John Trapp on Malachi 3:8

Verſe 8. Will a man rob God?] Adam pillage Elohim? frail weak man ſeek to ſupplant (ſo the Septuagint render it) the great and mighty God? Giant-like boldneſſe! Cacus met with his match, when he robb'd Hercules. Mercury (ſay the Poets) had a mind to ſteal Jupiters thunderbolts, but durſt not meddle, leſt hee ſhould ſpeed as Prometheus had done, for ſtealing fire: or leſt they ſhould burn his fingers. The Eagle in the fable, that ſtole a piece of fleſh from the Altar, and carried it together with a live-coal that ſtuck to it, to his neſt, ſet his young and all on a light fire. Dionyſius, that robb'd his god, was caſt out of his kingdome, though he was wont to boaſt,Aelian. lib. 2. Var. hiſt. that he had it bound to him with chains of Ademant. Belſhazzar paied dear for his bowzing in the bowles of the Sanctuary. Cardinall Wolſey and five of his ſervants, employed by him in interverting conſecrated goods, though perhaps to better purpoſes, came all to fearfull ends, as Scultetus noteth, and thereupon wiſheth, Ʋtinam his & ſimilibus exemplis edocti diſcant homines res ſemel Deo conſecratas timidè attrectare. Scult. Annal. 332. It is a ſnare to the man that devoureth that which to holy, Prov. 20.25. They may be compared to thoſe that, being of a cold and flegmatick ſtomach, eat hard and cholerick meats: well they may pleaſe their palates, but it cannot be for their health: no more can the murthering morſels of ſuch ſacrilegious perſons, as devouring holy things, have their meat ſawced and their drink ſpiced with the bitter wrath of God. See Job 20.23. Polanus reads the Text thus, Will a man rob his Gods? q d. Will any Heathen do ſo? did not they that worſhipped Idols, abhorre ſacriledge? Ws it not one of the lawes of the twelve tables in Rome, Sacrum ſacrove commendatum qui clepſerit rapſeritque, parricida eſto; Let every ſacrilegious perſon paſſe and bee puniſhed for a parricide? And doth not Tully affirme of thoſe Lawes, that they did exceed all the libraries of the Philoſophers, in weight and worth? Did not thoſe old Idolaters freely beſtow their moſt precious things upon their Idols, Ezech. 16.16, 17, 18, 19. Exod. 32.3? yea their very children in ſacrifice to Moloch, or Saturn? 2 King. 16.3. and 17.17. being as mad upon their Idols, as ever was any wicked wanton upon his harlot, laviſhing out of the bag, &c? And are not our moderne Idolaters the Papiſts, as bountifull to their He-ſaints, and ſhe-ſaints? ſo that their Churches are not able to hold their vowed preſents and memories,Spec. Europ. but that in many places (as at Loretto, Sichem, &c.) they are fain to hang their Cloiſters and Churchyards with them? Shall they in their petitions to our Parliaments plead for favour and forbearance upon this ground, becauſe their anceſtours (they ſay) beſtowed ſo great coſt upon this land for church-maintenance: and ſhall it be ſaid (now that they are worthily caſt out) Poſſidebant Papiſtae, poſſident Rapiſtae, Wicked Papiſts had them, ungodly Rapiſts have them: Improprietaries, I mean, that hold by an improper title, and all others that appropriate that to them and theirs which the Almighty is inveſted in. This is here inſtanced as a capitall crime, and called robbing of God, as well it may; foraſmuch as miniſters maintenance (being tythes) is called the Lords, and holy to the Lord Lev. 27.30. becauſe ſeparated from man and mans uſe, and therefore might not be altered. Verſe 28. Or if any had a mind to redeem them, they were bound to add to the price every fifth peny above the true value. Verſe 31.Nunquid homo fraudabit Deum? ſic vertunt Aquila, Symmachus & Theodotion. Let all thoſe look to this whether Impropriators falſe Patrons (Latrones rather) or others that either by force or fraud rob God of his right, doteyning part of the due at leaſt, as Ananias and Sapphira did; God hath a Quare Impedit againſt them, which one day they muſt make anſwer to.

