of the one, and the heat of the other, clearly account for the wise provision of Providence in spreading over the Israelites a cloud, to be a covering by day, and a fire to give light during the night.

In reviewing the history of Arabia, the fulfilment of ancient prophecies is strikingly obvious. We read in Genesis that when Hagar "fled from the face of her mistress, who had dealt hardly with her, the angel of the Lord found her in the wilderness, and said unto her, 'Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; and he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."" And afterwards it was said "Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly: twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." Accordingly, we find that Ishmael lived by prey and rapine in the wilderness; and his posterity have all along infested Arabia, and the neighbouring countries with their robberies and incursions. They live in a state of continual war with the rest of the world, and are as well robbers on land, as pirates at sea. As they have been such enemies to mankind, it is no wonder that mankind have been enemies to them. Several attempts have been made to extirpate, and even now, as well as formerly, travellers are forced to go armed, and in large companies; to march, keep watch, and guard, like a little army, to defend themselves from the assaults of these freebooters, who roam about in troops, and rob and plunder all, whom they can by any means subdue. These robberies they also justify, "by alleging, the hard usage of their father Ishmael, who, being turned out of doors by Abraham, had the open plains and deserts given him by God for his patrimony, with permission to take whatever he could find there." And on this account, they think, they may with a safe conscience indemnify themselves, not only on the posterity of Isaac, but also on every body else.

Many of the Arabs dwell in tents, and are therefore called Scenites. It appears, that they dwelt in tents in the wilder

ness, as long ago as in the time of Isaiah and Jeremiah; and they do the same at this day. It is very extraordinary, that the hand of Ishmael should be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and yet, that he should be able to dwell in the presence of all his brethren: but extraordinary as it was, this also hath been fulfilled. As for Ishmael himself, the sacred historian afterwards relates, "that the years of the life of Ishmael were an hundred and thirty and seven years, and he died in the presence of all his brethren." As for his posterity, they dwelt likewise in the presence of all their brethren, the Moabites and Ammonites, the Israelites and the Edomites. And they still subsist a distinct people, and inhabit the country of their progenitors; notwithstanding the perpetual enmity between them, and the rest of mankind.

We find, that in the time of Moses, they were grown up into "twelve princes according to their nations ;" but yet, we do not find, that they were ever subject to any of their powerful neighbours, to the Egyptians, or Assyrians, the Persians or the Romans.

Such was the state and condition of the Arabs, previous to the time of their famous prophet Mahomet, who laid the foundations of a mighty empire. From that period, and for several subsequent centuries, they were better known among the European nations by the name of Saracens. Their conquests, under that name, were indeed amazingly rapid. In a few years the Saracens overran more countries, and subdued more people, than the Romans in several centuries. They were then, not only free, and independent themselves, but were masters of the most considerable parts of the world. And so they continued to be for about three centuries. After their empire was dissolved, and they were reduced within the limits of their native country, they still maintained their liberty against the Tartars, Mamalucs, Turks, and all other foreign enemies. Whoever were the conquerors of Asia, they were still unconquered; still continued their incursions, and preyed upon all. The Turks have now for several centuries been lords of the adjacent countries; but they have been so little able to restrain the depredations of the Arabs, that

they have been obliged to pay them a sort of annual tribute, for the safe passage and security of the pilgrims, who usually go in great companies to Mecca; so that the Turks have rather been dependent upon them, than they upon the Turks. And they still continue the same practices, and preserve the same superiority, if credit is due to the concurrent testimony of modern travellers of all nations.

Who can fairly consider all these circumstances together, and not perceive the hand of God? The sacred historian says that these prophecies, concerning Ishmael, were delivered, partly by "the angel of the Lord, and partly by God himself:" and indeed, who, but God, or one raised and commissioned by him, could describe, so particularly, the genius and manners, not only of a single person before he was born, but of a whole people from the first founder of the race to the present time? It was somewhat wonderful, and not to be foreseen by human sagacity or prudence, that a man's whole posterity should so nearly resemble him, and retain the same inclinations, the same habits, the same customs, throughout ages. It cannot be said of them as of some barbarous nations, that they have had no commerce or intercourse with the rest of mankind; for, they overran a great portion of the earth, and for some centuries were masters of most of the learning of the world; but, they remained, and still remain, the same fierce, savage, intractable people, and like their great ancestor in every thing.

