Page:The Moslem World - Volume 02.djvu/20

 rstitions and find that "altar to the unknown God," which Paul so tactfully laid hold of, and there thrust in the thin edge of the wedge of truth and not unsympathetically force it upon those who all their lifetime hitherto have hugged to their bosoms what they believed was God's gift to them.

Again, his " Bible " tells him that " the Jews and the Nazarenes say verily we are the Children of God, and his Beloved ones say unto them, then why doth he punish you for your sins? nay, but ye are mortals from those whom he hath created." You want to mn him and so you earnestly testify to him that Jesus, the Son of God, loved him and gave Himself for him. Now you can easily perceive what the Moslem's idea of parental affection is as revealed in the passage quoted. How, then, does your testimony appeal to him? It appeals to him as absurd! If Jesus be the Son of God, then how could God have punished him? Do you want to win him? then do not put the thick end of the wedge in first, find some other way. But you say, cannot a Moslem see how God could lay upon his Son the iniquity of us all, when that Son said he would willingly bear it out of love to us? Not a bit of it. A Moslem is taught by his " Bible " that God does what He likes regardless of His own laws, and, should He transgress them, who is he who could question Him? He sees, therefore, no necessity for redemption, and cannot understand what should hinder God from receiving into His presence the vilest sinner, if He felt so disposed, since he, the Moslem, has never learned that evil cannot dwell with God, and that sin is a disease producing spiritual death, and he even regards sin as an ordinance of God for the accomplishment of his despotic designs.

Again, his Koran tells him that " Jesus, the Son of Mary, said, O Children of Israel, verily I . . . bring you good tidings of an apostle who shall come after me, his name Ahmed " {i.e., Mohammed). Do you wish to sell him a copy of the Scriptures? Then he will naturally ask you, by way of testing the authenticity of the book, to let him see the passage referred to! Do you want to win him? Then what will be the effect upon his mind if you tell him that "it is not there! " No, you must