yet ye have robbed me] Becauſe ye have robbed my Miniſters who are in my ſtead 2 Cor. 5.20. and in whom he receiveth tythes, of whom it is witneſſed that he liveth, like as did Melchiſedeck, as a Prieſt and tyth-taker, and type of Chriſt. Heb. 7.7, 8, 9. And as God is ſenſible of the leaſt curteſy done to a Prophet to reward it, even to a cup of cold water Mat. 10.42. (ſo that he is anggard to himſelf, that ſcants his beneficence to a Miniſter) ſo for thoſe that wrong and rob them, that deny them that double honour of countenance and maintenance that he hath appointed them, and hold them to hard allowance: muzzling the Ox, or giving him but ſtraw at the beſt, for treading out the corn, they will dearely anſwer it before God, who holds all done to them as done to himſelf.Legati quòd erant appella i ſuperbius, Corinthum Patres veſtri totius Graeciae lumen extinctum eſſe moluerunt. Cic. pro lege Man. Surely as David could not but feel his own cheeks ſhaven, and his own coat cut in his Embaſſadours; they did but carry his perſon to Hanun: So here. And as there was never any king ſo poor and weak, but thought himſelf ſtrong enough to revenge any wrong done, or abuſe offered to his Embaſſadours: So the king of heaven will not fail to curſe with a curſe whole nations that forget God and forſake his Levites Deut. 13.19. it being all one to God to deal in this caſe againſt a nation or againſt a man only. Ioh 34.29.

in tythes and offerings] He had told them before they had robbd him: or (as ſome [illegible: 1 letter]ead it) ſtabbed him as with a ponyard. And here they ſhould have confeſſed the action and craved pardon. But becauſe they did nothing leſſe; ſtanding upon their juſtification (as before often) God deſcends to the particular wherein they robbed him, In tythes and offerings: The originall hath it, Tythes and offerings, without the particle (in) and it is as if the Lord ſhould ſay, you may eaſily know my meaning without ſo many words, but that you love to conteſt. You cannot be ignorant, that the Levites, for want of maintenance, are ſled every man to his field, and ſo my work and worſhip is leſt undone. Good Nehemiah was ſenſible of it chap. 13.10. and becauſe he knew that, by this means, religion it ſelf would be ſoon undermined and overturned, he contended with the Rulers, and made all the people pay their tythes: and this he worthily reckons among his good deeds, praying God to remember him for it, and not wise it out chap. 13.10. Hezekiah, that great Reformer, ſhewed the like zeal in commanding the people that dwelt in Ieruſalem to give the portion of the Prieſts and Levites, that they might attend upon the law of the Lord (ſo the Vulgar) that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord, ſo we read 2 Chron. 31.4. that is, that they might not follow their callings heavily for want of maintenance, but cherefully bend themſelves wholy to the ſervice of the Lord. And here (as Ferus once wiſhed for the Romiſh ſynagogue) I would we had ſome Moſes, ſaid He, to take away the evils of the times: non enim unum tantum vitulum ſed multos habemus, for we have not one golden calf, but many: So have we of theſe times cauſe to wiſh we had ſome zealous Nehemiahs and Hezekiahs to ſtickle and ſtand for Chriſts Miniſters, not defrauded of their due maintenance only (a ſigne of gaſping devotion) but trampled upon by the foul feet of the baſeſt of the people, as the filth of the world and the offcouring of all things. Tythes they ſay are Iewiſh: but if Melchiſedech tythed Abraham, by the ſame right whereby he bleſſed him:Heb. 7. and if tythes by all lawes of God, Nature, Nations, have been hallowed to God, as Junius and other modern Divines alledge and argue: and laſtly, if things conſecratd to Gods ſervice may not be alienated, out of caſe of neceſſity Pro. 20.25. Gal. 3.15. it will appear to be otherwiſe. Or if tythes be Jewiſh, and yet Miniſters muſt have a maintenance (Chriſt having ſo ordained 1 Cor. 9.14.) and that both honourable 1 Tim. 5.17, 18. and liberall Gal. 6.6. how elſe ſhall they be given to hoſpitality, 1 Tim. 2.2? (if they be not hoſpitable, they will be deſpicable) how will men ſatisfie their conſciences in the quota pars: the particular quantity they muſt beſtow upon them? The ſcripture ſpeaketh only of the tenth part. Sed manum de tabula. Enough of this, if not more then enough.