John Trapp on Malachi 3:14

Verſe 14. Ye have ſaid, It is vain to ſerve God] Vulg. He is vain that ſerves God. Ye are idle, ye are idle ſaid Pharaoh to the Iſraelites when they would needs go ſacrifice, and to Moſes and Aaron, Ye let the people from their works. Any thing ſeems due work to a carnall mind ſaving Gods ſervice: that's labour loſt, time caſt away, they think. But this is their want of ſpirituall judgement; they ſee not the beauty of holineſſe, they taſte not how good the Lord is: they diſcern not things that are excellent, they meaſure all by preſent ſight ſenſe, and taſte, as do children, ſwine and other bruit creatures: And therefore they themſelves are vani & vaniſſimi, as an Expoſitor here ſpeaketh, vain, and moſt vain, and that for two reaſons, and in two reſpects. Firſt, for that they take themſelves to be ſervers of God. Secondly, they ſtick in the bark, ſerve him with the out-ſide onely, honour him with their lips, and not with their hearts, to bring him vein oblations, empty performances, ſerve him wih ſhews and formalities which he delights not in, nay he rejects them with infinite ſcorn, as he did the Phariſees devotions, Luk. 16.15. becauſe they were but skin-deep, and not heart-ſprung; therefore they were not a button the better for them. God loves and looks for truth in the inward parts, Pſal. 51.6. he looks that men ſhould do his will from the heart, Epheſ. 6.6. and ſerve him in their ſpirits, Rom. 1.9. In doing whereof there is great reward, Pſal. 19.11. praemium ante praemium, that Euge of a good conſcience: this the ſtranger medleth not with, conceives not of, the wealth of Gods pilgrims ſtanding more in Jewels, and gold, things light o[illegible: 1 letter] carriage, and well portable, then in houſe and land. His ſervants have that here that doth abundantly pay them for their pains afore-hand: righteouſneſſe being it own reward; and they knowing within themſelves, that they have in heaven a better and an enduring ſubſtance. Heb. 10. But hereaſter oh the rich recompence that God ſhall make them! oh the heaped up happineſſe of ſuch at the laſt! when theſe vain talkers in the text, and all that are of their mind, ſhall roar out Nos inſenſati, We fooles counted their lives madneſſe: But now &c. See more of this in the following Note on ver. 16. doctr. 5.

what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance] The Chaldee hath it, Quod mammon adeptiſumus? what mammon or wealth have we gained? Mammoniſts are all for gain, their very godlineſſe is gain, ſtill they have an Eagles-eye to the prey, when they ſeem to ſly higheſt toward heaven: If they may not get by God, they ſoon grow weary of his work. What ſhewes ſoever they make of better, ſure it is their belly is their God, they mind earthly tings. Theſe will follow the chaſe, as Jonathan, till they meet with the hony-combe; or as a curr followes his maſter till he meet with a [illegible: 1 word], Theſe come to Chriſt (as that young Phariſee did) haſtily, but the [illegible: 1 span]; becauſe they conſider not. that with the Lord are durable rich's Prv. 8.18. and that godlineſſe as it hath many croſſe, ſo it hath many con[illegible: 3 letters]ts against [illegible: 1 word];Virtus lecy [illegible: 4 letters] habet in malis like as no countly hath more venomous creatures then Egypt, [illegible: 1 span] Antidotes. This there Senſualiſts, having not the ſpirit, underſtand not [illegible: 1 span] hence their complaint of a diſappointment; caſting a ſtirr upon Gods [illegible: 1 span] as thoſe ſpies did upon the promiſed land,Num. 14. and ready to run back into Egypt toth air fleſh-[illegible: 1 letter]ots, garli[illegible: 1 letter]k, and onions there. Lo, this is the guiſe of [illegible: 1 span], wath whom th[illegible: 1 letter]' the beſt religion that brings greateſt advantage [illegible: 1 span] thi[illegible: 1 letter] life. if the Ark bring a bl[illegible: 1 letter]ling with it, as it did to Ohed-Edom, it [illegible: 1 span] upon as worthy of entertainment; but if a plague of poverty [illegible: 1 span], theſe Philiſtines will be glad to [illegible: 1 letter]id their hands of it. The gariſhneſſe of ho [illegible: 1 word], wealth, and pleaſures do ſo [illegible: 1 letter]azle their eyes, that they think it the only happineſſe to have and to hold. Such fooles they are, and ſuch great beaſts, if David may judge Pſal. 73.22. to fly a fooles-pitch, and to goc hawking after that that cannot be had, as Solomon faith Pro. 23.5. Or if had, yet cannot be held, as being of ſwiſreſt wing, and [illegible: 1 word] ſoon gone, as a poſt that paſſeth by. Godlineſſe hath the preomiſe of [illegible: 2 letters]th lives: and we read of ſome godly men in ſcripture, that were richer then any other. But God will have it ſometims to be otherwiſe that godimeſſe might be ad[illegible: 4 letters]d for it ſelf: and to ſhew that his people ſerve him not for [illegible: 1 span] Iob 1.9. But that none ſerves God for nought, no not ſo much as [illegible: 1 word] a d[illegible: 2 letters] or [illegible: 1 span]. See before ch. p. 1.10.

