John Trapp on Malachi 1:11

Verſe 11. For from the riſing of the ſun &c.] where as they might object, If you will not have ſervice from us, you can have none at all: for other people walk every one in the name of his God Mic. 4.5. and the Gentiles have their vanities, and doctrines of vanities Ier. 14.22. and 10.8. wherewith they are wholy taken up. Take you no care for that, ſaith God here.

for from the riſing of the ſun, to the going down of the ſame, my name ſhall be great among the Gentiles] I will provide for mine own great Name, that is, for my glory (for ſo Gods Name is uſed in that ſenſe Exod. 9.16. Pſal. 8.1.) I will be no loſer by your rejection: for I have other people that will more reverence me, and do me better ſervice; ſo that I need not be beholding to you. I have from Eaſt to Weſt thoſe that will make hard ſhift but I ſhall have ſervice done me. I can ſet a ſigne, and ſend to Tarſhiſh, Pul, and Lud &c. that have not heard my fame, neither have ſeen my glory,Iſa. 66.19, 20. and they ſhall declare my glory among the Gentiles. And they ſhall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horſes, and in charrets, and in litters &c. that though ſick, weakly, and unfft for travell, yet they ſhall come on end; and rather in litters then not at all: they ſhall be content to ſuffer any hardſhip for heaven, as the ſtone will fall down to come to it's own center, though it break it ſelf in an hundred peeces. The Gentiles once converted ſhall fly as a cloud Iſa. 60.8. that is, with greateſt pernicity and ſwiſtneſſe: yea they ſhall in ſuch flocks come to the Church, as if a whole flight of doves, driven by ſome hawk or tempeſt, ſhould ſcour into the columbary, and ruſh into the windowes. There are that have obſerved, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Deus, Dieu Gott &c. that the name of God in all the maternall languages confiſteth of foure letters, to intimate that he hath his people in all the foure quarters of the earth, out of all countries, nations, and languages, Deut. 6.4. Heare, O Iſraeh The Lord our God is one Lord. In the Original, the laſt letter of the word. Heare, is greater then the reſt, as calling for all poſſible heed and attention. So likewiſe is the laſt letter in the word One, which being Daleth, and ſtanding uſually for Four (as a numerall letter) ſignifieth, ſay the Hebrew-Doctours, that this One God ſhall be worſhipped in all the four corners of the earth. This, Cyprian hath alſo gathered from the Greek letters of the name Adam: A [non-Latin text not transcribed]. A [non-Latin text not transcribed]. M [non-Latin text not transcribed]. which do ſeverally ſignifie the four quarters of the world, Eaſt, Weſt, North and South: to teach, that Chriſt, the ſecond Adam, will fetch his people from all parts: and hath therefore built his Church, his new Ieruſalem four-ſquar Rev. 21.16. and placed on the Eaſt three gates, on the North three gates, on the South three gates, and on the Weſt three gates, ver. 13. that all from all parts may have free and open acceſſe unto him. Babylon was in like manner built four ſquare, as Heredotus teſtifieth:Lib. 1. and Conſtantinople is ſo ſcituate betwixt Europe and Aſia, as if it were fatally founded to command both. This is much more true of Ʋranople, the city of the great King,Turk hist. 1153. open to all commers, as the Aedilis or Chamberlains houſe in Rome was. O thou that heareſt prayers, to thee ſhall all fleſh come (ſaith the Pſalmiſt) come with a courage,Pſal. 65.2. ſith they are ſure as of acceſſe, ſo of ſucceſſe in all their ſuites thorough Chriſt the Mediatour, who hath made both one, Eph. 2.14. and hath broken down the middle-wall of partition between Iews and Gentiles. This the perverſe Jews could never abide to heare of: nor can they to this day. And therehence is it that they have in their expoſitions baſely depraved this text, and corrupted the true ſenſe of it, as is to be ſeen in the Chaldee Paraphraſt, and David Kimchi: calling us ſtill Goi Mamzer baſtard Gentiles, and curſing us in their daily prayers, which are not (ſure) that pure offering mentioned in this verſe, and interpreted by them of the prayers of the holy Jews every where diſperſt. The rejection of the Jews and acception of the Gentiles into grace and favour is a hidden myſtery: ſuch as maketh the Apoſtle of the Gentiles cry out, O the depth 1 Rom. 11.23. yea it is a part of that great myſtery of Godlineſſe 1 Tim. 3.16. that God manifeſted in the fleſh ſhould be preached unto the Gentiles, and beleeved on in the world. Let us pitty the poor hardened Jews: and pray the rending of the vail that is yet ſpread over them: that the rebuke of Gods people may be taken away from off all the earth Iſa. 25.7, 8. Let us alſo praiſe God who hath made us Gentiles meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1.12. And take heed that we ſin not away our light, and cauſe God to take his kingdome from us, giving it to a nation that will bring him better fruit Mat. 21.43. we have a fair warning given us by the example of the Jews Rom. 11. Seeſt thou another ſhipwrack? look to thy tackling.

