MRS. MACKAY passed away at Dunvegan on 20th December, 1944. She was the daughter of John MacSwan, Skinden, Dunvegan, who was one who feared the Lord in his day, but piety is not hereditary, neither does one come to be in possession of it by the example of others, and so, the subject of this sketch passed many years of her life concerned only about the things of the world. However, when God’s time came she experienced the all-important change in such a way that the things of the world became very small in her estimation and she considered spiritual and eternal realities as that which really matters.
She had much of the afflictions of this world. When comparatively young she lost her husband, who, though not a professing man, was reckoned some years before he was taken away, to have undergone a saving change. She was left with the care of four orphans, and a few months afterwards one of the daughters was fatally burned. Under these vicissitudes the Lord sustained her, though, at the time, she was ignorant of Him, and proved Himself to be the widow’s stay and help of the orphans. We have no means now of finding out what were her exercises of mind under these trials, but afterwards she was enabled to praise the goodness of the Lord towards her at that time.
Since coming to live at Dunvegan, her place was never vacant in Vatten Church, unless through bodily affliction, and often, when not able to do anything in the house during the week, she would be in the House of God on Sabbath, and thus her conduct condemned that of many who take the most trifling excuse to absent themselves from the means of grace, while able, during the week, to work hard. Though not communicative as to her own experience she took a special delight in speaking of the Lord’s people, and we often noticed that when a note bearing on their experience was told her, her very face betrayed that she was, by no means, a stranger to their experiences. During the last year which she lived, she often spoke of death as that which she expected at any time. A considerable time before the end, on more than one occasion, she said to her daughter who dutifully attended to her: “Let it not worry you although you would find me dead in bed, for all is well.” Though gradually getting weaker the end came rather suddenly, and she left this world of sorrow to experience the eternal joys which are at God’s right hand.—J. C.