Robert Baillie facts for kids

Robert Baillie (born April 30, 1602 – died 1662) was an important Scottish minister. He belonged to the Church of Scotland. He became well-known as a writer and a supporter of the Covenanters. The Covenanters were a group in Scotland who wanted to protect their Presbyterian church.

Baillie strongly believed in keeping the church united. He also believed that Christian teachings should come directly from the Bible. He wrote a lot about these ideas during a time when there were many arguments about religion.

He wrote many sermons and letters. These writings are still very helpful for historians today. They give us a lot of information about the Covenanters and the time he lived in.

Life of Robert Baillie

Assertion of Liberty of Conscience by the Independents of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, 1847, Palace of Westminster

Robert Baillie was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1602. He was the oldest son of James Baillie, a merchant. Robert went to the High School of Glasgow and then the University of Glasgow. He earned his master's degree in 1620.

He became a teacher of philosophy at the University of Glasgow. Later, he became a minister in Kilwinning in 1631. In 1638, he played a part in the Glasgow Assembly. This meeting helped bring back Presbyterianism in Scotland. Presbyterianism is a way of organizing the church.

In 1639, Baillie served as a chaplain with the Scottish army. This was during the Bishops' Wars, which were conflicts over how the church should be run. In 1640, he was asked by the Covenanters to write a complaint against Archbishop Laud.

Baillie became a professor at the University of Glasgow in 1642. He taught about religion there. In 1643, he was chosen to go to the Westminster Assembly. This was a very important meeting in London. Clergymen from Scotland and England met to discuss how to reform the church.

In 1647, Baillie presented the finished Westminster Confession of Faith to the Scottish church. This document outlined the beliefs of the Presbyterian Church.

In 1649, Baillie went to Holland. He was part of a group that invited Charles II to come to Scotland. They also discussed the terms for him to become king. Baillie continued to be interested in religious debates. He was not very active in politics during this time.

In 1661, he became the Principal of the University of Glasgow. This means he was the head of the university. He died the next year, in August 1662.

Church Debates During Cromwell's Time

During the time when Oliver Cromwell's army was in Scotland, there was a big disagreement within the Scottish church. This was known as the Resolutioner versus Protester conflict. Baillie sided with the Resolutioners.

He believed that the church should include all people, both good and bad. He did not think that church membership should be only for "true" believers. Baillie wanted to keep the church united. He also wanted to fight against groups that he saw as dividing the church.

His mentor, Robert Blair, told him to focus on his academic writing. So, in the 1650s, Baillie spent his time teaching at the University of Glasgow. He also wrote books about the Bible and history.

After the King Returned

After Charles II became king again in 1660, he brought back bishops to the Scottish church. This was called the Restoration. Robert Baillie did not think this was a good idea.

He told his friends that he disagreed with the king's decision. However, he did not speak out against it in public. When he met Andrew Fairfoul, the new Archbishop of Glasgow, he was polite. But he made sure not to show that he accepted Fairfoul's new position as a bishop.

Robert Baillie's Writings

Robert Baillie wrote many important books and letters. These writings are very helpful for people who study history. They give a lot of information about the Covenanters and the religious debates of his time.

Some of his works include:

• Ladensium αὐτοκατάκρισις (1641): This book was a response to another writer. It criticized William Laud, an archbishop, and his church system.
• A dissuasive from the errours of the time (1645): This book looked at the beliefs of different religious groups. It compared their ideas to what the Bible says.
• An Historical Vindication of the Government of the Church of Scotland: This book defended the way the Church of Scotland was organized.
• The Life of William (Laud) now Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Examined (London, 1643)
• A Parallel of the Liturgy with the Mass Book, the Breviary, the Ceremonial and other Romish Rituals (London, 1661)

You can find many of his letters and journals in a collection called The letters and journals of Robert Baillie (1637–1662). These were published in three volumes in the 1840s.

• La densivm AUTOKATAKRISIS : the Canterburians self-conviction ... : with a postscript for the personat Jesuite Lysimachus Nicanor (1641) https://archive.org/details/ladensivmautokat00bail
• A dissuasive from the errours of the time : wherein the tenets of the principall sects, especially of the Independents, are drawn together in one map, for the most part in the words of their own authours and their maine principles are examined by the touch-stone of the Holy Scrptures [sic] (1645) https://archive.org/details/dissuasivefromer00bail
• Errours and induration are the great sins and the great judgements of the time : preached in a sermon before the Right Honourable House of Peers, in the Abbey-Church at Westminster, 30 July 1645, the day of the monethly fast (1645) https://archive.org/details/erroursind00bail
• Operis historici et chronologici libri duo : in quibus historia sacra & profana compendiosè deducitur ex ipsis fontibus, a creatione mundi ad Constantinum Magnum, & quaestiones ac dubia chronologica, quae ex V. & N. Testamento moveri solent, breviter & perspicuè explicantur & vindicantur. Una cum tribus diatribis ... (MDCLXVIII [1668]) https://archive.org/details/operishistoricie00bail
• The letters and journals of Robert Baillie ... 1637–1662 (Volume 1) (1841)
• The letters and journals of Robert Baillie ... 1637–1662 (Volume 2) (1841)
• The letters and journals of Robert Baillie ... 1637–1662 (Volume 3) (1841)

Robert Baillie's Family

Robert Baillie was married twice.

• His first wife was Lilias Fleming. They married in 1631. Lilias passed away in 1653. They had several children together:
  • Lilias, who married William Eccles, a minister.
  • Helen, born in 1644.
  • Elizabeth, born in 1647.
  • They also had three other children.

• His second wife was Helen Strang. They married in 1656. Helen was the daughter of John Strang, who was also a Principal of the University of Glasgow. Helen had been married before. Robert and Helen had one child together:
  • Margaret, born in 1657. Margaret later married John Walkinshaw. She was an ancestor of Clementina Walkinshaw, who was connected to Charles Edward Stuart, also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie.