neath them." "But for the pious is prepared a place of bliss: gardens planted with trees, and vineyards, and damsels of equal age with themselves, and a full cup.

Such is the Mahometan paradise, rendered alluring by its gross, carnal, and luxurious character. It cannot indeed be denied, that there are occasional intimations, in the Koran, of some kind of spiritual happiness to be enjoyed by the pious, in addition to their corporeal pleasures. "Their prayer therein shall be, Praise be unto thee, O God! and their salutation therein shall be, Peace! and the end of their prayer shall be, Praise be unto God, the Lord of all creatures."+ But it is beyond question, that the main ingredients in the anticipated happiness of the Moslem saints are of a sensual kind, addressed to the inferior principles of our nature, and making their paradise to differ but little from the Elysium of the heathen poets.

The reader of the Koran will meet with repeated declarations subversive of the vulgar opinion, that the religion of Mahomet denies to women the possession of souls, and excludes them from all participation in the joys of paradise. Whatever may have been imagined or affirmed on this point by some of his more ignorant followers, it is certain that Mahomet himself thought too highly of women to inculcate any such doctrine, as the following passages will evince : "Whoso doeth evil, shall be rewarded for it; and shall not find any patron or helper besides God; but whoso doeth good works, whether he be male or female,

✦ Koran, ch. iii. iv. xxxvi. xxxvii. xliii, xlvii. lxxviii.

+ Ch. x.

and is a true believer, they shall be admitted into paradise, and shall not in the least be unjustly dealt with." "The reward of these shall be paradise, gardens of eternal abode, which they shall enter, and whoever shall have acted uprightly, of their fathers, and their wives, and their posterity; and the angels shall go in unto them by every gate, saying, Peace be upon you, because ye have endured with patience; how excellent a reward is paradise!"+

If these vivid representations of the future bliss of the faithful were calculated to work strongly upon the passions of his hearers, his denunciations of the fearful torments reserved for unbelievers, were equally fitted to produce the same effect. The most revolting images of bodily suffering, hunger, thirst, the torture of fire, and the anguish of piercing cold, were summed up by the preacher to alarm the workers of evil, and to call off the worshippers of idols from their impiety. "But for the transgressors is prepared an evil receptacle, namely hell: they shall be cast into the same to be burned, and a wretched couch shall it be." "And they who believe not, shall have garments of fire fitted unto them: boiling water shall be poured on their heads; their bowels shall be dissolved thereby, and also their skins: and they shall be beaten with maces of iron. So often as they shall endeavour to get out of hell, because of the anguish of their torments, they shall be dragged back into the same; and their tormentors shall say unto them, Taste ye the pain of burning."‡ cr It shall be said unto them, Go into the pun

ye

Ch. xvii.

ishment which ye denied as a falsehood: go ye into the shadow of the smoke of hell, whieh shall ascend in three columns, and shall not shade you from the heat, neither shall it be of service against the flame; but it shall cast forth sparks as big as towers, resembling yellow camels in colour."* "Hath the news of the overwhelming day of judgment reached thee? The countenances of

some, on that day, shall be cast down; labouring and toiling; they shall be cast into a scorching fire to be broiled: they shall be given to drink of a boiling fountain: they shall have no food but of dry thorns and thistles: which shall not fatten neither shall they satisfy hunger." "Is this a bet

ter entertainment, or the tree of Al Zaccum? How different is the tree Al Zaccum from the abode of Eden! We have planted it for the torment of the wicked. It is a tree which issueth from the bottom of hell: the fruit thereof resembleth the heads of devils; and the damned shall eat of the same, and shall fill their bellies therewith; and there shall be given them thereon a mixture of filthy and boiling water to drink: afterwards shall they return into hell."+

Such was the burden of his exhortations, while he warned the people of the danger of unbelief, and urged them by his eloquence to avoid eternal damnation by putting faith in the apostle of God. In addition to these powerful motives, drawn from another world, he was lavish in the menaces of fearful punishments in this life also, if they hearkened not to his voice. For this purpose, set before them the calamities which had overtaken

he

* Koran, ch. lxxviii.

† Ch. xxxvii.

those who, in former times, had refused to listen to the prophets sent among them. “Do they not consider how many generations we have destroyed before them? Other apostles have been laughed to scorn before thee, but the judgments which they made a jest of, encompassed those who laughed them to scorn. Say, Go through the earth, and

behold what has been the end of those who accused our prophets of imposture."* "We have already sent messages unto sundry nations before thee, and we afflicted them with trouble and adversity, that they might humble themselves: yet when the affliction which we sent came upon them, they did not humble themselves; but their hearts became hardened, and Satan caused them to find charms in rebellion. And when they had forgotten that concerning which they had been admonished, we suddenly laid hold on them, and behold they were seized with despair; and the utmost part of the people which had acted wickedly was cut off: praise be unto God, the Lord of all creatures!" He cited the case of the inhabitants of the old world, who perished in the deluge for not giving heed to the preaching of Noah; of Sodom, overwhelmed by fire for not receiving the admonition of Lot; and of the Egyptians, who were buried in the Red Sea for despising Moses. To give still greater effect to his warnings, and ingratiate himself into the favour, as well as to awaken the fears, of his auditors, he took repeated occasions to allege his entire disinterestedness in the work in which he was engaged. He preached because he was commanded to preach, and not because he + Ch. vi.

* Koran, ch. vi.

intended covertly to make gain of his hearers:. He therefore boldly takes them to witness that he demanded no compensation for his services. He looked to a higher source for reward. "But we have brought them their admonition; and they turn aside from their admonition. Dost thou ask of them any maintenance for thy preaching? since the maintenance of thy Lord is better; for he is the most bounteous provider.”* "We have

sent thee to be no other than a bearer of good tidings, and a denouncer of threats. Say, I ask not of you any reward for this my preaching, besides the conversion of him who shall desire to take the way unto his Lord."+ As the prophet therefore disclaimed all sinister views in the execution of his office, as he expressly renounced the expectancy of any earthly advantage whatever, so he was commanded to divest his mind of all undue anxiety as to the result of his labours of love.

apostle, let not them grieve thee who hasten to infidelity." "Whoso is wilfully blind, the consequence will be to himself. We have not appointed thee a keeper over them: neither art thou a guardian over them.” "And be not thou grieved on account of the unbelievers, neither be thou troubled for that which they subtly devise."+

It is not therefore to be wondered at, that the rousing appeals of the prophet should have taken effect; that one after another should have listened -pondered-wavered-and yielded-especially as the gravity and sanctity of his deportment seem, at this time, to have corresponded with the solemn strain of his expostulations. Such accordingly

* Koran, ch. xxiii,

+ Ch. xlii.

Ch. xvi,