Thus the mystery of iniquity continued to work, until at length, under the reign of Irené, the empress of Constantinople, and her son Constantine, about the close of this century, was convened what is termed the seventh general council. It was held at Nice, and the number of bishops present was about three hundred and fifty. In this venerable assembly it was decreed "That holy images of the cross should be consecrated, and put on the sacred vessels and vestments, and upon walls and boards, in private houses and in public ways. And especially that there should be erected images of the Lord God, our Saviour Jesus Christ, of our blessed Lady, the mother of God, of the venerable angels, and of all the saints. And that whosoever should presume to think or teach otherwise, or to throw away any painted books, or the figure of the cross, or any image or picture, or any genuine relics of the martyrs, they should, if bishops or clergy'men, be deposed, or if monks or laymen be excommunicated." They then pronounced anathemas upon all who should not receive images, or who should apply what the scriptures say against idols tothe holy images, or call them idols, or wilfully communicate with those who rejected and despised them; adding, according to custom, "Long live Constantine and Irené his mother-Damnation to all heretics-Damnation on the council that roared against venerable images-The holy Trinity hath deposed them."* One would think the council of Pandemonium would have found it difficult to carry impiety and profaneness much beyond this.

Irené and Constantine approved and ratified these decreesthe result of which was, that idols and images were erected in all the churches, and those who opposed them were treated with great severity. And thus, by the intrigues of the popes of Rome, iniquity was established by law, and the worship of idols authorized and confirmed in the Catholic church, though in express opposition to all the principles of natural religion, and the nature and design of the Christian revelation.

*Platina-Life of Hadrian I.

LECTURE XXVIII.

Prefatory Remarks-Rise of Mahometanism — History of the Arabian prophet-His own account of his divine CommissionSuccess of his Imposture-His Instructions to his FollowersPrecepts of the Koran-Strictures on Mahometanism—Its spread how accounted for by some-Bishop Sherlock's comparison of Mahomet and Jesus-Increasing darkness of the Catholic Church-Ignorance and Illiteracy of the ClergyInstance of it in the case of St. Eloi, Bishop of Noyon-Dr. Robertson and Mons. Voltaire quoted-Inferences. A. D. 600

-800.

IN prosecuting this Course of Lectures, we are now arrived at that period in the History of the Church when it becomes incumbent upon me to submit to you some account of the Mahometan imposture, which dates its origin in the earlier part of the seventh century. And as what I have in view may possibly appear to some in the light of an objection, on the ground that Mahometanism and Christianity are totally distinct things, and, consequently, ought not to be brought into juxta-position, I shall take leave to explain in this place my reasons for here introducing the subject.

Most cordially do I subscribe to the opinion of those who think that the two religions are so strongly opposed to each other in all their essential properties--the character of their founders-the means by which they were first established-the genius, spirit, and tendency of the respective systems-the nature of the worship peculiar to each--and the alleged benefits pertaining to

each, that the real friends of the gospel must ever consider it as degraded when brought into comparison with the religion of the Arabian prophet. But the ground on which I rest my defence is this; viz. that I think I find the Mahometan imposture not obscurely contained among the visions of the Apocalypse, and particularly in the sounding of the sixth trumpet, Rev. ix. 13-21, where it is introduced as a "woe," or judgment from heaven, inflicted on what I may call Christendom, by reason of the abuse of Christian privileges and the torrent of corruption which deluged the church—a specimen of which you had in the last Lecture. Were it necessary to justify the application of the sixth trumpet of the Apocalypse to Mahomet and his religion, I might plead the authority of most of our ablest commentators on that book-Lowman, Newton, Michaelis, Woodhouse, and many others; but, to me, the thing scarcely admits of dispute, and, if the Holy Spirit saw meet to introduce the subject in connexion with the kingdom of Christ, we cannot have a better apology for touching upon it in these Lectures.*

:

It is remarked by Prideaux, who wrote the life of Mahomet, that "from very mean beginnings he arose to that height as to make one of the greatest revolutions that ever happened in the world, which immediately gave birth to an empire that in eighty years extended its dominion over more kingdoms and countries than ever the Romans could do in eight hundred and, though it did not maintain its full strength and reign above three hundred years, yet out of its ashes arose many other kingdoms and empires, of which there are three at this day, the largest and most powerful on the face of the earth; viz. the empire of Turkey, the empire of Persia, and the Mogul empire in India, which God hath permitted, in his divine providence, still to continue for a scourge unto us Christians, who, having received so holy and so excellent a religion, through his mercy to us in Christ Jesus the Lord, will not yet conform ourselves to live worthy of it."

