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Burial.

being juft 63 Years old, in their Computation, His Age and which makes only 61 of our Years. He was buried in the Earth, and not fufpended in an Iron Coffin, by means of Loadftones, in the Air, as has been fabulously reported.

Mahometan

THE Alcoran, or rather (as it fhould be call'd) An Account of the Coran, is the Name of that Book which the Alcoran, or contains the Mahometan Laws and Doctrines; Bible. and fignifies, the Reading, or that which ought to be Read; as we call our Bible, the Scripture, or Writing. The Mahometan Bible, or Coran, is divided into four Parts, and each of them into Chapters, and thofe again into Verfes. The Chapters have ridiculous Titles, as the Chapter of the Cow, of the Elephant, of the Emmet, of the Spider, of the Fly, &c. And the whole is in fuch a diforderly and incoherent Method, that it is but one continued Hodge-podge. Yet have they fuch a ftupid Veneration for this Book, that 'tis Death for a few or Christian to touch it, and even for a Muffulman himself, (for fo they call their pretended true Believers) if he touch it with unwashed Hands. They pretend God fent it to the Prophet Mahomet by the Angel Gabriel writ on Parchment made of the Skin of the Ram which Abraham offered in Sacrifice inftead of his Son Ifaac; with abundance of other superstitious and impious Trumpery concerning it, not worth rehearsing.

Eines and Te

THE chief Principles of Mahometanifm are as Some of the follow; (1.) They believe that God is but One, principal Doas well in Perfon as Effence. (2.) That Mahomet nets of the is his Prophet. (3.) That Angels are God's Mini- Mahometans. fters, which execute his Commands; of whom the Angel Gabriel is Chief. (4.) They hold Fate and abfolute Predeftination, which makes them fight undauntedly. (5.) They hold an Heaven and Hell, with fuch Rewards and Punishments

as have been just now defcrib'd. (6.) They use Circumcifion, which they had from the Jews. (7.) Their Religion is to be propagated by the Power of the Sword only, for which Reason their Imans, or Priests, preach with a drawn Sword in their Hands. (8.) That the Mufulmans who kill Unbelievers, thereby merit Paradife. (9.) Mahomet forbad drinking Wine, Games of Chance, &c. left his Followers fhould thereby quarrel, fall together by the Ears, and expofe his Religion to Hazard. (10.) He allow'd both the Old and New Testament, and cites many Paffages from each to prove and justify his pretended Apostleship. (11.) They hold many Things by Oral Tradition, which they pretend Mahomet receiv'd from the Mouth of God in the Night Journey before related. (12.) The Muffulmans are allowed not only a Plurality of Wives, but to keep as many Women Slaves for their Luft as they can afford to buy, and the Children of the latter are as legitimate as thofe of the former: The old Letcher, Mahomet himself, having had 15 or 20 Wives for his own Share. (13.) Mabomet forbid Adultery to his Followers, yet himfelf took the Wife of his Servant Zeyd. (14.) If two Places of the Coran difagree or be contradictory, they revoke one of them, or disannul it. (15.) They hold the Immortality of the Soul. (16.) That the Punishments of the Wicked are not eternal. (17.) That the very Devils themselves fhall at laft be converted by the Power of the Coran. Thefe, with innumerable other filly, falfe, and ridiculous Tenets and Traditions, make the monftrous Bulk of Mahometan Doctrine, which 'tis amazing to think how even Superftition itself could fwallow. A Religion befpeaking only an illiterate Barbarian, who could neither Write nor Read, for its Author; fabulous Jews, idolatrous

Pagans,

Pagans, and beretical Popish Chriftians for its Votaries; and the Sword and Destruction for the Means of its Propagation.

THE Notes and Characters infeparable from an The Notes or Imposture are reckon'd by a learned Man as fol- Marks of an Imposture from lows. (1.) That it must always have for its End Dean Prifome carnal Intereft. (2.) That it can have none deaux. but wicked Men for its Authors. (3.) That both these must neceffarily appear in the very Contexture of the Imposture itself. (4.) That it can never be fo framed, but that it will contain fome palpable Falfities, which will discover the Falfity of all the reft. (5.) That where-ever it is firft propagated, it must be done by Craft and Fraud. (6.) That when entrusted with many Confpirators it can never be long conceal'd. And, (7.) That it can never be established without Force and Violence.

Now that all thefe muft belong to every Impofture, and all particularly did fo to Mahometanifm; and that none of them can be charged upon Christianity, the aforefaid learned Dean hath largely proved in his Letter to the Deifts of the prefent Age.

Of PAGANISM, or the DIVINITIES of the HEATHEN, and the WORSHIP paid to them.

and Heathen

LTHOUGH the great and The true Origi
awful Creator of all Things had nal of Idolatry
moft legibly imprinted the Cha- Superftitions
racters of Deity on all the won- plainly at-
derful Works of his Hands; counted for
and that thereby the invisible

Things of him from the Creation of the World
are clearly feen, being understood by the Things
that are made, viz. bis eternal Power and God- Rom. i.
bead or Deity; and in fo clear a Manner that they
who acknowledg'd it not must needs be without
Excufe; yet that when Men thus infallibly knew
God, they neither glorified him as God, nor
were thankful to him for his conftant Bleffings,
but instead of this became brutifbly fupine and
vain in their Imaginations, and their Hearts,
through fuch wretched Folly, was envelop'd in
Ignorance, and darken'd like the Earth eclipfed
from the Splendor of the Sun; and so perverse,
that they feem'd even not to like to retain God
in their Knowledge: I fay, that then God did
judicially give them up to a reprobate Mind; in
Confequence of which they foon chang'd the
Glory of the uncorruptible God, into an Image
of corruptible Man, and of Birds and four-footed
Beafts, and Reptiler; and thus changing the true
Worship

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