John Trapp on Malachi 2:9

Verſe 9. Therefore have I alſo made you contemptible and baſe [And ſo have cried quittance with you, and returned you your own with uſury. God loves to retaliate, and to proportion jealouſie to jealouſie, provocation to provocation, Deut. 32.21. frowardneſſe to frowardneſſe, Pſal. 18.26. contrariety to contrariety, Lev. 26.18, 21. contempt to contempt, 1 Sam. 2.30. and here How theſe unworthy prieſts had ſleighted God, and expoſed his Name and Service to contempt and obloquy, hath been before ſet forth ſufficiently. And now it is come home to them. It was threatened before verſe 3. (ſee the Notes there) and now it is executed. Graceleſſe men are apt to imagine that God threateneth in terrorem onely: and are ready, with thoſe miſcreants in the Goſpel, to ſay, God forbid: we hope he will be better then his word, and not be ſo unmercifull as the Preachers would make him. They beleeve the predictions of Scripture, but as they beleeve the predictions of an Almanack, which ſaith, ſuch a day will be rain, and ſuch a day winde: men think it may come to paſſe, and it may be not. But ſhall God ſay the word, and not ſee it fulfilled? Is not his dicere, his facere? his word, his deed? Yea, doth he not ſometimes, dicte citiùs, break out upon his enemies, as he did upon Nadab and Abibu, Nebuchadnezzar, Herod, &c. God had poured contempt already upon theſe degenerate prieſts. And the like he had threatened to thoſe, Jer. 23.40. See Mich. 3.7. Zach. 13.4. Ribera upon this Text bewailes the buſineſſe in their Romiſh Clergy, now become deſpicable by reaſon of their evill manners. Petrarch complain'd long before, that the ſtench of that ſink the Court of Rome was come up to heaven. Eraſmus layed them open in their colours, and did them more miſchief jocando, by his jearing and jeſting at them, then Luther did ſtomachando, by dry blowes and invectives, as One well obſerveth. He made the world look up (that had been long luld aſleep) and take notice of the truth of that which Chryſoſtom had long before diſcovered and lamented, Multi ſacerdotes, & pauci ſacerdotes, multi in nomine, pauci in opere. There are many Prieſts, and yet but few: many ſo in name, few ſo indeed.Marcidi. rebaulde. Pariſienſ. Fy on ſuch raſcall rebaulds ſaid the excommunicated Barons in K. Iohns time (in their declaration) concerning the Pope and his Cardinals, and yet they were no Proteſtants. No more are the Venetians: and yet how they ſlight their Pope (who is now, like the cuckow in June, heard but not regarded by them) is ſufficiently manifeſted by their Manifeſto's to the Chriſtian world. In Biſcany (anciently Cantabria) a province of Spaine, they admit no Biſhops to come amongſt them: ſuch an hatred they have taken againſt that order of men. And when King Ferdinand came in progreſs thither, accompanied amongſt others by the Biſhop of Pampeluna, the people aroſe in armes, drove back the Biſhop, and gathering all the duſt on the which they thought he had trodden,Heyl. Geog. pag. 55. flung it into the ſea. What our Biſhops did in Q. Maryes dayes we all know: that bloody Bonner eſpecially, buried at length in a dung hill (too good a grave for him.) Sure it was an unhappy proverb that was then learnt, The Biſhops foot hath trodden here. They are now utterly caſhierd, and lye wrapt up in the ſheet of ſhame for this very ſin (amongſt others) here charged upon theſe Prieſts, their diſhonouring Gods great Name, his ſervices, and ſervants. For it was come to that height of wickedneſſe amongſt us, a little before the late troubles, as to caſt odium in religionis Profeſſores tanquam in adverſarios, an evill report upon the profeſſours of religion, as ſo many adverſarles, as Bede ſaith the ancient Brittains did immediately before their deſtruction by the Saxons. He that would not be an Arminian, was therefore accounted a practicall Puritan. He that was not for the Jure divino of Epiſcopacy, was little better then a publike enemy. If the Miniſtry of England be under any abaſures at preſent, as they are thorough the iniquity of the times, and the overflow of errours and Atheiſme, let it ſerve to humble them for their deſire of vainglory, and not ſeeking the honour that commeth from God onely Ioh. 5.44. let it alſo work in them a greater care to approve themſelves to God, that they may be glorious in his eyes and to his people, who dare not but honour ſuch as feare the Lord Pſal. 15.4. and have his Miniſters in ſingular eſteeme for their works ſake. 1 Theſſ. 5.13.