Mahomet was the author of these mighty changes and the

* Should the reader be desirous of seeing the symbolical language of the sounding of the sixth trumpet illustrated, and the application of it to the rise and progress of Mahometanism defended, he may possibly receive some satisfaction from perusing my twenty-seventh Lecture on the Apocalypse, with the Appendix.

SOME ACCOUNT OF MAHOMET.

523

stupendous events connected with them. Arising amidst a rude and ignorant people, at a time when Antichrist had become settled upon his throne, he claimed the character of an apostle of God; declared himself to be divinely inspired, and expressly sent amongst mankind to overturn the idolatrous worship of his countrymen, and establish in its place a new and more pure religion, dictated, as he said, by the Almighty himself, and destined eventually to be the faith of all the nations of the earth. The history of this extraordinary man, with some account of his institutions, I shall now proceed to lay before you.

He was born in the year 571 or 2, at the city of Mecca, in Arabia. Of his infancy, childhood, and youth, little of what is recorded by Arabian writers can be depended on. His father died while he was an infant, and, at the early age of six, he lost his mother also. The helpless orphan was then committed to the care of an uncle, who treated him with kindness and gave him a scanty education. At thirteen years of age he accompanied his uncle's caravan to Syria; and a few years afterwards he performed the same journey in the capacity of factor to a rich widow, whose name was Cadijah, into whose service he had entered, and whose goods he conveyed to the fairs of Bozra and Damascus. So well did he acquit himself, in the discharge of the duties of this station, that at the age of twenty-five he exchanged the humble condition of servant for that of master; for he became the husband of Cadijah. She was fifteen years older than Mahomet, he being then forty; but it is said they lived happily together during a period of twenty-four years, when Cadijah died, at the age of sixty-four.

This advantageous marriage raised Mahomet to an equality with the first citizens of Mecca; it also gave an importance to his opinions, and contributed to draw attention to his new religion when he began to propagate it. There was nothing particularly remarkable in his life until he attained the age of forty; but, having then acquired a competency by his mercantile pursuits, he seems to have suddenly imbibed a fondness for religious meditation. It became his constant practice to retire to a cave in Mount Hara, near Mecca, where he declared that he received the visits of the angel Gabriel. The following is the substance of the informa

tion which Mahomet affirmed that he had derived from this celestial visitant.

On the night of the twenty-third of the month Ramadan, the Koran (a book which contains the institutes of his religion) first descended from the seventh to the lowest heaven; and, at a distance from the pious Mahomet, appeared the brilliant form of the messenger of God, the angel Gabriel, who came to communicate the happy tidings. The light issuing from his body was too bright for the mortal eyes of the prophet-he fainted, and, not till the angel had assumed a human form, could he venture to approach or look on him. The angel then cried aloud, "O Mahomet! thou art the apostle of God, and I am the angel Gabriel.-Read," continued the angel. The illiterate prophet declared that he could not read. "Read," the angel again exclaimed-" Read, in the name of the Lord, who hath created all things-who hath created man out of congealed blood; who hath taught the use of the pen; who teacheth man that which he knoweth not." Mahomet now read the joyful and mysterious tidings respecting his own ministry on earth; when the angel, having accomplished his mission, slowly and majestically ascending into heaven, gradually disappeared from his wondering gaze.

Such is the marvellous account that Mahomet himself gave of his commission to propagate a new religion in the world. The communication was first made to his wife, who believed, or affected to believe, the sacred fable. The next on the list of true believers was Zeid, the prophet's servant, and Ali, the son of his uncle Abu Taleb. After these followed a most important convert, whose name was Abubekir, a wealthy citizen of Mecca, by whose influence a number of persons possessing great authority were induced, in process of time, to range themselves under the prophet's standard, and to profess the new religion.

Mahomet's pretended commission remained a secret intrusted only to his own family, during a period of three years, in which time he had made only six converts; but the season at length arrived, when, as he said, the Lord had commanded him to make it known. He accordingly assembled at a feast a number of his own kindred, forty of whom were convened around his hospitable board. When the proper moment arrived, Mahomet