P93 17?3 YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Ca THE TRUE Nature of Imposture Fully Difplay'd in the LIFE «. O F MAHOMET. WITH A Discourse annexM for the Vindication of Christianity from this Charge; Offered to the Confideration of the Deists of the Prefent Age. By Humphrey Pjudeaux, D. D. Dean of NORWICH. The Eighth Edition, Cofred$ed. *; %' t 0 N D 0 Ni Printed for E. CuRii againfl: Catharine-ftreet in the Sirand, J. Hooke againfl St: Dunflanh Church in Fleetsireei, W. MeaRs and F. Clay without Tetnple-Bar. Mdccxxiii. a ?- ¦", - fibt.23 T9 3 SI 23 T O T H E READER. jH E great prevailing of Infide^ ' lity in the prefent Age, ma^ king it the Dutyof every one of us that have Undertaken" the Miniftry of the Gofpel of jefus Chrift, to endeavour td put a Stop thereto ; that I may in forhe Mea- fure do my part herein, is a fufficient Rea- fon to juftify the prefent Publication* But befides, the Pbyfon having, I fear, reached fome Places, where it is my particular Duty to prevent its Mifchiefs ; and infeaed fome! Perfons, for whofe eternal Welfare, as Well as temporal, I have Reafon td be nearly concerted ; I have hereby been more efpe- Cially engaged to fet forth the enfuing Hilto- ry, with the Tract fubjoin'd thereto* for art Antidote againft it. And if I can hereby avail any Thing with thofe who have calf A 55 «>» iv To ihe Reader* off Chriftianity as an Impofture, to make them fe;e the Error of their Apoftacy, I fhall then obtain the full End I proptffe ; if not, Eft leaft I fhall difchai-ge my Confcience and my Duty, in doing the beft I can in order thereto. That whicli. at prefent feems moftly to carry Men away into this Infidelity, is the giddy Humour which too' many, among us, cfpeciallyof the younger Sort, are liable un to, in following whatfoever hath gotten in to Fafhion and Vogue : For thefe, looking no farther than what prevails moft among fuch as they converfe with, oTCourfe fall in .with it, whatsoever it be, without any other Confideration, but that they think it the Drefs which is moft fafhionable and genteel for them to appear in, and the Mode where in they may make the moft acceptable Fi gure among the Company they keep. And therefore that kind of Infidelity which is called *Deifm, being of late improufly patro nized by too many of thofe who govern the Humours of the Times, abundance of this fort of unthinking People have meerly, out of Complyance With them, run in thereto, and, confidently taken upon them to call Chriftianity a Cheat and an Impofture1, without ever having confider'd, what an Impofture is, or whether any of the Marks and To the Reader. y and Properties thereof can poflibly , agree ^Cvith this Holy Religion, or no. That therefore thefe may fee what it is they charge Chriftianity with, and how far all the Marks and Properties thereof are frorn having any Agreement with it, I" have in the enfuing Hiftory, which contains the Life ¦of that famous Impoftor, who is on both fides equally acknowledge to be fuch, fully laid open what an Impofture is ; and in the Difcourfe fubjoin'd thereto, fbewn that hone of thefe Marks and Properties whicli are fo vifible in the Impofture Of Mahomet, and muft be alfo in all other Impoftures in Religion, can poflibly be charged upon tha£ Holy Religion which we profefs. And art Hiftory being that which give's the moft lively and fenfible Reprefentations of a Mat ter, and Books of this Nature being fuch as moft obtain the Favour of being read, I hope T have taken the propereft Method of, coming home to the Confciences of thofe' to Whom I write. And that I may not be thought to draw this Life of Mahomet, with Defign to fet forth his Impofture in thefouleft Colours I am. able, the better to make it ferve my prefent Purpofe,, I have been careful to fet down all my Authorities in the Margin, and at the finQ of the Book have given an Account of A 5 aij vi To /^Reade r. all the Authors from whom I colle&ed them. And that I may the more remove all Su- fpicion of this Matter, I think it requifite to acquaint you, That although at prefent I have adapted the Life of Mahomet to this Purpofe, yet it was not originally defigned for it ; it being when I firft wrote it, only fhe interfperfed Parts of one Chapter of a much larger Work, which I intended for the Publick, viz. The Hiftory of the Ruin of the Eaftern Church ; which beginning from the Death of the Emperor Mauricim, pAnno'Dom. 602. was defign'd to have been brought down to the Fall of the Saracen Empire, which happen'd oAnno Dom. 956. when the Governors of Provinces under the Caliph, ufurping the Sovereign Authority, each in their feveral Diftricts, did put an End to that large and formidable Empire, by dividing it among them. Arid fuch an Hiftory I prpmifed my felf might be of fome Ufe in our prefent Age : For notwithstanding thpfe earneft Expectati- pnsand ftrong Hopes, which we entertain'd ^n the Beginning of this Government, of ha ving our Divifions heal'd, and all thofe Breaches which they have caufed in the Church again made up ; finding thofe ofthe Separation ftill to retain the fame Spirit on the To ^Reader. vii the one Side, and fome others to be ib vio lently bent on the other, againft every Thing that might tend to mollify and allay it, as to fruftrate all thofe excellent Defign$ svhich have been laid in Order thereto ; I thought I could not better let thofe Men fee what Mifchief they Both do hereby to th$ common Intereft of Chriftianity, than by laying before them the grievous Ruin and Defolation, which front the like Caufe hap pened to the Churches of the Eafi, once the moft flourifhing of the whole Earth. For they having drawn the abftrufeft Niceties into Controverfy, which were of little or no Moment to that which is the chief End of our Holy Chriftian Religion, and divided and fubdivided about them into endlefs Schifms and Contentions, did thereby fo de- ftroy that Peace, Love and Charity frora among them, which the Gofpel was given to promote, and inftead thereof continually provoked each other to that Malice, Ran cour, and every evil Work, that they loft the whole Subftance of their Religion, while they thus eagerly contended for their own; Imaginations concerning it, and in a Man ner drove Chriftianity quite out of the World by thofe very Controverfies in which they difputed with each other about it. So that at length having wearied the Patience and Long-Suffering of God, in thus turning %iii To the R bade r: this Holy Religion into a Firebrand^of Hell^ for Contention, Strife, and Violence among them,' which was given them out of his in^ finite Mercy to the quite contrary End,* for the Salvation of their Souls, by living holily,' righteoufly, and juftly in this prefent World,' he raifed- up the Saracens to be the Inftru- rnents of his Wrath, to punifh them for it ; ivho taking Advantage of the Weaknefs of Power, arid the Diftra ctions pireV And'havingfix'd'tKat-T^t^jiWy over- hem, whr.k hath ever fmct afflicted -twiuParrs ofthe World," turn'd every w!\^e' their "Churches into Mofques, and their Woifhip intoan horrid Superftitioh ; and inftead'of that Holy Religion 'J Which they had thus abufed, forc'd on them that abominable Im- jpofture of Mahometifw, Which dictating War, Bloodfhed, and Violence in Matters of Re ligion, as one of its chlefeft Virtues, was in Truth the moft proper for thofe, who had ^fore by their Schifm and Contentions refbl- yed all the Religion they ; had thereinto; And when the Matter came to this Tryal, fome. of thofe who were the hotteft Conten ders about Chriftianity, becarne^the firft Apoftates from it ; and: they,' who would not afore part with a Nicety, an abfti-ufe To the Reader. ix Notion, or any unreafonable Scruple^ for the Peace of the Church, were fbon brought by the Sword at their Throats, to give up the whole in Compliance to the Pleafure of a barbarous and favage Conqueror. And no wonder that fuch, who had afore wrangled away the Subftance of their Religion in Con tention and Strife againft each other, and eat out the very Heart of it by that Malice and Rancour which they fhew'd in their Controverfy about it, became eafily content, jvhen under this Force, to part with the Name alfb. Thus thofe once glorious and moft flourifhing Churches, for a Punifh- ment of their W ickednefs being given up to the Irifult, Ravage, and Scorn of the word of Enemies, were on a fudden overwhelm'd by them with fb terrible a Deftru&ion, as brought them to that low and miferable State, under the Preflures of which they have ever fince groan'd ; wherein they, re taining no more than fome few and lamen table Ruins of what they once were,feem thus to be continued even unto this Day, by ,the allwife Providence of God, in the fame mi ferable Condition, under the Pride and Per fection of Mahometan Tyranny, for nO other End, but to be an Example and Warn ing unto others, againft that Wickednefsof Separation and Divifion, by which they Were brought thereto. A fad Momenta to us; % To the Reader. us; for of all Chriftian Churches now re maining in the World, which is there that hath more Reafon than we at this prefent, to learn Inftruction from this Example, and take Warning therefrom ? For are not our Divifions brought to much the fame Height with theirs, which drew down from the juft Hand of God this terrible Deftruaion upon them ; when Men making no Con? icience of breaking the public^ Peace ofthe Church, divide and fubdivide from it into endlefs Factions, Schifms, and Contentions, about theirjDwn Imaginations ? When they durft reject, "the ancient and primitive Go^ vernment ofthe Church, which was by the Direction of God's Holy Spirit eftablifh'd in It from the Beginning, to make Way for new Schemes of their own Invention ; and are content to ruin all,- rather than not ob tain their Humour herein ? When they will have the Decency and Order of our outward Worfhip condemn'd as Crimes ; and for the privilege of praying in Publick, according to their own unpremeditated Conceptions, wftbout Method, or Senfe, advance fuch Ar guments againft our Liturgies and Forms of Prayer, as have in a Manner totally de- ftroy'd tbe Devotion of the Nation? When they fcrupJe more at the kneeling to God in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharift, while they are receiving frqtn him one of his grea-p teft To ihe Reader. xi teft Mercies, and ought to be rendering to him their higheft Thankfgiving in Return thereto, than in breaking the cruefeft of his Commandments ; and thus in a Manner re-r folve all Religion into contending againft our juft and legal Eftablifhments about it. And when others, on the other Hand, whofe Duty it is to labour for our Peace, would rather have this devouring Flame of Strife and Divifion ftill continued among us, than throw in one Bucket of Water to cool and allay it : I fay, when Matters are brought to this pafs, do we not equal, or rather ex cel that Wickednefs of Contention, Strife, and Divifion, for which God pour'd out his fierce Wrath upon thofe once moft flourifh-p ing Churches of the Eaft, and in fo fearful a Manner brought them to Deftruction thereby ? And have we not Reafonthen to be warn'd by the Example ? Have we not Reafbn to fear, that God may in the fame Manner raife up fome Mahomet againft us for our utter Confufion ; and when we cannot be contented with that blefled Eftablifh- ment of Divine Worfhip and Truth which he hath in fo great Purity given unto us, permit the wicked One by fome other fuch Inftrument to overwhelm us inftead thereof with his fouleft Delufions ? And by what the Socinian, the Quaker, and the TDeift be gin tp advance in this Land, we may have Rea? yii To the Reader: Reafon to fear, that Wrath hath fome Time, jfince gone forth from the Lord for the Pur mfhment of thefe our Iniquities and Gain- fayings, and that the Plague is already be gun among us. That therefore we may fully fee to what thefe Mifchiefs among us lead, and be influ- fnc'd thereby to fuch an Amendment as plight divert the judgment from us, was the Reafon that made me defign the Publi cation of the Hiftory I have mention'd ; wherein my Purpofe was to giye an Ac count, firft of theControverfies Which mi- ferably divided thofe Eaftern Churches, and then, of ;that grievous Calamity and Ruin which happen'd to them thereupon, through' that Deluge of Mahometan Tyranny and Delnfion w.hich overwhelm'd all thofe Pro vinces in which they were planted, and hath continued there to the afflicting ofthe poor Remainders of them with Mifery and Per secution ever fince. For Mens Minds being ufually more influenced by Example, than by Precept or Exhortation j and eafier con vinced of the Mifchief which any Evil leads to, by feeing the Sufferings of others herein, than by fthe greateft Strength of Reafon and Argument that can be prefled upon them in order hereto, Ihope'that, perchance, by laying open before the contending Parties. here among us, whaf: Mifchief thofe Eaftern ' Chttrchei To the Reader, xiii Churches fuffer'd in the like Cafe, through sthat difmal Ruin which was by their Divi- fions brought upon them, I might awaken them with this arFrighting Example, to think of thofe Things which might tend to their Peace ; and hereby prevail with them to fet fome Steps toward the happy Re-efta- blifhment of it among us, which as yet no Reafon or Argument hath been able to in duce them to. But when I had made my Collections, and gone a great Way in putting my laft Hand-to the Compofure, thofe Disturbances that happen'd about the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity among us, gave me a Re flection which put a Stop to my Pen, and made me refolve to furceafe the whole Work. For perceiving what Advantage the unwary ftirring of this Controverfy did give the eAthetft, the 'Delft, and the Socinian, for1 the advancing Of their Impieties, by con- founding and diftra&ing th& Minds of Mert with their Cavils and Objections againft what we hold in this Myftery to be~above. our Understandings fully to comprehend ; and how feveral Of them did, in a Manner fo licentious as was fcarce ever before al- low'd in a Chriftian State, exercife their Wits in this Matter, I durft not, confider- jrig the Subject pf this Book, venture it a- broad in fo wanton and lewd an Age. For1' L'i the tiv ., To the Reader the two great Myfterie? of Chriftianity (and which will be always fuch unto us while in this State of Ignorance and, Infirmity) be ing the Doctrine of the Trinity, and that of the Hypoftatical Union ; and this latter be ing the Subject about which all thofe Divisi ons were, which occafion'd that Ruin of $pfe! Churches, of which in this Hiftory an Account was purpofed to be given ; and this neceffarily leading me therein, not only to* unravel all thofe COntroverfies Which they made about it, but alfo to unfold all the Nw ceties and fubtil Notions which each Se£t did hold concerning it, I had Reafon to fear, that thofe who made fuch Work with one of the Myfteries of our Holy Religion^ Would not be lefs bold with the other, whrxM is altogether as great, were it in that Man7 ner laid open unto them, as it is in this Hi ftory contain'd ; and therefore I rather chafe totally to fupprefs my Labours^ than run the liazard, in their Publication, of doing more Hurt than Good thereby. Only that Part which relates to the Life of .Mahomet, after having gather'd it together out of that Chap^ ter of this Hiftory where it lay interfpers'tr with other Matters, I have here publifh'd^ to anfwer that Defign which I have already given an Account of. As to the Difcourfe annexed, I have di- re&ed it only to thofe T)eifts,who according To the ULeadeR. xv to Mr. fBhunt\ Defcripuon of them, hold a Providence, and future Rewards and Pu- nifhments. For fuch feeming to retain the common Principles of Natural Religion and Reafon, allow a fufficient Foundation where on to be difcourfed With. But as to the eAr theift, who denies the Being of a God, which all Things elfe prove ; and the Epi* curean cD-ei&, who allowing his Being, de nies his Providence, and his Government' over us, which all the Occurrences of our Life become conftant Arguments for, they being fuch as muft neceffarily reject firft Principles, and bid Defiance to all manner of Reafon, before they can fo far blind them- felves as to arrive hereto, do leave no Room for any Argument but that ofthe Whip and Lafh, to convince them of thofe impious Abfurdit|fs, and therefore deferve not by any other Method to be dealt with. Be- fides, if you will know the true Reafon which induceth the t&Atheift to deny the Be- in^ of a God, and the Epicurean T)eift his Government over us ; it is, That they may give themfelves up, without Fear of future Judgment, to all thofe Beftial Enjoyments of Lull and Senfuality which their corrupt Hearts carry them after ; and therefore it not being the Reafon of the Man, but the brutal Appetite of the Beaft that makes them fucn, they deferve no otherwife than as kvi TotheR&AbE&i as Beafts to be treated by us ; and for this! Reafon, as I write not to them, fo I defire to be underftood to have nothing tOldo with ihem. " ' , ; ' For the clearer Understanding of the Hi ftory, I defire you to take Notice, That irf the' 'proper Names, eAl is a Particle which figbifleth in eArabick the fame with the £»- glifh The, or the Greek i, n, ii, as in eAl oAbas; Ebn^ or with the Particle eAl after it, EbnoHh the Son, and eAbu, or with the Particle eAl after it, eAbu]l, is the Father ^ and thus Mahomet is called Ebn eAbdollah eAbu Cafem, that is, The Son of eAbdollah^ the Father of Cafem. For it was ufual with the eArabs to take their Names of Diftincti- On from their Sons as well as from their Fa thers; and thus EbnoH eAthir, is the Son of eAl aAthir, and aAbu'l eAbbas is tbe Father of eAl aAVbas ; aAbd, or with the Particle 'eAl after heAbdo'l, fignifieth Servant ; and thus eAbdollah fignifieth the Servant of God, and tAbdo'l Shems, the Servant of the Sun. In thefe and all other eArabick Names' I exactly follow the eArabick Pronunciation^ without regarding how they they have been written or fpel'd by any other Weftern Au thor that hath treated of them ; and that the rather, becaufe of the Agreement which the eArabick hath with the Englifh, both in the Power of its Letters and the Pronuncia^ To the Reader. xvi tion of its Words, there being no Language in the World more a-kin to ours, than the eArabick is in thefe Particulars : Only as to the Name of the Impoftor himfelf, I rathei* chufe to make ufe of the vulgar Manner of Writing it, becaufe of the Notoriety of it, than make any Change, although to the Truth, from that which hath been general ly receiv'd ; and therefore I call him every where- Mahomet, although Mohammed be the alone true and proper Pronunciation of the Name/ To conclude ; on thy Perufal of this Trea- tife, as far as thou haft need of what is de* fign'd thereby, either for the Restoration of thy Faith, or the Confirmation of it ; fo far I pray God it may be ufeful to Thee, and I am The hearty Wijher of thy 'Peace find Everlafting Salvation, Norwich,March 15. H. Prjdeaux. The The general Contents of the BOOK, J. rTpif E "Preface to the Reader, fhewing JL the< "Defign and Reafon of its "Pub lication. II. The true Nature of Impofture fully dif- plafd in the Life of Mahomet, from his "Birth, An. Qom. 571. to hWDeath, An. Dom. 632. III. aA Letter to the Deitts, fhewing that the ' Gof pel ofjefus Chrift is no Impojiure^ but the Sacred Truth of God. IV. eAn ^Account of the eAuthors quoted in this whole Work. The Contents ofthe Life of MeA HO MET. OF the Family of Mahomet, and his Mar- riage with Cadigha. , Page 1 Of his first fret ending to be aTrophet. 14 Ofthe Alcoran. 16 The Troqfs of his pretended, Mijfion. 1 6 The Framers ofthe Alcoran. 37 Mahomet7 j- Marriage with three Wives. 41 His Night-Journey to Heaven. 5 1 'His Oral Law. 52 The "Beginning ofthe Hegira, a?id the Com putation of their Tear% eq His liQbberjes, jX The Contents. Of Mecca, and the Temple there. 74 The Month «f Ramadam their yearly Faft. 76 MahometV Intimacy with the Jew Caab. 79 The Occafton of his forbidding Wines and Games of Chance, 84 Of Pilgrimages to Mecca. 88 Mahomet'.* Toifoning at Chaibar. 100 His "Death and "Burial at Medina. 1 o j General Reflections on the Life of Mahomet* 1.04 Ofthe Contradictions in the Alcoran. 116 The Texts of Holy Scripture Mahomet urges for his Religion. 121 The Contents ofthe Letter to the "DEISTS. INtroduBion. 1. What an Impofture is. 2. What are the tyarks and -Properties of an Impofture. 3. That all thofe Marks muft belong to. every Impofture, and all particularly did fo to Mahometifm ; and that none of them can le chargd upon Chriftianity \ is propofed, ta le the "Defign oftheenfuingDifcourfe. 120 Sea. 1. The fir ft Mark of an Impofture, That it muft always have for its End fome Carnal Intereft ; not chargeable on Chri ftianity. DJ2 Sect. 2. The fecond Mark of an Impofture, That it can have none but wicked Men for The Contents. "for the Authors of it ; not chargeabU an • Chriftianity. '"; '152 i§e£bi 3. The third Mark of an Impofture', That both thefe two laft Marks muft ap- " . bear in the very Contexture of the Imppr • fture it felf ^ not chargeable onChriftian^ o$y. .-. / -15^ 8efi. 4. The fourth Mark of an Impofture, . That it can never be fo framed, but -thai it muft contain fome palpable Falfities, ' which will 'difcover the Falfity-of all the* reft ;.} not. 'chargeable on Chriftianity. 184 Se£t, 5- The fifth Markvf an Impofture, That whenever it is firft propagated, it muft be done by Craft and Fraud ; not .Z ffitiirgieable- ovti Chriftianity. 107 Se£t. 6. The fixth Mark of an Impofture, That when mtrufted with many Confpi- v rators, it can never be long concealed.; -¦" not chargeable on ¦Chrift-tamty. 215 Seer. 7. The feventh Mark of an Impofture, -That it can never be eftablrfh'd, uniefs back'd with Force and1 Violence j not .chargeable 0® Chriftianity. 218 fhe Conclufion. 232 1 . .? the; THE LIFE O F MAHOMET. ^ A HO MET (or, according to the I true Pronunciation of the Word, Mohammed) was born (a) at Mec ca, a Gity of Arabia, ofthe Tribe of the Ker affixes, (b) which was reckoned the Nobleft in all that Country, and was defcended in a direct line of Primogeniture from Pher Koraifh, the firft Founder of it, from whom they derive his*Pe- digree in this manner ; (c) The Son of. Pher Ko la) Abul Faraghius, Abul Feda. Elmaein. Alkodai, iffc. (by Hottingcri Hift. Orient. lib. i>e. 4. (c) Abul Feda. Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab. p. 50 & 51. Ecchelenfis Hift. Arab. Part 1. c. 3. Liber degenerations & Nutrjcura Mahometis. B raijh 2 The Life of Mahomet. raijh was Galeb ; She Son of Galeb, Lavoa ; the Son Ottawa, Caab\ the Sdn of Caab, Morrah, whole younger Brother was Ada ; from whom was de fended Omar EbnoH Chatlab, that was Calif. The Sons oi Morrah were Chelab, Tayem, and Tokdah: From Tayem, Abu-Behr, and Tetha ; and-from Tok dah, Chalid Ebn Walidy had their Defcent. Chelab' was he who firft gave the Months ofthe Year thofe Names by which the Arabs ever fince have called them, even to this day. They had formerly other Names, (d) hut Chelab having. given them thofe new ones, they firft grew into ufe among the Korafhites, and after,%by the Authority of Mahomet,' when he had brought all the reft of the Tribes of the Arabs under his Power, obtained every where elfe, and the old ones became totally abolifhed. The eldeft Son of Chelab, was Cofa; and the younger, Zahrah, from whom was Amena,, the Mother of Mahomet. fe) G>fat was very famous, among the Korafhites, for gaining to his Family the keeping of the Keys of the Caaba, and with them the Prefidency of that Temple, which is the fame to which the 'Maho metans now make their Pilgrimage at Mecca, and was then as much celebrated for ihe Heatbey Wor- Ihip among the Arabs, as it hath fince been lor the Mahometan ; and therefore the Prefidency of it was a matter of. great Moment, as being a Station, which rendered him that was in it Honourable through all Arabia. It was before in the Poflefli-' on- of Abu-Gabjhan, of the Tribe ofthe Coxites. who were of the Ancient Race of the Arabs, de- i „ (d). ?olll not* f 4 Alfraganum. p. 4. , (c) Abul Feda. Pocock.i Spec. H.ft. Arab, p. 42, io, 8e 342. Ecchelenfis Hrft, Arab. p. i.e. 3. Fortalitium Fidci, lib. 4. Confid. 1. landed The Life of MahqmeT. 3 fcended from Joktah, and formerly had their dwel ling in Yaman, or Arabia Felix^ till being driven thence by an Inundation from the breaking down of the Banks of the Lake Aram, which deftroyed their Country, they came and fettled in the Valleyof Marry, not far from Mecca, and from thence they Were called CozAites, which fignifieth the cutting ojf, becaufe by this remove they were Separated,, and as it Were cutoff from the reft of their Kindred.* They had not long lived at Marry, till "they grew fo powerful, as to make themfelves Matters of Mecca, and alfb of the Caafa, or Temple, which flood there, and held both the Government of the one, and the Prefidency ofthe other, for many AgeS after ;. 'till at length the latter falling into the Hands, of Abu Gabfhan, a weak and filly Matt, Cofd circumvented him while in a drunken. Humour^ and bought of him the keys ofthe Tewp/eyand with them the Prefidency of it, for a Bottle df Wine; But Abu Gabfhan being gotten out of his drunken Fit, fufficiently repented of his foolifh Bargain 5 from whence grew thefe Proverbs arjiorig the ^ a tabs ; More vex'd with late Repentance than Abu Gab fhan ; and, More ply than Abu Gabfhan : Which. are ufually laid of thofe who part with a thing of great Moment for a fmalU matter. However, he was not fo filly, but when he came to himfeif, he Underftood the Value of what he had parted with/ and wou'd fain have retrlev'd it again 5 to which purpofe he gave Cofa fome disturbance in the po£ leffion of his Purehafe ; and the reft of the Cotditts joined with him herein as riot liking that he Should be thus deprived of his Right by a Trick,. and thereby the Prefideticy of the Temple go oilt of their Tribe into that of the Korafhites. But Cofd being aware hereof, feiit privately to all the Kora- B i P>iies$ 4 The Life of Mahomet. jhites,who were difperfed abroad among the Neigh bouring:: Tribes, to meet with him at Mecca on a TJay appointed y with whole help falling on the Cpz.aites, he expell'd them all out of the City, and from that time the whole Poffeffion of Mecca re- Uiain'd to the Korafhites ; and Cofa, and his Pofte- rity in a right Line down to Mahomet, had the Prefidency of the Temple, and the chief Government of the Cityt ever after. , The eldeft Son of Cofa was Abd Menaph, and the younger Abdol Vzx.a, Names taken from the Idols ofthe Temple, of which Cofahad now gotten the Prefidency; For Abd Menaph in the Arab Language, fignifieth the Servant or Worfhipper of Aienapb ; and Abdol Vzx4, , the Servant or Worfhipper of VizA, which were Heathen Deities then worfhip- ped by. the Arabians.- Of the Pofterity of Abdol -Viza, were Zobair, and Cadigha the Wife of Ma homet. The eldeft Son of (f) Abd Menaph was Hafhem, and the younger Abdfhem, whofe Son was Ommia, ftom'whom the Ommiada, who for fb many De- icents governed the Saracen Empire. Hajliem, as well as' his Father and Grandfather, was Prince, of hisTrlbe, and a Perfon of great Note in. his Time through- all Arabia. From him the Kindred of Mahomet' aye called Hafliemites -, and he who go verns at Mecca and Medina fwho muft always, be of the Race of Mahomet) is called in their Lan guage, (g) Al Emame'l Hafhem, that is, the Prince ofthe Hafliemites,- even unto this Day. (f) Abul Feda. Pococ. Spec. Hift. Arab. p. 51. Ecchelcnfis Hift. Arab. Part 1. c. 3. Liber 'de Generations & Nucrknra Mahonictis. (g) Sionita in Append, ad Geographlarn Nu- bicnferiK t. 7. ' -' The The Life of Mahomet. § The Son of Haftiem was(h) Abdol Motallab, who fucceeded his Father in the Government of his Tribe at Mecca, and had to do with two very formidable JLnemies in his Time ¦, (i) Chofroes, the firft of that Name, King of Perfia,' and Abraham King of the Ethiopians. The firft having extended his Empire a great way into Arabia, on the North of Mecca ; and the other poffefs'd himfelf of the Kingdom of the Homerites on the South, became very dangerous Neighbours unto him \ but he defended himfelf againft both, and forced the latter to a very fhame- ful Retreat, when he came with a numerous Army to befiege the City, as fhall be hereafter more fully 'related. He lived to a very great Age, being (K) an hundred and ten Years old at his Death : He had thirteen Sons, their Names were as followeth; Abdollahi Hamz.ah, Al- Abbas, Abu Taleb, Abu La- heb, Al-Gidak, Al-Hareth, Jahel, Al-Mokawam, Dorar, Al-Zobair, Ketham, and Abdal Caaba. The eldeft of them, Abdollah, having married Amena, the Daughter of Waheb, was by her the Father of Mahomet (l) who was born at. Mecca in the Month of May, m the Year of our Lord 571. Juftin the Second being then Emperor of Constantinople, and Chofroes the Firft, King of Perfia. By this it appears, Mahomet was not of fuch mean and vile Parentage as fome have afTerted. For being a Korafhite, he was of the nobleft Tribe of all Arabia, and the Family he was born of, was the moft confiderable of that Tribe, as being that (i) Abul Feda. Pocock. Ecfhelenfis, ib. (i) Hottinger. Hift. Orient, lib. i. c. 3. (£) Elmacin. lib. 1. c. 1. (I) Abul Feda, Alkodai. Abul Faraghius. pag. 101. Elmacin. lib. 1. c. 1. Pocock. Spec. Hift. Arab. p. 170. Hottinger Hift. Orient, lib. .1. c. 6, . B 3 which 6 The Life of Mahomet. which; for feveral Defcents together, had born tbe chief Rule over it. However, in the beginning of his Life he was in (m) a very poor and defpicabla Condition. For hjs Father dying before he was two Years old, and while his Grandfather Abdol Motallab was ftill living, all the Power and Wealth cf his Family became derived to his Uncles, efpe- cially to Abu Taleb, who after the Death of Abdol Motallab his Father, bore jhe chief Sway in Mecca as long as he lived, which was to a very great Age •,; and under his Protection chiefly was it that Mafat ¦met, when he firft broach'd his Impofture, was, fupported againft all his Oppofers, and grew up to that height thereby, as to he able after his Death;* to cany it oil, and alio eftablifh, it through, ail Arabia by his own Power. », . After his Father's Death, he continued under the Tuition of his Mother till the eighth Year of his Age ; when (n) fhe alfo dying, he was taken, home to his Grandfather, Abdol Motallab, who at his Death, which happen'd the next Year after, corncnitted him to the Care of his "Uncle, Ahi- Taleb, to he educated by him out of Charity j who, carrying on a Trade of Merchandize, took him into this Employment, and bred him up in the Bufinef^ pf it. For Mecca (o) being fituated in a very bar ren Soil, could not of itfelffubfift-, and therefore the Inhabitants were forced to betake themfelves to Merchandize for their Support ; and the bef| («) Abul Feda.. Abuna^aF. Abul Faraghius, p. jot. EJ- ^nacin. l."i. c, i. Hottinger. Hift. Orient.' 1. 2. c. i. Guadag- noi. Tra'dt'. 3. c. ' rr tb manage 'it- for her,. ifre invited Mahomet 'into her Service^' and having offered fiim fuch advantageous Conditions as he thought 'fit. to accept of, he undertook this Em ployment, under her, and- for- three Yea is traded for 'her 'at Damafcm, and other Places j arid irt the (/) Gentii Nota: ad Mufladinum Sadum^ p. 536. Vide etiam ^briim de Generation? ,& Sutritura Mabometis. ' (t) Abul Feda. Abul Faraghius, p. 102. .Rodcneus ToJe- ta.nus," c, %., Joanne? An4iia%., «. 1. Pocock. Spec. Hift. Arab. p.J7J. management The Life of "Mahomet. 9 management of this Charge gave her that content, and fo far infinuated himfelf into her Favour and good Opinion .thereby, that about the (u) i%tk year of his Age fhe gave her felf to him in Marri age, being then forty Years old*, and from being Servant, thus advanced him to be the Matter both, of her Perfon and Eftate , which having rendered him equal in Wealth to the beft Men of theCity^ his ambitious Mind began to entertain thoughts of (at) pofTeffing himfelf of the Sovereignty over it. His Anceftors had for feveral Defcents been Chiefs of , the Tribe ; and his Great Grandfather Hafhem had made himfelf very confiderable, not only at home, but alfo among his Neighbours abroad y and had his Father Jived, the Power and Wealth of his Family, after; the death of his Grandfather, would have defcended to him, as being the eldelt Son-, and after his deceafe, to himfelf; and it was only, his Misfortune, in being left an Orphan du ring the Life of his Grandfather, that depriv'd him of all this. Thefe Conliderations meeting with an Ambitious* Afpiring Mind* loon put him upon Defigns pf raiting himfelf to the Supreme Govern ment of his Country j and being a very Subtile Crafty Man, after having maturely weigh'd all ways and means whereby to bringlthis to pals, con cluded none fb likely to affect ii, as the framing of that Impofture which he afterwards Vented with fo much mifchief to the World. For the courfe of Trade which he drove into Egypt, Paleftine, and - (it) For/he died in tbe^otb Tefl agdrfhe old ftagm Rites of the Arabs, with an In-> dgigenee to all Senfual Delights, it did too well atjfeer his Defign^ in drawing Menof all forts tq thejmbracing of it. '("$¦} Difpatatio Chriftiani, c. i. Fortalit. Fid. Hb. 4. Con- 1 fiii'i^ ** (z) Liber Almoftatraf. Pocockii Spec, Hift. Arab,'1 p.' i^6. '* And Mahomet upbraids them with it in the 6tb Chapter ' •f bis Alcoran, andelfe where in that Boa^, The Life of Mahomet, ri" . But that he might not immediately, from that Idolatry which he had. hitherto pradtifed with the reft of his Citizens, commence a Preacher againft it ; and from his prefent Courfe of : Life, which was very licentious and wicked, take upon him a Character lb unfuitable to it, as that of a Prophet, without fome previous-Change: In the 38*6 Year of his Age (a) he withdrew himfelf-from his for mer Conversation, and affefting an Eremeticdl Life% ufed every Morning, to withdraw himfelf into a Solitary Cave neat Mecca, called the Cave of Hint, and there continue all ' Day, exercifing himfelf, as he pretended, in Prayers, Fallings, and Holy Meditations-, and there it is fuppos'd he firft had his Confults with thofe Accomplices, by whole help he made his Alcoran. On his return home at Ni$ht, he ufed to tell bis Wife Cadigha of Vifions which he had feen, and ftrange Voices which he had heard in his Retirement. For he aimed firft of all to draw her into the Impofture,. knowing that thereby he fhould fecure his own Family to his De- fign (without which it would be dangerous for him tp venture-on iOandalfo gain in her an able Par tisan for him among the Women. But Ihe reject ing thefe Stories as vain Fancies of his own distur bed Imagination, or elfe Delufions of the Devit; at length he opened himfelf further unto her, and feigned a Converfe with the Angel Gabriel, which fhe wasalfo as backward to believe, till after feve- ral repeated Stories to her of his Revelations from the faid Angelx fhe (b) confulted with a fugitive. (a) Liber Agar. Joannes Andreas de Confufione Se< ' (t) Tbe Socinians fay juji ihe fame, and no more offkCus Chrifty than Mahomet did before them, excepting only that he ma\ps himfelf the greater ofthe two; and bow many other things tbeyagrce in with him, and feem to have ta^en from bim, may be feen in Hottingef'i Hiftoria Oriental^', lib. 2. c. 3. where he fully compares the Do- ajines of both together. (u) ' Ale. c. 2. Joan. Andreas, c. 2. Guadagnol, Tra- tempt. But;, this did not difcourage him. from ftill* proceeding in his Defign, which he managed with great Art. ; For he was a Man of a (a) ready Wit, and a very, acceptable Addrefs 1, he bore all Af fronts, without feeming to refent any ; arid ap^- plied himfelf to all forts of People, without con temning the meaneft ; was very courteous both In giving and receiving Vifits ; the Great Men he foothed with flattering Praifes, and the Poor he .^relieved with Gifts and. Alms j and towards all Men manag'di himfelf with, that Art of Infinuatjon (in which he exceeded all , Men living) that -at length he fermounted all the. Difficulties, which fb, bold, an Impofture in the-firft ventjng of it muft ne- ceffarily he liable ,unto ; , and-.feveral other new Pre- felytes joined themfelves unto him, among whom (H) EutychiusV Tom. 2. p. 340. (*) Joannes Andreas, t. t. \-\) Ale. c. t 5, 25, 37, 8r, &e. (a) Elmacin, lib. 1: c. t. Abitnazar. Hottinger. Hift. Orient, lib. 2. c. 4, C 2 was 20 The Life of Mahomet. was (b) Omar Ebno'lChattab, Who was one of his Succejfors, and then a confiderable Man in the City. •His Example was fbon followed by feveral others'; fo that in the fifth Year of- his pretended Miffion, he had increas'd his Party to the Number of' Nine and thirty, and himfelf made the Fortieths « ''--Ohhis having made this Progrefs, (c)feveral be gat* to be alarm'd at it. Thofe that were* ad* dieted to the Idolatry of their Forefathers, flood up to oppofe him as atf-Enemy of their Gods, and a dan gerous Innovator in their Religion. But others, who few further ' into his Defigns, thought it time to put a flop thereto, for the fake of the publick Safe ty of the Government, which it roariifeftly tended to undermine for tbe eftabl'ifhing of Tyranny over them, and therefore they combining together ' againft him,' intended to have cut him off with the Sword. Bat (d) Abu Taleb, his Uncle, getting notice hereof, defeated the Defign,' and by his Power, as being Chief of the Tribe, preferved him from all other like' attempts as were afterwards framed againft him. .-' For although -he himfelf per- , fitted in the Paganifm of hhAnceftors, yet he had that Affection for the Impoftor, a.s being his Kinf- rncm, and one that was bred up in his Houfe, that he firmly flood by him againft all his Enemies, and would fuffer no one to do him any hurt as long as he lived.' And therefore being fefe under fo pow-' erful a Protedtion, he boldly went on to preach to the People in all publick Places of the City where they" ufed- to aflemble,'1 and publifhed unto them (h) Elmacin, lib i.eap, i. Joannes Andreas, c. ,i. '(e) Elm.ipio, lib.f. c. i. Joannes Andreas, c. t. (d) Elmacin, ib. more The Life gf Mahomet. 2 r more Chapters of his Alcoran, in the order, as he pretended, they were brought him by the Angel Gabriel. The chief Subject of which was to prefs upon them the obfervance of fome moral Duties, the Belief of the Unity of God, and the Dignity of his own pretended Apoftlefhip, in which indeed, befides ibme Heathen and Jewifh Rites which he re tained, confifted the whole of his new forged Re ligion. The main Arguments he made ufe of to delude Men into this Impofture, were his Promifes and his Threats, as being thofe which eafieft work on the Affections ofthe Vulgar. His Promifes were chief ly of Paradife, which he fo cunningly framed to the guft ofthe Arabians, as to make it totally con- fift in thofe Pleafures which they were moft de lighted with : For they being within the Torrid Zone, were, through the nature of the Clime, as Well as the exceffive corruption of* their Manners, (e) exceedingly given to the love of Women ; and the feosdiing Heat and Drynefs ofthe Country making Rivers of Water, cooling Drinks, fhaded Gardens, and pleafent Fruits, moft refrefhing and delightful unto them' \ they were from hence apt to place their higheft Enjoyment in things of this nature. And therefore, to anfwer the heighth of their carnal Defires, he rnade the Joys of Heaven, which he propofed for a Reward to all thofe that fhould believe* in him, to confift totally in thefe Particulars. For he tells them in. many Places in 7 his Alcoran, thai they ftnaWenter into pleafant Gardens, (e) Ammianus Marcellinus de Saracenis, lib. 14. c. 4. In- credibile eft quo ardore apud eos in Venerem uterque diflblvi- Surfexus. C 3 (f)whcri 2 2 The Life of M ahome" f . (f) wWe '?»a»j> #w*w ^dw, -*W wwwy curious- Foun tains continually fend forth moft- pleaftng' Streams, nigh which they jh'all repofe themf elves on rnoft delicate Beds adorned with Gold and precious Stones j under the Shadow. of the Trees of Faradife, which-fhall continually yield them all maHner of delicious Fruits ; and' that there they fhall enjoy moft beautiful Women, pure and clean, having black Eyes, and a Countenance always frefti- and white as potijhed Pearls , whojhallnot caft an Eye on any other. but thcmfelves, with whom 'they fhall enjoy the ; continual fleafures of Love, andfolace themfelves in their Compa ny with amorous Delights io all Eternity, drinking with. them moft delicious Liquors, and moft favoury and plea- fant Wines, without being ever intoxicated or overcharge ed by them, which fhall be adminiftred to them by beau tiful Boys, who fhall be continually running round their Bedstoferve them up unto thern in Cups of Gold, and Glajfes fixed on Diamonds.