Robert Murray MacCheyne MacSween, to give him his full name, was born in 1935, the second son of the late Mr Donald MacSween, who was
latterly our Missionary in the congregation of Flashadder in the Island of Skye. His mother, Johan MacIntosh, was a native of Mugarry, in the Parish of Portree, and was a pious woman. Her reason for giving her second son this name was that the Holy Spirit had been pleased to bless the reading of MacCheyne’s sermons to the conversion of her soul.
Robert was thus brought up in a Godly home, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. He was a strong, athletic youth, and after he left home went to school in Inverness. Later he joined the Merchant Navy, and in his day was the youngest Bo’sun in that fleet. During his sea-faring days, he had some very narrow escapes from death in very dangerous circumstances. He was to say afterwards, when he had read the life of John Newton, that it reminded him vividly of his own adventurous life. These escapes from death, however, made no impression on him. He had turned his back, sadly, on all the teaching and example he had received in the house of his parents, and plunged headlong into the world and all its vanities and false pleasures. He married and settled down in Glasgow as a taxi driver. On one occasion he happened to open his Bible, which he normally did not read at all, and it opened at Daniel Chapter 5: 25, and he read these words, which alarmed him, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin” — thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting”. He concluded from this verse that he had committed the sin against the Holy Ghost for which there is no forgiveness. Far from this thought striking him with the terror of the certainty of going to a lost eternity, it had the very opposite effect. Since he concluded that there was no forgiveness for him, he decided to enjoy as much of the world’s pleasures as he could, while left in this world. On occasions he would be passing St. Jude’s Church in his taxi, and as he saw the congregation going in and out of the church he felt nothing but pity for them, as they were not enjoying the pleasures of sin as he was. He was a real prodigal son, very far from God and His house, lost in the world and in its ways. After one of his escapes from death, while at sea, he returned home to Skye, and while there, his godly mother told him that he should be thankful that God had taken care of him during his time at sea, but he maintained there was no mercy for him, although she tried to show that this was a temptation. He remained unconvinced, however, although he did acknowledge that his father must have been following him with his prayers during this last adventure, as he had felt unusually helped when operating the boat in which he and his companion nearly perished.
On a particular occasion he had a gentleman in his taxi. This man said to him that he noted that Robert had a Highland accent, and hoped that
he was going to church. Robert replied that he did not go to church, and the man seriously advised him to do so. Robert brushed this advice aside, and at first resolved to pay no attention to it.
It happened, however, that there was a Church near where he lived, and one Sabbath Day he suddenly decided to go there. As he sat among the congregation, in surroundings now so strange to one who had never been inside a church for years, he regretted having come in, and hoped that no-one there would know him. He was tempted to leave, but did remain. The preacher’s text that day was, “Is not my word like as a fire?” saith the Lord; “and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” Jeremiah 23: 29. Robert was very much impressed by the text and the sermon, as the Holy Spirit applied it to his soul. He came under deep conviction of sin. He often remarked on the goodness of the Lord in preserving him at this time, especially when he would be driving along the motorway to and fro from the Airport, with his eyes streaming with tears on account of his sorrow in having so sinned against God, that he could not see clearly, while cars on either side of him were passing him at seventy miles an hour. He saw the Lord’s hand in preserving him and others in such circumstances. At this time, however, he was still of the mind that he had committed the sin against the Holy Ghost. Since he did not believe that there was mercy for him, he did not pray for mercy, although feeling his need of it so greatly. In the morning he prayed he would be spared until the evening, and at night he prayed that he would be spared until the morning. He continued in this distressed state of mind for some considerable time. In his distress he read his Bible extensively. While he was waiting for passengers in the taxi ranks he spent his time reading the Word of God. One morning while driving along in his taxi, and meditating on what he had been reading in the Scriptures, he obtained such a view of the glory of God as encouraged him to believe that there could be mercy in God for him. He now began to pray for mercy, for the sake of the Saviour who died and who rose again. This prayer of his was eventually answered in secret, and he was brought to the knowledge of the Saviour. The tears he now wept were tears at the thought of so great a sinner obtaining mercy through such a glorious Saviour, and were mingled with the joy of salvation.
He now desired that others would come to taste of this salvation. In the days of his spiritual darkness a half bottle of whisky was carried in his taxi. This was now replaced by a bundle of Gospel Tracts, one of which he offered to each passenger with a word of advice. He must have distributed thousands of tracts in this way. He had a most unusual gift of
speaking to people about their spiritual interests, and inviting them to come to church. “If all I invited would come to church, St. Jude’s would not hold them,” he used to say. A Roman Catholic priest came into his taxi once, and asked to be taken to Glasgow University. The priest had some cases of books with him. When Robert remarked on this the priest said he was giving a lecture on philosophy at the university, and was on his way to deliver it. Robert then asked him if he thought that it was necessary to know philosophy to understand the Gospel. The priest assured him that in his opinion no-one could understand the Gospel without the knowledge of philosophy. To this Robert replied in his solemn way “I am sorry to tell you that you are wrong; philosophy is the wisdom of men, but the Gospel is the wisdom of God.” This remark, and the way in which it was said, made such an impression upon the priest that when he came out of the taxi he said to Robert, “I never met a man like you before, please pray for me.”
