or worship, is merely a grammatical question, and therefore quite impertinent in a serious dispute.

3rd. That they may be lawfully kept in churches. This also, provided there be no danger of abuse, is generally admitted on both sides: and a catholic divine says very well, that "if in any place ignorant people be really in danger of idolatry or superstition, all pictures, as long as that danger continues, ought to be removed by their pastors." (Delphinus, 1. 3, de Ecclesia, apud Nat. Alex. T. 5, p. 774.) For the bare use and actual veneration of images is not a matter of faith, but of discipline only. Till idolatry and the recent remembrance of it was banished out of the christian world, that is, till about the middle of the fourth age, or somewhat later, there was little or no use of images in christian oratories, much less-of statues. Some few pastors,

among whom St Epiphanius was one of the most distinguished, were even of opinion that they were absolutely repugnant to christianity. But others—of as much zeal and more discretion, and in greater numbers, opposed the mistake. That it was really an error-is the judgment, not of the catholic church only, but also of the Lutherans, and of all moderate protestants. (Montague, par. 2, Orig. § 144, p. 91. "Si quis novatorum, ait, in eâ versetur hæresi, illicitum esse, picturas, imagines, statuas conflare,-Ecclesiis ad ornatum proponere, et informationem rudiorum, homo vecors est.") And since paganism has been utterly banished out of Christendom, the church did well to declare, that the images of Christ, and of his saints, are to be retained; and that due honor and veneration (or respect) is to be given to them. (Conc. Trid. Sess. 25. Pius IV. in professione fidei.)

Protestants indeed, accuse the second Nicene synod of ridicu lous fables, gross misrepresentations of scripture, falsifications and impertinent allegations of the ancient fathers. But, who ever commended the judge by whom he was condemned? In quoting the fathers they had not the protestant criterion; nor was it necessary for the settling of this manifest truth, that christians are no where forbidden in the scripture, either to use, or to respect the images of Christ and his saints. Good men are not always the best critics. We cannot doubt but the apostles, although they knew nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified, were good pastors. But if we should say, they were very good critics, we should assert more than we know. The exceptions of the council of Frankfort against the decrees of the Nicene synod were built upon misconception, and a false translation of the Greek acts; and consequently, of no service to the protestant cause: and the objections of modern controversialists, brought forward and refuted a hundred thousand times, are ludicrous and impertinent. (See the controversy treated more at large by Dr Hawarden, in his first vol. of the Church of Christ,

from which principally the above abridgement is borrowed; also Dictionaire Theol. de Bergier, Lives of Saints by the Rev. Alban Buttler, Pluquet Dict. des Hæres. &c.)

JEROME OF PRAGUE-See HUSSITES.

JEWS-the descendants of Abraham, so called from Juda, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. Concerning their laws and customs the reader may consult the books of Moses, and may find a partial account of their religion and constitution in the epitome prefixed to this work.

The modern Jews have adopted many very singular practices and traditions unknown to their forefathers. When any person of their religion is buried, the nearest relation keeps the house for a week, sitting on the ground all the time, except on the Sabbath-day, when he attends at public prayer. During this week they do no business: the husband and the wife lodge apart; and at least ten people assemble morning and evening to pray. They offer up supplications for the soul of the person deceased all that week, at the close of which term they repair to the synagogue, light up lamps, and repeat their prayers, promising moreover, to distribute alms in behalf of the departed soul. This charitable service, which they justify by the tradition of their fore-elders, is reiterated at the end of every month, and of every year; and it is customary for the son to say each morning and evening-the prayer for the soul of his father or mother. They believe a paradise, where the blessed enjoy the beatific vision; and a hell for wicked men, in which some shall continue for ever; others, only for a time. No Jew, however, unles he be a heretic or nonconformist to the dictates of their rabbins, shall remain in hell above a year.

3.

6.

Their creed consists of thirteen articles, 1. That there is one God, the Creator of all things,-all-perfect and all-sufficient. 2. That he is an uncompounded, individual essence. That, of course, he is immaterial. 4. Absolutely eternal. 5. Alone to be worshipped and adored by all his creatures. They maintain-that there have been formerly, and may still arise-certain extraordinary personages called prophets. 7. That Moses is the greatest of the prophets. 8. That every syllable of the law was given to Moses by inspiration; and that the traditionary expositions of the precepts were entirely a divine revelation committed to him. 9. That the law is immutable ;-in contradiction to the whole tenor of the gospels and christian revelation. 10. That God knows and governs all things. 11. That he rewards the observance, and punishes the violation, of his laws. 12. They vainly expect the appearance of the Messiah, whose coming, say they, is delayed.~ 13.

They believe that God will raise the dead to life, and judge all mankind.

Modern Jews are divided into two branches ;-The Caraites, who adopt as their sole rule in religion-the law of Moses; and the Rabbinists, who receive also the traditions of the Talmud, which is a repertory of the most extravagant tales and idle dreams of their rabbins. The Talmud of Jerusalem, though more obscure, is of more ancient date than that of Babylon, which however, is generally preferred, as being more extensive. The present wandering state of this once chosen generation, is a striking exemplification of the Divine wrath, heretofore denounced against them for having impiously put to death the Saviour of the world.

