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ID: 49
Posted on: 2012-08-23 05:56:22
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Title: Short Essay on Study of Human Nature

Type: Admission Essay
Theme: Short Essay on Study of Human Nature
Author: The author is hidden!
School: Saunders Secondary School
Class: -
City: London, Ontario
E-mail: The email is hidden!

Text
This can only be fully acquired by the patient study of human nature in general, but much will be gained if each tries his own heart in such a crucible as the Saulat us Zaigham. Now, all this, and probably a great deal more, does similar language stir up in the Mussulman bosom.

We all know what a strong principle nationality is, and how easily it is wounded; but the Mahommedan's is a nationality of faith, which is equally injured by any opprobrious imputation against his religion.

Their prejudices are imbibed, as it were, with their mother's milk, nourished in childhood by the marvellous tales of their Prophet and their saints, and welded into an impenetrable system by the constantly recurring ceremonies, which are interwoven with their very existence.

We must also bear in mind the prescriptive hold which their religion has upon them. How many in our own country profess Christianity for no better reason than that it was the religion of their forefathers; and if we examine our own hearts.

We shall find that comfort and support are frequently derived from a reflection upon the numberless learned and illustrious characters who have adorned the Christian profession.

Now, reverence for their cloud of witnesses and fathers is certainly no less an overpowering consideration with many, and a comfort and support to all, than it is with us.

The fact that Islamism has not only stood for 13 centuries, but has expanded and progressed, and has seldom yet cowered before its present foe, must be a strong and satisfactory reflection even to the more sensible of our opponents.

Again, we find with them a religious nobility, the Syuds are the Peers of the Mussulmans; and we see even Mrs. Mir Hassan Ali, whose own religion should have shown her the futility of the title, pluming herself upon the supposed nobility of her foreign connection.

What then must it be, where Islam has been the pure and unbroken creed of their ancestors through a succession of generations running up to the time of Mahommed!

How deep rooted must be those feelings of pride, of high and ancient parentage inwrought with a faith deemed by them so noble, so unparalleled, a faith which affords salvation to all mankind, and which reflects its glory and luster upon them!

If anywhere, we are to expect prejudice, anywhere to make allowance for it, surely it must be here.

Let all our arguments, then, be framed, all our expressions selected with these feelings and prejudices prominently in our view; let there be no unnecessary wounding of the national feeling, no harsh epithets, no irritating insinuations.

We press this point with the greater earnestness, because the provoking insinuations, gratuitous severity, and supercilious language, which we sometimes meet with, are the most powerful adversaries of conviction.

"If we wish the conversion of the infidel to the Christian faith, can we adopt a method more fitted, by fretting his temper, stirring his scorn, and rooting his prejudices, to steel him against conviction, and to frustrate the wish?"

Let us not be mistaken; we are boldly and unflinchingly to declare the message and truth of the Gospel, and the incompatibility of the Mahomedan faith with it, but it is to be done with prudence, with kindness, with love.

The missionary of the cross will find it a difficult thing in the heat of controversy, when his own feelings are wounded in the tenderness point, when his Saviour is afresh buffeted in his presence, to command his temper and his words; and yet it is absolutely necessary, as well for the exemplification of the Christian character, as for the success of his argument.

There are two more lessons we should learn from this controversy; the first is, never to employ a weak argument; for the effect generally is most disadvantageous to our position, and we may be certain that it will not escape the eagle eye of our adversary, who will leave all our stronger reasoning, to expose its fallacy or weakness.

The second is, never to force a prophecy; fanciful and farfetched interpretations must be studiously avoided by ourselves, if we wish with any consistency to deny those of the Mahomedan: let our conclusions be always the clear, unforced, unquestionable deductions of reason.

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