ary mystery, by Aristobulus, and other founders of the sect of the Therapeutæ, and admitted into their writings, as may be seen in the works of Philo. The Jewish mysteries, thus enlarged by the accession of Pagan dogmas, were conveyed from Egypt to Palestine, at the time when the Pharisees, who had been driven into Egypt under Hyrcanus, returned, and with them many other Jews, into their own country. From this time the Cabbalistic mysteries continued to be taught in the Jewish schools; till, at length, they were adulterated by the mixture of Peripatetic doctrines, and other tenets, which sprang up in the Middle Age. These mysteries were not, probably, reduced to any systematic form in writing, till after the dispersion of the Jews, when, in consequence of their national calamities, they became apprehensive that these sacred treasures would be corrupted, or lost. In succeeding periods, the Cabbalistic doctrines underwent various corruptions, particularly from the prevalence of the Aristotelian philosophy.1 11

This account of the rise and progress of the Jewish Cabbala agrees with the facts before recited, and is confirmed by the resemblance observable between the features of the Oriental and Cabbalistic systems, as far as the veil of metaphor and allegory, with which they are covered will permit us to compare them. The obscurity of the Cabbalistic philosophy is indeed such, that there is some reason to question whether the authors themselves clearly understood what they wrote: a suspicion which may always arise, where metaphysical ideas, which are only to be understood by mental abstraction, are represented under sensible images. It is probable, however, that the writers supposed themselves to have some meaning, in works upon which they bestowed much time and ingenuity: and it becomes a matter of curiosity to inquire what meaning lies concealed under the apparent jargon. Perhaps more pains has been taken to make this discovery than the subject deserves: but as others have laboured with indefatigable industry, and not without some degree of success, in exploring the mazes of this labyrinth, we must not fly from the under

12

"Wachter. Elucid. Cabb. c. ii. p. 19. Knorr. Cabb. Denud. t. ii. p. 389. 181. Philo. Op. p. 877. 893. Maimon. Mor. Nebh. 1. iii. c. 4. Wolf. Bibl. Heb. p. ii. 1. vii. c. 1.

12

Budd. Intr. § 35. 46. Hist. Ph. H. l. i. c. 10. Wachter. Spinoz. p.i.

taking as desperate; and we may possibly find in the result, that it is not wholly unprofitable. It will be necessary, however, before we proceed, to premise, that our inquiry only respects the theoretical part of the Cabbala; and that we pay no attention, either to the Enigmatical Cabbala, which consists in certain symbolical transpositions of the words or letters of the Scriptures, fit only for the amusement of children, and those who delight in anagrams and acrostics, or to the Practical Cabbała, which professed to teach the art of curing diseases, and performing other wonders, by means of certain arrangements of sacred letters and words.13

The chief heads of the Cabbalistic doctrine are these: From nothing, nothing can be produced; since the distance between existence and non-entity is infinite. Matter is too imperfect in its nature, and approaches too near to non-entity to be self-existent. The Being, from whom all things proceed is a spirit, uncreated, eternal, intelligent, percipient, having within itself the principles of life and motion existing by the necessity of its nature, and filling the immensity of space. This spirit is En-soph, the Infinite Deity. This Eternal Fountain of Existence sends forth from himself natures of various orders, which, nevertheless, are still united to their source. The world is a permanent emanation from the Deity, in which his attributes and properties are unfolded, and variously modified. The nearer any emanation is to the First Fountain, the more perfect and Divine is its nature; and the reverse.

Before the creation of the world, all space was filled with the Or Haen-Soph, or Infinite Intellectual Light. But when the volition for the production of nature was formed in the Divine Mind, the Eternal Light, hitherto equally diffused through the infinite expanse, withdrew itself to an equal distance, in every direction, from a certain point, and thus left, about this centre, a spherical portion of empty space, as a field for the operations of emanation, by which all things were to be produced. In the space from

p. 22. p. ii. c. 17. Eluc. Cabb. Præf. p. vi. c. 3. §1-13. Knorr. Cab. Den. t. i. p. ii. p. 79. t. ii. p. 390. Basnage, 1. iii. c. 14, 16, 19. H, Mori Quæst. t. i. p. 62.

