violent and wilful tenacity of depraved passion, all efforts to effect radical reformations will ever tend to create an immense excitement, and a hostile rally and rush to resistance and conflict, a bland, conservative Christianity will be always and altogether indispensable. We turn to it with pleasure and confidence, as the sufficient and only peaceful reformer of the world. For six thousand years have threats and force been used upon man with but slight advantage. Let the world turn with hope to the more peaceful and powerful Christian principles, conscience and love.

If the view, which has here been taken of Christianity as a great conservative influence, be just, then must it be regarded a grand and fatal mistake to commit desirable reformations to irreligion and infidelity. The infidel and irreligious may possess commendable good works, and may show an ostensible zeal beyond those whose hearts glow with the benevolence of the Gospel. But quickly, oftentimes, their fervor is seen to turn belligerent, to grow into intolerance and unforgiving abuse. By this means, the good cause is left to care for itself and to sink, while a war is carried on, in another quarter, against sinners personally, and not against their sins. There is no hope of reforms such as need not themselves reformation, except they are penetrated and conducted by the peaceful religion of Christ. To this agency alone has heaven committed them. Nearly the same reasoning dissuades from entrusting the improvements of society to outward organizations which are not also richly pervaded with the same mild spirit of Christianity. It is freely admitted that voluntary association is a very important principle in all social amelioration and advancement. But the danger is, that combination in and of itself, shall come to be entirely trusted, while the conservative vitalities of the Christian Religion are undervalued and dispensed with. The result eventually will be, the growth and exhibition of somewhat that is compulsory, overbearing and dictatorial. And associations not bearing themselves so meekly as they should, resistance may be offered, and resistance may be resisted, and hereby not only all efforts at improving society be totally paralyzed, but great disturbances be introduced. In societies, which do not assist the Gospel of Christ to announce a single claim of heaven, or to enforce a single religious obligation; in societies, whose members present if any, but the faintest exemplification of the graces of the Gospel, and but a very doubtful obedience to its precepts; in these, true reformers should place very little reliance for any thorough, quiet cleansing and transformation of human society. They will be likely to make more show than ad

vancement, more contentions than conquests. Vice is not a thing so gentle, so yielding, so loosely settled upon the heart of communities, as to shrink unresistingly before constitutions and presidents and treasurers and meetings and platform-discussions. Let the true friends of reform march right out into the open field of the world, with the deep-working spirit of an omnipotent Christianity. The irruptions and progress of wickedness, it may be hoped, will in this way be effectively stayed, and the community be settled into tranquillity, at the same time that it is established in righteousness.

Equally unfortunate would it be, that reforms should be committed to political parties. Legislative prohibitions have in this discussion been admitted to be important. These, doubtless, at the right place, just in the rear of full and voluntary decisions of public sentiment, and as expressions of that sentiment, are of great value and power. But the eradication of an existing evil, left for accomplishment to the corruption and intrigue and crooked policy of partisan politicians and place-hunters, will be likely to be made the cause or pretext of a great and bitter political scramble. In the commotion which is raised, the crying sin, instead of being removed, will probably, like the oak in the winds, only shoot deeper its roots into the heart of society. The moment that reform undertakes to employ the sword of political power, the sword of God's Spirit, infinitely more efficient, falls from its hand. Christianity considers the appliances of diplomatic policy and influence, when made an ulterior confidence in the business of reformation, as a decided libel on her character. Are not her treasured heavenly truth and heavenly power capable of working irresistible regenerations gently in the wide heart of the people! Are not these enough without submitting important reforms to a combat of wily, mercenary politicians! The Gospel, in its unostentatious simplicity and divinity, in its pacific spirituality and omnipotence, should be our great reliable agency against all our evils, political, ecclesiastical and social. Some imagine that reform-movements, though rash and violent and at first view highly imprudent, may eventually work out good, and much advance consummations devoutly to be wished. God in his own pleasure may produce hurricanes and earthquakes and pestilences, as the means of valuable final results. But men have no authority to do such things. They must take the Gospel of peace, and, all instinct themselves with the spirit of peace, proceed to the needed transformations of human society. In its character as a pacific agency, Christianity by the wiser portion of mankind will be ever greatly valued and reverenced. Some minds might

