, and brought very low, was released yesterday in the house of God from her long bondage, and her sighs turned unto songs of praise—brought from the horrible pit and miry clay, and established on the Rock Christ with a new song put in her mouth. Blessed for ever be the Lord for this great mercy! Amen. Lord, settle, strengthen, and establish her more and more! Amen.
“Tuesday, 21st.—This day, alas! my soul felt poorly, wretchedly, yea, miserably; for it was plunged in darkness and desertion beyond what I felt for years back. I brought it all on myself; for I have cause to believe that I offended the Lord by speaking publicly, after sermon on the Saturday, of the gracious countenance the Lord gave to this solemn work in this place at this season, not with that humility, that holy wonder and gratitude which would well become me, but I fear with some spice of vanity and secret selfish exultation—than which nothing can be more offensive to a holy God. Lord, forgive this great and grievous offence, and eradicate this root of bitterness from out my soul, for Jesus’ sake! Amen.
“Saturday, 25th.—Every day of this week the sun shone in more or less, Tuesday excepted, when it was covered with a cloud from morn to eve. And yet I have infinite reason to bless the Lord, who is mercifully pleased to frown on me, in some shape or other, when I think or speak or act amiss. O may it be my constant care and sweetest element to please and honour Him, and to imitate Him in all His imitable perfections! Amen.
“Tuesday, 28th.—. . . Received a visit from Mr. G—l of M—l—n. The conversation was innocent and kind: yet I might have made it more profitable, had I been as wise and zealous for God as I ought to be. However, religion was not altogether forgotten, though there was too little said on that sweetest and best of all subjects. Lord, forgive wherein I have sinned and come short of duty! Amen.
“Friday, 31st.—. . . Sweet, inexpressibly sweet was the liberty I enjoyed this morning. I earnestly wished and hoped that this happy frame would continue all day; but, alas! I marred it once and again by turning warm and vehement in an idle dispute about politics. . . . At eve the Lord forgave the offences of the day, and sealed my pardon with a smile of that adorable countenance which is my only heaven on earth. O that I had a heart to praise Him! ‘Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?’
“Thursday, April 20th.—. . . Freedom of access and great liberty this night. Blessed be God for it! It is infinitely better than all the most refined pleasures of this poor world.
“Saturday, 22nd.—This week had cause to bless the Lord, as well as on every one of this year, for something I received that was satisfying and sanctifying, and consequently more valuable than all that this poor world can boast. Blessed be the Lord! Amen.
“Wednesday morning, May 10th.—It is now a great while since I could sequesterate a day or half a day for sacred retirement, through a continued run of avocations of various kinds. Yet I hope I was kept daily in the way of duty and the service of my adorable Lord and Master at home and abroad; though, alas! I act but poorly and coldly in the most honourable and glorious service. Would wish to spend some time in secret, to-day, if it is the Lord’s will. . . .
(To be continued.)