Mrs. Milne was born at Dell House, Ness, Parish of Barvas, Lewis, on 17th January, 1876. Her parents feared the Lord. Her paternal grandmother was a woman of outstanding piety. The Rev. Duncan MacBeath, Mr. James Finlayson and Mr. Malcolm MacLeod — for whom she had a particular regard — were well known to her. She profited much by their teaching and experience. Her maiden name was MacFarquhar.
After qualifying, she began to teach at Auchtercairn School, Gairloch, Ross-shire, in 1899. In August, 1901, she married Mr. G. H. T. Milne, a schoolmaster and the first seven years of their married life were spent at Gairloch. From Gairloch, they moved to Lionel, Ness; thence to Bettyhill, Sutherland-shire and thence to Scourie, where her husband retired. After his death in June, 1937, she removed to Dalavich, Taynuilt, where she stayed with a son and later to Birnam to stay with her daughter, Muriel, in May, 1945. There she died at Larrichmore, Birnam, on 2nd December, 1957.
The Lord began to deal savingly with her when she was very young, giving her, by His Word and Spirit, a true sense of sin and an apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ.
She made a public profession — so far as we are able to ascertain — in the year 1896. Mrs Milne had a high regard for the distinctive testimony of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland, which was raised in 1893 against the poisonous doctrines of the Declaratory Act of 1892.
One of our ministers visited her in October, 1957. In course of conversation she said, “When I was four years old I heard Dr. Kennedy, Dingwall, preach in Stornoway. My grandmother afterwards asked if I had remembered anything I had heard. I said, ‘Yes. Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.’ ‘Well,’ she replied, ‘You hold on to that.'”
A woman of high intelligence, sanctified by grace, Mrs. Milne spent much time in prayer and meditation on the Scriptures. We cull the following from her voluminous correspondence. “When the mourners sat by Babel’s streams, they did not throw away their harps, but hung them on willow-trees so that they would use them again.” This was written when our church was passing through great trouble.
Again, “In the past few weeks we have been reading a good deal about the Second Advent, but the Saviour’s words are above all human curiosity, ‘It is not for you to know . . .’ Personally we feel rebuked.”
We take the following notes from her Fragment Book. “When God designed the great plan of salvation for fallen man, He appointed, in His great wisdom, two great means thereof—one was giving His Son for them, the other, His Spirit to them.”
“The great and difficult work of faith is to see sin and Christ at the same time. The more we know of both, the nearer our approach to Heaven.”
“What is harder than the searchings of the law? To come back from the north country after backsliding.”
“Why did the wise virgins fall asleep? It might be because they were in company with the foolish.”
“We are all journeying towards Eternity, but the direction in which we are moving is of more importance than the point which we have reached.”
After Mrs. Milne moved to Dalavich, her name was entered on the Oban Communion Roll. She was able to attend Communion Services at Oban for a few years and these occasions were greatly prized by her.
She had her own share of grief and trouble, losing two young boys about the same time in tragic circumstances. For her, the end came very suddenly and so she entered into the joy of her Lord.
Her remains were taken to Bettyhill and buried there by the graves of her husband and two young sons, to await a glorious resurrection. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” (1 Thess. iv. 16).
To her three daughters, five sons and to all her relations, we extend our sincere sympathy in their sore bereavement.
“His servants shall serve Him and they shall see His face.”
M. MacS.