prefer the more imposing and stirring things, involved in the preparations, tactics, struggles and shock of a great mental and moral war! But the quiet changes, wrought by religion down in the deep soul of society, which produce a fair, blessed reformation and righteousness all over the surface of society, are far more desirable and God-like. We may well glory in a Christianity which, as a union of peace and power, of charity and omnipotence effects conquests without campaigns, subjugations without battles, alliances without compulsions. Such an instrumentality is the most important known under the gov ernment of God. Let Christians, with admiration and gratitude, mark how it enters into human communities-not violently to cauterise and amputate, but soothingly to remove external disease by healing the whole vital circulation—not to work in moral convulsions, while attempting to work out moral ailments, but, with far more efficiency than this implies, to recover all that is lost, renovate all that is destroyed, resuscitate all that is dead, without at all dispensing mischief or awakening violence. On the fore-front of our grand enterprise, human redemption, we are permitted to write: "Peace on earth, good will to men!" So far as we give Christianity its perfect work, we shall have the pleasure to witness, with but few exceptions, the evils among men, complicated and numerous though they are, yielding without commotion to its conservative power. Bright to us, therefore, is the vision of the promised day of a thousand years. Then a grand junction shall be effected, peaceably, of the kingdoms of this world with the eternal kingdom above; then to the shout from heaven, "Peace on earth, good will to men," shall go answering back from island and continent, from tribe and empire, from land and sea: "The wolf doth dwell with the lamb, the leopard doth lie down with the kid, the lion doth eat straw like the ox, the little child doth lead them. There is nothing to hurt or destroy; swords are beaten into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks!"

ARTICLE VII.

THE SYSTEM OF THE JEWISH CABBALAH, AS DEVELOPED IN THE ZOHAR.

By Dr. Theoph. Rubinsohn.

Introduction.

It is an undeniable fact that, at the time of the compilation of the Mishnah, a certain Mystic doctrine was known by the name of "construction of the chariot," . But it is not at all demonstrated, whether the modern Cabbalah is in such a close connection with that doctrine, as the modern Cabbalists would make us believe. We, however, cannot pronounce an apodictic judgment, either in their behalf, or to the contrary, because the evidence is in neither case sufficiently strong.

Another question concerns the time at which the Zohar, the code of the Cabbalah, was written. In what age was it produced? Who was its author? These are the questions which the student naturally asks. The answer to them has engaged many pens, and much has been said on the subject. But most of the writers have copied each other, and have merely clothed old ideas in new words.

Another work of high reputation among the Cabbalists is the "Sepher Yetsirah," o, i. e. book of the creation. To this book, most of the historians ascribe a high age. This is not the case with the Zohar, to which some ascribe a very recent one.

Concerning the age and writer of the "book of the creation," two opinions are worthy of our notice. The one, that its origin may be traced to the times of the Mishnical doctors, and that Rabbi Akiba was the author. There is, indeed, every probability that it was so. Another opinion is, that it was originated in the times of the Geonim, from 600 to 1000 after the birth of Christ, but this has no foundation whatever.

Those who are in favor of the last opinion, endeavor to sustain it by quoting from it words and phrases which, they say, are of a more recent date than that at which Rabbi Akiba lived.

A still greater uncertainty prevails about the age of the Zohar. Some believe, and this is the current opinion, that it was written in Palestine at the time of Rabbi Simeon Ben Yohai; but others, again,

believe that it was written by Rabbi Moses de Leon, a Spanish Jew, in the thirteenth century.

A third opinion is, that there are fragments in the Zohar of Rabbi Simeon's own doctrine, but that there have been also notes added to them by his disciples, and that it was completed, in the shape in which we have it, about the seventh century. The country of the entire book is Palestine. Rabbi Simeon, it is said, delivered, in the first century of our era, his doctrines with the elements of the Cabbalah to his disciples and friends in occasional chapters; which were handed down orally. These were, of course, enlarged with new comments, and in this shape the work came to Europe in the thirteenth century. It was kept a long time in secret, on account of its numerous attacks upon Asiatic religions.

Neither of these three opinions has much direct support. We can give no positive decision, which of them most deserves our confidence ; but for the purpose of a purely scientific investigation of the system itself, the question is of no great importance. Yet two results are actually reliable. The one, that the Zohar cannot be Rabbi Simeon's production in the entire form in which we now have it; and the second, that if the author of the Zohar lived in the thirteenth century, the chief principles of the system are, however, not his own, but of high antiquity; and as to the sources from which he has taken them, it is indifferent whether they were Christian or Jewish, written or traditional.

The attributes which the Scriptures ascribe to the Creator of the world are: (1) unity (Ex. 20: 3. Deut. 4: 35, 39. 6: 4); (2) immateriality (Ex. 20: 4. Deut. 4: 15); (3) eternity (Ex. 3:14. Deut. 32: 40. Is. 41: 4); (4) immutability (Mal. 3: 6); (5) perfection (Deut. 32: 4. Job 37: 16. Ps. 18: 31); (6) goodness (Ex. 34: 6. Ps. 25: 10. 100: 5. 145: 9); (7) freewill (Gen. 1: 1. Ps. 104: 2, 3 ff.); (8) retribution for good and evil (almost on every page of the biblical history); (9) similitude with man (Gen. 1: 27).

These attributes caused the thinking and meditating Israelites to ask the following questions: How can infinite be reconciled with finite? How could matter have been produced from the absolute unembodied mind, and how multiplicity from unity? How is matter influenced by its author? What relation does the Creator bear to his creation, that we might justly infer his providence and government? What name is appropriate to point out a purely spiritual