will not be ill pleafed if I make a fecond digreffion to entertain him with fome paffages concerning them, but will bear with it perhaps better than with the former.

And fince my Education and the courfe of my Life has led me moft to know the Affairs of Scotland, I will not enter upon a Province that is foreign to me, and therefore fhail leave to others the giving an account of the great Glories of the Church of England, and will content my self with telling fome more eminent things of fome of our Scottish Bishops: In which I will fay nothing upon flying Reports, but upon very credible, if not certain Information. There was one Patrick Forbes of Aberdeenfbire, a Gentleman of Quality and Eftate, but much more eminent by his Learning and Piety, than his Birth or Fortune could make him. He had a moft terrible Calämity on him in his Family, which needs not be named: I do not know whether that or a more early principle determined him to enter into Orders: He undertook the labour of a private Cure in the Country, upon the most earneft invitations of his Bishop, when he was Forty Eight years old, and discharged his Duty there fo worthily, that within a few years he was promoted to be Bishop of Aberdeen; in which See he fat about Seventeen years. It was not eafy for King James to perfuade him to accept of that Dignity, and many Months pafs'd before he could be induced to it, for he had intended to have lived and died in a more obfcure corner. It foon appeared

how

how well he deserved his Promotion, and that his unwillingness to it was not feigned, but the real effect of his humility: He was in all things an Apoftolical Man. He used to go round his Diocess without noife, and but with one Servant, that fo he might be rightly informed of all matters. When he heard reports of the weakness of any of his Clergy, his custom was to go and lodge unknown near their Church on the Saturday Night, and next day, when the Minister was got into the Pulpit, he would come to Church, that so he might obferve what his ordinary Sermons were, and accordingly he admonished or encouraged them. He took fuch care of the two Colleges in his Diocefs, that they became quickly diftinguished from all the reft of ScotLand: So that when the troubles in that Church broke out, the Doctors there were the only Perfons that could maintain the Cause of the Church; as appears by the Papers that pafs'd between them and the Covenanters. And though they begun firft to manage that Argument in Print, there has nothing appeared fince more perfect than what they writ They were an honour to the Church both by their Lives and by their Learning, and with that excellent temper they feasoned that whole Diocefs, both Clergy and Laity, that it continues to this day very much distinguished from all the reft of Scotland, both for Learning, Loyalty and Peaceableness; and, fince that good Bishop died but three years before the Rebellion broke out, the true source of

that

that advantage they had, is juftly due to his Memory: One of these Doctors was his Son John, the Heir of his Virtues and Piety, as well as of his Fortune: But much fuperior to him in Learning; and he was perhaps inferior to no Man of his Age, which none will difpute, that have read his Inftructiones Hiftorico-Theologica, a Work which if he had finished it, and had been fuffered to enjoy the privacies of his Retirement and Study, to give us the Second Volume, had been the greatest Treasure of Theological Learning that perhaps the World has yet feen. He was Divinity Profeffor at Aberdeen, an Endowment raised by his Father: But was driven out by the Covenant, and forced to fly beyond Sea. One memorable thing of his Father ought not to be left unmentioned; he had Synods twice a year of his Clergy, and before they went upon their other bufinefs, he always began with a short discourse, excufing his own infirmities, and charging them that, if they knew or obferved any thing amifs in him, they would ufe all freedom with him, and either come and warn him in fecret of fecret errors, or if they were publick, that they would speak of them there in publick; and upon that he withdrew to leave them to the freedom of Speech. This condefcenfion of his was never abused but by one petulant Man, to whom all others were very fevere for his infolence, only the Bishop bore it gently and as became him.

One

H

One of the Doctors of Aberdeen, bred in his time, and of his name William Forbes, was promoted by the late King, while he was in Scotland in the year one thoufand fix hundred thirty and three, to the Bishoprick of Edenburgh, that was then founded by him, so that that glorious King faid on good grounds, that he had found out a Bishop that deferved that a See fhould be made for him; he was a grave and eminent Divine; my Father, that knew him long, and being of Council for him in his Law-matters, had occafion to know him well, has often told me, That he never faw him but he thought his Heart was in Heaven, and he was never alone with him but he felt within himself a Commentary on these Words of the Apoftles, Did not our Hearts burn within us, while he yet talked with us, and opened to us the Scriptures? He preached with a zeal and vehemence, that made him often forget all the measures of time, two or three hours was no extraordinary thing for

him; thofe Sermons wafted his Strength fo faft, and his afcetical courfe of life was fuch, that he fupplied it fo fcantly that he died within a year after his Promotion; fo he only appeared there long enough to be known, but not long enough to do what might have been otherwise expected from fo great a Prelate. That little remnant of his that is in Print thews how learned he was. I do not deny but his earnest desire of a general Peace and Union among all Chriftians has made him

too

too favourable to many of the corruptions in the Church of Rome: But though a Charity that is not well ballanced, may carry one to very indiscreet things; yet the Principle from whence they flowed in him was fo truly good, that the errors to which it carried him ought to be either excufed, or at least to be very gently cenfured.

Another of our late Bishops was the nobleft born of all the Order, being Brother to the Lord Boyd, that is one of the beft Families of Scotland, but was provided to the pooreft Bishoprick, which was Argile; yet he did great things in it. He found his Diocefs over-run with ignorance and barbarity, fo that in many places the Name of Chrift was not known; but he went about that Apoftolical Work of planting the Gofpel, with a particular Industry, and almoft with equal Succefs. He got Churches and Schools to be raised and endowed every where; and lived to fee a great bleffing on his endeavours; fo that he is not fo much as named in that Country to this day but with a particular veneration, even by thofe who are otherwife no way equitable to that Order. The only answer that our angry People in Scotland used to make when they were preffed with fuch inftances, was, that there were too few of them: But fome of the fevereft of them have owned to me, that if there were many fuch Bishops, they would all be Epifcopal.

I fhall