Rev J L Goldby
Mr Macdonald began his theological studies in Glasgow under professors of outstanding piety and learning. Mr Macfarlane comments that there were “no heretical professors in the Free Church colleges then; or, if there were any, they dared not give vent to their views in their public teaching”. All Mr Macdonald’s examinable discourses were sustained and we are told of one in particular of which his professor said that it afforded him immense delight, and that it reminded him of the highly spiritual discourses of Samuel Rutherford. During his time in Glasgow he heard Rev J R Anderson “with much appreciation” but he mostly attended the ministry of Rev Ralph Smith. In Glasgow he was friendly with some eminent Christians such as John MacConnel and Margaret MacPhee, who was often the means of relief to the famous “Rabbi” Duncan at times when he was downcast.
After completing his College studies, Mr Macdonald was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Skye and Uist on 2 May 1866. The godly Rev Alexander MacColl was then a member of that Presbytery and he later served with Mr Macdonald on the Presbytery of Lochcarron. Mr Macdonald laboured as a probationer for six years in various parts of the Highlands and Islands before being ordained and inducted in 1872 to the pastoral charge of Shieldaig by the Presbytery of Lochcarron.
In the past, this Wester Ross district was favoured with many godly ministers. The Free Presbytery of Lochcarron recorded in their minutes that ever since the Presbytery was set up in 1724, the gospel of the grace of God was fully and prayerfully preached by such men as Aeneas Sage of Lochcarron, Angus MacAulay of Courthill (the first Presbyterian minister of Applecross), MacAulay of Gairloch, Robertson of Lochbroom, Lachlan MacKenzie of Lochcarron, Thomas Ross of Lochbroom, Alexander MacDonald of Plockton, Donald MacRae of Poolewe and Colin Mackenzie of Shieldaig.
Rev John Kennedy of Dingwall (the most influential Highland minister of his day) in his Days of the Fathers in Ross-shire^1 thus describes the ministers sent to Ross-shire in previous generations: “As preachers they were
1Published 11 years before the subject of this essay began his ministry in Shieldaig.
all remarkable. There are some who preach before their people, like actors on the stage, to display themselves and to please their audience. Not such were the self-denied preachers of Ross-shire. There are others who preach over their people. Studying for the highest, instead of doing so for the lowest, in intelligence, they elaborate learned treatises, which float like mist, when delivered, over the heads of their hearers. Not such were the earnest preachers of Ross-shire. . . . There are others who preach at their people, serving in a sermon the gossip of the week, and seemingly possessed with the idea that the transgressor can be scolded out of the ways of iniquity. Not such were the wise preachers of Ross-shire. “There are some who preach towards their people. They aim well, but they are weak. Their eye is along the arrow towards the hearts of their hearers, but their arm is too feeble for sending it on to the mark. Superficial in their experience and in their knowledge, they reach not the cases of God’s people by their doctrine, and they strike with no vigour at the consciences of the ungodly. Not such were the powerful preachers of Ross-shire. There are others still, who preach along their congregation. Instead of standing with their bow in front of the ranks, these archers take them in line and, reducing their mark to an individual, never change the direction of their aim. Not such were the discriminating preachers of Ross-shire. They were all of the Lord’s making, but each one was adapted to the place he had to fill, and to the work which was given him to do.” These remarks might have been written of the ministry of Mr Macdonald, who was raised up for the time, the place and the stand he was called to take.
Kennedy gave Rev Lachlan Mackenzie of Lochcarron the chief place among ministers: “Owing to his genius, his peculiar Christian experience and his great acceptance as a preacher, he has retained a firmer hold of the memories of the people than any other besides”. It is noteworthy that, after taking his degree in Aberdeen, Mackenzie was first appointed schoolmaster of Applecross, and was then transferred to the school in Lochcarron in 1776, before being licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Lochcarron in 1780. He also went to the mission in North Uist and was eventually ordained and settled in Lochcarron on 4 April 1782. It was said of him that his “heavenliness of mind spurned the objects of time and sense, while his imagination shed a bright lustre on every subject which he handled, and the unction in his ministrations endeared him to his people”.
That the ministry of Donald Macdonald was cast in this spiritual mould, is illustrated by a paragraph in one of his sermons. Speaking of Christ coming to His people at special seasons, he said, “They know when they are in the spirit, for then they like to turn away their thoughts from the world unto Jesus. He is the object they love most, and they behold the glory of God in His blessed face. ‘My beloved is mine and I am His.’ Your contemplations are then absorbed in Christ; none but Christ. One of the martyrs cried out when he was being burned: ‘O Christ, none but Christ!’ If we suffer worldly loss for His sake, He will make it up.”
Among the godly people of this district were many who were strong in faith and discernment. The whole population of the district of Shieldaig, including their minister Rev Colin Mackenzie, joined the Free Church at the Disruption of 1843 with only one exception. Like many other ministers, Mr Mackenzie faced severe difficulties on his return from Edinburgh after taking his stand with the more than 400 others who, with their elders and congregations, formed the Free Church of Scotland.
