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" cated that prophets must be right., any body who
" chose could set up the pretension of being one;
" as silly men will always be found to follow him,
" saying: * His reason is superior to ours, which is
" not equal to such things.' Hence have arisen
'* among the Muselmans and other nations so many
'c creeds and doctrines, as well as practices without
" number.

** Another defect is that, when the religion of one
66 prophet has been adopted, and when his rule has
" been followed in the knowledge and worship of
*' God, after a certain time another prophet arises,
" who prescribes another religion to the people.
" Hence they become perplexed, and know not
" whether the former prophet was a liar, or whe-
* * ther they ought to conclude that in each period
" mankind is to alter the law according to circum-
" stances. But the knowledge of truth admits no
" contradiction; yet there exists a great number of
" contradictions in the four sacred books: * hence
" it appears that, in the first times, the true God has
" not made himself known, and that the first creed
" with respect to him had been wrong ; thus, in
" the second book, something else is said, and in
" like manner in the third and in the fourth.

" In the sequel it became evident to wise men,
*' that emancipation is to be obtained only by the

1 The Pentateuch, the Psalter, the Gospel, and the Koran.