1000000031

M A

I-l

M A H

this b.\lance :tl1c:gorical1y, and ooly a! ;\

ficurati\,c

repre~

fentation of God's

equily

yet

lhe

more: .:aneient and or·

1hodox opinion ¡s, thAl they are to be taken Jitt:rally ;

and fince words i\nJ aéticos. being mere accidents, are

not ta? ble of bd ng theml.lves w<ighed . they (.y that

the books whercin they

ale wrillen

\ViII be lhrown

~nto

the (cót)es, and according as thoCe wherein the gaad or

evil aft"",s are recordcd {hall preponder:ue', (entence

will be gi\'cn: thore whofe balances ladeo with

caad works

1b,II

be hea.y, will be (¡ved ; but tho(e whn(e b.lanee.

are

light, \ViII bl!

,ondcmned. Nar will any one have

c.ufe toeomplain ,ha< GoJ fuffers .ny good .tlion tO par.

unrewarded, becaufe Ihe wicked for Ihe gaad (hey do ha'fc

thcir

rewoI.fd

in this

tife,

and thcrcfore can (xpeél no fa...

vour in lhe oext.

Thi,

eX21llinatioD

bcing

pall, and

every one's \Vorks

weighed in a jun balance, th.t mutual re<ali"ion wiJl

follow,

ac(ording tO which every creature will

{~ke

ven–

geance ene of another. or have {_ fitétion made them

for the injurie. whieh they have (utrered. / And, finee

there

will

,ben be

otherway of retllrnin{ like forlike,

the manner of giving thi. (atisfaaion will be by

takin~

away

proportiona.1 part of the good \Vorks of

him

\Vho

offered the injury and .dding it tO tho(e of hion \Vho

fuff.red it. Whieh being don., if the angels (by whofe

mininry thi. i. tO be performed) fay,

L.rd

'U"

ha",

gi.

0 ( 11 l o ( ver) f;11(

hfJ

JUf,

and

then

runai,ulh 01 Ihi,

p"jon'J

g••d

'IJJ.r~J

m"eh

(tJ

' 9uall' lh Ih, 'lJJúghl

011/ ,

God will, O his merey, caufe it to be doubleJ

unto

him,

,hat he may

admitted into paradife; but

ir,

the eontrary, his geod works be exhaufied. and there

remain evil works only, and there be any who have

not yet ree.ivcd (atisfaaion from him, G od \ViJl order

th" an equal w.ight of their fin.

add. d uoto hi. ,

th" he may be punifhed fo r them in their ncad, . nd he

wiJl be (ent tO hell laden with both. Thi. wiJl be the

m.Othod of God'sdealing with maokind. A. tobrute. , . f·

ter they (hall have likewi(etaken vengeance of one anether,

he wiJl

eomm.nd

them tO be ehaoged into dun ; wicked

men being referved to more grievous puoirhment, fo thu

th.y

Ib.JI

ery out, on hearing this fentenee patred

the

brute.,

fII.uld ID

GOD

Ihal

'IJJ'

'lJJU'

¿"ji

(tifo.

A. tO

the genii. many Mohammedans a·re oropinion, ihat

fueh

of them as are true believers.

will

undergo the fame fate

2 S

the ¡rr.alional animals, and have

other reward than

the favour of being converted ioto dun; . od for lhi. they

quo" the .uthority of their prophet.

The "iaJs being orer, .nd the .trembly diffolved, the

Mohammed.ns

hold, that tho(e who are to be .dmitted

ioto par.dife will take the right hand w'y, and thore who

are denined tO hell Gro wiJl takt the lert ; but both of

them mun

fi.rfl

pafs thc bridgeCalled in Arabie

al Sir(t/,

whieh .hey

(.y

i. laid ove, the midn of hell, .nd dcferibe

tobe finer than a

h.ir

.nd fharper th.o theedge of. fword;

Ihat it (eems very difficult to conctive how any one {hall

be able

n.nd

"pon it : (or whicb reafon, mon of .he rea

of che Mot'aulites

re:jeét

rabie

though the ortho–

dox think

fufficient proof of lhe truth or ,his anicle,

eh'u

was

ferioufiy affirmed

by him who never atTcrccd

a ralrehood, meaning thc:ir prophet; "'lho,

add to the

dilJiculty or ilie patr. ge, bas likewif. declarcd, lbat thi.

