answered, This does not apply to the case in hand. Man, from his nature is a changeable being, but God unchangeable; and if Christ had been God by nature, he never could have become man, because' this implies mutability; according to this doctrine, his nature must have undergone a change when he became man. To obviate this objection, we told him, that though his assumption of human nature did imply the commencement of a new relation, which had no existence before, it did not imply, nor was it necessary it should imply, any change in his Divine nature. In illustration of this, we remarked, there was a time when there was no world. This he admitted, as also that God made the world and all which it contains, without sustaining any change in his nature. Here, then, we told him, is the case of the commencement of a relation which had no existence till the world was made; yet the Divine nature continued, and does continue, the same. No change of nature is implied: and neither is a change of nature implied in Christ's taking a human body and soul' into union with his Divine person. Such reasonings, he rejoined, may satisfy Christians, who have been accustomed to hear them from infancy, and to whom a belief in this doctrine is a kind of second nature; but could never satisfy Mahommedans, who believe that God is one, and that he is eternally and unchangeably the same. told him that there was one way in which even he might satisfy himself of the truth of the doctrine of the Bible respecting the character of the Messiah, and that Christ himself had pointed it out; "If any man will do his will, the same shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." In illustration of this interesting and highly encouraging promise, for such it must be to the humble inquirer, we recommended walking in the way which Messiah had pointed out, by reading in the scriptures of truth, the testimony which God had given concerning his Son, by ordering his conversation accordingly, and praying the Father of mercies to guide him into the knowledge of the truth for the sake of Him who is the only Mediator between God and man. When about to offer some additional remarks of a hortatory nature, a circumstance occurred, which interrupted the conversation, and the prosecution of the dis- ' cussion was of course put off till a more convenient season.

We

The usual strong hold' of the Mahommedans, we are told, is, the supposed absurdity of the sonship of Christ.'

It

is remarkable how the extremes of human wisdom and ignorance sometimes meet, when religious truth is the stumblingblock. Infidelity is the same every where. Mr. Gen's reply was, that

the term Son, when applied to the Messiah, is not to be understood literally, as suggesting the idea that he was begotten as men are; but in a spiritual or figurative sense, in which it may signify, that as a son has the same nature as his father, and stands in a peculiar relation to him, so the Messiah is a partaker of the Divine nature, and stands in a peculiar relation to God the Father.'

On this, it was acutely urged, that the human nature of Christ began to exist in time, and that the term Messiah must apply to him only from the time that he became man. This, of course, was admitted; and Mr. Glen read part of the first chapter of John in further illustration of the pre-existence and deity of the "Word" who "was made flesh." The ground of objection was now shifted: How could an unchangeable Word become man? How could an unchangeable being die? When the sophistry of these objections was exposed, the Effendi, with a degree of assurance which astonished the Writer, denied the matter of fact, that Christ did die, maintaining that the story of his crucifixion was altogether a deception. They are taught to believe, that

The Messiah having been apprehended and confined in a small apartment or hole, from which there was no egress but one, the angel Gabriel came and asked him why he did not make his escape? He answered, that the opening was barely sufficient for his head, and far too small for his shoulders to pass. Gabriel told him to use the sign of the cross, and he would find the opening sufficient. He did so, and having thus effected his escape, ascended to heaven far beyond the reach of his foes.'

A

The belief given to this legend by these metaphysical objectors to the Sonship of our Lord, will serve to shew how very slight a portion of natural acuteness or of mental cultivation is requisite to make an accomplished sceptic or a philosophical Unitarian.' To disputes like these there would be no end. The appeal on either side lay to sacred books whose authority was respectively questioned by the contending parties; the New Testament and the Koran. The Mahommedans admit that the Tourat, (the Law) and the Zabir (the Psalms), and even the Angile (the Gospel), came from God; but, as to the latter, they contend, that the Scriptures now in the hands of Christians, have been corrupted, and are consequently not to be trusted. Here they substantially agree with certain English Unitarians, although they do not know so well how to go about expunging offensive chapters and alleged interpolations, and adapting the Angile, by an improved version, to their own notions. Mr. Glen, however, frankly informed them, that, ⚫ centuries before Mahommed, there were Arians who, like Mahommedans, denied the Divinity of Christ; but they never called in question the authority of the New Testament, which they well knew was the same which had been put into the hands of the fathers of the Christian Church by the 'Apostles.' This is, indeed, an important part of the chain of external evidence which attests the authenticity of the New Testament; and the laborious efforts of Unitarian critics

