difobedience, he createth in him an action o f difobedience ; fo that maa
feemeth to be the effeftive producer of his aftion, though he really
be not 1 But this, proceeds the fame writer, is again prefled with
its difficulties, becaufe the very intention of the mind is the work of
G o d, fo that no man hath any ffiare in the production of his own
actions ; for which reafon the ancients difapproved of too nice an
inquiry into this point, the end of the difpute concerning the fame
being, for the molt part, either the taking away of all precepts pofi-
tive as well as negative, or elfe the aflfociating of a companion with
G od, by introducing fome other independent agent befides him,
Thofe, therefore, who would fpeak more accurately, ufe this form:
'There is neither compulfion, nor free liberty, but the way lies between the
two-, the power and will in man being both created by G o d , though
the merit ox guilt be imputed unto man. Yet, after .all, it is judged
the fafeft way to follow the fteps of the primitive Mojlems, and,
avoiding fubtle difputations and too curious enquiries to leave
the knowledge of this matter, wholly unto G od *; 3. As to mortal
* Idem, ib. p. 249, 250. 1 'Idem, ib. p. 250, 251. Itruftthe reader will nap be pffenW
H as a farther illuftration of what has been faid on this fubjeft (in producing of which I havepy ,
pofely kept to the original Mohammedan expreffions) I tranfcribe a palfage ortwofrom a pofticript
fubjoined to the epiftle I have quoted above (§. iv. p. 108.) in which.the point of free-will is treated
ex profijjh. Therein the Moorijh author, having mentioned the two oppofite opinions of the Kf
darians, who allow free w-ill, and the Jaharians, whomake man a neceffary agent (the former of
which opinions, he fays, feems to approach neareft to-that of the greater part of ChriJHans, and
of the Jews) declares the true opinion to be that of the Somites, who aflert that man hath power
and will to chufe good and evil, and can moreover know he fliall be rewarded if. he do well, and
lhall be puniihed if he do i l l ; but that he depends notwithftanding on God’s power, and willeth,
if God willeth, but not otherwife.' Then he proceeds briefly to.refute the two extream opinions,
and firft to prove that of the Kadariam, though it be agreeable to God’s juftice, inconflftent tyith
his attributes of wifdom and power : Safsentia etsim Dei, fays he, comprebendit quicquidfuit & fill-
rum eft ah astcrnitalc in finem ufqtte mundi & poftea. Et itariievit ab atcrno omnia opera creatnnmh
five bona, five mala, qua: fuerint create cum potentia Dei, & ejus libera fcf determinate volunMh
ficut ipfi vifum fuit. Denique .novit .eum qui futures trap malm, & tamen creavit cum, .{if fimilittr <*•
mm, quern etiam creavit: neque negari poteft quin, ft ipfi libuijjei, potuiffet. omnes creare boms: plead
tamen Deo creare bonos {s’ males, cbm Deo folifit dbfoluta {S’ libera voluntas, (S’ perfelta eleSlio, fcf»
bomini. Ita enim Salomon infills proverbiis dixit, Vitam (9’ mortem, bonum (S’ malum, divitiasti
paupertatem, effe fcf venire a Deo. Chriftiani etiam dicunt S. Paulum dixiffe in fuis epifiolis; Died
etiam lutum figulo, quare facts mum vas ad honorem, (ff aliud vas ad contumeliam ■ ? Cum igitur Slip
homo fiterit creatus a voluntate Dei & potentia, nihil aliud poteft tribui ipfi quam ipfe fenfus agmjctnh
($ fentiendi an bene vel male facial. Slum unica caufa ( id eft, fenfus cogmfcenii) erit ejus gloria "
pasta caufa: 'per talem enim fenfum mbit quid boni vel, mali adverfus Dei pracepta fecerit. The opinion
of the Jaharians, on the other hand, herejefts as contrary toman's confcioufnefs of his ovvn
power and choice, and inconflftent with God’s juftice, and his having given mankind laws, to the
dbferving or tranfgrefling of which he has annexed rewards and puniiliments. After this he proceeds
to explain the third opinion in the following words. Tertia opinio Zunis (i. e. Sonniterny)
qua vera eft, ajfirmat bomini poteftatem effe, fed limit at am a. fun caufa, id eft, dependentem a Dei p-
Jentia (S’ voluntate, (S’ propter illam cognitionem qua deliberat bene vel male facere, effe dignum p<*"
I fin, the AJhuriam, taught, that i f a believer guilty of fuch fin die
I without repentance, hisfentenceis to be left to G o D-, whether he pardon
