THE Dingwall congregation has occasion to record for the second time within a year the removal by death of one of its Elders.
The late Mr. Maciver, who passed to his rest on the 15th day of August, 1934, was a most diligent, earnest servant of the Lord. He was born and brought up in the lovely valley of Strathconon, and there his mortal remains were laid to rest, among those of his forefathers and kinsfolk, until the heavens be no more. In early life he had to go forth into the world to earn his livelihood, and in the holy providence of the Lord, settled down for a season in England.
While in England, he so greatly missed the pure preaching of the gospel that at length he sold his business, and, in order to be near St. Jude’s Church, went to Glasgow. His course there was not the smooth and pleasant one which he expected. He had sore trials which he referred to once and again. On one particular Sabbath, he was greatly relieved and assisted through a sermon of the late Rev. N. Cameron, on the text, Phil iii. 2-3—“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision, etc.” He shortly after this gave up his business in Glasgow, and came to Inverness to live with his brother and sister.
During much of the time in Inverness, although the gospel was preached there, his lament was “Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the first-ripe fruit.” This experience sent him occasionally to Dingwall to seek the bread of life there. At the January communion in Inverness in 1909, and at the concluding service on Monday he obtained his desire, his lament was changed into a song of praise, he partook richly of the “feast of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees will refined.” The best wine seemed to be kept to the last. Animated by his subject, the preacher’s face shone (the late Rev. D. McFarlane) as in the words of his text he gave forth the exhortation, “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him, in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart” (Song of Solomon, iii. II). Kenneth’s soul obtained ravishing views of the “King in His beauty and the land that is far off.” This experience acted as a spur urging him to go the more often to Dingwall where his hungry soul got many a crumb of the living bread; so much so indeed, that he longed to sit regularly under Mr. McFarlane’s ministry. His opportunity came when a coal merchant’s business was for sale in Strathpeffer. He bought it and went to reside there.
For many years after going to Strathpeffer, he used to walk to the Dingwall Church on Sabbath. Given to meditation, in order not to be disturbed, he often left the highroad and walked by a bye-path. While going by this bye-path on one occasion he came upon a sheep entangled in a thorn bush, and so famished and exhausted by its long struggle to get free, which but increased the entanglement, that it lay helpless and half-dead on its back. The sight touched a responsive chord in his heart. Unable to release the poor creature in any other way, he had, perforce, to cut the bush which held it, near the root. Feeling itself released seemed to give the sheep new life; up it sprang and trotted slowly away carrying the bush on its back and likely to do so until its fleece should be removed. Later at a Fellowship Meeting he recounted this incident and compared the plight of the sheep to that of the believer overtaken by a strong temptation which holds him the more tightly the more he struggles to free himself until his strength being gone he falls down helpless. But, be his plight what it may, he is watched over by the Good Shepherd who in His sovereign way, when hope appears lost, sends from heaven deliverance, yet the believer will carry the mark of that trial with him until he lays down the earthly house of this tabernacle at death. One who was present and heard his remarks afterwards thanked him, saying she derived great comfort from them as they so fitted her case.
Being unable to attend the Inverness communion on one occasion and knowing his Pastor was going there he went to the Dingwall station at the hour at which he expected him to depart. He found him seated in the train. “You are going to Israel’s testimony, to God’s name thanks to pay,” he said. The salutation so rejoiced his Pastor’s heart that on his return he preached refreshingly from that text. Thus “he that watereth is watered himself.”
It is due to the memory of Mr. Maciver to put on record that he manifested his deep attachment to the late Rev. D. Macfarlane, by writing out so many of his sermons. He, as a rule, weekly for a period, came to Mr. Macfarlane’s Manse, to accomplish this labour of love. He also received from Mr. Macfarlane an account of the latter’s life which was made full use of in the Memoir of Rev. D. Macfarlane. It was noticeable how any remark which reminded him of Mr. Macfarlane or other worthy men whom he knew would cause him to rejoice in soul. He himself was not slow to do what he could to help his brethren, although felt unworthiness would often lead him to seek that others should hold the service in preference to himself. The tabernacle had been falling rapidly for quite a period before the end. Others realised that, more even than he himself.
He was visited on the Sabbath evening before his end and wished Psalm 130 to be read and sung. On the Wednesday evening in the presence of quite a number of us, he passed peacefully away.
He was tenderly cared for to the end. His widow and other members of his household had great privileges in having his exercises at family-worship and otherwise while he was with them. We sympathise with them in their loss. May they have like precious faith, love, and diligence to use the means of grace as he had! Such shall then not be put to shame at Christ’s appearing and His Kingdom.—D. A. MacF. and F. B.
Short Gleaning.
INFINITE COMPASSION.
There is One whose compassions are infinite. The love and tenderness of ten thousand earthly friends, of ten thousand mothers towards their sucklings, if compared with His, are less than a drop of water to the ocean; and His power is infinite, too. Why, then, do our sufferings continue, when He is so compassionate, and could remove them with a word? Surely, if we cannot give the particular reasons (which yet He will acquaint us with hereafter, John viii. 7), the general reason is at hand; He afflicts not for His own pleasure, but for our profit, to make us partakers of His holiness, and because He loves us.—John Newton.
News may come that Truth is sick, but never that it is dead.—
William Gurnall.