Commentary on Malachi, Chapter 2 · Exposition of verse 16
VER. 16.
For the Lord, the God of Iſrael ſaith, that he hateth putting away: for, one covereth violence with his garment, ſaith the Lord of Hoſts; therefore, take heed to your ſpirit, that ye deal not treacherouſly.
The corrupt reading here ſpoken, is thus, of the vulgar Latine: Cum odio habueris, dimitte.Here followeth the amplyfication: reading corrupt; thus better read. The Lord of Hoſtes ſaith, he hates diſmiſſion, and putting away; yet, he covers this iniquity with a cloak. For the other reading. 1. Croſſeth the purpoſe of the Spirit of God; the Lord reproves them, for diſmiſſion; and therefore improbable, he ſhould here ſpeak of approbation, or allowance. 2. Implyes an untruth. For, the Lord never thus ſaid, by way of warrant; but only Moſes permitted, for hardneſs of heart. Though the Lord hath proteſted, to hate this ſin, yet they commit it, and cover it with a cloak, that is, with pretence of, know not what, liberty permitted them, by Moſes.
Now, Obſerv. here mark, how wicked men commit the moſt hainous ſins, many times, under colour and cloake; 1 Sam. 15. Saul knew well enough, diſobedience was odious unto God; yet, having the cloak of a good intention, ſecurely commits it: in 1 Pet. 2. The libertines, in the firſt Church, they took to themſelves liberty in ſinning; this oak they had, Chriſt had made them free; theſe wretches here, took Moſes permiſſion for a warrant, and a cloake for their ſinning.
Like colours, Ʋſe. and pretences, ſee we, even at this day, in many of our people ſinning: See we a few of them 1. Yee ſhall ſee the examples of Saints pretended: But, let men enquire, how lawfull; or, whether by priviledg; or, whether in the ſame manner, upon like grounds; For theſe caſes often vary actions. 2. Scripture abuſed; its lawfull to do good, on the Sabbath, &c. But, remember they muſt be neceſſary good duties; yet ſo, as that it may not be thine own works; they muſt ever be works of mercy.
3. We muſt live, ſaith the uſurer.
Anſw. And thou muſt live in obedience to the law of God; beſides, the ſtrumpet, and the thiefe may pretend the ſame.
4. Humane law, and connivence of Magiſtrates.
Anſw. Here the Lord tries thee, whether thou doeſt, indeed, in ſincerity, fear God. 2. Connivence in Magiſtrates warrants not tranſgreſſion in the people. 3. Diſtinguiſh we muſt betwixt permiſſions, and commands.
5. Commands.
Anſw. All ſuch muſt have limitation, in the Lord; Eph. 6.5. See Hoſ. 5.
Therefore, take heed to your ſpirit, that ye deal not treacherouſly] And admonition of three branches. 1. A duty. 2. A Reaſon. 3. A meanes to perform the duty.
Admonition drawn out of the former words: Sith this liberty of divorce is ſo croſs to Gods ordinance, ſo contrary to his intendment, manifeſted in creation, ſo hatefull to God, ſo injurious to the wife with whom a covenant is entred; therefore, keep your ſelves in your ſpirits, and tranſgreſs not.
Out of the illative thus made, we may obſerve the reaſon, why it pleaſeth the Lord, to convince of ſins, Obſerv. and to uſe aggravations; and it is for our admonition, that we ſhould take heed how, by them, we defile our ſelves: The end of conviction is our admonition; See Ezek. 18. and Ier. 18.
Now, Brethren, the Lord hath dealt mercifully with us, in this kingdome, this way, by many meanes labouring to work conviction: and happy we, if it might have this effect, to work in us admonition, and care to avoid ſin. The uſuall meanes whereby the Lord convinceth of ſin, are theſe. 1. His word. 2. Afflictions. 3. His vengeance on others. 4. The controllement, and check of our own conſcience. And, in none of theſe, hath the Lord been behinde with us; as Paul, ſin is not imputed, where is no Law; and, Rom. 5.20. The law entred, that ſin might abound. Beloved, in daies of blindneſs, many ſins were ſwallowed up, that were moſt fearfull, in the ſight of God, Idolatry, blaſphemy, breach of Sabbath, &c. And thoſe, that are every where, called works of darkneſs. Now, in theſe dayes of light, the Lord hath ſhewed us what is good, Mic. 6.8. and as well, what is evill, by the light of his word; ſhall it not be our ſhame, if being convinced of ſin, we continue therein?
Second meanes, afflictions; the ſmart whereof diſcovers alſo the hainouſneſs of our ſins; in time of eaſe, ſins ſometimes are known, but, ſcarce throughly conſidered; afflictions, Iob 33.16. Open the eare, &c. And, how the Lord hath dealt with us, this way, if we have eyes, we cannot but ſee; following us with many of his plagues, and heavy judgments; even Pharaoh could then, under affliction, confeſs, I have ſinned.
