Lebrun, Pierre, a French theologian, born at Brignolles in 1661, was professor in several colleges, and died in 1729. He wrote, among other works, a Critical History of superstitious Practices which have seduced the People (1702). — Thomas, Bior/. Dictionary, p. 1388.
Lebuin or Liafv^in, a noted colleague of Gregory in his mission among the inhabitants of Friesland. Ac- cording to his painstaking biographer, Huncbald, a monk of the convent of Elnon in the 10th century (in Surius, vi, 277, and in Pertz, ii, 360), Lebuin was a na- tive of Brittany, and joined Gregory- at Lffrecht, ha\ing been directed to do so in a dream. Gregory sent him on a mission to the neighboring people, and gave him the Anglo-Saxon IMarcheliu or Marcellin as assistant. They preached with great success, and soon established a church at Wulpen, on the eastern shore of the Yssel, and another at Deventer. Tliese churches afterwards closing by an invasion of the Saxons, Lebuin coura- geously resolved to go as a missionary among that na- tion, and went to Marklo, one of their principal cities: later he went further north, towards the Weser, and there was well received by an influential chief named Folkbert, who seems to have been a Christian. Folk- bcrt advised him not to visit Marklo during the reunion ■which was held there yearly to discuss the general in- terests of the nation, but to conceal himself in the house of one of his friends, Davo. Lebuin, however, did not abiile by this counsel, and went to the assembly. Being aware how "omnis concionis illius multitude ex diversis partibus coacta primo suorum proavorum servare con- tendit instituta, numinibus videlicet suis vota solvens ac sacrificia," he aiipeared in tlie midst of the assembled warriors dressed in his priestly rol)es, the cross in one hand and the Gospel in the cttlior, and announced him- self as an envoy of the Most High, the one true God anrl creator of all things, to whom all must turn, forsak- ing our idols : " but," said he, at the close of \m address, " if you wickedly persist in your errors, you will soon repent it bitterly, for in a short time there will come a c;>urageous, prudent, and strong nionarcli of ilw neigh- borhodil who will overwhelm vou like a tornMit, destrov- ing all with tire and sword, taking your wives and chil- dren to be his servants, and subjecting all wlio are left to his rule." This discourse greatly excited the Saxons against him ; but one of them, Bute, took his part, and
Lebuin was permitted to depart unharmed. He now returned to Friesland, and rebuilt the church of Deven- ter, where lie remained until his death. When Liudger built a third time the church which had been again de- stroyed during an invasion of the Saxons in 776, the remains of Lebuin were discovered. Lebuin is not to be mistaken for Livin, the pupil of Augustine, who went to evangelize Brabant towards the middle of the 7th century. The biography of Livin, believed to have been written by Boniface, cannot for a moment be con- sidered as referring to the apostle of Germany. It is full of legends, and of no historical value. See F. W. Rettberg, K. Gesch. Dentschlands, ii, 405, 536, 509. — Her- zog, Real-Encyllop. viii, 266 ; Wetzer u. >yelte, Kircheur- Le.rikon, vi, 401 sq.
Le'cah (Heb. Lecah', fl-P, perh. for il-5% a. jour- ney, but according to Fiirst, annexation ; Sept. \)jxu v. r. Ar;X«'^ *"*l A'/X"/^i ^ i^Llg' Lecha'), a place in the tribe of Judah founded by Er (or rather, perhaps, by a son of his named Lecah), the first -named son of Shelah (1 Chron. iv, 21). As Mareshah is stated in the same con- nection to have been founded by a member of the same family, we may conjecture that Lecah (if indeed a town) lay in the same vicinity, perhaps westerly.
Leceue, Charles, a French Protestant theologian, was born in 1647 at Caen, in Normandy. After study- ing theology at Sedan, Geneva, and Saumur, he was in 1672 appointed pastor at Honfleur. In 1682 he supplied for one year the Cliurch of Charenton, but was accused of Pelagianism by Sartre, pastor of Montpellier. Una- ble to obtain from the Consistory of Charenton a certifi- cate of orthodoxy such as he desired, he appealed to the next national synod, where he was warmly sustained by Allix, but the revocation of the Edict of Nantes sud- denly put an end to the discussion. Lecene went to Holland, and there connected himself with the Armin- ians. He then went to England, but, refusing to be re- ordained, and being, moreover, strongly suspected of So- cinianism, he was unable to accomplish anything there, and returned to Holland, where he remained until 1697. He then went again to J^ngland, and settled at London. He vainly tried to found an Arminian Church in the English metropolis. He died in 1703. Lecene was, e\'en by his theological adversaries, considered a very learned theologian. A plan of his for the translation of the Bible was taken up by his son, Michel Lecene ( Amst. 1741, 2 vols, folio) : Projet dhine nouvelle version Fran- foise de la Bible (Rotterdam, 1696, 8vo ; translated,^?} Essay for a new Translation of the Bible, wherein is shown that there is a necessity for a new Translation, 2d ed., to which is added a table of the texts of Scripture [Loud. 1727, 8 vo] ). He wrote De I'Etat de Vhomme apres le pech'e et de sa predestination au salut (Amsterd. 1684, 12mo) : — Entretiens siir direrses matieres de theoloffie, etc. (1685, 12mo): — Conversations sur divei-ses matieres de 1-elifjion (1687, 12mo). See Colani, in Revue de The- olof/ie, vii, 343 sq., 1857 ; Hoefer, Xouv. Biog. Gen. xxix, 185 ; and the sketch in the A vertissement de sa traduc- tion de la Bible (Amst. 1742, 2 vols, folio). (J. H. W.)