J A C OB. 
nifhing change in their affairs by the power of his elo¬ 
quence, and by his incredible aftivity and diligence, that 
at the time of his death in 5S8, when according-to Mo- 
Iheim he'was bifhop. of Edelfa, he left the feet in a 
moft flourifhing hate in Syria, Mefopotamia, Armenia, 
Egypt, Nubia, Abyffinia, and other countries. By his 
laborious efforts Jacob became fo famous, that all the Mo- 
nophyfites of the eaft confidered him as their fecond pa¬ 
rent and founder, and, as we have already feen, called 
tliemfelves after his name in honour of him. He was the 
author of a Catechifm, which is the grand rule of the 
Monophyfite faith. 
JA'COB (Henry), the founder of the firft independent 
or congregational church in England, was a native of 
Kent, and received his academical education at St. Mary’s- 
liall, in the univerfity of Oxford; where he Was admitted 
to the degree of B. A. in 1583, and to that of M. A. in 
1586. ' Having entered into holy orders, he was made 
precentor of Corpus-Chrifti college, and afterwards ob¬ 
tained the benefice of Cheriton in Kent. He was well 
read in theological authors, and in his fentiments zea- 
loufly attached to the puritanical party. Of his learning 
and controverfial abilities he afforded favourable fpecimens, 
in A Treatife of the Sufferings and Victory of Chrift in 
the Work of our Redemption, See. 1598, 8vo. written 
in oppofition to fome notions advanced by Bilfon, bifiiop 
of Winchefter ; and in Two Treatifes of the Church 
and Miniftry of England, againlf the Reafonsmiid Objec¬ 
tions of Mr. Francis Johnfon, the Brownift, 1599, 4to. 
printed at Middleburgh. In the year 1604, he publifhed 
Reafons taken out of God’s Word, and the bell human 
Teftimonies, proving a Necefiity of reforming our Churches 
of England, &c. 4to. and another piece, Againft vain¬ 
glorious, and that which is falfely called learned, Preach¬ 
ing, 4to. The publication of thefe pieces drew down on 
his head the perfecution of the intolerant bilhop Bancroft, 
which obliged him to withdraw for lafety into Holland. 
At Leyden, he had repeated conferences with Mr. Robin- 
fon ; in confequence of which, from an opponent he be¬ 
came a convert to the Brownift principles relative to 
church-difcipline, fir.ee known by the name of indepen¬ 
dency. In the year 1610, he publifhed at Leyden a trea¬ 
tife, entitled, The Divine Beginning and Inftitution of 
Chrift’s true vifible and material Church; which was fol¬ 
lowed in the next year, by An Explication and Confir¬ 
mation of the former 'piece. Some time afterwards he 
returned to England ; and having imparted his defign of 
letting up a feparate congregation, upon the model of 
thofe in Holland, to the moft learned puritans of thofe 
times, it was not condemned by them as unlawful, con- 
fidering that there was no profpdftof what they conceived 
to be a neceffary national reformation. Mr. Jacob, there¬ 
fore, in the year 1616, having fummoned feveral of his 
friends together, and having obtained their content to 
unite in church-fellow (hip, for obferving the ordinances 
of Ch;ift in what they judged to be the pureft manner, 
they laid the foundation of the firft independent or con¬ 
gregational church in England. The following was the 
mode which they purfued. Having obferved a day of 
folemn fafting-and prayer for a bleffing upon their un¬ 
dertaking, towards the clofeof the folemnity each of them 
made open confeftion of his faith in our Lord Jefus Chrift; 
and then ftanding together, they joined hands, and fo- 
lemnly covenanted with each other in the prefence of 
Almighty God, to walk together in all God’s ways and 
ordinances, according as he had already revealed, or fhould 
further make them known to them. Mr. Jacob was then 
chofen paftor by the fuffrage of the brotherhood, and 
others were appointed to the office of deacons, with faff¬ 
ing and prayer.and impofition of hands. In the fame 
year he publifhed a defence of this new fyftem of church 
difeipline, entitled, “ A Proteftation or Confeftion in the 
Name of certain Chriftians, fiiowing how far they agreed 
with the Church of England, and wherein they differed, 
with-the Reafons of their Diffent, drawn from Scripture 
66 7 
to which was added a Petition to the King for the tolera¬ 
tion of fiuch Chriftians. Afterwards he publifhed a fur¬ 
ther defence of independency, entitled, “ A Collection of 
found Reafons, fhowing how neceffary it is for all Chrif¬ 
tians to walk in the Ways and Ordinances of God, in 
Purity, and in a right Church-way.” Mr. Jacob conti¬ 
nued with his people about eight years; but in 1624, be¬ 
ing defirous of entering on a more enlarged fphere of ufe- 
fulnefs, he went with their content to Virginia, where he 
died foon afterwards. 
