Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-03-16
MOHAMMED.
A Lecture on tine Author OF The Religion Of
the Arabs.

IHeteHeu 10 Win great interest OY
very large audience of intelligen
people.
The lecturer entered into a descrip
ton of the religions of Arabia wher
Mohammed made his appearance
from which it would appear thai
there was needed reform, for Sa
beanism and Polytheism had sunk the
country in an abyss Of idolatries
The prophet appeared aud declared
the anity of God-the one God-the
great first cause OF all things. He
also preached an elevated morality
and sought to promulgate his doc
trnes by moral means. Mohammed
at this time was 40 years of age,
gifted by nature, eloquent, enthusiasts
tic, beautiful, intelligent, and by his
marriage with Cadigas, rich widow,
the most influential man in Mecca.
He spent his time in alternate study
and activity-in cave in the marts
of commerce, maturing his knowledge
by contemplation. He probably was
acquainted with the Hebrew Scrip
lures, and unfolded the principal
events of the Jewish nation and in
ljected the spirit of many Of the jew
lsh institutions in his Koran.
With all his advantages and gifts,
and the grand truths which he
preached, he was not successful.
The whole nation was sunk in ipola-
tries. After preaching and talking
fifteen years, he had converted less
than a dozen. His wife was his first
convert. She believed in him. She
knew him to be man of earnestness,
holiness and genius. No immorali-
ties had ever stained his life, and the
truths he declared was vastly in ad-
vance of the prevailing system of
religion. Then came period Of
persecution. He was regarded as a
dangerous innovator. At first they
derided him and Knocked him, and
then they sought his life. He fed to
Medina. Up to this period-at the
age of 53-his life had been stainless,
and his doctrines were elevated.
He had advanced but one falsehood
that be was the prophet of God,
in the same sense that Moses was ;
that he was directly inspired like
Moses that he was superior to Moses
and all the prophets, even Christ
Himself that he was the last and
greatest of the prophets commission
ed by the angel Gabriel to declare to
the idolatrous world the unity of
God. This falsehood was, however,
probable delusion on his part rather
than deliberate lie, since his fast
ings and contemplation, and dreary
existence in solitary cave, had be-
wildered him, as ascetic lite had be-
wildered the primitive monks. His
root dinners led to the idea of special
divine Examinations, delusion not
uncommon with great historical per-
sonages. Loyola, and George Fox,
and Oliver Cromwell, all was posses
sed, to a greater or less degree, with
this idea, So that up to the age of
So Mohammed was simply fanatic,
yet engrossed in noble work, the
conversion Of his couutrymen to the
faith of Moses and David, and enjoin-
ing maxims of morality in harmony,
on the whole, with Christianity.
A fight to Medina opened another
career. Then he made converts
more rapidly, and great change
took place in his views and his
character. He became a Moham-
medan Jew. He embraced the doc
trine of expediency in its widest ap-
plication. He now enforced his re-
llgion by the sword, having won
fierce combats, and he promised a
sensual paradise to those who should
fall in battle. He infamed the i'm
aginations of the Arabians with de-
moralizing joys. He became a ma
terialist, an epicurean, polygamist,
a fierce bigot, even a hypocrite
Then he was successful. All Arabia
was convicted to his faith, and his
lieutenants and successors speedily
conquered Asia and Africa, and ex-
tended their arms to Spain. Moham-
mechanism became magnificent sue
cess. 1t became the religion of
Western Asia. DR.. Lord then drew
a series of deductions from these
astounding and tremendous facts.
When Mohammed preached a lofty
faith and used any moral means he
signally failed. When he adapted
his religion to prevent human nature
he was successful.
The just inference is that the out
ward triumph of a religion may be
owing to error rather than truth, and
the lower it is the more likely it is tc
find converts that the purer it is the
less it is relished and accepted,
seemingly confirmed by the triumph
of religion which we are acc lstomed
to regard as false. 1t then follow:
that evil in this world, ca mot be
overcome by pure and make truth
that men will follow peryerse desires
even if the sin stares them in tht
face. If so, then error is stronger
power than truth, and something
must come to the aid Of truth Il
enable il to triumph over error. AND
what is the outside force, without
which truth is defeated power
Can it be other than the supernatural
power Of God giving force to hi
truths, otherwise rejected or peryert
ed?
All history goes to show tina
Christianity was assisted by the su
peruatural force communicated to it
early preachers, and therefore tri
umphed, for who can resist the Mora
Governor of tbs world ? And histor.
goes to equally to show that whel
the supernatural natural force wa
withdrawn-when it was left to d.
its own work on peoples hearts
/, when it was left unaided to comba
2 error, it became corrupted, am
J though it spread more rapidly is wa
less powerful and sublime, excep
among comparative few. That
Q why Mohammedans conquered. Tha
t is why rationalism and epicureanisr
t and skep,icism seem now to conquer
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