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38

THE MOHAMMEDAN CONTROVERSY

or else it is the Black stone of the Caaba, which once was white; and, who could have been predicted to walk in "white garments," but our Prophet who was so fond of them? The descendants of Ishmael inherit every promise intended for the Israelites; and "more are the children of the desolate (i.e. of Hagar), than of the married wife,"— viz. Sarah (Isa. liv. 1). It is Mecca that was "forsaken," but is now "an eternal excellency, the joy of many generations" (Isa. Ix. 15). Again, in the parable of the sower, the three unfruitful species of seed are the Greeks, Jews and Christians; they that produced an hundredfold, the Mohammedans; the "tares" are the scoffing infidels who were slain in the battle of Dedr, and fell into the furnace of hell-fire; the "righteous" are the Mohammedans, "who shone forth as the sun."1 In the parable of the vineyard, the husbandmen are the Jews, who are said to have killed Christ, who was called2 the Son of God; the garden was therefore taken from them and given to the Arabs; on hearing this, the Jews expressed their astonishment; on which Jesus bade them not to be surprised, for Isaiah had told them this long ago, when he said, " The stone which the builders rejected, i.e. the despised Ishmaelites, will become the head of the corner; and thus in Mohammed will be fulfilled the blessing promised to Abraham." Such are the gratuitous assumptions to which the Moslems descend. The disquisition on the Fárkalete, or Holy Spirit, are fair specimens of the sophistry of the Mussulmans, —a counterpart of the Jews who opposed Paul "contradicting and blaspheming." Various other topics are taken up, but are all treated in the same arrogant and wayward manner. Indeed, the abusive and insulting language


1 In the parable of the talents, the king is Christ, the enemies the Jews, and the Christians who made good use of their talents, are those who doubled them by believing on Mohammed. The "morning star," of the Revelations, is the Coran, or perhaps Friday (the Mohammedan sacred day), which is Sukbar, or the day of Venus the morning star; or Christ may have called himself so, as being the harbinger of Mohammed his Sun!
2 By the use of the two words in italics, he cleverly avoids the conclusion which might be drawn from this passage of Christ's having been actually crucified, and of his being the Son of God.

           

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