ANDREW TALLACH was born on the 11th day of January 1858, in the parish of Logie-Easter, in Ross-shire. Of his parents no more can be said than that they were unimpeachable as to their moral character. The godly example of the majority of Christians in Ross in those days had a very salutary influence upon the lives of their neighbours. To this must be added the true evangelical doctrines proclaimed each Lord’s Day from a good many of the pulpits, and the strict discipline observed by the Kirk-Sessions. These things caused that a large majority of the unconverted looked much more like saints than the most of the present-day Christians, and even ministers. The children of those days had a great privilege in the example set them on every hand, which the poor children of our day have not. The effect was that many of them became truly pious in the days of their youth.
When the saving change took place in Andrew Tallach is not exactly known, neither do we know how it was brought to pass; but we are informed that he was called upon to pray in public before his father’s death, which took place when he was eighteen years of age. In 1883 he became a member in full communion. That same year he married a young woman, Catharine Ross, who was a true help-meet for him both as to temporal and spiritual matters till his end came, and who survives to mourn her great loss.
In the year 1888 he left Logie, and took up business in Dornoch, Sutherland. The Rev. Neil Taylor was the Free Church minister of Dornoch then and for a few years thereafter. After Mr Taylor’s death a young man was called, who avowed at his ordination and induction that he was answering the questions and signing the Formula under protest against the Declaratory Act; but who, the following year, preached a sermon in its favour. After hearing this sermon, Mr Tallach remarked—”Well, if I were not already persuaded in my mind to leave that Church, this sermon would have decided me.” The two eminently godly men, David Ross and Angus Murray, began before this time to hold services in connection with the Free Presbyterian Church, but he kept some time close to private devotions in his own house on the Lord’s Day. It pleased the Lord to visit him with a serious illness, which, when it was removed, caused Andrew Tallach to join immediately the Free Presbyterians and his former companions. To the last day of his life he was convinced firmly that he acted rightly in taking that step. When each member of his family arrived at years of discretion, he privately taught them the way the destructive innovations in doctrine, worship, government and discipline, crept into the Free Church, and how thereby she ceased to be any longer what she was, and that such as remained in her had abandoned her former Creed and Principles. He was a Free Presbyterian because he could not see any other way by which he could remain a true Free Churchman, holding all that that Church held. When some of the ministers of our Church, to whom he was sincerely attached (to one especially as to a brother) left the F.P. Church, he was heard to say—”Well, they may all go, but I cannot.” All who knew him could testify that he naturally did not love contention, so that he would have considered the matter very seriously before he came to such a definite conclusion.
When he joined the Free Presbyterian Church, he was immediately asked by David Ross and Angus Murray to conduct the English services. This he continued to do while he remained in Dornoch. In the year 1900 he was ordained an elder of that congregation. He many times alluded afterwards to his relation with that Kirk Session, and he held as an ideal to the last the order, decorum, and firmness in church affairs which was so characteristic of all the members of that Court. It was a customary saying of his—”This is how David Ross would say, or this is how David Ross would do it.”
In the year 1906 he was appointed missionary in our congregation at Lochinver, where he remained during four years. To the great grief of the Lochinver people he was removed to Raasay in 1910, where he continued to act as missionary till his end came. He was held in great esteem by the most of the people of Raasay. That became very apparent the day of his funeral. Not only were almost all the men on the island present to show their respect, but the women and children were in groups at the roadside when the cortege passed their places of abode.
An outstanding characteristic of Mr Tallach was the patience with which he could bear fiery trials and reproaches. He very seldom said one word to defend his own interests, but could not bear that God’s truth and cause should be allowed to suffer so far as it was in his power to vindicate the same. “When he suffered he threatened not, but committed himself to Him who judgeth righteously,” was truly his way in dealing with such as opposed him. In his duties as an elder he was unbending in the use of discipline, believing that by so doing he would not only maintain peace in God’s house, but that it was also his duty in performing his ordination vows to God and men. This was true of him from the day he was ordained to that office. It was quite evident that he did this not from a vindictive spirit against any man.
In carrying on his work as a missionary he knew nothing among the people, and did not desire to know anything, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. This was the object for which he laboured from day to day. In carrying out this purpose, he spent much time in prayer; sometimes he spent a whole day in private prayer and meditation. In these exercises he prayed for each member of his family separately, and for each family and individual of the people committed to his care. May the Lord, of His infinite mercy, grant that these prayers may be answered both as to his family, now left fatherless, and to each of the people of Raasay. His mental vigour and solid grasp of the doctrines of grace, both as to practice and experience, came to light very vividly when speaking at fellowship meetings on the Friday of communion seasons. He kept always to the point raised by the proposer of the questions requiring solution, and never interfered in harangues on extraneous matters. Precision in the treatment of the experiences of the Lord’s people, with a peculiar power of adaptation of Scripture thereto, made his exercises on such occasions very helpful to the poor and needy. His real aim was to “strengthen the weak hands, and to confirm the feeble knees, and to say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not: behold your God will come . . . and save you.” Neil Mackinnon, Portree, who was, without exaggeration, a prince among the laymen of our Church, held Andrew Tallach in great veneration and esteem, and often spoke of him as a dear brother in Christ.
The last Sabbath on which he spoke to the people of Raasay his text was, “Thou art not far from the Kingdom of Heaven.” The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was held in the congregation on the following Sabbath. He attended all the services during that solemn season, walking each day about three miles each way to and from his own home. On Monday, at the service, we noticed that he was bent down in his seat all the time, but never thought of his being unwell. He went into the manse after the service was finished, and went to bed. The writer went to see him into the bedroom, and found him suffer great pain in the region of the heart. From that bed he never rose. He said to us at parting that afternoon—”Pray to the Lord to have mercy on my soul whatever may become of the body.”
A friend said to him—”Their strength is God alone.” “Yes,” he said, “He is the strength of sinners saved by grace.” Another quoted the words—”Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me, where I am; that they may behold my glory.” He replied—”He wills it, and they, by grace, will it, and when Christ’s will unites with their will, it will be so in the case of each one of them—they shall be with Him.” The portion of the Word which was constantly with him throughout his illness was—”For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Again, when the words were read to him in Romans, 8th chapter, 33 to 39 verses — “I consider that,” he said, “a most comforting portion of the Word of God.” A little while after this he said—”Who can make a comparison between the moment of time and the duration of eternity, or between the lightness of affliction and the weight of glory.” It was a habitual saying of his while in health and strength—”It is good for the soul to be taking long looks into eternity.” At last he became so weak that he could not speak, but it was evident that his mind continued to be exercised in the truth to the very last. So after ten days’ illness he passed away to be for ever with Christ, whom he served faithfully. This took place on the 11th of July 1923, in the presence of Mrs Tallach and six of his children, at the age of 65 years. It was noticed afterwards that on the Monday morning—the day on which he became ill—he addressed the people in the School-house from the words—”Arise, let us go hence.” The words were found in a diary which he kept: “Man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?” From the above truths it seems that he was aware that his end was near. But death did not find him unprepared. His remains were buried in the Raasay New Church-Yard, on the 13th day of July, there to remain till the day on which the trumpet of the mighty angel will be blown to call all the dead out of their graves, to stand before the great white throne.
He left a widow, who was his true help-meet in all his trials in the world, and four sons and four daughters, and also an aged brother, to each one of whom we desire to express our deepest sympathy, and also to all his mourners in Raasay. May the Lord take the sons instead of the father, and make them princes in the earth. “The righteous shall be held in everlasting remembrance.”
N. C.
That a man may lift up his head toward heaven, he must find nothing on earth whereon to lean it.— Luther.