ONE by one the trees of righteousness which the Lord planted in the Highlands, about sixty years ago, are disappearing, so that they are now very few and far apart. This causes the removal of one of them to leave, in some districts, a whole parish like a treeless desert. The removal of Mr. Donald MacMaster, Corpach, in the parish of Kilmallie, has left that whole district destitute of a class of men who were acknowledged by all to be men “who feared God and eschewed evil.” He departed this life at the beginning of July this year, and, notwithstanding he attained to the ripe age of eighty-eight years, his mental vigour remained to the end. He was born in the house in which he ended his earthly pilgrimage, but had travelled through much of the world in his day.
At the age of nineteen years he emigrated to Australia, where he spent eighteen years. A part of that time he spent at gold diggings on the Clarence River, New South Wales. While there, he and a companion of his used to travel on foot twenty miles on Sabbath morning to hear the late Rev. Alexander MacIntyre, and to return back the same evening to attend their work on Monday morning. They had to cross a large river on their way. A large tree fell across this river, and by crawling over it, sometimes in the dark, they managed to overcome an obstacle which to men of ordinary courage might appear an insuperable barrier. He was very anxious to speak a word to Mr. MacIntyre, but, as there was a door at the other end of the church, Mr. MacIntyre got away before he got out at the main entrance. He made up his mind that he would go out before the benediction was pronounced, so as to meet him. This he did. When Mr. MacIntyre saw him, he stretched forth his hand, with the exclamation: “Is this you, Donald MacMaster, Kilmallie?” Donald answered, “Yes.” “How do you live in this place?” he asked. “Very middling, Mr. MacIntyre,” Donald answered. “I do not wonder at that,” he said, “among these hypocrites, Amalekites and devils.” He had profound admiration for Mr. MacIntyre, so much so that the writer was seldom in his company but he referred to him. The above proves that Donald was a converted young man at this period of his life.
At the age of thirty-seven he returned to Scotland, lived for several years in Glasgow, and attended Mains Street Free Church. While there he was ordained to the office of deacon. He was held, by all who had the privilege of knowing him in Glasgow, in very high esteem as a God-fearing man, and as a very steadfast and uncompromising Free Churchman. After remaining there several years, he returned to Kilmallie, where he succeeded his father as a merchant, and continued that business as long as he was able to attend to it. He was not long at home when he was ordained an elder in the Free Church congregation of Kilmallie.
The writer saw him for the first time at the Onich Communion in the year 1885. He was then robust, of a beautiful ruddy countenance in which kindness of expression and firmness could easily be discerned. His sparkling brown eyes betrayed a bright intelligence and wit. At the prayer meeting on Saturday morning he was asked to pray. He began his prayer by the words, “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm xxxiv. 6). That prayer made such an impression on the mind of the writer that he felt his affections drawn towards him in a manner which he hopes will last as long as eternity. Alexander Stewart and Malcolm M’Donald, catechist, were there also at that Communion. They were truly two of the nobles of Israel; the former was one of the sweetest men the writer ever met. Donald and these two worthy men were bound to one another in brotherly love in Christ which continued steadfast to the end, and will endure for ever. These men were pleasant and lovely in their lives, and in their death they are not divided. One’s feelings in thinking of them are a mixture of joy and sorrow—joy, because they have gone to be with Jesus, which is far better for them than to be in this world of sorrow and sighing; grief, because the world has become more empty and cold since they were taken away. On another occasion at Onich, when speaking to the question, he used the following illustration:—“The Lord’s people are called sheep and lambs in God’s Word. When a bad spring time occurs, the lambs do not get much milk, and the effect will follow them to the last,—they will be ill-favoured; but the lambs born in a good spring time get plenty of milk, and are strong and robust to the end. Such is the case as to the Lord’s people. They who received not pure Gospel doctrine at their beginning will continue weak all their days.”
