IT is now over a hundred years since the Rev. Alexander Macleod was called to the parish of Uig, in Lewis. The sphere of his labours was anything but encouraging. Mr Macleod’s account of the spiritual condition of his flock may be quoted from his Diary in proof of what we have said. “The first month I laboured among this people,” he says, “I observed that they were extremely attentive to the preaching of the Word. But the truth made no visible impression on them. They seemed to be much afraid, and astonished at the truths delivered. You would, at the same time, read in their appearance that they were at a loss to understand what they were hearing. Having commenced to examine several of the parents previous to my dispensing the ordinance of baptism to them, I found that they (with very few exceptions) were grossly ignorant of the truths of Christianity as revealed in God’s Word. In questioning them respecting the covenants of work and grace, they acknowledged that they were perfectly ignorant of the origin, nature, and systems of both. There were but few among them that could tell me the names of our first parents, of Noah, or of any of the patriarchs and prophets, and but few could tell of the nature of our Lord’s mission, and the names of His disciples and their history. In asking how many sacraments Christ appointed, the answer in general was that He instituted seven. When I enquired their hope of salvation as to its grounds and foundation, good conduct and doing the best we could was the answer, and with regard to their expectation of heaven, they said it would be a wonderful favour to be somewhere else upon the borders of that happy place, though not admitted to the society of the holy. By such interviews, I have at once discerned their consummate ignorance of true religion, and that polluted remains of Popery, since it was the religion in this place, was the only notion they had of Christianity. Swearing, lies, and stealing were very common vices in the land, notwithstanding they were in general kind and obliging, and but few instances of drunkenness and uncleanness among them. After discovering the gross ignorance that universally prevailed in the parish, I found that I would require to begin the first principles of Christianity with them, and to make it my great care and study how to come to a level with their untutored capacities, so as to render the truths delivered intelligible to them.” Yet it was upon this dry and parched wilderness that the God of Salvation was to pour out floods upon the dry ground. The long, dark night of the reign of ignorance, formality, and indifference in religion was to pass away, and the rising of the Sun of Righteousness with healing in its wings was to be accompanied by the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit upon a people dwelling in the land and in the shadow of death. Moderateism, with its cold, dead, lifeless religion, had laid its chilling hand upon the services of the sanctuary, with the result that gross ignorance prevailed, not only in regard to spiritual religion, but even in regard to some of the best known facts of Biblical history.
At the date of Mr Macleod’s induction, notwithstanding what has been said in reference to the religious condition of the people, there were 1000 members on the communion roll. All and sundry communicated whether they were believers or not. Mr Macleod was not long there when his preaching began to have effect; it was so different to what the people had been accustomed. The Spirit of God began His work in the hearts of many. Hearers from the neighbouring parishes came to Uig, where the heavenly dew was falling. Two or three months after his induction at Uig, Mr Macleod notes in his Diary:—”Many young and old are in tears every Lord’s Day, and several are so affected as not to be able to contain themselves or to retire.” And under date 10th August he has the following entry:—”The same appearances are still increasing in our congregation every Sabbath Day. A considerable number are so affected that it is with difficulty that I can go on sometimes with the sermon.” In June 1827, when the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was dispensed for the first time since Mr Macleod’s induction, the communicants had dwindled from 1000 to 20, of whom only six communicated. The fan of truth in Mr Macleod’s preaching had swept the chaff from the winnowing floor. We leave it to Mr Macleod himself to describe the interesting occasion, and the feelings with which the communicants sat at the Lord’s Table, and the feelings of those looking on. “This is the first occasion,” he says, “we had the Communion here in my time, and only six individuals have come forward to the Lord’s Table. There were no more than twenty communicants in all. The whole of the unworthy communicants kept back, and a great many of our young converts did not take upon them to come forward. The congregation was much impressed through the whole day. When the elements were presented, there appeared as a shower of revival from the presence of the Lord through the whole congregation, and in serving the first and second tables (there being two tables only) the heavenly dew of gracious influences was evidently falling down on the people in so conspicuous a manner that, not only the friends of Christ, but also the enemies of the Lord, cannot forget an occasion and a scene so singularly remarkable, in which all acknowledge that God was of a truth among us. But all this might be called the commencement of what happened afterwards, for when our young converts saw the uncommon liberty that was granted to the pastors in addressing those who sat at the table, they were still more impressed and filled, as it were, with new wine and holy solemnity. Much disappointment now appeared among several of them that they had not taken out tokens, and so were not prepared to come forward. Pungent conviction, towards the evening, took hold of some of them for not obeying Christ’s command. It was a night ever to be remembered in this place, in which the whole of it was spent in religious exercises, whether in private or together with others, in cases mingled with unusual instances of joy and sorrow. While these things were carried on, the ungodly themselves were in tears, and iniquity for a time dwindled into nothing, covered her brazen face, and was greatly ashamed. On Monday, many felt sadly disappointed when they saw that the ungodly had kept back from the table, and when they perceived that the Lord’s people were so greatly refreshed in commemorating His death, that they did not timeously prepare for the duty, and that, after the Lord in every way cleared the way for them, they were not ready. This circumstance caused much sorrow, and more so as there is no doubt but some supposed that some of the most promising of the Lord’s people would not communicate at this time. But when they saw that those went forward, and that they themselves were not ready, and when they were convinced then in their consciences that they were led to follow the example of men rather than sincere regard to Christ’s command and the commemoration of His dying love, the whole circumstances of the case came home with peculiar force to their consciences, and they were humbled low in the dust. But this prepared their souls for receiving the excellent sermon preached by the Rev. Mr Macdonald [of Ferintosh] on the following day, from John xvi. 22—”And ye now therefore shall sorrow but I will see you again, and your hearts shall rejoice.” The Lord’s people were greatly impressed and refreshed by this sermon, and they descended from the mount with songs and praises.”
The effects of this great revival were lasting and it was the beginning of a brighter day for the Island of Lewis, the effects of which are felt to this day, though those who knew Lewis in the days of old will be ready to say compared with what it is and what it was: “The glory has departed.”
Scotland has been a highly favoured land as far as notable revivals are concerned. One has only to think of the Stewarton, Kirk of Shotts, Cambuslang, Kilsyth, and Dundee Revivals in corroboration of this statement, and the lasting effect of these revivals was seen in the changed lives of thousands who to the day of their death adorned the doctrine of their God and Saviour. Now and again, especially in modern times, we have been visited by so-called revivals, which caused a good deal of excitement, but which have had a disastrous, rather than a beneficial effect on vital godliness. To such the words of Dr Kennedy, in his “Hyper-Evangelism” apply and merit our serious attention:—”I have had to endure the trial of watching a darling child, during her dying hours. Spasm, succeeding spasm, was the only movement indicating life, each one as it came shattering the frame which it convulsed, and thus wearing out its strength. While the spasms lasted I knew there still was life, but I also knew that these must soon end in death. There was life, but it was dying, and the convulsions of life soon ended in death. But after the double pain came the ecstasy of a resurrection hope, and my heart could sing beside the grave, that covered for a season my dead out of my sight. With still greater grief, should I look on my Church in a spasmodic state, subject to convulsions, which only indicate that her life is departing, the result of revivals got up by man.”
It is well for us to remember the years of the right hand of the Most High, and if the recalling of these days of old will make us more earnest in pleading that God would visit not only the Highlands, but the whole world, with a day of power by the outpouring of His Spirit our meditation will not have been in vain. The Psalmist could say, “Mine eyes fail for thy salvation and for the word of thy righteousness.” May it be given to us all to plead with God in the words of the prophet: “O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.”