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(3.) But, SIR, if there is Truth in the Alcoran, them the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God; for the Alcoran fays fo, and that it was fent to confirm them, even the Scriptures of both the Old and New Teftament. And it exprefly owns our Jefus to be the Meftah. At the End of the fourth Chap. it has thefe Words, The Meffiah, Jefus, the Son of Mary, is a Prophet, and an Angel of God, bis Word, and his Spirit, which he fent to Mary. But it gives him not the Name of Son of God, for this wife Reason, Chap. vi. How fall God have a Son, who hath no Wives? Yet it owns Jefus to be born of a pure Virgin, without a Man, by the Operation of the Spirit of God. And in the fame Chapter, this Mahomet acknowleges his own Ignorance, and fays, I told you not that I had in my Power all the Treasures of God; neither that I had Knowlege of the future and paft; nor do affirm that I am an Angel. I only act what hath been infpired into me. Is the Blind like him that feeth clearly? And after fays, I am not your Tutor. Every thing bath its Time. You fball hereafter understand the Truth.

This is putting off, and bidding them expect fome other after Mahomet. But our Jefus faid, he was our Tutor and Teacher, and that there was none to come after him. Mahomet faid, he was no Angel, but that Jefus was an Angel of God: But when God bringeth Jefus into the World, he faith, Let all the Angels of God worship him, Heb. i. 6. And he made him Lord of all the Angels. Mahomet knew not what was past, or to come But our Jefus knew all things, and what was in the Heart of every Man (Joh. ii. 24, 25.) which none can do but God only, 1 Kin. viii. 39. And foretold Things to come to the End of the World: Mahomet had not all the Treasures of God; but in Jefus are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowlege. For in him dwelleth all the Fulness of the Godhead bodily, Col. ii. 3, 9.

Again, Mabomet never called himself the Meffiah, or the Word, or Spirit of God; yet all thefe Appellation: he gives to our Jesus.

There

There were Prophecies of Jefus, which we have feen: Were there any of Mahomet? None, except of the falfe Chrifts, and falfe Prophets, which Jefus told should come after him; and bid us beware of them, for that they fhould deceive many,

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(4.) De. But if Mahomet gave thus the Preference to Chrift in every thing, and faid that his Alcoran was only a Confirmation of the Gospel, how came he to fet it up against the Gospel, and to reckon the Chriftians among the Unbelievers ?

CHR. No otherwise than as other Heretics did, who called themselves the only true Chriftians, and invented new Interpretations of the Scriptures. The Socinians now charge whole Chriftianity with Apoftacy, Idolatry, and Polytheifm: And the Alcoran is but a Syftem of the old Arianifm ill-digefted, and worfe put together, with a Mixture of fome Heathenifm and Judaifm. For Mabomet's Father was an Heathen, his Mother a Jewess, and his Tutor was Sergius the Monk, a Neftorian; which Sect was a Branch of Arianifm. Thefe, crudely mixed, made up the Farrago of the Alcoran; but the prevailing Part was Arianifm: And where that spread itself in the East, there Mahometifm fucceeded, and fprung out of it; to let all Chriftians fee the Horror of that Herefy! And our Socinians now among us, who call themselves Unitarians, are much more Mahometans than Chriftians. For, except fome perfonal Things as to Mahomet, they agree almoft wholly in his Doctrine; and, as fuch, addreffed themselves to the Morocco Ambafador here, in the Reign of King Charles II. Nor do they fpeak more honourably of Chrift, and the Holy Scriptures, than the Alcoran does. And there is no Error concerning Chrift in the Alcoran, but what was broached before by the Heretics of Chriftianity; as that Chrift did not fuffer really, but in Appearance only; or that fome other was crucified in his Stead, but he taken up into Heaven, as the Alcoran fpeaks. So that, in Strictness, I fhould not have reckoned Mahometifm as one of the four Religions in the World, but as one of the Herefies of Chriflianity.

But

But because of its great Name, and its having fpread fo far in the World, by the Conquefts of Mahomet, and his Followers, and that it is vulgarly understood to be a diftinct Religion by itself, therefore I have confidered it as fuch.

And as to your Concern in the Matter, you see plainly, that the Alcoran comes in Atteftation and Confirmation of the Facts of Chrift, and of the Holy Scrip

tures.

DE. I am not come yet fo far as to enter into the Difputes of the feveral Sects of Chriftianity. But as to the Fact of Chrift, and of the Scriptures in general, Ma» bometifm I fee does rather confirm than oppofe it.

CHR. What then do you think of Judaism, as it now ftands in Oppofition to Chriftianity?