In the year 1892, the Free Church passed that infamous Act called the “Declaratory Act.” Donald, who had vowed to adhere to the whole doctrine of the Westminster Confession of Faith, felt he could no longer hold office in that Church, so he placed his resignation in the hands of the Kirk-session. The Rev. Donald Macfarlane and the rest of the elders of the Session allowed the resignation to lie on the table, but they did not accept it. When Mr. Macfarlane separated himself and all who desired to adhere to the original creed and constitution of the Free Church from that Church which held nothing of the Free Church but her name and her property, Donald got relief to his conscience, and continued to hold his office as an elder in the Free Presbyterian Church. Shortly after, he began to hold meetings in connection with the Free Presbyterian Church at several places in the parish of Kilmallie, and also at Fort-William occasionally.
The whole of the people of the parish and of the surrounding districts believed in him as being a man of undoubted piety, of integrity in all he did in the affairs of this world, and also in the things pertaining to God’s cause and the everlasting concerns of the souls of his fellowmen, and in his intelligence and soundness of judgment in the matters contended for by him and others at that time, so a large number of them took the opportunity of going out to hear him in every district. He was a very fluent speaker who convinced his hearers that he knew his subject well, and that he could in choice words convey the true doctrines of God’s Word to the minds, consciences and hearts of his hearers. The wrapt attention with which he was listened to by old and young proved all this; but his exercises, whether he prayed or lectured, were always helpful and comforting to the Lord’s people.
He went north to several Communions after 1893. He went once to Glendale, in the Isle of Skye, during the time his nephew—Rev. Neil MacIntyre—was minister of that congregation. On Sabbath morning it was noticed that he took very little food at breakfast, so Mrs. MacIntyre said to him after breakfast, why was it that he took no food? He answered: “I am so full of the love of Christ to-day that I cannot take food.” His nephew said to him before he left: “I hope you are not sorry that you came.” “No,” he said, “I never enjoyed so much of the Lord’s presence as I did here, but I am sure that there are troubles awaiting me when I go home.” He wrote him afterwards that he passed through fearful temptations. He was not ignorant of the devices of Satan, and therefore knew that he would make the feast of fat things full of marrow which he enjoyed there as bitter to him as he could.
Donald MacMaster was given to hospitality in the true sense of that Christian duty. Many a night the writer enjoyed his abounding kindness and most enjoyable fellowship. He was one of the most entertaining men one could meet with. His select stories and anecdotes concerning godly men and women of the past, and the hearty manner in which he related them, caused time to pass unawares. He made one feel quite at home in his house and company. One was made to feel that he was not entertained with a grudge, but with wholeheartedness. His Christian friendship was full of love to the Lord’s people, because his heart was full of love to Christ Himself. No one complained more of want of love to Christ than he, but the fruits of that love were beautifully displayed in his words and actions. The happiness he had in entertaining the Lord’s people could be discerned in the expression of his countenance. In his prayers for Christ’s cause and poor people, one felt that his whole heart went along with every petition he offered. Jerusalem was set by him above his chief joy.
The defections from the F.P. Church caused him much sorrow. This was true very specially concerning two of the last who left. He did his utmost to encourage those who remained faithful to their solemn engagements, and did not hesitate to declare his mind concerning those who proved faithless to their trust. He expressed his confidence that the Lord would not forsake the F.P. Church as long as she continued faithful to God’s Word and her creed and principles.
The Free Presbyterian Church lost, in him, one who prayed earnestly for all her concerns, at home and abroad. In the year 1902 the writer went to Canada as the Church’s deputy, to preach and administer the ordinances of the Gospel to our friends there. Before he left he received a letter from Donald. In it the following prayer was inserted:—”May the Lord be with you in all the duties which you will have to perform, and bless abundantly all your labours, and may your soul be abundantly watered with the dew of heaven.” This may be taken as a specimen of his prayers for the ministers of our Church. But our nation lost also, in him, one who prayed often and fervently for it. He was truly a public-spirited man, a sincere patriot, and one of the few who are now left who cried to the Lord for the outpouring of the Spirit of grace and supplication upon this godless generation.
We desire to express our deepest sympathy with Miss MacMaster, who will miss him as no one else can. May the Lord provide for her, and comfort and encourage her to trust in Himself, as she will feel the world empty and cold since he was taken away to his everlasting rest. We also offer our sincere sympathy to his other two sisters, to his brother, and to all related to him.
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”
N. C.
WE never reprove aright, unless we hate the sin and pity the sinner. And unless we reprove Christian reproof, we love our sin more than our soul. True Christians are often killed, but never hurt.—Brown.