minifters of his grace (b). This comparison is the fitter, for its being odious, to illuftrate the point. For what we fay of the devil, may be faid of feducers, his minifters, in general, and of Mahomet, in a particular manner. That is, if he, being an impoftor, was chofen of God to re-establish the true religion, by deftroying the Chriftian idolatry; Providence must have defigned, either to render religion infamous, or to confecrate the impoftor by choofing and employing him in a work fo great, fo glorious, fo divine: both which fuppofitions are impious and abominable.

CHA P. III.

If JESUS CHRIST be not of the fame effence with his Father, Mahomet was a great Prophet, the greatest of prophets, and preferable to JESUS CHRIST.

MA

AHOMET, on the principles of our opponents, was a great prophet, and fuperior to any of the prophets under the Old Teftament. This will appear, if the following things be confidered. The ancient prophets fpake only to the people of Ifrael; but Mahomet to the finest and moft confiderable part of the world. Of them there was a long fucceffion, yet not effectual to preferve a fingle nation from idolatry ;but he had no need a companion, or fucceffor, to banish idolatry for ever, from thofe countries. where his doctrine has been received. They

(

were

(6) The Evangelic 1 hiftory and the Acts of the apoftles inform us, it must be ack wleped, of atteftat ons that were given to the dignity of our Loro's perfon and the truth of his gospel, by infernal fpirit. But there is a great and manifeft difference, between thofe Occafional, tranfient, and rejected teft monies; and the cafe which is here fuppofed. See Mark i, 23, 24, 25. Luke iv. 33, 34, 35, Alts xvi, 17, 18,

were raised up in an extraordinary manner, and wrought various miracles, in order to destroy idolatry; but he delivered a great part of the world from the Chriftian idolatry, without the affiftance of one miracle. Mofes, though the greatest of the ancient prophets, did not know God as he is; Jefus Chrift, and he only, knew him perfectly and made him known to men. But, if the doctrine of our adverfaries be true, Mahomet has made him known much better than Jefus Chrift: which leads us to fhew, that the former, according to their hypothefis, ought to be confidered as a greater prophet than the latter.

This appears from his doctrine, and the fuccefs of his miniftry. As to the fuccefs of his miniftry, the thing speaks for itself. Jefus, indeed, caufed his gofpel to be preached and received throughout the world; but then he has hardly deftroyed one kind of idolatry, before his followers lapfe into another: for they are no fooner delivered from Pagan, than they fall into Chriftian idolatry. But Mahomet established his religion on firmer foundations. He took wifer and jufter measures, to preferve his difciples from relapfing into idolatry, in future; nor have they ever difcovered an inclination fo to do. The difadvantage of Jefus Chrift, upon the comparison, arifes from this: The doctrine of Mahomet has in it a natural character, which is more oppofite to idolatry, than the doctrine of Chrift. The reader, in order to be convinced of this, need only to confider the language of Jefus, in the writings of the New Teftament, and compare it with the language of Mahomet, in his Koran.

Jefus tells us in his New Testament, “That ❝he was before John the Baptist, and before Abra

ham.

"ham-That he had a glory with his Father, be "fore the world was created-That he was in the "beginning; that he was with God, and was "GOD-That all things were created by him,” "whether they be visible or invisible-That all "things were not only created by him, but for “him; and that by him all things confift"That he laid the foundations of the earth, "and that the heavens are the works of his hands-That he is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Laft-And, that there is one LORD, Jefus "Chrift, by whom are all things, and we by "him."—In the fame facred rule of our faith and practice, he is called, "The Son of God"his own Son--and his only begotten Son." He is further called, "The LORD-LORD and "GOD-GOD with us-GOD manifeft in the Aefh-The TRUE GOD-The GREAT GOD "and SAVIOUR."

And, that we might not be at a lofs for the fense, in which thefe names and characters are given to him, we find him applying to himself many oracles of the prophets, which undoubtedly speak of the true God, and contain the characters of his peculiar glory.-Solomon, for in-. ftance, addreffing himself to the God of Ifrael,. at the dedication of the temple, faid; "Thou, 66 even thou only, knoweft the hearts of the ." children of men." Jefus claims this Divine prerogative, in the most folemn manner, as that which fhall engage the fear and wonder of all his difciples. All the churches shall know that "I AM HE WHICH SEARCHETH THE REINS 66 AND HEARTS; and I will give unto every one "of you according to your works."—It is written in the law, according to the expofition of Jefus Chrift; "Thou shalt worship the Lord "thy

"thy God, and him only fhalt thou ferve." Yet an infallible writer affures us, that when God brought his First-begotten into the world he faid, "Let all the angels of God WORSHIP "HIM."-Concerning JEHOVAH the pfalmift fings; "Of old haft thou laid the foundation "of the earth, and the heavens are the work of "thy hands. They fhall perish, but thou shalt "endure; thou art the fame, and thy years fhall "have no end." That thefe things are afferted of God none can doubt; and that they are applicable to none but Him, is, I fhould think, equally evident. Yet it is paft denial that this text is exprefsly applied to Jefus Chrift. "Unto "the Son he faith, Thy throne, O God, is for

ever and ever-. And, thou LORD, in the

The

beginning, haft laid the foundation of the "earth, and the heavens are the works of thine "hands. They fhall perish, but thou remaineft "-thou art the fame, and thy years thall not "fail."It is of JEHOVAH those words were fpoken;"The chariots of God are twenty "thoufand, even thousands of angels. "Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy "place. Thou haft afcended on high; thou "haft led captivity captive; thou haft received "gifts for men." God only has legions of angels under his command and at his disposal. God only can difpenfe heavenly donatives to rebellious men. And yet Jefus Chrift, by the pen of his apoftle, applies this paffage to himfelf, in the most direct manner. "Wherefore he "faith, When he afcended up on high, he led "captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. "Now that he afcended, what is it but that he "alfo defcended first into the lower parts of the "earth?-Once more: It is God, the infinite, eternal JEHOVAH, who fpeaks in the following

fublime

fublime paffage; "I have fworn by myself, the "word is gone out of my mouth in righteouf"nefs, and fhall not return, that unto me every "knee shall bow, every tongue fhall fwear." This text alfo is applied to Jefus Chrift, by his faithful fervant Paul. "We fhall all ftand be"fore the judgment-feat of Chrift. For it is "written, As I live faith the Lord, every knee "fhall bow to me, and every tongue fhall con"fefs to God."-Quotations of a fimilar kind, might be easily multiplied; but these may fuffice to fhew, how Jefus Chrift speaks of himself, and taught his apostles to speak of him. I fhall now proceed to fhew, in the following Chapter, how Mahomet fpeaks of himself, and how carefully he guards against idolatry.

CHA P. IV.

If JESUS CHRIST be not of the fame effence with his Father, Mahomet was more true, more wife, more concerned for the good of mankind, and more zealous for the glory of God, than be.

W

E have feen that Jefus Chrift equals himfelf with God, by faying of himself such things, and applying to himfelf fuch oracles, as cannot belong to any but the Supreme Being.Thus did not Mahomet. For he declares, in almost every page of his Koran, that none but the eternal Father is God. He, indeed, calls himself a prophet, a man divinely fent; but he lays no claim to Divinity. He acknowledges that Jefus Chrift had a divine miffion; but will not allow him to be called GoD, nor the Son of GOD. There is not the leaft ambiguity in his language, on this important fubject. He plainly afferts, that they who say, The Son of Mary