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I once had an opportunity
of approaching unnoticed the window of
one of the principal mo&longs;ques. After the
cu&longs;tomary prayers, the prie&longs;t pronounced
the following di&longs;cour&longs;e with a dignified
elocution. It was received by his audience
with a reverence, better becoming
chri&longs;tians than infidels. It undoubtedly
&longs;uffers from tran&longs;lation and the &longs;icklene&longs;s
of my memory; but the manner, in which
it was delivered, and the energy of many
of the expre&longs;&longs;ions made &longs;o &longs;trong an impression,
that I think I have not

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materially varied from the &longs;entiment. I pre&longs;ent
it to the candid reader, as a curious specimen
of their pulpit eloquence; and as,
perhaps, conveying a more &longs;atisfactory
idea of their creed, than I have already
attempted, in the account I have given of
their religion. The attributes of Deity
were the &longs;ubject of the prie&longs;t's di&longs;cour&longs;e;
and, after &longs;ome exordium, he elevated his
voice and exclaimed:

God alone is immortal. Ibraham
and Soliman have &longs;lept with their
fathers, Cadijah the fir&longs;t born of faith,
Aye&longs;ha the beloved, Omar the meek,
Omri the benevolent, the companions of
the apo&longs;tle and the Sent of God him&longs;elf,
all died. But God mo&longs;t high, mo&longs;t
holy, liveth forever. In&longs;inities are to
him, as the numerals of arithmetic to the
&longs;ons of Adam; the earth &longs;hall vani&longs;h before
the decrees of his eternal de&longs;tiny;
but he liveth and reigneth forever.

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God alone is omniscient. Michael,
who&longs;e wings are full of eyes, is
blind before him, the dark night is unto
him as the rays of the morning; for he
noticeth the creeping of the &longs;mall pi&longs;mire
in the dark night, upon the black &longs;tone,
and apprehendeth the motion of an atom
in the open air.

God alone is omnipresent. He
toucheth the immen&longs;ity of &longs;pace, as a
point. He moveth in the depths of ocean,
and mount Atlas is hidden by the
&longs;ole of his foot. He breatheth fragrant
odours to cheer the ble&longs;&longs;ed in paradi&longs;e, and
enliveneth the pallid flame in the profoundest
hell.

God alone is omnipotent. He
thought, and worlds were created; he
frowneth, and they di&longs;&longs;olve into thin
&longs;moke; he &longs;mileth, and the torments of
the damned are &longs;u&longs;pended. The

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thunderings of Hermon are the whi&longs;perings
of his voice; the ru&longs;tling of his attire
cau&longs;eth lightning and an earthquake; and
with the &longs;hadow of his garment he blotteth
out the fun.

God alone is merciful. When
he forged his immutable decrees on the
anvil of eternal wi&longs;dom, he tempered the
mi&longs;eries of the race of I&longs;mael in the fountains
of pity. When he laid the foundations
of the world, he ca&longs;t a look of benevolence
into the aby&longs;&longs;es of futurity;
and the adamantine pillars of eternal justice
were &longs;oftened by the beamings of his
eyes. He dropt a tear upon the embryo
mi&longs;eries of unborn man; and that tear,
falling through the immea&longs;urable lap&longs;es of
time, &longs;hall quench the glowing flames of
the bottomle&longs;s pit. He &longs;ent his prophet
into the world to enlighten the darkne&longs;s
of the tribes; and hath prepared the pavilions
of the Houri for the repo&longs;e of the
true believers.

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God alone is just. He chains the
latent cau&longs;e to the di&longs;tant event; and
binds them both immutably fa&longs;t to the
fitne&longs;s of things. He decreed the unbeliever
to wander amid&longs;t the whirlwinds of
errour; and &longs;uited his &longs;oul to future torment.
He promulgated the ineffable creed,
and the germs of countle&longs;s &longs;ouls of believers,
which exi&longs;ted in the contemplation of
Deity, expanded at the &longs;ound. His ju&longs;tice
refre&longs;heth the faithful, while the damned
&longs;pirits confe&longs;s it in de&longs;pair.

God alone is one. Ibraham the
faithful knew it. Mo&longs;es declared it amidst
the thunderings of Sinai. Je&longs;us
pronounced; it and the me&longs;&longs;enger of God,
the &longs;word of his vengeance, filled the
world with immutable truth.

Surely there is one God, IMMORTAL,
OMNICIENT, OMNIPRESENT, OMNIPOTENT,
mo&longs;t MERCIFUL, and JUST; and
Mahomet is his apo&longs;tle.

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Lift your hands to the eternal, and
pronounce the ineffable, adorable creed:
THERE IS ONE GOD, AND MAHOMET
IS HIS PROPHET.

p407-401

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