The following paper has been sent to us as a review, by a correspondent, and we insert it in this department of our work; although it is scarcely more than an abridgment of the memoir which accompanies the edition of Leighton's works, lately published. We shall add a few remarks at the close.

THE

WHOLE WORKS OF ROBERT

LEIGHTON, D. D., Archbishop of Glasgow. To which is prefixed a Life of the Author, by the Rev. John N. Pearson, M.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge. In 2 vols.

8vo. London: 1828.

From the copious memoir which is before us, we propose to select such incidents as shall acquaint our readers with the history and character of one who was perhaps the brightest ornament of the age in which he lived. ROBERT LEIGHTON was born in 1611, probably at Edinburgh, where his father, Dr. Alexander Leighton, was for some time Professor of Moral Philosophy. Respecting his early life, there is little to record. It was marked with seriousness, and an almost total exemption from the follies and vices of that period. After having passed through the University with singular diligence in study, and irreproachable conduct, he spent several years in foreign travel. Of the utility of this he entertained a high opinion; remarking while advising his nephew to a similar course, that "there is a very peculiar advantage in travel, not to be understood but by the trial of it; and that for himself, he nowise repented the time he had spent in that way."

At what period he dated the renewing influences of the Holy Spirit on his soul, we are not in

formed. He did not enter on the work of the ministry, until he was thirty years old, believing that "some men preach too soon;" a belief which, without any danger of error, we think may be entertained at the present day. He was ordained on the 16th of December, 1641, and took charge of a retired parish in Midlothian. The manner in which he discharged the duties of his office may be learned from the fact, that Burnet's beautiful discourse on the "Pastoral

Care," was correctly copied from the lively pattern exhibited by Leighton.

It will be recollected that this was a period of excitement, when most ministers spent more time in descanting on the covenant, than in preaching the prominent and essential truths of the gospel. This fault Leighton cautiously avoided, and continued sedulously to watch for souls, seldom leaving his parish to attend the frequent meetings of the Presbytery. By this means he gave offence to some of his more zealous brethren, who caused him to be publickly reprimanded in the synod, for “not preaching up the times." " Who," he asked, "does preach up the times?" It was answered that all the brethren did it, except himself. "Then," he rejoined, "if all of you preach up the times, you may surely allow one poor brother to preach up Jesus Christ and eternity." The following fact shows that his neglect of politicks was the result of principle, and not of timidity of disposition. In 1648, he felt himself bound to set his flock an example of loyalty, by acceding to the engagement for the king; though he clearly foresaw that such a step would be attended with peril. He was delivered from the trouble which

would have befallen him in consequence of the failure of the enterprises to which the engagement gave birth, by the interposition of a powerful friend, and by the acknowledged sanctity of his cha

racter.

About this time, he seems to have inclined towards episcopacy; as we find him in correspondence with several of the episcopal cler gy, especially with the father of bishop Burnet. The conclusion at which he arrived on this subject, was, that "no particular mode of ecclesiastical polity was a point of sufficient moment to occasion a schism; yet he regarded the episcopal mode as the best adapted to the edification of the church universal." He at length withdrew himself wholly from the meetings of the Presbyterian judicatories, and finally relinquished his charge

in 1651.

Soon after this, he was chosen principal of the University of Edinburgh; "a situation which he was induced to accept, as it was totally unconnected with the church as a body politick." It was hardly possible, that at such a period of civil dissention, his election should be unanimous, yet such was the homage paid to his uncommon merit, that it encountered no direct opposition.

One of his earliest acts, in his new situation, was to revive the obsolete practice of reading Latin lectures on theological subjects in the publick hall. These, we are informed, were heard by large audiences with great delight; we presume they would have been heard with equal intelligence had they been in English, a language into which, happily for the present generation, they have since been translated.

That he was not destitute of talents for efficient action, appears from his promptly removing from the neighbourhood of the college all incitements to dissipation, and

increasing the revenues of the institution by a personal application to the Protector at London. Perćeiving that many students were deficient in the elementary branches of education, he exerted himself to promote the establishment of grammar schools in the several Presbyteries, with proper endow-ments, and the compilation of suitable elementary treatises. He continued to discharge his duties as Principal of the University, with great reputation, for ten years, when he resigned, in consequence of his acceptance of the episcopal office.

