J E S 



713 



JEW 



Junta, munity of men: Their system of lax and pliant mo- 

 '~~~.~^*' rality, justifying every vice, and authorizing every 

 atrocity, has left deep and lasting ravages on the face 

 of the moral world. Their zeal to extend the juris- 

 diction of the court of Rome over every civil govern- 

 ment, gave currency to tenets respecting the duty of 

 opposing princes who wtre hostile to the Catholic 

 faith, which shook the basis of all political allegiance, 

 and loosened the obl'gations of every human law. Their 

 indefatigable industry, and countless artifices in resist- 

 ing the progress of reformed religion, perpetuated the 

 moat pernicious errors of Popery, and postponed the 

 triumph of tolerant r.nd Christian principles. Whence, 

 then, it may well be asked, whence the recent restora- 

 tion ? What long latent proof has been discovered of 

 the excellence or even the expedience of such an insti- 

 tution ? The sentence of their abolition was passed by 

 the senates, and monarchs, and statesmen, and divines, 

 of all religions, and of almost every civilized country 

 in the world. Almost e\iry land has been stained and 

 torn by their crimes ; and almost every land bears on 

 its public record* the most solemn protects against their 

 existence. Even they who loved popery, but dreaded 

 the atrocities and ambition of Jesuitism ; even an in- 

 fallible pontiff, in his cool judicial capacity, after a most 

 solemn hearing, and in the face of its most powerful 

 advocate*, pronounced its condemnation. What new 

 witneM hu appeared to testify its virtues ? What ade- 

 quate came been made out for its revival .' If an instru- 

 ment u wanted, (**ys an able opponent of Jesuitism*), 

 which may at once quench the name of charity throw 

 us back in the career of age* sow the seeds of ever- 



lasting division lay a train which is to explode in the 

 citadel of truth, and overturn her sacred towers we 

 venture confidently to affirm that Jesuitism is that in- 

 strument. But, as for any other advantages either to 

 Protestantism or Popery, it is for the Pope, or any other 

 infallible reasoner, to shew. Till some such superior 

 being shall stoop down to instruct us on this point, and 

 to establish a fact which the Jesuits themselves for two 

 centuries, and by a whole regiment of folios, endea- 

 voured to establish in vain, we must venture to con- 

 clude, with our forefathers, with the kings, and queens, 

 and parliaments, and judges, and churches of Europe, 

 and with the infallible Pope Clement XIV. that Jesuit- 

 ism is a public nuisance ; and that he who endeavours 

 to let it loose upon society, is chargeable with high 

 treason against the common interests and happiness of 

 his species." See Robertson's History of Charles V. 

 vol. ii. and the authorities there cited; D'Alembert's 

 Narrative of the destruction of the Jesuits; A short Vievs 

 of the Polity of the Jesuits in Paraguay, attributed to 

 the pen of Mr Burke, and to be found in the 1st vol. of 

 The European Settlements in America ; Southey's His- 

 tory of Brazil ; Adolphus 1 History of England, vol. i. ; 

 Mosheim's Ecclesiattical History, vol. iv. ; Christian 

 Observer, vol. vi. ; and A Brief Account of the Jesuits, 

 Sfc. London, 1815. (q) 



JESUS. See CHRISTIANITY, ECCLESIASTICAL HIS- 

 TORY, vol. vifi. p. 302, and THEOLOOY. 



JET. See MINERALOGY. 



JET D'EAU. See HYDRODYNAMICS, vol. xi. page 

 507. 



JEWELS. See GEMS and MINERALOGY. 



J E W S. 



Jew. in the present article, we propose to lay before our 

 "V"""' reader*, in the first place, a brief sketch of the his- 

 tory of the Jew* from the period of their return to Je- 

 rinalnn from Babylon, and the rebuilding of their city 

 and temple under Eira and Nehemiah, when the scrip- 

 tore* leare off any farther account*, and when profane 

 historians begin to take notice of them, till the destruc- 

 tion of Jenualem under Titu* ; in the second pl.ice, 

 notice* of their history since that event, especially such 

 a* relate to their history in England ; and lastly, 

 general view of their opinions, tradition*, rite*, and ce- 



I. In the year 5S4 B. C. the foundation* of the tem- 

 ple at Jerusalem were laid ; and after a great many ob- 

 stacle* and delay*, it was finished, a* related in thejbooks 

 of Ezra and Nehemiah. The hurt of these chief* died 

 bant the year 409 B. C. He justly may be ranked 

 among the great characters of ancient history. He for- 

 sook a place of influence at the most splendid court of 

 Asia to encounter every hardship, actuated by the pa- 

 triotic and beneficent wish of bestowing independence 

 and happiness upon hi* poor, ignorant, and wretched 

 , ana of railing them, by moral and reli- 

 n, to the rank of a brave, industrious, 



and comparatively virtuous nation. Before Nehemiah, 

 the Jew* were addicted to idolatry, and totally igno- 

 rant of a future state ; be however succeeded, by a 

 wise and jadjcioaa (election of their laws and traditions, 



and by directing their attention more to practice than Jew*. 

 to disputation, in rendering them austerely moral, and S """V~" 

 brave defenders of their independence. 



Still there existed sources of calamity and distress 

 among them ; their country was only a province of 

 Syria, subject to the kings of Persia. The Syrian 

 governors, in order to secure and extend their influence 

 and power, conferred the administration of affairs upon 

 the high-priests. The bad effects of this measure soon 

 became apparent, in creating jealousies among those 

 who thought they had a claim to this office. The first 

 public calamity that befel the Jewish nation after their 

 return from Babylon occurred in the year 3.51 B. C.; 

 when, in consequence of their having offended the king 

 of Persia, he took Jericho, and carried off all the inha- 

 bitants captives. When Alexander invaded Persia, 

 they seem to have pursued commerce with such great 

 success, that it appeared to that monarch an object to 

 obtain the settlement of Jewish colonies in his sea 

 ports. He also favoured them in many other respects ; 

 but the story of his interview with the high-priest 

 seems of very doubtful credit. On the death of Alex- 

 ander, Judea, from its locality, lying between Syria and 

 Egypt, was exposed to all the revolutions and wars 

 which his successors waged with each other. After Jerusalem 

 Ptolemy had succeeded in wresting Syria and Phceni- " 

 cia from Leomedon, he laid siege to Jerusalem. The 

 Jews were prepared for a long and obstinate resistance ; 

 but Ptolemy being informed that they would not fight 



Ckriitia* Oiitrvtr, ToL Xlv. 



