Records of Grace in Sutherland by Donald Munro
Records of Grace in Sutherland by Donald Munro, published by the Scottish Reformation Society, paperback, 292 pages, £10.95, obtainable from the Free Presbyterian Bookroom.
This is an important book giving brief accounts of godly people in the county of Sutherland in an age when many more people lived there and, particularly, many more godly people. These accounts were assiduously collected – from memories passed down through a number of generations – by Rev Donald Munro, latterly Free Church minister of Rogart in his native Sutherland, which occupies most of the northernmost part of mainland Scotland. The final chapter describes four men from neighbouring Caithness. This new edition includes “minor additions to the text” as well as photographs; it is attractively produced.
The book includes a record of “a memorable communion in Dornoch . . . . That summer had been exceptionally dry and the crops were beginning to suffer from lack of rain. On the Sabbath morning, the clouds were lowering and drops of rain began to fall at the commencement of the Gaelic service in the open air, and it threatened to be a downpour. Mr Kennedy, the saintly minister of Killearnan, was the preacher, and in the opening prayer he pleaded most earnestly that, if it were in accordance with the Lord’s will, the bottles of heaven might be stopped while they were engaged in His own blessed work. As the man of God continued to pray, the clouds began to dispel and, after that, not a drop fell while the prolonged service lasted.
“But in a spiritual sense, the Lord was pleased to send down a plentiful rain which was the means of refreshing His weary heritage, for some felt on that day as if the very windows of heaven had been opened and enriching blessings poured down to revive their fainting souls. In the closing prayer, the minister acknowledged the goodness of the Most High in granting such outward comfort to the people during the services of the day, and then he besought the Lord that, if it were agreeable to His divine mind, copious showers might come down to water the parched earth. Sure enough, ere the most distant of the congregation had reached their homes, the rain came down in drenching torrents.”
Many of the accounts are short. One of them records a small amount of information about John Mackenzie of Stoer, in Assynt, the south-west parish of the county. It concludes with a verse of a Gaelic poem he composed; it is translated as follows: “I know of no one under the sun truly to be envied but he who has faith in God and is contented with his state.” He clearly had a right perspective on life. And in this he was typical of those who are described in this book.
Another brief account is of William Mackay, of Tongue, on the north coast. One Sabbath, heavy snow covered the ground, yet Mackay walked the 16 miles to the church as usual. After the service, the minister asked him why he had come on such a stormy day. He gave three reasons: (1.) The Lord had given him strength and he considered it his duty to attend public worship. (2.) He wanted to encourage the minister by adding even one to the congregation on a day when it would be small. (3.) If the Holy Spirit was to be working on that day he wished not to miss the blessing.
Very few ministers are included. One exception is John Mackay, who was minister of Lairg from 1714 to 1753; “his earnest piety” marked “him out as a true servant of God”. He was on one occasion catechising and asked if everyone in the household was present. They were, except for a lad of limited intelligence who was looking after the cattle. “Send for him,” the minister directed, “for he has a soul.” After he had appeared, Mackay asked him if he had a soul. The lad claimed that he had no soul. Mackay went on to ask, “Have you ever had a soul?” The lad answered, “Yes”. “And what has become of your soul?” was the next question. And the answer showed that the lad had considerable spiritual intelligence: “I was once out herding and I felt my soul had become sick, for the pains of hell took hold of me. I soon found that I could not do anything for my soul, so I gave it over to Jesus and left it in His keeping; and, O minister, that is what I meant when I said that I had no soul.”
One danger in the use of traditional material is that the information may be corrupted as it is retold. One story involving John Mackay does seem to have been added to as it was transmitted. Yet there seems no reason to believe that much of the material is other than accurate.
We should be very thankful that this material has been made available again, in addition to the recent republication of Men of Sutherland. To read this book should awaken in us a prayerful desire for such days as William Mackay hoped for, when the Holy Spirit would work powerfully. Then true godliness would again be much more widespread than it is today.