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 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