Charles II., as destitute of gratitude as of every other virtue, resolved to force episcopacy on, those Covenanters who had lavished their blood in his behalf. The means by which he attempted to accomplish this object, were as impolitick, as the object was unjust. The commission was given to the Earl of Middleton, a man of base origin, and baser manners,

obstinate, cholerick, licentious, and cruel." His coadjutor was James Sharp, whose vile character and tragical end, are well known. Sharp secured to himself the primacy through the favour of Lord Clarendon; and hence the appointments to the inferior sees were principally made by him; and as Burnet remarks, and as facts abundantly prove, the individuals selected, were, with the exception of Leighton, as bad as could well have been found. Leighton's appointment seems to have been owing to his relative, Sir Ellis Leighton, an intriguing, ambitious man, who thought that a mitre in his family would lead to its ag grandizement, and so contrived to get his nephew recommended to the king. Leighton was at first unwilling to accept, and was finally induced to do so only by a peremptory order of the court to accept, unless in his conscience. he considered the episcopal office unlawful." His acceptance was at

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tributed to mercenary motives by some of his former friends, but there can be no doubt of his honest attachment to moderate episcopacy, and of his sincere desire to serve the church in the best man

ner he was able." At this time he entertained a confident expectation of effecting a union between the Episcopalians and Presbyterians, on the ground of mutual concession. This fact shows his freedom from the party spirit of the times; and also, how little he knew of the tenacity with which religious opinions are held, when they have been hallowed, as it were, by persecution.

There is one part of Leighton's conduct in this affair, which is open to just exception. It was his receiving the orders, first of deacon, and then of priest, from English bishops, previously to his consecration. It was required by the Bishop of London, on the ground of the invalidity of his Presbyterian ordination. Leighton denied the soundness of this objection, yet "being little scrupulous about the circumstantials of ecclesiastical polity," he yielded; not reflecting on the impression which this compliance would produce. The view he took of the ceremony imposed upon him was, that "the reordaining of a priest ordained in another church, imported nothing more than that they received him into orders according to their own rules; and did not infer the annulling the orders he had formerly received." He should have foreseen that others would not put the same construction on it. But those possessed of the honesty of Leighton, are seldom suspicious of misconstruction on the part of

others.

Leighton, at his own request, was appointed to the inconsiderable see of Dunblane, in Perthshire. He was anxious to proceed immediately to healing the disorders of the church, by uniting the parties

which divided it; and by removing whatever was opposed to the progress of true piety. But he found no assistants among his colleagues. They were intent only on establishing a hierarchy. Instead of adopting the conciliatory plan for union, proposed by Leighton, an act for the abolishment of Presbyterian judicatories was passed before they left London; which was immediately followed by an act asserting the king's supremacy, reinstating the bishops in their parliamentary privileges and civil dignities; in short, establishing prelacy of the highest

kind.

This mode of procedure, together with a more intimate acquaintance with their characters, on the part of Leighton, so discouraged him, that he remarked to Burnet, that "in the whole progress of this affair, there appeared such cross characters of an angry Providence, that how fully soever he was satisfied in his own mind, as to episcopacy itself, yet it seemed that God was against them; that they were not like to be the men that should build up his church; so that the struggling

about it seemed to him like a fighting against God."

When the bishops were invited to take their seats in Parliament, Leighton alone declined. It was his resolution from the beginning, never to mix in Parliament, unless some matter affecting the interests of religion was in agitation. Accordingly, his first appearance there, was on the question respecting the oath of supremacy. As the oath was worded, it required nothing but what the covenanters were willing to admit; viz. that the king should be recognised as the civil head of the church, as well as the state. The phraseology was no doubt intentionally made equivocal, for the purpose of bringing some of the covenanters under the penalties of disloyal

ty. When some of them required a qualification of it, it was refused. Leighton advocated their cause, acknowledged that the oath was susceptible of a bad interpretation, and insisted that something should be done to guard against it.

Leighton discharged the duties of his episcopate in the manner which his uniform piety and moderation would lead us to expect. "He was constantly passing from parish to parish, catechising, preaching, and correcting disorders, especially among the clergy; knowing that spirituality would never abound among the people, until the pulpits were filled with holy men." The following letter, to the heritors of the parish of Stratton, illustrates his manner of proceeding in filling the vacant benefices.

Worthy Gentlemen and Friends—

"Being informed that it is my duty to present a person fit for the charge of the ministry now vacant with you, I have thought of one, whose integrity and piety I am so fully persuaded of, that I dare confidently to recommend him to you, as one who, if the hand of God do bind that work upon him amongst you, is likely, through the blessing of the same hand, to be very serviceable to the building up of your souls heavenward; but is as far from suffering himself to be obtruded, as I am from obtruding any upon you: so that unless you invite him to preach, and, after hearing him, declare your consent and desire towards his embracing of the call, you may be secure from the trouble of hearing any further concerning him, either from himself or me; and if you please to let me know your mind, your reasonable satisfaction shall be to my utmost power endea voured, by your affectionate friend

and humble servant,
R. LEIGHTON.

