Page:The Moslem World - Volume 02.djvu/36

 evil nature, just as you may stop up a spring in one place, but it will break forth in another. Man's sinful nature is very like the disease of "Cancer", it may be apparently rooted out of the body, but before long it takes new root and grows again.

This evil nature, which is inherited from Adam, through the Fall, being the cause of a man's committing forbidden sin on reaching maturity, and consequent suffering of the necessary penalty, it behoved Divine Justice to create some special way by which man could obtain benefit to equal the amount of his great loss which he unconsciously suffered. God therefore provided him with a legal representative, perfect and mighty, able to repair the damage and remove the loss. He it is that is referred to in the Gospel, saying: "Since by one offence judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one (margin, 'one righteousness') the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life" (Romans v. 18).

If you understand for what reason it become necessary to appoint the representative for the human race, let me now inform you who that representative is. I tell you that He is El-Messiah Eesa, the Spirit of God, and His Word, who was conceived without man through the power of the Holy Ghost. He is the only perfect man, prevented from sinful nature and sinful deeds.

It was, however, expected that you should have known all this from the Koran, seeing how much it has glorified Christ and exalted His position, oven to the extent of calling Him the Spirit and the Word of God, and distinguishing Him in all the stages of His life, from both prophets and men alike; for there is no other prophet to whom God did not forgive sins, removing His burden of guilt, as all the books testify clearly and the Koran also. As for Christ it does not mention concerning Him a single repentance nor request for forgiveness of His sins, nor any tradition of his being "pricked by Satan at His birth." On the contrary, you read that God supported Him with the Holy Spirit from the time that His mother conceived Him, and when she gave birth to Him, and all the days of His life.