tion, and on its seeing the light, it obtained the credit of surpassing all former treatises upon Islam.

This work, as far as a judgment of it can be formed from a translation, discovered amongst Mr. Martyn's papers, is written with much temper and moderation, and with as much candor as is consistent with that degree of subtilty, which is indispensable in an apology for so glaring an imposture as Mahometanism.

The Chief Moollah begins by declaring his desire to avoid all altercation and wrangling, and expresses his hopes that God would guide into the right way those whom he chose. He then endeavors, in the body of the work, to shew the superiority of the single perpetual miracle of the Koran, addressed to the understanding, above the variety of miracles wrought by Moses and by Christ, which were originally addressed only to the senses, and that these, from lapse of time, become every day less and less powerful in their influence. And he concludes with the following address to Mr. Martyn:

"Thus behold, then, O thou that art wise, and consider with the eye of justice, since thou hast no excuse to offer to God. Thou hast wished to see the truth of miracles. We desire you to look at the great Koran: that is an everlasting miracle."

"This was finished by Ibraheem ben al Hosyn, after the evening of the second day of the week, the 23rd of the month Iemadi, the second in the

year 1223 of the Hegira of the Prophet. On him who fled be a thousand salutations!"

This work Mr. Martyn immediately set himself to refute, in dependence on his Savior to "give him a wisdom which his adversaries should not be able to gainsay." His answer was divided into two parts: the first was devoted principally to an attack upon Mahometanism: the second was intended to display the evidences and establish the authority of the Christian faith. It was written in Persian, and from a translation of the first part, which has been found, we perceive that Mr. Martyn, "having such hope, used great plainness of speech," whilst, at the same time, he treated his opponent with meekness and courtesy.

After replying to the various arguments of Mirza Ibraheem, Mr. Martyn shews why men are bound to reject Mahometanism-that Mahomet was foretold by no Prophet-that he worked no miraclethat he spread his religion by means merely human, and framed his precepts and promises to gratify men's sensuality, both here and hereafter-that he was most ambitious both for himself and his familythat his Koran is full of gross absurdities and palpable contradictions-that it contains a method of salvation wholly inefficacious, which Mr. Martyn contrasted with the glorious and efficacious way of salvation held out in the Gospel, through the Divine Atonement of Jesus Christ. He concludes by addressing Mirza Ibraheem in these words:

"I beg you to view these things with the eye of impartiality. If the evidence be indeed convincing, mind not the contempt of the ignorant, nor even death itself-for the vain world is passing away, like the wind of the desert.

"If you do not see the evidence to be sufficient, my prayer is, that God may guide you; so that you, who have been a guide to men in the way you thought right, may now both see the truth, and call men to God, through Jesus Christ, 'who hath loved ́us, and washed us from our sins in his blood.' His Glory and Dominion be everlasting."

Reverting to the Journal, we meet with the following statements illustrative of the Persian character, and descriptive of the genius of Soofeism. From these, also, we discover that, notwithstanding individuals were to be found in Shiraz, who professed Mahometanism without having imbibed the spirit of cruelty and extermination which belongs to it, that Mr. Martyn was nevertheless exposed there to personal danger, and subjected to much contempt and many insults. "July 29.—Mirza Ibraheem declared publicly, before all his disciples, 'that if I really confuted his arguments, he should be bound in conscience to become a Christian. Alas! from such a declaration, I have little hope. His general good character for uprightness, and unbounded kindness to the poor, would be a much stronger reason with me, for believing that he may be, perhaps, a Cornelius.

"Aug. 2.-Much against his will, Mirza Ibraheem was obliged to go to his brother, who is Governor of some town, thirty-eight parasangs off. To the last moment he continued talking with his nephew, on the subject of his book, and begged, that in case of his detention, my reply might be sent to him.

"Aug. 7.-My friends talked, as usual, much about what they call Divine Love; but I do not very well comprehend what they mean. They love not the Holy God, but the God of their own imaginationa God who will let them do as they please.

"I often remind Seid Ali of one defect in his system, which is, that there is no one to stand between his sins and God. Knowing what I allude to, he says, 'Well, if the death of Christ intervene, no harm; Soofeism can admit this too."

"14. Returned to the city in a fever, which continued all the next day, until the evening.

"15.-Jani Khan, in rank corresponding to one of our Scotch Dukes, as he is the head of all the military tribes of Persia, and Chief of his own tribe, which consists of twenty thousand families, called on Jaffier Ali Khan, with a message from the King. He asked me a great number of questions, and disputed a little. I suppose,' said he, 'you consider us all as Infidels?' 'Yes,' replied I, 'the whole of you.' He was mightily pleased with my frankness, and mentioned it when he was going away.

15-22. The copyist having shewn my answer to a Moodurris, called Moollah Acber, he wrote on

the margin, with great acrimony, but little sense. Seid Ali having shewn his remarks in some companies, they begged him not to shew them to me, for fear I should disgrace them all, through the folly of

one man.

"23.-Ruza Cooli Mirza, the great grandson of Nadir Shah, and Aga Mahommed Hasan, called. The Prince's nephew, hearing of my attack on Mahomet, observed, that the proper answer to it wasthe sword; but the Prince confessed that he began to have his doubts. On his inquiring what were the laws of Christianity, meaning the number of times of prayer, the different washings, &c. I said, we had two commandments, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and all thy soul, and all thy strength; and thy neighbor as thyself.' He asked, 'what could be better?' and continued prais ing them.

"The Moollah, Aga Mahomed Hassan, himself a Moodurris, and a very sensible candid man, asked a good deal about the European philosophy, particularly what we did in metaphysics, for instance, 'how, or in what sense, the body of Christ ascended into heaven? He talked of free will and fate, and reasoned high, and at last reconciled them, according to the doctrines of the Soofies, by saying, 'that as all being is an emanation of the Deity, the will of every being is only the will of the Deity; that therefore, in fact, free-will and fate, were the same.' He has nothing to find fault with in Christianity, but the