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It is somewhat wonderful, that the same people, should retain the same dispositions for so many ages; but it is still more so, that with these dispositions and this enmity to all nations, they should still subsist in spite of the world, an independent and free people. It cannot be pretended, that the dryness and inaccessibleness of their country, hath been their preservation; for their country has been often penetrated, though never entirely subdued. We, who know the prophecies, may be assured of the reality of a divine interposition: On any other principle, how could a single nation stand out against the enmity of the whole world for any length of time; and much more, for four thousand years together? The great

empires, round them, have all in their turns fallen to ruin, while they have continued unchanged. This, in the natural course of human affairs, was so highly improbable, if not altogether impossible, that as nothing, but a divine prescience, could have foreseen it, so nothing, but a divine power could have accomplished it.

OF MAHOMET AND THE MAHOMETAN RELIGION.

ARABIA was the birth place of Mahomet, and the cradle of the religion introduced by him. The professors of this religion occupy the south-eastern angle of Europe, and a great proportion of both Africa and Asia. They are supposed to be equal to one-fifth of the whole human race; and considerably more numerous than the whole body of the Christians, and have maintained a respectable standing in the world for more than a thousand years. An enquiry, into the nature of this religion, and the causes of its great extension, belongs to the history of Arabia.

In reviewing the causes which facilitated the reception and progress of Mahometanism; the first, and greatest which presents itself, is the miserable and distracted state of the Christian church. Divided into numberless parties, persecuting each other with rancour; corrupt in opinion; and degenerate in practice, the Christians of this unhappy period seem to have retained little more than the name and external profession of their religion. The most profligate principles, and absurd opinions were universally predominant. The partial and temporal inefficacy of Christianity supplied plausible objections to its credibility, and its adoption.

Universal darkness and ignorance, at the beginning of the seventh century, had overspread all ranks of men. Even the ecclesiastical order can scarcely be viewed as an exception to this general description. While ignorance thus extended her dominion over the Christian world; superstition, her genuine offspring, followed close behind.

An extravagant veneration for departed saints and martyrs ; the idolatrous worship of images and relics; and the absurd and fanciful notion of a fire destined to purify the soul, after death, from the pollutions it had contracted, while in the body; were the successive progeny of the ignorance and superstition of those ages. At the time of Mahomet's appearance, these corrupt opinions had nearly eclipsed the lustre of the gospel. The very essence of Christianity was lost, under a load of idle and superstitious ceremonies.

The primitive Christians, with anxious zeal, confined their worship to the one most high God, through his son Jesus Christ; but those, who now called themselves by that venerable name, had multiplied almost to infinity the objects of their devotion. Neglecting or forgetting the grand and only mediator between God and man; the trembling votary bowed at the shrine of some reputed saint, to implore his intercession. The blessed Virgin was raised to a dignity, and adorned with titles, which scripture did not warrant, nor reason approve and the mother, of the man Christ Jesus, was often honoured with a more assiduous devotion, and addressed with more frequent prayers, than the Son of God himself. Even the fancied remains of that cross, on which the Saviour of mankind died to expiate the sins of the world; the images of the saints, who laboured to disseminate, and the bones of the martyrs, who died to confirm, the faith, were now held up as proper objects of religious adoration.

The decay of morality, kept equal pace with that of piety. The wealth, as well as the privileges and authority of the clergy, had increased considerably, during the reign of ignorance and superstition. To this increase, nothing had more effectually contributed, than the opinion, that remission of sins was to be purchased by the liberality of the penitent to the churches and the ministry; and that the intercession of departed saints was to be bought by suitable offerings, presented on the altars consecrated to their memory. The increasing wealth of the ecclesiastical orders, introduced among them, a train of vices and follies. Their luxury, pride and ambition, knew no bounds.