13 Schudt. Mem. J. p. ü. l. vi. c. 31. Hackspan. Miscell, S. p, 290. Glassii Philol. S. 1. ii. p. i. tr. 2. s. 3. art. 2.

The rectilineal beam of light, which is the First Emana tion from the Eternal Fountain, and is itself the source of all other emanations, may be distinguished by the name Adam Kadman, the First Man, the first production of Divine Energy, or, the Son of God. The Sephiræ are fountains of emanation subordinate to Adam Kadman, which send forth rays of Divine light, or communicate essence and life to inferior beings. The ten Sephiræ are known, according to the order of emanation, by the names, Intelligence, or the Crown, Knowledge, Wisdom, Strength, Beauty, Greatness, Glory, Stability, Victory, Dominion. These are not the instruments of the Divine operations, but media, through which the Deity diffuses himself through the sphere of the universe, and produces whatever exists. They are not beings detached from the Deity, but substantial virtues or powers, distinctly, but dependently, sent forth from the eternal source of existence through the mediation of Adam Kadman, the first emanating power, and becoming the immediate source of existence to subordinate emanations. They are dependent upon the first fountain, as rays upon a luminary, which is conceived to have sent them forth with a power of drawing them back, at pleasure, into itself.

The first Infinite Source of Being is the Ensophic World, or world of infinity, within which, after the manner above described, four worlds are produced by the law of emanation, according to which the superior is the immediate source of the inferior: these are, Aziluth, or the World of Emanation, including the Sephiræ; Brish, or the World of Creation, containing certain spiritual natures, which derive their essence from the Sephiræ ; Jezirah, or the World of Forms, composed of substantial natures, derived from the superior spiritual substances, and placed within ethereal vehicles, which they inform and animate; and Asiah, or the Material and Visible World, comprehending all those substances which are capable of motion, composition, division, and dissolution.

These derived worlds are different evolutions, or expansions, of the Divine Essence, or distinct classes of beings, in which the infinite light of the Divine Nature is exhibited with continually decreasing splendour, as they recede from the First Fountain. The last and most distant production

of the Divine energy of emanation is Matter; which is produced when the Divine light, by its recession from the fountain, becomes so attenuated as to be lost in darkness, leaving nothing but an opaque substance, 15 which is only one degree above nonentity. Matter has no separate independent existence, but is merely a modification, and permanent effect, of the emanative energy of the Divine nature.

The Sephiræ, or first order of emanative being, existing in Aziluth, are superior to spirits, and are called Parzuphim, Persons, to denote that they have a substantial ex istence. The inhabitants of the second world are called Thrones, on account of the dominion which they possess over the various orders of Angels, which inhabit the third world. The fourth, or material world, is the region of evil spirits, called Klippoth, the dregs of emanation. These are the authors of the evil which is found in the material world; but they are continually aspiring towards the Sephire, and will, in the great revolution of nature, return into the inexhaustible fountain of Deity. Spirits of all orders have a material vehicle, less pure and subtle, in proportion to their distance from En-soph; and this vehicle is of the nature of the world next below that to which they belong. Metraton is the prince of Jezirah, or the angelic world, in which there are ten distinct orders; Sandalphon, of Asiah, or the material world: these, together with the hosts over which they preside, animate aerial vehicles, capable of impression from corporeal objects, and in different ways requiring renovation.

The human soul, proceeding by emanation from the Deity, is an incorporeal substance, of the same nature with the Divine intellect. Being united to the body, one complex nature is produced, endued with reason and capable of action. The human soul consists of four parts, Nephesh, or the principle of vitality; Ruach, or the principle of motion; Neschamah, or the power of intelligence; and Jechidah, a Divine principle, by means of which it contemplates superior natures, and even ascends to the Ensophic world. All souls were produced at once, and preexisted in Adam. Every human soul has two guardian angels, produced by emanation, at the time of the production of souls. The mind of man is united to the Divine

15 Carbo ignis divinæ.