MISS GRACE MACDONALD was born in the parish of Kirkhill, Inverness-shire, in the year 1851. While she was yet a child, her father removed to the farm of Flowerdale, Gairloch, Ross-shire. The writer gathered from remarks which fell from Miss Macdonald’s lips that her early training in religion and morals had been scrupulously attended to. When the saving change took place, the writer cannot say; but that it did take place no one who had the privilege of knowing her could doubt—her daily walk and conversation gave ample proof of it. The family removed from the farm of Flowerdale to that of Kerrysdale in the year 1886, and here she lived to the end of her earthly pilgrimage.
The writer met Miss Macdonald for the first time in 1892. He had then the privilege of enjoying her hospitality for several weeks. The impression she made on his mind was that she was truly a God-fearing woman, and that she possessed an uncommon amount of prudence as to what she could say and do, and of real womanly modesty. She manifested since 1893 steadfastness towards the witness of the Free Presbyterian Church, and did all in her power to advance that witness for truth.
The Rev. J. R. Mackay was our first settled minister in Gairloch. He lodged with Miss Macdonald during all the years of his ministry there, and he being one of the Tutors of the Free Presbyterian Church, this caused that our divinity students also lodged with her during several sessions. They all admired her subdued and meek spirit, and the interest she showed in their concerns. She also did all she could to lodge under her hospitable roof such as came to attend the Communions at Gairloch. She was like Gaius, of whom it is written:—”Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers.” She had truly the Scriptural mark—”We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” She made every one who had the privilege of enjoying her hospitality to feel quite at home. With a house full of people, one would feel that she attended with punctuality to the concerns of each individual as though she had no one else to attend to. Her ability to conduct the affairs of her house was a very conspicuous trait of her character. The order kept was admirable; divine worship was strictly attended to each morning and evening, even during the busiest seasons. The things of the world, one felt, were at all times and in all circumstances subservient to the claims of the soul and of God and of eternity. Notwithstanding her modesty and gentleness, she was firm and faithful in her strict adherence to duty and conscience as to her obligations to obey God even at the hazard of losing man’s favour. This feature of her character was made manifest to the writer in this way:—A young man from the South of Scotland, a visitor who boarded in her house, was accidentally drowned while bathing in a river that passed near the house. This sad happening took place on a Saturday. The friend who accompanied the young man made arrangements to remove the body on Sabbath evening in order to overtake an early train on Monday morning at a station 27 miles away. When this became known to Miss Macdonald, she went to speak to the gentleman, and warned him of the sin this would involve him in. She advised him to put back the arrangements he had made, and to settle upon starting about 3 a.m. on Monday, which would give him ample time to overtake the train. The man took her advice, thanked her for it, and ever after respected her very highly.
Miss Macdonald was one of the most self-sacrificing persons the writer met with. Her Christian sympathy caused her to forget her own weakness and fatigue in attending upon others in their sufferings. In the providence of God, the sufferings of her dearest relatives put this to the severest test. She did her utmost to attend to them in their afflictions, neglecting herself in so doing. Her constitution was so thoroughly undermined that her life was, humanly speaking, in the balance for several weeks. She seemed for a time to be on the improving side, and friends began to harbour a hope that her health would be restored, but the Lord’s purpose concerning her was otherwise. She gradually got weaker and weaker until the time appointed came to call her to her everlasting rest. The writer saw her on her deathbed, and asked her a few questions concerning her hope. Her answer was to the effect that one thing she could say was that all the hope she had was entirely placed in Christ, and that she could say that He was precious to her. Shortly after that she was delivered from sorrowing and sighing over her own sins and the sins of others, and departed to the only place where sorrow and sighing shall never enter.
Thus ended the beautiful and consistent life of this Christian woman. The above are a few of the fragments of divine grace gathered up, so that they may not be lost. “She did what she could.”
The Rev. R. Mackenzie, our present minister at Gairloch, sends the following tribute:—”The period of my acquaintance with Miss Macdonald was short, but sufficiently long to enable me to know and enjoy the example of her Christian life, and to cherish a fond memory of it. Her low estimate of herself and of her attainments, her gentleness and loving warmth of spirit, her devotedness to the cause of Christ, as also to the cause of the afflicted and the destitute, the earnestness of her waiting upon God, and her reverent submission to His word and will—these and other features of her character have made an abiding impression on my mind. In no instance have I been more struck than on the occasion of her death with the force of a remark one made to the effect that when the Lord’s people are being taken away so much of heaven departs with them, meaning, of course, that so much of the influence of God’s Spirit is withdrawn. This must specially appear to those still among us who, during the past number of years, have followed the Beloved in His garden as He fed and gathered lilies, and who have seen the choicest blossoms gathered home, and the atmosphere of fragrant piety that lingered around them in the world gradually displaced. Alas! that so little of heaven is left, and that so few of our fathers’ children are being raised to perpetuate by the grace of God that influence which is as salt in the earth and as light in the world! May the Lord comfort the mourners in Zion, and hasten to recover us from spiritual desolation!”
The writer expresses his heartfelt sympathy with her younger sister, who had been with her all her days, and towards whom she manifested a motherly affection and care to the last, and with all the members of the family, and also with the congregation of Gairloch in their loss of a worthy member and a true Free Presbyterian.—N. C.