Ui

THE DECLINE AND EALL

CHAP.

L.

tors pretend that the divine essence was incar-nate in the person of the Imams ; but their su-perstition is universally condemned by the Son-nites ; and their impiety has afforded a season-able warning against the worship of saints andmartyrs. The metaphysical questions on theattributes of God , and the liberty of man, havebeen agitated in the schools of the Mahometans,as well as in those of the Christians ; but amongthe former they have never engaged the pas-sions of the people, or disturbed the tranquilli-ty of the state. The cause of this importantdifference may be found in the separation orunion of the regal and sacerdotal characters.It was the interest of the caliphs, the succes-sors of the prophet and commanders of thefaithful, to repress and discourage all religiousinnovations : the order, the discipline, the tem-poral and spiritual ambition of the clergy, areunknown to the Moslems : and the sages of thelaw are the guides of their conscience and theoracles of their faith. From the Atlantic to theGanges , the Koran is acknowledged as thefundamental code, not only of theology, but ofcivil and criminal jurisprudence ; and the lawswhich regulate the actions and the property ofmankind, are guarded by the infallible and im-mutable sanction of the will of God . This re-ligious servitude is attended with some practi-cal disadvantage; the illiterate legislator hasbeen often misled by his own prejudices andthose of his country ; and the institutions of theArabian desert may be ill adapted to the wealthand numbers of Ispahan and Constantinople .