BAILLIE, ROBERT, one of the most eminent, and perhaps the most moderate of all the Scotch Presbyterian clergy during the time of the civil war, was b. at Glasgow in 1599, and educated at the university of that city. In 1622, lie received episcopal ordina tion—episcopaoy being then nominally the established religion of the country—from archbishop Law, and was shortly after presented to the parish church of Kilwinning. At first a maintainer of the doctrine of passive obedience, he seems to have changed his opinions on this point some time durino. 1630-36. In 1638, he sat in that famous general assembly of the Kirk of Scotland which met in Glasgow to protest against episcopacy being thrust on an unwilling people, but conducted himself with greater prudence and temperance than was quite agreeable to his excited brethren. However, lie soon threw himself eagerly into the national cause. In 1640, lie was selected by the Scottish leaders, on account of his pamphlet against Laud's party, as a proper person to go to London, along with other commissioners, to prepare charges against archbishop Laud, whose rash and tyrannical measures were alleged to have been the origin of the recent hostilities against the sovereign. On his return to Scotland in 1642, he was appointed joint-professor of divinity at Glasgow, along with Mr. David Dickson, an
equally distinguished, but less moderate divine. In 1643, he wasagain sent to London as a delegate to the Westminster assembly of divines, where he conducted himself in an unobtrusive manner, but cordially concurred in the doctrines which were drawn up. It is curious to notice, in connection with this incident of his career, that though Mr. B. had himself experienced the injustice of intolerance, like almost every other theologian of his age, he vehemently discarded the principle of to'.eration, and asserted the divine right of presbyterywith as much emphasis as Laud did the divine right of episcopacy. After the execution of Charles I., in 1649, B. was chosen by the church to proceed to Holland, and to invite Charles II. to accept the covenant and crown of Scotland. Though it was not easy to deal with one of Charles' slippery character, B. is admitted to have borne himself in the matterwith great prudence and dignity. After the restora tion, he was made principal of Glasgow university, He diedJuly, 1662. His Letters are a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the times.