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11

THE MOHAMMEDAN CONTROVERSY

power which will remain when all others have passed away. He touches slightly on the other alleged miracles of his Prophet ; and asserts the insufficiency at the present day of all proof, excepting that-of the Coran, for the revelations of former prophets.

Martyn's First tract refers chiefly to this subject of miracles. He asserts that to be conclusive, a miracle must exceed universal experience; that the testimony and opinion of the Arabs is therefore insufficient, besides being that of a party concerned; that, were the Coran even allowed to be inimitable, that would not prove it a miracle; and its being an intellectual prodigy is not a virtue, but rather, by making it inappreciable by the vast body of mankind, a defect. He concludes by denying Mohammed's other miracles, in the proof of which two requisites are wanting, viz., their being recorded at or near the time of their occurrence, and the narrators being under no constraint. The Second tract directly attacks Mohammed's mission ; alleges the debasing nature of some of the precepts and contents of the Coran; and holds good works and repentance alone to be insufficient for salvation. He then turns to the atonement, which prefigured in types, was fulfilled in Christ, and made public by the marvellous spread of Christianity. The Third tract commences with an attack upon the strange doctrines of Sufiism, and shows that love and union with the Deity cannot be obtained by contemplation, but only through the manifestation of His goodness towards us, accompanied by an assurance of our safety; and that this is fulfilled in Christianity, not by the amalgamation of the soul with God, but by the pouring out of His Spirit upon us, and by the obedience and atonement of Christ. Vicarious suffering is then defended by analogy, the truth of the Mosaic and Christian miracles upheld, and the argument closes with an appeal to the authenticity of the Christian annals as wholly coincident with profane history.

It will be observed that the most important part of Martyn's reply consists in refuting the assumptions of his opponent; he does not open any new ground, nor does he (except very briefly) touch upon the evidences proper to Christianity. His defence paved the way for a lengthened reply from Mirza Mahommed Ruza ; and in the end, to quote from Lee, " However the particular

           

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