On this page
-
Text (5)
-
Feb. IS, 1860J Tim deader am 165
-
ISLAMISM.* TSLAM is Salvation. The linea...
-
* XtifiHKtol'; <»', a Jfatimtl J/!ntot\i...
-
SOLDIERS AND THEIR SCIENCE.* rpHE work j...
-
~ * Soldiers aial t/«•!>* Mcieiicv. By O...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
A'German Pastor* T He Business Of" The T...
divine spirit hid welling in me , which is distinct frpnv my reas "<»» . ? will never give up seeking for this spirit in the deepest depths of the soul ' s nature . " _ . , , , « , n Without quoting further from works which must , we feel sure , please and instruct everybody , we simply add that the ol < Isentiment"Book in thy heart and write , " seems to have animated Scbleiermacher in allhis compositions . His translator , we nmst also say , has clothed his spirit In pure English , and her introduction of him here is worthy of the great theologian . In his own beautiful words we bring our remarks to a close , " Yon have invitedme , dear friends , and here I am ; come to live and love amid ^ ou all . Is not the spirit of man there where it is active ! If so then certainly I am among you . " . t .. ' , „ ,. . . " . . , He is welcome to join the # reat brotherhood of thinkers , who though dead yet speak , " and still influence , educate , and advance mankind . ' . . ¦ ¦
Feb. Is, 1860j Tim Deader Am 165
Feb . IS , 1860 J Tim deader am 165
Islamism.* Tslam Is Salvation. The Linea...
ISLAMISM . * TSLAM is Salvation . The lineal descendants from Ishmael of the JL tribe of the Koreish , to which Mohammed belonged , had degenerated from the faith of Abraham , and looked in vain to the . ir Christian or Jewish contemporaries for examples of that pure old piety , the restoration of which was desired by the more contemplative of the wild Arab minds that were nurtured in the wilderness ; yet not unmindful of their origin , and the great ancestor who was alike acknowledged by themselves , the Hebrew , and the followers of the Nazarene . The . author of the work before us , Dr . Muehleisen Arnold , remarks that , out of all the nations of antiquity , only those descended from the two sons of Abraham have preserved their nationality . Phoenicians , Egyptians , Assyrians , Baby lonians , and Persians , have either altogether disappeared , or they exist only in its
degenerated remnants . The Chinese arid Hindoos , he remiiids , remain only in two great masses , inert and torpid ; arid the Greeks ' and Romans of the present day differ essentially from the Greeks and Romans of classic times . But the sons of Israel and the sons of Ishmael stand yet in the world as two separate and distmct nations , unchanged in character , and retaining , their ancient manners and customs . He acknowledges that the Mohammedan is a true type of the Ishmaelite , and contends that the celebrated symbol of the Mohammedan creed , " there is no God but one , " was known to the Arabs before Islamism existed . Nevertheless , this simple creed had suffered corruption , and idolatry had superyened . Wise souls lamented the fact . . We read of four men of the tribe of Koreish sitting iri secret conclave , and saying that their fellowcorintrymen were in a wrong path—they were far astray from the is this
reHgion of Abraham . " What / Hhey asked , ^ pretended divinity to which they immolate victims , and around which they make solemn processions ? A , dumb and senseless block of stone , incapable of g-ood and evil .. It is all a mistake . Seek we the truth ; seek we the pure religion of our father Abraham . To find it , let us quit our country , if need be , and traverse foreign lands . " And it is recorded that one of these men went day by day to the Kaaba , to pray to Allah to enlighten him ; and the other three , travelling" forth , became Christians . Others , who were sigitated with the same feelings , were not so easily satisfied with the corrupted - Christianity of the period ; and many Arabs accordingly expected " a prophet of their own , who would restore the religion of Abraham , and put an end to the state of ferment into which the Peninsula hnd been thrown by the concussion of Judaism , Christianity , Suboeism , and the idolatry which they inherited from their fore-¦ ¦
