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

1 Having quoted a verse from the Coran, Forster adds, "this assuredly is none other than the voice of Satan speaking by the mouth of a False apostle" —strange epithets for the promised blessing?