s
conjoined. The above observations are made in order to shew, that the
Mahometans are permitted to marry several wives, because love truly
conjugial, which subsists only between one man and one wife, was not
communicable to them; since from their religious tenets they did not
acknowledge the Lord to be equal to God the Father, and so to be the God
of heaven and earth. That conjugial love with every one is according to
the state of the church, may be seen above, at n. 130, and in several
other places.

342. IX. THE MAHOMETAN HEAVEN IS OUT OF THE CHRISTIAN HEAVEN AND IS
DIVIDED INTO TWO HEAVENS, THE INFERIOR AND THE SUPERIOR; AND ONLY THOSE
ARE ELEVATED INTO THEIR SUPERIOR HEAVEN WHO RENOUNCE CONCUBINES AND LIVE
WITH ONE WIFE, AND ACKNOWLEDGE OUR LORD AS EQUAL TO GOD THE FATHER, TO
WHOM IS GIVEN DOMINION OVER HEAVEN AND EARTH. Before we speak
particularly to each of these points, it may be expedient to premise
somewhat concerning the divine providence of the Lord in regard to the
rise of Mahometanism. That this religion is received by more kingdoms
than the Christian religion, may possibly be a stumbling-block to those
who, while thinking of the divine providence, at the same time believe
that no one can be saved that is not born a Christian; whereas the
Mahometan religion is no stumbling-block to those who believe that all
things are of the divine providence. These inquire in what respect the
divine providence is manifested in the Mahometan religion; and they so
discover in it this, that the Mahometan religion acknowledges our Lord
to be the Son of God, the wisest of men, and a grand prophet, who came
into the world to instruct mankind; but since the Mahometans have made
the Koran the book of their religion, and consequently think much of
Mahomet who wrote it, and pay him a degree of worship, therefore they
think little respecting our Lord. In order to shew more fully that the
Mahometan religion was raised up by the Lord's divine providence to
destroy the idolatries of several nations, we will give a detail of the
subject, beginning with the origin of idolatries. Previous to the
Mahometan religion idolatrous worship prevailed throughout the whole
world; because the churches before the Lord's coming were all
representative; such also was the Israelitish church, in which the
tabernacle, the garments of Aaron, the sacrifices, all things belonging
to the temple at Jerusalem, and also the statutes, were representative.
The