fathers . " . x 1 Such was the state of the Arabian intelligence previous to the appearance of Mohammed . His coming- satisfied a need , and answered to a craving in the human mind . Men saw . that he was the Man for the Hour that had stricken ; and he felt that lie had the mission to perform the work that Was demanded . It was from the first a work of danger and difficulty , and required a man of genius and courage . He surmounted those difficulties ; he escaped those dangers $ not , however , without showing symptoms of human weakness , making occasional concessions to the evil he came to destroy , but recovering himself and his cause by a timely repentance . Nor was he ashamed to confess his shortcomings , but in tho Koran , rocords them faithfully , with his successes . JLilce many men , too , of his character , he was a visionary ; his excited imagination mistook dreams for facts , which his reason was not instructed enough to distinguish from each other . The subjective and the objoctivo were frequently confounded in hfo . experience . Tho inward and outward
worlds were pften identifiedun his apprehension . It was late in life before ho began his mission ; and ho was , therefore , naturally impatient of delay . At first , 1 iq tried to persuade and convince by argument ; but , in duo course , deemed force necessary , and appealed to tho Sword . And lo , the Sword was placed at his command . Tho feeble , unfriended , persecuted teacher of r Jruth became a Conqueror , aml 4 mposed his creed on subject millions . His practice , however , wna wot so pure as his precepts ; and , as lie declined into tho vale of years , ho rewarded himself for )» is exertions , like many other mow-of his time and country , by polygamous sensuality . On tho other hnml , it might have been an unavoidable concession to deep-rooted custom , or ho might have been couvmcod of the lawfulness of the practice , and expected an advantage from it in . the . increase of numbeys . On this score , wo must not judge him by European notions . Finally , having established tho worship of tho One ( k > d , and ^ destroyed innunierablo idols , Mohammod , became conscious of his
approaching death , and publicly announced it in the mosque to his people , and expired ( 632 ) in the arms of his favourite wife Ayesha , who had been betrothed to him at the age of seven years . His followers remained faithful to his memory , and about two hundred millions of mankind continue to be called by his name to the present day . •" . . - ¦'¦ "¦ ¦ ¦ ;¦ ' . - . ¦ . ' ; . . ¦ ¦ ' . ^ , ¦ ¦ . ¦ . ¦ ¦/ , . ¦ JFor a long peridd it had been the custom for Jewish and Christian , writers to regard Mohammed as an impostor;— : but the philosophical minds of this century have formed a more favourable opinion of his character . For the most part , they seem disposed to recognise his mission ; at any rate , they are not prepared to dispute that it
was accomplished . This , undoubtedly , is a great fact in his favour , and to Mr . Thos , Carlyle in particular conclusive of his claims . Our author , however , is not satisfied with this View . By virtue of their origin , he maintains that Jevv and Mohammedan alike are the natural enemies of Christianity . Judaism , he says , is the embodiment of a dead orthodoxy , and Islamism the personification of a cold religion of the understanding ;—and , being such , both- are necessarily opposed to the Christian faitlu Moreover , " being inflated with gross superstition , wild fanaticism , inconceivable pride , and a special animosity against the Christian , the Mohammedan is far moi-6 difficult to convert than even the Jew . " .