DE. Not only as without any Evidence, the Time prophefied of for the Coming of the Messiah being long fince paft; but all their former Evidences turn directly against them, and against any Meffiah whoever hereafter fhould come. As that the Sceptre fhould not depart from Judah; that he should come into the fecond Temple; that the Sacrifices fhould ceafe foon after his Death; that David fhould never want a Son to fit upon his Throne; that they should be many Days without a King, and without a Prince, and without a Sacrifice, &c. which they do not fuppofe ever will be the Cafe after their Meffiah is come: So that they are Witneffes against themselves.

CHR. And what do you think of the Stories of the Heathen Gods?

DE. I believe them no more than all the Stories in Ovid's Metamorphofes. Nor did the wifer Heathen believe them; only fuch filly People as fuck in all the Po pifh Legends without examining. And to tell you the Truth, I thought the fame of all the Stories in your Bible. But I will take time to examine thofe Proofs you have given me. For we Deifis do not difpute against Christianity, in behalf of any other Religion, of the Jews, or Heathens, or Mahometans, all which pretend to Revelation; but we are against all Revelations

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and

and go only upon bare Nature, and what our own Reafon dictates to us.

(1.) CHR. What Nature dictates, it dictates to all; at least to the most and the Generality of Mankind. And if we measure by this, then it will appear a natural Notion, that there is Neceffity of Revelation in Religion. And herein you have all the World against you from the very Beginning: And will you plead Nature against all these?

DE. The Notion came down from one to another, from the Beginning, we know not how.

CHR. Then it was either Nature from the Beginning; or elfe, it was from Revelation at the Beginning; whence the Notion has defcended through all Pofterities to this Day.

(2.) And there wants not Reason for this. For when Man had fallen, and his Reafon was corrupted (as we feel it upon us to this Day, as fenfibly as the Diseases and Infirmities of the Body), was it not highly reafonable that God fhould give us a Law and Directions how to ferve and worship him? Sacrifices do not feem to be any natural Invention. For why should taking away the Life of my Fellow-creature be acceptable to God, or a Worship of him? It would rather seem an Offence against him: But as Types of the great and only Propitiatory Sacrifice of Chrift to come; and to keep up our Faith in that, the Inftitution given with the Revelation of it appears most rational. And that it was necessary, the great Defection fhews, not only of the Heathens, but of the Jews themselves; who, though they retained the Inftitution, yet in a great measure loft the true Meaning and Signification of it; and are now to be brought back to it, by reminding them of the Inftitution, and the Reafon of it.

Plato, in his Alcibiad. ii, de Precat. has the fame Reafoning; and concludes, that we cannot know of ourfelves what Petitions will be pleafing to God, or what Worship to give him; but that it is neceffary a Lawgiver fhould be fent from Heaven to instruct us. fuch an one he did expect. And O how greatly do I defire

I

And

to fee that Man! fays he. And who is he? The primitive Tradition of the expected Meffiah had no doubt come to him, as to many others of the Heathen, from the Jerus; and likely from the Perufal of their Scrip

tures.

For Plato goes further, and fays (de Leg. 1. 4.), That this Lawgiver must be more than Man. For he obferves that every Nature is governed by another Nature that is fuperior to it; as Birds and Beafts by Man, who is of a diftinct and fuperior Nature. So he infers, that this Lawgiver, who was to teach Man what Man could not know by his own Nature, must be of a Nature that is Superior to Man, that is, of a divine Nature.

Nay, he gives as lively a Defcription of the Perfon, Qualifications, Life, and Death of this Divine Man, as if he had copied the liii. of Ifaiah: For he fays (de Repub. 1. 2.), that this juft Perfon must be poor, and void of all Recommendations but that of Virtue alone: That a wicked World would not bear his Inftructions and Reproof; and therefore, within three or four Years after he began to preach, he should be perfecuted, imprisoned, Scourged, and at laft put to Death. His Word is "Avagiduλeunostar, that is, cut in pieces, as they cut their Sacrifices.

DE. These are remarkable Paffages, as you apply them. And Plato was three hundred Years before Chrift. But I incline to think that these Notions came rather from fuch Tradition as you speak of, than from Nature. And I can fee nothing of Nature in Sacrifices; they look more like Infiitution, come that how it will.

(3.) CHR. It is ftrange, that all the Nations, in the World should be carried away from what you call Nature. Unless you will take Refuge among the Hottentots at the Cape of Good Hope, hardly distinguishable from Beafts, to shew us what Nature left to itself would do! and leave us all the wife and polite World on the Side of Revelation, either real or pretended; and of Opinion that Mankind could not be without it. And my Business now with you has been to distinguish the real from the pretended.

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