Matthew Poole and continuators on Psalms 69:28

28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living , and not be written with the righteous .

Or, Of Life. Either, 1. Of this Life: Out of the number of Living Men; which Antiently used to be Written in Catalogues, out of which the Names of those, who died were blotted: Or rather, 2. Of eternal Life, as both Iewish and Christian Interpreters commonly understand it. Which agrees best, 1. To the use of this Phrase in Scripture: For in this Sence men are said to be [illegible: 1+ letters]ritten in the Book, Dan. 12. 1. or, in God's Book, Exod. 32. 32. Or, in the Book of Life, Phil. 4. 3. [illegible: 1+ letters]el. 3. 5. and 13. 8. and 17. 8. and 20. 12. and 21. last. 2. To the last Clause of the Verse, which explains it, of that Book▪ wherein none but the Righteous are written; whereas this Life, and that attended with Health and Prosperity, is Promiscuously given to, and taken from good and bad Men. 3. To the quality of the Persons, of whom this is said; which are the Malicious Enemies of God, and of his People, and the Murderers of the Lord of Glory; who shall be punished with eternal Death. In this Book, Men may be said to be written: Either, 1. In Reality, by God's Election, or Predestination. Or, 2. In Appearance, when a Man is called by God, to the Profession and Practice of the true Religion, and into Covenant with himself, and Professeth to Comply with it; and so is written, in the writing of the House of Israel, which is said of all that are in the Assembly of God's People, Ezek. 13 [illegible: 1+ letters]. and so seems to others, and it may be, to himself; to be Really written in the Book of Life. And when a Man renounceth this Profession and Religion, he may be said to be [illegible: 1 word] out of that Book, because his Apostacy makes it Evident, that he was not written in it, as he seemed to be. For this is a known and approved Rule, for the understanding of many Texts of Scripture, that things are oft said to be done, when they onely seem to be done, and are not Really done; as he is said to find his Life, Mat. 10. 39. who falsly imagined that he did find it, when in Truth he lost it; and to have, Mat. 13. 12. who onely seemed to have, as it is explained in the Parallel place, Luk. 8. 1[illegible: 1+ letters]. and to Live, Rom. 7. [illegible: 1+ letters]. when he vainly Conceited himself to be alive. And in like manner, Men may be said to be written in, or blotted out of this Book, when they seem to be so, by the Course of their Lives, and Actions. But that this, blotting out is not meant; Properly, and Positively, is clear from the last Branch of this Verse, which, after the manner of these Books, expounds the former, wherein this doubtful Phrase is explained, by one which is Evident and unquestionable, even by his not being written in it. For it is impossible, that a Mans name should be Properly blotted out of that Book, in which it was never written. The Sence of the Verse seems to be this: Let their Wickedness be so notorious, and the Tokens of God's wrath upon them so manifest, that all Men may discern that they are blotted out that is, that they never were written in the Book of Life in which the Righteous are written.

(i. e.) In that Book of Life, in which all righteous or holy Persons, and onely they are written, whereby it may appear, that whatsoever shew or Profession they once made, yet they neither are nor were truly righteous Persons.