Third meanes of conviction, exemplary vengeance; of which, beſides the records of Scriptures, other ſtories are frequent; and the Lord thereby would ſhew unto us, how to eſteeme, and account of our ſins: Uſurers many brought to beggary; drunkards cloathed with raggs; falſe ſwearers ruinated in their families; adulterers brought to a morſell of bread: theſe are our convictions, would God they were our warnings.
Fourth meanes, check of conſcience: The heart ſmites it ſelf, 1 Sam. 24.5. and, 2 Sam. 24. As, the Diſciples of Chriſt, did not our hearts burn within us, Luk. 24.23.whileſt he talked with us, and opened unto us, the Scripture? The like queſtion if I ſhould propound unto us; I know, they would anſwer, they have often felt it: Beloved, happy he, whom the Lord thus chaſtens, if he be thereby admoniſhed; and, woe to us, if being convicted of ſin, we ſtill continue therein.
Beloved, let me exhort, therefore, every one of us, to whom the Lord hath been thus merciful, to reveal our ſins, and to convince us of them: that the Lord may attain his end in us, to work in our hearts a care to depart from evil: how are we convinced in our judgments, by the Lords judgments, of many fearful, and crying ſins? Why reſolve we not to leavthem?
Let me add reaſons. 1. Continance of ſin, after conviction, as it hardens the heart; ſo makes it the ſin much more haynous in the ſight of God. If ye were blinde, ye ſhould have noe ſin, Joh. 9.41. & Jam. 4.17. To him that knowes to do well, and doth it not, to him it is ſin, with an emphaſis. Every ſin, after conviction, is doubled, Ezr. 9.13. after all this, we have ſinned 2. Reprobates aſcend thus far, to ſee ſin, and acknowlelg it; Pharaoh could ſay, I and my people are ſinners; but (forſaking) of ſin, is that only, that argues ſound grace; The fear of the Lord, is to depart from evil, to hate pride, arrrogancy, and every evil way, Prov. 8.13.
Wherefore beloved, let us thus reſolve, every of us, as it pleaſeth God, more and more to enlighten us, to ſee our ſins, and rightly to know them; ſo, with all ſpeed and earneſtneſs to leave them. I doubt not, but Prophecy, at this day, hath in many of us, the ſame effect, that it had in the Primitive Church, by Gods ordinance, 1 Cor. 14. Would God! as it convinceth, ſo it might work deteſtation, and care to avoid ſin. Obſerv.
And hence may we obſerve an order to be kept of us, in miniſtring admonitions unto the people. Firſt, to convince. duplicate page duplicate page Then, to admonſh, and exhort, that is: Firſt, to make ſin known, before we admoniſh to leave it; and this that enjoyned, 2 Tim. 4.4. with doctrine, implying, that doctrine muſt be the ground of all exhortations, and admonitions. And, the practice of Prophets, is. Firſt to labour to convince, then, exhort they to forſake, Jer. 3.13, 14. Know thine iniquity, then, turn again. Reaſon of it, conſcience ever works upon principles of judgment; till thoſe be planted, conſcience never doth her office, in accuſing, or condemning. Therefore it is, that an erroneous, or ignorant conſcience, is never moved with any reproofe never ſo ſharp, any threatning never ſo ſevere; perſecution, a grievous ſin; yet while not known to be ſuch, or thought, erroniouſly, to pleaſe God, Ioh. 16. never moves conſcience, 1 Tim. 1.15, 16. And, therefore mark, deal with an ignorant body that is not informed, give him the beſt exhortations, uſe the forcibleſt perſwaſions, thou moveſt them no more, then ſo many ſtones, &c.
Now, brethren, let us learn hence the method of admonition; it's a duty every where injoyned unto us, and that by divers reaſons, Ʋſe. Lev. 19.17. 1. From the perill wherein they are, hardening, and deſtruction, Heb. 3.13. 2. From the excellency of the work, Jam. 5. ult. 3. Nighneſs of conjunction. But would we uſe it profitably? learn to adminſter it diſcreetly, and orderly; that is, firſt, convince; then admoniſh, reprove, exhort. Till thou bee'ſt able to convince an uſurer, a ſwearer, &c. thou ſhalt but beat the ayre, and prove more ridiculous, than profitable unto him.
