righteous. Apoc. 3. 5. He that ouercommeth, &c. I will neuer blot his name out of the booke of
life. Apoc. 23. 19. If any shall diminish of the words of the prophecie of this booke, God shall take
his part out of the booke of life.
Ans. 1. We refuse here the opinion of Ambros. Catharinus, lib. de praedest. that maketh
two orders of those which shall come to euerlasting life: one of such as are predestinate bee∣ing
excellent and worthie men; an other of such as are not elected, that is, by the grace of
God ordained to saluation, yet through Gods mercie shall be saued. But this opinion is con∣trarie
to the Scriptures, which testifie, that whosoeuer is not written in the booke of life,
shall be cast into the lake of fire, Apoc. 20. 15.
2. Thomas Aquin. here hath this distinction, that some are saide to be written in the
booke of life, simpliciter, simply, such as are in deede predestinate according to the good
purpose of God, and these can neuer be blotted out: others are written secundum quid, after
a sort, in respect of their present iustice, these may be blotted out: And as these in respect of
their present state may be saide to be written in the booke, so the elect indeede may in re∣spect
likewise of their present state, while they remaine in sinne, be saide to be blotted out:
And therefore some thinke that the booke which was shewed vnto Ezekiel, was written
within and without, in the inside were written onely those, who should be saued, on the
backside they which are written onely there for a time.
Contra. 1. This distinction may well be admitted, if some be saide to be written in the
booke in respect of their owne opinion, and outward appearance: but none can be said to be
there written by God: for as the Preacher saith, Eccles. 3. 14. I know, that whatsoeuer God
shall doe, it shall be for euer: his workes are perfect, therefore he writeth not any there, and
blotteth them out againe.
3. Wherefore the best solution is this: that God is said to blot out, not properly, but by
a certaine similitude, as he is saide in Scripture, to repent, to be angrie: they are blotted out,
that is, the Lord declareth by the euent, that they were neuer written there: as Augustine
well saith, hoc dictum est secundum spem ipsorum, this is saide in respect of their hope, they
tooke themselues to be written there: and they are saide accordingly to be blotted out, that
is, non ibi se script••s agnoscent, they shall finde and acknowledge that they are not written
there in deede. August. in Psal. 68. So the Scripture sometime speaketh, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,
according to the opinion of men: as Matth. 8. 12. the children of the kingdome shall be cast
out into darknes: and Matth. 9. 12. I come not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance:
here they are called the children of the kingdome, and the righteous, in respect of their own
opinion, and others, not that they were so in deede: And so some making a glorious shew
for the time of righteousnes, seeme to themselues and others to be written in Gods booke,
and yet are not. Pellican.
But yet a further doubt is mooued, concerning Moses words, that wished to be rased out
of Gods booke: he was there written in deede, and therefore this solution will not serue
here: of this now more in the next place.