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feelings; she pined away from day to day, caressing the unfortunate infant,and fell a sacrifice to the fidelity of her affection. She languished a few months, and literally died of a broken heart, leaving the dear and helpless infant to a sister, who had cherished and brought him up with maternal affection.

More polished regions will hardly afford instances of greater sensibility, or present us with amiability of manners more interesting and more endearing. From such as these we have little to fear; we have every thing to hope in the pursuit of the mission.

FORGIVENESS OF INJURIES RECOMMENDED, AND THE RELIGION OF THE KORAN AND THE BIBLE CONTRASTED.

Ir is well known that the Koran of Mahomet contains many passages copied from both the Old and New Testaments; among others, the Arabian prophet has given a place to those precepts of Jesus which recommend forgiveness of injuries, and overcoming evil with good. One day the caliph Hassan, son of Hali, being at table, a slave unfortunately let fall a dish of meat, reeking hot, which scalded him severely. The slave fell on his knees, rehearsing those words of the Koran, "Paradise is for those who restrain their anger." "I am not angry with thee," answered the caliph. "And for those who forgive offences against them," continues the slave. "I forgive thee thine," replies the caliph. "But, above all, for those who return good for evil," adds the slave." "I set thee at liberty," rejoined the caliph; "and I give thee ten dinars." Will not VOL I.

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this Mahometan rise up in judgment, and condemn many who call themselves the followers of the merciful Jesus?

Notwithstanding, the above and many other excellent passages are to be found in the Koran, the following anec. dote, abridged from Maraccius, will afford a juster notion of the real character of that composition, as well as display the superior excellency of the Christian Scriptures.

During the Moorish government in Spain, a certain youth of Cordova, who had been educated a Mahometan, was solicited by a Christian aunt to embrace Christianity. This being discovered by his other relatives, in order to disappoint the hopes of this pious woman, they resolved to have him well instructed in the Arabic language; that, being enabled to read the Koran, he might thereby improve his acquaintance with the religion of Mahomet, and be confirmed in his attachment to it. The youth, possessing a ready genius, made such proficiency in his studies, that his relatives soon thought him qualified to read the Koran, and immediately put it into his hands, not doubting, but that it would determine him to remain a disciple of their prophet.

Having heard the Koran highly extolled, both for its matter and style, and having acquired a taste for the elegancies of the Arabian tongue, he greedily seized the book, and diligently set himself to peruse it; but, to his great disappointment, he found, that though the style was pleasing, the book was so far from possessing substantial merit, that it was full of confusion and obscurity; what was asserted in one chapter, he saw recalled in another, and sometimes in the same. He perceived the volume abounded in contradiction, absurdity, and fable; that it placed the felicity of paradise merely in sensual delights

and lewd indulgences; that it represented the great God, at one time as perjured; at another as profusely swearing on the most frivolous matters by things the most unworthy; exciting his own prophet Mahomet to uncleanness, adultery, theft, and perjury; that the prophet himself was wholly addicted to lust, gluttony, robbery, and slaughter; and that the Koran contained little beside what was designed to secure some advantage to him; that he was constantly devising some unjust war, under the mask of religion, in order to obtain the wealth of the conquered; contriving means to dishonor virtuous women, and to be at all times furnished with new revelations, either to justify his own enormities, or to revenge himself on any of his kindred who had offended him, by destroying their reputation. In fine,that this whole book from beginning to end,treated of matters lewd, trifling, cruel, or superstitious; a few good things only here and there, probably stolen from the Christian Scriptures, and repeated a hundred times.

The mussulmen not only boast that the Koran is of divine authority, but that it abides in the essence of God, and is preserved by his throne; and that its equal has never yet existed, nor ever will exist; but no sooner had the discerning youth examined its contents for himself, than he was convinced that it was impossible for such a production to be of divine inspiration, and it owed its origin either to some wicked man, or some infernal spirit; but at the same time recollecting what he had heard of the dignity and purity of the Christian religion, he began to compare the Koran with the gospel, Mahomet with Christ, the religion of the one with the religion of the other; nor was it long before he was so satisfied of the vanity and falsehood of Mahometanism, and the truth of Christianity,

that he resolved to become a Christian; and, having beeu baptized, he openly abjured both the Koran and its author, and readily and uniformly avowed his resolution to continue a disciple of the Son of God.

The Moors, especially his relations, were astonished at this sudden conversion; and at first endeavored, with soft and soothing words, to shake his resolution, and recal him to the superstition of his ancestors; but when they beheld his unshaken constancy, they changed their tone, and threatened him with tortures and death; and as neither by promises nor threatenings they could divert him from his purpose, they became mad with rage, and revenged the injury done to their prophet by barbarously murdering the innocent youth, whose pure and happy spirit immediately fled to take a celestial seat among the choirs of the martyrs.

We are never well informed of the truth, till we are conformed to the truth.

TWO SINGULAR CONVERSIONS, OCCASIONED BY A

STRIKING PROVIDENCE.

SOME few years past, in a certain town in New England, there was a young lady, of a gay and sprightly turn of mind, who had occasion to go upon business to the neighboring town of N......., where she had frequently been before. On the borders of N..... there is a large stream of water, which is fordable only at certain times when it is low. This young lady took another, for company, who was younger than herself, and who had never been from home. They came to the river, which the young lady had no ap. prehension of attempting at that time to ford, on account

of the depth. Nevertheless, in the gaiety of her heart, thinking to try the courage of her companion, she ventured into the stream. Observing that the other followed her without hesitation, she determined to proceed, thinking it possible that they might get safely through. Soon, as she herself related, her head began to swim; and, instead of guiding her horse rather up the stream, which she ought to have done, she turned him the other way. Not far from the opposite shore, her horse, in passing a rock which was under water, plunged her into the stream. She recollected that she struck the bottom with her feet, and by a strong exertion raised her head once above water and took breath; but her clothes being wet and heavy, she immediately sunk again, and was carried gently down the stream, under water. The distress of strangling was soon over; but she yet remained in full possession of her reason. She felt herself to be now drowning; and supposed that a few moments more would put a final period to her state of trial, and transport her into the eternal world. Upon this, all the horrors of death, and of the judgment which is to follow, crowded into her distracted mind; and she felt to use her own expression, that she was going immediately to hell. As she was carried along under water, she for a little while clearly discerned the light, but soon it seemed to her that a cloud came over her eyes, and she presently lost her sight. Here she lost all sense and recollection; and here we must leave her to relate some peculiar circumstances in divine Providence, which concurred to her deliverance.

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On the same day, in another town, there was a young man who, taking a little airing in the morning upon his farm, felt his mind struck with the thought of going that

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