John Forbes was born around 1568 to William Forbes, 4th laird of Corse, and his wife, Elizabeth, who was the daughter of John Strachan of Thornton. He was the younger brother of Patrick Forbes, who would become 5th laird of Corse, Bishop of Aberdeen, and Chancellor of King’s College of the University of Aberdeen. Bishop Forbes had a son also named John (1593–1648), who would become a distinguished theologian in his own right and followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a professor at King's College in Aberdeen. (Tayler, Alistair and Henrietta. 1937. House of Forbes. Edinburgh: Third Spalding Club.)
John Forbes of Alford studied at the University of St Andrews, where he trained in theology and philosophy under Andrew Melville (1545-1622.) After completing his studies, Forbes entered the ministry and was ordained in the Church of Scotland. He was appointed minister of Alford in Aberdeenshire in 1593. His intellectual depth, pastoral care, and firm adherence to Presbyterianism quickly gained him a reputation as a respected churchman and scholar.

Forbes's first confrontation with authority occurred during the reign of King James VI of Scotland over the excommunication of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly. Huntly had appealed to the Privy Council, which overturned the excommunication. The Synods of Aberdeen and Moray recruited Forbes to defend the excommunication directly before the King. He was received by the King in March 1605 and proved his case.

However, later that year, Forbes presided over the General Assembly which determined doctrine for the Church of Scotland. This meeting had not been authorized by the King and was considered illegal. Refusing to disband at the King's order, Forbes and several others were arrested and charged with treasonous disobedience. Though initially imprisoned, they were eventually tried and banished. In November 1606, he and the other ministers left for France. (McMahon, C. Matthew, Editor. 1635, Reprinted 2018. “Preface,” The Christian’s Charge: Never to Offend God in Worship. Crossville, Tennessee: Puritan Publications.)

In 1608, John Forbes traveled to Sweden at the request of King Karl IX. The King was interested in revising some of the Lutheran doctrines to be more in line with the Church of Scotland. At the King’s request, Forbes summarized the Scottish Church's confession of faith in the form of 55 theses. Karl decided to use these treatises as the basis for holding a religious discussion with noted Swedish theologians in Uppsala. (Hjärne, Harald, Editor. 1903. Svenska akademiens handlingar ifrån år 1886 / Proceedings of the Swedish Academy from the year 1886. Stockholm: The Swedish Academy.)

On November 17, 1608, Forbes appeared alone at the Swedish Academy auditorium before a “packed auditorium” that included leaders of the Lutheran Church of Sweden. Forbes attempted to read from his theses but was constantly interrupted and challenged by the Lutheran leaders. Even though the debate lasted “until daylight ended,” he was never able to present all the points that the King had wished. According to Church of Sweden historian Johan Baazius the younger (Archbishop of Uppsala from 1677 to 1681), at least twice during the proceedings, Forbes provided no response to points made by the Archbishop and others. As a result, “Baazius took the liberty of writing the familiar words: ‘Ad haec Forbesius nihil,’ which thereby got the appearance of being in the protocol, although they are his own invention.” The phrase “To these things, Forbes said nothing” has since remained a common cliché in Sweden. (Ibid.)

Forbes then traveled to the Low Countries (the Netherlands) where “he played a prominent part among fellow English and Scottish Nonconformists, most of whom had also left their native country involuntarily.” (de Jong, Chris. 1989. “John Forbes, Scottish Minister and Exile in the Netherlands,” Nederlands archief voor kerkgeschiedenis / Dutch Review of Church History. Leiden: De Gruyter Brill.)

In Middelburg, Zeeland, he served as assistant to Lawrence Potts, who was pastor in the Church of the Company of Merchant Adventurers, a group of powerful and wealthy cloth merchants dating back to the fourteenth century. The Church was formerly a part of the Church of England but had shifted from Episcopacy to Presbyterianism. Forbes succeeded as minister of the church in 1612 when Potts departed the city.

In 1615, Forbes traveled to London to convince King James of his “loyalty and obedience,” in spite of his firm views of Presbyterianism. “He offered his hand-written Certaine Records touching the Estate of the Church of Scotland, in which he explained his views and defended the lawfulness of the General Assembly of July 1605.” (Ibid.) However, the King demanded that Forbes change his mind on church government and discipline. Forbes refused and his banishment from Scotland was upheld.

In 1621, Forbes was one of the founders of the English Synod, formed when the English Church of Delft joined with other English and Scottish churches. Forbes encouraged other churches in the Netherlands to accept the English Synod’s authority over religious doctrine and ordination. At the first meeting of the English Synod on April 20, 1622, Forbes was elected President.

In 1629, controversy over the English Synod’s approach to ordination was raised with King Charles I and William Laud, who became a member of the Privy Council in 1627 and was appointed Bishop of London in the following year. Forbes traveled to London to appear before the King. Forbes promised that the Synod would “doe nothing cross, or contrary to our Church government here in England.” Once again, Forbes was successful, and the King permitted the Synod to resume its regular meetings. (Ibid.)

However, due to growing political pressure, the English Synod was formally abolished in March 1633. In October 1633, Forbes’s Church of the Merchant Adventurers at Delft was placed under the direct supervision of the Bishop of London. Forbes resigned and died in the Netherlands less than a year later, in August 1634. (Ibid.)

Learn more here: https://www.clan-forbes.org/post/john-forbes-of-alford