that [illegible: 1 word] have kept his ordinances] which if they had done indeed, they would never have th[illegible: 2 letters] [illegible: 2 letters]gged, much leſs blaſphemed: they would have accuſed themſelves, [illegible: 1 span] livine providence; they would have ſaid with holy Ezra, All this is come upon us for our [illegible: 1 letter]vill deeds, and for [illegible: 1 span]: and thou, our God, haſt puniſhed us leſs then our iniquities deſerve. A[illegible: 4 letters]teſt thou not be juſtly angry with us till thou hadſt conſumed us, ſo that there ſhould the no remnant nor eſeaping? Ezr. 9.1[illegible: 1 letter], 14. Thus the good wheat falls low at the feet of the fan[illegible: 1 letter]er, when th[illegible: 1 letter] chaff [illegible: 1 word] and flyes at his face. Thus the ſheep, when ſhorn, H[illegible: 1 letter]at and lookes downward: whereas the hang rbit wolf lookes up and howlesagainſt heaven. Hypocrites uſe to wrangle with God and expoſtulate the unkindneſs of his non-acceptance of their ſervices as Eſay 58.3. Wherefore have we faſted, ſay they, and thou ſeeſt not? wherefore have we aſlicted our ſoule, and thou takeſt no knowledge? God was, in their opinion, far too ſhort and much behind with them; and therefore much to blame, and they muſt give him the telling of it; They do ſo: and they have their anſwer. So they ſhall have here in the following verſes, and the next chapter, which ought not to be divided from this, as ſome conceive. They upbraid the Lord as with their obſervances, ſo with their humiliations.

and that we have walked mournfully] Or, in black, the habit of mourners: whence that of the Heathen Oratour, Athenienſes non niſi atrati &c. The Athenians are never ſo good as when they are all in black; that is, under ſome heavy affliction. And a great Sateſman of this kingdome had this verſe written upon his ſtudy door.

Anglica gens eſt optima flens & peſſima ridens.

Great Brittain all in black, is in its beſt condition. But what is it to wear ſackcloth,1 K[illegible: 1 letter]ng. 21.27. and walk ſoftly, with Ahab, when he had ſold himſelf to do wickedly? what is an humbling day without an humbled heart? not only an irreligious incongruity, but an high provocation; like Zimri's act, when all the congregation were weeping before the dore of the Tabernacle. Surely God may ſay to ſuch pretenders, as Iſaac did to his father, Behold the fire and the wood, but wher's the lamb for a ſacrifice? or as Jacob did to his ſons that brought him the bloody coat, Loe her's the coat, but wher's my child? your garments are black, but your hearts and lives are much blacker. Go, cleanſe your hands ye ſinners, and puriſie your hearts, you double-minded. Be afflicted, in good earneſt, and mourn to ſome purpoſe, and weep, ſoak and ſouce your ſelves in teares of true repentance: let your ſorrow for ſin be deep and downright: turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to heavineſſe. Jam. 4.8, 9. And then come, let us reaſon together, ſaith the Lord. All theſe unkind conteſtations ſhall ceaſe, and all loving correſpondencies ſhall paſſe betwixt us. God had ſaid as much as all this before to them verſe 7, 10, 11. Sed ſurdo fabulam, their adamant was too hard to be mollified. Their bulruſhes, though bowed down for a day, while ſome ſtorm of trouble was upon them, was now ſo pierkt up, as if it would threaten heaven. witneſſe their continued contumacy, their robuſtious language in the next verſe alſo, ſtouting it out ſtill with God.