| 48 |
THE MOHAMMEDAN CONTROVERSY
|
|
|
the immaculate conception of Christ, and the miracles which attested His
mission, are all admitted. The Mohammedans believe a Gospel, but it is not
ours: they worship a God, but not the-God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ:
they acknowledge a Jesus, but not Him who was so called, because He should
save His people from their sins. Hear Mirza Ibrahim:—
|
"For we are not sure of the miracles of that Moses and Jesus,
of whom the Jews and Christians speak; and who as they say did not believe
in the mission of our Prophet; but we speak of the miracles of that Moses
and Jesus, who have given their testimony to the mission of Mohammed: and
how great is the difference between them when viewed in these different
lights! Let it not be said that the persons are the same in both cases. We
believe in these prophets, in consequence of their being described in the
Coran, and not as described by the Jews and Christians."—(Cont.
Tracts, p. 33.)
|
|
Yes, it must be borne in mind, that
it is simply as they are mentioned in the Coran, and only because
they are mentioned there, that the Moslem believes in the prophets and the
Bible; and the misrepresentations of the Coran not merely destroy their
identity, but by cancelling and overturning all preceding revelations, take
from us the only means we have of proving the imposture false. Could the
counsels of the Evil one have devised any more perfect plan for frustrating
the Gospel and grace of God?1
|
|
It is true, indeed, that the Coran has taken much from the Bible, and abounds
therefore with approaches to the truth; and it might have been hoped that
these would have proved as foundations upon which to build, as a fulcrum
whereon to ply our argument. But it is a melancholy truth, that a certain
amount of light and knowledge often renders it only the more difficult to
drive the bigot from his prejudices. Thus the Mussulman is conscious of
possessing many truths behind which he proudly entrenches himself, persuaded
that he has the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The supposed advantages
then, the points common to both, are thus turned into a barrier against us,
into a thick impenetrable veil which effectually excludes every glimmering
|
|
