Lectures Illustrating the Contrast Between true Christianity and Various other Systems. By William B. Sprague, D. D. [pp. 524-536]

True and False Religion.
hamedism has never seriously pretended to claim." Now
this is true, as it relates to Mohamed himself, and the Koran;
but if the author will consult the controversial tracts, published by Professor Lee, on this subject, he will find, that the
Mohamedans ascribe almost innumerable miracles to the
founder of their religion, which they pretend are as well
authenticated as those recorded in the Old and New Testaments. In this lecture, under the head of the means of the
propagation of the two systems, the first particular is, "that
Mohamedism was introduced at a period when every thing
was favourable to its extension: Christianity at a period
when the state of the world opposed the greatest obstacles to
its success." It may be truly said, that at no time of the
world is the introduction of a new religion easy; the obstacles
from the existing religious establishments, and from the
strong prejudices of all people, in favour of what they have
been taught from infancy, must oppose a great obstacle in
the way of any one who undertakes to bring men off from
their old religion to one entirely different. These obstacles
were in the way of Mohamedism as much as of Christianity.
Neither had the countenance and favour of the ruling
powers; even his own fellow citizens and kindred, were, for
the most part, bitterly opposed to his pretensions. Judging,
a priori, from existing cirecumstances, hardly any thing could
be conceived more improbable than his success, in propagating a new religion over so large a portion of the globe.
Neither is it manifest that the time when Christianity was
propagated was peculiarly unfavourable. One government
embraced all civilized nations; universal peace prevailed; the
Greek and Latin languages were spoken almost every where
in the Roman empire; and learning was widely diffused,
which rendered it practicable by written discourses to disseminate opinions far and wide. It was, indeed, an enlightened age; which would have been unfavourable to the propagation of an imposture; but the supposition of its being an
imposture does not seem to us properly introduced into this
comparison. Here are two religions, both of which obtained
a most extraordinary circulation. These are events to be
accounted for. In regard to Christianity we say, that nothing
but divine interposition could have given success to the
enterprise. And it is incumbent on us to account for the
wide spread of Mohamedism, from natural causes. The
lecturer lays much stress on the time; we think, entirely
too much. We think that the rapid progress of Mohamed
'1837.]
529