according as ye have not kept my wayes] q. d. your dignity is decayed, like as your duty hath been neglected: You are fallen out of the hearts of good people, and are aviled by all. Neither is it any wonder: for a vicious life breeds vileneſs of eſtimation: but vertue is a thouſand eſcucheons. Hence that cloſe connexion, If there be any vertue, if any praiſe Phil. 4.8. this treads upon the heels of that as it were; followes it as cloſe as the ſhadow doth the body. When Adam ſtood in innocency, the ſavage beaſts did him reverence. And the ſame God which did at firſt put an awe of man in the fierceſt creatures, hath ſtamped in the cruelleſt hearts a reverend reſpect to his own Image in his faithfull miniſters, as in Saul to Samuel, Herod to Iohn Baptiſt, thoſe gallants of Iſrael to that mad fellow, as they were pleaſed to call the Prophet that came to anoint Jehu: upon whoſe words (as mad as they made of him) they will preſently adventure their lives, and change the crown. Gods Image (as Gods name Pſal. 111.9.) is holy and reverend: And they that would have good repute and report amongſt men, muſt carefully keep (or, as the word here uſed may be rendred) watch Gods wayes. He ſhall have enow that will watch for his halting, and take any little occaſion to revile him with open mouth, as Shimei did David, when he had declined Gods way. It is therefore excellent counſell that Solomon giveth, and worthy of all acceptation. Pro. 4.25, 26, 27. Let thine eyes look right on: and let thine eyelids look ſtraight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet: and let all thy wayes be ordered aright. Turn not to the right hand, nor to the left: remove thy foot from evill. Lo, this is the ready road to honour and eſtimation. Do worthily in Ephrata, and ſo be famous in Bethlehem. Ruth 4.11. Sic famam extendere factis Hoc virtutis opus. But thoſe Balaams that perſwaded by their Balacks, ſeek for honour by evill-doing, theſe ſeek the living among the dead, figs of thiſtles, heaven in hell &c.

but have been partiall in the law] Heb. ye have accepted or acknowledged faces in the law. i. e. you accept perſons; you deal partially in expounding and applying the law, making it pinch the poor, and favour the rich. The Church hath ever been peſtered with ſuch Aretalogi, ſuch paraſitical Preachers, whoſe practiſe hath been like Ahabs Prophets, to ſpeak magis ad voluntatem quàm ad veritatem, more to pleaſe then to profit. And there is a very great ſympathy between great ones that have firſt flattered themſelves, and theſe falſe flatterers, who prove a ſit helve for ſuch an hatchet, and meet lettice for ſuch lips. Such an one was Ʋriah the high-prieſt to Ahaz 2 Chron. 28. His motto ſeemes to have been Mihi placet, quic quid regi placet. Such were thoſe dirt-dawbers for the devill in Ezekiels dayes chap. 13.10, 11. &c. the Herodians, the Arians, the Arminians, Buchole. Ʋtenbogardus &c. the Queen of Navarr's Preachers, who perſwaded her, out of politick reſpects, to conſent to that unhappy match that gave opportunity for the Pariſian Maſſacre.1 Tim. 5 21. [non-Latin text not transcribed] The Apoſtle chargeth his ſon Timothy to do nothing of popularity or partiality, by tilting the ballance on the one ſide, as the word ſignifieth: but as a juſt law is an heart without affection, an eye without luſt, a mind without paſſion, a treaſurer which keepeth for every man that he hath, and diſtributeth to every man that he ought to have: ſo ſhould a Miniſter be; remembring that of Iob chap. 13.10. He will ſurely reprove you, if you ſecretly accept perſons, that is, he will chide you, ſmite you, curſe you for it, and ſo ſet it on, as no creature ſhall be able to take it off. If you reprove meaner men, and wink at the faults of great Ones, reproving he will repro[illegible: 3 letters] you, [illegible: 1 word] will not do it to halves: no, he will rather do it double; you ſhall have it both ſurely and ſeverely. Let your reſolution therefore be that of Elihu Iob 32 21.22. I will not now accept the perſon of any man, neither will I give flattering titles to man. For I may not give flattering titles, leſt my Maker ſhould ſuddenly take me away, leſt my Maſter, whoſe ſteward I am, finding me unfaithfull in the diſpoſe of his myſteries, ſhould confound me before you. Ier. 1.17. Niſi fideliter dixerim, vobis erit damnoſum, Timeo itaqu[illegible: 1 letter] damnum veſtrum, timeo damnationem meam. Bern. de T. mp. 99. mihi periculoſum, If I ſhould not deale faithfully and freely with you, it would be to your loſs, but to mine utter undoing.