From that time he ceased to preach in the parish church. But he was not able to leave the manse because, he explained, “there was no house of any kind to be got within the bounds of the parish, or within many miles beyond it, to which I could remove with my aged mother and other two members of my family. Meantime I made several applications to the proprietor [of the Shieldaig Estate] by letter, who always replied with a positive refusal, at the same time assuring me that the Free Church would get no footing on any part of his property. Before going south to the General Assembly, I determined to make one more attempt to obtain a house site by applying to him personally at his residence at Applecross House, hoping, from the intimate and friendly terms on which he and I always were from boyhood, that on my own account, as a near relative, he might consent. On the contrary, he received me coldly and expressed his wonder that I had taken upon myself to call upon him and expect that he would receive me, after acting so foolish a part as to bring myself and my family to beggary at the very time when, as MP for the county, he had it in his power, and was determined, to promote me to a better living; at the same time giving me to understand that, not only would he not grant my request, but I must quit the manse and remove myself from the parish of Shieldaig and from his estate, otherwise he would make my life bitter to me, as he was determined to interdict all his tenants from giving me so much as one apartment in any of their poor dwellings.”
The people of the Shieldaig district also endured severe hardships. From 1843 they had no shelter of any kind in which to worship. In 1845 Rev James Begg visited Applecross and preached to the people in the open air. “A more noble people,” he wrote, “I have never seen, and the eagerness with which they listened to the preaching of the gospel was indeed remarkable. We were particularly struck with one woman, who told us that from her youth she had occasionally walked 50 miles to hear the gospel. We announced a sermon at Shieldaig the following day, a place at least ten miles from Applecross. The first thing I saw when I looked out in the morning was people starting for this sermon. The way was over a rough mountain without a road. We performed the journey on foot, and it was no easy task to climb so steep a hill, and to leap from point to point over such rude stepping-stones. . . . “A large congregation had been waiting for two hours, but this is thought nothing of in the Highlands. Here was another scene like that at Applecross. The tent [pulpit] was placed amid the naked rocks on the seashore; the sound of the Psalms literally mingled with the roar of the waves of the Atlantic. The tent was fastened down with strong ropes to prevent its being upset, and there were grey-headed men sitting uncovered in the cold, and several of them with tears streaming down their cheeks, whilst Mr Glass preached to them the blessed gospel in their native tongue (Scottish Gaelic). Every new spectacle I witnessed deepened my impression of astonishment. These poor Highlanders must face all the storms of winter on the bare sea-beach, denied a single inch of land on which to erect a place of worship. We were told by the catechist, a worthy and somewhat picturesque-looking man, called in Gaelic ‘White John’, that there had lately been a revival of vital godliness in this district, especially amongst the young, and produced by the simple instrumentality of reading the Word of God. And the whole aspect of the congregation bore evident marks of the power of the Spirit of God.”
Samuel Rutherford’s phrase, “Grace grows best in winter”, was at this time true of many people in Shieldaig and district. Soon after the Disruption, Rev Colin Mackenzie was called from Shieldaig by the Free Church congregation at Arrochar. The people now had no minister or church building. Their faith and patience were to be sorely tried, and 29 years were to pass before another minister was set over them. Furthermore, the people were poor and, despite their large number and strong desire for the gospel, they could ill afford to support a minister.
In February 1871 the Free Presbytery of Lochcarron met at Shieldaig. The Moderator for the occasion, Rev William Rose, preached and then Revs Donald Forbes and William Sinclair addressed the people on their position without a settled minister since the period of the Disruption. The Presbytery regretted to find that their financial state did not seem to allow them to call a minister. The people were so poor that the total Sustentation Fund collection in 1871 for the ten congregations of the Lochcarron Presbytery was a mere £670 12s 3d. Shieldaig’s contribution was just £28. At a Presbytery meeting a year later, the Clerk read the following letter from the Shieldaig Congregational Finance Committee: “On the return of our deputation from the Presbytery, we did what the Presbytery advised us, and we are here met this day to consider what should be done by our congregation. After mature consideration we now resolve to . . . promise sixty pounds sterling as the minimum annual contribution to the Sustentation Fund in the event of a minister being settled among us. We are: Duncan Mackenzie, elder, John Mackenzie, Angus Macrae and Duncan Grant.” As a result of this undertaking, permission was given to proceed with a call in favour of Mr Donald Macdonald, probationer. The call was signed by one of the two elders, 18 of the 22 communicants and 537 adherents, a total of 556 individuals (over the age of 14). There were no dissents or objections. Duncan Mackenzie, elder, and Duncan Mackenzie, teacher, were heard in support of the call, which was sustained. Mr Macdonald was present and the call was put into his hands. The Presbytery then presented to him the following subjects for trials before ordination: a lecture on Luke 7:36-50, a homily on Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God”, and a sermon on John 1:18: “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him”. His subject for Latin exegesis was: “Is the Holy Spirit divine?” The text for the Greek exercise was 1 Peter 2:22, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth”, and the Hebrew exercise was on Genesis 1: 26-31, “And God said, Let us make man in our image and after our likeness . . .”. At the Presbytery meeting on 9 April 1872, Mr Macdonald delivered discourses on all the subjects prescribed and was further examined on the usual points. The Presbytery were satisfied and agreed to ordain and induct him to the congregation at Shieldaig.
When the Presbytery met again in Shieldaig on 25 April 1872, the people gathered from all quarters, including a boatload from North Uist. What a scene it must have been, the hillside black with people and the portable pulpit placed down beside a dry-stone wall known locally as “the preacher’s wall” at the foot of An Cosh! (This rocky enclosure was in use until fairly recent times for open-air services.) Rev William Rose preached from the last three verses of Matthew 28: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Afterwards, Mr Macdonald was ordained by prayer and the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery and was inducted to the pastoral charge of the congregation. Pastor and people were then suitably addressed by Mr Rose. As they departed, the people shook hands with their minister and cordially welcomed him.