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which will procure our admittance into the ivory palace. Hence Zion's triumph; I will rejoice in the Lord, my foul fhall be joyful in my God, for he hath clothed me with the garments of falvation; he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. Here Zion confeffes that it was her God that clothed her with this garment, and her Lord who covered her with this robe. Nor can it be fuppofed that the King of kings would take a poor wretch from the duft, and lift a beggar from the dunghill, and efpoufe her to himself, and take her home to his ivory palace, or manfion of glory, covered with nothing but her own rags and tatters; and yet we fee that neither the Arminians nor the Papifts truft in any other. But, if all Zion's own righteousnesses were but filthy rags, then what must their's be? Befides, the white raiment of Christ's fpoufe is the Lord's grant, not the work of her own hands; and fo it follows; Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that he should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteoufnefs of the faints. Rev. xix. 7, 8. Hence it appears that fouls who walk with him in white are efpoufed to him, and are in union with him; flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bone; and are joined

to him, and one fpirit with him.

Once more.

It was a custom in the east coun

tries, for overcomers in games, particular perfons at feafts, and on days of great rejoicings, to be clothed in white raiment. And to this agrees my text, that the overcomers fhall walk in white; and at our feasts the wedding garment must be worn, for it is well known that the king caft him from among his guests that had not on a wedding garment; and I before told you that the cause of Zion's joy was, because her Lord had covered her with the robe of righteousness.

Moreover, this walking with the Lord in white denotes their innocency; they were clean through the word that he had spoken unto them; they were complete in him; all fair and without fpot; for fuch a character he gives his church in one of his speeches in the holy fong. Nor is this walking with him in white confined to this prefent world; but she will appear in this robe on the throne at the grand affize, and walk with him in the realms of blifs, and share in his glory, titles, majefty, and honours, in the world to come, and that to all eternity.

And I will not blot out his name out of the book of life. This claufe at first fight appears strange, because of the stability of the covenant, the promises of it being all yea and amen in Chrift; and because of the faithfulness of God, whose counfels of old are faithfulness and truth; and because of the fatisfaction of Christ, the justice and immutability of God, and of the promise being fure to all the feed. For, if by this book of life we are to understand God's decree

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of election in Chrift, in whom we were chofen, and to whom we were given, in whom we were ever loved, and in whom God, that cannot lie, according to the promife of eternal life, which he gave us in Chrift before the foundation of the world; yea he or dained us to it, and fent his dear Son to give it; and he hath brought that life and immortality to light by the gospel. This is God's decree, and it is confirmed by an oath, that the heirs of promife might have a strong confolation arifing from the certainty of their enjoyment of it. Could this decree, oath, and promife, fail; could one fingle name included in that decree, or recorded in the divine mind, memory, and love, be blotted out; we fhould ftand in jeopardy every hour, nor would there be much caufe for us to rejoice because our names are written in heaven.

Befides, the Holy Spirit never dictates one petition in the heart of the righteous against blotting our names out of God's decree of election, which he most certainly would if there was the leaft poffibility or danger of it, for he searches the deep things of God, and makes interceffion for us.

There are other books befides this of election though this is called the Lamb's book of life. There is the book of providence, in which all creatures that live, move, and have their being, ftand, as it is written; for yet feven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights: and every living fub Stance that have made will Idefroy (blot out) from off the face of the earth. Gen, vi. 4, Mofes de

fired to have his name blotted out of God's book, unless he would forgive the idolatry of Ifrael; and God's answer to him is, Whosoever bath finned against me, him will I blot out of my bock. Exodus xxxii. 33. It is plain, alfo, that there is a book of this prefent life, which is faid to be not on high, but under heaven, where earthly creatures live. Thou shalt blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it. Deut. xxv. 19. Again, Let me alone, that I may deftroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a great nation: Deut. ix. 14. But neither of these books are intended in my text. Whatever book is meant, it certainly refpects not the few names in Sardis which fhall walk with Chrift in white, but those that have a name to live while they are dead. But then what book of life can dead lifelefs hypocrites have their names in? Not in the book of election; for all perfons who have their names there are ordained to eternal life, and God is the covenant God of them all; I will be their God, and they fhall be my people: but these referred to in my text have only a name to live, but are dead; and God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

The holy scriptures are the book of life, as well as election. Search the fcriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me, the promise of life: and Christ's word, which, is spirit and life, is found in them. In this book of life we have the number of all the children of If

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ráel that came out of Egypt; but they finned griev oufly against God, tempted him and provoked him, until he blotted them all out of his book, except those whofe names ftood in the book of election. For, when Mofes numbered them the fecond time, none were found alive of that evil generation, fave Joshua and Caleb; thefe did not provoke; he only destroyed them that believed not.

Judas ftands enrolled among the apostles; but, when he fold his Mafter, he is ftiled the traitor, and, another taking his office, his former office-character was blotted out. The fools that took no oil in their veffels are called virgins; but they are bid to depart, and called workers of iniquity: this blots the former name out. The antediluvian profeffors are ftiled the fons of God; but, when luft prompted them to marry with the curfed race of Cain, God faw that their wickedness was great, and he destroyed them; and they were ungodly men, and no other, that were deftroyed, for God brought in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. When they are ftiled wicked and ungodly, their former nominal titles are blotted out. And fo the children of Ifrael have the following names ftanding in the fcriptures of truth: Ammi, my people; Rubamah, having obtained mercy: but Lo-ammi and Lo-rubamab blots the former out; and fo faysGod, For ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. Again, She is not my wife, neither am I her husband. Read Hofea, chap. i. ii. This divorcing, putting away, changing of names, and blotting out, took

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