servants to accept and believe in them, even though they may not be able fully to understand them.

Having now made these necessary statements by way of an introduction to our subject, we shall proceed, with God's help, to prove from the holy Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament that the doctrines of the Deity (أُلوهيّة) of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the existence of the most holy Trinity (ثالوث) in the Unity of the divine nature are in truth clearly and plainly set forth in those books. If perchance any of our readers should fancy that the Old and the New Testament have become corrupted and annulled and that their teaching is consequently of no importance or authority in our own days, then we would again refer him to the first part of the revised Mizanu'l-Haqq, in the first chapter of which a complete answer is given to this baseless fancy.

In the present tractate, dividing the above-mentioned subject into two parts, in the first chapter, we shall deal with the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the second chapter we shall endeavour to explain succinctly, as far as possible, the meaning of the doctrine of the most holy Trinity and to state the proofs of its truth. But, since Almighty God alone can cleanse man's defiled heart, enlighten his darkened mind and bestow upon him spiritual understanding, that he may be enabled to grasp spiritual matters and believe what God has

revealed, our humble and hearty petition is that He, of His great mercy and infinite loving-kindness, would enlighten each of our readers with His own ineffable light and guide them all to the knowledge of the truth. For, until a man is enlightened from on high, he cannot comprehend God's wonderful works and His spiritual words; according as it is written: 'The natural (Ψυχικος, نفساني) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things.' ¹ Moreover, God who knoweth the hearts of all His creatures does not force conviction and faith upon any one who does not truly desire to know Him. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself has revealed in the Gospel the condition without fulfilling which it is impossible for any man to find the truth; for He has said that it is only those who really desire to serve God and obey His commandments that have any right to expect success in this high and holy quest: ' If ² any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God.' But since God, of His infinite love and mercy, wishes all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, ³ as it is stated in the holy Scriptures, therefore, brother, He will assuredly bestow on you the light of His guidance, when you in this way and