to make the existing text speak in unison with their dogmas, is a forcible admission that its general purity is unimpeachable. But talk of the external evidences of Christianity to men who feel no want of a Saviour, who have no sense of guilt, who do not seek for consolation, and how can you hope to convince those whom you must fail to interest?, This was the case with the mollas and effendis with whom our Author was brought into contact. They felt for the honour of their faith, but attached no other interest to the subject of religion. One of these disputants put this intelligent question to the missionaries: How could Christ atone for the sins of others, when he was a sinner himself? The answer may be anticipated; but the declaration that Christ knew no sin, was strengthened by the application of the argumentum ad hominem drawn from the doctrine of the effendis, that certain of the ancient prophets, and among others the Messiah, were altogether free from sin. This answer disconcerted the objector. Policy restrained the Missionaries from making a direct attack on the Koran. Had we told them point blank,' says Mr. Glen, that we disbelieved the Koran, the first thought that occurred to them would in all probability have been, They are infidels, and speak blasphemy, why hear them further? We do not, however, quite understand the necessity or propriety of treating the forgeries of the Arabian impostor with all the respect which our Author manifests towards the book. In a note to one of the conversations, in which an effendi, maintaining the unparalleled sublimity of the Koran, says, I refer to the sentiments and doctrines, as well as to the language,' Mr. Glen remarks: Even with this modifica tion, how unsatisfactory the evidence of the Divine original of the Koran; admitting for the sake of argument, that its sublimity, if not unrivalled, has never been surpassed!' And again: How improbable that God, who is "merciful and wise," should have withheld from a prophet of Mahommed's pretensions, the proofs of his Divine legation with which his predecessors were furnished!' If it was requisite to adopt this subdued and diffident tone in encountering the prejudiced Moslem, surely, it cannot be advisable, nor is it appropriate or seemly, in addressing Christian readers. But we cannot but suspect that a direct though temperate attack upon the Koran itself, would be, in many instances, a successful mode of proceeding. The work, as a whole, cannot bear inspection; nor is it any proof of its authority having a strong hold on the effendis themselves, that they boast of the sublimity of its composition. This argument could have little force with the common people. The New Testament is the more interesting

τ.

6

book of the two; and when it is once introduced, the Koran will be unable to stand its ground. That the Moslem, when they begin to reason, will cease to believe,' is a position sanctioned by present appearances. The Missionaries resident at Karass state, that there is an obvious growth of a spirit of 'indifference' on the part of the natives in observing the rites of their own religion.' This fact,' they say, 'is notorious, and often deplored by their effendis, as a sign that religion is coming to an end.' This expectation is surely a symptom of conscious weakness. Many of the effendis themselves are probably little better already than concealed infidels. There are some fiery zealots among them; but this spirit seems dying away, although there is too little disposition to embrace the Gospel of Christ. And this superficial change may be rejoiced in as the probable prelude to the fall of Islamism, when, by means of education, the truths of Christianity shall have been brought to bear on the minds of the people.

Of the mountain tribes in the district bordering on Karass, we have the following account. From the north side of Alburrows, the Cuban takes its rise; the banks of which, near its source, are peopled by the Caratchai, a tribe of about 300 families, speaking a dialect of the Tartar, interspersed with a number of words not in use upon the lines. Like the Cabardians, they are Mahommedans.

Beyond the Caratchai, on the south-west line, live the Hashipsi, or, as the Cabardians name them, Abazas, who speak a language of their own, differing from the Tartar, the Cabardian, and that of the neighbouring tribes. They, too, are the followers of Mohammed. The rivulets by which their country is watered, run towards the Black Sea. At a still greater distance, is another people named the Sonnas, who, like the Abazas, have a language of their own, which bears no resemblance to any which the Cabardians have had an opportunity of hearing. They call themselves Christians, and their books, or rather those of their forefathers, which none of them can read, are lodged in their churches, which are falling into decay. Of this people there are three tribes, one of which is only about thirty versts from the Abazas. The other two tribes are distant from the Abazas about two days journey on the other side of the mountain. Between the Abazas and Georgia, the mountains are impassable for persons on horseback, but may be crossed, though not without difficulty, by a few active young men on foot. On the north-east of Alburrows, the Shegim river takes its rise, directing its course to the Caspian. On the banks of it, to a considerable distance from its source, live the Shegims. The number of families belonging to the tribe is from two to three hundred. They profess the Mohammedan religion, and speak a dialect of Tartar language. Farther down, however, the banks of the Shegim are peopled by the Cabardians, VOL. XIX. N. S. Р

"

whose border, on the south, extends from the Caratchai country, along the bottom of the snow mountains, as far as the eye can reach. Their northern frontier, in the neighbourhood of Beshtow, is the Podcuma, a few versts distant from the spot on which we took our observations. West of the Abazas, the mountains are inhabited by various tribes, the greater part of which speak dialects of the Cabardian, Abaza, and Tartar languages. East of the Shegims, they are inhabited by tribes, speaking dialects of a great many different languages, of which the most noted are the Tchitchian and Ossitinian.'

pp. 103-105.

Of these and other Eastern tribes, they could obtain no minute information. The missionary settlement at Karass is known by report, more or less, among all these mountain tribes; and the opinion entertained of them is, that they are the best of the Giaours. Islam, a Cabardian nobleman, told Mr. Glen, that their ancestors in Cabardia were Christians; and he knew an old man who recollected the time when swine's flesh was in use among some of them.' In those times, he frankly avowed, the manners of his countrymen were much less depraved than now. Then, a man's bare word could be depended on: now, the most solemn engagements and promises were disregarded.' These are important facts. What sort of Christianity that was, which Islamism has displaced, does not appear.

An interesting account occurs of a visit to the hot-water springs which are about seven versts from the Colony. But, for this, we must refer our readers to the volume itself, which cannot fail to excite the attention which it deserves in the religious public at large.

Art. XII. The Child's Scripture Examiner and Assistant. Parts I. and II. Containing Questions on the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke, with practical and explanatory Observations, suited to the Capacity of Children. By J. G. Fuller. 18mo. Price 1s. each, or 11s. per dozen. Bristol. 1822.

THESE questions are constructed with much ingenuity and

judgement, and will be found of great assistance to the Sunday School Teacher. They are short and simple, but care has been taken to put them in such a form as shall prevent the monosyllabic answers, Yes and No. In some cases, a given answer is required, which is inserted in Italics; but, for the most part, it is intended that the children shall be allowed to answer in their own words. The concise explanation which introduces the question, is a sort of brief running commentary