John Trapp on Malachi 3:15

Verſe 15. And now we call the proud happy] Such as, boyling and ſwelling with ſpite and ſpleen againſt God and his people, deal arrogantly and inſolently, doing wickedly with both hands earneſtly Exod. 18.11. and 21.11. and working their own ends confidently and daringly: theſe we call and count happy, becauſe wealthy and well underlaid, as they ſay, becauſe they live in the height of the worlds blandiſhments. But the whole book of Eccleſiaſtes is a clear and full confutation of this fond conceit, had they but ever read or regarded it. How can the proud perſon be happy that hath God for his profeſt enemy? what was all Hamans honour to him, when the king frown'd upon him? what was Ahah the better for his ivory palace, his gold, and his jewels in every place, when the heaven was braſſe above, the earth iron beneath? Surely God abhorreth pride as an abomination of deſolation:Pſal. 31.23. and though he preſerveth the faithfull, yet ſooner or later he plensifully rewardeth the proud doer. Like metall in the fire when they ſhine brighteſt, they are neareſt to melting: and like a bulging wall, they will ſhortly fall. Swelling is a dangerous ſymptom in the body, ſo is pride in the ſoule. Telluntur in altum, ut lapſu graviore ruant. Neither are they therefore to be reputed ever awhit the more happy, becauſe they come not in trouble like other men, but proſper in their wickedneſſe. For God is never more angry with ſuch, then when he ſeemes beſt pleaſed. Pharaeh had fair weather made him, till he was in the middeſt of the Sea: fatting cattle are but fitting for the ſhambles. Never was Jeruſalems condition ſo deſperate, as when God ſaid unto her, My fury ſhall depart from thee, I will be quiet and no more angry Ezek. 16.42. Nor Ephraims, as when he ſaid, I will not puniſh your daughters when they commit whoredom. And, Ephraim is joyned to idols, let him alone Hoſ. 4.14, 17. ſc. till I come and ſetch my full blow at him. Clem. Alexandrinus cites Plato expreſſing himſelf thus: Although a righteous man be tormented, although his eyes be digged out, yet he remains a bleſſed man: and the contrary.

they that work wickedneſſe are ſet up] Heb. they are built up] ſc. in poſterity, and proſperity of all ſorts. The Pſalmiſt expreſſeth it thus: They are full of children, and leave the reſt of their ſubſtance to their babes. Pſal. 17. Thus God built the midwives houſet, that is, he gave them children, for their mercy to thoſe new-born-babes Exod. 2.21. Thus he builded David an houſe 2 Sam. 7. And thus thoſe that return to the Almighty have a gracious promiſe that they ſhall be built up Iob 22.23. That theſe ſtout and ſtift Stigmaticks were built up and proſpered, though (after ſo ſweet an invitation) they turned not to him that ſmot them, we need not wonder, ſith it is their portion, as David ſheweth, all they are like to have, or muſt everlook for. Beſides, Is not God the true proprietary of all? Is not the earth the Lord; purſe, with the ſulneſſe thereof,Mat. 20.13. and may he not do with his own as he pleaſeth? Add hereunto that what wicked men have, they have it with a curſe, and for miſchief: their table is a ſnare to them; they are like to pay dear for their ſweet morſels, as Haman did for his wine at Eſthers banquet. Bernard calles the wicked mans proſperity miſericordiam omni indignatione crudeliorem, In Pſal 91. a merey more cruel, then any adverſity. Auſtin affirmeth, Nullum mare tam profundum, quam eſt Dei cogitatio ut mali floreant &c. No ſea is ſo deep as the divine diſpenſation that good men ſhould ſuffer, bad men proſper. They are built up with bleſſings, as they ſay the Phenix builds her neſt with hot ſpices, wherein ſhe is afterwards burned. They build as thoſe at Babel, and feather their neſts, as if their lives were rivetted upon eternity: but as their foundation is laid upon fire-work, ſo brimſtone is ſcattered upon their habitations Iob 18.15. If the fire of Gods wrath but touch it, all will be quickly conſumed. Diocleſian that bloody perſecutour deſpairing of ever rooting out the Chriſtian religion as he had endeavoured to do, gave over his empire in a diſcontent, and decreed to lead the reſt of his life quietly. But he could not eſcape ſo: For, after that,Fuſeb. de vita Conſtant. lib. 5. his houſe was wholy conſumed with lightening, and a flame of fire that fell from heaven, he hiding himſelf for fear of the lightening, died within a little after. Their inward thought is (ſaith the Pſalmiſt of ſuch wicked Atheiſts) that their houſes, (honours, riches, nephews) ſhall continue for ever: and their dwelling place to all generations; they call their houſes after their own names; as Cain called his new-built city Enoch after the name of his ſon, that he might leave him Lord Enoch of Enoch. Nevertheleſſe man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beaſts that periſh Pſal. 49.11, 12. The uſe to be made hereof ſee ver. 16. Be not thou afraid when (a wicked) one is made rich, when the glory of his houſe is increaſed &c.

yea they that tempt God are even delivered] Still theſe Miſcreants are grunting out their grudges aginſt God. What this ſin here inſtanced, viz. of tempting God is, hath been ſhewed before in the note on ver. 10. of this chapter: Here it is to be taken for an audacious daring of God to take vengeance, as Num. 15. Theſe very worſt fort of ſinners are ſometimes not only ſpared, but proſpered Ier. 12.1. &c. Their Epha is not yet full, their iniquity not found to be hatefull enough yet. But the wicked is kept (by the patience of God) unto the day of deſtruction: and ſhall be brought forth to the day of wrath, as condemned Malefactours are to execution, ſome by poſterns and by-gates, others thorough the market place: ſo here. He that hath ſtollen a good ho[illegible: 1 letter]ſe, ride gallantly mounted for preſent, till ſhortly after, followed cloſe by Hu[illegible: 1 letter] and cry he is ſoon apprehended, ſentenced, and brought to condign puniſhment. And this is the very ſtate of preſumptuous ſinners, and will be. I know well, that becauſe ſentence is not preſently executed, therefore the hearts of the ſons of men are ſet in them to doe wickedly. Felix ſcelus virtus vocatur, as we ſee here, The proud are called happy, Eccleſ. 8. Cicero. becauſe, for preſent, in proſperity. See the like Ier. 44.11. Gen. 30.18. Dionyſius, after the ſpoile of an Idol-temple, finding the winds favourable in his navigation, Lo, ſaid he, how the Gods approve of Sacriledge. But the weakneſſe of this argument ſee ſet forth by Solomon Eccleſ. 9.1, 2, 3. with the Notes there. God gives outward things to the wicked, no otherwiſe then as if a man ſhould caſt a purſe full of gold into a jakes. He gives them riches to furniſh their inditement out of them: as Joſeph put his cup into their fack to pick a quarrel with them, and lay theft to their charge. The ſunſhine of proſperity ripens their ſin apace, and ſo fits them for deſtruction. Let God therefore be juſtified, and every mouth ſtopped.