ILLUMINATI-a sect which made its appearance in Spain towards the year 1575. The principal errors of this sect were—that through the medium of sublime prayer they attained to a state of such extraordinary perfection, that they no longer stood in any need of the sacraments, or of good works; on the contrary, that they might without sin abandon themselves to actions the most infamous. Molinos and his disciples, a short time afterwards, adopted the same immoral principles. The sect, after having been suppressed in Spain, was renewed in France in 1634. But Lewis XIII. caused them to be prosecuted with such diligence and severity, that they were quickly annihilated. They pretended, that God had revealed to one of their number named Brother Antony Bocquet, a new system of belief, and method of life, hitherto unknown to the professors of christianity; that by adopting this method persons might rapidly arrive at the perfection of the saints, and even of the blessed Virgin herself, who, they asserted, had possessed no more than an ordinary degree of virtue. They added, that by their new invented method they were rendered capable of so strict a union with God, that their actions in this state were all divine. Like some Methodists of our day, these enthusiasts maintained, that none of the doctors of the church had understood-what true devotion was; that St Peter, in comparison with them, was but a dunce in the science of spirituality, as was also his fellow apostle St Paul; and that the universal church was left in darkness and the grossest ignorance with regard to the genuine spirit and practice of the creed. They affirmed, that all was lawful that agreed with conscience, whether erroneous or otherwise; and that within the space of ten years the whole world would embrace their sentiments, and then there would be no want of priests,-of religious orders in the church; of curates, bishops or other ecclesiastical superiors. (Voyez Sponde, Vittorio Siri, &c.)

IMPECCABLES. See ANABAPTISTS, of whom they formed a

branch.

INCORRUPTICOLE-were a branch of Eutychians, who maintained that in the incarnation of the Son of God, the human nature had been absorbed by the Divine, and consequently, that the two natures were confounded in one. They first appeared in 535. In asserting that the body of Jesus Christ was incorruptible, they intimated that, from its first formation in the Virgin's womb, it was incapable of any alteration or change, and never experienced either hunger or thirst; and that, before his death as well as after his resurrection, he eat without necessity or appetite. The consequence of this their error was-that the body of Jesus Christ was impassible and not liable to pain, and that thus our Divine Saviour had not really suffered for our salvation. This was in fact, the natural tendency of Eutychianism. See the article.

INDEPENDENTS-sectaries who disclaim subjection to ecclesiastical authority. In matters of faith and doctrine, they profess rigid Calvinism; and their independence is chiefly in regard of discipline, rather than in the tenets of religion. They insist, that each particular church or religious society, contains within itself every requisite for its own conduct and government; that it possesses full ecclesiastical jurisdiction and authority, independent of every other church or churches, their deputies, synodical decisions, or of any bishop whatever.

During the civil wars the independent party having gained the ascendancy, almost all the other sects inimical to the English establishment, flocked to their standard. They consisted, first, of Presbyterians who differ from the genuine Independents in points of discipline only: secondly, of a confused variety of Anabaptists, Socinians, Antinomians, Familists, Libertines and others, scarcely deserving of the name of christians, and whom Spanheim compliments with the epithet of counterfeit Independents.

Independentism has still its followers in England, in North America and in Holland. One Morel attempted to introduce it among the protestants in France; but the synod of La Rochelle in which the famous Beza presided, and that of Charenton held in the year 1644, condemned the system, though not with much consistency. For what right had they to interfere, whether the Independents proved well or ill their doctrines from holy scripture? They had texts at hand to favour their pretensions; and, in the main, they did not stretch the fundamental principle of protestantism beyond its full and natural extent. Mosheim who, doubtless, was aware of this, has racked his utmost ingenuity to exculpate the Independents of the enormities and seditious conduct imputed to them by our historians.

In the judgment, however, of the English translator of his ecclesiastical history, he has failed in the attempt. He thinks little of their public professions, because they were made in untoward circumstances; and, it is a fact, that the Calvinists in general have uniformly, when in their power, set up republicanism on the ruins of their former monarchical government, and never yielded submission to their lawful sovereigns, but by compulsion. In a word, every well informed and unbiassed mind will readily acknowledge, that neither the origin nor the demeanour of the sect will ever do much honor to the protestant cause, or that of christianity at large.

INDIFFERENT (the)—a sect of Anabaptists. See the article.

INFERNALIANS-maniacs of the sixteenth century, who impipiously maintained, that during our Blessed Redeemer's reposing in the tomb, his soul descended into the pit of hell, and was tormented with the damned. (See Gauthier, Chron. sæc. 16.) Calvin himself was not ashamed to say-that, during its detention there, it was abandoned to all the horrors of despair; another most flagrant instance this-of the frightful abuse of holy scripture by private interpretation !

JOHNSONIANS-so called from the late Mr Johnson, a dissenting minister at Liverpool. They have places of worship at Norwich, Liverpool and in the neighbourhood of Halifax, and in some other parts. These sectaries deny the Trinity of persons in God, and disbelieve the pre-existence of Christ, although they very inconsistently maintain him to be properly God. They reject also, the doctrine of original sin, but still hold that no man will savingly believe the gospel, without the special influence of the Spirit. They deny the natural immortality of the soul, and say that the whole of man is at present mortal; yet allow the separate existence of the soul between death and the resurrection. They contend too, that it is impossible for a real christian to have any doubts and fears respecting his acceptance with God. This idea, totally at variance with St Paul, who advises us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, they seem to have borrowed from John Calvin, or perhaps more immediately, from their contemporaries the modern Methodists. Resurrection they extend to the whole animal creation, not less than to the human race. (See Mr Evans's Sketch.)

JOVINIANISTSs—were the followers of Jovinian, who towards the close of the fourth century, after having lived many years in the practice of great austerities under the conduct of St Ambrose, began to tire of monastic perfection, and preferred the delicacies of Rome, and the charms of liberty, to the confine