412 OF THE BOOK OF LIFE, OUT OF WHICH
story be upon the reporter ; but upon the credit of the word of God, if we believe, really, savingly, and repent unfeignedly, all our sins shall be blotted out ; and a book of clean paper, in respect of sin, shall be presented to the judge. But,
[6.] Sixthly and jfastly. There is a book of life : Eev. xx. 12, ' And another book was opened, which is the book of life.' The book of life is the book of all those that were elected and redeemed to life through Christ Jesus. 1 This book of life containeth a register of such par- ticular persons in whose salvation God from all eternity determined to have his mercy glorified, and for whom Christ merited faith, re- pentance, and perseverance, that they should repent, believe, and be finally saved. ' The book of life shall be opened ;' that is to say, the decrees of God will be then published and made known, which now are sealed up in his breast and locked up in his archives. Then it will be seen who are appointed to life for the glorifying of God's free, rich, and sovereign grace, and whom he purposed to leave in their sins, and to perish for ever, for the exaltation of his justice. It is called ' a book of life,' not that God hath need of a book, but to note the certainty of predestination — viz., that God knows all and every of the elect, even as men know a thing which, for memory's sake, they set down in writing. This book of life shall be opened in the great day, because then it shall appear who were elect, who reprobates ; who truly believed in Christ, who not ; who worshipped God in spirit and in truth, and who not ; who walked with God as Noah, and who not ; who set uj) God as the object of their fear, who not ; who followed the Lamb whither ever he went, and who not ; who were sincere, and who not ; who preferred Christ above ten thousand worlds, and who pre- ferred Barabbas before Jesus, and their farms, and their oxen, and their swine, yea, their very lusts, before a Saviour, a Eedeemer ; who 'are sheep, and who are goats. Mat. xxv. 32 ; who are sons, and who are slaves ; who have mourned for their own sins and the sins of the time, and who they are that have made a sport of sin, Ezek. ix. 4, 6, &c. Of this book of life you read often in Scripture : Phil. iv. 3, ' And I entreat thee also, true yoke-fellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow- labourers, whose names are in the book of life.' Vorsitus thinks it a speech taken from the custom of soldiers or cities, in which the chosen soldiers or citizens are by name written in a certain book or roll. This book or roll is called here ' the book of life,' because therein are written all the elect who are ordained to eternal life : Eev. iii. 5, ' He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.' In this book of life all ' the just, that live by faith,' are written. The elect are certain of eternal life, they shall never perish, nor none can ever pluck them out of the Father's hand, nor out of Christ's hand, John x. 28-31. God is said to have books metaphorically ; he needs no books to help
^ God neither needeth nor iisetli books to judge by, but this is spoken after the manner of men. Mordecai's name was registered in the chronicles of Persia, Esth. vi. 1-3 ; and Tamerlane had always by him a catalogue of his best servants and their good deserts, which he daily perused.
ALL THE SAINTS SHALL BE JUDGED, ETC. 413
his memory ; he does all things by his infinite wisdom, eternal fore- knowledge, counsel, government, and judgment. But thus men can- not do ; for whatsoever is done in their councils, cities, families, con- tracts, &c., for memory's sake, is set down in writing, that so, as there is occasion, they may look it over, and call to mind such things as they desire.^ Mark, not to have our names blotted out of the book of life is to have them always remain therein ; that is, to enjoy eternal glory ; and what can the soul desire more ? The names of the elect are written in the book of life. They do not obtain salvation by chance, but were elected of God to life and happiness before the foundation of the world. Now their names being once written in the book of life, they shall never, never be blotted out of that book. In the book of predestination there is not one blot to be found — the sal- vation of the elect is most sure and certain : Eev. xiii. 8, ' And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.' The names of the elect are said to be written in the book of life by a usual metaphor ; for we commonly write down the names of such as are dear unto us, that we may continually remember them. So God having in his eternal counsel elected some to salvation, hath written their names in the book of life ; as our Saviour tells us, ' Ke- joice, because your names are written in heaven,' Luke x, 20. Some understand the metaphor of the sonship of the elect ; so that to be written in the book of life shews that they are heirs of glory ; for we know that such are to inherit whose names are written in the last will and testament of men. Of this book of life you may further read, Kev. xvii. 8, xx. 15, xxi. 27, and xxii. 19.
Now from this book of life, that shall be 0])ened in the great day, when the other books shall be opened, as hath been shewed, every sincere Christian may form up this eleventh plea as to the ten scrip- tures that are in the margin,^ that refer to the great day of account, or to a man's particular account. 31ost holy and blessed Lord, cast thine eye upon the book of election, and there thou loiltjlnd my name written. Now my name being written in that book, I am exempt from all condemnation, and interested in the great salvation ; my name being written in the book of life, I am secured from coming into the judgment of reprobation or condemnation, John v. 14; Rev. xxi. 27. Jesus Christ, who hath written my name in the book of life, hath made up my accounts for me ; he hath satisfied thy justice, and pacified thy wrath, and borne the curse, and purchased my pardon, and put upon me an everlasting righteousness, and given me my quietus est ; he has crossed out the black lines of my sias with the red lines of his blood ; he has cancelled all the bonds wherein I stood obliged to divine justice. I further plead, O blessed Lord, that there is an immutable connexion betwixt being written in this book of life and the obtaining of eternal life ; and if the connexion betwixt being
^ The holy God, by an anihropopatheia, speaketh to our capacity; for he doth all things without the help of books.
^ Eccles. xi. 9, and xii. 14; Mat. xii. 14, and xviii. 23; Luke xvi. 2; Rom. xiv. 10 2 Cor. V. 10; Heb. ix. 27, and xiii. 17; 1 Pet. iv. 5; Dan. ix. 24 ; Col. ii. 14.
414 OF THE BOOK OF LIFE, ETC.