This difficulty is generally acknowledged , not only iii reference to the Mohammedan , but likewise the Hindoo arid Buddhist , and some other of the Oriental religionists . But this difficulty is riot entirely nor even chiefly due to the causes assigned , but rather to the fact that the ground is preoccupied . The East is the birth-place of religious S 3 'stenis ; and the Christian missionary is accordingly met with an already existing belief ^ which naturally resists innovation , lie seeks toinstruct those who are also anxious to instruct him . One might as well i \ im at teaching music to the Italian as religion to the Oriental . Dr . Arnold traces Mohammedanism "to the spread of Arianism ; and certainly , in the simplicity of its dogma , the former must be considered as the extreme of Protestantism in the Eastern Church .. Our author ' s theory of Satanic influence , the despair of the theologian , will ; we fear , little advance the cause he advocates . We find the theory coming immensely into fashion . It is used on all occasions . Of Divine influence we now hear little;—of the
diabolic too much . Such an assumption lays the axe to the root ot religious sentiment , arid destroys the tree and its branches . We , therefore , Fear that Dr . Muehleisen Arnold's book will stand the missionary in little stead . It is bad to begin with the odium theologicum ; every prudent , man , Christian or Mohammedan , would avoid it . Easier , we think , it would be to convert by conciliation , and mutual agreement on some ' cpmmpii truth , as the basis of a logical argument which might lead to a common result , namely , that Salvation which it is the purpose of Islam , and ought to be that-of every religious ; creed , to - .. ' secure for the souls of erring
men . . That the compilers of the Kor & n were bad Biblical critics , and mixed up Rabbinical tradition with Scriptural narrative in strange confusion , the author has fully proved . This fact is , of course , available to the controversialist ; - — -but we would rather leave it in the hands of the educator . It will tell With more force in the historical review than jn the pplemical treatise . As education progresses , the stores of knowledge become common property , and all Scripture has to abide the searching scrutiny of the general intelligence . The relative value of literary productions will thus be tested , and the inferiority of the KorUn to the Bible made publicly manifest . Leave it to time ; and , in due season , the truth will be surely discovered . ^
* Xtifihktol'; <»', A Jfatimtl J/!Ntot\I...
* XtifiHKtol '; <» ' , a Jfatimtl J /! ntot \ i / <\ f Tula in tew , and -It * Bclitilmi lo Christianity . By tho Hoy . Dr . J . WuKiii . iinsJKN AuNO ^ u . ltlvlngton » .
Soldiers And Their Science.* Rphe Work J...
SOLDIERS AND THEIR SCIENCE . * rpHE work just published by Messrs . Parker and Son , entitled JL " Soldiers and their Science , " is more useful and entertaining than may , at first sight , appear . If anybody cares to know-anything about " battles and ( sieges , " from the first battle which was fought by the four kings in t } io valo of Siddiin , to that which was won by tho allied armies of England and France , as if but yesterday , on the heights of Alum , he may find the infoi'Jnation iu the present work . Although so long a period of time has elapsed since the first arid last of human conflicts , war itself has wot differed very materially
in its nature , nnd object . Of course , through four or five thousand yoars , we must expect to find that military tactics and systems have essentially changed either for the bettor or worso . lint while we recognise a great change in the modo of warfaye , we perceive no change in the spirit which first prompted one man to attack and another to . defend himself , his homo ; his territory , and his rights . As far as tho putward moans and instruments of war are concerned , those of the armies engaged in tho first battle were ho moro like those of the armies that lor several weairy months besieged , and took Sebastonol , than an ancient orchestra is like n modem ono in skril , execution , and variety of instruments und of music . .
However , tho sketches of the groat battles and sieges , culled from the rest pf the history of the world by tho pon of Cnptnin Brabazon , will afford tho reader ample illustrations of tho way in which military science has altered and improved . TuUing tor granted that our author can direct the lire of artillery , or wield tho svord as well as ho does tho pon , wo may well tnwt to such heads and hands as his the honour and independence of tho country . Hia work , however , is timely for more reasons than one . Wav , in thieoge pi consummate civilization—of civilization which te the roaiilb o ( jnt pllootnal and jnonvf progress—and of the mechanical » u < l mdustrml
~ * Soldiers Aial T/«•!>* Mcieiicv. By O...
~ * Soldiers aial t /«•!>* Mcieiicv . By Oaptnln BiXAVA ' AOJH , W . A . London : John Purkcr ivnd Son .
-
-
Citation
-
Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 18, 1860, page 17, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_18021860/page/17/
-