One of our late ministers related the following interesting and impressive story in my hearing many years ago. In 1892 the late Rev. Neil Cameron, Glasgow, attended a communion season at Onich, near Fort William. He was then a young Divinity student. The Onich minister, the Rev. Mr MacAskill, had the assistance of the Rev. Donald MacFarlane, Kilmallie (afterwards of Dingwall). On Monday after the morning prayer meeting, Mr Cameron called at the Manse to pay them his respects. He was shown into the study where he found Mr MacFarlane in deep meditation as he paced the floor preparing for the thanksgiving service. Mr Cameron expressed the hope that the inclemency of the weather would not prevent people from attending the service. Mr MacFarlane replied: “Very well, Neil, let us go on our knees and ask the Lord for favourable weather should that be His blessed will.” Rising off their knees it was obvious that the wind and rain had already moderated considerably. Wonderful indeed is the efficacy of the fervent prayer of the righteous.
A number of other friends came into the Manse for breakfast; after which they all returned to the study for family worship. Mr MacAskill read part of Psalm 102, and asked Mr Cameron to sing from verse 16.
“Thou shalt arise, and mercy have
upon thy Sion yet;
The time to favour her is come,
the time that thou hast set.
For in her rubbish and her stones
thy servants pleasure take;
Yea they the very dust thereof
do favour for her sake.”
Mr Cameron, however, declined notwithstanding much persuasion. Mr MacAskill having noticed his distress of mind, asked another person to lead the praise. When only the three of them were left in the study, Mr MacAskill asked Mr Cameron his reason for refusing to sing at worship, to which he replied: “Since worship began, God showed to me that, if we are faithful to the Cause of Christ in the near future when the Declaratory Act will become binding on the consciences of all holding office under the Free Church, the three of us shall never worship God together again in this Manse.” Rev. D. MacFarlane and Mr Neil Cameron stood faithful in the day of battle, which proved that the latter had the mind of God.
Our friend, the late Rev. A. Beaton, Gairloch, was much associated with the late Rev. Neil Cameron, Glasgow, for several years before he entered the Glasgow University to study for the ministry. Mr Cameron told him many profitable and interesting anecdotes from his own experience and that of the godly throughout the Highlands. Of those we have two recorded by Mr Beaton in the Young People’s Magazine, Volume XXIII, March 1959. In Mr Cameron’s own words the first is as follows:
“Some time before the Synod of November 1905 met (at which a motion for a conference with the present Free Church with a view to union was proposed), on the way from the North, I passed a night at Carrbridge in the house of Donald Fraser, a brother of Duncan Fraser, who also resided there. That night I had a remarkable dream. In my dream, I was at the Synod and made a counter motion opposing those who were for union, the words of which motion I saw clearly. The Synod met shortly after and the motion for a conference to pave the way for union was duly moved and seconded. Although notice of the motion was given at the morning sederunt, I had nothing prepared as I expected the late Rev. Donald MacFarlane to make a counter motion. Mr MacFarlane, however, would have me make it. In the pressing circumstances I rose, not knowing what to say. No sooner had I done so than the motion I had seen in my dream came distinctly before me as if written on paper. It is as follows:—“This Synod refuses to consider any motion for union with any Church which does not hold the absolute infallibility of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and the whole doctrine contained in the Confession of Faith, both in her profession and practice; and it warns the office-bearers of this Church of the danger of following divisive courses contrary to the solemn engagements under which they came at their ordination; and, further, it instructs the Presbyteries and Kirk-Sessions to maintain order and discipline in the several congregations under their charge, in accordance with the constitution of this Church, as necessity may arise.”
After telling us the above, Mr Cameron remarked, “This is the motion we are still holding to as a Church.”
“After that sederunt of Synod,” he continued, “I met Mr Duncan Fraser, Carrbridge, who said to me, ‘Well, there was something heavenly about that motion of yours this evening.’ I said to him, ‘Well Duncan, that was not my motion at all, for every word of it came to me in my sleep in your brother’s house at Carrbridge.’”
Mr Beaton also wrote: Another incident was told us by the Rev. Neil Cameron and I see no reason why it should not be published. It was in connection with the movement for union with the Free Church before the year 1905. He and the Rev. George Mackay were assisting the Rev. Alexander Stewart at the Communion at Oban. Mr Cameron conducted the Gaelic service on Monday forenoon, and knowing that Mr Mackay and Mr Stewart were not of his mind regarding union, he made it his business to speak a good deal about the distinctive testimony of the Free Presbyterian Church, and showed why there should be no move made for union until a church could be found with the same distinctive testimony.
Rev. George Mackay was to conduct the evening service in English. However, there was a portion of Scripture all day before Mr Cameron’s mind and, as he said, “seeing the Scripture was so much impressed upon my mind, I would not wonder though I would have to preach at night.” “We went to church,” Mr Cameron continued, “and when Mr Mackay announced his text he could not proceed any further, and asked me to take his place. No, I said, carry on yourself. Mr Mackay however said, ‘No, I cannot,’ and then sat down.” In these circumstances Mr Cameron had to preach and took for his text the portion of Scripture with which he had been so much impressed during the day, and reaffirmed what he had said in the forenoon, regarding church matters.
“When we went home after the service,” he went on, “I asked both Mr Mackay and Mr Stewart if it had been agreed between them that Mr Mackay would contradict at the evening service all I had said about the churches at the previous service. They both admitted that such was the case. — I see now, I said to Mr Mackay, why the Lord closed your mouth.”
The secret of the Lord is with
such as do fear his name;
And he his holy covenant
will manifest to them. (Metrical Psalm XXV, 14).