- And as thus he framed his Promifes of Reward in the Life hereafter, as might beft ftnt-with the fenfual Appetites and Dc: fires of thofe to whom he propofed them •, fb, on the contrary, he defcrib'ed the Punifliment of Hell, which hethreaten'd to all that would not be lieve in him, to confift of fitch Torments as would appear to them the moft afflicting and grievous tq be born. As (g) that they'fhould drink nothing but boiling and ftinking Water, nor breath any thing elfe but exceeding hot Winds, (things molt terrible in Ara bia') that they foould dwell for ever in continual Fire ex- Cf) Alcoran, e. 3. c. 4. c. 36. c. 37. c. 43. c. 47. c. -3. c. 90V "cVc. Joanne's AncIrTas, c. 5. Ricardi"C6nfiit. c. 8. ""Canr'acuze'- nus Qra.t.,2. Seer. 11. Hoftingcri Hift. Orient. 1. 2. c. 4. Po cockii Mifceliari'ea, c. 7. Difputatio Chriftiani. t. 26, 8c 2%. Bellonius. lib. 3. c. p. (») Alcoran c. 7. c. 37. l. 43'. c. 44.' c, 47.. c. 50. c. 74. c. 77- c. 78. c. jo. &c, ccfively Tfee Life of Mahomet, 23 cejfively burning, and-be furrqunded with ,ai>Ltck hot and fait Smoak, as. with,a Coverlid', that they ft>ould\eat' no thing but Briars and. Thorns, and 'the, Fruits of the Tree Zacon, which fhoit.ld be in their Bellies likeburning Pitch. In the propoling of thefe Promifes and Threats, to the , People he' was. very frequent a,nd,.fedulqus, making them to ring in their Ears on all Occafions, whereby he failed, npt of his End in,a}lur]ng feme, and. affrighting others' into the Snare he Jaidfos them.- - ' •;, ; .,,¦; . . ¦..,:., , • : And that he might omit nothing, whereby to work on their Fear, which is ufually the moft pre valent Paffion of the;Ignorant,.lie terrified them witfrthe Threats, of grievous Punifhments in this Life, as well as in.that which is to come, , if they would not hearken- un^; him. And to /this end (/?) hedid fet forth unto, them on all Occafions, what terrible Deftruetions had fallen upon the Heads of fuch as would not-lbejnftrufted by the: Prophets, that were fent before him. How the Old World was deftroyed by Water, for not beingreforrned at the preaching of Noabt, and Sodom by Fke from Hegr ven,;fqr not hearkning to Lot when fent unto them. How, the Egyptians were plagued for .derp\fingM°fesi and.how Adand Thamod, two andentTribes of the Arabs,jweretota\]y extirpated for the fame reafon. His Stories ofthe two laft were Fables of his own Invention, which he related unto them after this manner-, that; (i) Ad the Grandfon of Aram, the Son of Sem, planted himfelf after the Confulionof Languages in the Southern Parts of Arabia, where his Pofterity falling into Idolatry, the Prophet Hud (h) Ale. c. 6.c'.7\c. it, &c. Joannes Andreas, c. 12. (j) Ale. c. 7.C it, &c. Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab, p-37- C a. : (whom 24 The Life &f MahomeT; (whom the 'Commentators on the Alcoran will have to be fieberj was fent unto them to reclaim them unto the true Worfhip •, but they not hearkening unto him, God fent a violent hot Wind, whicfr in feven Days time deftroyed them all, excepting "on ly the Prophet, and fome few who were reformed by him. As to Thamod, his '(k). Story was, that they were; an ancient Tribe of the Arabs, dwelling en the Confines of Syria, and* that ort their Revolt to Idolatry, GodL fent to them the Prophet Saleh\ that bn^heir demand of a Miracle to teftify his Miffton, he caufed a Rock to bring for a Camel in the fight of them all ; that they notwithftanding in contempt wounded* -"the Camel, and that there upon God fent terrible Thunders, which in three Days time deftroyed them af * excepting Saleh, and fome few who believed on him. And the likeffc- ble h'e'aifb told tfiem of "(/) Chaib, another Prophet7 pfthe ; ancient Arab s, fent to the Tribe of Madian, and how 'thai-Tribe was in like manner deftroyed by Thunder, for not, hearkening Unto him. For the fake- of thefe Stories (which he was very frequent in inculcating into the People, and very often re peats in h'is Alcoran) thofe who believed not on him, called;him (m)a Teller of old Fables', but not withftanding, they wrought upon the Fears of others, iand by this and otherfuch Artifices, he ftill went on to increafe his Patty ; to which two of his Uncles, (n)Hamz,a and Al Abbas, at length' joined t hemfelves. But the reft of his Uncles approved not of his Defigns, and although Abu Taleh ftilj ——————— < ^ — - . m.i.i.^. (£-> Alcoran, c. 7. c. u.C t6."&c. Pocockii~SpeC* Hift. Arab. p. 37. Ho,tt. Hift. Orient, lib. 1. c. 3. (/) Ale, c. 7, c. i 1. c. 7,6, &c. On) Alcoran, c. 25, &cc. fn) Jo«n~ j»es Andreas, c. f , continue The Life of Mahomet. 2 5 continued to befriend him, becaufeof the, Affecti on which he bore him, ^ne other nine had not this regard to him, but, joined with his Enemies, and pppofed him alt they' could, as a Man that under the falfe Mask which he had puton, carried on dangerous Defignsto the prejudice' of his Country. ""But that which grayell'd him moft, was, that his Oppofers demanded to fee a J[^i •aclk'A rrom him* For faid they (o).Mofes and J.efus, and the reft ofthe Prophets, according to thy ownDotlrine, worked Mira cles p prove their Mijfibn from God , and therefore if 'ib'o'u be' a Prophet, and greater than any that were fent before' thee, as thou Hi'afteftthy felfto be Q>) do thou work the like Miracles to manifeft it unto us. Do thou make . the Dead to rife, the Dumb to fpeak, and the Deaf to hear ; or elfe do thou caufe. Fountains to firing out ofthe Earth, and make this Place a Garden adorn 'd with Vines and Palm-Trees, and watered with Rivers running through it into divers Channels',' or elfe let us fee xdtne down from Heaven fome of thofe Punifhments which thou ihreatneft us with. Or do thou make thee an Houfe of Gold, adorn' d with Jewels and coftly Furniture ; or let us fee the Book thou wouldeft have us believe to come from Heaven, defcend down to us from thence legible in cur Eyes, or the A"gel which thou t'elleft us doth bring it unto thee, and then we will believe in thy Word. This Objection he endeavour'd to evadeby feveral An- fwers. One (ej) while he tells them, he is only a Man fent to pr#ch to them the Rewards of Para- fdife, and the Punifhments of Hell. At another Time, (r) That their Predeceflbrs contemned the Miracles of Saleb, and the other Prophets, and that __ ] , : . : ; (0) Alcoran, c. 2. c. 6, &c. Bidawi adAlcorani cap. 12,. (p) Alcoran, c. 1 7, &e. ( Trac^ 2. c. i,o,,Sc$ft. 11, are The < Life ofMm°^- '27 are of divers forts, according to the divers Attri butes of his divine Nature, which they are fent to fhew forth. That Jefiu Chrift was fent to manifeft the Righteoiifnefs, the Pmer and Knowledge ofGoAi; That he fhe wed forth the Righteoufntfs of God iq.be- ing impeccable •,. his,' Knowledge, in that he knew the Secrets of Mens Hearts, and foretold things to (Come •, and his Power, in doing tfaofe miraculous! Works which none elfebut God could. That Salomon was fent to manifeft the Wifdorrt, the Glory, and the Majefty of God ; and Mofes, his Providence, and his Clemency : None of which carrying with them a Power to force Men to believe, Miracles were ne- cefTary in their Mijfions to induce them thereunto. But Mahomet was a Prophet, fent principally to fliew forth the Fortitude of God by the Power of ihe Sword, which being of it felf alone fufficient to. compel all Men into the Faith, without any other Power accompanying it, for this reafon, fey they, Mahomet wrought no Miracles, becaufe he had no need of them,! the Power of tbe Sword, with which he was fent, of it felf alone fufficiently enabling him to accomplifh his Miffion, for forcing Men to believe therein. And from hence it hath become the Univerfel Doftrine of the Mahometans, That their,Religidn is to be propagated by the Sword, and thap all qf them are bound to fight for it. And for this reafon (x) it hath been aCuftom among them for their freatihers, while they deliver theiy Sermons, to have a 'Dr.awn sW^.plaeed by them, to denote thereby, that the-Doctrine Which they teach them, was with the Sword to be defended and propagated by them. i ' ' ' ' . * .' • * (x) Cantacuzcni Oral. St&. u. ' ©uadagnol Ttaift. 2. c. 5. Sedt. 3. $8 The Life 'of Mauomet. -' 'However, it is riot to be denied, but that there ¦are feveral Miracles reckoned up, which Mahomet If) is feid to have wrought \ as; That he did cleave the Moon in two -/That Trees went forth to meet 4iim ; That Water flowed from between his Fin ders •, That the Stones feluted him •, That he fed a f;reat Company with a little Food ; That a Beam groaned at him«, That a Camel complained to him ; That a Shoulder of Mutton told him of its being poifoned •, ^nd feveral others. But thofe Who relate them, are only fuch who are reckoned jamong their Fabulous and Legendary Writers. Their -Learned fx.) DoBors renounce them all, as doth Mar hornet himfelf, who in feveral places in his {a) Alco- rwrowns that he wrought no Miracles. But when they are preffed how without Miracles they can prove his Miffion, their common Anfwer is ; That Mlftead of all Miracles is the Alcoran. For (b) that Mahomet,. who wasian Illiterate • Perfon, that could neither write nor read, or that any Man elfe by humane Wifdom alone fhould be able to compofe a Book fb excellent in Eloquence, and fo excellent in Dbdtrine, as they will have that to be, is what they will not admit to be poffible ; and therefore they alledge the Excellency of the Book for the ttruth of .all ' contained therein, and will have that to be a Proof equivalent to the Miracles of all the Prophets that went, before him; to manifeft that it -»:: ,; (y) Abul Pharaghius, p. 104. Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab. p, i$7,'& 188. Hottinger. Hift. Orient, lib. 2. c. S. Gua- dagnol. Tra«ft. 2. c. 2. Sedl. 2. ;; (%) Ahul Pharaghius, p. 104. Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab. p. 191, 1512, &C. Hqttinger. Hift. Orient, lib. 2. c. 6. (a) Ale', c. 6, &c. (b) Al. Oezali. Sepher Cozri. Bidawi. Ahmed Ebn Edris. Hottinger. Hift, Orient, lib. 2. c. eV Pocockii Spec, Hift, Arab. p. 191, !?2,;&c. -;.v ; '•" cape The Life of MA^dMET. 2$ came'from God. And on thisfcj the Impoftor him felf often infiftsia his Alcoran, challenging in feve ral places of it all Men and Devils by theif united Skill to compofe another Book like that in Elo quence and Inftrudtion, or elfe any one Chapter that can be compared in Excellency with the mearieft Chapter, therein : Which they taking ' for granted that both: together cannot do, will have this td be a moft clear imanifeftation beyond all cPntradicti&ri, that this itoo^could come from none other hixfGSi himfelf, and that Mahomet from whortL they- re ceived Lit* ws&H^Mtffenger to bring it unto them. As to j;he Particulars in this Argument alledged^' it muft be allowed^ that the Alcoran, bating' the Folly, the Confufednefs and incoherency of- the Matter contained therein, is as to the Stile and Language the Standard of Elegancy in the Arab Tongue ; and as toMahdmet, that he was in truth, what they fey, an Illiterate Barbarian (d) that could. neither write nor read. But this was not fb much adefedt in him, as in the Tribe of which he was, with whom it was the Cuftom as to all manner of Literature, to continue (e) in the feme Ignorance with which they came out of their Mothers Bellies, unto their Lives end; And therefore at the time when Mahomet firft fet up for a Prophet, there was not any one Man of Mecca that could either write or read, excepting only (f)Warakah, a Kinfriian of Cadigha's, who having firft turned Jew, and af terwards Chriftian, had learned to write Arabick in (c) Alcoran, c. 2. c.'io. c. 17, &c. (d) Ale; e. 7. Jo annes Andreas,, c. 2. Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab. 1 56. Difpu- zatio Chriftiani, c. 12. Richardi Confutatio, c. 3. (e) Eb- nol Athir Shareftani. Al.Mocarrezi in libro Mogreb. Pocock. Spec. Hift. Arab. p.. 1 57- (/") Al. Bochari. Pocock. ib. Hebrrtt %q Tke~Life"QfMImMET:. JJebrew Letters, And for this reafon the Men of JMecca were called (g) the Illiterate, in oppofitioh to;the People of Medina, who being the one half "Chriftians,, ^nd the. other balf^nw, were able both #> write and, read ; and therefore were called (fo) the People of the: Book And from them- feveral of J^homet's. Followers, after he came to MediM, learnt to read! and write alfo, which fome of them Jhadi begun to learn before of Bafhar the Cendian (i) "yvhp having fqjqurned at Anbar, a City of Erack, RfraryEupbrateti .there, learnt the Art ; from w hence coining to Mecca, and marrying the Sifter of Abu- fophian, he fettled there, and from him tb.e Men of 'Mecca are firft feid to have received the Art of Letters. Among, the Fqllowers of .Maho'met, Oth* man was thegreateft Proficieiit^erein, which ad vanced him afterwards, to (k) be Secretary to thte Impoftor. But for Want of Paper at firft, as in*a place where. there was never before any oceafion fof fty.thej were. forced to make ufe (I) of. the Spadi- Bones of Shoulders of MuJtton, and of Shoulders, of ' Camels, to write on ; Which was a device ancient ,jy, made life of by other Tribes of the Arabs, who chad; Letters, but wanted Traffick to accommodate "them, with more convenient Materials for thispuf- jpqfev and therefore their Books'* in which thek Poems, and, other matters, they delighted in were ^written, (m) were, only fo many of thofe Spade*- .Sones tied together upon a String. ¦ This BafHaf afterwards became one of Mahomet's Difeiples, (g) Sbareftarii.;. Pocock. Spec. Arab. Hift. p. 155. (i) Sha- rcftani & Pocock. ib. Hottin. Hift. Orient, lib. l.c. 1. (<) Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab. p. 157; " ({) Elmacin, I. i.e. 11, Bartholqmaius Edeffenus; (/) Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab. p. 157. (m) Ebhol Athii. Pocock. ib; ;.;>\ and. The Life of Mahomet. 31 and followed him in his Wars, till poifdned at CW- ibar, as fhall be hereafter related. ' "- ¦" • Horn But thefe Particulars being thus allowed, 'iTbat the Alcdran ofthe Mahometans is of fo elegant Stilej and the fuppofed Author thereof fuch a Rude am IMieraie Barbarian ', it Will be here asked^ Who wStii the Affiftants by Whole help this Boqk was com-> piled, and the Impofture framed ? And there wiff be the more teafbn to ask this, becaufe the Book it felf contains fb many particulars of the JeWifh a'nd1 Chriftian Religion, as neceflarily imply the Authors of it to. be well skill'd in both ; which Mahomet, Who was bred' an Idolater, and lived fo for the firft forty years of his Life, among a People totally illite rate, cannot be fuppofed to be. But this is a Queftion not fo eafily to be anfwet'ed, becaufe the nature of the thing required it fhould be concealed. The Mahometan Writers, who believed in the Impoftor^ a's they Will allqw nothing of this, fo to be fure will fay little of it, and the Christians who abhorred his Wickednefs, are apt to fay too* much. For it was ufaal with them, as it is'with allother contending Parties, to fnatchvat every Story which would di? parage the Religion they were againft, and believe it right or wrong, if it would ferve their Purpofe this way. And from hence it hath proceeded, that we have fb many fabulous and ridicfflous Accounts,- both of Mahomet and his Impofture, go current among us, which ferye only to the expofing of us* to, the laughter of the Mahometans, when related among them. And befides, the Scene of this Im-^ poSture being at leaft fix hundred Miles within the Country of Arabia, amidft thofe Barbarous Na tions, who all immediately imbraced it, and would not afterward permit any of another Religion, fb much as to live among them •, it could not at that diftancc %2 TheLifed/MM^MET. djftance be fo well fearched into by thofe who were moft concerned to difcover the Frauds of it, and therefore an exact Account cannot be expected in $is Particular. :' However, that I may give ail the Satisfaction; herein;, that I am able; I fhall here lay together whatsoever, I can find in any credible Au thor, concerning it, and give the-beft Judgment- itereof, that the matter will admit. ..That Mahomet icompo fed his Alcoran by the help! pf others, was.a thing well known at Mecca,,w\\en he firft broach'd, his Imposture there, and it was often flung in his Teeth ; by, his Oppofers, as he himfelf mote than onee complaineth." In the z^th Chapter of the Alcoran, his. Words are ; They fay} That the Alcoran is nothing but a Lie of thy own In-', vent ion, and others have been agisting to thee herein* Where the Commentators fey, the Perfons here meant (»J, were: the Servants of a certain Sword? fmith at Mecca, who Were Christians, with whom Mahomet was ufed often to converfe for the bettetf informing of himfelf from them in the Old and New Testament.., And from hence it is, that * Bel* tonim tells us, That Mahomet found at Mecca two Chriftians, who had with them Copies of the OldwA New festament, and that be was mpch helped, by them in the Compofing of his Alcoran. But this is too open Worfc for fo fecret a Defign. They that upbraided him with his being affifted by others,. ineant not, ttiofe whom he publickly. converfed. with, but the private Confederates, whom he fe-1 cretly made ufe of at home, in the framing of the who\e Impofture, and the writing for him that Booky - 'dr ¦ (n) Liber Agar. Guadagnol, Tracft. c. io. Seel, i. Joatfne9 Andreas de Confufione Sectse Mahometans, c. i. * Lib. 3. c. 2. which. The Life of Mahomet^ 3^ which he pretended was brought to him from Hmj ven by the , Angel Gabriel. And what he hath in another place, of his Alcoran, doth particularly point at one of thofe, who was then lo&ked upon to have had a. principal hand in this Matter^ Fdr in the Sixteenth Chapter his Words are ; I know they will fay, That a Man hath taught him the Alco ran ; but whom they prefume to have taught him is a Perfian by' Nation, andfpeaketh the Perfian Languages But the AleoraU is in ihe Arab'ick Tongue, full of In struction and Eloquence. Now, who this Perftari was^ Friar Richard, in his Confutation of the Mahometan Law, helps us to underftand. For in his Thir teenth Chapter of that Tract he tells us, That Mahomet being an illiterate Perfon, he had for his helpeir in the forging of his Impofture, among others^ one Abdia Ben- Salon, a Perfian Jew, whofe Name he afterwards changed, to make it corre spond with the Arabick Dialect, into (p~) Abdollah , Ebn Salem : And Cantacuzjentu, and Cardinal Cufd fey the fame thing. > And (f) moft others that write of this Imposture, make mention of him as the chief Architect made ufe of by Mahomet in the fra ming of it. And that he was the Perfian pointed at in this Paffage of the Alcoran I have laft men tioned, the feme Friar Richard in the Sixth Chapter ofthe feme Tract exprefly telleth us. And he is the feme Perfon whom Elmacimts calleth (f) Salmari (p) Abdiah is the fame in Hebrew tbat Abdollah is in Arabick, i. e. the Servdnt of God, and Ben the fame with Ebn, /. e. the SotU (if) Schickardi TTaric in Prooemio, p. 54- Fbrbefius Inftruc?. Hift; Theolog. lib. 4. c. 3. Spanhemius in Introdu&ione ad Hift. Ecclefiaft. ad Sec. 7. c. 6. (r) Bidawi, an eminent Commentator on the Alcoran, Jays, The Perfian meant in the flacf ahh-mentkned to have Helped Mahomet, was Salman, 34 The Life of Mahomet. the Perfian, who by his skill in drawing an In- trenchment at the Battle of the Ditch, feved Ma homet and all his Army, where otherwife he muft have neceflarily been overpowered by the number of his Enemies, and totally ruined. For he was a very cunning crafty Fellow, andTo throughly skill ed in all the Learning of the jews,that he had com menced (.0 Rabbi among them- And therefore from him Mahomet feems to have received wbatfo- ever of the Rites and Cuftoms ofthe Jews he hath ingrafted into his Religion. For this making a ve ry con fid erable part of it, and many1 of the Parti culars being drawn from the abftrufef parts of the Talmudic Learning, this neceflarily fhews fo able an helper to have been in the whole contrivance. And what Johannes Andreas, an Alfacki, or a Dottor of ffe Mahometan Law, turned Christian, writes of him, further clears this Matter. * For he tells us from Authentick Teftimonies of the Arab Writers, in which he was thoroughly verfed, that this Ab* dollah Ebn Salem (whom hej or rather his Interpre ter, corruptly calls Abdala Celen) was for ten Years together the Perfon by whofe Hand all the preten ded Revelations of the Impostor were firft written, and therefore no doubt he was a principal Contri ver in the forging of them. There is extant in the end of the Latin Alcoran, publifhed by Bibliander, a -Tract- tranflated out of Arabick into Latin by Hermannus. Dalmata, which by way' of Dialogue be tween Mahomet and this Abdollah, lays before us a great many of the Fooleries, of the Mahometan Re ligion •, which Tract helps us to correct the Name (s) Dialogus inter Mahomctem & Abdollatn. * De Confufione Se'rfta: Mahometans, c. 2. which The Life of Mahomet . s# Which is in Friar Richard's Tract .very corruptly written, as being only a Tranflation at the third Hand. For that Tr act- of Friar Richard's which ive now haye, is no other than a Tranflation from the Greek Copy of Demetritts Cydonim, who. tranflated it into that Language, for the ufe of the Emperor Cantacu&cnus, from the Original Latin which is now loft. ,. Befides this Jew, the impoftor had alio a Chriftian Monk for \f\s Afliftant ; and the many particulars in his Alcoran relating to the Chriftian Religion, plainly prqve him to have had fuch an helper. Thei ophanes, Zonaras, Cedrenus, Anaftafius, and the Au thor of the Hiftoria Mifcella, tell us of him, with out giving him any other Name than that of a Ne- ftoridn Monk. But the Author of the Difputation againft a Mahometan, which is epitomized in Vin± teritius Bellovacenfi's Speculum Hiftoricum, and from thence printed at the end of B^dnder's Latin Al coran, (a j calls him Sergius ; and from thence is it$ that he hath been ever fince fo often fpoken of isf that Name among the Weftern Writers: But in the tidft he is totally unknown by it, he being never^ as much as I can find, made mention of by that Name by any of their Writers. For all there that fbeak of this Monk, call him Bdhird ; arid Friar Richard *, who in the Year ofour Lord 1210 wentl to Bagdad on purpofe to feareh into the Myftery of ' Mdhometifm, by reading their Books,- and ori his return wrote that judicious Confutation of it^ which I have afore-mentioned (x) tells us of this Bahira as ari Afliftant to Mahomet in the forging of ^ ¦,,'¦- .^ («) C. 13". » Cantacuzerii Orat. t, contra" Maliojne- Mflii (*)Cap. 6. Sc c. 13. Di his 36 The Life of Mahomet. his Impofture; and fb doth alio (y)Cantacuz.enus', Bartholemaus Edejfenus, and the other Greek Author of the Confutation of Mahomet, publifhed by Le Moyne : But not one of them feys any thing of Ser gius, fo that it is plain (z,) that Sergius and Bahira are only two different Names of the fame Perfon. He was a Monk of Syria, of the Sect of the Nefto* rians. The Mahometans will have it, that he firft took notice of Mahomet, while a Boy, after that Prophetick manner as is^ before related •, but accor ding to that Account he would have been too old to act his part in this Impofture fo many Years af ter. The truth of the matter is, Mahomet did not fall acquainted with him till a long while after, when he was projecting his wicked Defigri in his Head, in order to the better forming of which, being very defirous to acquaint himfelf with the Jewifh and Chriftian Religions, he was very inquifi- tive in examininglnto them, as he met with thofe that could inform him. And in one of his jour neys into Syria, either at Boftra (a) as fome fey, or (6) at Jerufalem as others, lighting on this Bahira, and receiving great fatisfactiqn from him in many of thofe Points,, which he defir'd to be informed in, did thereon contract a particular Friendfhip with him. And therefore not long after, (c) this Monk for fome great Crime being excommunicated, and expell'd his Monaftery, fled to Mecca to him ; and being there entertain'd in his Houfe, became his Afliftant in the framing of that Impofture^ which he ¦ (y) Orat. i. contra Mahometem. (z) Ecchelenfis Hift. Arab. Part i. c. 6. (a) Abul Pharaghius. Abul Feda. Al Kodai. Al Jannabi. (b) Georgius Monachus in Dif- putatiohe cum Abiifalama. " (c) Theophanes, Zonaras, , KicbardiConfutatio, c, 13. Fortalitium Fidei lib. 4, Confid. 1. after- The Life of Mahomet. 37 afterwards vented, and continued with him ever after j till at length the Impoftor having no farther occafton of him, to fecure the Secret, * put him to death. If Sergius were the Name which he had in his Monaftery, Bahira was that which he after wards affum'd in Arabia, and by which he hath ever fince been mentioned in thofe Eaftern Parts, by ajl that there write or fpeak of him. The (e) word in the Arabick Language fignifieth a Camel, which after fome extraordinary merit, according to the ufege ofthe ancient Arabs, had his Ears flit, and was turned forth from the reft of the Herd, at free Pafture, to work no more. And no doubt this Monk having told the Tale of his Expulfion from his Monaftery fb much to his Advantage, as to make it believed at Mecca to be drawn upon him by that which was reckoned there as meritori ous, had from thence this Name given him, as flut ing that Notion which they had of his Condition among them. > As to his other Helpers, if he had any fuch, what is feid of them is fb uncertain, and that fo little, as is not material here to relate. We may fuppofe from the very nature of the Defign (it be ing to impofe a Cheat upon Mankind) that he made as few as poflible confcious to it; and the two above mention'd being fufficient for his Pur- pofe, it doth not appear, likely that he admitted any more into the Secret of it. Neither indeed is there any more room in it for another to aft. For his Religion being made up of three Parts, whereof pne was borrowed from the Jewst another from the * Richardi Gonfutatio, c. 13. Confutatio Mahometis Gr. Edita per Le Moyiie. (e) Golii Lexicon. Arab. Pocockii Spec. Hift, Arab. p. 330. Hottin. Hift. Orient, lib. 1. c, 7. P 3 Qhrifi-wij 38 The Life of Mahomet. Chriftians, and the third from tbe Heathen Arabf, Abdollah furnifhedthe firft ;f them, Bahira the ft1 cond, and Mahomet him'felf the laft ; fb that there was no need of any other help to compleat the Impofture. I know there are many other Particulars go cur7 rent of this Matter, both as to the coining of the Forgery, and alfo the manner of the firft propaga ting of it ; as that the Impoftor (/) taught a Bull to bring him the Alcoran on his Horns, in a publick Aflembly, as if it had this way been fent to him from God ; that he bred up Pidgeons to come to his Ears, to make fhow thereby, as if the Holy Ghoft converfed with him ; and manyother fuch Stories, 'which being without any foundation or likelihood of Truth, I pafs them over as idle Fables, not to be credited ; although 1 find feme very greap Men have been too eafy to fwallow them •, as particular ly (g) Scaliger, (h) Grotius, and (i) Sionita, have that" of the Pidgeons. Such Tricks as thefe would have been eafily feen. through by ^he Arabians,they being Men naturally of as fubtle and acute Parts as a.r.y in the M/orld. And therefore Mahomet never {o much asoffereJ atany thing of this nature among t /vera; but di&!aJl«i]^ ;i:l Mh-acle\, •' hereby avoi ded the ascefCity of hazarding his Defigu upon any •fiich open Cheats, where it would be fo liable to, be totally blafted by a Difeovery. The whole of this Jmpo.flure was a thing of extraordinary Craft,, carri* fed on" with all the Cunning and Caution imagina- > (/") In pr^fitione ad Difputationem Chriftiani, Purchas ril'grimage,B6oli^.cap. 3. Fbrratit. Fid. lib. 4. Confid. 3. [g) In'notis ad Sphxrani Manilii. (h) De veritace Chrifti ans Re'ligioriis, lib. 6. c. 5. : ' (/') In Appendice ad Qec^ graphiam JNJubienicnij c. 7. « ¦•'. , . „,,,',.-,, ........ ~ The Life of 'Mahomet. 3^ ble. The framing ofthe Alcoran (wherein lay the main of the Cheat) was all contrived at home in as fecret a manner as poflible, and nothing hazarded abroad, but the fuccefs of preaching it to the Peo ple. And in doing of this, no Art or Cunning was, wanting to make it as effe&ual to the End.de- fign'd as poflible : And therefore whatever Stories are told of this Matter, that are inconfiftent with fuch a Management, we may aflure our felves are nothing elfe but Fables foolifhly invented by feme zealous Chriftians to blaft the Impofturt, which nee ded no fuch means for its Confutation. . . But to go on with the Series of «our Hiftory : la the Eighth Year of his pretended Mifflon, his Pari ty growing formidable at Mecca, the (Ji)City pa P fed a Decree^ whereby they forbad any more to join themfelyes unto him. But this availed nothing to his Hurt, as long as his Uncle Abu Taleb lived. But (V) he dying within two Years after, and the chief Government of the City, on his Death, falling in to the Hands of Abu Sophian, of the Houfe of Om- ptia, then one of his moft violent Oppofers, his Enemies laid hold of this Advantage to r?new their Oppofition againft him, and profecuted it with that fuccefs, that they foon . put a ftop to the fur ther progrefs of his Impofture at Mecca. For their Party, after he had now loft his Protector, and they hecame thus headed againft him, fbon grew to that Strength, and appear'd with that Violence on all Occafions to oppofe hisPefigns, that for fear of them no more hew Profelytes durft joyn themfelves unto him •, and many of thofe who had afore decla red for him, having done it for no other end, but (£) Elmacin. lib. i.e. i. (I) Elmacin. lib. i.e. i. D 4t' *0 4& The Life of Mahomet. to joyn with a Party where they thought they might beft make their Intereft, as foon as they faw the Hopes which they had of his prevailing, to be again blafted by this Oppofition, which they Judged too ftrong for him to weather, again drew back and appear'd no more with him. And there fore Mahomet feeing his Hopes of carrying his De- fign at Mecca thus in a manner totally crufh'd, be gan to look abroad where elfe he might fix. That Which he drove at, was to have gained fuch. a Party there, as might be ftrong enough to overpower the reft, and fubjeet the whole City to him ; and then, after having pofleffed himfelf of fuch a Poft, from thence to have armed his Djfciples for the gaining hip that Empire over the reft of the Arabs, which he projected. And to this purpofe was it, that he fo often inculcated it into them, that.his Doctrine was to be propagated by the Sword,, and that all that would receive the Faith which he preached, muft fight for it. But now feeing no likelihood of accomplifhing this at Mecca, he fet his Thoughts on work how to gain feme other Town, whete to arm his Party for this Defign. And therefore his Uncle Abbas living moft an end at X.m) Tayif, (another Town of Hagiaz., at fixty Miles diftance from Mecca towards the Eaft) and haying a great Intereft there (n) he took a Journey thither, under his Wing to propagate his Impofture in that Place, in order to the making of himfelf Mafter of it. But after a Month's ftay, having not been able, with all hjs Endeavour to gain fa much as one Profelyte among them', he again i etur- (m) For which reafon it bath been ever fince, even to this Day, Called. Abbas Beladi, |, e. tbe Town of Abbas, Golii Npta? ad Al- feaganusrij p. rob. " •(«) Elmacin. lib. i.'c'.'i. " " " * The Life of Mahomet. 4.1 ned to Mecca to make the belt of his Party there^ and wait fuch farther Advantages as Time and Op portunity might offer him for the accomplifhing of what he defigned. And now Cadigha, his Wife, being * dead, after fhe had lived Two and twenty Years with him ; to ftrengtheh himfelf the more, he took Two other Wives in her ftead, (p) Ayefha; the Daughter of Abu Beker ; and Sewda,'ihe Daugh ter of Zama 5. and a while after he added to them (9) Haphfa, the Daughter qf Omar ; whereby ma king himfelf Son in law to Three of the Principal Men of his Party, he did by that Alliance the more firmly tie them to his Intereft. Ayefha was then (r) but fix Years old, and therefore he did not bed her till two Years after, when fhe was full eight Years old. For it is imial in thofe hot Countries, 0) as it is all India over, which is in the feme Clime with Arabia, for Women to be ripe for Marriage at that Age, and alfo bear Children the Year fol lowing. In the twelfth Year of his pretended Miffion, is placed the Mefra, that is, his famous Night-jour- hey from Mecca to Jerufalem, and from thence to Heaven, of which he tells us in the 17th Chapter of his Alcoran: For the People calling on him for Mi racles to prove his. Miffion, and he being able to Work none, to felye the Matter, he invents this Story of his Journey to Heat/en ; which muft be acknowledged to have Miracle enough in it, by all thofe who have Faith to believe it. And yet it be- (?) Elmacin. Abul Pharaghius. Abul- Feda, &c. (p ) Elmacin. ib. (q) Gentii Nota: ad Mufladinum Sadutn," p. 568. • (r) Joannes Andreas, c. 12. Sionita in Appen- iice ad Geographiam Nubienfem, c. 8. Guadagnol, Tract. 2. c, 10, Sgdi, 12, {s)Ihevenot'i Travels, Pan 3. lib. 1. c. 4?' ing 42 The Life of Mahomet. » ing believ'd by all that profefs the Mahometan Re-> ligion, as a main Article of their Faith, and as fuch fet down in all the Books of their Authentick Tra ditions, how abfurd feever it be,' fince my Defign is to give as full an Account as I can of this Man's Impofture, it obligeth me to relate it. His Relatir on of it is as followeth : . (f)At Night as he lay in his Bed with hisbeft beloved Wife Ayefha, he heard a knocking at his Door, whereon arifing, he found there the AngeJ Gabriel, with feventy pair of Wings expand^ from his Sides, whiter than Snow, and clearer than Cryftal, and the Beaft Aiborak ftanding by him, which they fay is the Beaft on which the prophets wfed to^ridej when they jvere carried from one Place to another, upon tSp,Execution of any Di vine Command. Mahomet deferibes it to be a Bea|t as white as Milk, and of a mixt Nature between an Afs and a Mule, and alfb of a Size between both, and of that extraordinary fwiftnefs, that his paffing frojjfrone Place to another, was as quick as that of Lightning •, and from hence it is that he ;hath the ' Name of Aiborak, that Word (ignifying Lightning in the Ardbjek Tongue. As fopii as Mahomet ap7 pear -d at the Poor, the AngeJ Gabriel moft kindly embracing him, did with a very fweet and pleafing Countenance fa lute him in the Name of God, an and that in thefe Stars Angels kept watch and ward for the Guard of Heaven, to keep off the Devils from approaching jiear it, left" they fhould overhear and know what was there done. On his firft entring into thisH ming of his Humanity here on Earth, (which they itnpiouflydeny), to folve the matter ,. they have by juft fuch.another Story as this of Mahomet, carried him, .to Heaven, a little before the taking of his Mtniftry upon him, there to be inftructed by God himfelf in the Doctrines which he was to teach.-, and refer all that is faid in Holy Scripture of his (g) Ebnol AtljiryEbnol Kahaj, Pocock, ib. coming The Life oj 'Mahomet. $ £ coming from Heaven, to this his Journey thither of their own feigning. Which fhews how mifera- ble a fhift they are reduced to, for the fupport of thatlmpiety which they affert. For take but this from them, and it muft all neceflarily fall to the ground. After his publifhing this Fiction, and the revolt of fo many of his Difciples, as happen'd thereon, his Adverferies grew in ftrength fo faft upon him, that he could no longer protect thofe who adhered to him, as he had hitherto done; but feme of them, to the number of about an hundred Perfons, haying made themfelves more than ordinary ob noxious to the Government, by feme practices againft it, (h) w.ere forced to fly from Mecca to Nagafh King of Ethiopia, where Mahomet's Let ters, which they carried with them, obtained their protection, though the Men of Mecca fent two of their principal Citizens after them in an Embajfy to that King, to demand them to be delivered unto them. And Mahomet, with the reft that tarriecl behind, found it very difficult for them to fubfift any longer there. For after the departure of fo many of his faithfulleft Adherents into this Exile, this farther diminution of his Number, made him ftill. lefs able to withftand thefe Infults which his Adverferies were continually on all occafions ma king upon him. But what he loft at Mecca, he got- at Medina, then called Tathreb (i) a City lying at the Northern End of Hagiuz,, two hundred and fe venty Miles diftant from Mecca, which being in- (h) Abul Feda. Ebnol Athir, Kamus, Pocockii Spec. Hift, Arab. p. 172. Ecchelenfis Eutych. Vindicat. c. 27. Golii No- tie ad Alfraganum, p. 53. (i) Geographia Nubienfis Clim, 2. Part 5. Golii Not,a: ad Alfraganum, p. ?S. E 4 habited. tfi The Life of Mahomet. habited, (V) the one part by Jews, and the other part by Heretical Chriftians, it feems thefe two dif ferent Parties not well agreeing in the feme City, the Factions and Feuds that arofe between them, drove one of the Parties to Mahomet ; and on the Thirteenth Year (/) of his pretended Miffion, there came to him from thence Seventy three Men, and fwo Women, who embraced his Impofture, and fwore Fealty unto him, whereon he chofe Twelve put of them, whom he retained a-while with him at Mecca to inftrudt them in his New Religion, and then fent them back again to Tathreb, to be as his Twelve Apoftles, there to propagate it in that Town ; in which they laboured with that Succefs, that in a.fhort time they drew over a great Party of the Inhabitants to embrace the Impofture ; of which Mahomet receiving an account, refblved to retire thither, as finding Mecca now grown too hot for , him, For the chief Men ofthe City, finding that Mahomet's indefatigable Induftry and Cunning ftill jtept up bis Party, do. what they could to fupprefs it, refolyed without farther delay to ftrike at the Boot, and prevent the farther fpreading of the Mifchief (m) by cutting off him that was the chief Author of it. Of which he having received full and early Intelligence, and finding 'no' other way to avoid the Blow but to fly from it, ordered all his Party, whom he could prevail with to accom pany him f'n his Banifliment (n), fecretly in the (£) Shareftani t)ifputatio Chriftiani, c. 4. Joannes An dreas, ?, j. Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab. p. 137. n) El- pacin. lib. 1. c. 1. (m) Alcoran, c. 8. Joannes Andreas, jr. I .' Bidaiifi Comment, ad Al'cprani c. 8. Abuna?ar. Hot- fringeri Hiftoria Orientalis, lib. 2. c. 5, („) Elmacin, |b. 'Abul Pharaghius^ Abul Fed^, ftre. »" • Eyenina The Life of Mahomet. 5 7 Evening to withdraw out ofthe City, and retire to Yathreb. And when he had feen them all gone, he and (o) Abu Beker followed after, leaving only AU behind, who having fet in order feme Affairs that detained him, came to them on the third day after. As fbon as his Flight was publickly known, Parties were fent out to purfue after him, and he difficultly efeaped them (p) by hiding himfelf for fome time in a Cave, till the heat ofthe purfuit was over. On the (if) iath Day of the Month, which the Arabs call the former Rabia, that is on the 24th of our September, he came to Yathreb, and was there received with great Acclamations by the Party which called him thither. But whether this Party we^i^f the Jews, or the Chriftians, I find not feid in any Author ; only if we may conjecture from the great kindnefs which at this time he expreffed towards the Chriftians, and the implacable hatred which he ever after bore the Jews, it will from hence appear? that the former were the Friends that jnvited him thither, and the latter theoppo- fite Party that were Enemies unto him. And what he faith of each of them in the fifth Chapter of his Alcoran, which was one of the firft which he publifhed after his coming to Yathreb, may feem fully to clear the Matter. For his Words there are, Thou fhalt find the Jews to be very great Enemies to the true Believers ; and the Chriftians to have great Inclination and Amity towards them, for they have (0) Elmacin. ib. Clenardi Epift. lib. 1. p. 52. (p) Alco ran, c. 9. Bidawi in Comment, ad illud Caput, & ad cap. 16. Hottingeri Hift. Orient, lib. 2. c. 5. (1) Elmacin. lib. 1. c. i.Golii Not* ad Alfraganum, p. 15. Ahmed EbnYu- feph. Poccjck. Spec. Hift. Arab, p. 174. Vriefti $8 The Life of Mahomet. Trie ft s and Religious that are hitnble, who have Eyes full of Tears when, they hear mention of the Doctrine which God hath infpired into thee, becaufe of their knowledge of the Truth, and fay, Lord we believe in thy %aw, write m in the number of them who profefs thy 'Vnity. Who fhall hinder us from believing in God, and the Truth wherein we have been inftructed ? We defire •with Pajfwn, O Lord, to be in the number of the Juft. By this we may fee what a deplorable Decay the many Divifions and Diffractions which then reign ed in the Eaftern Church, had there brought the Chriftian Religion into, when its Profeflbrs could fo eafily defect it, for that grofs Impofture. which an Illiterate Barbarian prqpqfed unto them. And in deed it is no ftrange thing for Men, when once they have defertedthe Orthodox Profeffion ofthe Chriftian Faith, to flee from one Error to another, till. at length, by feveral Changes in Religion, they change the whole of it away, and give themfelves up to total .hiipicty. For we fee it daily pra&ifed among.us.. ' , l On Mahomet's firft coming to (r) Yathreb, he Jodged in. the Hpufe of Chalid Abu Job, one of the chief Men ofthe Party that called him thither, till he jjad.bui'Jt himfelf an Houfe^of his own, which he immediately fet about, and adjoining thereto alfo,erected a Mofque:at the fame time for the exer- Cife of his new:inveqted Religion ; and it is recorded as an Inftance of his Injuftice, that he (*J .violently difpbffefled certain poqr Orphans, the Children of ah Inferior Artificer a little before deceafed, ofthe Ground on which it flood, and fo founded this - /s . , 'i(r-) , Elmacin, lib. i. c. i.. Abul Fedas &ct. (j) Pifpu* ttHQiCJiriftiani, c. 4. firft 71x Life of Mahomet. 