CHAPTER III.

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

MAHOMET, 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 Maho met to the finest and most 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 of a companion, or fucceffor, to banish idolatry for ever, from thofe countries where his doctrine has been received. They were raised up in an extraordinary manner, and wrought various miracles, in orderto deftroy 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 Christ, and he only, knew him perfectly and made him known to 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.

men.

This appears from his doctrine, and the success of his miniftry. As to the fuccefs of his miniflry, the thing fpeaks for itfelf. 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 Christian

idolatry. But Mahomet established his religion on firmer foundations. He took wifer and jufter measures, to preserve his disciples 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 Teftament, "That he was "before John the Baptift, and before Abraham-— “That he had a glory with his Father, before the world 66 was created-That he was in the beginning; that he "was with God, and was Gon-That all things were "created by him, whether they be visible or invifible--"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 Firft 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 66 -LORD and Gop-GoD with us-GoD manifeft in the flesh-The TRUE GOD-The GREAT GOD and "SAVIOUR."

And, that we might not be at a lofs for the fenfe, in which thefe names and characters are given to him, we find him applying to himfelf many oracles of the prophets, which undoubtedly fpeak of the true God, and contain the characters of his peculiar glory.Solomon, for inftance, addreffing himself to the God of Ifiael, at the dedication of the temple, faid; "Thou,

even thou only, knoweft the hearts of the children of men." Jefus claims this Divine prerogative, in the moft folemn manner, as that which fhall engage the fear and wonder of all his difciples. "All the churches Ifhall know that I AM HE WHICH SEARCHETH THE

RLINS 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 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 these 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 expressly applied to Jefus Chrift. "Unto the Son he faith, Thy "throne, O God, is for ever and ever-And, thou "LORD, in the beginning, haft laid the foundation of "the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine "hands. They fhall perish, but thou remainest—thou

46

art the fame, and thy years fhall not fail."-It is of JEHOVAH thofe words were fpoken; "The chariots "of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels. "The 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 difpofal. God only can difpenfe heavenly dona tives to rebellious men. And yet Jefus Chrift, by the pen of his apostle, applies this paffage to himself, in the moft 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 firft into the lower parts of the earth?"-Once more: It is God, the infinite, eternal JEHOVAH, who fpeaks in the following fublime paffage; "I have fworn by myself, the word

is gone out of my mouth in righteoufnefs, and fhall "not return, that unto me every knee fhall bow, every tongue fhall fwear." This text alfo is applied to Jefus Christ, by his faithful fervant Paul. "We fhall

all ftand before the judgment-feat of Chrift. For it " is written, As I live faith the Lord, every knee shall "bow to me, and every tongue fhall confefs to God.". Quotations of a fimilar kind, might be eafily multiplied; but thefe may fuffice to fhew, how Jefus Chrift fpeaks of himself, and taught his apoftles to speak of him. fhall now proceed to thew, in the following Chapter, how Mahomet fpeaks of himself, and how carefully he guards against idolatry.

I

CHAPTER 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 he.

WE have feen that Jefus Christ equals him

felf with God, by faying of himself fuch things, and applying to himself 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 Divinity. He acknowledges that Jefus Chrift had a divine miffion; but will not allow him to be called

There is not the leaft

GOD, nor the SON OF GOD. ambiguity in his language, on this important fubject. He plainly afferts, that they who fay, The Son of Mary is God, are infidels.' And avers, • That Chrift, the Son of Mary, is no more than God's envoy.' That the Chriftians are infidels, by making three gods, ⚫ when there is but one.' Nay, he thus reprefents God as complaining to Jefus Chrift; O, Jefus, Son of Mary, 'doft thou perfuade mankind to put thy Mother and Thee in the place of God, and to worship you, as if ye were Gods? To which he reprefents Jefus a's anfwering; God forbid, that I fhould fay any thing contrary to the truth! Thou knoweft whether I have taught that doctrine, or no. Thou knowest the fecrets of all hearts.' He requires that men fhould worship God, the Creator of heaven and earth; who 'made the light and the darknefs.' And he calls thofe infidels, who set up Chrift, as equal to God.'

Hence it appears, on the principles of our adverfaries, that Mahomet was more true, more wife, more concerned for the good of mankind, and more zealous for the glory of God, than Jefus Chrift. This conclufion we abher, as full of blafphemy; and yet we cannot but confider it as unavoidable, if the fentiments we oppose be true,

If Christ be not of the fame effence with his Father, Mahomet was more true than he; at least, in those things which regard the fundamentals of religion and the glory of God. This will appear if you recollect the manner in which our Lord fpeaks of himself, and how, by the direction of his own Spirit, his apoflles reprefent him, in the Scripture-teftimonies adduced in the preceding chapter; and compare them with the declarations of Mahomet, which are directly contrary, as is manifeft from the quotations juft now produced from his Koran. In the former, Jefus is defcribed as bearing divine characters and poffeffing divine perfections; as performing divine works and as being the true God; but in the latter, as a mere creature, and infinitely inferior to Jehovah.