"They hold a heaven and hell (n). "Mahomet forbad adultery to his followers (0). "They assert the immortality of the soul (p).' Among the maxims of the Alcoran, are; "Forgive those who have offended thee. Do good to all (q)." Now, would any reasonable Christian strike out these articles from his creed, only because Mahomet has inserted them in his? And does it follow, that the most respectable persons in the world, who are influenced by these excellent principles of faith and practice, are, for that reason, to be dubbed Mahometans? But the plain truth is, Mr. Sellon knows no more of Constantinople, than he does of Geneva. He is equally unacquainted with the real systems both of Turcism and Christianity. Even a superficial survey of his subject would have sufficed to inform him, that "The questions, relating to predestination and free grace, have been agitated, among the Mahometan doctors, with as much heat and vehemence, as ever they were in Christendom (r)." The Mahometans have their sort of Arminians, no less than we. If Mr. Sellon asks, "How goes the stream of doctrines at Constantinople?" I also can ask, in my turn, How goes the stream at Ispahan? If the Mahometan Turks, of the sect of Omar, believe an absolute predestination and providence; it is no less certain, that the Mahometan Persians, of the sect of Halis, deny predestination, and assert free-will, with as much outrageous fervour, as Mr. John Wesley himself. But shall I from hence infer, that Mr. Wesley is a Mahometan? I cannot, in justice, pay the Mahometans so bad a compliment. I rather say to (n) Martin's Philolog. Library, p. 85. (0) Martin, ibid. p. 86. (p) Martin, ibid. (q) Voltaire's Essay on Universal History, vol. i. p. 44. Dr. Nugent's edition, 1761. (r) Brown's Travels, p. 361. Mr. Wesley, what the excellent Mr. Hervey said to him long ago, "Before you turn Turk, or deist, or atheist, see that you first become an honest man. They will all disown you, if you go over to their party, destitute of common honesty. Out of zeal to demolish the doctrine of election, you scruple not to overleap the bounds of integrity and truth (s)." After all, there is not that conformity between the Christian and the Turkish doctrine of predestination, which Mr. Wesley and his consistory would have us believe. Do Mahometans assert an election in Christ to grace and glory? Do they maintain, that, in the preordination of events, the means are no less preordained, than the end? Do they consider the Son of God as joint agent with his Father, in the providential disposure of all things below? Do they hold the eternal covenant of grace, which obtained among the persons of the godhead, in behalf, and for the salvation of a peculiar people, who shall, by the regenerating efficacy of the Holy Ghost, be made zealous of good works? Do the Mahometans believe any thing about final perseverance, and the inamissibility of saving grace? No such thing. I can easily prove their denial of these gospel doctrines, whenever that proof shall be necessary. And even as to the predestination of temporal events, the disciples of Omar (so far as I can hitherto find, and unless their doctrine be greatly misrepresented) seem to have exceeding gross and confused ideas. They appear to consider predestination as a sort of blind, rapid, overbearing impetus, which, right or wrong, with means or without, carries all things violently before it, with little or no attention to the peculiar and respective nature of second causes. Whereas, according to the Christian scheme, predestination forms a wise, regular, connected plan; and providence con (s) Hervey's Eleven Letters to Wesley, p. 285. ducts the execution of it, in such a manner, as to assign their due share of importance to the correlative means; and secure the certainty both of means and end, without violating or forcing the intellectual powers of any one rational agent. I have already scrupled to enrol Mr. Wesley himself on the list of mussulmen. Some of his tenets, however, are so nearly related to the worst branches of the Mahometan system, that he might very readily be mistaken, at first sight, for a disciple of Hali. Survey the dark side of Mahometism; and you will almost aver, that the portrait was intended for the mufti of Moorfields. "The Mahometans would have us believe, that he [viz. Mahomet] was a saint, from the fourth year of his age for then, say they, the angel Gabriel took him from among his fellows, while at play with them; and carrying him aside, cut open his breast, and took out his heart, and wrung out of it that black drop of blood, in which (say they) was contained the fomes peccati: so that he had none of it ever after ()."— So much for Mahomet's sinless perfection. They hold it unlawful to drink wine; and to play at chess, tables, cards, or such like recrea. tions (u). They esteem good works meritorious of heaven (a). "Some will be honoured for their abstinence, in eating and drinking sparingly and seldom. Some profess poverty, and will enjoy no earthly things. Others brag of revelations, visions, and enthusiasms. Some are for traditions, and merits, by which [they suppose] salvation is obtained, and not by grace (y)." How easy would it be, to run the parallel between Mahometans and some other folks! (t) Prideaux's Life of Mahomet, p. 141. (u) Ross' View of all Religions, p. 164. edit. 1683. (2) Ross, ibid. (y) Ross, ibid. p. 169. I must, however, partly acquit Mr. Wesley of Mahometism, on the head of recreations; for, in a certain twopenny extract from somebody else, published in the year 1767, Mr. Wesley recommends the recreating exercise of battle-dore and shuttlecock, together with that of the wooden horse. Beside the above articles, the Mahometans hold, that there is a third, or middle place, for the reception of some departed souls (~). They deny the perpetuity of faith believing, that "whosoever renounceth it, loseth the merit of all his good works; and that, during all that time, he can do nothing acceptable to God, until he hath repented: and then he becomes a mussulman, or faithful, again (a)." Their dervises "live a very retired and austere life; going bare-foot, with a leathern girdle round their bodies, full of sharp points, to mortify the flesh (b)." The Mahometan bigotry is so excessive, that "they esteem themselves only to be wise, valiant, and holy. The rest of the world they look upon to be fools and reprobates; and use them accordingly (o)." Among the followers of Mahomet, "Any person may be a priest, that pleases to take the habit and perform the functions; and may lay down his office when he will there being nothing like ordination amongst them (d).” By this time the reader may judge, whether the church of England, or Mr. Wesley and his friend Sellon, make the nearest approaches to Mahometism. As to myself in particular, I can give a decisive proof that I am not a Mahometan. It might be better for Mr. Sellon, if I were. For, it is one of the essential commands, enjoined by the Alcoran, that (z) Great Hist. Dict. Article, Mahometism. Mahomet's disciples must "never dispute with the ignorant (e)." Consequently, were Mahomet and I master and scholar, the Yorkshire Arminian would have escaped the whole of his present chastisement. SECTION XII. The Judgment of the most eminent English Martyrs, who suffered for the Gospel, prior to the Settlement of the Reformation. HAVING Seen" how the stream goes at Constantinople," let us weigh anchor, and return to our own more enlightened clime. When it pleased God to visit this kingdom with a revival of gospel truth, the persons, whose interest it was to keep mankind involved in religious darkness, strained every sinew of secular and ecclesiastical power, to obstruct the progress of a doctrine, which, if not seasonably smothered, would inevitably prove fatal to that golden idol, which the churchmen of those times worshipped. They well knew, that the scheme of free salvation, as it stands simply revealed in scripture, lays the axe, not only to the tree, but to the very root, of popery: which, like Dagon before the ark, cannot but fall, in proportion as the doctrines of gratuitous election and unconditional justification prevail and extend. Hence, the sword of persecution was unsheathed: and they whose eyes God had opened, could sing, with those of old, for thy sake, we are killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep appointed to be slain. While the sword was brandished, and while the fires were flaming, protestants went cheerfully to (e) Voltaire's Essay on Univ. Hist. vol. i. p. 44. |