59 firft Fabrickfor his Worfhip, with the like wick ednefs as he did his Religion. And having thus fet tled himfelf in this.Toww, he continued there ever after, to the time of his Death. For which reafon it thenceforth lofing the Name of Yathreb, became called.(rj Medinato'l nabi, i. e. The City ofthe Prophet, and limply Medina, by which Name it hath been ever fince called, even unto this Day. From this flight of Mahomet, the (u) Hegira, which is the nAlra of the Mahometans, begins its Computation. It was firft appointed by Omar the Third Emperor ofthe Saracens, on this (w)occafion. There happened a Conteft before him about a Debt of Money : The Creditor had from his Debtor a Bill, wherein he acknowledged the Debt, and obliged himfelf to pay it on fuch a Day of fuch a Month. The Day and the Month being pafs'd, the Creditor fees his Debtor before Omar for the Money. The Debtor acknowledged the Debt, but. denied the Day of Payment to be yet come, al- ledging the Month in the Bill mentioned, to be that Month in the Year next enfuing ; but the Creditor contended that it was that Month in the Yearlaft paft ; and for want of a Date to the Bill, it being impoffible to decide this Controverfy,Ow,«r called his Council together, to confider of a Method how to prevent this Difficulty for the future ;where it was decreed, That all Bills and other Inftru- ments fhould ever after have inferted into them (t) Gecgraphia Nubienfis Clim. 2. part 5. Appen. ad ean- dem cap. 8. Golii Not* ad Alfraganum, p. 98. Abul Feda, Alkamus, &c (u) Alfraganuslcap. 1. Golii Nor* ad eundem, p. 53. Elmacin. lib. c. 1. & c. 3. Eutychius. Abul Pharaghius, Abul Feda, &c. Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab. p. f 72, 173, (w) Ecchelenfis Hift, Arab. Part i.e. 10. the 60 The Life of Mahomet. the Date both of the Day ofthe Month, and alfo of the Year, in which they were figned. And as, to the Year, he having confulted with Harmuz.an, a Learned Perfian then with him, by his Advice ordained all Computations to be made for the fu ture from the Flight of Mahomet from Mecca to Medina. And for this reafon this ¦') Zamachfluri, Bidawi, Jallalani, &c. this <% The Life ^MAftdMET* this Miracle among many otherSj on purpofe fa gain it the greater Veneration in the Minds of his deluded Followers, although there might be feve ral then alive, who were able to give him the Lie thereto, it being but fifty four Years before the beginning ofthe Hegira, that this WaT happened; For it was the very Year (/) in which Mahomet. was born. But perchance this Chapter came not forth in publick, till Othman's Edition of the Alco ran, which was many Years after, when all might be dead that could remember any thing of this* Warj and the Fable thereby out of danger of be ing con trad idted by any of thofe who- knew the contrary. The And this was conftafltW ipbferved among all the ancient Arabs) till broken inthisWar^ which from hence was called the Im* piom War. And in this Impious War (k) Mahomtt having firft taken Arms* gave a Prefege thereby io what impious purpofe he would ufe them all his Life after. But the Hegira being that^which all ,6f the Ma^ hometan Religion have, ever fince the Conftitutiori of Omar, computed by 3 the Subject Matter of, the Hiftory which I now write, qbligeth me h'encefortti io make, ufe of this ) that furvived him, whom he exceedingly loved, and was ufed to give great Commendations of her, reckoning her among the perfedteft of Women. For he was ($) ufed to fay, That among Men; there were many perfect^ but of Women he would allow only four to be fuch, and thefe were Afiah the SN'xfe of Pharaoh; Mary the Mother of Chrift; Cadigha his Wife, and Fatima his Daughter. From her all that pretend to be of the Race of Mahomet derive their defcent. And now the Impoftor haying cbtain'd the End he had been long driving at, that is, a Town ac his Command where to arm his Party, and head them with fecurity •, for the further profecution of hisDefign, he here enters on a new Scene. Hi therto he had been preaching up his Impofture for thirteen Years together •, for the remaining ten Years of his Life he takes the Sword and fights for it. He had long been teazed and perplexed at Mecca with Queftions, and Objections, and Di- fputes about what he Preached, whereby being of ten gravel'd and non-plus'd, to the Laughter of , * Elmacin, lib. 1. c. f. Abul Feda, &c. (p) Abut Pharaghius, p. 103. (j) Abul Feda, Pocockii Specim- Hift, Arab. p. 183. 70 The Life ^Mahqj^ et. his Auditors^ and his own Shame andConfulion, out of hatred to this way (r) he henceforth forbids all manner of difputing about his Religion ; and that he might be fure to have no more of it* makes it for the future to be no lefs than Death for any one in the leaft to contradict or oppofe any, of the Do ctrines which he had taught- The way that his. Religion was to be propagated, he now tells his Difs ciples, was not by Diluting, but (s) by Fighting; and therefore commands them all to. arm thera- felyes, and flay witlf the , Sword all thofe that Would riot embrace it, unlefs they fubmitted to pay an 'Annual Tribute for the redemption of their Lives, And according to this his Injunction, even unto this. Day>. all whq liye under, any Mahometan Govern* meni, and are not of their Religion, (t) pay an An nual Tax for a conftant Mulct of their Infidelity (which m Turkey fa); is called the Carr age) and are fure to be punifhed with (w) Death, if in the leaft they contradict or oppofe any Doctrine that is re? ceived among them to hayfc been taught, by Mahaf met. And certainly there could not be a wifer Way deyifed for upholding fo abfUrd an Impofture, than by thus filencing, under fo fevere a Penalty, all manner of Opposition and Difputes againft it. , After the Impoftor had fufficiently infufed this DoUrmi into his Difciples, he next proceeds to put *t in practice ; and haying efe&ed his Standard, (r) Alcoran, e. 4. Gantacuaen. Orat. 1. Sedt. 12. Joannes Andreas, c. 12. (s) Alcoran, c. 2,3,4, $>, &c. Joannes Andreas, c. 1%. Difputatip Chriftiani, c. )5. Cantaeuaeni. Prat. 1. Apolog. 4"KichardiConfutatio, c. iq. (t) Thevenot, part ;. ljb.' i. 'c. 55. («) Theyenof, j»art: i.Jib. 1. c. 28. (ft) Cantacujen. Orat. 2. Sedh $.< ¦^heyenot, part 1. lib. 1. c. 28. E* The Life 0/iMahomet. 7 1 calls them all to come armed theretq; where ha ving enrolled them all for the War (at) he gave his Standard to his Uncle HamzA, conftituting him thereby his Standard-bearer ; and out qf the fpecial Confidence he had in him, fent him outon the firft Expedition which was undertaken in his Caufe. For underftanding that (j) the Caravan of Mecca was now on the Rqad in their return from Syria- he ordered out Hamz.a with a Party of Thirty Horfe to way-lay and plunder them; and he ha ving accordingly pofted himfelf in a Wood in the Country of Yamama, by which they were fo pafs, they tarried their coming ; but on their approach finding them guarded, with Three hundred Men! fent from Mecca to convey them fafe home, be durft.not fet upon them, but fled and returned to Medina, without effecting any thing. And feveral other Expeditions, which were this Year underta ken of the feme nature, had no better fuccefs. Heg.2. July$. A.D. 62$r\ The next Year a very rich Caravan going from Mecca towards Syria and carrying a great quantity both of Goods anc! Money, ..which belonged to the Merchants of Mec ca, that traded into that Country, he went out with Three hundred and nineteen Men to inter cept it But (a) coming up with them at a Place called Beder, fee found them guarded by a Convoy of a Thoufand Men, under the Command of Abu Sophian, whereon a fierce Battle enfued be tween them^ hut -Mahomet gaining the Victory Abu Sophian made as good a Retreat as he could (x) * Elmacin, hb. i. c. i. (y) Elmacin, ib. Dffputat. ChnftxaiM, c, 4. (a) Elmacin, lib. i. c. ,. Abul I? naragnis, p. 192. Alcoran, c. 3. & Commentatores in illu" fb) Alcoranr c. 3. » Hottlngeri Bibliotheca Otif 'Kntalis, c. 2r ad Sura tam Odtavatq Alcoran j. "':,i'" y | Alcoran, c. 3, |i4ay], '(e) Alcoran^ $.3, '! The Life of Mahomet. 7 5 This Year he altered the (/) Kebta, that is,the Place towards which they directed their Prayers. For it was ufual among the People of the Eaft, of all Religions, to obferve one particular Point of the Heavens, towards which they all turned their Fa ces when they prayed. The Jews, in what part of the World foever they were, prayed with their ^Faces(^) towards jerufalem, becaufe there was %heir Temple; the Arabians towards (h) Mecca, be caufe there was the Caaba, the chief place of their Heathen Worfhip ; the Sabeans (*) towards the North- Star ; and the Perfian Idolaters, who held Fire and Light to be their chief Gods, (k) towards the Eaft, hecaufe from- thence theSawdid arife, which they held to be the chief Fountain of both. Mahomet, from the, beginning of his Impofture, had directed hh Difblples to pray (/) with their Faces towards Jeirufalem, which he was ufed to call the Holy City, and the City of the Prophets, and intended to have prdered his Pilgrimages thither, and to have made it the chief Place where all his Sect were to Wor ship. But now finding that his Followers ftill bore a fuperftitious Veneration to the Temple of Mecca, Which had for many Ages before been the chief Place of the Idolatrous Worfhip of the Arabians, and that it would be a very prevalent Argument to re concile his Fellow-Citizens to him, if he ftill pre served their Temple in its former Honour, he cnaa- r . ¦ " \ — ^ — ¦ t. -i ,. ¦ - 1 • (/") Abul Pharaghius, p. 102. Al Kodai, Abul Feda, Jo annes Andreas, c. 6. (g) Daniel c. 6. v. 1 p. Buxtorfii Synagoga Judaiea, c. to. Maimonides in Halachoth Tephillali, £. 1. Se«ft. 3. (b) Abul Pharaghius, p. 102. (j) Abul Pharaghhw, p. 1 84. (i) Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab. p. 1 48. (I) Abul feda, Abul Pharaghius, p. 102. Joannes Andreas, e. 6. Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab. p. \ 7 5. g«4 74 The Life of ^ahomet. ged his former Law to ferve his prefent Purpofe^ ajid henceforth directed his Difciples to Pray with their Faces tqwards (yn) Mecca, and ordained the Temple of that Place, which from its fquare Form was called the Caaba- (that W°td fignifying a Square in' the Arabic Tongue) to be the chief Place *pf Worfhip for all of his ' Religion j. to! which they were ftill to perform their Pitgrirnages, as infor mer Times. AQd to this Change he was the more inclined, but of; his Aver fion to the Jews, againft whom having, aboqt this time contracted aa irre concilable Hatred," he liked not any longer to conr form with them in this Rite. And that his Follow ers might be diftihguifhed from them in this Par ticular, is the reafon (w) which he himfelf gives for this Change. However, (o) many of his Difciples were much feandaliz'd hereat, judging no Truth nor Stability in that Religion which was fo often given! to change ; and feyeraLleft him thereon.! From this Time, the more to magnify the Tem ple of Mecca, and to give the greater Honour, and Reputation thereto, have we, all thofe Fabulous Storfes invented,, which the Impoftor tells us con cerning, it,, A;S" that it was (p) firft built in Heaven £qbe the-Ptece where the Angels were to worfhip; and tfiat Afiam worfhipped at it While in Faradife ; but "beirtg.ca.ft: down from thence (for they place Partyiife. in!,' jfs.dyen) fie prayed God, that he might have fuclt a Temple oh Earth, towards which he might ' pray, and- go rouud-it in holy WorftHp-un* -to hjm,; in the f^me manner as -the Angels went ,.,(«), Alcoran, c. 9- Joannes Andreas, c. 2. & c. $. "(») AJ» poxarK,c, 2. (0) Joannes Andreas, c. 6. ' (p) Share- $aui;, Pocockii §pec. Hift.Arab. p. 115, Sionjtas Appendix ad Gcographiara Nubienfem, $• 7, , ¦- ' .'; rotfnd, The Life 0/ Masomet, 75 round that which he had feen in fleavent That thereon God fent down the fimilitude qf that Jem* pie in Curtains of Light, and pitched it at Meccat in the place where the Caaba now ftands ; which is, fey they, exactly under the Original, which is in Heaven :' That there, after the Death of Adam, Seth built, it with Stones and Clay ; and that all the People of God there worfhipped till the Moody by which it being oyer-thrown, God commanded Abram\ h'am again to rebuild it, having fhewn him; the Form of the Fabrick in a Vifion, and directed him to the Place by his vifible Shechinah refiding on it : That accordingly (q) Abraham and Ifmael rebuilt it in the Place where it now ftands : And that If- ¦mael ever after, living at Mecca, there worfhipped God with the true Worfhip-, but his Pofterity af terwards corrupted it with Idolatry, arid prophar hed this holy Temple with Idols, from which he was now to pstrge it, and confecrate it anew to the true Worfhip oi God, to which it was primitively intended. And he did not only thus retain the Tem ple of Mecca,, butvalfo the Pilgrimages thither, and all theabfurd Rites which were performed at them in the Tiroes of Idolatry. For thefe being the Things which long ,ufe had created a great Veneration for in the Minds Ofthe Arabians, by adopting them all into his- new Religion, he made it go down the eafi- er with them. And indeed this was the principal piece of his Craft, fo to frame his new Religion ill ievery particular, as would beft take with thofe to whom he propofed it. (q) Alcoran, c. 2, 3, & 22. Al Jannabi in vita Abrahami, Ehareftani, Zamaehiaari, ad cap. 2. Alcorani. Sharifol Edrifi. tiber Agar. Joannes Andreas, c. 1. As 7 6 The Life of Mahomet. As to this Temple of Mecca, and what it was be fore Mahomet, all that is true of it, is this. It was an Heathen Temple in the feme Veneration among the Arabs, that the Temple of Delphos was among the Greeks, whither all their (/) Tribes, for many Ages, came once a Year to perform their Idolatrous Ceremonies to their Gods; till at length -Mahomet having forced them to exchange their Idolatry for another Religion altogether as bad, made this Tern* pie alfb undergo the feme change, by appointing it thenceforth to be the chief place for the perfor ming Of that falfe Worfhip which he impofed, in the fame manner as it was before of that which he abolifhed, and fo it hath continued ever fince. This feme Year he alfo appointed the Month of (s) Ramadan to be a Month of Faft. At his firft coming to Medina, (t) finding the Jews obferving the Celebration of their great Faft of the Expiation on the Tenth of their firft Month, which is Tifrii he asked what it meant -, And being told it was a fa/ appointed by Mofes, he replied, that he had more to do with Mofes than they; and therefore} ordained the Tenth Day of Moharram, the Firft Month of the Arab Year, to be a Solemn Faft with his Mufftemans in imitation hereof, which by a aSame alfo borrowed from the Jews, he called Aftru*. r4, which is the feme with the Hebrew Afoor, that is, the Tenth, it being the («) Tenth Day of the Month Tifhi, on which this Faft of the^Expiatim was. kept among them. And he did alfo at firft (r) Shareftani, Golii Not* ad Alfraganum, p. 8, & 9. Male* rifi. Pocpckii Spec. Hift. Arab. p. i77, & 31 1. (s) Abul Pharaghius, p. .1 P2. Al Kodai. (t) Al Kazwini, Pococ kii Specim. Hift. Arab. p. 309. («) Leviticus, c. 1 6. v. 29] Wifna in Tti&.Toma, & Maimonidesin TriAirem Xippuri '¦' ^'- ( adop$ \ The Life of Mahomet. ryf adopt other of their Fafts into his Religion, ho ping by thefe means to win them over unto him. But finding them ftill to oppofe him all they could, and on all Occafions to perplex him and his Follow ers with Queftions and Difficulties about his Religi on, which he could not find Anfwersfor, and on the account hereof to difparage and deride him and his Impofture, he contracted that Averfion and Hatred againft them, that he refolded to differ from them (w) in this too, as well as in the parti cular laft mention'd ; and therefore abolifhing the feid Fafts, which he had taken from them, in imi-! tation of the Chriftian way, with whom about this time (it feems) he was very defirous to ingratiate himfelf, he appointed the whole Month of Rama dan to be as it were his Lent, or a continued time of folemn Fafting. And this Year the Month of Ramadan beginning in the Month of March, it did now exactly fall in with the time of the Chriftian) Lent. But the reafon which he himfelf gives fof his appointing of it; was, becaufe (x) on this Month, as he pretends, the Alcoran firft came down from Heaven to him ¦, that is, that Chapter of it which he firft publifhed. Before, it was a Month ufually (y) dedicated to Jollity and good Chear among the Arabs, and while they intercala ted the Year, always fell in the heat of Summer ; and therefore it was called Ramadan, (z.) becaufe of the Ramado'l Har, i.'e. the vehemency of the heat, which then happen'd. . (w) Ebnol Athir. (x) Alcpran, c. 2. (jr) Ebii Ahmed, Al Makrizi, Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab. p. 175. (z) Al Jauhari, Ebnol Athir, Golii Not* ad Alfraganum,1 p. 7. Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab. p. 176. t>. The J 8 The Life of MAHdMEf .' The reft of this Year (a) he fpent in Predator^ Excurfions upo& his Keighbours, robbing, plun* dering and deftroying all thofe that lived neaf Medina, who Would not come in and. embrace his Religion, Heg. p June 14. A. D. 524.J Tne riejct Year he made War ib) upon thofe Tribes of the Arabs, Irvhich were of the Jewifh Religion near him ; and having taken their Caftles, and reduced them under his Power, fold them all for Slaves, and divided their Goods amorig his Follower st He being exceed ingly exafperated againft Caab, arte of their Rabbles, this War was principally undertaken for his feke* that he might take him (c) and put him to Death* but not being able to light on him in any of thofe Places which he had taken, he fent out Parties td Search after him, ordering them to kill him when ever they fhould find him. The Reafon of his (d) bitter Hatred againft him was this. Caab was a very eminent Poet among the Arabians, and ha^ ving a Brother called Bejair, that had turned Ma hometan, he made a very Satyricd Tom upon him for this Change, wherein he fo terribly galled the Impoftor, that he could not bear it, butrefolved to revenge the Affront with his Deftru&ion, if ever' he could get him into his Hands. For fome time Caab efeaped all the Snares which he laid for him j hut after his Power had increafed fo far, that the greater part of Arabia had fubmitted to him, he found he could be no longer fefe, but by making his Peace with him ; and therefore to purchafe it, came in unto him, and profeffed himfelf a Maho- (a) Elmacin, A,bul Pharaghius. (b) Elmacin. l.i. 0 1. (t) Elmacin. ib. > (d) Ecchelenfis Hift. Arab, part 1 . c. u & Eutych. Vindicat. p. 303, & 304. Ulttdftr The Life ©/"Mahomet. 79 tnetan alfb. Hereon Mahomet bad him repeat that Poem which ;had fo ' much offended him, which he did, putting the Name of Abu Beker in every Verfe, where formerly was the Name of Mahomet; but this not doing, Mahomet would not give him his Pardon, although at that time he did not take any Advantage of his voluntary coming in unto him. Whereon putting his Wits to work, he had re- courfe to this farther Device for the obtaining of his Security from him. For being informed that Mahomet had lately gotten a new Miftreft, whom he exceedingly doated upon, and much regretted her Abfence from him, while then abroad upoii the Wars •, the crafty Jew ftruck in with this Paffi- on for the mollifying of him, and compofed an ex cellent Poem in her Commendation, which having repeated before him, he fo took the Heart of the eld Lecher thereby, that he not only pardon'd him, but alfo received him into the Number of his par ticular Favourites^ and made him one of his chief Confidents ever after. And as a Mark of his Favour, then beftowed on him the Cloak which he wore; which being kept by him out of an affected Vene - ration to the Impoftor, as an holy Relick, was af terwards bought by Moawias, when he came to the Empire, for Thirty thoufand pieces of Gold, and was made the Robe which he and all his SuccefforS of the Houfe of Ommia conftantly wore on all So lemn Occafions. And it is faid ofthisCaab, that he afterwards became fo intimate with the Impoft^ that he took him into, his greateft Secrets, even to that of the Impofture itielf, in compofing the Al coran, for which his great Skill in the Arabick Lan guage, and all other Learning then in ufe among them, exceedingly qualify'd him. Towards So The Lf'ebfMm&mtrt Towards the e.nd of this Year happened the Bat* tie of Ohudt which had like to have proved fatal to the Impoftor. For (e) Abu Sophian, to revenge, the laft Year's Affront, marched againft him wit& an Army of Three thoufand Foot and Two hun dred. Horfe •, and having feized the Mountain of Ohud, (f) which was only four Miles diftant from Medina, he fo diftreffed that Place from thence," that Mahomet was forced to hazard Battle to dip, lodge him from that Poft, although he could make bo more than a Thoufand Men to lead out againft him. However, in the firft Conflict he had the tetter, but at laft being overborn. by the Number ofthe Enemy, he loft many of his Men, and among. , them* Hamz..a his Uncle, who bore the Standard, and was himfelf grievoufly wounded in feveral pla*, ces, and had been fiain, but that Tilha, one of hit ' Companions, and Nephew to Abu Beker, came in td his refcue* in which Action (g) , he received a. Wound in his Hand, which deprived him of the ufe of fome of his Fingers ever after. To falve the Objections which were raifed againft him on this Defeat, he was muGh put to it. Some? '(h) argued againft him,1 How he that was a Prophet, of God, and fo much in his Favour as he pretended* could be overthrown in Battle by the Infidels ? And Others murmured as much for the Lpfs of their Friends and Relations who were flain in the Battle; To fatisfy the former, he laid the Caufe of the Overthrow, on the Sins of fome that followed him ; and feid, that for this Reafon God fuffered them to, (e) Elmacin. lib. i. c. t. Abul Pharaghius, p. 102. (/") Geographia Nubienfis, Clim. 2. part 5. ( g) Dili putatio Chriftiani, c. 5. with' which compare Abul Pharaghius^ p. 117. For there it is faid Tilha bad a 'lame Hands (h) Ale. c. 3; w The Life of 'Mahomet. 8i be overthrown* that fo the Good might be diftin- guifh'd from the, Bad, and thofe who were true Be^ lievers, might on this Oceafion be difeerned from thofe who were not; And to ftill the Complaints and Clamours of the latter, he invented his Do ctrine of Fate and Deftiny, telling them that thofe who were flain in the Battle, though they had tar ried at home in their Houfes, muft have died not- toithftandihg when they did, the time of .every Man's Life being predeftinated and determined by God, beyond which no caution is able in the leaft io prolong it ; that the Deftiny of, all is ftated , to art Hour, which cannot be altered ; and thereforti thofe who were flain in the Battle, died , no fooner than they muft otherwife have done ; but in that they died fighting for the Faith, they gained the Advantage of the Crown of Martyrdom, and the Rewards which were due thereto in Faradife^ where he told them they were alive with God in everlafting Blifs, which was of greater advantage than all the Treafures of the World couid in this Life have been unto them : That they, were there rejoicing very much, that they had laid down their, Life fo happily, as by thus fighting in the Caufc of God, and his Law, and were expr effing among themfelves exceeding Gladnefs^ that thofe whd. tan to binder them from going to the Battle^ melj them riot, Both which Doctrines he found fo well to ferve his turn j that he propagated them 0ri.,ali Occafions after. And they have been the darling (i) potions of all this SeA ever fince, efpecially iii; their Wars,, where certainly nothing can be more i '< "' '." l'ii ' I ' j i i | J Til ' I lilui (i) Ricaiif r Hiftorj of the Prefent State of the OttoWn £m~ fire, Book. 2,' a 8* 0 • cone 8 2 The Life ofM ahomet.' Conducive to make them fight valiantly, than a fet tled Opinion, That whatever Dangers they expofe themfelves to, they cannot die either fooner or later than is otherwife unalterably predetermined that they muft •, and that in cafe this predetermi ned time be come, in dying fighting for their Re ligion, they fhall obtain that Happinefs, as to be come Martyrs thereby, and immediately enter in to Faradife for the Reward hereof. Heg./\.. June \ 3. A-D. 625.] In the Fourth Year of the Hegira he Waged War (k) with the «Nadorites, a Tribe of the Jewifh Arabs in his Neigh bourhood, whom he preffed fo hard, that he for-; ced them to leave their Caftles; part of them' retiring to Chaibar, a City belonging to thofe of their Religion; and part flying into Syria., Thofe latter that fled into Syria, Mundir Ebn Omar, with a Party of the Men of Medina, purfued after, and having overtaken them near the Borders of that Country, put them all to the Sword, excepting only one Man that efca-, ped. With fuch Cruelty did thofe Barbarians firft fet up to fight for that Impofture they had -been de luded into. This feme Year he fought the fecond. Battle of Beder, and had many other Skirmifhes with thofe whorefufed to fubmit to him, in which he had fometimes profperous, and fometimes dubi ous Succefs. But while his Army was Abroad on thefe Expe ditions, fome of his Principal Men engaging at Play i and Drink, in the heat of* their Cups fell a quar relling, whicb raifed fuch a Difturbance among the reft of his Men, that they had like to have fallen*!; (t) Elmacin, 1. 1. c. J. Abul Pharaghius, p. 102. all The Life of MahomeT. 83 all together by the Ears, to tbe confounding of him and all his Defigns •, and therefore for the pre venting the like Mifchief for the future, (/) hd forbad the ufe of Wine, and all Games of Chance •ever after. And to make his Prohibition the more influential, he backs it with a (m) Fable of Twc* Angels, called Arut and Marut, who he tells us Were in times paft fent down from Hedven to ad- miniftet juftice, and teach Men Righteoufnefs in the Province of Babylon ; that while they were there, a certain Woman coming to them for Ju* itice, invited them home to Dinner, and fet Wine before them, "Which God had forbidden them td. drink ; but being tempted by the Pleafantnefs of the Liquor to tfrahfgrefs the Divine Command^ they became fo drunkj that they tempted the Wo men to Lewdnefs •, Who promifed to confent, ort Condition that the one of them fhould firft carry her to Heaven, and the othet bring her back again* But the Woman being got to Heaven would not come back again, but declared to God the whole Matter ¦. Whereupon, for Reward of her Chaftity* fhe was made the Morning-Star. And the Angels having this Option given them* whether they Would be, punifhed for their Wickednefs, either* riow, or hereafter, ehofe the fotmer : whereupon! they were hung up by the Feet by an Iron Chain! in a certain Pit near Babylon, where they are td (/) Al Kodai, Pocockii Specim; Hift; Arab. p. 175: Alctf- ran, c. 5. Fortalit. Fid. lib. 4. Confid. 5. (m) Aleorarij cap. 2. Zamaebfltari & Bidawi, aliique Ctfthfncntatores ad illud caput; DialoguS Mahofnetis cithi Abdollah, RicHardi Confutatio Legis Saracenicar, c 4. Cantacuzen. Orat. i. Setftj is* BelLonius, h $. c. 6; Guadagriol. Tratft. 2. c. 4. e Librd % Q t tatiiiMH 84 The Life of Mahomet: continue fuffering the Punifliment of their TranP greffion till the Day of Judgment. And that for this Reafon God forbad the ufe of Wine to all his Ser vants ever after. But (n) Busbequius, and out of him (0) Ricaut give the Reafon of his forbidding the ufe of Wine from another Occafion ; which they thus "relate } Mahomet making a Journey to a Friend of hii at Noon entered into his Houfe, where there wm aMar-' riage Feaft ; and fitting down with the Guefts, he ob* ferved them to' be very merry and jovial, kiffing and embracing one anbther, which was attributed to the •Cheerfulnefs of their Spirits raifed by the Wine, fo that he bleffed it as a f acred Thing in being thus an Inftru*. ment of much Love among Men. But returning to the fame Houfe the next Day, he beheld another Face of Things, as Gore-blood on the Ground, an Hand cut off, an Arm, Foot, and other Limbs difmembred, which he was told was the, Effect of the Brawls and Fighting, oc casioned by the Wine, which made them mad, and in flamed them into a Fury, thus to deftroy one another* Whereon he changed his Mind, and turned his former Bleffing into a Curfe, and forbad it ever after to all his. Difciples. But he himfelf feerns totally to refer the Reafon of the Prohibition, to the Quarrel which Wine and Play at Games of Chance had caufed among them. For in the 5th Chapter of the Alcoran,-, where he gives his Law concerning this Matter, his Words are, The Devil de fires to fow Diffenfien and Hatred among you, thro' Wine and Games of Chance, to divert you from remembring God, and praying unto him- Abandon Wine and Games of Chance. Be obedient to God, and the Prophet his Apoftle, and take '(») Efift. 3. (") Mijlory ofthe Prefent- Stats of tbe Ottoman Empire, Boo^z. c. Z5. heed' The Life of Mahomet. 8 5 heed to your felves. The Truth of the Matter is, the Arabians (p) were given to drink Wine to great Excefs^when they could come by it ; and being of art hot Temper, as living moft of them within the Torrid Zone, were liable to be inflamed by it into the higheft'Difbrder.s"; and this Mahomet ha ving had fufficient Experience of, particularly in the dangerous Inftance I have mentioned, did, in refpedt of his Arabians, prudently enough provide againft the like Mifchief for the Future^ by thus ta king away the Caufe from whence it did flow. Heg. 5. June 2. A- D- 627.3 The next Year was the War ofthe Ditch, where Mahomet was in great Danger of being totally ruined. For the Men of Mecca having entred into Cdnfederacy with feveral of the Tribes of the Jewifh Arabians, to whom he had declared himfelf a mortal Enemy (q) march ed againft him under the Command of Jofeph, the Brother of Abu Sofhian, with an Army of Ten thou- fend Men. Mahomet march'd forth to meet them ; but being terrified with their Number, by the Ad vice of Abdollah- Ebn Salem, the Perfian Jew above mention'd (whom Elmacinus calls Salman) fortified himfelf with a deej) Ditch, within which Intrench- ment the Enemy befieged him many Days, which time the crafty Impoftor employed to corrupt over to his Intereft their leading Men. In which At tempt having fucceeded with fome of them, he did, by their ' Means, fow fuch Diflenfions among the ¦ reft, as foon extricated him from all this1 Danger lie was fa lien in to, which happened on this Occa- fion. There was then in the Enemies Camp, (r) (p) Ecchelenfis Hift. Arab. Part. 1. c. 5. Richardi Confu- tatio, c. 8. (q) Elmacin, 1. 1. c. t. Abul Pharaghi us, p. 102. (r) Ecchelenfis, Hift. Arab. p. i- ct 3' 41>ul Pharaghius, p. iog. G 3 Amrty 86 The Life of M ahomeT. Amrus Ebn Abdud, an eminent Korofhite, and Un* cle to AU, who having the Reputation of being the beft Horfeman in Arabia, to fhew his Manhood 'while the two Armies lay thus idle againft each, other, rode up to Mahomet's Trenches, and chal- leng'd any of his Army to fight with him in a An gle Combat. AU, although his Nephew, accepts the Challenge ; and having flain Amrut, and alfb. another that came to his Affiftance, thofe whom M-ahomet's Inftruments had wrought into a DifTenfU on from the reft, took this Opportunity (s) to de* fert the Camp, and march home. Whofe ExamV pie the reft in this Confternation following, the whole Army broke up, and feparated. And fo this. War, from which fo much was expected, ended in nothing but the lofs of fix Men qn Maho- Viet's fide, and three on the other. But tho' the Enemy ?ould make no ufe of the Advantage they had, yet (0 Mahotnef knew how ta make the beft of that which they gave him by this Retreat. And therefore immediately marching after the CozMtes, one of the Jewifh Tribes confede* rated againft him, befieged them in their Fortref- fes, and forced them to furrender at Mercy to So- ad EbnSaad, one of his chief Commanders. But he heing fore of a Wound he had received at the War of the Ditch, in revenge thereof caufed all the Men, and among them Hahib Ebn Atab them Chief Commander, to be put to the Sword,, and the Women and Children to be fold for Slaves, and #11 their Goods to be given for a Prey unto his Soldiers ; and as fbon as this was executed, died (s) Abul Pharaghius, p. 102. Elmacin, 1. i. c. i. (t) Elmacin, 1. i. e. t. himfelf The Life ofM ahomet. 87 himfelf of the Wound, which he had thus cruelly revenged. Heg. 6. May 23. A. D. 6*27."] In the fixth Year he fubdued (it) the Lahianites, the Muftalachites, and feveral other Tribes ofthe Arabs. The Mufta lachites were ofthe Pofterity of the Cho&aites, whom Cofa expelled out of Mecca, (w) Mahomet having overthrown them in Battle, flew moft ofthe Men, according to his bloody# manner, and took their Wives and Children Captives, among whom find ing Juweira, the Daughter of Hareth, a Woman ot excellent Beauty, (#) he fell in Love with her, and took her to him to Wife, and for her fake releaftd all of her Kindred that were found among the Cap tives. And now the Impoftor, after fo many Advanta ges obtained in his Wars, being much encreafed in Strength (v) marched his Army againft Meccar and at Hadibia, a Place near that City, on the Road from thence to Jodda, a Battle was fought between them, the Confequence of which was, that neither fide gaining any Advantage over the other, they there agreed on a Truce for ten Years : The Conditions of which were, That all within Mecca, who were for Mahomet, might have liberty to join themfelves to him ; and on the other fide, Thofe with Mahomet, who had a mind to leave him, and return to their Houfes in Mecca, might alfo have the fame Liberty. But for the future, if any of the Citizens of Mecca fhould go over to Mahimet without the Con fent ofthe Governor ofthe City, he fhould be bound on demand to render (u) Abul Pharaghius. p. 102. Elmacin. 1. r. c. 1. (r>) Abul Feda, Pocockii Specim. Hift. Arab. p. 42. (,*) Elmacin. 1, 1. c. 1, (y ) Elmacin. ib, G 4 thew 88 The Life of MahoveT: them unto him. And that if Mahomet, or any of bis Party, had a Mind to come into the City, they might have Liberty fo to do at any time during the Truce, provided they,came unarmed in a peaceable way, and tarried not above three Days at a time.. By this Truce Mahomet being very much connr-s med in his Power, took on him (z.) thenceforth the Authority of a King, and was inaugurated by the chief Men of his Army, under a Tree near Medina, which immediately (it feems, curfed by the Aur thority given fo wicked an Impoftor under it) with, pr'd away and perifh'd, which the Mahometan?: themfelves relate, but make another Interprftati-* en of it. •'' On Mahometh having thus made Truce with the Men of Mecca, and thereby obtained. free Accefs for any of his Party to come into that City, he thenceforth ordained them to make their (a) Pil-i grimages thither, which have ever fince with fq 'much Religion been obferved by all of his Sett, once every Year. This was an ancient Rite of the Hea then Arabs, it having been a conftant Ullage (b) among them for many Ages foregoing to come ones' a Year to the Temple of Mecca, there to worfhip their Heathen Deities. The time of this their ?*7- grim.ige (c) was in the Month of Dulhagha ; and. on the tenth Day of that Month was their great Feftival, in which the chiefelt Solemnities of their; Pilgrimage were performed, and- therefore it was. £&%ed,.Ayd al Cabir, i. e. the great Feaft ; and alfo, becaufe thefe Solemnities did chiefly confift inflnerf. '(«) Elmacin. ib. (a) Al Kodai, Pocockii Specini. Hift, Arab, p. iji. (/¦) Vidcfupr^ad Annum Hegir'je fecun- cjum, , (<;) Shareftapi. Makrizi Golii Nota; ad'Alfraga- fium, p. Ij, & p. Pocockii Spc^, Hift. Arab. p. 177. The Life of Mahomet. 89 ing up Sacrifices and Oblations, Ayd al Corban, that is, theFeaft of Oblation ; and the whole Solemnity, Al Haghai, i. e, the Solemn peftival, in the feme Senfe as the Hebrew Word Chag, from which it is derived, fignifieth arty of the three Solemn Feftivals, on Which the Jews were thrice every Year to ap pear before the Lord at the Temple of Jerufalem. And from hence the Month in which this Feftival falls, is called among them Dulhagha, which is as much as to fay, The Month of the Solemn Feftival. And that all might have free Liberty' fefely to come to this Feftival from all Parts of Arabia, and again fafely return, was the reafon that not only this Month, but alfo the preceding and following were held Sacred among them, in which it was not law ful to ufe any Act of Hoftility againft any Man, as I have afore fhewn. And therefore this Solemn Pil grimage to Mecca havings been a Religious Vfage^ Which all the Tribes of the Arabs had long been de- Voted to, and was had in great Veneration among them, Mahomet thought not fit to ruffle them with any Innovation in this Matter, but adopting it in to his Religion, retained it juft iri the feme Manner as he found it practiced among them, with all the ridiculous Rites appendant thereto ; and fo it is obferved even unto this Day by all of that Religion, as one of the Fundamental Duties of it. For the Crafty Impoftor taught them concerning it (as he did of all the other Heathen Rites of the Arabs, which he found neceflary to retain) that' it was a Con*" mand from God to Abraham and Ifmael, annually to obferve this Pilgrimage to Mecca ; and that it was given unto them on their rebuilding theCaaba; and that at firft it'was only ufed to the Honour of God, in the coming of all the Arabs thither once lyery Year, thereto worfhip together before him ill 90 C'^he Life" of Mahomet. in one Holy Affembly, in the feme manner as the Jews were after commanded thrice every Year to Vtorfhip before him in their three Solemn Feftivatl at Jerufalem : But that in procefs of Time it be came perverted to Idolatry, from which he was now Commanded; again to reftofe it to its primitive Ufe. And in the making of this Eftablifhment, he had 50 fmall refpett to his Native City, fhat he might. prefer ve to it the fame benefit or this Pilgrimage, which it had before fo long enjoyed. And in thus providing for fhe Intereft of 'that People irt the ve ry Religion Which he was a framing, he thought he might the eafier prevail to draw them over unto it.> And irt this he Was not miftaken. For had he to tally abolifhed this Pilgrimage, it being the greateft Honour and Benefit which that Place, enjoyed, and t>y Which, indeed, it did moftly fubfift ; their In- -tere-ft would have engaged them to that vigorous Oppofitiprt againft Mm, that in all likelihood he would never have, become Matter of that City, and for want thereof have mifcarried in the whole De- fign- Heg. 1- May 11. A. D- 6*28.3 And now being thus eftablifhed in the Sovereignty, which he had been fo long driving at, he took to him all the Infignia belonging thereto ; but fo that ftill he re tained fhe Sacred Character of Chief Pontiff of his Religion, as well as the Royal, which he had now invefted himfelf with, arid tranfmitted them both together to all. his Succeflbrs, who by the Title of Caliphs reigned after him ; fo that they were in the feme manner as the Jewifh Princes of the Race of the Maccabees, Kings and Chief Priefts of their Peo ple at the fame time. Their Pontifical Authority chiefly eorififted in giving the Interpretation of the Mahometan Law, in ordering all Matters of Religion^ ! a«d 71m Life of Mahomet. 