JA'COB (Henry), fon of the preceding, was born in 
the diocefe of London about the year 1609. Being in his 
younger years rent by his relations to be educated abroad, 
he ftudied at Leyden under the celebrated Erpenius, and 
made a prodigious progrefs in philological and oriental 
learning. When he was about twenty-two years of age 
he returned to England, where his literary attainments 
occafioned his being fo ftrongiy recommended to the earl 
of Pembroke, chancellor of the univerfity of Oxford, that 
he fent letters to the univerfity, in confequence of which 
Jacob was created B. A. in 1628 -9. In the following 
year, through the intereft of Mr. Selden, and others, he 
was elected probationer-fellow' of Merton college. Not 
long afterwards he met with a lofs in the death of his pa¬ 
tron the earl of Pembroke ; which, however, was fupplied 
upon the fuccefiion of bifiiop Laud to the chancellorfhip. 
That prelate, upon the application of Mr. Selden, found 
means to revive in his favour a poll at Merton college, 
which had not been occupied for about a century. It 
was that of focius grammaticalis, or reader of philology to 
the juniors ; by which appointment he became a complete 
fellow of his college. In 1636 he was admitted to the de¬ 
gree of M. A. and in 1641 was defied efqulre-beadle of 
divinity. During the following year he was created ba¬ 
chelor of phyfic. “But his head,” fays Mr. Wood, “be¬ 
ing always over bufy about critical notions (which made 
him fometimes a little better than crazed), he neglected 
his duty fo much, that he was fufpended once, if not 
twice, from his place, and had his beadle’s liaff taken 
from him.” At length, when the parliamentary vifitation 
took place in 1648, he was formally expelled from it, and 
alfo ejefled from his fellowfhip ; fo that, being deftitute 
of the means of living, he retired to London, where Mr. 
Selden contributed to his fupport ; and he was reduced 
to fell a little patrimony which he poffeffed in Kent. Be¬ 
fore the money anting from this fale was fpent, having 
ruined his health by his intenfe application to his ftuuies, 
he died at Canterbury, whither he had removed for a 
change of air, in the year 1652, when he was about the 
age of forty-four. He wrote many things, but publilhed 
nothing himfelf. A little before his death, his friend 
Mr. Henry Birkhead publifhed, in a quarto volume, his 
inaugural oration upon taking his degree, his Greek, La¬ 
tin, and Englifn, poems, &c. 
JA'COB-ehn-HA'JIM, a learned rabbi in the Sixteenth 
century, was a native of Tunis, who, being obliged to 
fly from that place, retired to Venice. Here he afliduoufly 
applied himfelf to colleft the M a flora from the different 
manuferipts in which it is difperfed, and to give it for 
the firft time in an entire form. This he did in an edi¬ 
tion of the Hebrew Bible, accompanied with the Chaldee 
paraphrafe, and the commentaries of certain rabbis, pub¬ 
lilhed at Venice in the year 1525, in 4 vols. folio. This ■ 
edition of the Hebrew Bible, and thofe which follow it, 
are in high eftimation among the Jews. 
JA'COB JEHU'DAH-LE'ON, a learned Jew who fiou- 
rifhed in the feventeenth century, was born in Spain, 
whence lie removed into Holland, in order to enjoy greater 
advantages for purfuing a defign which he formed of draw¬ 
ing up a defcriplion of Solomon’s temple. That he might 
acquire a more perfecl idea of that noble edifice, he ap¬ 
plied himfelf to the conftruflion of a wooden model of it, 
upon the plans which he had met" with among t he differ¬ 
ent authors of his own nation. From this mode! he af¬ 
terwards formed his defeription of that building, and 
publifhed'. 
