them himself: how could a man charge a book with being corrupted, which he never saw, or if seen, he could not read; and even if he could read an Arabic version, could not examine, either the ancient Manuscripts of the original, or the numerous versions which existed in the world? 19

Having thus established the integrity of the Bible, we finish the argument by impeaching that of the Koran. No one is able to prove that Mohammed is the real author of the Koran, as we now find it. After his death, detached fragments of it were discovered, and it must be left undecided what was from Mohammed, and what has been added by other hands. There being no system in the book, we may have double the amount of the original matter, or have lost half, and remain for ever ignorant of the fact; how could it be otherwise expected than that his followers should be thrown into confusion by this uncertainty? Nor can any one acquainted with the early history of the Saracens, have failed to notice the bloody feuds which succeeded each other, concerning the many editions and alterations of the Koran. The first Kaliphs successively took the matter in hand, and supplying from memory what seemed to be wanting, seven most con

19 What would the Mohammedans think of a Christian, who should charge them with having corrupted the Koran, but dislaiming at the same time, all knowledge of Arabic, and boasting that he could neither read nor write? The author of Islamism is called the

الذين يتبعون الرسول النبي : illiterate" by Allah himself“

who shall follow the apostle, the illiterate prophet.” Sur. VII. 158. and 159. "Credite ergo in Deum et Legatum ejus prophetam

النبي الامتي ".idiotam

flicting editions of the Koran came into circulation, during the first century after Mohammed's death. 20 The edition of the Shiites differed so greatly from that of the Sonnites, as to affect the essential doctrines of Mohammedanism. It was not therefore without good reason, that the Mohammedans gave up the point, as to which was the original copy of the Koran, affirming that it was placed beneath the throne

of Allah!

CHAPTER III.

THE BIBLE AND THE KORAN.

"Tekel; thou art weighed in the Balance and found wanting." Dan. V. 27.

1. The concluding remarks of the previous chapter lead us to a closer comparison of the religious documents of Christians and Mohammedans. It is not within our present scope to enter upon a detailed examination of their respective doctrines, but even a cursory inspection will convince us, that we have

20

Nay, according to the following tradition, there were seven editions before he died. "Jedes Jahr im Monat Ramadhan wiederholte Mohammed vor dem Engel Gabriel, was bis dahin von dem Koran geoffenbart worden; man sagt sogar, im leßten Lebensjahre habe er ihn zweimal wiederholt. So oft er eine neue Leseart hinzuseßte, oder etwas wegließ, woraus die ersten 7 Ausgaben entstanden, prägten seine Gefährten diese Varianten sogleich ins Gedächtniß ein und handelten diesen Zufäßen oder Veränderungen gemäß.” Historisch-kritische Einleitung in den Koran von Dr. Weil pag. 49. These various readings, sanctioned by M. himself, were however destroyed by Othman, and one of his own; substituted instead. See pag. 106. 107. of this work. Where then, we ask, is Mohammed's original Koran?

to do with writings of a directly opposite character. The first thing which strikes us, is the constant anxiety of the author of the Koran, to guard against objections, to justify his claims, to defend his conduct and to account for the absence of those seals, which always accompany the dignity of a true prophet. 21 How often he reiterates, that his declamations are true; how repeatedly he swears, that his words are those of a faithful messenger. 22 The author of the Koran betrays precisely that disquietude and suspicion, which invariably indicate fraud, and never exist in guileless, honest and truthful minds. Mohammed always anticipates contradictions and expects opposition. 23 Truth on the contrary, has no need of such apprehensions or precautions, therefore never uses them. The writers of our sacred Scriptures are “not careful" to obviate cavils, to anticipate objections, to remove doubts, or to explain what may seem strange

21

"They have sworn by God, by the most solemn oath, that if a sign came unto them, they would certainly believe therein. Say verily signs are in the power of God alone." Sur. VI. 109. also XIII. 8. II. 112.

22 Allah is made to say, "If he (Mohammed), had forged any part in his discourses concerning us, we should surely have taken him by the right hand, and cut in two the vein of his heart." Sur. LXIX. 42-50.

23 "There is no doubt in this book, it is a direction to the pious." Sur. II. 1. This is the real beginning of the Koran; the first Sura being a doxology. "This is the mission of the book (Koran), from the Lord of all creatures, there is no doubt thereof. Will they say he (Mohammed) has forged it?" Sur. XXXII. 1. 2. "A book hath been sent down unto thee, and therefore let there be no fear or doubt in the breast concerning it." Sur. VII. 1. "Praise be unto God who hath sent down the Koran... which deceives not." Sur. XVIII. 1. also Sur. XIII. 1.

and incredible; and this, simply because they entertain no doubts themselves, knowing they record facts, which they allow to speak for themselves by their own intrinsic force and power.

There is in the Bible an artless relation of events; all bears the stamp of genuine simplicity; all is real and unaffected, free from every meretricious ornament; it is destitute in short, of all that highflown grandiloquence and declamation, so much studied in the Koran. 24 The sacred writers make no reflections on what they record; if we may be permitted the® expression, they manifest a sublime indifference, which takes the heart by storm and inspires a feeling of confidence. We feel at once that we are reading facts not fictions, revelations from heaven, not the outpourings of a wild imagination, or a heated brain. How different for instance, must an impartial Mohammedan feel in reading Livy, and in perusing the Gospel according to St. John; it is as if the former was giving his ideas of the events he describes, and the latter was recording the events themselves, as they actually happened. Livy must ever retain his fame as an historian, but apart from all other considerations, one must instinctively give his preference to St. John's style of narration. If only compared with this or any other Pagan author, how tedious and unmeaning, how ambiguous and confused, is the style of this so

24 St. Matthew thus records his own call to the Apostleship "As Jesus passed forth from thence, He saw a man named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom and He said unto him: follow me, and he arose and followed Him." Matt. IX. 9.

25

called "perspicuous book come down from heaven, betraying throughout that guarded and mistrustful tone which unmistakeably betokens it to be a fraudulent production.

2. Proceeding to investigate the contents of both documents, we shall first endeavour to trace out the vein of history, which from beginning to end runs through the Bible, and embraces the divine plan of salvation. 26 Soon after the fall, mankind came to be divided into two distinct branches, "the sons of God" and "the children of men." When at a future period they became united, it was only for evil, the rapid growth of which, ended with the destruction of the human race, by the flood; Noah and his family alone finding "grace in the eyes of the Lord." His descendants vainly sought to frustrate God's purpose that they should be scattered and replenish the earth; but after this dispersion, it being impossible that God should reveal Himself to each particular nation in the peculiar manner which His plan demanded, He chose one people to be the steward of His past, and the depository of His future revelations. As this chosen people were in all points to be educated for a peculiar purpose, the education commenced with a

25

Sur. V.1. a standing تلك ايات الكتاب وقران مبين

term. Sur. XXVI. 1. XLIV. 1. XII. 1.

26 To select a few passages here and there, would lead to no definite and just appreciation of the books to be contrasted. This mode of dealing has been justly condemned with regard to Natural Science. "Naturae rerum vis atque majestas in omnibus momentis fide caret, si quis modo partes ejus, ac non totum complectatur animo." Pliny.