let us further inform you Christians, that these Melchites believe in the divinity of the Messiah and of the Virgin Mary, in addition to that of the Creator. . . . In a word, the Christians of Africa, Russia, and Spain, hold, that he is perfect God and perfect man: but, that there is no other : that the manhood alone suffered, and not the Godhead: that the Virgin Mary was born both of God and man: and that they are one. The Nestorians agree in these and some other things: viz. that the Virgin Mary did not bring forth a God, but only a man: and that God did not beget a man, but a God."

We then have the following remarks on this

القدس

يا معشر النصاري عقلاي از فارقلیط را رسد گویند : subject در بطلان این مذهب که اگرچه روي تصور نتوان کرد که خداي تعالي سه چیز بوده باشد پدر و پسر وروح ایا این سه چیز همیشه سه چیزاند و با وجود اینکه سه پس اگر اینچنین بوده باشد چکونه اند اند يك چيز چیز يكي صلاحیت پدريت و ديكري صلاحیت پسریت داشته باشد چه ظاهر است که شما این سه چیز را يكي دانسته اید پدر را پسر و پسر را پدر و ایشان را روح .c& القدس را ایشان واناجيل شما ابطال این گفته نموده اند

القدس وروح

"Intelligent followers of the Paraclete cannot but come to the conclusion, that such a religion as that professed by you Christians must be false.

For, although no one can be brought to imagine, that God consists of three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost: yet allowing this, How, it may be asked, can these persons always continue to be three, and at the same time be only one? Again, if this be the case, how can one be supposed to be the Father, and another the Son? For, according to your belief, the whole is but one. The Father, for example, is the Son; and the Son the Father: and both these are the Holy Ghost, and vice versa; which, after all, the Gospels deny." After stating the common infidel objections, as to the impossibility of God being born into the world, of his eating, drinking, agonizing in the garden, dying on the cross, and leaving the world without a governour, we come to the doctrine of the resurrection, which is stated according to the different opinions of the Mohammedan doctors: some holding, that the body alone rises again; others, the spirit; and others, both body and soul united; upon which the author gives his own opinion, agreeing with the latter. We then have the image-worship of

بعد ازین : the Catholics briefly noticed as follows التفاتي نيست بسجده نمودن شما بصور مجسمه مريم که از پارهاي چوب ساخته اید یا سجده نمودن وعيسي خواه که از روی کرامت بوده باشد وخواه از روي

وچون عاقل را اشارتي كفايت است ما نيز عبادت شمارا عاقل بندشته (پنداشته( مسك اختصار اختيار

. نمودیم

We need not now notice your worshipping wooden images of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, whether such worship be intended as respectful to their persons, or for the purpose of paying them divine honours. ... And, as a word is enough for the wise, believing as we do that you are such, we shall content ourselves with the mere hint.

We then have the character and miracles of Mohammed enlarged upon, and his law described as one which should continue to the day of judgment with the assertion, that he had been foretold by all the Prophets; all of which is supported by some text or other cited from the Koran. We then have the excellency of Mohammed's character contrasted with the perfidy of Judas, and the desertion of the disciples, at the time of our Lord's trial. The book then closes with some remarks on the dispersion of the Jews in consequence of our Lord's crucifixion, and because they rejected Mohammed. We then have some verses so composed as to give the date of the tract, by adding together the numerical values of the letters in which they are written: the following is one of the couplets.

پرتو يابد لوامع رباني

از دولت ايمان علي عمراني

"These divine rays receive light from the prosperity of the faith of Ali of Amrán. The sum of the letters in the last line being added together, makes the number 1031, for the date of the Hejira, which answers to A. D. 1621. We

۱۰۳۱

تمام شد این نسخه .then have this epigraphe

شريف في يوم الاربعاء 8 شهر شعبان المعظم سنه جعفر علي معمار تم . الدين ابن جعفر علي حررة العبد صدر الدین ابن

This manuscript was finished on Thursday the fifth day of the month Shabán A. H. 1031, by Sadr Oddeen Ibn Jaafar Ali Maamár. The date of the tract, therefore, is A. D. 1621-2. This tract was written, consequently, twelve years after the book of Xavier had been published, and was completed in the 8th month after its commencement.

REMARKS ON THE PRECEDING EXTRACTS.

Before we proceed to notice Guadagnoli's reply to this tract, which enters into the question at too great a length to be transcribed here, it may be proper briefly to consider a few of the Persian's objections; especially as Guadagnoli's book is scarce.

The first objection, viz. that the original Gospel had been lost, and that the Evangelists assembled in order to fabricate four new ones, is not only without the least foundation in history, but is altogether improbable. The objector thinks, that the discrepancies, as he calls them, which he has found in the different books, are proof sufficient of this fact. I cannot help thinking, that they constitute a much stronger proof to the contrary. If the Evangelists had conspired for the purpose of forging new Gospels, surely they would have made their copies agree, supposing they had published more than one: but, in such a case, the probability is, they would have published one only. It is rather extraordinary that Dr. Marsh, and some others, should have formed a similar hypothesis, not from the disagreement, but the agreement observable in the text of the different Gospels. The merits of the Bishop of Peterborough's hypothesis have been sufficiently discussed. Those of our author are too futile to need a moment's consideration.

The objection that our Lord's precepts apparently oppose those of Moses is grounded on a mistaken view of the subject. The judicial and ceremonial parts of the Law of Moses, were manifestly temporary. It was, therefore, to be expected that they would cease to be binding,