Islam is a John the Baptist crying in the wilderness, "Prepare the way of the Lord"; Mohammed is a schoolmaster to bring men to Christ.

It does for the nations just what Judaism did, that is, it teaches the Divine unity.

Esau has taken the place of Jacob in the economy of Providence.

When the Jews rejected Christ they ceased from their providential work, and their cousins, the Arabs, took their place.
The conquests of Islam, therefore, ought to be regarded as the preliminary conquests of Christianity.
There is still another system which has shown some tendencies toward catholicity.

This is Buddhism, which has extended itself over the whole of the eastern half of Asia.