717 / 772
ObieWant taken
from
teifimonies
of
Scrlpture,asaf
ìwered;
69
t
they
may
allo
fall
away
and
perifh
;
but
a
faithful'
man may
be blotted out
of
the
booke oflife
;
and therefore a
faithful'
man
may fall
away
and perifh. The
affumption
or
fecond
partofthis
reafon
which wee denie
asfalfe,
they indeuour
to
prooue
:
firf},by
the petition
of
vliofes,
for,fay
they,
hee
requireth to be
blotted out
of
the
booke oflife
;
and there-
fore
he
might
be
blotted
out.
To
which I anfwere
:
firfi,that
Molesrequeit
is
not
abfolute,but to
be
vnderf}ood
with
this
condition,ifit
would
ftand
with
-Gods
will,and if
hee
appro-
uedofhis
petition.
Secondly,
though it
had been abfolute,
yet it followed' not that
becaufe he
requefied this, therefore
it
might
come
to
paffe
;
fceing
God(as
appeareth
in
the
verfe
following) difalloweth
and refufeth to
grant
his
requeft,fay-
ing
:
whofoeuer
hath
finnedagainft
me,
l
tk+ill
put
bim out
of
my
booke.
Yea,will
the
tempter
fay,
but
though
cillofescouldnot
çç.Sell
2.
be
blotted out,yet it
appeareth
by
Gods
anfwere
that
(inners
P»lm. 69.28.
may,for
hee
faith,
that
hee
will
blot
out
him
that
finneth a-
of
the
booke
gaina
him: and this his
obiedion
he
will
further prooue
out
of
l,fe,and
oftheprayer
ofDattid, Pfalm.69.28. Let
them
be
put
out
of
what
it
is to
b
the
booke
of
life,&c.
I
anfwere,
that
thefe phrafes
of
writing
anrd
Melted
in-a
booke;
and
blotting
out
of
it,are
metaphorical! and
bor-
rowed
fromthe
pra
Life
ofmen,and
are vfed
in the fcriptures,
that
the things thereby
fignified may
be made
plaine
and
ea-
fie
to
our capacitie and vnderf}anding.
Neither
muff
wee
imagine
that God
hath
a
booke
for
to
helpe
his
memorie, or
that
he wrireth or
blotteth
out;for
al
things paa,prefent, and
to
come are
in his
fight. But
hee
is
laid
to write
men
in
the
booke
oflife,
either when
'hee
eleEeth them
in his
ferret
counfel,
or
when he executeth
this
decree
by
receiuing
them
into
his
couenant,
and
enrolling
them
in
the number
of
his
Church
and family;
which
is
alto
done
two
wales: the
firfl
is
proper to the faithfull, who indeede and
truth
are
within the
couenant,
and
are
true members
of
the
inuifible
Church:
the
other
common
to
the titularie
Chriftian, who
profeffeth
and
.
efteemeth
himfelfe
to be
in
the
number
ofthofe
who
are
in
the
couenant
of
grace,
and ele6ìed
to euerlafiing
life,and
is
fo
allo
reputed by others,
becaufe
he
is
a
member
of
the
vi
-
Y a
fibie