[19] God made Man after his own Image—These Words are quoted by our Author for the Words of Mahomet, though they do indeed Belong to Moses, but we must know that Mahomet was well acquainted with the Jews from whom he learned not only some Expressions us'd in the Bible, but a great part of the History of it; which he has mangled and crowded, after a confus'd manner, into his Alcoran.
[20] Alcoran, Chap. Alkesas.
[21] Our Philosophers imitating the Heavenly Bodies in their Circular Motion, would seem indeed extreamly ridiculous, but that we are to consider that the Mahometans have a superstitious Custom of going several times round the Cave of Meccah, when they go thither on Pilgrimage, and look upon it as a very necessary part of their Duty. Now our Author having resolved to bring his Philosopher as far at least as was possible for one in his Circumstances, in the Knowledge and Practice of all those things which the Mahometans account necessary, would not let him be ignorant of this Practice of moving round; but has brought it under this second sort of Imitation of the Heavenly Bodies. Now tho' our Philosopher may be excus'd for not going to the Temple at Meccah, yet so great stress is laid upon it by the Mahometans, that Alhosain Al Hallâgi Ben Mansour, was, in the 309th Year of the Hegira (of Christ921) condemn'd to dye by the Vizier Alhumed, who pronounc'd Sentence upon him, having first advis'd with the Imaums and Doctors, for having asserted, that in case a Man had A Desire to go on Pilgrimage to Meccah, and could not; it would be sufficient, if he set apart any clean Room of his House for that purpose, and went round about it, and perform'd in it at the same time when the Pilgrims are at Meccah, the same things which they do there, and then fed and cloath'd 30 Orphans, and gave to each of them seven pieces of Silver. For which Heterodox Position he receiv'd a thousand Stripes, without so much as sighing or groaning, and had first one Hand cut off, and then both his Feet, and then the other Hand, then he was kill'd and burnt, and his Ashes thrown into the River Tigris, and his Head set upon a Pole in the City of Bagdad. See Abulpharagius. p. 287.
[22] Alcoran.
[23] Because Words borrowed from and us'd about sensible and material Things, would lead Men into Mistakes, when us'd to explain things Spiritual, if they be taken in a literal Sense. See § 85.
[24] The Author means, the nearest Approach to God.
[25] As the Author his in the three foregoing Sections describ'd the Condition of those glorified Spirits, who continually enjoy the Beatifick Vision; so in this he describes the miserable State of those who are deprived of it, i.e. the Damn'd.
[26] I have omitted the following Passage, because I could not well tell how to make it intelligible; the meaning of it in gross, is still to express the miserable Condition, and horrible Confusion of those Spirits which are separated from the Vision of God. However, I shall set it down in Latin out of Mr. Pocock's Translation. Et ferris discindi inter repellendum & attrabendum; vidit etiam hic alias Essentias, præter istas, quæ cruciabantur, quæ apparebant & deinde evanescebant, & connexæ erant & cum dissolvebantur; & hic se cohibuit illasque benè perpendit & vidit ingentes terrores, & negotia magna, & turbam occupatam, & operationem, efficacem, & complanationem, & inflationem, & productionem, & destructionem. The particulars of this Passage, would be best explain'd by the Commentators upon the Alcoran, which I have no Opportunity of consulting.
[27] Alcoran, Chap. 81, and 101.
[28] The Arabick Words, Watathâbaka indaho' 'Imekoùl w'almenkoùl signify, And that which was understood agreed with that which was copied. But because that way of expressing it is obscure, I have chose rather to leave the Arabick Word, and express the Sense, which is this. Hai Ebn Yokdhan, having no Advantages of Education, had acquir'd all his Knowledge by singular Industry and Application, till at last he attain'd to the Vision of God himself, by which means he saw all things relating to a future State, viz. by beholding in God the Architypal Ideas, of which all things created, and whatsoever is reveal'd to us, are suppos'd to be Copies. Now Asâl, by conversing with him, found, that the Mekoul, i.e. what Hai Ebn Yokdhan saw by this sort of Speculation; and the Menkoul, i.e. what Asâl had learn'd out of the Alcoran, and the Tradition of the Prophets, did exactly answer one the other, as a Copy does its Original.