from the riſing of the ſun] from the Eaſt of Judaea the ſun of Chriſts Goſpel paſſed by the ſouth of Greece to the Weſt of the Latine Church, and theſe Iſlands of ours that lye in the Sea, Ʋide Scapul. in Them [non-Latin text not transcribed]. into which the Sun is ſaid to go down, or to lye down, as in its tabernacle of reſt (which is an expreſſion of the old Greek Poets, and the Originall word here uſed agreeth to it.) All the danger is, leſt the Goſpell in this it's Solar motion, be travelling for the Weſt of that other world, the American parts; and quitting it's preſent places of reſidence and unworthy poſſeſſours; And then ſarewell England. Oh let us pray that that diſmall day may never ariſe, wherein it ſhall be ſaid, that the glory is departed from our Engliſh Iſrael.

my name ſhall be great] Name for fame as Exod. 34.5, 6. Philip. 2.9. Gen. 11.4. Renouned men are called men of name Gen. 6.4. and baſe men are called men of no name Iob 30.8.

ſhall be great] Not that God is great, or leſſe. Magnum & parvum ſunt ex ijs, quae ſunt ad aliquid, ſaith Ariſtotle. But Gods name is ſaid to be great, when he is declared or acknowledged to be great, as the word (ſanctified) is uſed Mat. 6.9. and the word (juſtified) Mat. 11.19. Iam. 2.21. Gods fame and glory is (as himſelf) eternall and infinite; and ſo abides in it ſelf, not capable of our addition or detraction. As the Sun which would ſhine in its own brightneſſe and glory, though all the world were blind, and did wilfully wink. Howbeit, to try how we prize his Name, and how induſtrious we will be to magnifie and exalt it, he hath declared that he eſteemes himſelf made glorious; and accounts that he hath received, as it were, a new being by thoſe inward conceptions we have of his glory, and thoſe outward honours we do to his name.

and in every place incenſe ſhall be offered] Not at Ie[illegible: 1 letter]uſalem only, as the Jews held; nor in mount Gerizim, as the Samaritans Iob. 4.20, 21. but any place (without difference) be it but a chimney might make a goodly Oratory 1 Tim. 2.8. All religious difference of places was taken away by Chriſts death. Therefore ſo ſoon as he had ſaid Ioh. 19.30. It is finiſhed, he gave up the Ghoſt, and preſently the vail of the Temple was rent from the top to the bottom Mat. 27.51. And from that hour there was no more holineſſe in the Temple, then in any other place. Though till then, the Temple was ſo holy a place, and ſuch religious reverence did Gods people beare to it, that after the Caldeans had burnt it, they honoured the very place where it had ſtood, and eſteemed it holier then any other. This appears by thoſe eighty perſons whom Iſhmael murthered Ier. 41.5. and by Daniels opening his windowes toward Ieruſalem, when he prayed Dan. 6.10.