him out of his mercy, or whether the prophet intercede for
j him, (according to thac faying recorded of him, My intercejpon Jhall
be employed for thofe among my people who Jhall have been guilty o f grievous
crimes,) or whether he puniffi him in proportion to his de-
I merit, and afterwards, through his mercy, admit him into paradife:
but that it is not to be fuppofed he will remain forever in hell with
! the infidels, feeing it is declared that whoever fliall have faith in his
I heart but of the weight of -an ant, ffiall be delivered from hell-fire \
And this is generally received for the orthodox dodtrine in this
point, and is diametrically oppofite to that of the Motazalites. IThefe were the more rational Sefatians, but the ignorant part of them,
not knowing how otherwife to explain the expreffions o f the Koran
relating to the declarative attributes, fell into moil grofs and abfurd
■ opinions, making G od corpor.eal, and like created beings %. Such were,
2. The Mojhabbehites, or Afimilators-, who allowed a refemblance
I between G od and his creatures 3, fuppofing him to be a figure
I vel presmio. Manifeftum eß in aternitate nonfuijfe aliampotent tarn p ra te r D e i noßri omnipotent is, e eu-
■ jus potentia pendebant omnia poffibilia, id eß , q u a poter ant effe, cum ab ipfo fu e r in t creata. Sapientia verb
I Dei novit etiam qua non funt fu tu ra j PA potentia ejus, etfi non creaverit ea, potuit tamen, f i ita Deo
■ placuißet. Ita novit fapientia D e i q u a er ant impoffibilia, id e ß , q u a non pot er ant effe ; q u a tamen
I nullo paftopendent ab ejus potentia : ab ejus enim potentia nulla pendent nifi poffibilia.— Dicimus enim i
■ Dei potentia non pendere creare Deum alium ipfi fimilem, nec creare aliquid quod moveatur PA quiefcat
■ fimul eodem tempore, aim h a c fin t ex impoffibilibus : comprebendit tamen fu â fapientia tale aliquid non
I j pendere ab ejus potentia.— A potentui igitur D e i pendet filtern quod poteft effe, PA poffibile eft e ffii q u a fern-
I [ per parata eß dare effe poffibilibus. E t f i hoc penitus cognofcamus, cognofcemus par iter omne quod eft,
I \ feu futurum eft, f iv e f in t opera no/lra, f iv e quidvis alind, pendere à f i la potentia D ei. E t hoc non p r i-
I vatim intelligiiur, fed in genere de omni eo quod eft PA movetur, f iv e in ca lis f iv e in terra ; PA nec a li-
I I 9.u\ potentia poteft impediri D e i potentia, cum nulla alia potentia abfoluta f i t , p ra te r D e i ; potentia
I verb noftra non eft à fe , nifi a D e i potentia : PA cum potentia noftra dicitur effe a caufa fua, ideo dicimus
I potentiam noftram effe firatninis comparatam cum potentia D e i : eo enim modo quofir amen movetur a motu
I maris, ita noftra potentia PA voluntas à D e i potentia. Itaque D e i potentia femper eft parata etiam a d
■ occidèndum aliquem } ut f i quis hominem occidat, non dicimus potentia boininis id fa lium , f e d aterna
■ potentia D e i: error enim eft id tribuere potentia hominis. Potentia enim D ei, cfon femper f i t parata,
I A ante ipfurn hominem, ad occidendum ; f i fo ld hominis potentia id f a f t um effe diceremus, PA
■ mreretur, potentia fane D e i ( q u a ante er a t) jam ibi effet fru ftrà : quia poft mortem non poteft potentia
■ £ . eu;m iteru™ d e c id e r e e x quo fequerettir potentiam D e i impediri à potefitia hominis, PA potentiam
■ hominis anteire PA antecellere potentiam D e i s quod eft abfurdumPA impojfibile. Ig itu r Deus eft qui
■ operatur aterna fu a potentia : f i vero bomini injiciatur culpa, f iv e in tali homicidio, f iv e in aliis, hoc
■ eß quantum ad pracepta PA legem. Homini tribuitur foltim opus externe, PA ejus eleftio, q u a eft av o -
■ miLn^e. eJ us & potentia ; non verb interne.— Hoc eft punftum illud indivifibile PA fecretum, quod à pau-
efftmis capitur, ut fapientifftmus Sidi Abo Harnet Elgaceli (i. e. Dominus Abu Hâmed al Ghazâli)
ajfirmat (cujus fp ir itu i Deus concédât gloriam, A m e n ! ) fequentibus verbis: Ita abditum PA profunum
PA abftrufum efi intelligere punftum illud L ibe ri A r b itr ii, ut neque cbarafteres ad feribendum,
MQue u lla rationes ad exprimendum fufficiant, PA omnes, quotquot de haç re locuti funt, haferunt con-
Jf f i tn ripa tant i PA tamfpaciofi maris. 1 Al Shahreft. apud Poe. Spec. p. 258. * V. Poe.
1 • P* 255> &c* Abulfar. p. 167, &c. 3 Al Mawâkef, apud Poc. ib.
Z com