He recommended to his clergy a plain and practical mode of preaching, adapted to "the character of the audience, which is made up, for the most part, of illiterate persons." After hearing a plain homely sermon, he expressed the highest satisfaction; "for the

* The heritors of a parish are the owners of the real property within it.

good man," said he, in reference to the preacher, " seems in earnest to catch souls."

It appears that he took no prominent part in the settlement of the church in the early part of his episcopate, hoping that the result of his pacific efforts might induce the other bishops to follow his example. But he soon found that his hopes were vain; and seeing them totally destitute of the Christian graces, he designated them in scriptural language, "empty vines, bringing forth fruit only to themselves.' "I have met," he would say, "with many cunning plotters, but with few truly honest and skilful undertakers. Many have I seen who were wise and great as to this world, but of such as are willing to be weak that others may be strong, and whose only aim it is to promote the prosperity of Zion, have I not found one in ten thousand." Thus discouraged, he resolved to lay down his charge, "which he had taken up not as a dignity, but as a cross and burden." He first resolved to lay before the king a faithful picture of the state of things in Scotland. He accordingly went up to London, and in an interview with the monarch, "he declared that the severities practised upon objectors to the his conscience could not justify, new establishment, were such as even for the sake of planting Christianity in a heathen land: and much less could he agree to them for an end comparatively so insignificant, as that of substituting one form of ecclesiastical government for another. He there

fore sought permission to resign his bishoprick, lest by retaining it, he should seem a party to violences, at which his principles and feelings revolted." The king duct of Sharp, and pledged himprofessed to disapprove of the conself to stop the application of the

secular sword; but would not permit Leighton to vacate his see.

He therefore returned to Scotland, and laboured to promote those pacifick measures which the king had engaged to sanction.

In 1669, the Assertory Act, an act greatly increasing the royal prerogative, was laid before the parliament of Scotland. It asserted that "all things relating to the external government of the church belonged to the crown, and that all things relating to ecclesiastical meetings, matters and persons, were to be ordered according to such directions as the king should send to his privy council." Lord Tweedale, and the other moderate men, were less opposed to this measure, as they thought it was designed to remove the impediments out of the way of the pacifick measures the king had entered on; as it would supersede the tedious formalities and contentious proceedings of parliament. Leighton did not give it his suffrage till after stating many objections, and causing several modifications. When it came out with the royal sanction, it was found that a number of clauses had been added, and that the modifications he had caused, were omitted. The conduct of Leighton in voting for this act was severely censured, and even he, "to the end of his days, reflected on this affair with selfreproach, and bitterly regretted that his judgment should have slumbered on such an occasion."

The first exercise of the royal prerogative, was the removal of Archbishop Burnet from Glasgow, "in which he had earned but a sorry reputation for episcopal virtues," and the offer of the place to Leighton. At first he was unwilling to accept it, but when he saw, that by increasing his influence, it might enable him to accomplish the object of his heart, the union of parties, he finally consented, and received in consequence a summons to court. There he made known the state of affairs,

and represented the "great advantages which would accrue to his majesty's governments, if the people of Scotland could be brought to a better temper." His plain sound sense and honesty seem to have made an impression on the king, who acceded to the propositions he presented, and caused a paper of instructions to be drawn up and transmitted to the minister, together with an order to obtain the enactment of corresponding laws. Leighton's next effort was to create such a spirit in his diocese, as should favour his conciliatory operations. For this purpose he held a synod of his clergy, but they "were loud in their complaints of desertion and ill usage, and craved immediate redress. This appeal was answered with promises of compelling the people to attend church, and inflicting fines and punishments on the contumacious." "Leighton," says Burnet in his History, "in a sermon he preached to them, and in several discourses both in public and in private, exhorted them to look up more to God; to consider themselves as the ministers of the cross of Christ; and to bear the contempt and ill usage they met with, as a cross laid on them for the exercise of their faith and patience; to lay aside all appetite of revenge; to humble themselves before God; to have many days of secret fasting and prayer; and to meet often together that they might quicken and assist one another in those holy exercises; and then they might expect blessings from heaven upon their labours." He also visited the most influential Presbyterian ministers, and endeavoured to win them over by gentleness and argument; informing them of the propositions which would soon be laid before them in a regular form, and entreating them to use their influence in "uniting all parties in the bonds of amicable forbearance at least, if