Historical Statements of the Koran [pp. 195-230]

Historical Statements of the Koran.
pidly oonfoundled with the Mary of the Gospel. Yet even
in the face of this strong fact, Sale is "afraid" that the
charge of anachronism cannot be sustained!
" But she made signs to the child [to answer them;] and
they said, how shall he speak to us who is an infant in the
cradle? Whereupon the child said, verily I am the servant
of God; he hath given me the book [of the Gospel] and hath
appointed me a prophet. And he hath made me blessed
wheresoever I shall be; and hath commanded me to observe
prayer, and give alms, so long as I shall live; and he hath
made me dutiful to my mother, and hath not made me proud
or vicious. Peace be on me the day whereon I was born, and
the day whereon I shall die, and the day whereon I shall be
raised to life. This," says Mohammed, "was Jesus the son
of Mary, the Word of truth concerning whom they doubt.
It is not worthy of God, that he should have a son. God
forbid! When he decreeth a thing he only saith unto it, Be,
and it is. And verily God is my Lord and your Lord;
wherefore serve him; this is the right way. Yet the sectaries differ among themselves concerning Jesus, but woe be
unto those who are unbelievers, because of their appearance
at the great day."* A very respectable Socinian sermon,
with the exception of the concluding woe, which is rather too
illiberal.
To the children of Israel, Jesus offered to perform the following miracles; to make a bird of clay and then animate it
with his breath; to give sight to one born blind; to heal the
leprous; to raise the dead; and to declare by inspiration what
they ate, and what provision they had stored away. This
last appears to strike the Mussulman with special force, as it
holds a conspicuous place among Mohammed's own alleged
performances. A full detail of this pretended wonder may be
found in the treatise written about twenty years ago, by Aga
Acber, a Mollah of Shiraz, in reply to Henry Martyn. A
large part of the tract is given, both in Persian and English,
by Professor Lee in the "Controversial Tracts on Christianity
and Mohammedanism. t"
Jesus also informed them, that he came to confirm the truth
of the Law revealed before him, but at the same time to abrogate some of its restrictions. The Jews, however, charged
him with imposture, and ascribed his miracles, as usual, to
* xix. 29-37.
t Cambridge, (Eng.) 182,3.
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