LEE, ROBERT, D.D., 1804-68; b. Tweedmonth, England; educated at the university of St. Andrew; ordained a minister of the Scottish church in 1832; settled at Arbroath in 1833, and at Campsie iu 1836. When the church of Scotland was rent in twain, he remained with the Established church, was called to the pastorate of the Old Gray Friars' church in Edinburgh, and took a prominent part in the controversies that ensuea. In 1844, to rebut the charge of Erastianism brought against the national church by the seceders, he translated and published with a preface of his own The Theses of Erastus touching Excommunication. In 1846 he was appointed regius professor of biblical criti cism in the university of Edinburgh, and eight years later published the great work of his life—the fruit of Most careful and earnest research—The Holy Bible, stall about 60,000 Harginal References and Various Readings, revised and improved. Ile was charged by some of his brethren with unsoundness on the subject of eternal punishment, but defended himself with great vigor. He was a member of the deputation that appeared before a committee of parliament in 1858 on the subject of university reform, and had the satisfaction of seeing his suggestions embodied in the act that was finally passed. In 1859 he was arraigned before the presbytery of Edinburgh, and afterwards before the general assembly, upon the charge of introducing in public worship liturgical forms and postures unknown to tile church? of Scotland; being that he had published a volume of Prayers for Public Worship and used the same in his own church. lie
defended himself with such power and eloquence that his accusers were defeated. In 1860 he published The Reform of tire Church of Scotland in Worship, Government. and Doctrine, in which he presented his views of liturgical forms, postures, instrumental music, etc., and expressed his earliest desire. by certain changes in these and other par ticulars, to bring the church into more perfect harmony with the• catholic Christian spirit and with the aspirations of the age. The general assembly of 1863-64 took action favorable to his views, and shortly afterwards an organ was erected in Gray Friars' church, a step which marked a dew era in the history of the national church of Scot land. In 1865, however, the general assembly reversed its previous action, and the questions at issue were about to be tested in the civil courts, when Dr. Lee was attacked with paralysis, which led to his death, Mar..12,1868. Ills Life and Remains, by rev. R. H. Story, appeared in 1870.