in that work. Nor am I disposed to lay much stress on the circumftance of its containing them, or any mere popular opinions, however ill founded, as an argument against its divine authority. But in language fuppofed to proceed immediately from the mouth of God, we naturally expect fome-. thing more correct, especially when there is no appearance of the language being figurative, and therefore capable of a different construction. I fhall, however, mention a few opinions, with paffages of the Koran in which they are contained, as at least curiofities of their kind, and which Christians compare with the doctrine and the language of the Scriptures on the fame subjects, whatever inferences they may be difpofed to draw from them.

may

We find in the Koran fomething more than an allufion to the notion of there being feven heavens, all created in two days, viz. the fifth and fixth days of the week, of angels being placed to guard them from the attempts of devils, and of falling ftars being lamps thrown at them by these guardian angels, and alfo of the distance of the throne of God

being fo great that it would take fifty thoufand years for a man to afcend it.

"We formed them into feven heavens in two days, and revealed unto every heaven its office, and we adorned the heavens with lights, and placed therein a guard of angels." Koran, Vol. II. p. 345. " We have appointed the loweft heavens with lamps, and have appointed them to be darted at the devils, for whom we have prepared the torment of burning fire.” Ib. p. 450. “One demanded, and called for vengeance to fall on the unbelievers. There fhall be none to avert the fame from being inflicted by God, the poffeffor of the fteps by which the angels afcend to him, and the fpirit of Gabriel alfo, in a day whofe fpace is fifty thousand years." Ib. P. 458.

The idea of an impaffable gulph between heaven and hell, and of the poffibility of converfation being held between the inhabitants of each of thofe places, in our Saviour's parable, are evidently imagined for the fake of figurative representation, and the inftruction to be conveyed by it. And no Christian

ever fuppofed that, in reality, these two places would be fo fituated. But according to the Koran, Paradife and hell are really contiguous, but feparated by a high wall; Paradife being much elevated, and hell much beneath it. And it has been seen that a great part of the entertainment of the inhabitants. of Paradise confifts in their looking down upon, and laughing at, the wicked in the midft of their torments.

"A high wall shall be fet between them, wherein shall be a gate, within which Thall be mercy, and without it, over against the fame, the torments of hell. The hypocrite fhall call out to the true believer, faying, Were we not with you? They shall answer, Yea, but ye feduced your own fouls, and ye waited our ruin; and ye doubted concerning the faith, and your wishes deceived you, until the decree of God came, and the deceiver deceived you concerning God." Koran, Vol. II. p. 419. Speaking of those who are in Paradife, he fays, "They shall ask one another questions concerning the wicked, and fhall ask the wicked

VOL. III.

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wicked themselves, faying,. What has brought you into hell?" Ib. p. 471.

The idea of a narrow bridge laid over hell, which both the righteous and the wicked are to pafs over after the day of judgment, Mr. Sale fays, p. 122, that Mahomet borrowed from the Magians. This bridge the righteous pass over very safely, whereas the wicked, unable to ftand upon it, fall into hell. This, he says, the sect of the Motazalites reject as a fable, but the orthodox think it a fufficient proof that it is not, that it was seriously affirmed by Mahomet. I do not, however, recollect any account of this bridge in the Koran; and there we find, as has been feen, a different account of the manner in which the wicked go into hell.

We find in feveral paffages in the Koran, in which the Divine Being is reprefented as the speaker, the opinions which appear to be current among the Arabs concerning genii, fuppofed by them to be an order of beings below that of angels or devils, and above that of men, but who eat and drink, propagate their fpecies, and are fubject to death. Sale's

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Sale's Preliminary Difcourfe, p. 95. They had, however, the fame origin with the angels and devils, being formed of fire; whereas man was formed of clay. "He created man of dried clay, like an earthen veffel, but he created the genii of fire free from fmoke." Koran, Vol. II. p. 409.

We have seen in the accounts of Mahomet's Paradife, extracted from the Koran, that the genii are capable of having commerce with women. According to the fame authority they are also the proper subjects of the miffion of Mahomet, as well as men, and fome of them are faid to be believers, and others unbelievers, and to be rewarded or punished accordingly.

"Remember when we caufed certain of the genii to turn afide unto thee, that they might hear the Koran; and when they were present at the reading of the fame, they faid to one another, Give ear, and when it was ended they returned back unto their people, preaching what they had heard. They faid, Our people, verily we have heard a book read unto us, which hath been revealed fince Mofes, confirm