John Trapp on Malachi 2:3

Verſe 3. Behold, I will corrupt your ſeed] And ſo mar your hopes of an harveſt: I will bring famine upon you, that fore judgement, worſe then that of the ſword,Lam. 4.9. which yet is the ſlaughter-houſe of mankind, and the very hell of this preſent world. By this ſcourge God will tame his prodigals, and ſtarve their bodies;Hag. 1.4. who by the contempt of his ordinances ſtarve their own ſoules. Either by immoderate drought God can cauſe a famine, Ioel 1.10. Or by immoderate moiſture, Verſe 17. The ſeed rotting under the clods &c. to revenge the quarrel of his covenant. Iſrael was plagued with famine for breaking their faith with the Gibeonites. What may they expect that keep not touch with God?2 Sam. 21.1. David knew that the naturall cauſe of that famine was drought: but he enquired (though, twere long firſt) after the ſupernaturall. As Jacob enquired who ſtood on the top of the ladder and ſent the Angels to and fro? ſo muſt we in caſe of publike calamities,Gen. 28.13. aſcend, to the top of them, and ſee who ſends them, and what is the cauſe of them, that we may caſt the traitours head over the wall, and he may return and repent and leave a bleſſing behind him. For till then, we may look that he ſhould cut off our proviſion and victualls, as wiſe Princes uſe to do from their rebels whom they have gotten up into a walled town.

and ſpread dung upon your faces] caſt contempt upon you, and cover you with confuſion: make you to ſtink above ground, ſo that men ſhall ſhun and abhorr your company. This is another fruit of ſin, and piece of the curſe: and many wicked men are more afraid of it, then of the ſin that cauſeth it: as Chaereas in Terence not aſhamed to deflour a virgin, was yet aſhamed to be ſeen in an Eunuchs habit the ſigne of that ſin. True it is, that the beſt may have dung caſt into their faces, as St. Paul and his precious companions had 1 Cor. 4.13. We are faith he, the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things. The later word ſignifieth the dung-cart that goes thorough the city, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. into which every one brings and caſts his filth: to note, that every foole had ſome filth to caſt upon thoſe Worthies of whom the world was not worthy. And truely all publike perſons that are faithfull to their truſt, had need carry a ſpare handkerchief to wipe off dirt and drivell: which yet many times will hardly ſtick, as dirt will not upon marble, though it will upon a mud-wall. The wiſe ſhall inherit glory: when ſhame ſhall be the promotion of fooles Pro. 3.35. A fair promotion: but good enough for them, unleſſe they were better. If the precious ſons of Zion comparable to fine gold, be at any time eſteemed as earthen pitchers as Lam. 4.2. or trodden in the dirt by the fat buls of Baſan, God will in due time make all his that have laine ſullied and ſlurred among the pots, to become as the wings of a dove covered with ſilver, and her feathers with pure gold Pſal. 68.13. In the mean while, they have the Euge of a good conſcience, which is better then the worlds Plaudite. But profane and profligate perſons with their ſpiritual naſtineſſe and ſuper fluity of naughtineſſe, ſtink worſe then theſe cityes of the plaine in the noſtrils of God and all good men, whiles they live, (according to that, The name of the wicked ſhall rot, And again,Pro. 10.7. & 9 He that perverteth his wayes ſhall be known.) And when they dye they ſhall be carried thorough the dung-gate of death, to the town-ditch of utter deſtruction. At which time,Iob. 20.6, 7. that in Iob ſhall be verified of them, Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds, yet he ſhall periſh for ever like his own dung: they which have ſeen him (in his flouriſh) ſhall ſay, Where is be? Let thoſe dehoneſt amenta Cleri look to this; all idle and evill Miniſters, who as unſavoury ſalt are fit for no place but the dung-hill, even to be buried in a dunghill, as Biſhop Bonner was, and (mean-while) to be trodden under foot, which is a thing not only calamitous, but extremely ignominious. Mat. 5.13.

even the dung of your ſolemne feaſts] i. e. for the iniquity of your moſt ſolemn ſervices, which you have ſlubber'd over and made to ſtink, I will make you alſo abject and abominable: as the dung of ſacrifices offered in great number on feſtivall dayes, was carried into ſome by-corner, and ſet out of ſight. And here it is remarkable that God calleth the ſolemn feaſts their ſolemn-feaſts, as if they had been none of his: he would not own them. So Ier. 7.21. in ſcorn he calles their ſacrifices fleſh, ordinary fleſh, ſuch as was bought and ſold in the ſhambles. And Hoſ. 9.4. he calleth the ſame ſacrifices, their bread for their ſoule, or for their naturall ſuſtenance, and ſaith it ſhall not come into his houſe. And yet he ſpeaks there of that meat-offering Lev. 2.5. appointed by God himſelf for a ſpirituall uſe, which is nevertheleſſe called the bread for their life, or livelyhood: becauſe God eſteemed it no other then common meat. In a like ſenſe it was, that after the people of Iſrael had ſet up the golden calf, God would own them no longer, but fathers them upon Moſes: Behold thy people, ſaith He to Moſes, whom thou broughteſt out of Egypt &c. Exod. 32.7. David alſo, when he had ſinned in numbring the people, was counted and called but plain David, Go and ſay to David &c. 2 Sam. 24.12. whereas before that, when he purpoſed to build the Lord a Temple &c.2 Sam. 7. then it was, Go tell my ſervant David &c. The Saints themſelves, when they ſin againſt God, are in a ſort ſuſpended from the covenant. Therefore it is uſuall with them, when they ſeek the Lord for any ſpeciall mercy, to begin with humbling themſelves, and taking pains with their own hearts, as David, Daniel, Ezra, &c.