til his people make war, * But when these months fhall be paft, kill the idolaters, wherever ye fhall find them: and take them prifoners, whereever ye fhall find them: and befiege them, and lay wait for them in every convenient place. In another place he fays Attack the idolaters in all the months,&c.—When ye encounter the unbelievers, frike off their heads, unye have made a great slaughter of them; and bind them in bonds.-Whofo fighteth for God's true religion, God will not fuffer his works to perish. Mr. Sale mentions this injunction of § warring against infidels, which is repeated in feveral paffages of the Koran, and declared to be of high merit in the fight of God. Thofe, who were flain fighting in defence of the faith being reckoned martyrs ; and promifed immediate admission into paradise. This duty is greatly magnified by the Mohammedan divines, who call the fword the key to heaven and hell ||, C. ix. p. 149. P: 409, 410. + C.ix. p. 154. § Prelim. Difc. p. 142. This ‡ C. xlvii. Mr. Sale afterwards, p. 143, very incautioufly, and very injuriously (not to fay worfe) compares this law of Mohammed with the command given by God to the Israelites in their journey to Canaan. He fays, that they had an extenfive This is very contrary to the fpirit of the gofpel. God is indeed ftiled the Lord of bofts and there is a promise, that he would go forth with the armies of Ifrael, when they were unjustly invaded. But ftill peace was the great object even in war: and the Lord was esteemed the God of peace. * He maketh wars to ceafe unto the end of the earth: he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear on funder. He burneth the chariot with fire. + The Lord will bless his people with peace. ‡ I will give peace unto the land. end of the upright man is peace. § For the The work ** The paths of the righteous fhall be peace. prayer of the royal Pfalmift were-*+ Scatter thou Yet he was the people who delight in war. himself a great warrior, and a man highly acceptable to the Deity. Yet fo hateful extenfive and explicit commiffion to attack, fubdue, and deftroy, all, who were enemies to their religion. Whereas the command was limited to the nations, who were their enemies, and had injured them: fuch as the Moabites, Edomites, Ammonites, exclufive of the people of Canaan. But of this I shall say more at the conclufion. *Pfalm xlvi. 9. § Pf. xxxvii. 37. *+ Pf. lxviii, 30. + Pf. xxix. 11. Levit. xxvi. 6. ** Prov. iii. 17› 04 was was war in the fight of the Almighty, that he would not fuffer this excellent person to build him a temple, because he had been engaged in that horrid procefs. * Then David the king ftood up-and faid—I had in mine heart to build an boufe of reft for the ark of the covenant of the Lord. But God faid unto me: Thou shalt not build an house for my name: because thou hast been a man of war, and haft shed blood. These were the principles, which prevailed under the firft difpenfation, which was only preparatory for a better. When the latter fucceeded, the virtues of love and charity, even to our enemies, were more ftrongly enforced, Then were the words of the pfalmift fulfilled-† Mercy and truth are met together. Righteousness, and peace, have kiffed each other. Under the second great lawgiver a more pure and spiritual religion took place; and charity, love, and peace, are univerfally enjoined. We are forbidden not only to do evil, but even to conceive it: and to avoid all bitteṛnefs, and 4 Chron. xxviii. 2, 3. + Pfalm lxxxv. 10, revenge, revenge, even towards our enemies. We are to abftain from all retaliation, except fuch as juftice demands: and even that justice is to be mitigated, as far as reason and religion, and public fecurity will permit. Religion will always have an effect upon the minds of men; and the happy confequences will be uniformly in proportion to its excellence. Such then is the fuperiority of the Chriftian religion over that of Mohammed, which I have used only as a foil to fet off the purity and brightness of the former. The contraft is wonderful, and has been finely displayed by the very excellent bishop Sher lock, in his ninth fermon; with whofe words I fhall conclude this chapter.-Should we fay, that the Alcoran was not promulged to us by perfons duly commiffioned, it may be perhaps anfwered, that the Alcoran is as well published to us, as the Gospel is to them (that is, it comes to us as well authenticated) which has fome appearance of an answer; though the fact is indeed otherwife: for even the Alcoran owns Jefus for a true prophet. But But with respect to this inftance I perfuade myfelf, it can be no very distracting study to determine our choice. Go to your natural religion: lay before her Mahomet, and his dif ciples arrayed in armour, and in blood; riding in triumph over the spoils of thousands, who fell by his victorious fword. Shew her the cities, which he fet in flames: the countries which he ravaged, and destroyed: and the miferable diftrefs of all the inhabitants of earth, When she has viewed him in this scene, carry her into his retirements. Shew her the prophet's chamber; his concubines, and wives. Let her fee his adultery; and hear him alledge Revelation, and a divine commiffion, to justify. bis luft, and his oppreffion. When she is tired with this profpect, then shew her the blessed Jefus, humble and meek, doing good to all the fons of men: patiently instructing both the ignorant and perverfe. Let her fee him in his moft retired privacies: let her follow him to the mount; and hear his devotions, and supplications to God. Carry her to his table, to view his homely fare; and hear his heavenly difcourfes. Let her fee him injured, but not provoked. Let her attend him to the tribu nal, |