Forbes, ■William, bishop of Edinburgh, was born at Aberdeen, 1585, and was educated at Marischal Col- lege. Aliout the age of twenty he went abroad and studied at the German universities, especially Helm- stiidt and Heidelberg. He returned after five years, and was offered the chair of Hebrew at Oxford ; but he declined it, and l)eeame minister firjt at Alford, next at Monimusk, and afterwards at Aberdeen. About 1G17 he was chosen principal of Marischal College in that city, and about 1G19 he accepted a pastorate in Edin- burgh. When Charles I was in Scotland in 1633 he
heard Forbes preach, and said that he had found a man who deserved to have a see erected for him. His pa- tent from the king, to be the first bishop of Edinburgh, bears date the 26th of January, 1634, and he died April 1 in the same year. He wrote Cvnsiderationes modestcB et pacifcce controversiurum de justificatione, purgatorio, invocatione sanctorum, which was published posthu- mously (Lond. 1G58, 8vo ; reprinted, with an English version, in the Library of Anylo-Catholic Theology, Ox- ford, 1850-56, 2 vols. 8vo). This work is a storehouse of learning on the subject, but does not maintain the Protestant doctrine of justification. It endiodied a proposal for an accommodation between the Protestant Episcopal churches and the Church of Rome, the only result of which would have been to make episcopacy regarded with more suspicion in Scotland than it was. Some other polemical works of his which had raised high expectations were lost. Burnet, characterizing his eloquence, says that "he preached with a zeal and vehemence that made him forget all the measures of time — two or three hours was no extraordinary' thing for him" {English Cyclopcedia'). — Hook, Eccles. Biog. v, 158 ; Encyclopedia Britannica, ix, 777.
Forcellini, Egidio, an Italian lexicographer, was born Aug. 26, 1688, at Fener, a village near Pa- dua. As his famih' was poor, it was only towards manhood that he was able to begin the regular course of study in the seminary at Padua. His industry and success in studj-ing Latin gained the confidence of Facciolati (q. v.), who associated him with his labors, especiallj' in preparing the Toiius Laiinitalis Lericmi, consilio et ctira Jac. Facciolati, opera et stud o ^^f. For- cellini Lucubratum (Padua, 1771). The excellence of this great work is largely attributed to Forcellini. He died April 4, 1768. See Facciolati.
Forces (spec, i'l'n, cha'yil, strength, especially in a military point of view; hence, also, army, fortifica- tion, etc.), in one phrase, "forces of the Gentiles" (Isa. Ix, 5, 11), seems to be used in its widest sense (see Al- exander, ad loc.) to denote (as the context implies) not onlj' the subjugation of the heathen, but also the con- secration of their wealth (Gen. xxxiv, 29, where the same Heb. word occurs). The D'^""'?2 r1~N, or god of strongholds, of Dan. xi, 38, is probably SFars, or rather Jupiter (Olynipius or Capitolinus), whom An- tiochus (q. v.) specially honored. See Daxiei..
Ford ("-"/p, niadbar' , and tT^r"^, maharah' , a pass), a shallow place in a stream where it maj' easily be crossed on foot or by wading (Gen. xxxii, 23 ; Josh. ii, 2; Judg. iii, 28; xii, 5, 6; Isa. xvi, 2). See Riv- er. The Heb. word is also used both in the singular and in the plural with reference to the mountain pass at Jlichmash, between Seneh and Bozez (1 Sam. xiv, 4, and Isa. x, 29). Mention is repeatedly made of the fords of Jordan (Josh, ii, 7 ; Judg. iii, 28 ; xii, 5, 6 ; A. V. "passages"). These were evidently in ancient times few in number, and well known, though now the Jordan is fordable in hundreds of places (Smith's Diet, of Classical Gengr. s. v. Palajstina, p. 521). See Jordan. Of these, that named Bethabara (q. v.) was probably the most noted. Mention is also made of the ford of the Jabbok (Gen. xxxii, 22), and the fords of Arnon (Isa. xvi, 2). See Arnon. The fords of the Euphrates (Jer. Ii, 32) were probably the bridges across that river built bj' Nitocris, as the Euphrates was not fordable at Babylon (Hitzig, Eregcf. lleb. ad loc). — Kitto, s. V. See Euphrates.
Ford, Joshua Edwards, a Presbyterian minister, was born in Ogdensburgh Aug. 3, 1825, graduated at Williams College in 1844, and studied theology at Union Theological Seminary, New York. In 1847 he entered the missionary work in Sj'ria, under the au- spices of the American Board. His first station was Aleppo. He was afterwards transferred to Beirut, and sulisequently to Sidon. Invited by the Turkish Mis- sions Aid Society, he spent some months in England
FORDYCE
618
FOREIGNER
In 1861, aflvocating the claims of the Syrian Mission. Ill I'SOo ho returned to America on account of illne?s in his family, and hiborcd enrnestl}- in behalf of his niiiision ; but liis exertions enfeebled him, and he died of pneumonia at Gcneseo, N. Y., April 3, 18G6. While in the E.ist he obtained a tiiorough knowledge of Ara- bic, and could use it in preacliing. He rendered use- ful service in editing Araljic books for the press, and wrote a book in tiiat language on " Fasting and Pray- er." He also used the Turkish language. — Wilson, Preshijlerian Ilistoricul Almunac, 18G7, p. 289.
Fordyce, David, brother of James, was born in 1711 at Aberdeen. In 1742 ho was appointed professor of moral ]ihilosophy in jNIarischal College. He per- ished by shipwreck in 1751. He wrote Dialogues con- cern 'ill/ Education : — Theodorn.', a Dialor/ve on the A rt ■ of Pnachinff (Lond. 1755, 3d ed. 12mo) : — Elements of Moral Philosoplvj (Lond. 17G9, 4th ed. ]2mo).