91 and alfo in officiating in the Duties of it themfelves, ¦as well in Praying as Preaching in their Publick Mofques, as on all more Solemn Occafions they were ufed to do. And at length this was all the Autho rity the Caliphs were left poflefled of, they being totally ftript of all the reft, firft by the Governors of the Provinces (d^t(who about tbe Year of the Hegira 325; aflumed the Regal Authority to themfelves, and made themfelves Kings each in their particular Go vernment) and after, by others, who rofe up on this Diftraction of the Empire to ufurp upon them, till at laft they left them nothing elfe but the Name and Shadow of what they had afore been. For al though thofe Princes ftill paid fome deference to the Caliph, as to a Sacred Perfon (in the feme man ner as is now paid to the Pope of Rome by the Prin ces of his Communion) and feffered him to be prayed for through all the Mofques of their Dominions, and his Name to be inferted in the Publick Offices, even, before their own, as if they had ftill been no more than his Lieutenants in the Government, as in former times ; yet as to all things relating to the Govern ment of their particular States, they difowned all manner of Obedience unto him, and often depofed hiir^ and put another in his ftead, as they thought would belt fuit with their Intereft ; which was ufually done, according as this frince or that Prince made themfelves Mafters of Bagdat, the City where the Caliph refided, till at length the Tartars came in* and in that Deluge of Deftrudtipn, with which they did over-run all the Eaft, put a total End to their (e) very Name and Being, as well as (d) Elmacin. lib. 3. cap. 1. Abu,} Pharaghius, Sec. (e) Abul Pharaghius, p. 332. (heir Q2 The Life of Mahomet. their Authority. ,|iver fince that time, moft Ma" hornet an Princes have a particular Officer appointed in their refpedtive Dominions, who fuftains this Sa cred Authority, formerly invefted in the Caliphs, who in Turkey is called the Muftij and in Perfia the Sadre; but they being under the Power ofthe Prin ces that appoint them, are moft an"end made ufe of for.no other purpofe, but as Tools of State to ferve their Intereft, and make the Law fpeak what at any time they fhall judge moft agreeable to it, how wicked and unjuft foever it be. ¦ As foon as Mahomet had finifhed hk Mofqueat -Medina, he always, if in the Place, ¦ officiated in it himfelf, both in Praying, and alfo in Preaching to the People ; for which he had no other Conveni ence at firft, than a piece of a Beam, or the ftump of a Palm-Tree driven into the Ground, on the top of which he leaned when he did officiate. But being now invefted with the Supreme Authority, he thought this too mean an Accommodation for his Dignity, and therefore, by the Advice of one of his Wives, caufed a Pulpit to be built for him, which had two Steps up into it, and a Seat with-i in to fit on •, arid this the1 Impoftor ever after made ufe of, leaving his Beam. And thofe, who, wri- 'tirigof 'Mahomet's Miracles, -tell us, among others, vFfiat- a Beam groaned at him, (/)-mean this Beam, which they fey groaned at Mahomet's1 leaving of it, thereby exprefling its grief for being thus deferted. Othman'Ebn Affan, 'When he1 came to be Caliph^ hung his' Pulpit withTapeftry, and Moawias advanr ced it higher, adding fix Steps more to it. For be* (f) Al Gaaali, Pocockii Spec. Hift, Arab, p. ;S8,, The Life of M ahOmet. 9 5 ing (g) fo exceeding Fat that he could not ftand while he officiated, as all his Predeceflbrs had done, he was forced to fit when he preached to the Peo ple ; and therefore that he might be ,the better heard, he raifed the Pulpit to this heighth, and fo it now remains in that Mofque at Medina even to this Day. This Year he led forth his Army (h) againft ChaU bar, a City inhabited by Arabs of the Jewifh Reli* gion, who being overthrown by him in Battle, he befieged their City, and took it by Storm., And here thofe who are the Magnifiers of Ali, tell this Miracle of him, That in the Aflault, Sampfon-like, he plucked up one of the Gates of the City (which was of that weight, feith Abul Feda, that eight other Men could not move itj and held it before him for a Shield to defend himfelf againft the Befieged, till the City was taken. On Mahomet's entring the Town, he took up his Quarters in the Houfe of Horeth, one of the principal Inhabitants of the Place, whofe Daughter (*) Zainah, making ready a Shoulder of Mutton for his Supper, poifoned it. And here thofe who are for aferibing Miracles to Ma homet, tell us that the Shoulder of Mutton fpoke to him, and difcovered that it was poifoned ; but it feems, if it did fo, it was too late to do him any good. For Bafher, one of his Companions, falling on too greedily to eat of it, fell down dead on the Place. And although Mahomet had not immedi ately the feme Fate, becaufe not liking the Tafte, (g~) Elmacin. lib. i. c. 7. Eutychius, Tom. 2. p. 360. Abul Pharaghius, p. 124. (b) Abul Pharaghius, p. ie>2. El macin. 1. 1. c. 1. (i) Abul Feda, Al Kodai, Al Jannabi, JDifputatio Chriftiani, c. 8. Richardi Confutatio, c. 13. Po- soelc. Spec. Hift. Arab. p. 18?, ipo. he 94 The Life gf Ma'homeiC he fpit out again what he had taken into hi* Mouth, yet he let down enough to do his Biifinefs s For he was never well after this Supper, and at three Years end died Of it. The Maid being asked why fhe did this, anfwered, that fhe had a mind to make trial whether he were a Prophet, or no< For were he a Prophet, faid fhe, he could certainly know that the Meat was poifoned ; and therefore would receive no harm from it -, but if he Werefnot a Prophet, fhe thought fhe fhould do the World good Service, in ridding it of fo wicked a Tyrant. After this (k) he reduced under his Subjection! Beder, Watiha, and Selalima,which were alfb Towns" belonging to the Jewifh Arabs, who rendered to him on Articles ; and thefe were, That they fhould continue in their former Habitations, paying for Tribute one half of the Income of their Date Trees every Year ; but to be at his diferetion to expel them when he fhould think fit. Under the pro tection of which agreement they ftill retain'd their : former Foffe'ffions, and dwelt in them without any difturbance, till the Reign of Omar, who pretend* ing that Mahomet had given charge in his laft Sick- nefs not to permit two Religions in Arabia, drove them all out. Heg. 8. April, 30. A.D. 629.] The Impoftor, by thofe many Acquifitions having now increafed h\$ Strength to an Army of Ten thoufand Men, refol- ved to make himfelf Matter of Mecca ; and there fore pretending they had broken the Truce, (J) marched fuddenly upon them before they were aware of his Defign •, and therefore being totally (£) Elmacin. lib. i. c. t. (/j Abul Pharaghius, p. 103^ Elmacinus, lib. i.e. 1 , iiflproN The Life o^Mahomet. 95 unprovided in that Surprise to put themfelves into a Pofture of Defence againft him, they,found them felves neceffitated to yield to him. Whereon Abu Sophian taking with him Al Abbas, one of the Un cles of the Impoftor (who, although of his Religion, had, it feems, tarried ftill at Mecca) went out un to him, and by turning Mahometan, faved his Life) and the City, without any Oppofition, was ren dered to him at Difcretion. On his Entry into it, having put to Death fuch as had been moft violent againft him, all the reft, without any further Op pofition, fubmitted unto him, and embraced his Religion. And therefore having thus made him felf abfolute Matter of the place, he immediately fet himfelfto purge the Caaba of its Idols, and con- fecrate that Temple a-new to his Religion, as having refolved ftill to continue it in its priftine Honour, by. making it the chief place of Worfhip for all of his Sect. There (m) were a multitude of Idols within the Temple, and as many without, Handing round its Area, all which Mahomet caufed to be pulled down and deftroyed, and the Place to be totally cleared of them. The chief among thofe Idols, were thofe of Abraham and Ifmael within the Tem>- ple, and that of Hoball without. The reft were of Angels and Prophets, and others of their principal Saints departed, whom they worfhipped only as Mediators, in the fame manner as the Romanifts now do their Saints, and the Images which they eredt unto them. For the Arabians always held* that there was (w) but one only Gad, the Creator and, Governor of all Things, whom they called Allah Tadl, (m) Pocockii Spec. Hift, Arab. p. 95, 96,97, ?8. (n) Po cockii Spec, Hift. Arab. p. 107, & 108, i. e. the 9<5| The Life'ofMAHOMET: i.e. the Supreme God, and God of Gods,- and: Lord o£ Lords, whom they durft never reprefent by any Jmatre. But being (as they held) fo great and high as not to be approached to by Men while here on Earth, but through the Mediation of Advocates or Jntercelfors, interpofing for them _ unto him; in Hea ven ; that Angels and Holy Men beatified might per: form this Office for them, was the reafon that they fet up their images, artd built them Temples, and direfted their Worfhip and Devotions unto them. And in this did confift the whole of the Arabian Idolatry, which Mahomet, how by deftroying thefe Idols, put a total Erid unto. As foon as it was heard among the neighbour ing Arabs, that Mahomet had made himfelf Matter, of Mecca, the (a) Hamzins, the Thakfftans, and feveral other Tribes, immediately gathered toge^ ther under the Command of Melee Ebn-Auf, to Ml upon him before he fhould increafe his Power ahy further. Hereupon Mahomet, appointing Gay at Ebn Afad to be Governor of Mecca, marched out aeainft them with Twelve thoufand Men. In the Valley of Honaina, which lieth between Mecca and ttwf, both Armies met, and in the firft. Encounter Mahomet (f) was beaten, tho' much fupenor td the Enemy in Number, and driven back to the Walls of Mecca, (q) which he afcribes to the overj. confidence of his Men in their Numbers- which caufing them to neglect their Enemy, did thereby give them this Advantage over them. But the Im- pollor(r) having gathered up his featterd Forces, and rallied' them again into a Body, acted more " (o ) Elmacin. lib. i . c. i . (P) Zamachflvari, and Bida- *i * the 9^h Chapter of . the Alcoran. {q) Alcoran, chap. a, (r) Bidawj ck Zamachflian, ib. , „ ,'• ' K cautioufly The Life of Mahomet, oj eautioufly in the fecond Conflict ; and then (s) as lie faith, by, the help of invifible Troops of Angel's (which are reckqn'd by fome Commentators on • the Alcoran, to be Eight Thoufand, and by others to! be Sixteen thoufand) gave his Enemies fuch a total Defeat, (t) that he took from them their Baggage, with their Wives and Children, and all their Sub-, , Itance, which confifted moftly of great.Flocks of Sheep, and Herds of Cattle. For thefe being of the jNomad Arabs, it was their Cuftom 'to Carry Wives arid Children, and all that they had with them, where-ever they mov'd. After this Battle^ thefe People fent Ambaffadors unto him to pray the Reftoration of their Wives and Children-, td whom Mahomet gave this Option, to chufe whicli they would have again reftored unto them, either their Wives and Children, or theit Goods : Where- 6n they having chofen their Wives and Children^ Mahomet divided all their Goods, Which he had taken from them, among his Soldiers. Only Me~ lee Ebn Auf, their General, how he few his Power was fuch as no more to be refitted, came in and embraced his Religion, and. thereon had all ' his Goods again reftored unto him.* The remaining part ofthe Year («) was fperit iri demolifhing the Heathen Temples, and deftroying their Idols in all Places through Arabia, where his Power reached. . To. which purpofe, feveral of his1 Commanders being fent out with Parties^ Saad de ftroyed the Idol of Menah; Chali'd, that of Al Vzjut^ and the Temple of Boffa built thereto, and others; the reft of them. So that this Year proved very (s) Alcoran, c. 9. (t) Elmacin. lib. 1. e. 1. («) Po- iotkis. Spec1. Hift. Arab", p. 91, Sc 92. H fatal. 98 The Life ^Mahomet. fatal to the Idols of the Arabs, they being moft of them now deftroyed, and the former Worfliippers of them forced to fubmit to Mahomet, and embrace' his Impofture. Heg. p. April 20. A- D. 630."} And now having brought moft Parts of Arabia under his Power, the enfuing Year (w)i he turned his Arms towards- Syria,, and poflefled h'imfelf of Tabuc, a Town be longing to the Greek Empire, and from thence fal ling on the Princes of Dauman and Eyla, forced fchem to become Tributaries unto him, and then returned to Medina in the Month Rajeb. While he was ab- Tent on this Expedition, the Tayifians, whom he had begun to befiege the former Year, being much breffed by fome of his Lieutenants, whom he had Committed, the profecution of that War unto, were forced to fubmit and embrace his Impofture, which they had afore been fo averfe unto -, of which he having received an account on his return, he fent thither Abu Sophian to diferm them of all their Weapons and Inftrumertts of War, and appointed Dthman Ebn Abulds to be their Governor. And this was the laft Year in Which he went to the War. Heg. 1 o. April 9. A. D. 63 1 .] And now the Pow- :r of the Imyoftor being much increafed,, the. Fame af it fo terrified the reft of the Arabs, which had not yet felt his Arms, (#) that they all came in and Tubraitted to him, and embraced his Impofture. So that this Year his Empire and his Religion became ?ftablifhed together through all Arabia, and he fent bis Lieutenants into all Parts of it to govern in his (n>) Abu^l Pharaghius, p. 103. Elmaeinus, lib. i.e. 1. it) Elmacin. lib. i.e. 1. Abul Feda. Name, The Life of Mahomet. 99 Name, who deftroying the Idol Temples, and all other the Remains of the Arabian Idolatry, where- ever they came, fet up his new invented Religion in its ftead, and forced all Men, by the Power of the Sword, to conform thereto. The greateft part of this Year being fpeut in or dering and fettling thefe Matters, (y ) towards- the end of it Mahomet took a Journey in Pilgrimage to Mecca, and entered there on the Tenth Day of Dulhagha, which is the great Day of that Solemnity, where a great Concourfe of People reforted to him from all parts of Arabia, whom he inftructed irt his Law, and then returned again* to Medina. This Pilgrimage of his is by his Followers called the Pilgrimage of Valedi&ion, becaufe it was the laft which he made. But although he was arrived to this heighth,' yet he wanted not Oppofers, who gave him great difturbance in this his new-acquired Empire. For feveral others feeing how he had advanced himfelf to be a great King, by pretending to be a Prophet, thought to do fo too. (z.) Among whom the chief was Mofailema, who fet himfelf up with this Pre tence in the Country of Yamama, and gathering a freat Company after him, preached to them that e was Aflbciate with Mahomet in the Prophetick Office, and fent with the feme Commiffion to re duce them from Idolatry to the true Worfhip of God, and in order thereto he alfo^blifhed his Al coran among them. For which reafon the,Maho» met ans call him the Lying Mofailema, and fpeak of (y ) Elmacin. lib. i.e. i. Abul Feda, Abul Pharaghiusj p. 103. (z) Abul Pharaghius, p. 103. Elmacin. lib. 1 , c. 1, 8c 2, Difputatio Chriftiani, cap. 17, H 2 him ioo The Life of 'Mahomet. him always with Deteftation. However, he in-' creafed to a very confiderable Power, leading a great Army after him. {a) And at the feme time, Afwad ftarted up in Hamyar, or the Country of the Homerites, with the fame pretence, and feized- on Sanaa, Nafra, and Tayif. And after him Te- liha, and others thought to have played tbe feme. Game, but could not hit on the, feme Succefs, be ing all in their turns fubdued and brought to no thing. But this Work Mahomet not being able to undertake himfelf, was forced to leave it to his Succeffor. Heg^ 1 1 . March 28. A. D. 632.] For after his re turn (¥) to Medina from his late Pilgrimage, he began daily to decline, through the force of that Poifbn which he had taken three Years before at Caibar, which ftill working in him, at length brought him fo low, as forced him on the 28th Day of Saphar (the fecond Month of their Year) to take his Bed, and on the twelfth Day of the fol^ lowing Month he died, after having been fick thir teen Days. The beginning of his Sicknefs was a flow Fever, which at length made him delirous 5 whereon (c) he called for a Pen, Ink, and Paper, telling them that he would dictate a Book to them, which fhould keep them from erring after his ' Death. But Omar would not admit this, faying the Alcoran fefficeth, and that the Prophet, through the greatnefs of his Malady, knew not what he , feid. ' But others who were prefent, were of ano-, (a) Elmacin. lib. t. c. i, &c. (I) Abul Pharaghius, p. 103. Elmacin. lib. i. c. i. Eutychius, Tom. 2. p. 251; Abut Feda, Al Jannabi, Al Kodai, Shareftani. &c. (c) Bo- chari, Shareftani, Al Jannabi, Pocockii Sp;e. Hift. Arab. p. 178, 17?. ther The Life of Mahomet, i o i ther Mind, and expreffed a great defire that the Book might be wrote, which their Prophet fpoke to them- of; whereon a Contention arofe between them, fome being of Omar's mind, and fome ofthe contrary, at which \ Mahomet taking offence^ bid them all be gone, telling them, That it did not become them thus to contend in his Prefence. So the Book was not wrote ; the lofs of which was af terwards lamented by4bme of his Followers, as a great Calamity to their Caufe. During his Sicknefs, (d) he much complained of the Bit which he had taken at Caibar, telling thofe that came to vifit him, That he had felt the'Tor^ ments of it in his Body ever fince; that at times it brought on him very dolorous Pains, and that then it was going to break his very Heart-Strings. ,And when, among others, there came to fee him the Mother of Bafhar, who died on the fpot of that Poifbn, (e) He cried out, O Mother of Bafhar, the Veins of my Heart are now breaking of the Bit which I eat with your Son at Chaibar. So it feems, notwith- ftanding the Intimacy he pretended with the An-, gel Gabriel, and the continual Revelations which he brag'd that he received from him, he could not be preferved from thus perifhing by the Snates of a filly Girl. On his Death, there was great Confufion among his Followers. Many of them (f) would not be lieve that he could die. For (faid they) how can he- die, fince he is to be a Witnefs to God for us ? It cannot be fo, he is not dead, but is only taken away for a Sea- (d) Abul Feda, Ebnol Athir, Ebn Phares, Al Jannabi. (_e) Al Jannabi, Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab. p. 190. ( f) Abul Feda, Shareftani, Al Jannabi, Pocock. Spec. Hift. Arab,, p. }79> ' - r H 3 M 102 The Life of Mahomet. [on, and will return again, as did Jefus. And there fore they went to the Door of the Houfe where'the dead Corps lay, crying out, Do not bury him, for the Apoftle of God is not dead. And Omar being of the feme Mind, drew his Sword, and fwore, That if anyone fhould fay that Mahomet was dead, he would immediately cut them to pieces. For (faid he) the Apoftle of God is not dead, but only gone for a Seafon ; as Mofes the Son of Amram was gone from the People of Ifrael for forty Days, and thenreturned to them again. For the compofing of this Diforder, Abu Beker came in, crying out unto them, Do you wor fhip Mahomet, or the God of Mahomet ? If you wor fhip the God of Mahomet, he is Immortal, and liveth for ever; but as to Mahomet, he certainly is dead. And then from feveral Paflages in the Alcoran, he .proved that he muft die as well as other Men, Which having fatisfied Omar and his Party, they then all took it for granted that Mahomet was dead, and no more to return to Life again till the .general Refurrection of all Mankind. What goes fo current among us, as if the Mahometans expect ed Mahomet again to return to them here on Earth, is totally an Error. There is no fuch Doctrine among them, nor are there any of them that ever fancied fuch a Thing, fince the time that Omar wasxonvinced of his Miftake herein. But this Diforder was no fooner appeas'd, (g ) but another arofe to a much greater heat about his Burial. The Mohagerins, that is, thofe who ac companied him in his Flight from Mecca, would have him carried thither, to be buried in the Plac'e i i- . ¦ . . i 11. I. i. . \ (g)iAbul Pharaghius, p. 103. Ahmed Ebn Yufef, Abul fsii) §Wsftani, Pgcocjcij Specim. Hift. Arab. p. 180. where The Life of Mahomet, i og where he was bom The Anfars, that is, thofe of Medina, who joined with him, would have him buried there where he died. And there were others who had a fancy to have him carried to Je- ¦mfalem, and there buried among the Sepulchres of the Prophets .- for that, faid they, was the City of the Prophets. And while each Party ftrove to have their own way complied with, the Conteft grew fo high, that they had like to have all gone toge ther by the Ears ; but that the Wifdom of Abu Beker compofed this Matter alfo. For he coming in, told them, That he had often heard from the Prophet himfelf, that Prophets were to be buried in the place where they died. And then without more ado, commanded the Bed whereon he lay to be plucked out, and a Grave to be immediately dug under it, to which all confented, and there they buried him forthwith in the Place where he died, which was in the Chamber of Ayefha, his beft beloved Wife, at Medina ; and there he lyethto, this Day, without Iron Coffin or Loadftones to hang him in the Air, as the Stories which commonly go about of him among Chriftians fabuloufly relate. There was, indeed, (h) one Dinocrates, a Famous Architect, that had a Device, by building the Dome of the Temple of Arfinoe at Alexandria of Load- ftone, to make her Image all of Iron, hang in the middle of it,, as if it were in the Air •, but there was no fuch Attempt ever made as to Mahomet's Carkafs. For that being buried in the manner as I have related, hath lain in the fame Place, with out being moved or difturbed ever fince, only they (fc) Plinius, I, 34. c. 14.. H 4 have j ©4 The Life ^Mahomet. have built over it (i) a fmall Chapel, which joineth to one of the Corners of the chief Mofque of that fCity, which was the firft that was ever erected to that Impious SnyeriYitAon, Mahomet himfelf being the firft Founder of it, as hath been afore related. Here fuch Pilgrims as think fit, on their return from Mecca, call in to pay their Devotibns. 'But 'there is no Obligation from their Law for it.. The Pilgrimage which that enjoins being to, be perforr med to the Caaba at Mecca, and not to the Tomb of the Impoftor at Medina, as feme have erronequfly related: ¦ ' And thus ended the Life of this wicked Impoftor (k) being ful] Sixty three Years old on the Day in which he died, that is, according to the Arabian}. Account, which make only Sixty one of our Years. For twenty three Years he had taken upon him to be a Prophet, of which he lived Thirteen at Mecca, and Ten at Medina. During which Time, from very mean beginning*, he arofe by the Impulfe of his Ambition, and the Sagacioufnefsafhis Wit to that heighth, as to make one of the greateft Revo lutions that ever happened in the World, which immediately gave Birth tq an Empire, which in Eighty Years time .extended its pqmjmons Over rnqre Kingdoms and Countries,., than ever .the Ro,- pian could in Eight hundred. And altho' it conti nued in its, Strength not much above1 Three hurt; dred Years, yet but of its Afhes have fprung up many other Kingdoms and Empires, of which there ate Three at this Day, the'largeft'and moft Potent (i) Appendix ad.Geograpliiam Nubicnfem, c. 8. Thcvenot, Part i. $oqk 2. 1.. 21. (I() EutychiqS, Tom. 2.'p; i.51. Elmacin. 1. 1. c. 1. Abul Bhsragljius, p. 103. Abul Feda, Af Jannabi, Al Kodai, &c. v The Life of Mahomet. 105 upon .the Face of the Earth -, I mean the Empire of Turkey, the Empire of Perfia, and the Empire of the Mogul in India; which God hath permitted of his All-wife Providence ftill to continue for a Scourge unto us Chriftians, who, having received fo holy and fo excellent a Religion through his Mer- jcy to us in Jefus Chrift pur Lord, will not yet con form our felves to live worthy of it. He fl) was, as to, his Perfbiv of a proper Sta ture, and comely Afpect, and affe&ed much to be thought' to refemble Abraham. He had a very piercing and fegacious Wit. And for the aecom- plifhing of the Defign which he undertook, was thoroughly verfed; in all the Arts whereby to infi- nuate into the Favour of Men, and wheedle them over to ferve his Purpofes, to which he chiefly ow ed the foccefs of his Undertaking, For the firft Part of his Life (m) he led a very wicked and licentious Courfe, much delighting in .Rapine, Plunder, and Blood-fhed, according to the Ufege of the Arabs, who moftly follqw'd this kind pf Life, being almoft continually in Arms one Tribe againft another, to plunder and take from each other all they could. However, the Mahome tans would have us believe that he was a Saint from the Fourth Year of his Age. For then, fey(») they, the Angel Gabriel took him from among his Fellows, while at p}ay with them, and carrying himafide, cut open hisBreaft, and took out his (0 Elmacin, 1. i. c. i. Abunazar, Abul Feda, Al Kodai,1 Schilcardi Tarich, p. 32. (m) Bartholonueus EdeiTenus, Difputatio Chriftiani, &c. (n) Eiber de Generatione §c nutritura Mahometis, Joannes Andreas, c. 1. Bellonius, 1. 3-c. 1. Guadagnol, p, itf?. e libro Agar. Ecchelenfis, Hift. Arab. part. 1. c. 23. • ' Heart, JQp TheLifeof-MATiOMm. Heart, and wrung out of it that black Drop of Blood, in which, fey they, was contained theft- f/ies peccati, fo that he had none of it ever after. ,And yet in the Forty eighth Chapter of his Alco ran, he brings in God giving him a large Charter of Pardon for all. his Sins paft and to .come. His two predominant Vah%n%-wers Ambition and tuft. The Courfe which he took to gain Empire, abundantly fhews the former ; and the multitude of Women which he had to dq with, proves the latter. And indeed thefe two run through the whole Frame .of his Religion, there being fcarce a Chapter in his Alcoran, which doth not lay down feme Law pf War and Bfoodfliedfor the promoting ofthe one j or elfe give feme Liberty for the ufe of Women here, or fome Promife . for the en joy- ment of them hereafter, to the gratifying of the Other. While Cadigha lived (which was till the fiftieth Year of his Age) I do not find that he took arty other Wife. For fhe being the, rife and foundati- . on of his Fortunes, it feems he durft not difpleafe her, by bringing in another Wife upon her. But fhe, wasnq fooner dead, but he multiplied them to a great (o) Number, befides feveral Concubines which he had: They that fey the feweft, allow him to have married (p) Fifteen ; but others rec kon them to have been (q) One and Twenty, of which five djed before him, Six he repudiated, and Ten were alive at his Death. But the Tenth, with whom he contracted but a little before his Sicknefs, '(o) Appendix ad Geographiam Nubienfem, c. 8. Joannes. Andreas, c. 7. Bellonius, 1. 3, &c. (p) Abul Feda, Al "Kodai; Ahmed Ebn Yufef. (q) Vide Gentium in Notis ad Muuadinum Sadum, p. 5$$, was The Life of Mahomet. 107 was never brought home to his Houfe. The Names of the other Nine were Ayejha, the Daughter of Abu Beker; Haphfa, the Daughter of Omar; Zpco- da, the Daughter of Zama; Zalnab, the Daughter of Hafheth ; Jeweira, the Daughter of Hareth; Se- phiah, the Daughter of Hai ; Em Selema, Em Hali- ba, and Maimuna. i Ayefha, the Daughter of Abu Beker, was his beft beloved Wife. He married her very young, as hath been before related ; and although fhe was a very wanton Woman, and (r) given to hold Amo rous Intrigues with other* Men, and on that ac count Mahomet was moved to put her away ; yet his Love to her was fuch, that he could not part with her- But to felve her Reputation, and his own in keeping her, the Twenty fourth Chapter of the Alcoran was compos'd, and brought forth as fent from God to declare her innocent -, wherein he tells his Muffiemans, That this Charge againft her was an Impofture, and an impudent Lye, and for bids them any more to fpeak of it, threatning a fevere Curfe, both in this Life and that which is to come, againft all thofe who fhould accufe of Immo- defty, Women Cbafte, Innocent and Faithful. Mahomet marrying - her Young, took care to have her bred up (s) in all the Learning then going in, Arabia, efpecially in the Elegancy of their Lan guage, and the Knowledge of their Antiquities, and fhe became one of the moft Accompkfhed La dies of her time in that Country. She was a (i) bittter Enemy to AU, he being the Perfon that di- (r( Difputatio Chriftiani, c. 6. Commentatorcs in Alco- rani c. 24. (s) Appendix ad Geographiam Nubi- cnfem, c. 8. (t) Difputatio Chriftiani, c. *S. Elmacin, 1, j. c, 4.' Abul Pharaghius, Abul Feda,. &.0 fcovered io8 The Life of Mahomet. feovered her Incontinency to Mahomet, andthere- fore'imployed all the Intereft fhe had on every Va cancy that after happened, to hinder him from be ing chofen Caliph, altho', as Son-in-law to the Im poftor, he had the faireft Pretence thereto ; and when at laft, after having been thrice put by, he attain'd that Dignity, fhe appear'd in Arms againft him ; and although fhe prevail'd not that way, yet foe proved his rum, , by caufing that Defection from him, which at length was the undoing of him and "all his Houfe. She (a) liv'd Forty eight Years af ter the Death of Mahomet, and was in great Repu tation with her Sect, being called by them the Pri- phetefs, and the Mother ofthe Faithful. , And in moft Points of Difficulty concerning their Law, they had recqurfe to her, to know what had been the Senfe of the Impoftor while alive, in the Particular doubt- •edof- and whatfoever Anfwer fhe gave,, went for an (w) Authentick Tradition among them ever after. For all their Traditions which compofe their Sonnah, are' pretended ; to be derived" either from her, or fome of Mahomet's ten Companions ; that is, thore ten who firft came in unto him. But her Teftimo- ny to a Tradition is reckon'd the moft Authentic!?'; and next her, that of Abdorrahman Ebn Auf. Fqr (x) being of all others the moft familiarly conver sant with the .Impoftor all the time that Scene of De- lufiori was acting by him, and a Perfon of extraorr dinary Memory ; he was moft confided in for the giving of an exaft accopnt of all his Sayings and Doings relating to his Religion ; and there are ree- -.•' ; if. ' ' >'> (u) For/he died the 5%tb Tear of the Hegira, Elmacin, 1. I. c. f. (w) Joannes Andreas, c. 3. (i)'Gen- tius in NotJS ad Mufladin^m Sadum; p. 578. '"" vi koned, The Life of M ahome'i\ i op koned no fewer than 5340 Traditions among them^ which are built, upon' his Authority only. This Abdorrahman is alfo called Abu Hareira, that is, the Father of a Cat, which Name Mahomet gave hint for the fondnefs he had for'aCat, which he was ufed moft an end to carry with him. in his Bofom, where-ever he went. For it is ufual in the Arabich Tongue, when a Man is remarkable for any one par-. ticular thing, thus to exprefs it, by calling him the Father of it. (y) And fo Chalid, who was Ma-- hornet's Hoft when he firft came to Medina, was for his remarkable Patience call'd Abu Job, that is, the Father of Job #or of the Patience of Job. And this is that Job, (z.) who dying at the Siege of Conftanti- nople, when befieg'd by the Saracens, was there bu ried under the Walls of tbe City, and hath his Tomb there to be feen even to this Day, (a) where all the Grand Signiors go forth to be inaugurated, when they firft take upon them the Regal Autho rity. Haphfa, the Daughter of Omar, was next to (b) Ayefha, moft in favour with him, and her he in- trufted with the keeping of the Cheft of his Apo- ftlefhip, wherein were laid up all the Original Pa pers of his pretended Revelations, out of which the Alcoran was compofed, as hath been already feid ; and the Original Copy of that Book, (c) Abu Beker, after the finifhing of it, delivered alfo unto her, to be kept in the feme Cheft ; which proves (jy) Bochartus in Hierozoico, part i.e. i. (z) Elma cin, 1. 1. c. 7. (a) Ricaut'-y Hiftory ofthe Prefent State ofthe Ottoman Empire, Book I. chap. 2. Smith 's Brief Defcri ption of Conftantinople. (b) Joannes Andreas, c. 7- (c) Abul Feda, Hottingeri Bibliotheca Orientalis, c. 2. Po- cokii Spec. Hift. Arab. p. \6%» the I. io The Life of Mahomet., A the miftake of Joannes Andreas (d) in afligning the keeping of this Cheft to Ayefha. For it is not like ly 'that Abu Beker would have difpoflefled his own Daughter of this Office, which was fo honourable ampngthem, had fhe been firft entrufted with it hy the Impoftor. Haphfa was much the elder Wo man, and for that reafon probably preferred to this Truft. For when fhe died,' which was to wards the latter end of the Reign of Othman, fhe was Sixty Years (e) old, and therefore muft have been at the Death of the Impoftor, at leaft Forty Years old, when Ayefha was not full Twenty. Zewda was in leaft Favour with him of any of his Wives, (/) and he intended to have put her away -, but fhe earneftly defir'd fiim that fhe might ftill have the Reputation and Hononr of being his Wife, promifing him, if he would grant her this, fhe would be content no more to lie with him, but to give her turn always to Ayefha; which Conditi on he willingly accepted of, out of that great Love which he had for Ayefha, and fo permitted her to continue in his Houfe as long as he lived. Zainab was firft the Wife of Zeyd, his enfran chise Slave, who being a Woman of great Beauty, (g) the old Lecher fell defperately in love with her. (rf) De Confufione Se&x Mahometan*, C. 2. (e) Genti- us in Notis ad Mufladinum Sadum, p. 568. (f) Genti" us in Notis ad Mufladinum Sadum, p. 568. (g) Al Jannabi, Abul Feda, Al Kodai, Pocockii Specim. Hift. Arab. p. 182. Richardi Confutation c. 8. Difputatio Chriftiani, c. 61 Ecchelenfis Hift. Arab. Part. 1. c. 5. Confutatio Mahometis, Edita per Le Mpyne. Joannes Andreas, c. 6. Guadagnol, Traift. 2. c. 5. Sedt. 3.& c. 10. SccR. t. Zamachiliari, Bidawi & alii Commentatores, ad cap. 33. Alcorani, Liber Alma-. wakeph. Fortalit. Fid. lib. 4. Con lid. 2. But The Life of Mahomet, i i i "But for fear of the Scandal which his taking her might give, he did all he could to fupprefs his Flame, 'till at length, being able to refift no lon ger, he did break the matter to heir, and caufed Zeyd to put her away, that he might take hef to Wife. Which he being forced to fubmit to, this gave great Offence to all his Followers, that he, who called himfelf a Prophet, and an Apoftle of God, fent to teach Men his Law, fhould for the gratify ing of his Luft, do fofcandalous a thing." But to falve the Matter^ out comes the Thirty third Chap ter of the Alcoran, called the Chapter of Hereftes, where God is brought in declaring^ That he had married Xainab to Mahomet, and given him free liberty to ertjoy her according to his Defire •, and alfo rebuking him, that knowing God had given him this thing, he fhould abftain fo long from her, out of the regard he had to the People, as if he feared them more than God. However, this could not clear him fo, but that njany of his Followers are hard put to it, to excufe him from the Scandal of this Fad, even unto this Day ; and there are fome of them who make no doubt to charge him with Sin on the account hereof. Zainab hereon be coming the Wife of Mahomet, lived with him to the time of his Death, always glorying and vaunt ing her felf above his other Wives, that (h) where as they were married to Mahomet by their Parents and Kinsfolk, fhe was married to him by God him felf, who dwells above the Seven Heavens. How he married Jeweira, hath been already re lated, (i) Saphia was a JewifhWoman, and defcend- , (fc) Ecchelenfis Hift. Arab. p. i.e. 5. '(i) Difputatio' Chriftiani, c, 6. , ed H2 The Life ©/Mahomet. ed ofthe Race ofthe Priefts, on Which account fhe was ufed to brag, That fhe had Aaron for her Fa thers Mofes for her Uncle, and Mahomet for her Husband. ; Ofthe reft of his Wives I find not any Ijhingfaid. , Befides thefe, he had a Concubine whom he much loyed. She was (k) an. Egyptian Woman, and a Chriftian of the Jacobite Sett. The Governor of iABgypt having occafion to treat with him about fqme Matters, and being informed of his Brutifli Paflion, to- gratify him herein,, and thereby the hetter incline him to his purpofe, fent him this Maid for a Prefent, fhe being then only Fifteen Years old: He immediately fell in' love with her. But.how fecret foever he manag'd^ the Amours for fear of his: Wives, Ayefha and Haphfa found ft out, and catch'd them together in the Faft. Whereon they reproach'd him bitterly for it, that he, who called himfelf a Prophet fent from God to teach Men Righteoufnefs, fhould do fiich a thing; at wtuchv being much confounded, he fwore a folemn Oath* That in cafe they would conceal the Matter, and not fay any thing of it to iraife a Scandal againft , him among his Mufflemans, he would never have to do with her more. On which Oath they were Content to pafs the Matter over, and fay nothing of it. Bat Mahomet's Lull being of greater force with him than his Oath, he could not long hold, but was catch'd. again with her by his Jealous Wives. Whereon they flew out into adeiperate ~,(k_) Abul Pharaghius, p. 103. Joannes Andreas, c. 8. Betf lonius, 1. 3. c. 8. Richardi Confutatio, c. 12. CantacuMni, Orat. 2P Sea. 8. Guadagnol Traa. 2. c. 10. S«ft. a. Com- mentatores in c 66a Akocani, Fortahuum Fidei; lib. 4. eonfid;2. 1 ^i.-„d The, Life of Mahomet- a§ Rage againft him, and after haying, loaded him wfth a multitude of Reproaches, both for bis Per jury as w,elUs Adultery, went from him to their Fathers Houfes ; which raifing a great Noife, and many being offended with him for it, tqfmoqth the Matter again, he had recourfe to his old Art, and, outcomes a New Revefation to juftify him in it;, the Sixty fixth Chapter of the Alcoran, called the Chapter of Prohibition, wherein he brings in Goda\- Jpwing Mahomet, and all his Muftemansr to lie with their. M^ids when they will,, notwithftandirig their Wives. '' The firft Words oiuthat Chapter are, Q Trophet, why do ft ihow forbid what God hdth allow ed thee9 that thou tnay'il fleafe thy IVitesf God. hath granted unto you to lie with your Maid-Ser-- •vants. Which Law being publifhed, it gave foch content to bis licentious Followers, that no more Words were made Of this Matter -, but all gladly laid hold of the Liberty which he had grants ^d ^ and ever fince it hath been an eftablifhM Law among all that Sett, befide their Wives (m) toieep as many Wqmen-Shiyes for their Luft, as they fhall think fit to buy ', and the Children of the one are as legitimate as the Children of the other. And the Grand Slgnior, who never Marries, hath all his Woinea under this latter. NotiOnl, that is, as his Slaves, and he keeps none but fuch xnhisSerdglio; only after they have born him a Son, he fometimes gives them the Name of Sultana, which is Queem Ayefha a.rid Haphfa, finding the Mattef to gothitej and that Mohamet had in the feme Chapter threat* (m)~Ricaut'j Hiftory of the Prefent State of the dttoftlan Em- pire,'B6ok 2. Chap. 21. THevencft, part 1. lib. i.e. 14. Bel- lonius,lib. 3. c. 8. Sc «. 16. Cleiiardi Epiftolar, p. 29, 3°} $°> &6- One of the main Arguments (n) which the ! Fol lowers' of Mahaniet make ufe of to excufehis having "fo many Wives, is^ that he might beget young JVo- phets -, but nGtwithftahding this, he left no young Prophet nor Prophetefs neither behind him of afl - ftrange The Life ofM AHOMETr i i cj ftrange things faid of him this way •, (p) ajjthat he! had in Venery the ftrength of forty other Men, and tjjat he knew all his Wives, when, he had Eleven of them, one after another in an (q) Hour's time. Whatever Laws he gave to reftrain the Luft of other Men, he took care always, to! except himfelf, refol- vingj ft feems, tq take his full fwing herein without Letor.Cqntroul, according as, the violent bent of his brutifh Appetite this way fhould lead him. For, u,f-.He6') would not allow any other to have above four Wives, but to himfelf (j) he referved, a liberty to marry without reftraint, ai many as he fhould.think fit, an<| he had Teii together at the fame time when he died. 2. He ^obliged all others, w ho hayetwo, threej or four. Wiyps, to ufe them all equally alike, both as to their Cloathing, Diet, and the Duties pf the Marriage-bed. And in cafe any Wife thinks her? felf unequally ufed in any of thofe particulars*, and thatthe Husband doth not as largely difpenfe to her of them, as to his other Wives,, it is, allowed through all Mahometan Countries, that fee make her Complaint to the judge, and the Law will give lierredrefs herein, and force the Husband to, do her Juftice. , But Mahomet, referved liberty to him felf to do as he fhquld fee fit as to this ; and there fore when fome of his Wives were aggrieved, be caufe he fhewed more favour to the other, arid par ticularly to, Ayeftia, than to them, and made Com- '. (p) Fortalit. Fid. lib. 4. Cohfid. 