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than the righteousness of the law would; for the righteousness of the law, though performed very exactly, it will be but as the light of the moon in mens minds. But the righteousness of faith, which the gospel signifies, it shines in the mind of man as the sun at noon day. So that the worshipers in the law were the third part of the stars that were smitten, at the fourth angel's sounding; and this fourth angel sounded until the destruction of Jerusalem. For as the sun was smitten, as aforesaid, so likewise the moon and stars were smitten also.

The moon was smitten first in John the Baptist, he being the last prophet of the law, as aforesaid; he smote the hearts of the rulers of the Jews with the declaration of a Christ that would bring another righteousness and worship, than that of the law, which would yield them more peace, if they could believe ; so that they became so smitten in their minds, that they fell a persecuting and smote him, and smote the sun also. But in a while after the moon and stars were smitten themselves. That is, at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, the moon and stars were smitten. That is, the worship of the law of Moses which signifies the moon, it was smitten. And the rulers of the Jews, which were the stars, were smitten by the Romans. So that a third part of the moon hath been darkened ever since, and a third part of the stars have been darkened ever since. For the worship of the law, which signifies the moon, was never set up since not in his brightness, neither hath the stars, that is, the rulers of the Jews, any power to set up that worship of the law, or to

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punish any that do not submit unto it. So that the third part of the stars are so smitten, that they are become darkened. So that you that have faith may know, that the gospel which did signify the sun, was smitten and darkened when Jesus was smitten at his first coming, to the day of his death; therefore called by the Revelation of John, the third part of the sun was smitten and darkened, and shined not for a third part of the day.

Likewise the law, that signifies the moon, it was smitten and darkened, first in John the Baptist, and so were the stars also. But afterwards at the destruction of Jerusalem, the moon and stars were both smitten and darkened, so that a third part of the moon and stars did give no light in the night; because the light of the natural moon and stars, it is their proper place when they shine, to give light in the night. But I have spoken more of the moon in the Interpretation of the eleventh of the Revelation, therefore I shall speak no more of it here. Only this, to remind the seed of faith what great judg ments did ensue upon the sounding of this fourth angel; persecution of the gospel, persecution of the law, and destruction of the Jews, which were the stars. These things were at the sounding of the fourth angel. You whose understandings are enlightened, may see what hath followed upon the sounding of the trumpet of these four angels; and how this fourth angel it sounded half upon the law of Moses, and half upon the gospel of Jesus. So that now there are three angels more to sound,

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and great woes will follow upon it; as it is said in the last verse of this chapter, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpets of the three angels that are yet to sound. So that there will follow a great woe upon the sounding of these three angels, which I shall unfold in order as they follow in the next chapter. So I shall say no more of this, I having given the interpretation in short of all the chief things of concernment in the eighth chapter.

CHAP. XXVI.

CHAP. ix. At the sounding of the fifth angel, in verse 1. John saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth, and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit

Now this star that fell from heaven unto the earth, it was that beast or king that did arise out of the sea, which is spoken of Revelation xiii. 1. This beast was one of Herod's, the dragon's sons, and the next beast that did arise after him; and this beast he was like a leopard and he hod seven heads and ten horns, and the dragon gave him his power and authority, and this beast had crowns upon his ten horns; and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. So that he was furnished with the dragon's power and authority, and his blasphemy, to dispise the living God, and to persecute the saints, as his father the dragon did when he persecuted Christ at his birth, and made war with the remnant of his seed. So that this beast which

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arose out of the sea, he may be said to be a star that fell from heaven unto the earth, because he was one of the dragon's sons; for John saith, he saw a wonder in heaven, a great red dragon that persecuted the woman; which red dragon was no other but Herod. And this star which fell from heaven unto the earth, it was Herod's first born son, therefore called a star that fell from heaven unto the earth. It is said to fall from heaven, because this star was of the same seed or nature as the dragon was of. For it is said by John, that he saw a wonder in heaven, a great red dragon; this red dragon is said to be in heaven, because he had the spirit or seed of the fallen angel in him in a great and extraordinary measure, which angel was first in heaven, he being created an angel of light, but was thrown down unto this earth when hedeceived Eve. Neither did that angel that deceived her, ever ascend up into heaven again to this day, nor never shall. But Herod and his sons, and all wicked kings and rulers, they being of the fallen angel's seed, they may be said to fall from heaven; and they being of his seed, they may be called a dragon, and satan, a serpent, a devil, and stars; though they act several ways, yet all from one root; that is, from one seed, even from the spirit or seed of the fallen angel, as aforesaid.

Therefore if any head magistrate or man doth act after the manner of a dragon, he may be said to be a dragon, as Herod. And if any man act after the manner of a subtle serpent, as those Jews did that tempted Christ, they may be called serpents. And if any man act the part of a devil, as Judas did,

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he may be called a devil. And if any king doth act as the star that burneth like a lamp, or more worse, this star did, that fell at the sounding of the fifth angel, they may be called stars that fall from heaven unto the earth. Because, as I said before, the original or father of all wickedness even the fallen angel, he was thrown down from heaven unto this earth. And the dragon, serpent, devil, and stars, they being of his seed, they may be said by the Revelation of John, to fall from heaven unto this earth; for when the angel was thrown down from heaven unto this earth, his seed was all thrown down unto this earth with him. And this earth hath, and is the devil's kingdom ever since, and will be to the end of the world. And in this sense it may be said that this star fell from heaven unto the earth, and to him, that is unto this star, was given the key of the bottomless påt.

And in verse 2, it is said, And he opened the bottomless pit, and there arose a smoke out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun, and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

This bottomless pit here spoken of, it is the imagination of reason in man; for the imagination of man's heart is continually evil, or bottomless, or topless. That is, the imagination of reason cannot find out what God is, nor where he is; nor what the devil is, nor where he is, notwithstanding he is the devil himself. That is, the spirit of reason, which is the soul of man, is the devil; and the imaginations that proceed from it, is that bottomless pit the scriptures speaketh of. It is bottomless,

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