bridge is bef" on ..eh fide wi ,h briar"nd hooked thorn.;

which \ViII ho\Ycvcr be no impedi,"cnt

the good, for

they Ih.1I p.r, with wond"rful cafe and r\Vlf.ncf. , like

I'chtnmg,

or lhe

wind, Moh..mOled

and

Moncms

lC!adinc che w"y; whercílS the wieked. what with lhe

flippl'unefs and

extreme

narrownc(s

of lhe

p.uh

lhe in–

tangling of the thurns, and the extinétion of the light

which

dire(t..:d

Ihe

former

paradir..:. will

(00 11

mifs

thei, (oolintr. and (. 11 down he.dloog into hell, whicb

¡,

gaping beneath them

the puni(hmc:nr of the wicked, the

~fohamme

d"ns are t2ughl . thal hell is dividl!d

Into

fevcn fio rics or

aparuñents, noc below

,,"olher, dtfigned for tite recep·

tionor as milny dillintl

c1dtr~s

of lhe damncd. The

fifll.

whieh they e,1I J<htno. m. they f.y, wilJ be the re..p·

tacle of thore who .ckoowledgeJ ooe God, th" i., the

wicked

~·Ioh.tmm~

daos, who.

after having there becn

punifhed according

their deme:riu. will al length be

rel..(ed. The (eeond, oam.d Ladha, ' h<ya/lign tO the

Jc:ws; lhe third name..i

ftl

Ho,aOla. tO lhe C'hnlll:lOs ;

lhe fourth,

n~med

al S:tir,

tO the Soabians ; the 6f,h,

Damed Sakar, tO

,he

M..

gians : the

rixlh,

named

Ja–

him,

.to·

dt:

idolittcrs ;

anu the

(e' eorh, whieh is the

10wJ

en . nd

w~n

.11,

and is e. lled al

H.'I'Y" ,

to the hy–

pOtriles,

or thofe \Vho outwardly

profdr~d

fome rcligion,

bUI

their

hearts

were

·of none.

Over

uch

of tht:re

¡–

partments they belie, e thtre

will

rCl

guard of

aogels.

nineceen

number:

whom lhe damned

will

coorcfs

the jun judgment o( God, amI begthem tO intercede with

him

for fom e alJeviation

of lheir

pítin,

that

(hey may

be dclivered by being .nnihilated.

Moharnmed

has,

his Koran and

traditions~

been

very cxaét

defcribing lhe v.trious carmenu of helJ,

whleh, .ecording to hin>, the wieked will futrer both

from

inte.fe

he" . nd cxce/live cold. We fh. JI howev"

enter

iDtO

dcuil of them here. but only ebferve, that

the degree. of the(e pains will alfo v. ry in proportioo to

lhe

crimes of the (ufl"erer, and

lhe

apartment he

con..

demned to ; 'nd tbat he who is puoifhed the mon lightly

o( aJl will be fhod with fhoe. of Gre, the fervor of which

wilJ c.ufe his lkuJl to boillike

cauldron. T he conditiOo

of the(e unh. ppy wretch..,

the

r.me

prophet

te.ch

..,

cannot be properly caJled either life or d••th; .nd

their mifery wiJl be gr..tiy iDereafed by th. ir defpair

being efer delivered (rom that

place~

fince, '2ccord.

iog to tbat frequcnl exprelJion io the Ko,"o,

Ih" muJl

rUI1IJ;n

Ihuein flr ever.

mufl

be remarked, howcn r,

th.. tbe infid.cls . Ione will be liable to eternity of

d.mn.

tion

for the MoClems, or thofe

who

have cmbraced the

true religion, and have

beco

guihy of heinous tin"

wiJl be deli..red thence after th.y fh.1I h. .. expi.tcd

their crimes by

th.ir

fuffering. . 10e time whieh 'here

belic9crs

fhall be

dcrained there, aceording

a lradition

handed dowo from their prophet, ",iJl not

1.(,

.han

900

ycars, nor more than

7 000 , '

And, as to lhe man·

ner or their delivery, they (ay th" they (hall be dimn·

guifhed by the mark. of pronra' ion on thofe p'rts of

tbeir bodies with whieh they uf.d tO toueh the g,ound iD

prayer, and Ol'er which lhe file

wiJI

lherefore han no

power; ;3nd that, bcing

k OOWD

Ihis chara8criflic,

they will be releaf.d by the me"y of God, al Ihe in er·

" J1ioa