2. Gtiad^gnol. TriA. 2: cap. 7. fe••. . fif) The Life ^Mahomet, i r o So that the moft of it was.made on fuch like Occa fions, to influence his Party to what he intended. And all - his Commentators thus far acknowledge it, that they are on every Chapter very particular in afligning for what Caufes and for whofe Sakes It was fent down from Heaven unto them. But here by it came to pafs that abundance of Contradictions got into this Book. For as the Intereft and the Defign ofthe Impoftor varied, fo was he forced to make his pretended Revelations to vary alfo ; which is a thing fo well known to thofe of his Sett, that they! all acknowledge it ; and therefore where the Contradictions are fuch, as they cannot felye them, there they will have one of the contradicting pla ces to be revoked. And they reckon in the whole Alcoran, (a) above an hundred' and fifty Verfes which are thus revoked ; which is the beft fhift they can make to felve the Contradi&ions and Inconfi- ftencies of it. But thereby they do exceedingly betray the Unfteadinefs and Inconftancy of him that was the, Author of it. In the beginning of his Impofture, he feemed more inclined to the Jews than to the Chriftians; and in. the firft forming of his new-invented Religion, followed the Pattern of theirs more than any other^ But after his coming to Medina, he took that dife guft againft them, that he became their bitter and, moft irreconcilable Enemy' ever after, and ufed them with greater Cruelty in his Wars, than any other he haq to deal with. But to the Chriftians he ever carried himfelf with as much favour as could be expected from fuch a (a) Joannes Andreas, c. 2. Guadagnol, Tra#, 2. cap. 7. J 4 Bat* 129 The Life c/Mahomet. UlrVwian j and where-ever they fell tindet his Power, they had always good Terms from Him: His general Rule, and which he laid as a ftriQk Obligation- upon all his Followers, was to fight for the Propagation of his Religion. And '(b) there were only two Conditions on which he granted Peace toany he had to do with ; and thefe were either to come into his Religion, or' fubmit to be Tributaries unto him. They that did the former, Kyere admitted into the feme Privileges and Free? doms with tbe reft of his Followers : But the lafr ter had only the benefit of his Protection, as to their Goods and Perfons, and free Exercife of their Religion, without any other Privilege or Advan tage whatfoeyer,,fot which every IVIan paid an Annual Tribute. But thofe! who would npt corne ' in, artd make Peace With him On one of theft two Conditions, were by his Law to be ;ptft'4o the Sword. And this Law, in every o- ¦' of irs Particu? ¦lars, is ftill obferved in all Mahomctan,'Cbvntr\esi even. to. this Day. At firft. few fii knitted to him, but fuch as he forced by Cbnqueft y but whert his Power grew to be formidable, then Multitudes, both of Chriftians and other Religions, flock'd to him for his Protection, and became his Tributaries. And there hath in this laft Age been publifh'd, firft by Sionita at Paris, and after by Fabrichy at Roftoch, a Writing in Arabicji, which bears the Title of an Ancient Caphidation of the Chriftians of" the Eaft with this Impoftor, which is faid to have been laid up in the Monaftery of Mount Camel inPaleftine, (b) Alcoran, c. 4. c. 9, &c. Difputatio Chriftiani, ?• ?• Richard* ponfutari6j C. 1, 6, 7, & jo. Cantacn&cni, Ofar. j.'Sccl. n.' ' ¦¦ - , --.j 8$ The Life of M ab3m«r i 2 r and from thence fought into France, and repofi- ted in the French King's Library. But (c) Gmitu rejects it as a Forgery $ and good reafon he had fb to dp* For it bears date in the fourth Year of the Hegira, when Mahomet was not yet in a condition to fbeak in that Language which he is' made to do in that Writing •, nor was his Power then fo for midable, as to move any to pray his prqtection, behaving not lon'g before been overthrown and beaten at the Battle of Ohud ; and at the time this Jnftrument bears date (which was the fourth Month of that^Year) not fully recovered from that Blow ; but in the loweft Circumftances he had at any time been fince the taking the Sword for the propaga ting of his Impofture ; and there Is another particu lar in it, whjch manifeftly difcovers the Forgery t It makes Moawiiu, the Son of Abu Sophian, to be the Secretary to the impoftor, who drew the Inftru- ment; whereas it is certain, that Moawias, with his Father Abu Sophian, was then in Arms agahjft him*, and it was not till the taking of Mecca, which was Four Years after, that they came in un to him, and to feve their Lives embraced the Im pofture. This Inftrument is to be read in Englifh, in the- Hiftory-' of the Prefent State of the Ottoman Em- tireyBodk 2. Chap; 2. However, this is certain, that the Chriftians hai better Terms from him, than any other of his Tri butaries, and they enjoy them even to this Day ; there being no Mahometan Country where their Re ligion is not efteemed the beft next their own, and the Profeflbrs of it accordingly refpedted by them before the Jews, Heathens, or any other fort of Men that differ from them. (c) In Epift. ad Gallos, As 1 2 1 Tlhpi -Life ^^Mome^ ¦ ;TjAsthe Impaft^atywed theflld and New.Teftdfi tyenf, fowquktihe feinproyehis; Miffion from both! The Texts, which arp made ufe of for this purprj^ by thofe who defend his Caufe, are thefe, folT owing:! , Deuteronomy, c. 33. V. 2. It is fejd, The Lord came from Sinai,, and rofe up frfjm,Seirmto them$ he jhh ned- forth from Mount Pharan, a^nd he came with ten thoufand of Saints ;from his right Hand went nfiery Law for them. By which .Words, they will have Yd) meant the coming down ofthe Law to Mofes ob Mount Sinai,;. of the Gofpel to. Jefiu at Jerufalem, liid ofthe Alcoran to MahometM Mecca. For, fay they, Seir- are the Mountains, of jtrufalem.where Jefus appeared, and Pharan the fountains of Meet f^.wbere .Mahomet appeared. But they are hqre much out in their Geography ; fos Pharan (e) isa City of Arabia, Pftraa, near the Red~Sea, towards the bottom of thzipulph not far from the Confines ipf Egypt ^and Paleftine, above five hundred. Miles diftant from Mecca. . ft was formerly (/) an^ "fca$al;See under the Patriarch of jerufalem, and fa mous for Theodoras (g) qnce Bifhop of it, who was tfie firft that ia his. Writings publifhed' to, tbe World the Opinion of the Monothelites. It^isat this Day called (h) Far a. From hence the Defarts lying from this City; to the. Borders of Paleftine, are called tfie Defarts qx Wi:l,4ervefs{ofi Pharan ; and , the " (d) Shareftani Safiodinus, Pocockii Spec. Hift. Arab. p. 185- ;,¦ (e) Ptolemy. (f) GeographU Sacw Caroli a Sanifto pa'ulo, p. 317. . (g)' A&x Concilii Laterani fub Martino Papa. (h) Carolus a Sancu> Paulo ubi-fupra. -Geographia -Nubieiifis, Clini. 3. Part j. eA Mountaifls, The Life &f M a homet. i 2 5 Mountains lying in it, the Mountain's of Pharan, in Holy Scripture, near which Mofes firft. began tote- peat, and more clearly explain the: Law to thfe Chil dren of 'Ifrael before his Death; audi to that refers the Text above-mentioned. Pfal. 5©. v; 2. We have it, 0«t of Sion, the Perfe ction of Beauty , £7o*f fciffo fhined. Which the Syriao Verfion reads thus, Out of Sion God h&hftiewed a Glo rious Crown. From whence fome Ambick Tranfla- riOns haying expreffed the two laft Words by Ecli- Ian Mahmudan, i, e. an Honourable Crown ; by Mah- mudan, they underftand ,the Name of Mahomet, and fo read the Verfe- thus, Out of Sion hath. God fhetved the Crown of Mahomet. Ifaiah, C 21. V. 7. We read, and he faw a Chari ot with a couple of Horfemen, a Chariot of Affes, and a Chariot of Camels.' But the old Latin Verfion hath iti Et vidit currum duorum Equitum, Afcenforem AfinL .& Afcenforem Cameli .- i. e. And he faw a Chariot of two,Horfemen, a Rider upon an Afs, and a Rider upon a Camel, where by the Rider upon an Afsi they underftand JefusehriSl, becaufe hedid fo ride to Jerufalem ; and by the Rider on the Camel, Maho met, becaufe he waS of the Arabians, who ufed to ride upon Camels. ^ ; Joh. 16. v. 7. Our Saviour tells his Difciples, If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I depart, gl will fend him unto you. By the Comfor ter, the Mahometans will have their Prophet Maho met to be here meant ; and therefore among other Titles which they give him in their Language, one is Paraclet, (J) which is the Greek Word here ufed (') Al jannabi, Pocockii Specim. Hift. Arab. p. 185. in! J 24 The Life of ^kfytiMitiK in this Text for the Comforter,, made ArahUt- They alfb fe^, That the very Name of Mahomet, both hereandin other Places of tbe Gofpel, was ex- prefly mentioned, but that the Christians out of Malice have blotted it out, and corrupted thofe Holy* Writings 5 and that at Paris there is a (i) Copy of thefe G/ofpeh without thefe Corruptions] in. which the Coming of Mahomet.is foretold in fe veral Places, with his Name exprefly mentioned in them. And fome fuch thing they had neCd to fey: to juftify the impudent Lye of this Impoftor, who in the Sixty firft Chapter of his. Alcoran, entitled, The Chapter of Battle, hath' thefe Words, Remember that Jefus the Son of Mary faid to the Children of \f~ ¦rati, I am the Mejfenger of God, he hath fent me to tonfirm the Old Teftament, and to declare unto you, . ThAt there ftiall come a Prophet after- me3 whofe Name fhall be Mahomet. - r .' There needs no Anfwer to confute thefe Gloffes. The Abfurdityof them is fofficientlyexpofed, by harely relating them. And fince they could find (nothing tllfe in all the Boqlss 6f the Old and New TeBamekt to wreft to theiti purpofe, but thefe Texts-above mentioned,, which are to every Man's appreHftiding fo exceedingly wide of if, thefe Khewai how vaft a diftance the true Word of God is from this tmpiomlmpoBure, and how much it is in all its parts contrary thereto. > % And thus far I have laid together, as exactly and particularly as I could, out ofthe beft Authors that (h) Pocockii Specim. Hift. Arab, p. 18$. treat r.i. The Life of Mahomet. 125 treat of this Impoftor, all that is credibly related of him, and thofe Methods which he took for the fra ming and propagating that Impious Forgery, which he hath impofed upon fo large a part of Mankind as have been deluded thereinto. And what is my Defign in the prefent publifhing hereof, is fhewn in the enfuing Tm*r«/£. DISCOURSE For the Vindicating of CHRISTIANITY FROM THE Charge of Impofture. OFFER'D, By way of Letter, To the Confideration of the 'DEIS TS of the Prefent Age. By Humphrey Prtdeaux, D. D. Dean of NORWICH. The Eighth Edition, Corrected. LONDON: Printed in the Year MDCCXXII. ' "\\ .. I[ ySgjkzfy Wllljp £z£2J°k ^^Cy 1 LET T E H TO THE DEISTS .-Ac Gc?#t/e?02c?#, |F I am hot miftaken, the Reafon you give for your Renouncing that Religion ye were Baptized into, and is the Religion ofthe Country in which ye were borri, is> That the Gofpel of jeftu Chri& ii an impofture c An Affertjon that I tremble to repeat. ; But -whether that Gofpel be tight, or ye are in the right that deny it, willap^ pear from the Confideration of the Nature of art , Impofture, .and from the Life of that moft irtfaitiOfli Impoftor (whpjn we, as, well as you, acknowledge to be fueh) which I have before given you theeXact Picture of. And if you can find any One Lineament of it, any one Line of all Its filthy Features in the % vfhel* i qo A Letter to the Deists. Whole Cofpel of Jefus Chrift, I durft fey (fo fure I am ofthe contrary) that for the feke hereof I will give you all you contend for, and yield you up tie whole Caufe. And therefore that we may through ly examine the Matter, I will lay down, in the firft Place, What an Mpofture is -, 2dly, What are infeparahie Marks and Characters of it -, Arid $dly, That none of thefe Marks can belong to the Go'fpel of Jefus Chrift. And when I have done this, 1 hope I fhall convince all fuch of you, who have not totally abandon'd your felyes to your Infidelity,' Thatjthe t}p§el of^fUt Chfii\ is that Sacred Truth ich vou ate all b< ofdM, which you ire all boflnd to believe An Impofture, taking/the Word in the full LatU tude of its Significations may* denote any Lye or Cheat, whereby one Man impofeth upon another^ ButitSs moftT|eCiU"eS|tIy ufed'toexpreTsfuch Cheats as 'are impos^Tpn us,' by tldoTe wlfo come wieh fane Charatters oFTnemlefves, ^ireteflding to be what they are not, in order to delude anddeceive. And when this Charattert which is thus faifly afTunfd, is no lef^ than "a pretended Embatfy from Heaveri, and under the Credit of it a New Religion is deli- Ver'd to1 the World as coming from God, which is nothing elfe but a Forgery, invented by the firft Propagators of it, to impofe a Cheat upbn Man kind, it amounts to be ah Impofture in that Senfe, in which you would have the Gofpel of Jefus Ckrifl to be fuch. And in this Senfe it is to be uhderftood in the Godtroverfy between us-, fo that the whole Queftion Which we are to examine into, is, Whe ther the Chriftian Religion be a Truth really given Unto us by Divine Revelation from Gad our Creatat, Or elfe a riieer Huriian IrtventiBh, contrived by thfe firft Propagators of it, to impofe a Cheat upon Man kind. And when I have fully difprov'd the lattet pari; A Letter to the Deists, t ^t part of this Queftion, That the Chriftim Religion cannot be fuch an Invention contriv'd to cheat and impofe upon us, that will fefficieritly prove the former, that it muft be that Civitie Truth, which all we that ate Chriftians firmly believe it to be. That it is poflible fuch a Cheat may be impofod upon Men, cannot be deny'd. It is fufficieiitly proved j in the foregoing Hiftory, which is avery full Inftance of it ; and I have laid it before you for this very Purpofe, that ypu may therein fee clearly delineated and difplay'd in all its proper Colours^ the whole Nature of the Thing, Which you charge our Holy Religion with. All that I contend for* is. That if Chriftianity be fuch' an Impoftart as We all acknowledge the Religion of Mahomet to :be, it muft be jiift fuch another thing as that is, with all the feme Marks, Characters and Properties of an. Impofture belonging thereto ; and that if iidrie of thofe Marks, Characters, or Properties can be di* foovered iii it, it muft be a clear Evidtioil of the Whole Charge, and manifeftly prove, That Our Holy -Religion cannot be that Thiifg which yotl Would haye it be. For our only way of knowing Things, is by their Marks and Properties ; and it is by them only that we can difeover what the Na* ture of them is. It is only by the Marks and Pro* perties of a Man, that we know a Man from an other Living Creature, for" we cannot fee the E£ fences of Things. And fo it muft be only by the" Marks and Properties of an Impoftute, that we can" know ah Impofture fronrrhat Which is a real Truth* when attefted unto us. And as WHere We find none of the Marks and Properties of a Man, we affiiredly knowf that catirtot be a Man, how mdch foever any one may tell Us that it is : SO where we find Hone of the Marks and Properties of art tm* K i pofturs 132 A Letter to the DeIsts. pofture, we may affiiredly* know that cannot be an Impofture, how much foever you, or any other like yotf, may affert it fo to be. . Now the Marks and Charatters which I look on to be infeparable from, every filch Impofture, are thefe following : 1. That it muft always have for its end fome carnal Intereft. 2. That it can have none but wicked Men for the Authors of it. 3. That both thefe mfift neceflarily appear in the ve ry Contexture, of the Impofture it felf.: 4. That it can never be fo frafn'd, but that it muft contain fome* palpable Falfities, which will difcover the Falfity of all the reft. 5. That where-ever it is firft propagated, it muft be done by Craft an$ Fraud. 6. That when entrufted with many Con- fpirators, it can never be long conceal'd. And, 7. That it can never be eftablifh'oV unleft back'd with \ Force and Violence.- That all thefe muft belong to every Impofture, and all particularly did foto Mdhometifm; and that none of them can be char ged updh Chriftianity, is what I fha"fihow proceed ' to fhe.w you-: Of each of them in their Order. • SECT. I. . , - I. That every Impofture muft have for its end fome carnal Intereft, is a thing fo plain and evi dent, that 1 fuppofe it will not need much Proof. For to impofe a Cheat upon Mankind, and in a Matter of that great Importance, as all that have any Religion, hold that to be, is a thing of that , Difficulty; to compafs, and of tnat Pangejf to at tempt, that it cannot be conceiv'd, why any one fhould put himfelf upon fuch a Delign, that doth nor propofe feme very valuable Advantage to him felf in the Succefs. To cheat one Man is not al- , ways fo eafy a Matter, nor is it without its Mif- chiefs A Letter to the DeiSts. j 3 3 chiefs and Inconveniencies in the Difeovery. But to enterprize a Cheat upon all Mankind, and ina thing of that Importance, as the introducing of a new Religion, and the abolifhing of the Old one, (to which fo many both by Cuftom and Education will be always zealoufly affected, be it whatitwill) muft be an Undertaking of the greateft Difficulty and Hazard imaginable. For whoever engageth himfelf in fuch a Plot of Imphfture, muft unavoid ably meet with many ftrong Oppofitidris to ftrug- gle with in the Management of it, which will con tinually put his Thoughts upon the Rack, to find out Devices to furmount them, and his Body to , inceffant Pains and Labour to bring them into Exe cution ; and for the effecting hereof, he muft have fome Confidents to aflift him, fome to help for ward the Defign, whom he muft truft with the Se cret of it, and the more he hath of fuch, the more he hazards all to a Difeovery. And all this while his Mind will befill'd with anxious Cares, and his Thoughts diftradted with many uneafyand affright^ ing Apprehenfions (as is ufual with Men on wicked Defigns) about the'Succefs, and every Failure will expofe him to that terrible Revenge from thofe he attempts to delude, as fuch aVillariy, whenever detected* molt juftly deferves. This was Maho-\ ' meth Cafe all the while he was propagating his Im pofture at Mecca, and fo it muft be of every other fuch Impoftor alfb. And when, a Man puts himfelf upon all this, the Nature of the Thing manifeftly leads us to conclude, he muft prop^fe fomethingt6 himfelf hereby, which; may make him amends for all in the refult. For when fo much is put to ha zard, Men do not ufe to do it for nothing. There muft always be fome great Intereft in the Bottom of fuch a Defign, fqpiething that the Undertaker H? yalues 1 34 A Letter n. the Deists, values at a more than ordinary Rate, to make him engage in fo exceeding difficult ,a!nd dangerous an Enterprise. For tohere-ever the Venture is great j it muft be taken for granted there is an End pro* pofed, which in the Eftimationof the Venturer, is equivalent thereto. What it was that put Maho* met on his Impofture, the foregoing Hiftory of hit Life fufficiently fhews ; it was his Ambition and his Luft. To have the Sovereignty over his Country, to gratify his Ambition ; and as many Women as he pleafed to fetiate his Luft, was what he aim'd St -, and to gain himfelf a Party for the compaffing of this, was the grand Defign of that new Religion which he invented, and the whole end and Reafbn of hisimpofing it on thofe he deluded thereinto. And whoever purfaes the like Method, muft cer tainly have fome fuch End in it ; it being totally incredible that any one fhould take upon him the Trouble* Fatigue, and Danger of carrying on fuch 8 Cheat only for cheating feke. But here we challenge all the Enemies of that holy Religion which we profefs, to find out any thing like this in the Gofptl of jfefus Chrift, any thing that favours of worldly Intereft, either in him the firft Founder of our Faith, of in any of his holy Apofttes, who were the firft Propagators of it. Fanintts, one ofthe moft jealous Champions of Impiety" that ever apoear'd againft the Chtiftim Caufe (for he dy'd a Martyr for if) 'hath attempted this : Bufli/rter the moft act curate and diligent Search which fo keen an Adverr fery pould make, he was forc'd to give up the Point; and plainly acknowledge, that in tbe whole Series ofthe Hiftory and Anions of our So- viour^ he could not fi nd any thing that he could pharge with fecular Intereft or Defign to blaft him p| hjs pligien with, hn,d if you will renew the '¦' ' fame i* !' \ A Letter % tfc E>eist$. i g 5 feme. Attempt, tho' you extend the Enquiry much faither, even to his Apoftles, and all the reft of his Difciples, who firft preached this holy Religion to the fVbrft, and take in to your AfGftancf all the Ene mies of it ; after the ftri&eft Scrutiny that you can make, you will never haive any better Succefe herein. For had our Saviour's Defign been to feduce the People for his own, Intereft, he muft have taken , the fame Courfe that other Seducers do. He muft have fiatter'd theiri in their Humours, and fqrm'd his Doctrines to their Fancies ; courted thofe that were in greateft Authority an,d Efteem with them, and made it his pufiqefs mqfth/ to preach againft and decry thqfe whp were Jeaft in their Favour, and ftudy'd and pradtis'd all other fetch Arts of Po pularity, whereby he might beft infinuate into their good liking, and gain that Intereft with them, as might be fufficient to ferve his Purpofe, and ob tain the End propqs'd. Thefe yvere the Methods whereby Mahomet firft propagated his Impofture., and thefe are they which all others muft take, whofe Purpofe it is to deceive the People. But our Saviour in every particular adied contrary, hereto ; which fufficiently proves that he bad no fecb Defign to compafs. For he freely preached againft what ever he found blamable in fhe Peqple, fpared nqfc their beloved Errors, or fram'd his Doctrines to indulge thern in any one evil Pradtice,how predomi* nant foever amongft them, and was fo far from courting thofe in the greateft Authority and fi fteen! with them, that he was moft fharp and bit ter againft them above all others, whom they moft . Idoliz'd, I mean the Scribes and Pharifees : For he* on; all Ogc^fipns, dete&ed their Hyppcriftes, and laid *M open 1 36' A Letter to the Deists. open their evil Practices, and in tbe fevereft Man ner rebuk'd and condemn'd them for their Iniquity* therein, even to the preferring and juftifying be fore them the wicked Publicans, who for theit Exactions and Oppreffions upon the People in their gathering the publick Taxes, were held among them the moft hated of Men, and the worft of Sin ners. And therefore, tho' his Miracles often drew their Admiration and their Applaufe on the one hand, his Doctrines and his Preachings as faft alie nated them from'him on the other ; fo that thofe very feme Men, who, for the fake of the former, fqllow'd him often in, Multitudes, and were ready to acknowledge him to be the Meffias, were as vio lently fet againft him. at other Times, for the fake of the latter, and at laft crucified him on the ac count thereof. And is it poflible to conceive that he who took all thofe Courfes fo contrary to the Humour of the People, withoujt regarding how much they tended to exafperate them againft him, fhould have any Intereft or Defign pf his pwn to •ferve himfelf of them ? ( When • our Saviour took upon him to be the ffif- ijtas that waspromis'd, had he done it only as an .Impoftor, to promote a Secular Intereft and Defign ,! of his own, he would certainly have afTum'd that Character according to thofe Notions in which the Jews expected him. For in this Cafe the Expecta tion ofthe People muft have been the grand Mo tive to the Impofture, and their looking for fech a Meftiat to corne, the main inducing Reafon of his putting himfelf thereon-, and therefore to before, bad he been an Impoftor, he would have offer'd him- falf to them no otherwife than juft fuch a -Afcffut . ?$ their Notions' of him would have him to be1; ano! there are two fpeciai Reafons which in this Gift A Letter to the Deists, i 57 Cafe would have determin'd him hereto.^ i. Be caufe thofe Notions offer'd to him the higheft fecu- lar Intereft that could be attained unto : And, 2. Becaufe thefuitingof his Pretentions exactly ac cording to them, would have been the readieft and moft likely way for him to carry the Intereft, whatever it was, which you may fuppofe him to have aim'd at. And; firftj the Notions which the Jews had of the Meffias, offer'd him the higheft 'fecular Intereft that could be attam'd unto; and therefore to be fure, when he took upon him to be that Meffias1, had he done it only as ah Impoftor, for a fecular In tereft, he would have laid hold of that Intereft of-' fer'd, and under the Character which he afium'di moft certainly have claimed all that which accor ding to thofe Notions the Meftias was to have..* For this was nothing lefs than a moft glorious fecujat [' Kingdom ; the Expectations of the Jews being V then concerning thisMatter the feme, as they have ever fince continued amongft them -, that the Mef fias * was to be a fecular Prince, who was to deli ver tfiem~"frbih their Enemies, and reftore the Kin^ompf^P ?!,&#' h , ,, Valud 1 3§ A Letter t§ the jJEis^i raki'd. and efteem'd in the Opinfon of all Mankind, thaa the Attainment thereof j And at that Time when our fcviour firft appeared qn his Miffion, there was the. moft favourable Juncture that could offer it felf, for bis fettiqg up for all this : For then the People ofthe jews being fallen imder the Yoke of %\\e Ronton Government, and alfo grown very in> patient under it, entertaino! a general Expectation $" the fpeedy Conung of the Meffta,s, under that Character of a Tempjsrd Prime, which they had con ceited of him> to deliver them^rom this Bondage, aqd by conquering, thefe who fubjected them there to, again reftore the Kingdom of Ifrael. And thefe Hopes bad tlien taken PofFeffion of their Minds, and they were all fo full of them, that everyone flood in a manner ready and prepared to join witjr hiiB) whofoever fhould take upon him to be the Perfon, as fufficiently appeaTeth not only from -j- tfte Scriptures, but alfo from the Hiftory which (*) Jafepbtp t lffark. 15. ".43. Luk.e 2. v. 38, foe 24.W.31. A8s 1.71,4. From all which Places compared together, it appears that there was among the Jews, in the Time of our Saviour, a general Expectation of the fpeedy 'Coniing of the Mejpas, and that -th»r Notion was of aiTcmporal Deliverance and a Tempo ral Restoration of the JChjgdom of Ifrael to be effected hy hjm. And this Expiration was it which made the Multi. tude fo ready to join themfelves to Theudas, and after to fudtu tpi Galilee, of whom mention is made ASs 5. v. J6, 37. and af» ter .that to an Egyptian Jew, ASs 2 1. v. 38. on theit pretending to he the Perfons from whom this Deliverance was expected.. f) Jofepbus not only makes mention of Theudas,,ivai Judas of Galilee, and the Egyptian, of whoni we have an account in Scripture, Antiq. lib. 20. e. 2,5? 6. but alfo of feveral others, who 011 the (iame Pretences found the Multitude ready to join themietyes unto them, Antiq. lib. 20, c, 6. 1? 7. 3? de Bello Ju-t daico, 1. 7. c. 3 1 . As di(? ntfoparcbosbtH in the Reign of Mn- A Letter to the Deists. 139 Jofephus wrote of thofe Times. And therefore had our Saviour, by taking upon him tabe the Mefftas, aim'd only, as an Impoftor, at a fecular Intereft, What Reafon can be given, why he fhould not with the Name of the Meffias, have alfo claimed this grand Intereft of a Kingdom, which, according to the Opinion of all thofe who expected a Meffias, belong'd thereto ? Or wjby he fhould not in fo fa vourable a Juncture, as was then offer'd for it, have poffefled himfelf thereof? But he wasfo far from doing either of thefe, tbat he wav'd both, and not only omitted this Opportunity of poffeffing himfelf of this Kingdom, but alfo renounced and difclaira'd the whole thereof. For inftead of laying any Pre tence to it, he fet himfelf to confute thofe very Notions which gave it unto him, and to convince the People that they were miftaken in them, and thereby overthrew all that which offered unto him the higheft Secular Intereft which the Men of this World ufe to aim at. And not only fo, but ad vanced in the ftead of thofe Errors, fuch Doctrines concerning the Meffias as were not only without all an the Soman Emperor. And what Maimonides delivers ofthe Doctrine of the Jews concerning this Matter, might give any Man an Handle to offer at it. For, faith he, the Meffias is not to be known by Signs or Wonders (for he is to work none) but only by Conqueft., Arid therefore his Words are; if tbert arifetb a King of the Houfe of David wio is /(odious af tbe law, and diligent in obftrv'wg the Precepts of it, as was David his father ; tbat is, not Only of tbe, law, which is written, but of tbe Oral alfir\ and inclinetb all Ifrael, to vall(_ therein, and repairs the Breaches, and fights tbe Battles of the Lord, this Perfon may beprefim'd to be tbe Meffias. But ifbeprojpers in what be undertakes, Md fubdues all the neighbouring Nations round, about bim, .and .re-builds tbe San- Suary in its former Place, and gathers together -t be Mperfed o/Ifra- el, then be is for certain tbe Meffias. Maimonides in Yad Ha- chazekah Tra#. de Rcgibus & Belli* eorum, c. u.feA.4. Biannef 1 40 A Letter to the Deista manner of Worldly Intereft in them, but all le- vell'd directly oppofite thereto. For he taught them, that the Kingdom of the Meffias was not a Temporal, but a Spiritual Kingdont ; that he was not to be a Judge and a Ruler over them in the Secular Affairs of this* World, and the Pomp and Glory thereof, bat to govern artd direct their Hearts within -by the Power of his H61y Spirit, in order' to conform them to that Law of Righteoufriefs;' which might fit them to reign with him in the* Kingdom of Everlafting Glory hereafter. And' therefore when the Jews, beihg convinc'd by his* wonderful Works that he was the Meffias, would ' have taken him by Force and made him their King', he withdrew from among them to difappoirit the Defign. And when interrogated by Pilate, he told frim his Kingdom was not ofthis World. And had he aim'd at any fuch Thing, he would never have taught fuch Doctrines of himfelf, which fb directly overthrew ali that which gave him the moft fa vourable Advantage of attaining thereto. Had he offer'd at more of this World's Intereft, than- the Notions of the Jews invefted him with fif it were poffihle more could be had than thofe gave their Meffias) or if he had join'd thereto the Enjoy ment of carnal Pleafure, as Mahowt did, there might thon have been fome .ground of charging him of differing from ihafeNofkni for theferving of his own Intereft ; but when the Change was on the quite contrary hand, and iriftead of being that reigning and glorious Meffias, a mid ft the hightft Pomp and Splendor of this World, astbe'Jriw wOuld have had him to be,* he declar7d himfelf on ly for fuch a Kingdom as had nothing ofthis World in it, and whofe greateft Perfection layin its great eft Oppofitiqn thereto i he.thaf will fey that there was A Letter to the Deisms, i 4.1 was any thing of this World in his thus ftripping himfelf of all the, Pomp and Glory of it, or that there could be arty Defign of Intereft for himfelf, where all manner of Self-Intereft is thus renounr/d, muft reconcile Contradictions, and make the Na ture of one Extreme to confift in the other, which is moft diredly oppofite thereto. Had he, when he took upon him to be the Meffias, done it only for a Worldly Intereft, this great Intereft of Reigning fo obvioufly offer'dsit felf unto him. un- der that Character, that it cannot be conceiv'd bow he fhould ever have avoided it.f The Power, and Glory, and Riches of a Kingdom, are too great Baits of Allurement to the worldly-minded Man, ever to be refus'd by fuch a one, after he had affum'd that Character, which, in the general ly receiv'd Notion of it, invefted him with them. .Or can itbeimagin'd,fince thefe are the only Things which could make that Character at all deferable to anlmpoftof, why any Man fhould run the great Ha- zarfi and Trouble of being fuch in the afluming of it, but for the fake of them ? All thqfe falfe Chrifts, who have been real Impoftors,, and have in feveral Ages ftarted up to delude the World with this Pre tence, have ever with the Name of the Meffias^ claim'd alfo this Kingdom, which the Jews aferibed thereto ¦, and that, in every fuch Scene of Deceit which hath openM in the World,;. hath always ap- jpear'd to have beepthe Bait, which allur'd thofe Wretches to,act that Part therein. , «And had Our ,Saviour been fuch a one as they, he muft certainly have taken the feme Courfe. For to do otherwife, would have been to do the Wickednefs without the Temptation, and to run the Hazard without .that which was to reward the Succefs. But he ha ving been fo far herefrom, that he did not only re nounce 142 ^A Letter fotifoe&Eislte. Bounce this Kingdom, but all manaef of other Wrotldty Inteteft whatever -, this plainly fflews he could have no Deign upon this World by that Jfriffion which he undertook, or had any other Rea- fon-forfofofefflBrihgon it as the Meffias, but that he tdws ipeaMr*hat Perfon, wham* God, by his Holy fropketi, faad fo often prornfts'd, and at length, in tbeFtoinefs of Time, .accordingly fent to bring Life tondiSalvation unto ius.^ a. Had our Saviwr, when he took Upon him to beth* Meffias, doneitbnly as an Impoftor, for a Se-» cola* ifflseireft, 'he would haveaffom'd that Cha ise* (according tid I thofe Notions in which the Jews bxpefibed him, beckufe this worild have been the leadieftand moft likely way for him to carry that intereft, whatever you may fuppofe it to be. For «heieager Expectations of that People being then for fuch a reigning Meffias, as they had drawn a Pi- fture of in their own Fancies, his only wayto have gotten themto own and receive him for the Mtffi- as, "was forhim exactly to have humsur'd then) herein, and -propofed himfelf to them }uft ftch a one as they would havehad him tq be. « And had 'his Intent been only to feduce them under tbat Character, in order to ferve himfelf of them for a Secular Intereft, this Method is that which is fo obviotifty neceffery in fuch a Gafe, that it could not have been avoided. For to do otherwife would evi dently haveheen to put the Matter in a moft cer tain Method 'totally to mifcarry, and make the whole Defign impracticable. To come to them as their Meffias, under a Character totally differing from that in which they expected him, would be fufiicientto makethem, for that very Reafon, ne ver to receive him. Altho' Humility, and the de bating of a Man's felf, may, in other Cafes, be a ' „ „ Mean* A Letter to the Deists, i 45 Means to court Popularity, and procure the Fa vour of the People) it could never have ferv'din this ; flor would our Saviour's taking upon him the Character of the 0effias, fo vaftly lower as to this World, than the general Opinion then gave ft un to him, have been of any ftead to him in order thereto ; but quite the contrary. For the Jews had then fram'd their Notions of the Meffias they expected, for their own Sakes rather than his ; fuitable to thofe Worldly Interefts they were moft in love with, and thofe Notions went current through the whole Nation, as the true and exact Defcription of him, by which he was to be known athis coming. And therefore for any one to prb- pofe himfelf to them, as the Meffias, under a Cha racter totally difagfeeing herefrom/ would hav€ been the readieft way fdr him to be told, that he was not therefore the Man ; and tfhis, inftead Off being a Means to feduce them to him, become fiich a Reafon for their rejecting him, as no Art of Im pofture would ever have been able «o matter. And this, indeed, prov'd the main Caufe, that, not- withftanding our Saviour's Miracles, the Jews, whp daily few them, were ftill harden'd in their A verfi on againft him •, and it continues with them to this -Day the grand Stumbling-block of Infidelity, ¦which they cannot get over. For they look for a Meffias, that was to fubdue their Enemies, and de liver them from the Slavery of the Romans, and by the Eftablifhment of a Temporal Kingdom over them, advance the State of their Nation to the higheft Proiperity, and their Law to the higheft Perfection of Obfervance, which both were capa ble of. But he propofed himfelf unto them as a Meffias, who had nothing to do with this World, pr any of the Interefts of it j and inftead of the Temporal 144 IrfLffieftotheDmdTs. ¦ Temporal Kivgdobt they expected, claim'd only; a Spiritual; and inftead of the outward Rites and Ceremonies of the Mofaical Law, which were all fulfiU'd and done away in hinij taught them only to worffijp Gad in Spirit and in Truth. And what could more difpleafe and alienate from him, Men fo eager upon this World, and the Glory and Riches of it, than thus, inftead of Conqueft over .Enemies, Extent of Power, and a.nioft flourifh- ing State pfProfperity, which, they dreamt of, to preach to jhem, of Mortification, Repentance, Self- f denial, and thofe, other Chriftian Virtues, in the rJncreafe of which the true Profperity of ChrijPs -Kingdom only confifts ; and inftead of their Temple, and the outward Pomp and Splendor' of the Wor- foip there pejform'd, which they lfo much valu'd themfelves upon, and fb zealoufly affected, thus to propofe to th»m the worfhippingof Gad without all this, only in that Spiritual Manner, which, "un der the numerous Rites of the, Mofaical Law, they had not been agcuftoined to have any great Regard . unjo ? For this was to baulk them of the Hopes .they moft: delighted in, and put a. Baffle upon -them in thofe eager Expectations and moft earneft Defires, which their Hearts had long dwelt upon. And how ill they were able to brook this, will ap- £.¦¦ pear by this Inftance in the Go- ¦ f John 6. ,;,,fpel*, That thofe very feme Men, who, on the feeing of his Miracles, werefo firmly convinc'd of his being the Mfftas, that they'wquld forthwith have taken'him by force, .and declar'd him their King •, the next day. after, on his preaching to them of Spiritual Things, and ; offering thereby to withdraw their Minds frqmthe t perifhable Things: of this W°rld*, to fix them on ¦ thofe which endure to.evcrlaftingLife, niurmur'd againft A LeUef to the DeisT& 145 againft him, and would no mote endure him. For their Hearts were after a Meffias that fhould Found them a Temporal Kingdom, arid make them great and glorious, and powerful therein ; and to fet up a Spiritual Kingdom inftead hereof, was hot Only to deprive himfelf of the Grandeur of the other, "but them alfo of the Portion which they expected therein. And no one certainly that intended a Wqrldly Intereft by fuch an Undertaking, would ever have projected it 'in fuch a Method as thft, which was fo totally incqnfiftent with it. For, this would be to renounce in the very Act the End ¦which he propofed, and make the Attainment of it impracticable by 'the very means Whereby he put- fu'dit-, it would be to wave the higheft iii this World, to purfue after another, Which no One can imagine what, arid thereby totally alienate thofe from him, by whom alone, he could hope in fetch a Defign as this tp attain any at all. And therefore had a worldly End and a worldly Inte^ reft been all that our Saviour aihf d at, in histaking Upon him to- be the Meffias, Whom the jews ex pected, he would never fo much contrary to that Intereft^ arid fo much contrary tq that moftqbvi- ous means of carrying on fach a Defign, have a£ fum'd that Character in a mariner fo much differirig from that under which they expected him r Or could he by fuch a Method of Procedure ever have made any thing of the Attempt £mqiig them, had he not on his fide the Power of God, as well as hra Miffion, to make him fuccefsfui therein ? Had his Bufinefs only been to deceive the #e& pie for the advancing of fome fecular Intereft bt his own, he would never, have attempted it irt fo unlikely a way of fitcceeding, as that of abolifhirtg. the Mofaical Law, to which the Whole Natfonof L th£ 14& ALett.eriothe'DEists. „£h,e Jews were then.fo. zealoufly addicted^ that they fiild not bear the leaft Word which might feem to rpgate .either from the Excellency which they ¦'jconseiv'd.'.pf 'it, orrthat Opinion which they then JBa'qy and'ft'ilfretain,, that it was to be immutably 3pbferv'dby'them to the end of the World. The , fj^fe^pf Mahomet with his Men of Mecca was quite jO^hfr^wif^, he found no fuch Zeal in them for their jjpl"cj f&ellgfpp, tb,ftanggle with •, they themfelves were ^hen^r^wn/fo'-wf iry of it, that the Generality of '^frn, had .in a mapper totally exchanged it for no 't^ejfgjon.. at^alt at thp. Time that Mahomet firft be- >gan,,to.p^cipagate.hi|^pp/?aj-e among them; they tmnj then for, th^^noftj part given themfeives-up the'Ooiiioas,o£\'.^^«»^J5je«, who in the fame fl >|ftt as:t\}e 'Bp^ff^ans among the Greeks, and Sajiy now a^j$$mong us, acknowledg'd the Ig.of .a, (?,«£,; but -denying his Providence, the nortftfity of the Soul, and a Future State, did at., the, fame Time deny, all manner qf Neceffityof " ^|in^JWf \^or {hip .unto: him. And. no Wonder len. j$ fjjch' M^en, who ^plac'd their All in this %nd, ..wet-e .ea'fjly Jjirougbt over to.,a &#,:who.fe jef "Afrn" 'Wf s '^vyor.ldiy Profperity and worldly ~Rx$fn; t^erReligion. which they prc^efs'aV This w^gt ^as-jWeUenqugh aware of, before'tie ftar- .his; *!aegr, .Religion^nwng them ; and it feems to P' b,e£n,,the gr?p$^ < Encouragement which em- en^, jhiin ) to venture q,n. that Attempt. «¦ How- *vie^. ]pcp^bey.|;^lirftain'd the outward Form of tfieir 'Religion. fyj^irAj^ had defer^J-jhe Subftance of i|:,_ k; foj^^^fn^m. hence, t>bat Op'pofition ^Jb^s^.j^ga?,^t^cr-make it go down, he was ' ^0i.