THE REV. LACHLAN MACKENZIE, LOCHCARRON.
THE Rev. Lachlan Mackenzie, Lochcarron, familiarly known as “Mr Lachlan,” occupies a very high place in the estimation of God-fearing people in the North of Scotland. Added to his outstanding piety there was a spark of genius that gave a distinction to his utterances which lifted them far above the common-place. There were also in his ministerial career certain picturesque incidents which caught the attention and appealed to the imagination of the people among whom he laboured so long and with such zeal for God’s glory and devotion to their everlasting interests.
The Rev. Lachlan Mackenzie was born in 1754 in Kilmuir-Wester, Ross-shire. His father, Donald Mackenzie, occupied a farm on the property of Kilcoy, and was connected with some of the first families in the district. His mother, Elizabeth Clark, was a native of the parish of Pettie. She was considered a remarkably clever and well-educated woman, and endeared herself exceedingly to the people among whom she resided by her benevolence.
Young Lachlan received his first education in the parish school of Pettie, and at the early age of eight he was brought under the power of the truth. He was known to have been called upon at the age of thirteen to engage in prayer at a prayer meeting held in the district, and it is said the aged men regretted, owing to his modesty, he would not be prevailed upon oftener to come forward in public. His biographer says:—”He was observed to have the appearance of a solemn sense of the All-seeing Eye upon his spirit all along, in school and at college, as well as in after life. He was kept very humble in early life by the mental and spiritual conflicts he endured, being deeply exercised with a sense of the corruption and wickedness of the heart, the suggestions of unbelief, and the wiles of Satan.”
Mr Lachlan underwent the usual Arts and Divinity courses required of ministers of the Church of Scotland at Aberdeen. Prior to being licensed, he taught school at Lochcarron, and here the piety of his life began to attract attention. The godly people not only at Lochcarron, but in the neighbouring districts, were instinctively drawn to the prayer meetings conducted by the young schoolmaster. The warm earnestness of Mr Lachlan and his earnest zeal came suddenly into contact with the cold, dead formality of Moderateism. Some of the ministers of the Presbytery of the bounds opposed the prayer meetings held by the schoolmaster. It was during this period that a new manse at Lochcarron was built, and on passing it one evening, Mr Lachlan went into one of the rooms and engaged in prayer. While thus engaged, the words of Ps. lx. 6, “I will measure the valley of Succoth,” took possession of his mind. He diligently inquired what the meaning of the words could be. He was led to understand that as Succoth was a hilly country the Lord might have some work for him among the hills and valleys of the Highlands, if not in Lochcarron itself. But at this time it was very unlikely the latter place should be the scene of his labours, as there were three of the members of the Presbytery that were quite opposed to his being licensed at all. But as these were soon removed by death, Mr Lachlan was licensed without any opposition. Mr Thomas Mackenzie of Applecross, being friendly to the young licentiate, as well as the people on his property, procured for him the Crown presentation to the parish of Lochcarron. The news of the presentation was received with great joy by the people, and then began in Lochcarron one of the most blessed and notable ministries in the North of Scotland. With burning zeal for God and His cause, and yearning desires for the salvation of his people, the young minister was soon made painfully conscious that it required a great more than natural endowments, sanctified though they might be for the Master’s use. The loose living of some of the people, excessive drinking, and Sabbath profanation, required much more than stern denunciation to eradicate them. God’s own power was necessary, and Mr Lachlan fully realised this. Bad as Lochcarron was at this time, it was greatly reformed by what it was when Mr Sage came to it.
By way of an effort to improve the habits of the people, Mr Lachlan drew up the following rules:—
“Church of Lochcarron, 26th September 1792.—Whereas it is the duty of all who love the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to depart from iniquity, and, as we are desired to abstain from all appearance of evil, we, the after subscribers, conscious that it is our duty to have the cause of God and the interests of religion and morality at heart; finding that great irregularities are practised at burials and other meetings, and even on sacramental occasions; and as we know that other people make an excuse and take an example from the conduct of those who are reputed religious, and observing with regret that the Sabbath is shamefully profaned by idle talk in the church-yard, have come to the following resolutions, which we are determined, in the strength of God, inviolably to adhere to, viz:—
“ 1. That none of us will taste a single drop of spirits at a burial after the body is interred; but, if the corpse is carried a good distance, and if the day be so coarse as to make it necessary to take a little on the road, that we shall do so at a decent distance from the church-yard, and only take a very little, if necessary, to refresh nature; but, if the day be good, that we shall not take any liquor but what we take at the house from whence the corpse shall be taken; and that, when the body is consigned to the earth, we shall immediately come to our respective homes. And however willing a poor widow may be, from a mistaken principle, to spend a good deal of whisky at the burial of her husband, we are determined that we shall not lay such a burden upon our consciences as to spend wantonly at the burial what might afterwards be of service to the widow and orphans. Whereas any of us singly, from slavish fear, might be afraid to break from this absurd and wicked practice, we hereby resolve, unanimously, to join together in breaking through it, so as that the world cannot be able to lay the blame upon an individual, but upon the whole of us taken collectively.
“ 2. We hereby resolve, and promise solemnly and faithfully, in the sight of God, that, if we see or hear of any communicant being the worse of liquor at any meeting, especially a burial or sacrament, we will inform against him, so that he may be proceeded against according to the rules of the Church.
“ 3. That every one shall go home immediately after sermon, and not stay in the church-yard conversing on idle or worldly topics.
“ 4. That if any habit or practice, contrary to the Word of God, shall be observed in the parish, we shall do our utmost to suppress it.
“ 5. That if any of us, through slavish fear, or a desire to gratify an appetite, shall break through any of these resolutions, he shall be reckoned infamous.
“ 6. and lastly, that to the utmost of our power, we will endeavour to observe the utmost regularity at our sacramental occasions.”
That there was much room for improvement religiously in Lochcarron may be readily gleaned from some of the statements made in the foregoing paper of resolutions. The first signature to these resolutions was that of Mr Donald Kennedy, Kishorn, the father of the saintly Rev. John Kennedy, Redcastle, and the grandfather of that prince of northern preachers, Dr John Kennedy, Dingwall.
(To be continued).