Believe, and you shall love, believe
much, and you shall love much. Robert Leighton
Saint
Giles has a saint in the Churchyard. It has a Prime Minister too – Harold
Macmillan – but Archbishop Robert Leighton buried there 1684 and commemorated
26th June in the church calendar has first place. Leighton’s tomb
and wall plaque have been cleaned by J Gumbrill through the generous donation of
church members to mark a year of celebration close to the 400th
anniversary of his birth.
Called
affectionately “The little bishop” Leighton devoted the last decade of his life
to praying, preaching and visiting the poor and sick of Horsted Keynes having
spent forty years carrying the torch of peaceable Christian faith during
tumultuous times which saw both the loss and restoration of kings and
bishops.
Believe, and you
shall love, he wrote. Believe much, and you shall love much.
Robert Leighton’s deep rooting in Christ gave him love to help deal with church
divisions in the Scotland of his day where he served as Presbyterian minister
and afterwards as Anglican Bishop in Dunblane, where his library is still used,
and Archbishop of Glasgow, before retiring to live with his sister in Horsted
Keynes.
Seek Jesus, fear
not, you will certainly find him Leighton wrote and in him all things. He described Christian life as
‘angelic’ spent between ascending in prayer to fetch blessings from above and
descending to scatter them amongst those in need of help and consolation below.
To Leighton prayer looks to God as the
most faithful and powerful friend, the richest and most loving father.
Our
spiritual New Year resolutions at St Giles will include Leighton and we’ll be
looking with him at the 5 essentials of Christian life: prayer,
worship, study, service and reflection.
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