Incenſe ſhall be offered, and a pure offering] Inſigne teſtimonium pro ſacrificio Miſſae. ſaith Bellarmine. This text is a notable teſtimony for the ſacriſicing of the Maſſe, which Papiſts will needſly have to be the ſacrifice here meant and mentioned. Much like that Sorboniſt that finding it written at the end of S. Pauls epiſtles, Miſſa eſt, Bee-hive of Rome fol. 93. &c. bragg'd he had found the Maſſe in his Bible: So another reading John 1.4. Invenimus Meſſiam, made the ſame concluſion. We ſhall wave their arguments as ſufficiently anſwered by others: and take the meaning of the holy Ghoſt here to be of ſuch ſpiritual ſacrifices of the new Teſtament, as all Chriſtians, even the whole royal prieſthood,1 Pet. 2.5. are bound to offer up to God. Theſe are called Incenſe and Offering by Analogy, the type for the thing thereby ſhadowed, as Ireneus, Tertullian, Rev. 5.8. Rev. 8.3, 4. and Auguſtine interpret the Text. This incenſe is prayer, and praiſe, Pſal. 141.2. Heb. 13.15. Hoſ. 14.4. Pſal. 51.21. This pure offering is every ſaithful Chriſtian together with all the good things that he hath or can do. It is ſimplex oratio de oonſcientia pura, Cont. Marcion. lib. 4. ſaith Tertullian. Thus thoſe good Macedouians gave themſelves to the Lord, ſaith S. Paul, and vnto us by the will of God. 2 Cor. 8.5. I hus the Romans had delivered themſelves up to the form of Doctrine, Rom. 12.1. that had been delivered unto them, Rom. 6.17. and are yet further exhorted to exhibit, preſent, make tender, yield up and offer as ſpiritual prieſts, their bodies (and much more their ſouls) to God, as a living ſacrifice, by a willingneſſe to do what he requireth, Pſal. 40.6 Rom. 15.16. and to die for his fake if called thereunto. Phil. 2.17. 2 Tim. 4.6. Swenk feldians took away all external ſervice, ſaith Zanchy. Libertines ſay, it is ſufficient that we ſacrifice to God the hidden man of the heart. The Pope ſaith to his vaſſals, My Son, give me thy heart: be a papiſt in heart, and then go to Church, diſſemble, do what ye will. But God requires to be Glorified with our ſpirits and bodies both, becauſe both are his.1 Cor. 6.20 The very Manichees that denied God to he the Author of the body, faſted on ſundayes, and in faſting exerciſed an humiliation of the body. But (2) as the true chriſtian ſacrificeth himſelf to God, ſo all that he hath, or can; and is ready to ſay as that Grecian did to the Emperor, If I had more, more I would bring thee. It comforts him to conſider, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. 2 Cor. 8. 1 Tim. 1.5 That if there be a willing minde, God accepts according to that a man hath, and not acaccording to that he hath not. Noahs ſacrifice could not be great, yet was it greatly accepted, becauſe of clean beaſts, and offered in faith. It is the godly mans care, that his offering though it be poor, yet may be a pure offering, proceeding from a pure heart, a good conſcience, and faith unfained; and then he is ſure it is pure by divine acceptation through Chriſt. 1 Pet. 2.5. In confidence whereof he lifts up holy hands, 1 Tim. 2.8. And although ſenſible of his impurities & imperfections, his heart miſgives him ſometimes as Jacobs did, leſt his father ſhould diſcern him; yet when heremembreth that he is clothed as Jacob was, with the garment of his elder brother, the robe of Chriſts righteouſneſſe (which is not a ſcant garment, as Bernard ſaith, but reaching to the heels and covering all the parts of the ſoul) he goeth boldly to the throne of grace, and covers Gods altar with his evangelical ſacrifices. Such as are contrition and ſelf-denial, Pſ. 51.17. Confidence in God, Pſ. 4.6. Obedience to the preaching of the goſpel, Rom. 15.16. Beneficence to the poor, Phil. 4.8. &c. In all which his aim and endeavour is to worſhip God in ſpirit, and to do all, more out of thankfulneſſe, and leſſe out of conſtraint of conſcience. For he knows that as the greateſt growth of ſinners is in ſpiritual wickedneſſe (as in thoſe that ſin againſt the holy Ghoſt) ſo the greateſt growth of grace is in ſpiritual holineſſe; in worſhipping God more in ſpirit and truth.