An exposition upon the thirteenth chapter of the Revelation by that reverend and eminent…

There is a book written of them that live there, of which it is said, Psal. 87. 6. the Lord will recount when he writteth up the people, that this or that man was born there: Of this book also you read in Ezek. 13. 9. where the Lord doth threaten the false Prophets, that his hand shall be upon them that see vanity, and divine lies; they shall not be as members of my people, nor shall they be written in the writing of the house o• Israel; they shall neither have fellowship with Church nor Common-wealth: There is a writing, therefore a Register, a Record of them, which in the Old Testament were counted Genealogies, and very carefully did they keep them; that if they could not show their pedigree from this Genealogy, they were as polluted. Ezra 2. 59. as also vers. 62. where he tells you of sundry that came in among the people of Israel; but because they could not find their names in the Register, they were left aside till they could find further proof of their pedigree; they might be received as other Proselytes, but not as native Israelites, who were counted of the Church from the line of their Parents, and some of the sons of Barzilli, some of the Priests, they thought it more honour to fetch their pedigree from their father Barzilli, whom David had advanced to sit at his Table; and they thought it more honour to be counted of the house of Barzilli, then of the order of Aaron: And they, when they would have presented themselves to the Priests office, they were not received: why? because they were not found in the Churches Register, and they had no direction from the Word to take Noble mens sons to be Priests, but only of the sons of Aaron: So this is the book of Life, it is called The writing of the living in Jerusalem; This is the book of life, the Church-book, it is nothing but a counterpane of the book of life, but not exactly agreeing to it; sometimes we put in more then God doth, and sometimes less: There be that belong to life whom we do not receive: Others they do not present themselves, or we do not receive through some failings in them or us; but if they belong to life, they ⟨p. 134⟩are written in the Lambs book of life, they may not be written in the Church book; but this is not the book here spoken of, the book of the life o the Lamb: The Church is the body of the Lamb, but they cannot discern who are his: