Page:History of the devil, ancient and modern (1).pdf/8

8 countenancing that unjust translation——evidently intended to spread divisondivision [sic] in the Church of Rome.

But the greatest piece of management which we find the Devil has concerned himself in of late, in the matter of religion, seems to be that of the mission into China; and here indeed Satan has acted his masterpiece. It was, no doubt, much for his service, that the Chinese should have no insight into matters of religion, I mean that we call Christian; and therefore, though Popery and the Devil are not at so much variance as some may imagine, yet he did not think it safe to let the general system of Christianity be heard of among them in China. Hence, when the name of the Christian religion had but been received with some seeming approbation, in the country of Japan, Satan immediately, as if alarmed at the thing, and dreading what the consequence of it might be, armed the Japanese against it with such fury, that they expelled it at once.

It was much safer to his designs, when, if the story be not a fiction, he puts that Dutch witticism into the mouths of the State commanders, when they came to Japan; who, having more wit thauthan [sic] to own themselves christians in such a place as that, when the question was put to them, answered negatively, that they were not; but that they were of another religion, called Hollanders.

However, it seems the Jesuits outwitted the Devil in China, and, as I said above, overshot him in his own bow; for the mission being in danger, by the Devil and the Chinese Emperors joining together, of being wholly expelled there too, as they had been in Japan, they