Forbes, Rt. Hon. Duncan, one of the most em- inent lawyers of Scotland, was born at Bunchrew or Cnlloden in 1685. He was educated at the LTniversity of Edinburgh, and afterwards spent some time at the universities in Leyden, L^trecht, and Paris. In 1717 he became solicitor-general, and in 1742 lord-president of the court of session. In the Rebellion of 1746 he espoused tlie Hanoverian cause, and it is said that the ingratitude of the government so chagrined him that he fell a victim to fever produced by it. Presi- dent Forbes cultivated the study of Hebrew and Bibli- cal criticism. He was a follower of the English phi- losopher and theological writer John Hutchinson. In his worlv, Thoughts on Religion, natural and revealed (Edinb. 1735-43, 8vo), translated into French by father Houbigant), he lays down the doctrine that a system of natural science as well as religion could be drawn from the books of the O. T. if interpreted according to the radical import or root of the language. Forbes published also Reflections on the Sources of Tncredidity with regard to Religion (Edinb. 1750, 2 vols. 12mo, or 1 vol. 12mo) : — Lettei's to a Bishop concerning some im- portant Discoveries in Philosophg and Theologi) (Lond.- 1735, 4to ; also translated into French by father Hou- bigant). The entire works of Forbes, with a biograph- ical sketch, were published by J.Bannatvne (Edinb. 1816, 8vo ; 2 vols. 12mo). Bishop AVarburton calls him the greatest man tliat ever Scotland produced, lioth as a judge, a patriot, and a Christian.— A'noyfo/). Brit, i.-c, 771 ; Allibone, Diet, of Authors, i, 611. (J. H. W.)
Forbes, Eli, D.D., a Congregational minister, was born at Westboroutrh, Mass., Oct. 1726; graduated at Harvard College, 1751 ; and in 1752 became pastor of the church at Brookfield, Mass. In 1762 he went on a mission among the Oneida Indians. In 1776 he was installed as pastor at Gloucester, having left his for- mer parish on account of a false charge of Toryism. He died Dec. 15, 1804. He published The Family Book (1801, 12mo), and a number of occasional sermons. — Sprague, Annals, i, 493.
Forbes, John (of Corse), son of Patrick Forbes, was liorn May 2, 1593. After studying at Heidelberg and Sedan, he was appointed professor of divinity in King's College, Aberdeen, in 1019. In the great strug- gle in Scotland between Presbyterianism and prelacy, he favored Episcopacy, but sought to l)e a peacemaker, publisliing Irenicum .\m,utoribus Verilatis et Pacisin Ec- clisin Scotiana (Al'crdeen, 1629). In 1638 he putdished .1 pi fieeablc Warning to the Subjects in Scotland. Re- fusing to sign the Solemn League and Covenant, he was
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deprived of his benefice in 1G40. His case was one of peculiar liardsliip, for he had made over part of his own private propert}' to be attached to the professor- ship which he held, and he lost this property on lieing dibuiissed from his office. In 1GJ2 he went to Hol- land, married there, and remained three j'cars. Re- turning to Scotland, he spent the remainder of his life on his estate at Corse, and died April 20, 1G48. His reputation chiefly rests upon his great work Instruc- tioiies IIlsioruo-T/ieolofficce tie doctrina Christiana et va- rio rerum statu, ortisque erroribus et controversiis (Amst. lG45,fol.; Geneva, 1G80, fol. ; abridged by Arnold Mon- taniis (Amst. 1GG3, 8vo). His collected works were published under the title Joannis Forbesii k Corse Op- era Omnia, inter quce plurima postkuma, with Vita bj' Dr. Garden (Amst. 1702-3, 2 vols. fol.). His Instruc- tioius is still a valuable work; its design was to show, in opposition to Bellarmine, the doctrinal agreement between the Reformers and the earlier fathers, and it formed a precursor of the modern works on the His- tory of Doctrines. Bishop Burnet (Preface to Life of BedtW) says that Forbes of Corse was a man" of much more extensive learning than his father (Patrick Forbes), in which, perhaps, he was excelled by none of that age. Those who shall read his book of Historical and Theological Institutions will not dispute this title with him ; for it is so excellent a work, that, if he had been left in quiet, in the retirement he had chosen, to apply himself to his studies, and could have finished it by a second volume, it would, perhaps, have been the most valuable treatise of divinity that has yet appear- ed in the world." Baur names Forbes and Petavius as the two great writers of the 17th century on His- tory of Y)octr'mQ».-rEncycl. Briiunnica, ix, 776 ; Xice- ron, Mi-moires pour servir, etc., t. xlii ; Donaldson, Ilis- torj of Christian Literature, i, 66.
Forbes, Patrick, bishop of Aberdeen, was born of a noble family in Aberdeenshire in 15G-1, and became "laird of Corse" and baron ofO'Neil. He was edu- cated at Aberdeen and St. Andrew's. "For a good space," says bishop Keith, "he refused to enter into holy orders ; but at last, when he was forty-eight j-ears old, viz. anno 1612, he was prevailed upon — a ver}' sin- gular accident having intervened, which made him then yield, namely, the earnest obtestation of a relig- ious minister in the neighborhood, who, in a fit of mel- ancholy, had stabbed himself, but survived to lament his error." He Ijecame pastor of Keith, in Morayshire, where he remained until 1618, when he was elected bishop of Aljcrdeen, on the recommendation of the king. He died March 28, 1635. "He was wont to visit his diocese in a very singular retinue, scarce any person hearing of him nntil he came into the church on the Lord's da}' ; and according as he perceived the respective ministers to behave themselves, he gave his instructions to them." He wrote Cnmmenfaria in Aporalypsin, cum Appendice (Amst. 1646, 4to) ; trans- lated, A n exquisite Commentary on the Revelation (Lon- don, 1G1.3, 4to); a treatise entitled Exi-rcitationes de Verba Dei; and a Dissertatio de Versionibus vernacidis. He was a great benefactor to Aberdeen University, of which he was chancellor, and he revived the professor- ships of law, phj'sic, and divinity. — Keith, Llistorical Catal. of Scottish Bishops (Edinb."l824, 8vo); Burnet, History (four own Times ; Hook, Eccl. Biog. v, 157.