CHAPTER II

THE MEANS BY WHICH THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS MAY BE OBTAINED

IT is manifest that, to the man who has come to the knowledge of his own sin and its dire consequences, the most important and pressing of all questions is, 'What must I do to be saved? How can a man be delivered from sin and its eternal evil results?' Happy is the man who has obtained a satisfactory answer to this great question. If one has not done so, he is in a worse condition than the beasts that perish, for he is still in danger of eternal destruction. To be careless, therefore, in obtaining a decisive answer to this question is unworthy of reasonable men, for a man's true happiness or his eternal misery depends upon it. On this account in ancient times seekers after truth and those who had attained to knowledge and wisdom recognized that sin was the cause of man's misery and of his separation from God. They, therefore, strove continually to find out a way in which they might obtain deliverance from sin, and might draw near to God, become acceptable to Him, and gain true and unfading happiness.

Therefore do you also, honoured reader, carefully

devote your attention to the subjects with which we are about to deal in this chapter, and, considering them rightly, cry out unto the Most Merciful God and pray to Him to guide you and reveal to you the truth and make you love it.

We shall divide the answer to the question into four sections, in the following order. In section i, we shall mention those means of obtaining salvation which false reasoning indicates, suggesting that possibly forgiveness of sin and true happiness may, in that manner, be obtained. In section ii, we shall refer to those methods of obtaining remission of sins which are taught in the religions of the heathen. In section iii, we shall deal with those ways and means of deliverance which are prescribed in Islam. In section iv, we shall point out the way of salvation and those means of attaining forgiveness of sin and eternal bliss which are revealed in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

SECTION I

THE SUGGESTIONS OF FALSE REASONING AS TO THE WAY OF OBTAINING SALVATION AND BLISS

Through the influence of false and hasty reasoning a man is at first induced to fancy that perhaps God, of His infinite mercy and love, will forgive men's sins without either inquiry or punishment. That is to say, fancying God to be like himself,