The real Christian, or, A treatise of effectual calling wherein the work of God…

Other Divines therefore do not understand the book of eternal life, or Divine Predestination, ¹but the Records of the Church, or Records of the people of Israel. The Jews were wont to number their families, and take their names; and God commanded a Record of the people of Israel to be written: Thus we read, David praying, Psal. 69.28. against his enemies, Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous: Would David pray to have any blotted out of the book of Divine Predestination? Therefore by the latter clause, the Church must be meant; they seemed once to be men of that Society, but they have discovered themselves to be of another alliance, blot them out, let not their names live in the Church. The 13. of Ezek. 9. seems to answer this of the Psalmist, They shall not live in the Assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel.

1. 1See Mr. Coryl on Job cap. 24. v. 20.

To confirm this interpretation I add, first, In the tenth verse of this Chapter, God bid Moses let him alone, that his wrath might wax hot against the people, and I will make of thee a great nation. God is threatening to blot out the name of Israel, cut them off, and promiseth Moses to make of him a great nation: Nay, saith Moses, I am so far from this ambition, to be made a great nation, upon this condition, that I will let thee alone, that thy wrath may cut this people off, that I rather desire thee to blot my name out of the writing of Israel, that my name may not stand in that Record, as an head of thy people, as now I am; but let me not so much as be reckoned ⟨p. 22⟩for an Israelite, before thy Name shall suffer thus.