%a^apLyiqfip Rites and Ceremonies. in ,^ n^yf^MTgion, Whichi they had been afore us'd to '-; eld^ and morder. hereto, he chofe to make j. fome f A Lettet to the Beist & 1 47 fome 'dangerous Alterations in his firft Eftablifh- ments, as particularly in that of the Kehla, rather than ruffle his Arabianshy abolifhing what he found them through long Ufege and Cuftom any way ad dicted to. For his Bufinefe being td deceive the People, his Care was to offer at nothing which might be difficult to go down with them ; and fo muft it be of every other Deceiver who takes upon him to aft the like Part. But in every particular it was quite otherwife with our 'Saviour, and thofe whom he firft preached his Gofpel unto. For- the Jews having uridergone feveral terrible Stpurges from the Hand oi God for the Neglect of that Law which he had given them, were from their former too much Diftegard of it, then grown into the contrary Extreme of being with exceeding Su- perftition and Bigotry too1 much devoted to it. They then ldok'don it with the feme Veneration as they ftill do, to be an immutable Law never to be alter'd, That the Meffias himfelf at his coming fhould not make the leaft Change therein, but that the Glory of his Kingdom fhould chiefly corifift in the Perfection of its Obfervance, and the exact Per formance ofthe Worfhip it preferib'd-, and for any one to advance any Doftrine contrary hereto^ Was reekon'd no lefs than * Blaft phemy among ¦ them; And there- * A&s 6. v. 1 34 fore had our Saviour only confulted Flefh and Blood in the Miffion which he uridertooki had he had no other Defign therein than a fecular Intereft and a worldly End, he would never have Oppos'd himfelf againft the vidlent Current of fuch predominant Opinions* as hefoiind then reigning among them whom he firft preach'd his Gofpel unto. Or ever durft havedffefd at the Abolition of that haw which they were fo violently bigotted tinto. Li Had 148 A Letter to the Deists. Had he come to deceive them as a Seducer, thevei ry Nature, of the" thing muft neceflarily have di rected him , : to : a, quite contrary Method, that is, to fboth and epilogue with them whom he came to impofe, upon ,--, to have contradicted no Opinion they were vidlent for, nor oppos'd any Doctrine which they were zealoufly affected to, but to have ftudy'd their Humours. and learn'd their Notions, and fo fram'd and feited all his Doftrines accor- dingr thereto, as might beft take to draw them oyer to the End defign'd. To have done other- wife would have been to fet Prieft and People a- gainft him, as an Enemy to their Religion, and a Blafphehier of their Law. And as Our Saviour found it foin the Reful.t,, fo it mult have been obvious to any one in his Cafe to have forefeen it from the Beginning. And therefore, fince notwithftanding this, he-, took this .Method, fo contrary to the Whole End and Defignof one that intends a Cheat upon the. People •, and without having any Regard to that Zeal with which the Jews were then fo vi olently bigotted to their Law, or that Rage of Re- fentrnent, which they were ready to exprefs againft whatsoever in the leaft fhould derogate from it, did boldly preach unto them fuch Doctrines as totally difannulfd it ; this manifeftly proves he could have no Intereft of his own to ferve upon them in this Undertaking, nor that he had any other Reafon for bis.Entring on it, but, that he was fent of God fotO do. : The grand and fundamentalDoctrine of the Re ligion which Jefus Chrift left his Church, was that of hi&;.: Death and .Paffion, whereby he made Atone ment for our Sins, and deliver'd us from the Pu nifliment which was due unto us for them. By this means only he propos'd to fave us, that is, from Sin, A Letter to the Deists i 49 Sin, the Devil, and Eternal Death-, and by this Conflict only did he undertake to fubdue thfefe our Enemies for us, and on that Conqueft to found us a Kingdom, which fhould make us Holy and Righ teous here, and for ever Blefled with him in Glory hereafter. This was the whole End and Purppfe of our Saviour's Miffion ; this^ he frequently fore told to his Difciples, and on this was founded the whole Religion which he taught them. And can any one fey he could have a Defign Of fecular Inte reft for himfelf in fuch a Religion as this, which could have no Being but by his dying for it, or any Reafon for its Eftablifhmertt among Men,. till he had laid down his Life for the compleating of it? To fey there was any thing of worldly Inteteft in this, would be to charge it on his Crofs, and place it in that bitter and ignominious Death which he underwent thereon. Men fometimes put their Lives to great Hazard for the Interefts of this World, but for a Man purpofely to defign Death for fuch an End, and part with this World in fuch a manner as Chrift did, for the fake of anything that this World hath, is a thing which was never yet heard of, and is in if felf fo contrary to the moft obvious Dictates both of Reafon and Nature, that no one can be fo abfurd as to imagine it pofli ble for any Man fo to do. But that which I know you will fay in this Cafe,' is, That it was not Chrift himfelf, but his .Difci ples after his Death that made this a Part of his Religion yThat he intended no fuch thing in the Undertaking he enter'd on, that it fhould end in his Death, and be compleated by his Crucifixion ; but that this happening unto hini, thofe who kept up his Party, and propagated his Religion after him, foifted this' thereinto, to falve the Ignominy L 3 Pf x.^q A Letter to the Deists,1 °f his Death, and ferve themfelves of it, for the; Retter carrying pn of their Defigns thereby. And if fb, then the Impofture muft be fhifted from him to his Difciples. And in this Cafe the feme En^ quiry muft "ftill be made, What Advantage could they propofe to themfelves here-from? For if Chrift\ having no Self-defign or worldly Intereft in the Religion which he taught, be of any Force to acquit. ,him of being guilty of Impofture therein fas- it muft with everj Man Of unprejudiced Reafon) it muft alfo be-.of force to acquit them of the fame Charge 'who propagated it after him. And what worldly Intereft is it which they could poflibly have in this Matter^? If you fey Empire, how improba ble is it, that a few poor Bfhermen, without any manner 0f Foundation either of Power, Riches, or Intereft with others, for the carrying on of foch a Defign, fhould ever frame in their Thoughts the leaft Imagination tending thereto, efpecially at that Time when fh$ Refnm Lrnpire, being in its utmoft Heighth and Vigour, had the major part of the th,en;known World united Under its-Command, to. crufli tfie greateft Attempts of this Nature,, which might be roade^gainft it ? If Riches and Honour be aUedg'd -as. their End, I muft defire you j, to. tell me how this could be a Means to gain them? or whether any one of them eyer attained to either thereby ?; If we examine into the Accounts which we have of their Lives and Actipns, we fhall .find them .journeying about the World, from Place tq Place |n great Pqyejty, , and under all the Pifficul- tiesland Preflures of it, tp difeharge that Appftleffiif which was committed unto them, and in every Place where they came, to be loaded with Con tempt, Opprefliqn, and Perfecution for the feke of fhat Rflkm which they taught. Had Riches and Honour A'Leiterio *I^®Mst& * $ i Honour been the End 'propos'd.' for, all t'Hfe,; cer tainly after having experienk'd,; by' the illShctef^, how improper Means they 'had. taken in order thereto, fome of them wduld0 have defifted frofni the Emterpriie, and no longer have pnrfu'd a De fign whichcould not anfwer itsEndl 'Btniyptrcan- not bring us an Inftance Of afty one ^rmmhWi' did this. 'No,. they ftill Went/ on- in the Wo'rlc whicb they had undertaken; and without being wearied by the Poverty they labour'd under, or in the leaft difcouraged by that: Contempt, Scbrn 'artd Perfecution which they every ; vVhere'm^'WitlT,'.;^ conftantly perfever'd to preach that'C-ifcel' .whlchi they had receiv'd, even to their Lives ehd^^airtd'Jript only fo, but moft of them laid down1 their1 lives for the feke thereof*, which they would never have done, if they had notfor their Mmiftry a much, high er Reafon than all the Honour arid Riche^'of ftijs World could' ever amount unto. All thatca^l feid of ; any worldly Intereft for theWM^Jh preaching; up that Religion which they propa"| is, That they were thereby made Heads of Party which they drew oveir thereto.03 PMi1 Vlffsl what Advantage could this be' unto them, tb be thjra made Heads of acontemri'd^opprefs'd'} and .perre^ cuted Party of Men, who wetV e Very where fbtf|Bfe out for Bonds, Imprifbnmehtsand Deatlf? Td1!^ fechaiparty, what is it butto expofe '¦ £ Jviafi^fllf to the greater Danger, and fet himfelf fi^Wft- ceive the firft Strokes of every Perfection wWh was levell'd againft it ? For in this Cafe, thofe wna head the Party are moft fought after, andthe Ring leaders of it are ever made the firft and the moft fignal Examples of every Severity which is defign'd. for its Oppreffion. ' And this was all that the flpor ftlts got by heading that Party which they conve'rt- L 4 $ 1 5 % A Letter M the .DeIsTs,' ed to the Chriftiani Religion, ; and what pf worldly Intereft ojujd be found therein ? If the heading of a Pa.rty*h^$t-an# .Advantage to a Man, it muft be thenonlywhen it brings him Honour, pr Power, or Riebejj,:ror fome other, worldly Enjoyment; But tq head 'fuch a Party; as the firft Chriftians were, -could bring none of thefe therewith ; buti: on the cp^^'ry^Ppyerty, Contempt, Oppreffions, and ^et^up^,,.^ere^ll the Fruits, as to this World, which the-, Apofties of our Saviour reaped thereby. And certainly on thefe, Terms to head a Party* cpuld never have been the Reafon- to make them fcnter.. on; that Undertaking ; or if it had, they couid n|ver under fuclv'g'i&ouragementshavre long '.,f.:'i ¦;a.:t-j¦¦' .:'":.', f?.,', ' i. S E G T^II. _:.-*!*'-¦ \\. And thus far having examin'd the firft Mark of Jrnpofture, and, I hope, funrcientlyfoawn it can not belong tp that Holy Religion which we/profefs : I .fhall now proceed tq the fecond i that is^that it muft always have wicked Men for the Authors. of it. For thus to impofe upon Mankind a falfe Religion, is the worft of Cheats^ and the higheft Injuftice ¦which can be done -either to God or Man. ; to God, becaufe' jt robs him of the Worfhip of his'Creatures, either . by k diverting it to a falfe Object, or by di recting it, tq him in fuch a falfe Way, as cannot be acqerj,t^fdfbefo.re him.' And to Man, becaufe it deptry^bjhiofhis Gad, by putting him upon fuch a ff\fejwigiw as muft neceflarily alienate both his Mercy and hjs Favour from him. And to. do this is ftich a confommate Piece of Iniquity, that it is im poflible any one can arrive thereto, without ha ying firft corrupted himfelf to a great degree in all y|||igs.e}fe. por fuch an one muft hav? caft off '',;'" §11 A Letter to the Deists. 1 § 3 all Fear of God, as well as all Regard of Man, be fore he cofild ever offer at fo great a Wickednefs againft both. Arid when a Man is come to this, to be fure he will flick at nothing whereby his Lufts may be gratify'dj or any carnal Intereft ferv'd, which he fets his Heart upon, but will make the Corruptions of his Mind appear in all the Actidns of his Life, and be thoroughly wicked - in every thing where his own Intereft, or his own Defigns, do not put a Reftraint upon him. And that Ma homet was fuch a one, the Hiftory of his Life, which I have kid before you, fufficiently fhews. ' But who ever yet charged * jefus Chrift, ¦ or his Holy Apo- ftks with any thing like this ? NotCrf/iW, not Por phyry, nor Julian, or any other of the Heathehs,or the Jews, who were the bittereft Enemies of Chriftia nity, and the greateft OppoferS of it. And to be fure could they have found any fuch Accnfatibn againft any of them, they would never have fpar'd to have made the utmoft Ufe. of it they could, for the blafting of that Religion which they taught* For it is a popular Argument, which would have ferv'd their Purpofe among the People more than any other they could have offer'd unto them. And we fee with what Succefs the various Setts among us ferve themfelves of it every Day, no Argument being more prevalent amongft the unthinking Multitude, for the beating down the Reputation , * Ail that the bjttereft Enemies of ' Cbrijlianity have ever ob jected againft our Saviour, fave a fabulous Story of his Birth, amounts tq no more than this, That he was a Magician, which. was an Invention fram'd only to falve his working of Mira cles, which they could not deny in fuch a manner, as to make them give no Reputation or Authority to the Dodtrines Which he taught. Of 1 54 A Letter t$ the Deists^ of any Profeffion of 'Religion, than the- ripping up of $he Faults of thofe that teach it. To examine in to all the Labyrinths and abftrufe Speculations of Reafon and Argument, which may be brought for pr againft any Religion, is an operofe Bufinefe, which all have not Capacities foe, and few care to attend to. But of Good and EvH every Man is a.< l»4ge>', and where they find the Teachers of any Religion to be wicked and naught, it is an Inference which, they are all apt too precipitately to run into, that the Religion muft be naught alfo •, and without any further examining injEoit,, condemn it fo to be. And I find there is nothing which you your felves are more greedy to lay hold of, for an Argument againft our holy Chriftian Religion, than the Faults which you obferve in fome of our Mnifters, whofe Bjufinefs it is to promote it. And therefore if the Faults ofthe prefent Teachers of 07»^»»ty be apt thus to afford, fo popular and prevalent an Argu. mept againft it, how much more would the Faults pf the firft Founders and Propagators of it have dpnefo, had there been any fuch to object againfl: them ? And had there been any fuch, fo keen and; fearching Adverfar;ies would never have fuffer'd the Difeovery to haye.efcap'd them, or ever fail'd to^ hWe objected! it for; the ferving qf their turn to the,- utmoft they weiie a,ble • and it can be owing tq no thing but their moft unblamable Jnriocency, that they have been fecur'd herefrom. To fey that they coiild /not have that Knowledge of their Lives and Anions, as was fufficienc for them to difcern their. Faults, and obferve. their Mifcarriages, will not folve the Matter,. Though, M^met acted hisiiw* pjkirA fo many hundred Miles, within the remoter Pants ;.of :: Arabia, among a People who, by vaftDe-; farts, were in a manner cut off from the Converfe Pf A Letter, m the 'BEttiS* t$$ of the reft.of Mankind, Where very few or none off any other Nation ever came to fpy qut his Actions, or obferve his Doings, and where he had none elfo to be Witnefles of them, but thofe only who aH embrac'd his Forgery, and became zealoufly addi* cted to it ; yet all this could not ferve to conceal his Faults, or hide his monftrous /Wkkedneffes from being obferv'd a"nd recorded .againft hiim. The foregoing Hiftory gives you a large Catalogue of them, and they are vouched by the Authority, of fome ofthe moft authentick Writers of his own &#. But Chriftianity had not its Birth in fuch ans obfeure Hole, nor did the firft Founder of it, or thofe who propagated it after him, make their firft Appearance among fuch rude and illiterate Barba* rians as that Impoftor did, but,, on one of the openeffc Stages in the World, at Jerufaleint and in the Land! of^dV; and not in an Age when, as formerly, that Nation feparated it felf from all others, and had no Converfe with any but themfelves, but when they had featter'd themfelves abroad, and mingled with all other Nations, and alfo were forced to admit all other Nations to mingle with) them, by being made a Province ofthe Roman Em pire, which brought not only Soldiers and Mer chants of other Nations among them, but alfb open'd the Gate to all others, as they fhould think fit to come and refide among them. And the Tern-* pie at Jerufalem being that where all of the Jewifh Rfligian worfhipped ; this conftantly brought thi ther from all Nations thofe who profefs'd it, which made a very great Refort thither from all Parts of fhe World, especially at their great Feftivals. And therefore juft after our Saviour's Sufferings at the Time of Pentecoft next following, we are told that v " y """" there lt>6 A Letter id the 'Deists. there were then at' Jerufalem, * Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, and the Dwellers of Mefopotamia, Cap' pddocia, Pontus, Afta, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, and Cyrerie, with the Strangers of Rome, Cretes and Arabians. So that to be fure nothing could be hid or conceal'd, which was done on fo open a Stage ofthe World, and in the Sight of fo many Nations as were then preTent upon it ¦, nor is it poflible, if thofe who then firft deliver'd the fBhriftian Religion to the World, had been fuch wic ked Perfons as Mahomet was, and all other Impo ftor s, muft be, it could ever have efcap'd their Ob- fervation. And if it had at 'jerufalem^ there were other Occafions enough given for a fuller Difeovery) afterwards. 'For the Holy Apoftles after our Savi our's Death, did not confine, themfelves to Jerufa lem, and the Land ofjudaa only, but difpers'd- themfelves throughout the whole Earth, and at Rome, at Athens^ and in many other celebrated Ci ties appeafd; openly, teaching the Religion which they had receiv'd, and forming Churches of thofe whom they had converted thereto, and thereby ex- pofing their Lives and Adions publickly to the View ofthe whole World, made all Mankind in a manner: witnefe of what they did. And Chriftia- vity was, not fuch an acceptable thing to the World, 3-s to move the Men of it to be fo candid and good- natur'd to the firft Authors of it, as to conceal their Faults, and hide their Wickedneffes, had there been any fuch in them. No, it was that which was againft the Luftsand Pleasures, arid the Other evil Courfes of this World, more than any Other Religion which was ever taught therein ; • A#S 2. V. 9, ?0} II, and A Letter to the Deists, i 57 and this put the World as much againft : it, and all that adher'd thereto •, and therefore we find them to be a Party of Men not only every where fpoken againft, but alfo every where hated, oppofed, and perfecuted to the utmqft. And when fo general an Odium was rifen againft them,; and both jews and Gentiles confpir'd together therein, to be fore there Were not wanting abundance that made it their Bufinefs to pry into their Aftions, and exa mine their Practices with all that Spight, Unfair- nefs, and ill Interpretation of Things, as is ufual in fuch Cafes. And could they by all this Search,1 Inquiry, and itricteft Obfervation, have found any thing to charge upon Chrift or his Apoftles, which might caft a Blot upon the Religion which they taught, to be fure we fhould have heard enough of it. For thofe who propagated theirOdium againfl; this holy Religion to the next fucceeding Ages, to that exceflive Degree, in which the Primitive ChrP ftians experienced it in thofe terrible Perfecutions which they underwent for three hundred Years to gether, would certainly have propagated there with all the Accufations they were able, againft thofe who were the firft Founders and Teachers of it. And to be fure, when (*) Ctlfus, Porphyry, and (*) The main Things which Celfus and. Julian objected ¦ in their Books againft the cbriftiqi Seligion, are preferv'd in the Anfwers which ,Otigen wrote to the former, and. Sr. Cyril of Alexandria to the-latter ; but the Books themfelves are periflVd, as arc alfo thofe of Porphyry written by him in fifteen Tomes on the fame Argument ; for they being full of virulent Blafphamies, Theodofius the Emperor, by a Law, caufed them every where to be burnt and deftroy'd ; but a great many Remains and Fragments of them are ftill pre- (jcv'd in the Works of Eufelius, and fomething alfo of them in, St. i 5 8 AL&ier to the. Deists. Julian, and other bitter Opppfers of Chriftianity, as |pell Jews as Heathens, took Pen in hand to write againft k^ We fhould have been told enough of it. But P&Shing ofthis appearing in any of their Wri tings, or any of the teaft Memorial of it being to be found in any Record whatfoeivjer againft them ; this, manifeftly proves that they are, even in the judgment of their bittereft Enemies, totally free of this Charge, and cpnfequently, being juft and righteous Pttrfons, (and of Chrift. and St. James one ©f his Apoftles, (f„) Jofephm, though a Jew, parti cularly a-ttefts', that they were fo) they could.never |«: guilty of fo great a Wickednefs both againft God $t. T^erom.in Prfifaiijoue . ad lib. i. Comment, in Epijl. ad Galatasi cjfus li.ve4.iii the 'fecond, Porphyry in the third,, and Julian in tflite fourth Century after Chr'ijl. < '(-t) His Words of Cur Saviour ire, that he was a wife Man, (a Title nDt given in thofe Days but to fuch as were alfo good) and itjh^t he, was a Worker of Miracles, and a Teacher of. Truth, lib. 18.C _fi. And oi James he hath thefe Words, Theft things (i. e. the DeftrUcftion of Jerufalem, and the Calamities ttet-'attended it) fell hy wdy of jujl Vengeance upon the Jews fir jkfiies the Juft, who was the Brother of Jefus called Chrijl^ becaufe tye. Jews\bad.murtbef*i. him, being a moj} righteous Man. It muft Ijeacknowledg'd that' this Paffage is not now extant in Jofe~ phus, but it is quoted by Eufbius in the Second Book of his EccTepaJtical Hijhry, c. 23. and alfo hy Oti gen in his. Second Bopk againft^Cf//«j, which would never have been done -by them, had it notbeen extant in the Copies of- his Works w4ich were then1 in^ufe, howeverit came to be omitted fince. for to have falfly ailed g-'d fuch a Teftimony to the Enemies' of -Chr'tftitaaty, efpecially to one fo acuti and Iharp as Celfus was/ would ihave given them coo great an 'Advantage againft it. But whit is fell extant in Jojephus, amounts to the fame tfcing ; for fpcaking of his being put to Death by stomas the High-Prieft, -Amiq. lib. 2d. c. 8. he.fay?j that all 'good Men Were' dfendedat it ; which fufficsently expfefleth him to be a good Man alfo. For why elfe fliould they be fo concerned for him ? and A Letter to the Deisms." i 59 and Man, as to have impos'd a Cheat upon us in that Religion which they deliver'd unto us. SECT. III. III. And if they had been fuch wicked Perfons as thus to have impofed upon us a falfe Religion for their own Intereft, both their Wickednefs and the intereft which they drove at, muft neceflarily have appear'd in the very Contexture of the Religion it ¦felf-, and the Books ofthe New Teftament, in which it is contain'd, would have as evidently prov'd both thefe againft them, as the Alcoran . doth againft Mahomet, every Chapter of which yieldeth us ma nifeft Proofs both of the wicked Affections of the Man, and the Self-ends which he drove at for the .gratifying of them. For, firft, when a Man propofeth an End of .Self-Intereft, and invents a new Religion, and writes anew Law on purpofe for the obtaining of it, ifs impoffible but that this end muft appear in the Means, and the Impofture, which was inyented of purpofe to promote it, muft difeover what it is. For in this Cafe the new Roligion and the new Lam muft be calculated for this End, and be all form'd and contriv'd in order thereto, otherwife it can have no Efficiency for the obtaining of it, nor at all anfwer the purpofe of the Inventor for the com- -paffing of what he propos'd ; and*if it be thus cal culated, order'd and contriv'd for fuch an End,: that End cannot but be feen and'difcover'd in thofe Means. For the End and Means prove each other; that is, as the Nature ofthe End propos'd fhows us what Means muft be maid ufe for the obtaining of it -, fo doth the Nature of the Means which we ufe, difeover what is the End which they drive at. And as far as the Means have a Tendency to the End, 1 60 A Letter to the Deists, ¦End, fo much muftthey have of that End in them* and it is not poflible for him that ufeth the one, long to conceal tbe other. And therefore nothing is more obvious and common among us, than by jthe Courfes which a Man takes, tb difeenfthe 5 End which he would have.1 As Mahomet invented his new Religion to promote his own Ends -, fo the Alcoran, in which it is contain'd, fufficiently proves it, there being fearce a Leaf in that Book which doth notjay down fome Particulars, which tend to the. gratifying either of the Ambition or the Luft ofthatMonfter who contriv'd it. And had the ¦ firft Founder of our holy Chriftian Religion, or they who were the firft Propagators of it, any fuch End therein, the- Book's ofthe New Teftament, in which it is written, wquld have as palpably fhown ft. ' But here we challenge all the Enemies of our Faith to ufe their utmoft Skill to make any fuch Difeove ry in them. They have already gone through the ftri& Scrutiny of many Ages, as well as of allman- ner of Adverferies, and none have ever yet been able to tax them herewith. For inftead of being calculated for the Intereft of this World* their whole Defign is to withdraw our Hearts from it, and fix them upon the Intereft of- that which is to come. And therefore the Doctrines w hich they in culcate, are thofe of Mortification, Repentance, -and Self-denial, *which fpeak not unto us of Fight ing, Bloodfhed, and Conqueft, as the Alcoran doth, for the advancing of a Temporal Kingdom ; but that renouncing^] the Pomps and Vanities, and Lulls of this prefent World, we live foberly, righ- 'teoufly, and godly in the Prefence of him that made .us; and, inftead of pur fu ing after the perifhable .Things of this Life, we fet our Hearts only on thofe Heavenly Riches, which will make us great and A Letter to the Deisms, i 6t tod glorious and bleffed for ever hereafter. For as the Kingdom of Chrift is not of this World, Co neither do thofe Books, in Which are written the Laws of this Kingdom, favour any thing thereof; The Mammon of this World^ and the Righteouf nefs which they preferibe us, are declar'd in them to be totally inconfiftenti -The Old Teftament in deed, as being under the Difpenfetion of carnal Ordinances, which were the Shadows only of thofe Things after to come under the Gbfpel; treated with Men fuitably thereto. And therefore, wd find much of this World, both by way of Promife as well as Threat, to be propos'd therein. But iii is quite otherwife With the New, : For in that Re velation, being given to the perfecting of Righte» oufnefs, all things were advanc'd thereby from Earth to Heaven, artd from Flefh to Spirit. And therefore as the whole End of it is to make Men Spiritual, fo are we directed thereby to look only tofpiritual and heavenly Bleffings for the Reward hereof. Had our Saviour propos'd Victory j Or Riches, or Carnal Pleafures to his Followers, as Mahomet did, then indeed his Law would have fuf- ficiently fevoufd ofthis World, to make Men fufc peft that he aim'd at nothing elfe thereby. . But he" was fo far herefrom, that inftead ofthis, the whole1 Tenour of his Doctrine runs the. quite contrary way, we being told of nothing elfe through the whole New Teftamenti but of Tribulations, Affli ctions, and Perfecutions, which fhall attend all fuch, as to this World, who "faithfully fet their Hearts to become his Difciples ; and the Experi ence of all Ages fince hathfuffieiently verify'dthe Prediction. And indeed the very Religion, which he hath taught us, is of that Holinefsj that accor ding to the Courfe of this Wicked WPtld it natu- - M ral!| 1 6*2 A Letter to the Deists. rally leads us thereinto. And how then can it be faid, thatany thing of worldly Intereft can be con tained either in this Religion, or thofe holy Books in which it is written ? I cannot deny, that there are fome Men fo craf ty and cunning in purfuing their Intereft, that it fhall not eafily bedifcerned in the Means, what it is which they drive at for their End. But how great a compafs foever foch may fetch about to the Feint which they aim at, or in what bye and fecret Paths foever they make towards it-, yet if the Means which they make ufe of, have any tendency thither, they can never be fo totally blended, but there will always appear in them enough of the Eindto make the Difcovieryto any accurate Obfer- ver ¦, and at length when the Plot grows ripe for Execution, and the .Defignter begins to offer at the putting himfelf in pofleffioniof what he propofed (as all foch Defigns' muft at daft) the whole Scene muft then he laid" open, and everyone will he able to fee thereinto. And therefore if you will have it that the Holy Apoftles and Evangdifts, who were the firft Penners of the New Teftament, were fiich cunning and crafty Men, as to be able thus artfully to conceal their Defigns in thofe Books, which you fuppofe they wrote of purpofe to promote them (which cannot reafonably be imagin?d of Men of their Education and Condition in the World, they befog aU, except St Paul and St. Luke, of the mearieft Occupations among the People, and total ly unlearned) yet if they contriv'd ' thofe Books with any tendency towards thofe Defigns (and it catinot.be conceiv'd how otherwife they could help fo.rwa.pd to the obtaining of them) it is impofEble they 'could thusr'bave pafs'd thorough fo many Ages, and all theftrict Examinations of Heathens, Jem, A Letter to the Deist£ i 6*3 Jews, Atheifts, and all other Adverferies, who have fo ftrenuoufly endeavour'd to overthrow their Au thority, and no Difeovery be made hereof. For fuppofing at firft, under the Mask of renouncing the World, they might a while conceal theit De figns for the Intereft of it (which is the utmbft Jou can fey in this Cafe) yet this could not laft: ong : For if this were all they defign'd by teach* ing that holy Religion, and writing thofe Books in which it is contain'd, fome time or other they muft have put thofe Defigns in Execution, other- wife they would have been in vain laid ; fometime or other they muft have endeavour'd by them to obtain what they aim'd at, otherwife the whole Projection of them would have been to no purpofe 5 and if they ever dkf fo (as to be fure they would, had this been their End) then, as it happens in all other Stratagems of the like nature, with .how/ much Artifice foever they might conceal what they intended in the Contrivance, all at laft muft have come out in the Execution •, and when they began to put themfelves in pofleffion of the End they aim'd at, or at leaft made any Offer towards it, the whole Cheat muft then have been uhmask'dj and every one would have been able to fee into the depth thereof. But when did our Saviour, or any of his holy Apoftles,, by virtue of any of thofe Do* dtrines delivered down unto us in the Books of the New Teftament, ever put themfelves in pofleffion of any fuch worldly Intereft ? 0r when did they eyef make the leaft offer in order thereto ? Have any ofthe ancient Enemies of our Holy Religion (and it had bitter ones enough from the very beginning) ever recorded any fuch againft them ? Or have any other ever fince frqm any good Authority, Or any Authority at all, ever been able-to tax them here* M a ' with? 1 64 A Letter to the Deists. with? Or is it poflible their Names could have re- main'd untainted of this Charge amidft fo many Adverferies, who have now for near feventeen hunred Years ftood up in every Age to oppofe that holy Religion which they have deliver'd unto us, had they in the leaft been guilty hereof? Nay, hath it been fo much as ever feid of them, that they pradtis'd as to this World, any otherwife than they taught, or ever dealt with the Interefts of it in any other manner, than totally to renounce them? Or had they at all any other Portion in this Life, than that of Perfecution, Affliction, and Tri bulation, as it is foretold in thofe Holy Books that they fhould ? And what then can be a greater Madnefs, than to fuppofe that Men fhould lay fuch a deep Defign, as that of inventing a new Religion, and undergo all that vaft trouble arid danger, which they did, to impofe it on the World for the feke of a worldly Intereft, and yet never put them felves in 'Pofleffion of that Intereft, or ever make the leaft Offer towards it ? If you fay,: That the whole End of the Religion was only to gain the Party, and that the Steps to the Intereft were to be made afterwards; I ftill go on to ask, Who can tell us, after the Party was gain'd, of any fuch Steps that were ever made, or of any the leaft Offer tending thereto ? Were not the HrH'-Chriftians for many Ages after the firft foundling of our Faith, what they ought ftill to be, Men'-, that us'd-tluV World as if they us'd it not, whqliv'd ih it without being of it, and did truly what they vow'din their Baptifm, renounce all the Pomps and Vanities;, and Lufts thereof, faithfully to -obferve "that Holy Law which they had receiv'd? And in this they perfever'd fo ftedfaftly, that even their very Enemies admir'd the Righteoufnefs of ¦¦•--'.' their A Letter to the Deists, i 6$ their Lives, and * bOre wjtnefs thereto, and the cfueleft Perfecutors could never beat them, ti here from, but they ftill went on in the Obferyance of their Holy Religion without having any other De fign therein, than to pradtife that Righteoufnefs which.it taught, and for three hundred Years to gether ftood firm thereto againft-all thofe terrible Storms of Perfecution which were raifed againft them, till at length by the Holinefs of their Lives, and the Conftancy of their Sufferings, they made a Conqueft over their very Perfecutors, and brought over the World unto them. And are not our Prin ciples ftill the fame, and alfo, (thanks be to God, notwithftanding the Corruptions of the prefent Age) the Practice of many thoufands ftill among us, who I doubt not will be as ready to undergo the feme Sufferings thofe Primitive Chriftians did, whenever God fhall try them for that holy Religion which they profefs, as they now are to obferve the Righteoufnefs thereof. But fuppofing this had been all otherwife, and the Mammon of this World, and not the Righteoufnefs of God, were really the End for which our Religion was defign'd ; yet to renounce the World to gain a Party, and after wards make ufe of this Party to gain the World, * Plinii Epift. lib. io. Ep. 97 .—<—.Hane fuife fummam vel cuU p£ futz vel erroris, quod ejfent foliti Jlato die ante lucem convenire, Carmenque Chrifto quafi De* dicere fecum invicem, feque facramento non in fcelue aliquod objlringere, fed ne furta, ne latrocinia, ne adul- teria committerent, ne fidem fallerent, ne depojitum appellati abnega- reni. In like manner they were alfo vindicated by Serenius Cranianus, Proconful of Afia, in his Epiftle to the Emperor AdrianSEufeb. Hift. Ecclefi aft. lib. 4. c.8, & 9. By Antoninus Pius in his Epiftle to the Commons of Afia. Juftin Martyr, Apol. 2. and even by the Heathen Oracles themfelves. Eufeb. in vita, Cwflanthi, lib. 2. c. 50, & 51. M 3 is 166 A Letter to the DfcisTsv is a ttb\e&. fo unfeafible, that the former part of it muft neceflarily have overthrown the latter, whenever it had been attempted. For when Men had been drawn over to a Party under the fpecious Pretence of renouncing the World, and been in* ftru&ed and firmly fix7cun this Principle, to make thofe very feme Men afterwards to ferve their turn for the gaining of a worldly Intereft, would be to make their Doctrine and their Practice fo rnon- ftroufly to interfere, as muft neceflarily have bro ken all into pieces, and Jdeftroy'd the wftp}e Defign. Certainly, had they any fuch Defign, they would never have thus poffefs'd their Difciples with fuch Principles r againft it by the Religion which they taught them 5 and in that they did fo, I think no thing can be a more evident Demonftration, that they could never intend any fuch End thereby, Mahomet knew well enough, this was not a way to carry 'what '"he defign'd, arid therefore openly own'd in his Religion, what he aim'd at thereby, and made his X*n> to fpeak for that Empire and Luft, ^.which he defir'd to enjoy ; and fo when he had made his Religkn'to obtain, he gain'd by virtue thereof the whole which he projected by it, and , became poffefs'd of the Empire of a\\ Arabia for the gratifying of his Ambition, and as many Women as he pleas'd for the fetisfying of his Luft, which were the two Ends which he drdve at in the whole Impofture. And had Jefus Chrift and his Apofiles. bad any fuch Defign in , the Religion which they taught, they muft in the fame manner have made their Religion fpeak for it, ot elfe it could never have fervid their purpofe for the obtaining of it. And if their Religion had ever offer'd any fuch thing, it muft neceflarily have appear'd in the Books in wfiich itjs written, A Letter to ihe Deists, i 6y And adly, If they had been fo wicked, as thus to impofe upon the World a falfe Religion- for the promoting of their own Intereft; as that-.Intereft muft have appear'd in the Contexture of the Relir gion it felf, and in thofe Bpoks in which it was writ ten, fo alfo muft their Wickednefs. For Words and Writings being the outward Expreflions ofour inward Conceptions, there is that Connection be tween them, that although the former may often difguife the latter, they can never fo totally con- conceal them, but every accurate Obferver may ftill be able through the 6he to penetrate ipto the other, and by what a Man utters, whether in Speech or Writing, fee what he is at the bPttom, do what he can to prevent it. There are indeed fome that act the Hypocrite fo cunningly, as to dife femble the greateft Wickednefs under Words, Writings, and Actions too, that fpeak the quite contrary. But this always is fuch a Force upon their Inclinations, and fo violent a Bar upon their inward Paffions and Defites, that nature will fre quently break through in fpight of all Art, and even fpeak out the Truth amidft the higheft Pre tences to the contrary. And there is no Hypocrite, how cunningly foever he may act his Part, but muft this way very often betray himfelf. For Wicked nefs being always uppermoft in fuch a Man's Thoughts, and ever preffing forward to break forth into Expreflion, it will frequently have its Vent in what that Man fpeaks, and in what he writes, do what he can to the contrary ; the Care, Caution, and Cunning of no Man in this Cafe fee ing fufficient totally to prevent it. Furthermore, there is no Man thus wicked, that can have that Knowledge of Righteoufnefs, as thoroughly to aft jt under the Mask, with that exadnefs as he who M 4 is 1 68 A Letter to the Deists. is truly Righteous, lives and fpeaks it in, realityy His want of Experience in the Pradice, muft in this Cafe lead him into a great many Miftakes and Blunders in the Imitation. And this is a thing which generally happens to all that ad apart, but never more than in matters of Religion,, in which are many Particulars fo peculiar to the Righteous, as none are able to reach them, but thofe only who are really fuch. And fuppofing there were any that could, yet there will ever be that difference between what is natural, and what is artificial j and between that which is true, real, and fincere, and that which is falfe, counterfeit, and hypocriti cal, that nothing is more eafiethan for any one. that will attend it, to difcern the one from tbe pther. And therefore were Jefus Chrift arid his Apoft les fach Perfons as this Charge of Impofture piuft fuppofe them to be, it's impoffible but that the DPdr-ines which they taught, and the Books which they wrote, muft make the pifeoyery, and the New Teftament would, as a {landing Record againft them In this Cafe, afford a multitude of In-; ftances to eonvid thejn hereof. That the Alcoran doth fo -as to Mahomet, nothing is more evident} a Strain of Rapine, Blqqcjfhed and Luft running through the whole Book, which plainly proves the Autporof it to be altogether fuch a Man as the Charge of Impofture muft'necefTarily fuppofe him to ^e." And were the firft Founder of our Holy Re- |igion,"ort}ie Writers of thofe Books in which its . Doctrines are contained, fuch Men as he, both their Dodrines and their Books would as evidently prove it againft them- But here I muft again challenge you, and all other the Adverferies of our Holy Religion,' to feew us any one Particular in it, th^t dh giye'the' Jeaft' Foundation to fuch a Charge, *V; ¦ ¦" i:""' '•'• ' ^j A Letter to the De ists. i 6*9 any one Word in all the Books of the New Tefta ment, that can afford the leaft Umbrage or Pre tence thereto. Let what is written in them be try'd by that which is the Touchftone of all Religi ons, I mean that Religion of Nature and Reafon, which God hath written in the Hearts of every one of us from the firft Creation *, and if it varies front it in any one Particular, if it preferibes any one thing which may in the minuteft Circumftance thereof be contrary to its Righteoufnefs ; I will then acknowledge this to be an Argument againft us, ftrong enough to overthrow the whole Caufe, and make all Things elfe that can be faid for it, to tally ineffedual for its Support. But it is fo far from having any fuch Flaw therein, that it is the perfedeft Law of Righteoufnefs which was ever yet given unto Mankind, and both in commanding of Good, as well as forbidding of Evil, vaftly ex ceeds all others that went before it, and preferibes much more to our Pradice in both, than the wifeft and higheft Moralift was ever able without it to reach in Speculation. For, 1 ft, As to the forbiddirig of Evil, it is fo far from indulging, or in the Jeaft allowing us in any Pradice that favours hereof, that it is the only Law which is fo perfedly broad in the Prohibition, as adequately to reach whatfoever may be Evil in the Practice ; and without any Exception, Omiffion, or Defed, abfolutely, fully, and thoroughly forbids Unto us, whatfoever may have but the leaft Taint of Corruption therein ; and therefore it not only -feftrains all the Overt-ads of Iniquity, but alfo every Imagination of the Heart within, which in the leaft tends thereto ; and in its Precepts prohi bits us not only the doing or fpeakirg of Evil, but ajfb the harbouring or receiving into our Minds the 1 70 A Letter to the Deists. leaft Thought or Defire thereafter •, whereby it fo effectually provides againft all manner of Iniquity, that it plucks it up out of every one of us by the very Roots, and fo makes the Man pure and clean, arid holy altogether, without allowing the leaft fa- four of Evil to be remaining in him : And every one of us would be thoroughly fuch, could we be "but as perfed in our Obedience to this Law, as it is perfe&ly given unto us. And, 2dly, As to the commanding of Good, its Pre fer iptions are, That we employ our Time, our Powers, and all other Talents intrufted with us, to the belt we are able, both to give Glory unto God, arid alfo to fhow Charity unto Men ¦, and this laft not only to our Friends, Relations, and Bene- fadprs, but in general to all Mankind, even to our Enemies, and thofe who defpightfully ufe us and perfecute us •, and hereby it advanceth us to that height of Perfediori in all Holinefs and Goodnefs,. as to render us like the Angels of Light in our Ser vice unto God, and like God himfelf in our Charity to Man. For it direds us in the fame manner as the Angels to worfhip and ferve our God to the ut- moft Ability of our Nature ; and in the fame man ner as God, to make our Goodnefs to Men extend unto all, without Exception or Referve, as far as *they are capable of receiving it from us. And can any Man think it poflible tfiat a Religi on which fo thoroughly and fully forbids all Evil, and in fb high and perfed a manner preferibes us all &ood', could ever be the produd of a wicked Mind? Tfie Fruit is too good to proceed from fo corrupt a Root, and the Eifed vaftly above the Efficiency of fuch a Caufe ever to produce it. For can it pot fibly be imagin'd, that a wicked Man could either have Inclination to do fo much for the promoting pf A Letter to the Deists. 171 of that Righteoufnefs which all his Paffions and De- fires fo violently run counter unto? Or if he would, that fuch "a one could ever be fo well acquainted with all the ways thereof, as fo exadly to preferibe them ? If it be fo difficult for'fuch a one to conceal his Inclinations in his Exprefiions •, if it be fo hard for him, when he vents himfelf into Words or Writings, not to let loofe fomething in them of what he really is (as I have already fliown) how can any Copy be drawn from fuch a Mind, but what muft in fome Feature or other refemble the Original •, or any thing at all proceed from thence, but what muft carry with it feme' favour of the Ini quity thereof? Set but fuch a one to write a Letter, and he will fearce be able to do, it without putting fo much of his Paffions and his Temper into it, as that we may read from thence what he is, as eve ry Man's Experience may tell him, that corre- fponds with fuch ; and how much more then may we be aftur'd will he lay himfelf open, when he hath the large Scope of a Book to exprefs himfelf in, afld efpecially when that Book is of fuch a na ture, as gives him the fulleft Occafion, and the moft inviting Opportunity fo to do? And what Book can be more fuch, than that Which is to pro- pofe a new Law to Mankind ? in the writing of fuch a Book, if ever, certainly the Wicked Man will fhow himfelf, and in the feme manner as .Maho met did, conform his Laws to his own Inclinations, and preferibe fuch Rules of living to others, as may beft juftify him in thofe which he himfelf follows. And although he fhould not intend any foch thing, though he fhould not defign fo to do (and it is hard to imagine of fuch a Man, that he fhould not,) yet at leaft the prevailing Bent of his Paffions, and the Corruption of his Judgment, which always fol lows 1 72 A Letter to the Deists. lows therefrom, muft neceflarily lead him therein to ; it being, morally fpeaking, altogether impqf- fible, but that the wicked Man rnuft appear in what the wicked Man doth ; and the Deeds, Words, and Writings which proceed from fuch a one, muft in fome meafure favour of what he is. And therefore if there be nothing in the Law of our Holy Religion (as I hope I have fully fhown that there is not) which can make the leaft Difeovery of any fuch thing, nothing that can afford the leaft Pretence for fuch a Charge againft it, where fo large a Scope is given for it ; this fufficiently proves, tbat neither the firft Founder of the Chri ftian Religion, nqr thofe who firft wrote it in the Books of the New Teftament, in which we now have it, could poflibly be wicked Men, and confe- quently not fuch Impoftor s as you would have them to be. But here I know it will be objeded, That there is no neceflity that all Impoftors fhould be as wicked as Mahomet ; and therefore tho' Jefus Chrift and his Apoftles were no fuch wicked Perfons, yet however they may be ftill Impoftors for all that. For, firft, it hath happen'd that very juft and good Men have had recourfe to Impofture, to bring to pafs and efta- blifh their moft commendable Defigns ; as we have an \nftance in Minos King of Crete, and another in Numa King of Rome, both which, to give the greater Authority to their, Laws, pretended tq have had them by Divine Revelation. And, fecond- ly, you will fay, It is poflible a Man may be an Impoftor by Enthufiafm, and Miftake, and falfly im pofe Things for Divine Revelation, not out of a wicked defign to deceive others, but that he is re ally deceiv'd herein himfelf. And if in thefe two "Cafes a Man that \s not wicked may be an ImpoT fi ar 1 A Letter to the Deists, i 73 ftor ; you will urge, That though Jefus Chrift and his Apoftles were not wicked Men, yet this will not prove them not to have been Impoftors, becaufe it is poflible, that in one of thefe two Cafes they might have been fuch. In order to the clearing of the firft of thefe Ob- jedions, I defire ydu would confider thefe three following Particulars. 1. That in every Religion there are thefe two Parts to be obferved, very diftind from each other. 1. The Religion it felf. And, 2. The Means whereby it is promoted and propagated among Men. foJterr 2. When the Impofture is only in the-&»er of thefe two •, and a true Religion, or at leaft one that is really believ'd to be fuch, is promoted and pro pagated among Men by means of Impofture ; that is, by feigning a Divine Revelation where there is none, or by counterfeiting Miracles, or by any other fuch Means tending to deceive Men thereinto ; this.. amounts to no higher than a pious Fraud, which out of an over-hot and inconfiderate Zeal fome Men have made ufe of for the promoting of the beft Ends. And fuch Men, for the Sake of fuch Ends, may foill be denominated good and righteous in the main, how much foever they have been out in making ufe of fuch Means to promote them- 3. When the Impofture is in the End as well as in the Means; and not only the Revelation pre tended, but alfo the Religion it felf is all falfe, coun terfeit, and feign'd ; this amounts to fuch an Im pofture as is totally wicked, without any mixture of Good therein. In the former Cafe, where the Im pofture is only in the Means, there is a good End defign'd, and therefore, fomethingj ftill from whence the Perfon ufing it may be denominated Good ; but 1 74 A Letter to the Deists. hut where the Impofture is in both, it is wickednefs all over, without any thing at all in it to exempt him from being perfedly wicked that maketh ufe thereof. Which Particulars being premis'd, my Anfwer to the Objedion is as followeth, i. I do acknowledge it to be related by * Au thors of good Credit, That Minos King of Crete, when he firft fram'd the Laws of his Country, to give them the greater Authority, us'd to re tire into a Cave on Mount Ditte, and from thence to bring them forth to the Cretans, as if they had been deliver'd to him by Jupiter- And that Numa, when he founded the Laws of Rome-]- pradtis'd the feme Art, pretending tq have received them from the Nymph Egeria, that fo he might procure them to be reeeivoby the Romans with the greater Ve neration. And by this Device they both obtain'd their End, in bringing very rude and barbarous People to fubmit to thofe good Orders and Rules which they prefcrib'd for their living civilly, peaceably, and juftly together. But this, although it were a Fraud in the Means, yet as far as it rela ted only to a Political End, belongs tq another matter, and doth not at all fall within that Ar gument of Religion which we are now treating of. 2. As to the Laws of Numa, I acknowledge that , '] they reach not only Matters of State, but thofe of Religion alfo ; and that the whole Method of the old Roman Religion was regulated and ftated by * Plato in Minoe 6? in primo Dialogo de legibus. Diony- fius Hali,carnaffeus, lib. i. Strabo, lib. \6. Valerius Maxi mum, l^b. i. c. 2. t Plutarchus in vita Num*, Si Dionyfius Halicatnaffeus, lib. i. them j A Letter to the Deists. 17^ them ; but that Numa founded any new Religion is what I utterly deny. For Numa left no other Reli gion behind' him in Rome at his Death, than fhat very fame Heathenifm which he found there at his firft coming thither to be King. For the City ha ving been then but newly founded, and the People made up of a Cofledion of the Refufe and Scufn of divers Nations there gather'd together, they were as much out of order in Matters of Religion, as in thofe belonging to the Civil Government ; and all that Numa did, when he came to reign over them, was to make Laws to regulate both ; and therefore, as he founded feveral wholfome Conftitutions for the orderly governing of the State, fo alfo did he for the regular worfhipping of the Gods then ack nowledged among them, without making any ef- fential Alteration in the Religion afore pradis'd by them. For had he done fo, then the Religion. of the Romans muft have differ'd from the Religion of the other Cities of Italy, which we find it did not. For they communicated with each other in their Worfhip, as they did alfo with the Greeks. And in truth, the old Roman Religion was no other than the Greek Heathenifm, the feme which was pradis'd in Greece, and in all thofe Countries which were planted with Colonies from thence, as almoft all Italy was at that time. And therefore the Ra mans, as well as the reft of the Cities of Italy, look'd on Delphos as a principal Place of their Wor fhip, with the feme Veneration that the Greeks did, and had frequent Recourfe thither on Religious Accounts, as the Roman Hiftories on many occafi ons acquaint us. And this Religion, Numa, while he liv'd among his Sabines, being accurately vers'd in, and alfo a diligent Pradifer of it j on his co ming to Rome, finding the Romans all out of order - ' in 1 76 A Letter to the Deists. in that little which they had of it ("for during the Reign of Romulus they minded little elfe but fight ing, and therefore had not leifure, or perchance any -great regard for this matter,) he not only in- ftruded them more fully in it, according as it was receiv'd in the Neighbouring Nations, but alfo fram'd feveral Rules and Conftitutions for their more regular and orderly Pradice of it, which did no more make the old Heathenifm of the Romans to be a new Religion, than the Body of Canons given us by King James the Firft, for the more orderly regulating of our Worfhip and Difcipline, makes our Religion a new Chriftianity. Only Numa, the better to make his Conftitutions to obtain among thofe barbarous People for whom he made them, pretended to have been inftruded in them by a Divine Perfon •, and in this he pradis'd a pious Fraud, but was by no means guilty of fuch an Impofture as we are now treating of. For he taught them no new Religion, but only the very fame Greek Heathen ifm which he had receiv'd with the reft of the People of Italy from their Forefathers, and really believ'd to be that very true Religion whereby God was to be ferv'd •, and therefore notwithftanding the Deceit he made ufe of, he might from the End which he propofed, and which he really effeded thereby, to the civilizing of a very barbarous fort of People, be ftill reckoned a juft and good Man 5 and to give him his due, he really was one of the moft excellent Perfbnages of that Age in which he liv'd ; and firft fow'd among the Romans the Seeds' of that Virtue with which they' fo eminently fig- naliz'd themfelves for fo many Ages after. But, 3. Jefus Chrift and his Apoftles took on them not only to be Mejfengers fent of God, but alfo to teach a new Religion to the World •, and therefore if they weter A Letter to the Deists, i 77 were Impoftors, they muft be fo in the large-ft.Senfe, both in refped of the Religion it felf, as well as the Means whereby they promoted it. And in this Cafe there could be nothing to excufe them from being altogether as wicked as I have alledg'd. Where the Religion is true, or really believ'd fo to be, there is a pious Intention in the End, which may fpeak fome Goodnefs in him that ufeth Fraud to promote it; and fuch a Goodnefs as greatly ex ceeds the Obliquity of the Fault which he commit- teth about it ; and therefore, altho' he cannot on the account of the Good be excus'd from the Evil (for it is always a Scandal to Religion to be promo ted by Falfhood ) yet ftill he muft be reckon'd more commendable from the one, than faulty from the other •, and in this Cafe there will ftill be room enough left from the Goodnefs of the End defign'd, and the Piety ofthe Intention, to denominate the Man Good and Righteous in the main, notwith ftanding the Fault committed in ufing fuch Means to bring it to effed. But where the Religion is all Forgery and Falfhood, as well as the Means of pro moting it, Deceit and Fraud, the Impofture then be comes fo totally and perfedly wicked, writhout the leaft mixture of Good therein, as muft neceflarily denominate the Authors and firft Propagators of it to be perfedly wicked alfo. If you fay, that fuch a perfed Impofture as this can have any good End, for the feke whereof the Authors of it may be freed from that Charge of Wickednefs which I lay upon them, that good End muft be either the Honour of *God, or the Benefit of Men. But how can God be more difhonour'd than by a falfe Religion? Or how can Men be more mifehiev'd than by having the Pradice of it impos'd on them, whereby they muft thus cqjiftaatly difho- N nour, 1 7 8 A Letter to the Deists. nour, artd confequently offend and lofe the Favour of him that made them ? An Impofture in this Cafe hath that Aggravation from the Objed it is about, as well as from the Perfedion of Iniquity which is in the Ad, that fuppofing it could be made pro- dudive of ariy good End, that Good would be fo vaftly over-ballaric'd by the wickednefs of the Means,-that it would be of no weight in cortipari- fon thereof, or at all avail to the rendering of thofe that fhall make ufe of it, lefs Wicked than I have faid. But when a Man can thus far proceed in Wickednefs towards Gbd, as to be the Author of conftant Difhonour unto him in a falfe Worfhip ; and towards Men, as to infnare them into all that Mifchief which muft be confequential hereto ; it muft neceflarily imply fuch a thorough Difregard of both, as every good Intention, in refped of either, muft be inconfiftent With. Arid therefore, if it be poflible that fuch a wicked Impofture can ever be made the Means to a good End, it is fearce to be conceiv'd how they who are fo wicked, as to be the Authors of it, could ever intend any fuch Good thereby. But further, if the Authors of filch an Impofture as we are now treating of, can be lefs wicked than I have faid, on the account of any Good which you pretend they may defign thereby ; I defire to know among what fort of Men you Will place them, while you thus plead their- Excufe. For they muft be one of thefe three v that is, either Atheifts, De- ifts, or Believers of an Inftituted Religion. i. If you fey they" are Atheifts, that Word alone contains enough to prove them perfedly wicked, whatever can be faid to the contrary. It is indeed agreeable enough to the Principles of this fort of Men, tbat fuck an Impofture as we are treating of^ may A Letter to the Deists. 1 79 may laudably be made ufe of to a good End; For they hold that all Religion is nothing elfe but a De vice of Politicians to keep the World in awe. But if the Atheift be the Devifer, what Intention of Good can the Device carry therewith ? None cer* tainly towards God, fince he Utterly denies his Be ing ; nor can it in this Cafe have any towards Men, fince by denying him for whofe fake it is that we are to do good to others, he cafts off therewith all the Reafon and Obligation which he hath, abftra- dive of his own Intereft, of doing any fuch at all* All the Good therefore that fuch a one can aim at, muft totally center in himfelf to advance his own Enjoyments, and gratify his own Lufts in all thofe things which his corrupt Affedions carry him af ter ', and to enjoy thefe without reftraint of Laws, or fear of Punifhment, being that alone which is the real and true Caufe that makes any Man deny that fupreme and infinitely good and juft Being, whom all things elfe prove : whoever is an Atheift, muft be perfedly wicked before he can be foch ; and what is there which can, while in that Impiety* ever give him a better Charader afterwards ? 2. If you fay they are Drifts, fuch as you profefs your felves to be ', your main Principle is againft all Inflituted Religion whatever,as if God were difhonour- ed, and Man injur'd by every thing of this nature pradis'd among us and can you then thinkj: that any who are thus perfuaded, can without being firft corrupted to a great degree of Impiety, as well as Hypocrify, ever become themfelves (fo con* trary to their own Sentiments) on any Pretence whatfoever, the Authors and Teachers of fuch a Religion among us ? 3. But if you place them among thofe whP are Believers of an Inflituted Religion, they muft abolifh N 2 that 1 80 A Letter to the Deists. that which they believe to be true, before they can introduce that by Impofture which they know to be falfe. And this muft be the Cafe of Jefus Chrift and his Apoftles, if they were fuch Impoftors as you hold them to be. For they were educated and brought up in the Jewlfh Religion, which they be liev'd to be from God, and the whole Tenour of the Religion which they taught, fuppofeth it fb to ot:; and that it was the only true way whereby God was to be worfhip'd by them, 'till they deli- ver'd their new Revelations, which totally abolifh'd this Religion, and eflablifh'd the Chriftian in its Head ; and therefore if thofe Revelations were not true and real, as they pretended they were, but all fofg'd and counterfeited by them, as you fey ; they mufoabolifh a Religion, which they believ'd to be trne^ to make way for that which they knew to be falfe, and thereby become wilfully and knowing ly, according to their own Belief, the Authors of leading Men from feving Truths, into damning Errors, to the utter Deftrudion of their Souls for ever •, and alfo of depriving God of that acceptable Worfhip, whereby he was truly honour'd accor ding to his own Appointment, to introduce in its ftead a falfe Superftition of their own deviling, which muft be a conftant Difhonour unto him as long, as pradifed among us. And if Jefus Chrift and his Apoftles were fuch Impoftors, as all this im ports ; and fe.ch they muft be if they were Impo ftors at all ; they muft be guilty of that Impiety towards God, as well as that Injuftice towards Men herein, as muft neceflarily fuppofe them the wickedeft of Men before they could arrive hereto ', and therefore if they were not fuch wicked Men, this abnndantly demonftrates, they could not be fuch Impoftors as you charge them to be. As A Letter to the Deists, i 8 1 As to the fecond Objedion, That a Man may be" an Impoftor thro' Enthuftafm and Miftake, and falfly impofe Things for Divine Revelations, not out of a wicked Defign to deceive others, but that he is herein really deceiv'd himfelf ; and that therefore there is no neceflity that all Impoftors fhould be fuch wicked Perfons as I have alledg'd : My Anfwer hereto is, i. I do acknowledge that Enthuftafm hath carry'd Men into very ftrange Conceits and Extravagan cies upon the Foundation of a Religion already efta- blifh'd, as we have Inflances enough hereof in the Anabaptifts of Germany, the Quakers here with us, the * Batenifts among the Mahometans, and in fome of the Reclufes of the Church of Rome. But that En thuftafm could ever go fo far, as to fancy a Divine Revelation for the eftablifhing of a new Religion, and upon foch a Fancy propagate that Religion in the World, as if it came from God, is that which I cannot believe; and there is no Inftance, that I know of, that can be given hereof. But, idly, Allowing it poflible, this Objedion then, as apply'd to the Cafe in hand, muft fuppofe Jefus Chrift, and his Apoftles, to have been deceiv'd by Enthuftafm into the Religion which they taught 5 and that therefore, altho' they were by no means fuch wicked Men as a wilful Impofture muft fuppofe them to be, yet ftill they might be Impoftors by Mi ftake ; and being by Enthuftafm fo far deluded, as * They were a fort of Mahometan Entbuftafts in the Eaft, who follow'd the "Light within them in tbe fame manner as the Quakers with us, and therefore were call'd Batenifts from the Arabic^ Word, Baten, intus. And on this Principle they did all the Villanies imaginable, pretending an Impulfe thereto (tow. this Light within them. N 3 to 1 8 2 A Letter to ihe Deists, to think That to come to them from God by Di vine Revelation, which had no other Birth but from their own wild Fancies, might preach it to Men as fuch, not out of a wicked Defign to deceive, but that they were really herein deceiv'd them* felves. But is it poflible for any Man to conceive, that fo grave, fo ferious, and fo wifely a fram'd Religion as Chriftianity is, could ever be the Spawn of Enthuftafm ? Whatfoever is the Produd of that, ufethever to be like the Parent, Wild and extra vagant in all its Parts, often difegreeing with all manner of Reafon, and often as much with it felf. But Chriftianity is in all its Parts as rational as it is food, giving us the jufteft Notions of God, the beft recepts of our Duty towards him, and the exad* eft Rules of living honeftly and righteoufly with each other, and hath a thorough Conformity to it felf in every particular of it ; on which account it hath been approv'd and admir'd for the excellency ©f its Compofere, and the Wifclom of its Gonitis tutions, even by the beft and wifeft of thofe who never fobmitted thereto; and therefore always carries with it Marks and Evidences enough in the very Nature of it, fufficiently to prove it vaftly above the Power of fuch aCaufe ever to produce it. 3. The Founder and firft Teachers of Chriftianity gave fuch Evidences for the Truth thereof, as En thuftafm could never produce. For can Enthuftafm raife the Dead to Life again, cure all manner of Di- feafes, and work fuch other Miracles as Chrift and his Apoftles did ? Had they by Enthuftafm been mi- ftaken in the Dodrines- which they taught, cer tainly God would never have wrought fuch wonder ful Works by their Hands as give Teftimony there, 19* ' .4, Several A Letter to the Deists. 183 4- Several of the principal Articles of our Faith depend upon fuch Matters of Fad, as allow no room for Enthuftafm to take place in them ; as that of the Refurrettion ,of our Saviour from the dead, his Afcenfton into Heaven, and the Defcent of the Holy Ghoft in the Gift of Tongues. For in fuch things as thefe, which Men fee with their Eyes, and hear with their Ears, and feel with their Hands (as one ©f the Apoftles did the very Wounds of our Saviour after his Refurrettian) no Enthuftafm can ever lead Men into a Miftake. For can it poflibly be feid, that it was only by Enthuftafm that Five hundred Men together few Chrift after he was rifen again from the dead ?*pr that it was by Enthuftafm that his Apoftles few him afeend up into Heaven from Mount Olivet in the- prefence of them all at Noon day?. Or that it was only by Enthuftafm that the fame Apoftles on the Day of Pentecoft receiv'd the Gift of Tongues by the Defcent ofthe Holy Ghoft upon them, fo.as to be able to converfe with all the fe veral Nations then at Jerufalem in their own Lan guages, without ever having learnt any thing of them ? To fey that Men could any way be mifta- Icen in foch Things as thefe, will be to deny the Certainty of Senfe, and overthrow the Foundati ons of all manner of Knowledge whatever. It muft therefore be feid as to thefe Particulars, as it muft alfo of all the Miracles of our Saviour, which give Teftimony to the Dodrines which he taught, That his Apoftles, who teftify'd them unto the World, and upon the Credit of them built up. that Religion which they deliver'd unto us, did either fee them really done as they relate, or they did not fee them. If they did fee them, no Enthuftafm could ever make them be miftaken therein ; and if they did not, they muft be altogether as bad Impoftors as Maho- N 4. wet 184 A Letter to the Deists. met himfelf, in teftifying them unto us-, and what but as great Wickednefs as his, could ever induce them fo to do ? SECT. IV. IV. The next Mark of an Impofture is, That it muft unavoidably contain in it feveral palpable Fal- fities, whereby may be made appear the Falfity of all the reft. For whoever invents a Lie, can net ver do it fo cunningly and knowingly, but ftill there will be fome Flaw or other left in it, which will expofe it to a Difeovery •, and no Man who frames an Invention, can ever fecure it herefrom without two Qualifications, whieh no Man can have •, and they are, ift. A thorough Knowledge of all manner of Truths. And idly, fuch an ex- ad Memory, as can bring them all prefent.to his Mind, whenever there fhall be an Occafion. For to make the Lie pafs without Contradidion, he muft make it put on a feeming Agreement with all other Truths whatever- And how can any one do this without knowing all Truths, and having them alfo all ready and prefent in his Mind to confider them in order thereto ? And fince no Man is fuffi- cient for this, no Man is fufficient fo to frame a Lie, but he will always put fomething or other into it, which Will palpably prove it to be fo. For if there be but any one known Truth in the whole Scheme of Nature with which it interferes, this muft make the Difeovery ; and there is no Man that forgeth an Impofture, but makes himfelf liable this way to be conyided of it. This is the Method whereby We diftinguifh fuppofititious Authors from thofe which are genuine, and fabulous Writers from true Hiftorians. For there is always fomething in fuch, which difegrees from known Truths, to make the pifcoyeryi A Letter to the Deists. 185 Difeovery, fome Flaw always left, in fpight of the utmoft Care and Forefight of the Forger, that , betrays the Cheat. Thus Annimh Impofture of his Berofus, Manetho and Megafthenes became deteded, and fo alfo we know the Tufcan Antiquities of Inghi- ramius to be a Cheat of the like Nature. And by the feme Rule is it that we receive Saluft, Tacitus, and Suetonius for true Hiftorians, and rejed others as Writers of Fables, and of no Authority with us : And if we examine the Alcoran of Mahomet by the feme Method, nothing can be more plainly convid- ed of Falfity and Impofture, than that muft be by it. For altho' in that Book he allows both the Old and the New Teftament to be of Divine Authority, yet in a multitude of Inftances he differs from both : I mean not in Matters of Law and Religion, for here his Defign is to differ •, but in Matters of Fad and Hiftory, which if once true, muft evermore be the feme. They have a Fetch indeed to bring him off, by faying, that the Jews and the Chriftians corrup ted thofe holy Books, and therefore where he re lates Things otherwife than they do, he doth there reftore Truth, and not vary from it. But certain ly this will not hold, where by a very grofs blun der, he makes the Virgin * Mary the Mother of our * Alcoran, l. 3. where obferve, that through all that Chap ter, in every place, where the French, and out of that the Englijh Tranflation of the Alcoran, hath Joachim, in the Origi nal Arabic it is Amran, and from thence this Chapter in the ¦Original is call'd Surata'l Amran, i. e. the Chapter of Amran. But in both thefe Tranflations it is called the Chapter of Joachim. For Mahomet miftaltjng the Virgin Mary to be the fame with Miriam, the Sifter, of Mofes, makes Amran to be her Father. But Ryer, the French Tranflator, very imprudently taking upon him to correct the Impnftor's Blunder, puts Joachim in the place Of i8tf A Letter to ihe Deists. our Saviour, to be the fame with Miriam, the Sifter of Mofes. For this would be to put the Gofpel fo dofe upon the Heels of the Law, as to allow no time for the taking place of this latter, before it would have been totally abolifh'd by the former. But what moft difcovers his Impofture, are the mon- ftrous Miftakes which he makes in the Moral part thereof. For he allows Fornication, and juftifies Adultery by his Law, and makes War, Rapine, and Slaughter to be the main part of the Religion which he taught-, which being contrary to the Nature of God, from whom he fays he reCeiv'd it, and con trary to that Law of unalterable and eternal Truth, which he hath written in the Hearts of all of us From the beginning ; the obvious Principles of eve- ty Man's Reafon convid him of Falfhood herein, and thereby manifeftly prove all the reft to be no thing elfe but an abominable Impiety of his own In vention, And were the Religion of Jefus Chrift, as ¦deliver'd to us in the New Teftament, an Impofture like this, it muft have the fame Flaws therein, that is, many Falfities in Matter of Fad, and more in Doctrine, and all his Prophecies would be without Truth in the Original, or Verification in the Event. And when you can make out any one of thefe Par ticulars againft it, then we will be ready to fey the feme thereof that you do, That all is Cheat and Im pofture, and no Credit or Faith is any longer to be given thereto. And ift, As to the Matters of Fad contain'd in the Hiftory ofthe New Teftament, whoever yet con fided any one of them of Falfhood ? Or whoever fo much as endeavour'd it in the Age when the Books — ™«^— ^"— — ^— ^™— ¦— ^ ¦— ^^—^*^—^—^— .^ ¦¦.«»- .«— ¦. of Amran, and thereby gives >us a falfe Verfion, where it is \*ry material in prder to the expofing of that Impofture, to jcnovf %ht tru?, And the E.igHJh, Tranflator follows him herein. were A Letter to ihe Deists, i 87 were firft written, when the Falfhood might have be'en beft prov'd, had there been any fuch in them, and the doing hereof would have fo much ferv'd the Defigns of thofe bitter Enemies of the Chrifti an Caufe, who from the firft did the utmoft they could to fupprefs it ? When Relations of Matters of Fad pafs uncontradided and uncontroll'd in the Age in which they were tranfeded, and among thofe who thought themfelves greatly concern'd to have them believ'd falfe, this muft be taken for an undeniable Argument of . their Truth. And this Argument the Hiftory of the New Teftament hath on its fide in its fulleft Strength. For the Books were written and publifh'd in the very Age in which the Things related in them were done, yet no one then ever contradided or convided of Fal£ hood any one Paflage in them, though Chriftianity had from the very beginning the Profeffors of all other Religions in moft bitter Enmity againft it, who would have been moft ready and glad fo to do, could they have found but the leaft Pretence for it. And had any of thofe Relations been falfe, there were then means enough undeniably to have convi ded them of it. For thofe Things which are related ' of Jefus Chrift and his Apoftles in the Hiftory of .the New Teftament, are not there feid to have been done in Cornersj where none were prefent to contradict; them, but upon the open Stage ofthe World, and many of them in the Sight of Thoufands ; and there fore had they not been really done, or done other- wife than related, there could not have wanted Witnefles enough to make Proof hereof. And moft certainly thofe who fo bitterly oppos'd Chriftiani ty from the firft, would have found them out, and ' made ufe of their Teftimonies to the utmoft for the overthrowing of the Caufe they fo violently oppos'd j 1 88 A Letter to the Deists. oppos'd-, and had they done fo, to be fure wc fhould have had thofe Teftimonjes in the Mouths of all its Enemies ever fince. For they would have yielded them the ftrongeft and the moft prevailing Argument they could poflibly have urg'd againft it. The falfe Pretences of all other Impoftors have been deteded by thofe who liv'd in their Times, and the true Hiftory is given of them inftead of the falfe pnes which they gave of themfelves. And had Je fus Chrift and his Apoftles been like Impoftors, and the Things related of them in the Books of the NewTeftament falfe and forg'd, it is not poflible to conceivej efpecially in the Circumftances above- mention'd, how they could have efcap'd the like Difeovery ; but certainly in this cafe, amidft fo many Witnefles who could have prov'd the Fal fhood, and fo many Enemies who were eager to detedit, all muft have come out, and every falfe Narrative would have been fhown to be fuch, and , the true one given in its ftead, and we fhould have heard enough hereof from the Adverfaries of our Holy Religion through evry Age fince. And that this was not done when there was fuch bitter Oppofition againft the Chriftian Religion from the, firft propagating of it, and it Would have been fo ftrong an Argument againft it, can be affign'd to no other caufe, but that the Things related were fo evidently and manifeftly true, as not to afford the leaft Pretence for the con tradiding of them. But this is not all we have to fay in the cafe. For it hath not only happened that none of thofe Mat ters of Fad have ever been con.tradided, or prov'd falfe by any of the firft Enemies of Chriftianity, *Who were beft able to have done fo, had there been that Impofture in them which you alledge ; but On the contrary many of them have been allow'd true, A Letter to the Deists. 189 true, and attefted by them. For. two of the moft lurprizing Particulars related in the Gofpels are confirm'd by the Teftimony of Heathen Writers, I mean the Murther of the Innocents by Herod at Beth lehem, and the wonderful Eclipfe of the . Sun, which happened at the Death of our Saviour, contrary to the Nature of a Solar Eclipfe, when the Moon was in the Full. (*) Macrobius tells us of the former, and (-f-) Phlegon Trallianus of the latter. And that which is the moft important part of all, and bears the greateft Teftimony to the Truth of the whole, was allow'd and acknowfedg'd on all Hands both by Jews and Heathens even in their bittereft Oppo- fition againft the Chriftian Caufe, I mean the Ac count Which is given in thofe Sacred Books of the Miracles of our Saviour. For both of them have yielded to the Truth hereof ; only the Jews fey, that he wrought them by virtue of the Tetragram- maton, or the Sacred Name Jehovah, ftolen by him out of the Temple (which the ridiculoufnefs of the Fable they relate concerning it, fufficiently con futes) and the Heathens, by Magick Art. And therefore Phitoftratm and Hierocles finding no other way to overthrow the Authority which thofe Mi racles gave his Religion, confronted againft him the Hiftory of Apollonius Tyaneus, whom they pretend ed by the feme Art of Magick to have done as won derful Things, and by this means endeavour'd at leaft to invalidate thofe miraculous Works of his, which they could not deny. And, (*) Saturnal. lib. 2. c. 4. (t-) vi^e Chronicon Eufebii, & Origenis contra Celfum librum fecundum, & Tradt. ad Matth.xum 35. 2dly. ipo A Letter to the Deists, 2dly. As to the Prophecies of our Saviour, the Truth of their Event in every particular proves the Truth of him that predided them. For did he not come from God,* how could he have this won derful Knowledge, as thus to foretel Things to come ? Were he not of the Secrets of the AlmigU* ty, how could he fo certainly have forefhown what in Aftertimes he would bring to pafs ? If it were only by guefs that he did fo, how poffibly could all things fo exadly fall out in the Event, that nothing fhould in the leaft happen otherwife than as he pre dicted; efpecially fince as to moft of them, it can* not be fo much as faid, that there was any place for Human Sagacity, or the leaft probable Conje- dure to help him to any Fprefight therein ? For how improbable was it that the Religion which he taught, fhould, againft the bent of the whole World, have made fo great and fpeedy Progrefs therein, as he foretold that it fhould ? or that fuch Instruments as heemploy'd in this Work, a com pany of poorj ignorant, and -contemptible Fiftner* men, fhould ever have been able to have effeded it, without the extraordinary Providence of Gad over-ruling the Hearts, as well as the Power of Men ? A thing in the ordinary courfe of Human Affairs fo unlikely to fucceed, could never have been brought to pafs ; nor could our Saviour' have any manner of ground from the nature of the thing, fo muGh as to guefs at fo ftrange an Event, and therefore could never have fo pundually fore*. told it ; but that being fent of God to begin this Work, he foreknew ah" that he would do for the perfeding of it. And the feme is to be faid of what he further predided of this holy Religion as to its continuance among us to the end ofthe World, of the calling ofthe Gentiles thereinto, and the re ceding A Letter to ihe Deists. 191 jeding of the Jews ; of the great Calamities which fhould attend that People (as accordingly they have through all Ages fincej and particularly of that great and terrible Calamity which was to fall upon them in the Deftrudion of Jerufalem, and accor dingly happened about Forty Years after, which he fo exadly foretold, not only as to the Time, (for he faith it fhould be before that * Generation fhould pafs away) but alfo as to all other the moft confiderable Circumftances of it, that nothing can be a more exad and perfed Comment on the 24th Chapter of St. Matthew, and thofe other Paffages in the Gafpels where this difmal Deftrudion is fore told, than that Hiftory ofjofephus which gives us an account how it was brought to pafs. And that part of the Prophecy which relates to the final De ftrudion of the Temple, foretelling, that one Stone fhould not be left upon another, hath been fo exadly verify'd, that notwithftanding feveral Attempts which have been made for the re-edifying of it, it could never be effeded ; no, not as far as the lay ing of one Stone upon another in order thereto, even to this Day. And when Julian the Apoftate, out of defign to confront this Prophecy, and give the Lye thereto, employ'd both the Power and the Treafure of the Roman Empire for the re-building of it, Heaven it felf interpos'd in an extraordinary manner, to make good what Chrift had predided to be the eftablifh'd Purpofe of the Almighty, which nothing was able to alter, and by a miracu lous Fire deftroy'd the Work as faft as it was built, and at length forc'd the Undertakers totally to de- fift therefrom. For the Truth whereof, I will not * Matth. c. 24. v. 34. refer 192 A Letter to theDEists. refer you to the Teftimony of Socrates Scholafticust Sozjtmen, Chryfoftom, or any other of the Chriftian Writers who relate it ; but to One whom you can not fufped of ferving the Intereft of the Chriftian Caufe herein, he being as much an Adverfery there to as any of you -, I mean Ammianus Marcellinus, who was an Heathen Writer, and then ferv'd under Julian in his Wars in the Ea ft, at the fame time when this happen'd. His Words concerning it (lib. 23. c 1 .) are as followeth. Ambitiofum quondam apud Hierofolymam Templum, quod poft mult A & i'nterneciva certamina, obftdente Vefpaftano poftea* tjue Tito, mgre eft expugnatum, inftaurare [umptibus excogitabat immodicis, negotiumque maturandum Aly- pio dederat Antiochenft, qui olim Britannias cur aver at pro Prafebtis. Cum itaque rei idem fortiter inftaret Alypiw, juvarctque Provincia Reftor, metuendi globi flammarum prope fundamenta crebris ajfultibus erum- pentes fecere locum, exuftis aliquoties operantibus, in- accejfum, hocque modo elemento deftinatius repellente, ceftavit inceptum : i. e. " Julian having a defign to " rebuild with extraordinary Expence, the Tem- " pie of Jerufalem, formerly a very ftately Strud- " ure (which, firft Vefpaftan, and after Titus, lay- " ing Siege thereto, was, after many bloody Con- " Aids, at length with difficulty taken and de- " ftroy'd) committed the care of the Bufinefs to " Alypius the Antiochian, who formerly had been " Froprafeti of Brit any, to be with all fpeed expe- " dited by him. But while Alypius was diligently " preffing on the Work, and the Governor of the " Province helping him therein, dreadful Balls of " Fire breaking forth from the Foundations of the cc Building, did by their frequent Eruptions make " the Place unacceflible, the Workmen being fe- " veral times defhoy'd by the Fire, as they went " to A Letter to the Deists. 