of visitors, especially of the clergy. At the death of his father, he removed
hence to the family seat of Corse, where, to use the quaint phrase of his Latin
biographer, Garden, he at once cultivated his hooks and his fields, regularly
performing the duties of a clergyman every Sunday, before his domestics.
At the time when Patrick Forbes entered into public life, the reformed church of Scotland had not settled down into any regular system of ecclesiastical polity, and sometimes things were allowed to be done which would now be considered as at least eccentric, if not indecent. At the same time, the profession of a clergyman, though holding forth little pecuniary advantage, was invested with so much popular power, as to be highly inviting. We hence find, in the instances of Erskiue of Dun, Bruce of Kinnaird, and others, that it had temptations even for gentlemen of good estates. It appears that, in the loose system of polity then acted upon, the laird of Corse, merely because he was a devout man, and possessed of some territorial influence, was repeatedly intreated to perform the duties of a clergyman, as if it had been supposed that any little deficiency in point of clerical ordination, that could be urged against him, would be fully compensated by his weight as the laird of Corse. He accordingly did act temporarily as a minister, during the time when the clergymen who had attended the prescribed general assembly at Aberdeen in 1605, were suffering exile from their parishes. Instead of this exciting episcopal interference, we are told that Patrick Blackburn, bishop of Aberdeen, no sooner heard of the excellent ministrations of the laird of Corse, than he, in concurrence with the synod of his diocese, intreated him to take ordination, and become the minister of his own parish. Although this request was made oftener than once, Forbes steadily resisted it, alleging as a reason his sense of the weight of the priestly duties, and of the difficulty of the times. These things, however, being conveyed by some malevolent person to the ear of the primate, (Gladstones, archbishop of St Andrews,) that dignitary sent an order, prohibiting Corse from preaching any more until he should take ordination. Having no alternative, the laird returned to his former practice of family worship, attending the church every Sunday as a private individual, and afterwards exercising upon a portion of the Scriptures before his servants. He went on thus for seven years, and was so far from exciting schism by his well-meant exertions, that no one in the neighbourhood was a more regular or respectful attendant upon parochial ordinances. At length, the neighbouring gentlemen and even the clergy frequented the family worship at Corse, where they heard most able elucidations of the epistles of St Paul, and also those commentaries on the Revelations, of which an abridgment was afterwards published.
At the end of the period alluded to, the minister of Keith, though a pious and worthy man, fell into a fit of melancholy, and, after suffering for some time, made an attempt upon his own life. He had hardly inflicted the fatal wound, when he was overtaken by deep remorse, and, having sent for the laird of Corse, was immediately attended by that devout man, who proceeded to reason with him in so earnest a manner as to open his soul fully to a sense of spiritual influences. The unfortunate man, with his dying breath, renewed the request which had so often been proffered to Forbes, that he would consent to undertake the pastoral charge of the parish; which request, taking place under such impressive circumstances, and enforced at the same time by the eloquence of the neighbouring clergymen and gentry, at length prevailed, and the laird of Corse immediately became minister of Keith. He was at this time forty-eight years of age.
In 1618, Forbes was appointed bishop of Aberdeen, with the sincere approbation of all classes of the people. Attached from principle to the episcopal