At this time in his spiritual experience Robert was greatly helped by his aunt, Mrs MacSween. Flora Robertson, as she was before she married, was a native of Sleat, in the Island of Skye. She was brought up in the Church of Scotland, but, on coming to Glasgow, she met and married Mr Alexander MacSween, a brother of Robert’s father. Through her marriage she came to St. Jude’s congregation. Her initial reaction, on hearing the preaching there, was to feel rebellion against it, but at the same time she had a conviction that this preaching was the truth. The death of a little daughter of about four years was blessed to her also, and she began to come under soul concern and conviction of sin, which continued for some time. She came to the liberty of the Gospel in secret, the words “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled,” being made especially precious to her. She was later exercised as to her duty to sit at the Lord’s Table, and was encouraged by the words, “Why criest thou unto Me? Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward.”
She was a most judicious and well-informed Christian lady. She knew the joys and sorrows of the gracious soul. On one occasion she heard a minister say, “holiness in the experience of the people of God is more in the desire than in the actual attainment, so the Saviour says, ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.'” “That was a great help to me for many a day,” she used to say. She was in every way fitted to be a help to a young Christian, and she found great delight in the company of her once erring nephew, of whom it could now be said, as was said of the prodigal son, “It was meet that
we should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.” Mrs MacSween passed away to her eternal rest on 10th June 1983.
Robert’s amazing knowledge of the Scriptures after so many years of neglect must be attributed to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. If anyone exemplified the meaning of the truth, “To be spiritually minded is life and peace,” Romans 8: 6, he did. The wonder of the salvation which is in Christ filled his mind to such an extent that he seemed to have little desire to speak of anything else. He came before the Kirk Session in St. Jude’s asking to be admitted to the Lord’s Table for the first time. The Session were very satisfied with him, and looked forward to such a man becoming very useful in the Cause of Christ among us. His warm-hearted and lovable disposition made him an attractive Christian, with a witness that was clear and unambiguous. Of him it could be truly said, as is declared of the people of God “For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country, and truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out they might have had opportunity to have returned, but now they desire a better country, that is an heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He hath prepared for them a city.” Hebrews 11: 14-16.
Shortly before his death, Robert was one day in the company of a cousin of his. He was as usual in a spiritual frame of mind, but on this occasion his whole theme was the glory that the people of God were to enjoy in heaven. He seemed to have a most unusual insight into this glory on that occasion, and spoke of it with ardour. “I should have realised,” said his cousin, “that Robert was not long for this world, when he was in such a frame of soul.” We were all surprised to learn that he had developed a heart condition, as he seemed such a strong and healthy man. It was decided that he would need a heart by-pass operation. When he entered the hospital to prepare for the operation he was in his usual spiritually minded state, speaking to his fellow-patients about the needs of their souls, and the preciousness of Christ. While waiting to have the operation he mentioned to the Sister who was attending to him that he was enjoying such peace in his soul that he was fully reconciled to the outcome of the operation, whether it would be life or death. Like the Apostle Paul he could truly say “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” To the great sorrow of all who knew him, he passed away during the operation, and entered the glory of which he had had such a wonderful glimpse some time before.
We had looked forward with anticipation to Robert becoming, in due
course, a useful office-bearer, as he was such a bright Christian. He was very gifted in public prayer and had a notable gift of utterance. His warm-hearted love to souls sprang from his sense of thankfulness that there was a Saviour for such a sinner as he knew himself to be. He very much relished the preaching of the Gospel. He made good use of his waiting at the taxi ranks not only to read his Bible, as already mentioned, but to read the Puritans and other sound literature. He was very well informed, and able to enter into conversation with his fellow-sinners on the great theme of redemption. When he died the portion of God’s Word which came to our minds was, “He was a burning and a shining light, and for a season, ye rejoiced in his light.” The words have a special application to John the Baptist. They did apply to Robert in his own way. He too, was a burning and a shining light through Divine grace, and we had rejoiced in that light, and hoped that he would be long among us, but he was only to be with us for a season. In a cloudy and dark day it was a great encouragement to meet such an one, in whom the light of grace shone so clearly. It was to be but for a season, however. The time of his witness in this world came to an end, and he passed away to be with his Lord on 15th May, 1984, aged 48 years.
“Help, Lord, for the Godly man ceaseth, for the faithful fail from among the children of men.” Psalm 12: 6.
To his sorrowing widow and orphaned daughters, and to his sorrowing brother, we extend our most sincere sympathy, and hope and pray that they too may be brought to the knowledge of the Saviour, Who is able to save to the very uttermost all those who come unto God by Him.
D. McL., Glasgow.