s it possible
that faith could be restored. They who had devoutly expected that the
earth would open, the lightning descend, or sudden death arrest the
sacrilegious invader of the holy places, and had seen that nothing of
the kind ensued, dropped at once into dismal disbelief. Asia and Africa
were already morally lost. The scimitar of the Arabian soon cut the
remaining tie.

[Sidenote: Birth of Mohammed.]

Four years after the death of Justinian, A.D. 569, was born at Mecca, in
Arabia, the man who, of all men, has exercised the greatest influence
upon the human race--Mohammed, by Europeans surnamed "the Impostor." He
raised his own nation from Fetichism, the adoration of a meteoric stone,
and from the basest idol-worship; he preached a monotheism which quickly
scattered to the winds the empty disputes of the Arians and Catholics,
and irrevocably wrenched from Christianity more than half, and that by
far the best half of her possessions, since it included the Holy Land,
the birthplace of our faith, and Africa, which had imparted to it its
Latin form. That continent, and a very large part of Asia, after the
lapse of more than a thousand years, still remain permanently attached
to the Arabian doctrine. With the utmost difficulty, and as if by
miracle, Europe itself escaped.

[Sidenote: His preaching,]

[Sidenote: and title to apostleship.]

Mohammed possessed that combination of qualities which more than once
has decided the fate of empires. A preaching soldier, he was eloquent in
the pulpit, valiant in the field. His theology was simple: "There is but
one God." The effeminate Syrian, lost in Monothelite and Monophysite
mysteries; the Athanasian and Arian, destined to disappear before his
breath, might readily anticipate what he meant. Asserting that
everlasting truth, he did not engage in vain metaphysics, but applied
himself to improving the social condition of his people by regulations
respecting personal cleanliness, sobriety, fasting, prayer. Above all
other works he esteemed almsgiving and charity. With a liberality to
which the world had of late become a stranger, he admitted the salvation
of men of any form of faith provided they were virtuous. To the
declaration that there is but one God, he added, "and Mohammed is his
Prophet." Whoever desires to know whether the event of things answered
to the boldness of such an announcement, will do well to examine a map
of the world in our own times. He will find the ma