In short, from the verses above adduced it is perfectly certain that Christ openly and clearly claimed Deity (أُلُوهيّة) as belonging to Himself. Hence whoever is with all his heart searching for the truth, and who, putting aside all prejudice and bigotry, is willing to accept what the holy Scriptures tell us Christ Himself taught, can no longer entertain any doubt or hesitate to accept the doctrine of the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God.

But some one may say: 'Others besides Christ have claimed Deity; for example, Mansuru'l-Hallaj, who said, "I am ¹ the truth" (i.e. God). Moreover in recent times somewhat similar claims have been made by Baha'u'llah in Persia, and by others elsewhere. Some of these men were Sufis, some were impostors, some were maniacs. Why should Christ's claim be accepted rather than that of one of these men?' Of course this objection could not be raised by a true Muslim; but even an unbeliever has a right to an answer, when he is really in earnest and asks courteously for a reply. Hence we proceed to answer this objection.

Some of these men may have been merely mystics, and may have meant to say that they had submitted their will and conduct to God and brought themselves into entire harmony with His most holy will. If this is what was meant by any of

them, the meaning should have been plainly expressed. It was both wrong and foolish for a man who meant no more than this to call himself God. It was blasphemy. But we have already seen that no such explanation will suit the claims made by our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe our Lord's claim to Deity, and we reject the claims of all other men for the simple reason that we have sufficient proofs of the truth of the claim of the Lord Jesus Christ and have no proof whatever that any one else had any right to call Himself God, or the Son of God, or the manifestation (مظهر) of God, or by any similar title. In the case of no one else do we find (a) the testimony of angels in support of the claim, (b) nor that of a voice from heaven, (c) nor preceding prophecies in the Old Testament, (d) nor the power of working such great and beneficent miracles, (e) nor a transfiguration, (f) nor a resurrection from the dead, (g) nor power to give new spiritual life to believers, and to deliver them from sin and enable them to serve God faithfully unto death, (h) nor the fulfilment of prophecies afterwards, (i) nor, above all, a perfectly sinless and beautiful character, such as that of the Lord Jesus Christ, the 'Sinless Prophet' (النّبيّ المعصوم). Even were we to leave out of consideration everything except Christ's own spotless character, which alone can give men any proper conception of a God worthy of love and reverence,