A review of the Memoir of Robert Findlater in the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland Magazine of June 2020.

What God Is Able to Do

A Review Article by Rev W A Weale
The Memoir of Robert Findlater, who was minster in Lochtayside and later in Inverness, was written by his brother William Findlater, who was minister in Durness in north-west Sutherland for 54 years. The Memoir especially focuses on the revival of religion at Lochtayside from 1816 to 1819 during Robert Findlater’s ministry there, as well as giving a most interesting narrative of the experiences of several who were brought to Christ at that time.

Robert Findlater was born in Drummond, near Evanton in Ross-shire, in August 1786, and his brother tells us that “from his infancy he was a child of many prayers, not only by his parents but by a number of pious Christians in Ross-shire who were present on a sacramental occasion at Ferintosh where, on the Monday, after divine service, he was solemnly devoted to God, and received the ordinance of baptism by the late eminently and deeply learned theologian Mr MacAdam of Nigg”. It would seem, from what the writer goes on to tell us, that the occasion was one never to be forgotten by those present as well as a sign of things to come, for, “before he was five years old, young
Robert was able to read the Bible distinctly, and to repeat all the questions of The Shorter Catechism”.

Despite this, however, it was not until 1802, after completing his arts course at university, and becoming tutor to a family in Easter Ross, that he began to think seriously of religion. Little detail is given of the Lord’s dealings with him at that time, but it is clear from all that follows that he had experienced a saving change. In 1803 Robert, still only 17 years of age, was persuaded of his duty to study for the ministry. He obtained a bursary from the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge and went to the Divinity Hall in Edinburgh. He had the joy and privilege of hearing such men as John Macdonald (then in the Edinburgh Gaelic chapel but soon to be Charles Calder’s successor in Ferintosh) and John Colquhoun of Leith. He was also employed during a summer and two winter sessions in assisting Thomas Ross, later of Lochbroom, in correcting the proof sheets of the first complete edition of the Gaelic Bible. This work helped him later to instruct several
young men who went on to engage in Gaelic preaching.

On 7 October 1807 Findlater was licensed to preach the gospel but, having no call to any charge, he spent most of the winter and spring with his brother William in the Mission of Eriboll. After about a year supplying in Rothiemurchus (autumn 1808 to autumn 1809), and for a few months in the Tollbooth church in Edinburgh, he was directed by the SSPCK to the vacant mission of Lochtayside. There he was to labour with much success for the next 11 years, among a population of about 1500.

Between his letters to his brother and others, and the somewhat brief diary that Findlater kept, we learn that there were small encouragements during his early years at Lochtayside, but as time went on, there was a period when little evidence of any fruit was seen. Yet he did labour most industriously in visiting and catechising his flock, as well as in faithfully preaching the gospel.

However, somewhat of a foundation had been laid in the parish before Findlater was settled there. The Society already referred to and a committee of the General Assembly had earlier established schools in the district. The pious Viscountess Glenorchy also, by her liberal, Christian charity, had endowed several missions and schools. She lived nearby, in Taymouth Castle, for several months each year, which resulted in special help for the area by building manses. In addition, there was the work of such pious men as Stewart of Killin, and there were Baptists who could be traced back to the Haldanes; although it is clear that Findlater suffered somewhat at the time of
the revival, from those Baptists enticing a number over to their side. The result of this background, however, meant that the people, while generally careless about the needs of their souls, were not particularly unruly or immoral.

We have an account of his work among the people and of communion seasons, during many of which he was assisted by notable men of that time, particularly by John Macdonald of Ferintosh, whose rousing ministry there was blessed to not a few. We then come to the section of the book entitled, “Narrative of Revival of Religion in Breadalbane, Perthshire, 1816 to 1819”.

It would seem that one of the first encouragements Findlater had was when some young men came from the other side of Ben Lawers to his services. He writes: “I may state here, however, that for two or three years previous to that date (1816), a young man in Glenlyon was pretty often in the habit of crossing the east brow of Ben Lawers to hear preaching during summer, and even in winter when the weather was favourable – being a computed distance of about nine miles. He got one or two other young men to accompany him
about the year 1814. In 1815 two or three more joined the party. In spring, 1816, the group increased to the number of perhaps twelve or fourteen; and during the whole of that summer, a goodly number went regularly every Sabbath. When on their way home on the Sabbath evening, though perhaps they could not well assign a reason for it, yet the feelings of almost everyone in the company seemed to be described in the words of a young Christian poet: ‘I am pleased, but yet I am sad’” (p 44).

From that time on, as brought out in his letters of 1816, we have accounts of ever-increasing congregations, people “asking the way to Zion with their faces thitherward”. The letters refer to Macdonald preaching to between 4000 and 5000 people on Isaiah 54:5, “Thy Maker is thy husband”, “while tears were flowing very copiously and literally watering the ground” (p 47).
Later in the following year, we are told of an occasion when Macdonald, due to an accident, failed to turn up, and Findlater himself, without much time to prepare, had to preach to a large company assembled from several different parishes. He spoke on John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”, as people wept aloud in scenes never to be forgotten. This revival continued until about the end of 1819 but afterwards few people were added to the Church.

In the “Narrative of Experiences” we have 10 testimonies of men and women, ranging in age from 20 to 48, who were brought in during this revival. It is with much pleasure and profit that one reads those accounts.

In 1821 Findlater received a call to Inverness. While it was clearly very difficult for him to part with his flock at Lochtayside, he was persuaded that this was what he was meant to do. He laboured in Inverness, not without some blessing, for 11 years, just two months more than at Lochtayside. In September 1832 an outbreak of cholera came to the town and, in the midst
of his usefulness, he was cut down, aged 45.

The book concludes with some interesting reflections by his brother on the revival that Findlater was honoured to be part of. In a “day of small things” such as we are living in, this book is a reminder to us of what God is able to do when His Holy Spirit is poured forth. For such a day we should be much in prayer. We heartily recommend this book.

(Rev) W A Weale

1 This article reviews Memoir of Robert Findlater, by William Findlater, published by the Scottish Highland Reformed Book Trust, paperback, 135 pages, £7.95; it is available from the Free Presbyterian Bookroom. Page numbers in the text of this article refer to this edition of the Memoir.