[ 21 ]
power of opening and ſhutting heaven's gates;
and afterwards ſetting price or toll upon the
entrance, as we do here at paſſing a turnpike;
theſe fine things, I ſay, were ſucceſsfully managed
for ſome years before this I am now ſpeaking of;
and the Devil got a great deal of ground by it
too; but now he triumphed openly, and having
ſet up a murderer on the temporal throne, and a
church emperor upon the eccleſiaſtic throne, and
both of his own chuſing, the Devil may be ſaid to
begin his new kingdom from this epocha, and call
it the reſtoration.
Since this time indeed, the Devil's affairs went
very merrily on, and the Clergy brought ſo many
gewgaws into their worſhip and ſuch deviliſh
principles were mixed with that which we call
the Chriſtian faith: that in a word, from this
time the Biſhop of Rome commenced whore of
Babylon in the moſt expreſs terms that could be
imagined; tyranny of the worſt ſort crept into
the pontificate; errors of all ſorts into the pro-
feſſion; and they proceeded from one thing to an-
other, till the very Popes, for ſo the Biſhops of
Rome were now called, by way of diſtinction; I
ſay, the Popes themſelves, their ſpiritual guides,
profeſſed openly to confederate with the Devil,
and to carry on a perſonal and private correſ-
pondence with him, at the ſame time taking upon
them the title of Chriſt's Vicar, and the infallable
guide of the conſciences of Chriſtians.
This we have ſundry inſtances of, in ſome merry
Popes, who, if fame lies not, were ſorcerers, ma-
gicians, had familiar ſpirits, and immediate con-
verſation with the Devil, as well viſibly as invi-
ſible; and by this means became what we call
Devil's incarnate.
Among the inſtances of Satan's appearances, we
have the following: Charles VI, of France, ſur-
named the beloved, was riding over the foreſt
