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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XL 



doctrine. It was either through the zeal by which his 

 followers resembled them, or it was from the ease with which 

 these idolaters received them, owing to their sympathy with 

 and their uniformity in the depravity and corruption of their 

 lives and customs ; for there being in the whole cult two parts, 

 one which teaches belief and the other which deals with 

 works, the Moors in all these agreeing with the heathen, 

 they were easy to be dissuaded from the first, which was all 

 the Muhammadans desired. For the worship of many idols is 

 against all natural reason, it being evident that as much as 

 things are more or less alike, so much it is more or less easy 

 to pass from one to the other ; and for that reason the philo- 

 sophers say that the air takes fire quicker . than water, and 

 that water filters through more easily than fire. 



The blind faith of the Moors is so like the superstition of 

 the heathen idolaters (both children of the same father, 

 who is the devil), that it was remarkable the ease with which 

 they were induced to embrace their religion ; after which they 

 remained in almost the same state as they were before, 

 and even worse in the freedom of vices, that lead man 

 more astray than anything else, and which renders so 

 difficult the propagation of the law of the Gospel, owing to 

 the difference there is between it and that taught by these 

 wicked sects, — a great proof of its purity and perfection, 

 and because its very holiness, reason, and justice counsels 

 and admonishes all, giving equal power to all by its divine 

 gifts, to worship the same God, in such a way that no other 

 change is sufficient to make a pagan idolater a Christian : 

 inasmuch that throughout all nature there is as much 

 difference between an infidel and Christian as there is 

 between the brute beasts and man. 



This difficulty had helped the Moors to introduce their 

 religion into the Island, by which means they impeded 

 the gentle and softening effects of our doctrine ; and the 

 Zingalas being naturally not so amenable to believe in our 

 persuasions as the other races of India, it appeared to be most 

 impolitic to allow in their midst a race so opposite to ours as 



