Page:History of Mahomet, that grand impostor.pdf/35

 slaves. This liberty, no doubt gave great satisfaction to his disciples, and is to this day universally made use of in all the Mahometan countries.

Mahomet was excessively jealous of his wives, and accordingly, to deter them from a crime he feared they would commit, he threatens them with double the punishment of other wives, both here and hereafter, if they proved false to his bed. He required them likewise, to remain in a state of widowhood after his death, and prohibited his followers to marry them.

In fine, it is justly observed, that whatever Mahomet proposed to do, he always brought in heaven approving it, and framed some chapter of his Alcoran to countenance his design. If any objection against him or his religion were to be answered, any doubt to he solved, any discontent among his people to be quieted, any scandal to be removed, or whatever else was to be done for the interest and promotion of his imposture, his constant recourse was to the angel Gabriel for a new revelation.

Having now done with the history of this famous Impostor, shall now give a short sketch of the Mahometan religion, which may be summed up in a very narrow compass, for in general they make but two articles of faith, and five of practice. The first article of their creed is “That there is no other God but God;” which grand maxim of their theology seems to have been taken rom the Jews, who were often rehearsing these words, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord,” Deut. vi. 14. They not only insist on the unity of divine nature, in opposition to those that worship