19^ tc to their Labour •, and by this means the Element " ftill perfifting as of purpofe td obfirud it, the " Work ceas'd". And it hath never fince been again attempted, even to this Day, nOr is there: now left the leaft remainder of its Ruins, to fhow fo much as the Place where this Temple once ftood ; or have thofe who travel thither, any other Mark whereby to find it out, but the Mahometan Mofque, ereded on the fame Plat by Omar, the fecond Suc- ceflbr of Mahomet ; and which hath now continued for above a Thoufand Years to pollute w,ith the worft of Superftitions, that fecred Ground on which it was formerly built. Had our Saviour beeti an Impoftor, and foretold. all thefe things without any Knowledge of the Counfels of him who was to bring them to pafs, fomething certainly muft have happened in theEvent of fo many Particulars, as would have given the Lye to his Predidioris, and you the opportunity of conviding him thereof by plain Matters of Fad falling out contrary to therm -And although this could not have been done at firft, but poffibly fuch Prophecies as thefe might have impos'd for a while on the Credulity of ma ny •, yet we that' have pafs'd the time of theft Completion, could never be deceiv'd thereby •, but by the Event muft plainly know, Whether What he" foretold be true or falfe, and from thence*' have enough to make a judgment alfo of the Truth of him that predided them. And therefore had Pur Saviour, like Mahomet, invented his Religion, to de ceive the World ; if he intended it fhould have continu'd, he muft have taken the fame COurfe that Mahomet did, and never ventur'd at any Pro phecy at all, that- he might not be confuted by the* Event, arid fo lofe his whole DefigriV If you an fwer, That our Saviour foretold future Events af- 0 te* 1 94 'A Letter to the Deists. ter , the feme manner as the Pharifees faid he wrought his Miracles ; that is, by the Prince ofthe Devils : You afcribe that Knowledge to the wicked One, which is above his reach to attain unto. The Oracles which he gave in the Heathen Temples, only prove him able to cheat Mankind with dubious and. dark Anfwers, but never clearly to inform them of the future Purpofes of the Almighty. And indeed, howcan it be imagiu'd that fuch an accurfed one, as he that is caft off at the greateft diftance from GW(who alone governs all the Works of his Cre ation, and by the Wifdom of his Providence orders every Event that attends them) fhould ever be fo privy to hisCounfels, as to be able to foreknow any thing that he determines,concerning them •, unlefs it be where he himfelf i^ imploy'd as an Executioner of his Juftice to bring it to pafs ? But all our Savi our's Predictions were clear and full, foretelling Things to come, in the feme manner as Hiftorians relate them when paft, without Ambiguity in the Words, or Perplexity in the Matter, or the leaft room left for Evafion or Deceit in them, and were all exadly fulfiU'd in their appointed time-, and we have the continuance of his Gofpel, the fpreadr ing of it through all the Nations of the Earth, the Rejection of the Jews, the Calamities of thofe Peo ple in a continu'd Exile, and the total Deftrudion of their Temple, ftanding Evidences hereof, even to this Day. And how could all this ever have happened fo fxadly according to his Word, but that he was that Holy and "Bkfled One, who had the Caunfels of the Almighty communicated unto him, and was fent by Him on purpofe to declare unto us as many of them as were neceffary for us to know, in order to the attaining of Everlafting Life ? And, . , ^dly. A Letter io the Deists. 195 idly, As to the Doftrinal Part of his Religion, what can be more worthy of God, than the Notions which he gives us of him, and the Worfhip which he direds us to render unto him ? And what more worthy of us, and perfeding of our Nature, than that Law for the Condud of our Lives which he hath deliver'd unto us ? And what can be more Holy, Pure, and Perfed, than the Precepts there of? Here the Sublimity and vaft Extent of the Matter give Scope large enough for the wifeft of Men to bewilder and lofe themfelves in Error and Miftake •, and yet convince us but of anv one fuch in the whole Extent ofour Religion, and that alone fhall be fufficient to prove the Impofture you would charge it with, and I will yield you all you would have for the feke thereof. But it is fo far herefrom, that I durft make you your felves the Judges, whe* ther it delivers any thing elfe unto us of the Na ture and Excellencies of God, but what the Reafon of every Man (altho' barely that alone, thro' that Cloud of Ignorance and Error which the Fall hath over-fpread us with, could never clearly make the Difeovery) muft now, when thus difcover'd, ever juftify and admire : Whether it preferibes us any one particular relating to his Worfhip, but what is moft agreeable to thofe his Excellencies : And whether the Precepts and Laws therein laid down unto us for the governing of our Lives and Con- verfetioris, be any other than what do all corre- fpond fo exadly with every thing which the ratio nal Didates of our Nature direft us to, that they take them all in without Omiffion or Defed, and improve them to the utmoft without Error or Mi ftake in the leaft Circumftance that belongs unto them ? If you fay, that all this might be attained to by Human Wifdom and Study, I anfwer, fuppo- O 2 {fog 196 A Letter to ihe Deists. ling it could, yet looking on our Saviour barely as a Man, and his Holy Apoftles without any other Affiftance than that of their own natural Endow ments, how poflibly could they reach fo high ? To do this requires that vaft compafs of Knowledge in all the things of Nature, Law, and Morality, as it is not poffible to conceive Men, of their Education and low Employments in the World, could ever have arriv'd unto. If you examine what other Men have done by Human Wilclom and Study only, you will find thofe ofthe moft elevated Genius and fub- limeft Underftanding could never with their ut moft Induftry and Search attain unto what you fup pofe herein, or that the higheft Knowledge of Men could ever reach tbat Perfedion in any of the Particulars above-mention'd, in which the Gofpel of Jefus Chrift delivers them unto us. For what Blun ders and Abfurdities do the wifeft ofthe Philofophers lay down. concerning the Deity ? What Errors arid Follies have they taught and pradis'd concerning his Worfhip ? And what Miftakes have thofe who exalted Morality to the higheft pitch among Men, made therein ? Plato in his Common-Wealth al- low'd the common ufe of Women. Ariftotle afTerts it to be natural and juft for the Greeks to make War, upon the Barbarians, for no other Reafon but that they are fo ; and both He and Tully place Revenge among their Virtues. And whoever had vafter Ca pacities for Human Knowledge, or ever went high er by the Abilities of Natural Reafon and Under ftanding." only in the Search thereof, than thofe Men ? Yet ftill being no more than Men, they could not avoid putting fomething of the Infirmi ties of Man even into that wherein they made ap pear their higheft Perfedions ; Error, Miftake, and Ignorance bdng fo natural unto all of us, that fipifhi4!' A Letter to the Deists, i 97 neither the greateft, the. wifeft, nor the beft a- mong us can be totally free therefrom. And there fore had Chrift and his Apoftles no other help in the Dodrines which they taught, but that which is Human, they muft alfo in like manner have put that which is Human thereinto, and the Infirmities Miftakes and Errors that attend Human Nature^ would have appear'd in all that they deliverd unto' us. But the Dodrines which they taught, and the Books in which they deliver'd them unto us, being fo totally free from all fuch Errors and Miftakes, as I have already fhewn that they are -, this direds us to look higher than Man for the Founder of this Holy Religion, and the Original Author of thofe Books in which it is contain'd -, and neceflarily proves, that only he who is infinite in Knowledge, and in finite in all other Perfedions, could thus give us a Law fo exadly like himfelf, throughly perfed in the whole, and infallibly true in every particular thereof. SECT. V. V. Another Mark of Impofture is, that where- ever it is firft propagated, it muft be done by Graft and Fraud -, and this is natural to all manner of Cheats. For the End of fuch being to deceive, Craft and Fraud are the Means whereby it is to be effeded. In this Cafe a Lie muft be made to go for a Truth, and an Appearance for a Reality ; and to compafs this, a great deal of Art muft be .made ufe of, both to drefs up the Cheat, that it may ap pear to be what it pretends, and alfo to caft fuch a Mift before the Eyes of Men, that they may not fee it to be otherwife, and that efpecially where the Cheat is an Impofture in Religion- "For whoever comes with a new Religion to be propos'd to the h 3 World, 198 A Letter lo the Deists. World, muft find all Menfo far prejudic'd and pre* poflefs'd againft it, as they are affeded to the old one they have before profefs'd ; and therefore when Men are educated, or any otherwife fix'd and fet tled in a Religion (and all Mankind are in fome or other) they are not apt eafily to forego it, but it muft be fomething more than ordinary that muft bring them over to another contrary thereto. When the new Religion really comes from God fas the Jewift,- Religion firft, and after the Chriftian did) it brings its Credentials with it, the Power of Miracles to make Way for its Reception. For when Men find the Omnipotency of God working with it,they have from thence fufficierit Evidence given them from whom it comes, and there is need of no o- ther Means to induce them to helieve, but that the Religion which God doth in filch a manner own and atteft, muft be from him. But where there is no foch Power accompanying the new Religion to gain Credit thereto, the defed hereof muft be made up by fomewhat elfe, to draw over the People to its; Belief; and this is that which muft put all Impoftors upon Craft and Fraud in order to the compaffing of .their Ends. But that Jefus Chrift and his Apo ftles made ufe of no fuch Craft or Fraud to induce Men into theBelief of thivHoly Religion which they taught, and confequently could be no fuch Impo ftors, will be beft made'appear by going overall thofe ways of Craft and Fraud which Mahomet feiVdhiriifelf of : and by fhowing you that none of them can poffibly be faid to have been pradis'd by any of them. For Mahomet being one of the craf- tieft CheatS'that ever fet up to impofe a falfe Reli- gimr'on Mankind, and the only Perfon that ever. carry-d on his wicked Defign with Succefs, you maybe fure he left no Art or Deyice unpradis'd, which A Letter to the Deists, i 99 which could poffibly be made ufe of with any Ad vantage for the compaffing of it. And therefore by proving unto you that none of thofe Methods of Craft and Fraud, which were made ufe of for the firft propagating of Mahometifm, were ever pra dis'd in the firft preaching of Chriftianity ; I fhall fufficiently prove that no Craft or Fraud at all, which is any Way pradicable on fuch Occafions, can ever be charg'd thereupon.- For, 1 . Mahomet made ufe of all manner of Infinuati- on both with Rich and Poor, for the gaining of their Affedion, thereby to gain them to his Impo fture alfb. But our Saviour Chrift and his Apoftles did quite the contrary, freely convincing all Men of their Sins, without having regard to any thing elfe but the faithful Difeharge of the Miffion on which they were fent ; which inftead Of reconci ling Men to their Perfons, provok'd the World againft them, and they fufficiently experienc'd it fromthe ill Ufage which they found therein. 2. Mahomet, theeafier to draw over the Arabi ans to his Party, indulg'd them by his Law in all thofe Paffions and corrupt Affedions which hefound them ftrongly addided to, efpecially thofe of Luft and War, which thofe Barbarians, above all the Nations of the Earth, were by their natural Incli nations moft violently carry'd after ; and there fore he allows them a Plurality of Wives, and a free ufe of their Female Slaves fqr the fatisfying of their Luft, and makes it a main part of his Religion for them to fight againft, plunder, and deftroy all that would not be of it. But Jefus Chrift and his Apoftles allow'd no fuch Pradices, but ftridly pro hibited all manner of Sin, how much foever in Re putation among Men, even to the forbidding of many Things till then allow'd and held lawful O ^ among 200 A Letter to the Deists. among thofe whcf.were call'd God's own People \ and therefore inftead of feeking theFavour of Men, by indulging them in their Lufts and finfulPradifes, they laid a much ftrider reftraint upon them than was ever done before. . sdly,: Mahomet to pleafe his \ Arabians, retain'd in the Religion whichhe taught them, moft of thofe Rites and Ceremonies which, they had been accu- ftom'd to under that which he abolifh'd, and alfb the Temple of Mecca, in which they were chiefly perform'd. But Jefus. Chrift, without having any regard to the pleafing of Men, abolifh'd both the^ Temple and the Law, which the Jews were fo bigot- ted unto, and alfo the total worfhipping of God by Sacrifices, without being at all influenc'd to the gon trary, by that extravagant Fondnefs which he knew the. whole World had then for them. qthly, Mahomet, when he found any of his new Laws not fo well to ferve his turn, craftily fhifted the Seem, and brought them about to his Purpofe by foch Alterations as would beft fuit therewith -, and therefore when his making his Kebla towards Jerufdlem did not fo well pleafe his Country- men, lie turn'd it about again towards Mecca, and or der'd all his Pilgrimages thither, as in the time of their Idolatry. Arid the like Changes he made in. many other Particulars, according as he found his Intereft requir'd. And this is that which every Im poftor, muft do., For Intereft being the End which all fuch aim at, it is impoffible that they can fo well lay their Defigns in order to it, but that emerging Changes in the one, will frequently require Chan ges in, the other alfo. But Jefus Chrift never made the- leaft alteration in any of the Dodrines or Pre cepts which he deliver'd, but what he -firft taught, both be 01$ |}is Djfeiples immutably perfiltecj in, A Letter to ihe Deists. 201 without at all regarding how violently all the Inte refts of the World ran counter to them here in. And what can be a more certain Evidence that none fuch was the bottom which they were built upon ? %thly, Mahomet, under pain of Death, forbad all manner of Difputes about his Religion, and nothing could be a wifer Courfe to prevent its Follies and Abfurdities from being deteded and expos'd. For they being fuch as could never ftand the trial of a rational Examination, they muft all have foon been exploded, had every Man been allow'd the free ufe of his Reafon to enquire into them. But Chrift and his Apoftles direct the quite contrary Courfe. For pur Saviour bids the Jews fearch the Scriptures for the trial of thofe Truths which he taught them, (John 5. v. 39.) And the Noble Berceans are com mended, that they did fo, before they would re ceive thofe Dodrines of the Chriftian Religion which were preach'd unto them, Alls ij.v. it. And St. Paul gives us this general Rule, firft to prove or try all Things, and then to hold faft that only which we find to be good, i Thef. 5. v. 21. It is only Error and Falfhood that defires to fhelter it felf in the dark, and dares not expofe it felf to an ©pen View and Trial. But Truth being always certain of its own Stability, makes ufe of no Art to fupport it felf, but dares venture it felf abroad on its own Foundation only, and boldly offers it felf to every Man's Search ; and the more it is lifted and examined into, the more bright and refulgent will it always appear. And fince Chriftianity from the firft ever took this Courfe (as it ftill dothwhere- ever purely profefs'd) and inftead of prohibiting Difputes about it, invites all Men to fearch and exainine thereinto; this fufficiently . argues, how certain. 202 A Letter to ^Deists. certain the firft Teachers of it were of its Truth* and that no Cheat or Impofture could ever be inten ded thereby. 6thly, Mahomet made choice of a People firft to propagate his Impofture among, who were of all Men moft fitted tb receive it ; and that on two Accounts: i. Becaufe of the Indifferency which they were grown to as to any Religion at all : And, a. Becaufe of the great Ignorance they were in of all manner of Learning at that time, when he firft yeated his Forgeries among them, there being then but only one Man among all the Inhabitants of .Metta that could either write or read. For who are more fit to be impos'd on than the Ignorant ? And whqcan be more eafy to receive a New Religi on, than thofe who are not prepoflefs'd with any other to prejudice them againft it ? The Papifts, who, next Mahomet, have the greateft claim to Jmfyoftwe, as to thofe Errors which they teach, ve ry well underftand how fuch a Caufe is to be ferv'd by both thofe Particulars; and therefore make it their Bufinefs as much as they can, to keep their ©wn People in Ignorance, and pervert all thofe they call Hemicks, to Atheifm and Infidelity, that fo, having no Religion at all, they may be the better prepar'd again to receive theirs. And that there ane fo.many Atheifts now among us, it is too well, known, how much it is owing to their Heflifh Arti- ftce againft us. But all was quite contrary as to thofe whom Chrift and his Apoftles firft preach'd ©ur Holy Religion unto. Our Saviour did not ckufe fuch ignorant Times to come among us in,- or aJgeople fo indifferent in Religion, firft to mani feft himfelf unto. For the Jews were fo far from feeing weary of that Religion which they had fo long profefs'd, when he firft appear'd in his Miffwn, among A Letter to the De ists. 203 among them, that they were then grown into the contrary Extreme ¦, a very extravagant Bigottry and Superftition concerning it ; fo that nothing was more difficult, than to withdraw them from it; nor could any thing be more often five to them, than an Offer tending thereto •, and fo it continues with them, even to this Day. And the Cafe was not much otherwife as to all the reft of Mankind ; the Gentiles being then grown almoft as tenacious of their Idolatry, as the Jews of their Law ; and Learning was in that Age among both at the high eft pitch that ever it was in the World ; and con fequently, Men were never lefs difpos'd than at that time, to receive a new Religion, or ever bet ter able to defend their Old. And therefore had Chriftianity been an Impofture, it could never have efcap'd, in fuch an Age as that, a full Detection, or ever have been able to have born up againft it; fuch inquifitive Heads, and piercing Wits, as were then in the World, would have fitted it to the bottom, div'd into its deepeft Secrets, and unra- vell'd and laid open the whole Plot, and the preju- dic'd World would immediately have crufh'd it to pieces thereupon, fo that it fhould never more have appear'd among Mankind. But the Truth of our Holy Religion was fuch, that it boldly offer'd it felf to this Tryal ; and it feems to have chofen fuch an Age as this, firft to come into the World, on purpofe to undergo it, that fo it might be the better juftified thereby. And juftify'd by it, it was ; for although it were oppos'd by the utmoft Violence of the prejudic'd World, they could get no ground of it ; though it were throughly exa- min'd, and diligently fearch'd into by theacuteft and fubtileft Wits of thofe Ages in which it firft appear'd, they could never difeover any Fraud, or ' v- make 204 A Letter to the Deists. make out the leaft Flaw therein ; but, in fpite of both, ittriumph'd, by its own naked Truth only, over all manner of Oppofitipn, and by God's Mer cy continues ftill fo to do, even to this Day. That a Cheat and a Fraud in a Thing of this nature fhould be impofed on Men totally ignorant and il literate, or that fuch as they, when void of all manner of Religion, (as the Men of Mecca for the -moft part were when Mahomet began his Impofture among them) fhould be eafy to embrace a new one, is no. hard matter to conceive ; but that an Impo fture, fhould he receiv'd, and obtain fuch Prevalency over Men in fo learned and difcerning an Age, as that wherein Chriftianity firft appear'd in the World, or. that that they who were then fo zea loufly addided to the Religion* they had been edu cated in, whether Jews or Gentiles, fhould ever have been induc'd to forfake it for a new one, founded only on a Cheat and Fraud, is what, morally fpeak- ing, we may very well reckon im poflible. 'jthly, Mahomet offer'd at no Prophecies, that he might not run the hazard of being confuted by the Event. But Jefus Chrift delivered many clear and plain Prophecies, . feveral of which refpeded that very Age in which he liv'd, and were all in their proper time as plainly verify'd by the Completion of them. i %thly, Mahomet offer'd at no Miracles in publick, although continually call'd upon and provok'd to it by his Oppofers. For not being able to work any true ones, he would not hazard himfelf to a Difeo very by thofe which were counterfeit. And there fore all thofe Things which lie would have go for Miracles ; that is, his Converfe with the Angel Ga briel, his Journey to Heaven, and the Armies of An- «/f'that help'd him in his Battles, are only related A Letter to the Deists. 205 by him as Things, aded behind the Curtain, of which there was no other Witnefs but himfelf alone, and confequently there could be no Witnefs on the other fide ever to contradid them. But Jefus Christ and his Apoftles having the real Power of working Mracles, did them openly in the fight - of Thoufands, where all manner of Opportunity was given to every Spedator to examine into them, and try whether they were true or no ; and there fore had there been any Cheat or Fraud in them, it is not poflible to conceive how they fhould have efcap'd a Difeovery. And yet no fuch Difeovery could ever be made ; which was fo convincing an Argument of their Truth and Reality, that even the bittereft Enemies of our Holy Religion from the firft yielded in this particular, and hoth Jews and Heathens allow'd all thofe miraculous Works which are related of our Saviour and his Apoftles in the Books ofthe New Teftament, to have been real ly and truly wrought by them, as hath been afore obferv'd. And indeed the Evidence was too ma nifeft to be deny'd, fince thofe very Blind that re ceiv'd their Sight, thofe Dumb that were enabled to Speak, thofe Deaf that were reftor'd to their Hearing, thofe Lame that were made to Walk, and thofe Dead that were rais'd again to Life, liv'd many Years after to be as ftanding Monuments of the Truth of thofe Things, which no one could contradid. And therefore the Oppofers of the Gofpel of Jefus Chrift have all along rather chofen- to invalidate the Authority of thofe Miracles, than deny the Truth and Reality of them. For they allowing the Matters of Fad, object that there are other Powers -lower than the Di vine, that are able to bring them to pafs; and therefore, although thofe Works were wrought, 3 they 2o6* A Letter to the Debts" they do not yet prove either the Perfons or the Dodrines which they taught to come from Gad and confequently can give no fuch Evidence, as' that which we infift upon them for the Truth of that Religion which we profefs ; That others, by Magick Art, have done the fame Things ; That the Scriptures tell us fo of Jannes and Jambres, and Simon Magus ; and prophane Writers of Apollonius Tyaneus, Apuleius, and others ; and both Mofes and Jefus Chrift knew this very well, and therefore forewarn'd their Difciples againft it, telling them that Falfe Prophets fhould arife, who fhould fhow Signs and Wonders to deceive, if poflible, the ve ry Eled •, and that they fhould take Care not to hearken to them. And therefore, fey they, if Signs and Wonders can be wrought by Falfe Pro phets, how can they be Evidences for the true ; Or how can we at all rely upon them for the verifying of any Dodrine which they deliver unto us ? Or if thofe Miracles which were wrought by them who are fent of God, be only true Miracles, and all others falfe ones, how fhall we diftinguifh the ore from the other, fo as by them to difcern, whether the Dodrines be of God or no ? But thefe Difficulties will be eafily remov'd, and the Miracles of our Saviour and his Apoftles, as they are allow'd to be truly Wrought by them, fo alfo wfll they as truly prove the Dodrines which they taught, to come from God, if you will but confider thefe following Particulars. i. Miracles are Works done which are ftrange and amazing to us, as being brought to pafs out of the ordinary Road, and in a manner which we cannot comprehend ; and thefe are of two Sorts s i. Such as exceed only the Power of Man to effed them ; and thefe we call Signs or Wonders : And, 2. Such A Letter to the Deists. 207 }> Such as exceed the Power of any created Be ing whatfoever •, and thefe only are properly Mi racles. 2. Where-ever fuch Miracles are wrought as are of this laft fort, God alone muft be the Author of them; and therefore, where-ever fuch are found they manifeftly prove the Power of God co-opera ting with the Perfons, at whofe Word they are done ; and with whomfoever it doth thus co-ope rate, it neceflarily demonftrates their Miffion from him, and puts fuch an authentick Seal to theTruth of the Doctrines which they teach, as cannot be deny'd. 3. Where-ever a creating Power is neceffary to the Effed produc'd, or the ftated Laws of Nature are alter'd, there it is certain none but Godhimfeif can be the Author of the Work done. For he alone is able to create ; and he having created all things according to his infinite Wifdom, and given to each their proper EfTence and Operations, he allows none but himfelf to alter the Natures of them, or change that Courfe which he hath put them into. 4. But within the Laws and Powers of Nature, there are abundance of Things which exceed the Power of Man to effed, and therefore feem as Mi racles to us, which may be prodnc'd by other created Beings, and thefe are evil Spirits as well as good. M 5. To the producing of thefe Effeds, evil Spirits as well as good are enabled two manner of Ways : ¦1. By their greater Knowledge of the Powers of Nature ; And, 2. By the greater Agency which they have to apply them to Effed. For, 6. There are a Multitude of Things in Nature, that thofe Spirits know the Nature of, which we do not. 2o8 A Letter to the Deists. not. For their Abilities of knowing are vaftly above Ours, as not working by the dull Tools of Earth and Clay, as we do, and their Experience exceed* ingly greater, as having known the Works of God from the Beginning, and by longObfervation pry'd deep into the Secrets of them. If a Chymift or a Mathematician, by his Skill in the Powers of Na ture, can do many Things, which, to the ignorant and unlearned, fhall feem as Miracles, (as we often find) how much more can thofe knowing Spirits do fo, whofe Knowledge of the Powers of Nature is vaftly more above all ours put together, than the higheft and perfedeft of ours is above that of the moft ignorant that lives among us. But, 7. As thofe Spirits have a vaftly greater Know ledge of the Powers of Nature than we can have, fo alfo have they a vaftly greater Power to apply them to Effed. For they are of a much greater Agility in their Motion, of a much finer Subftance to penetrate into Things, and aduate them into Operation ; and alfo of a much ffironger Agency or Power to work than we have, and which, no doubt, they are endow'd more or lefs with, accor ding to the different Orders and Degrees in which God hath created them ; and by both thefe toge ther, that is, their greater Knowledge of Natural Caufes, and their greater Power to apply them to Effed, can they do a great many Things within Nmire's Limits, which exceed ali the Powers of Men to effed, and feem as miraculous and wonder ful unto us, whenever brought to pafs. 8. Good Spirits never work thofe Miracles, but in Subferviency to the Divine Will, as they are ne- ceflary for the effeding of thofe Things which God hath ordain'd by their Miniftry to bring to pafs. And to them thofe Miracles mention'd in Scripture, which A Letter k tke&EisM. ~m§ which exceed riot the Power of fueh areatedBe- mgs, may be referr'das the iramediateJAtfthorS of them ; it not being likely thanGod would intdrbofe ins immediate Power, excepting only in fuch Cafes* as where there was heed of it. For why. fhould the Lord himfelf put his Hand to that Work* which may as well be difebarg'd by the Mimftry of his Servants ? .....> 9. Evil Spirits having in .a great meafure the fame Knowledge of Naturals Caufes as. the Good,- and the like, Power to bring thiem to effed, can alfo work the like Wonders, andrby 6W,arer often permitted fo to do, both for the Trial, of Men, and alfo for other good Caufes which to him of his infinite Wifdom feem fitting ; -and we havea plaiti Inftance of it in the Cafe of Joh. ' : -y -. 10. Evil Spirits* have not only this -Power of working; the like Wonders, .which GJ>ocbSpifitp>dtti but alfo another, which Good Spirits will never make ufe of j thatis, by Juggle, tDelufionjand^Deceittd imitate- thofe true and prOper Miracles, which none- but God himfelf can really effed. 'And thus, by the Delufion of the Devil, was a Cheat put up on &*«/- -ia the railing of Samuel to him from thd Dead. For* really to X&fe^Samuel from the Dead, none but God could, arid therefore that' Appear ance, which Saul .few, was no more thanalfeife^Ap- pearance, contrived by the. Devil to put a Cheat and Delufion: upon him. .- And of ..this' feme fort may we reckon the Miracles which Jantits and Jam- bres wrought in imitationof Mofes. For to turn a Rodi into a^Serpent, and Water into Bloody or td caufe Frogs to ;come up iaapjaakithe Lambkin which threeJParticulars they did the fame thing by their Inchantments,"thaTife5/ei"*aid by the Hahd^oFLTo^ are Works* which if really dortej require the ere* ' "" P itlrig 210 ALetimn the Deists. atiftg Power to bring them, to effed, which none ha., God hath ; and therefore in this Cafe the Devil aded for: them, not by his effeding, but only by his deluding Power. And fuch Miracles the Scrip- **ra calls ei manent. And where the1 Effed is totally wanfiefft,' God's Works are of-; ten fo far-above the Devil's Imitation, that even in thefe there will be ftill a multitude of Particu-i lars,!Whe'ifein he can have no Power, as much as by 'Juggle ,cfr Delufion, to do ariy thing like* unto them; y, •' t 12. j Whatfoever Signs or Wonders are •-: wrought byiMagiqiam or Falfe Prophets, muft be referr'dtoi pnefof/thefe two Heads.;, that is, that they are ei ther J the i Devil's Works, or the DeviFs DelufiOns : Aud the Scriptures, which tell us of Magicians and* Falfe. prophets working fuch Signs and. Ws&deri, dd in many. Plates refer them hereto. ¦ ,13. Thofe Signs or Wonders which are really Wrought by the Devikand his Evil.Spirits, axe to bq diftinguifh'd! froin thofe which are wrought hy the ¥otf§hof Angxl( ot Good-Spirits, by thefe following Martkis r:H.- That A^elnoi ;Good Spirits, never work thofe Wonders, but inSubferviency to the Will of Gad, .foci the promoting of Truth and Righteouf- - -J ¦"•¦ : : " ' ,y nefs; A Letter to th Deists. 2 1 1 nefs ; but the Devil and his Evil Spirits only for the promoting of Error and Wickednefs. 2. Angels or Good Spirits-, never co-operate in the Produdiort of thofe Wonders With any Prophet or TeAcher , but fuch only as, being fent of God, are good and righ> teous Perfons; but the Devil arid his Evil Spirits Only with fuch as, not being fent of God, ate evil like themfelves. 3. Angels or Good Spirits never exert their Power to work thefe Wonders, but in Things ferious and grave, whereby either the Good of Men, or the Honour of God is promoted ; but the Devil and his Boil Spirits do it moftly in Things mifchicvous both to God's Honour and Man's Goodj or elfe in fuch trivial arid foolifh matters as are" beneath God or his Holy Angels to be cortcetn'd ins And by the feme Marks alfo may we diftiriguifH God's Miracles from the Devil's Juggles, and thofe wonderful Works which the Hand of the Almighty really effedeth, from thofe falfe Appearances Which the Devil makes in Imitation of them, to put a Cheat and a Delufion upqn us. Which Particulars being premis'd, the Anfwet td the foregoing Ob- jedions will be as followeth. t. We do acknowledge that abundance Of very wonderful Works may be effeded by Powers fowef than the Divine, and that not only by Good Sprits*, but alfo by Mvit. 2. That therefore fuch Works alone are rievef fufficient Proof of a Divine Miffion, Unlefs corrobo* rated by fuch concurring Circumftances as prove* them not to be from Evil Spirits, but only from Good. 3. That where-evet fuch wonderful Wbtks are done at the Word of a wieked Man^ ot to a wickj ed PUrpofe, (it e^ either to influence to a wieked Pradice, or to give Credit to fome falfe Dtfdrirte) P % W 212 A Letter to ihe Deists. or elfe in fuch mean and trivial Cafes as are be-N neath the Majefty of God or his M'miftring Spirits to be concern'd in, there we may be fure that he that doth thofe Works, how much foever he may pre tend to a Divine Miffion, is only a Falfe Ffaphet ; and that it is not by the Power of God Or hisGW Spirits, but only by the Power of the Devil and his wicked Spirits, that they are wrought ; and againft thofe Wonders is it, and the Workers of thefo, that Mofes warneth the Jews, and Jefus Chrift; his Difci ples, that they fhould be aware of them* 4. Where they who work thofe Wonders are holy and righteous Men, and do not teach any Dodrine contrary to the certain Didates of Natural Religi on, or the Revelations of Godafore given us, and the Wonders which they work are in fuch ferious and grave Matters as are not unworthy of God or his Miniftr ing Spirits to be concern'd in, there we have no Reafon to fufped Satan's Power in the effeding of them; and therefore fuch Works^.may, altho' not of themfelves alone; yet with thefe concur ring Circumftances, be fufficient Proofs, of the Truth of any Dodrine which they give Teftimo ny unto. For although they cannot be prov'd to be immediately from God, becaufe producible by inferiour Beings ; yet with thefe Circumftances ac companying them, they muft at leaft appear to be the Works of his Miniftring Spirits, who can bear Teftimony to nothing but what is from God, whofe Will they are in all Things fubfervient unto. 5. As fuch Works which the Devil and his evil Spirits can do, are not of felf-fufficient Proof to a Divine Miffion, fo neither are fuch which he can by Juggle or Delufton imitate ; becaufe Men may be deceiv'd by the one as well as the other ; and therefoie the fame concurring Circumftances are neceffary A Letter to the Deists. 213 neceffery to thefe alfo, and by the fame Marks are they to be try'd, whether they be of God or no. 6. But where the Works are fuch as no created Being can either really produce, or hy Juggle or Delufion imitate, there thofe Works do of themfelves alone prove a Divine Miffion, and give an authen- tick Seal of undeniable Truth to every Doctrine thus reveal'd unto us. 7. Although therefore it fhould be allow'd, that fome of the Miracles which Chrift and his Apoftles wrought, might be producible by Powers lower than the Divine ; yet fince they who did them were moft holy and righteous Perfons, and did not teach any Dodrine contrary either to the Didates of Natural Religion, or the Revelations of God afore gi ven unto Men, and the Miracles themfelves were not in fuch mean and trivial Cafes as are related of Apollonim Tyaneus, and others like him ; with thefe Circumftances they fufficiently appear to be, if not immediately from the Hand of God, yet at leaft from his Miniftring Spirits, and their Works ; fince all done in Subferviency to the Divine Will, do as thoroughly prove a Divine Miffion, where-ever they evidently appear to be theirs, as thofe of God himfelf. That Chrift and his Apoftles were moft holy and righteous Perfons, and taught no Dodrine which was in the leaft contrary to the Didates of Natural Religion, hath been afore fhown ; and how far their Miracles were from being in mean and trivial Matters, the Works themfelves make evi dent : And it is as certain, that no Dodrine of theirs ever contradided in the leaft any Divine Re velation afore given unto Men. For Jefus Chrift and his Apoftles every where allow both the Law and the Prophets to be from God. Had they taught anv thine, which would have charg'd a Falfhood on 1 p p 3 either, 2J4 A Letter to the Deists. either, they muft then indeed have been faid to Contradid Divine Revelations afore given, and would thereby have fallen under, that Charader and Mark of Falfe Prophets which I have above laid down ; but they were fo far from this, that the Law and the prophets were the Ground-work which they foun ded all their Dodrines jupon. For the Law con- tain'd in Types and Shadows, and the Prophets in their prophecies and dark' Sayings, whatever the Gofpel hath in Subftance and Reality fince clearly deliver'd un-, to us ; and laid down all that in the firft Rudiments, which Chrift and his Apoftles afterwards built up into Perfedion, in that Holy Religion which they have given unto us. And therefore, although the Gofpel hath abolifh'd the Law, it was not by con? tradiding or condemning it, but by perfeding and fulfilling, it in that Manner as all the Prophets fore-. fhow'd that it fhould. 8. But the Miracles of Jefus Chrift and bis Apo* ftles, were moft of them undeniably, fuch as could not be produc'd but by theimmediate Hand of God himfelf, as neceflarily requiring the Creating Power %o effed them ; and alfo of that Permanency, as al? low'd no Room for JitggU or Delufion to take Place in them., For what other Power but that of the Almighty- could raife a Man, who had been four* Days de&dj, again to Life ? Or what other Hand, but. that of the Creator himfelf, could make him fee, who had been without the natural Organs of Sight from his very Birth,? Or what but the fame Power which firft form'd Man of the Duft of the Earth, pould reftore him, in fo many Inftances as our Saviour and his Apoftles did, to Health and Per fedion, when the very Parts and Veffels neceffery thereto, were thoroughly perilh'd ; and in fo mi- faculpi]s a Manner, with a Word of their Mouth, A Letter to the Deists. 2**$ bring back total Privations again to their fprmer Habits ? Or what Craft of Satan can reachas much as to an Imitation of fuch wonderful Works as thefe, which left behind them, for many Years af ter, Effeds pf laftingPerrnanency in the, Perfons cured, not only to be Monuments of the Things done, but alfo undeniable Evidences of the. Truth and Reality of them? It would be too tone to go over all the Miracles of this Nature, which Chrift and his Holy Apoftles did for the Confirmation of thofe Holy Truths which they taught. Thefe al ready mention'd are fufficient to fhetf, that fome of their Miracles at leaft were fuch as are above the Powers of all created Beings either to effed or imitate; and therefore thefe certainly muft be al low'd to be from God alone,, without Poftibility of Impofture, Deceit, or Delufion in them ; and in that they are fo, they muft neceflarily prove the Miffion of them, at whofe Words they were done,, to be from him alfo, and confequently become a Witnefs, to the Truth of every Dodrine deliver'd by them, as firm, certain, and infallible as the Veracity of God himfelf, which. can neyer err or deceive for ever. And fb much of th» fifth Mark of Impofture. SECT. VI. VI. No Impofture, when entrufted, with many Confpirators, can be long conceal'd. For what Plot or Conspiracy have we ever known or be^rd of, which hath been thus manag'd, and hath. not .had fome falfe Brother or other to difeover it ; efpeci- ally if there be any great Wickednefs, intended by it or any great Danger attending the Execution of it (as moftly is in fuch Defigns.) For then if the Thins it felf doth not work the Confcience into an Abhorrence, the Fear of the Confequence may at P 4 feaft 21$ A Letfer to the Deist^ le|ftdetet from it ; and it fejdom fails but one of thef^'twby' in all fuch Cafes, drives fome \ Or other into a Difeovery; arid in this Age of plots we have Inftanceg enough hereof. And what P(