The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-08-03
SERMON.
BY IRVING A. sEARLEs.

Il
Turk and as we near tho conclusion OF
the sermon hope to show the connection
between the theme and text.
need not say in this presence that
the RELIGION of the Turk is Mohammed-
orism. Mohammed was born about 90
p. at Mecca, one of the Oldest cities
of Arabia. His father was a poor mer'
chant. He died while Mohammed was
an infant. and the boys mother died
when he was only eight years old. His
grandfather then adopted the child
Two years later the grandfather died
and Mohammed went to live with an
uncle. Nothing worthy of especial men,
ton seems to have occurred in the life
of this remarkable man until he reached
the age of twenty-five, when he met
with one of those freaks of good fortune
to which but few Of US mortals are sub
iect-he married rich widow. AS is
liable to be the case with widows, this
lady, though twelve years his senior, did
all the counting and even made the pro-
posal of marriage, which he gladly &C.
oepted. This brought him at once out
of his poverty, although she may have
frequently reminded him that the prop
erty belonged to her
At the age of forty Mohammed pro.
fesses to have received his first special
divine revelation. In the solitude of a
mountain near Mecca the angel Gabriel
appeared to him Speaking of these
revelations, writer in Chambers En-
cyclop2dia says: Certain it is that
after long and painful solitary broodings,
something-not clearly known to him
self-at times moved him with such
fearful rapturous vehemence, that, sdur.
ing his revelations, he is said to have
reared like camel and to have streamed
with perspiration. His eyes turned red
and the foam stood before his mouth.
The voices he heard were sometimes
those of bell, sometimes of man
sometimes they came in his dreams or
were laid in his heart" The same
writer thus discusses the personal APP
pearance of the prophet. "He was of
middle height, rather lean, but broad
sbouldered, and altogether of strong
build slightly curled black hair flowed
around his strongly developed head.
His eyes, overhung with thick eye
Jashes, were large and coal black His
nose, large and slightly bent, was we'll
formed. A long beard added to the
6;cnitv IF his annparanceo
He told his first revelations to only
few Of his relatives. The most of them
scofed at his pretensions; The idea
that the angel Gabriel has been down to
earth to talk with you " His uncle
went so far as to call him fool. Mo-
hammed's mission was failure so long
as he remained among his relatives
And I would here remark that the
most of people will be disappointed if
they expect much encouragement from
.aunts, uncles or cousins " our relatives
think the most of you when you can take
care of yourself.
This rebuff from his relatives did not
deter Mohammed from his mission. -
When his uncle called him fool he re-
piled: Though they set the sun against
me on my right hand, and the moon on
my left, yet will / not give up this en-.
terprise" During the first four years
of his mission he made only about forty
converts, and those were mostly slaves
and from the lower classes, But With
asresolution which we can but admire
whether we.see it in Mohammedan, jew
or Christian, he continued his work in
spite of all opposition, giving such an
impetus to his mission that in less than
. hundred years after his death the
scimeters of his followers were flashing
in ali the leading provinces of the East,
and to-day one hundred and thirty mil.
lions are of the faith of the prophet.
The Koran is very explicit as to the
nature Of Future Punishment. They
say a bridge is laid over the midst Of
hell This bridge is more narrow than
the edge of the best sharpened sword.
Over this bridge all must pass, after
death, to reach paradise. The good
Mohammedan will experience no diff.
Guilty in crossing this bridge, but all
outside the prophets faith as they at
tempt to pass, will fall, one by one,
headloug into the yawning pit below.
They say that hell is divided into seven
stories. In these several apartments the
wicked are placed according to the de-
gree of their guilt. The Koran says;
Those who believe not have garments
of fire fitted to them, boiling water shall
be poured on their heads. So
often as they shall endeavor 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, taste ye the pains of burning.
This from the Koran shocks our nerves,
but let US be careful lest from Christian
pulpits pictures of hell equally barba.
rous be presented.
The Koran gives very graphic de-
scriptions of heaven. In chapter fifty
six we read They shall dwell in
gardens Of delight. Youths, who shall