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THE MOHAMMEDAN CONTROVERSY
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with them we have many claimants to inspiration, instead of onewe have pure
morals, and an entire absence of worldly motives.
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In taking up the chapter on the Holy Ghost as third Person of the Trinity, he
leaves almost unnoticed the strongest passages from the New Testament, and
dwells upon others which Pfander himself acknowledges are no more than
allusions. He mistakes the gift and influences of the Holy
Ghost, for the Divine spirit itself; and asserts that our doctrine would lead
to the supposition that Christ was in the womb of Elizabeth and Mary at the
same time; for "John was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's
womb." He holds that the epithet here means the gift of repentance or
spirit of faith, which was imparted by the apostles to those who believed. The
Athanasian creed, as translated into Arabic by Sabat, is now criticised, and
by applying the attributes and nature of one Person in the blessed Trinity to
another, as he affirms he is warranted to do upon the supposition of real
Unity, he reduces the doctrine ad absurdum, and holds it up in a
variety of lights, as involving contradictions and impossibilities. He omits,
throughout his reply, the orthodox doctrine of the two natures of Christ
which, had he approached the subject in a proper spirit, would have extricated
him from many of his dilemmas.
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The examples and analogies from nature are rejected because, while the unity
is that of figure or substance, the plurality consists in parts or qualities.
He does not fail to take Pfander to task for the examples of the circle, etc.;
but his language is perhaps less strong and improper than that of others
noticed before. One's sense of the disadvantage of these illustrations is, if
possible, strengthened by the Maulavi's remarks. The disadvantage of
metaphysical reasoning on this vitally important subject is strikingly shown
in several passages, where it is assumed by our opponent that we consider the
Son and the Holy Ghost to be manifestations of the Divine essence; the former
being the attribute of wisdom or intelligence, the latter, of power
and love.
Such views, however carefully the language may be chosen, are undoubtedly
prone to denude the blessed
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