the grand truth which his own soul had taught an Augustine in days of yore, "Fecisti¹ nos ad Te, et inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in Te."

Unable to cross the Bridge, the unrighteous fall down into the abyss of fire, where they undergo the most exquisite tortures. There are in Hell seven stages, the lowest of

Hell

which is reserved for hypocrites, who, though with their lips professing to be Muslims and to believe in GOD and His "Prophet" yet wrought deeds of infidelity. The tortures of Hell and the happiness of Heaven are both alike eternal, but the Muslims believe² that every man who has as much as a grain of the true Faith in his heart, though he may for a time suffer in Hell the punishment of his sins, will yet, after receiving punishment, find an entrance into Paradise at last, there henceforth to dwell for ever and ever.

§ 13. I have now endeavoured to detail for you, as fully as the limits of a lecture

Conclusion

would permit, the main truths of Islam. It would have been an easy task—it has been done before³ now—to depict Islam in glowing colours as a noble, spiritual, and almost GOD-given faith. Truth compels me to decline to make any such statement as this with regard to the Muhammadan religion, just as it forbids me to deny the existence of anything noble and true in the "Prophet's" teaching.

I have, I confess, as yet shown you only one side of the shield. To imagine that Muhammadanism taken all in all, is as worthy of admiration as some of these tenets are,

Only one side  of the shield  shown as yet.

would be to judge of a thundercloud by the arch of Divine Promise shining amid its gloom, or of the fever-haunted Sunderbunds of Bengal by a glimpse of the snowclad sublimity of the Himalayas.

There is much that is puerile, much that is ridiculous, much that is vile and loathsome in the teachings of Muhammad. But it is not these things that give that Religion its strength, the enormous influence which it has for far more than a millennium exercised over the hearts and consciences of so many millions of our race. The secret of this is in the truths which it embodies. And although for a time these very truths are permitted to recommend to men's acceptance the terrible errors with which they are united in Islam, yet may we not hope and trust,—yes, may we not labour too and pray—that the time will soon come when, through believing the great truths which Muhammadanism has borrowed from a purer faith, many of the followers of the great False Prophet of Arabia may be led to seek Him from Whom all true Light proceeds, and, having for their guide the Light of the World, find His promise true,

"He¹ that followeth Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the Light of Life."