Chapter 024 - The Book of Life

The enumeration of the predestined is called the Book of Life; for as something may be written in a material book to assist the memory, the indefectible knowledge of God, by which He assigns Eternal Life to some one, is called the Book of Life, and regards, properly, the life of glory; for it is the knowledge in God of those who are elected to glory. Now that to which any one is chosen must have conditions belonging to an order superior to his nature; it must likewise be conceived as an end; and such is the life of glory, which exceeds the nature of man.

From this Book of Life nothing can, properly speaking, be effaced; nevertheless such as may be ordained to Eternal Life, not by Divine Predestination but only through temporary possession of grace, are said to be written in the Book of Life not absolutely but relatively. Such are said to be wiped out of the Book; not with reference to the knowledge in God, as though He had foreknown something which He afterwards did not know, but only in regard of the thing known, inasmuch as God knows that such a one is first ordained to Eternal Life and afterwards not so ordained, through having fallen from grace.