And here, beloved is to be bewailed a defect of many of us, of good affections, I confeſs; would God, I could ſay alſo, of as good a judgment, and knowledg! that are ready, in every tranſgreſſion, to miniſter reproofes ſharp enough. Now▪ that they reprove, and ſharply alſo, I blame not; but this that I would exhort unto, that we ſhould labour to reprove, as out of certain knowledg; and be able, firſt, to ſhew the ſin, before ever thou reprove it, as a ſin; And, brethren, how contemptible wholeſome admonitions are grown, amongſt ſwiniſh ſinners, who ſees not? Let me exhort, therefore, to labour for knowledg this way: Reaſons. 1. Mark, if thou wilt, but the different carriage of prophane men, towards men, divers diverſly reproving: How ſcoffingly carry they themſelves, in all reproofes of the ignorant? Now, let a man that hath knowledg deale with them, that is able to convince their judgments, how doth he even arraign them, and fill them, many times, with fear and trembling? And, how fearfull are they, to oppoſe any thing? Great is the fear of conſcience once convinced; and as audacious is a wicked heart, when it is not feretted out of the ſtarting holes. 2. Add unto this, that not every admonition hath a bleſſing promiſed, but ſuch as is grounded on the word of God; as we ſay of preaching, its the mean to convert; yet it's only, when the (pure) word of God is preached. 3. Courage in the reprover is hereby much encreaſed, when as he is ſure, his ground is good; as, on the other ſide, we cannot but faulter, and halt in admoniſhing, that deal either ignorantly, or upon uncertainties.
We are all taught, that deſire to be free from our ſins, Ʋſe. and the dominion of them, to labour to be well, and throughly acquainted with the law of God: Alas! how much liberty do even Gods children take to themſelves, and fail in that main duty of teaching themſelves! Rom. 2.21. whileſt they adventure to teach others; even by this, that they know not their own wayes, nor can judg of their actions, whether they be good, or evill: as Paul ſaith of himſelf, Rom. 7.9. Before the law came he was alive; and for concupiſcence, he never thought it a ſin; and then, how could he bewaile it, till God opened his eyes, to ſee the law, and true meaning thereof?
This made David circumſpect, Pſal. 19.12. Pray we, therefore, Beloved, for*Rev. 3.18. eye-ſalve, that we may ſee our ſins, and therein our own miſeries: How many weakeneſſes are there, in Gods dear children, ſpringing from this fountain of ignorance? wouldeſt thou, then, forſake ſin? Learn, firſt, to know it; and therein, …earn to examine thy ſelf by the law of God; ſelf-love is blind, and mens opinions uncertain, or partiall, but Gods law, a law of liberty, moſt free in reproving, Iam. 2.12.
Take heed to your Spirit.] Followes now the mean preſcribed; and that is, the keeping of our ſelves, in our ſpirit: (By Spirit) underſtand here the affections, and deſires of the heart: [Keeping] is the reſtraint, and mortifying our vile affections, and that ſtrait watch we ought to keep of our hearts; Obſerv. and this is the beſt remedy to prevent, or cure our actuall tranſgreſſions, to look to, and watch over our head-ſtrong affections: Solomon, in other words, Prov. 4.23. thus enunciates it, Keep thy heart, with all diligence; and mark his Reaſon, out of it are the iſſues of life; from it, as from the fountain, proceed our actions: And, our Saviour; Mat. 15.19. gives this Reaſon, out of it come whatſoever enormities in the life; and the fleſhly affections thereof defile the man.
Beſides that, the Lord ever meaſures both good, and evill, more by the affection, then by the act; good things done weakly, are favourably accepted, while the heart, and affection is upright before God; evill things, though evill, yet are moſt odious, when the affections are inordinate.
So that, we here ſee, and let us learn to practiſe, the right method of leaving our ſins; Ʋſe namely, the watching over our headſtrong corruptions. It little avails, that the hand is reſtrained from oppreſſion, whileſt the*Ezek. 33.31. heart runs after covetouſneſs: not accepted with God, that we forbeare practice of luſt, whileſt our hearts burn with fleſhly deſires: And, how many ſee we externally reformed, after the ſight of their ſins, and ſmart of Gods judgments, that yet turn back to their old ſins, whiles the heart continues chained with corruptions.
Meanes, to ſecure the heart, and to ſafe-gard it from the annoyance of vitious practices. 1. That the minde, be occupied in holy Meditations; that minde is the foreign, Rules all. 2. Due conſideration, that the hearts, and reines are known unto God; hence Saint Peter, 1 Pet. 3.15. Sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts. 3. The guarding of the ſenſes; by theſe*Ier. 9.21. windows Satan enters, many times, and by them conveyes his poyſon into our hearts. 4. Something availeable hereto, is reſtraint of the outward man, from practice of ſin; the pleaſures felt enthrall the heart, as, Hoſ. 4.11. Whoredome, and wine, &c. 5. Pray to God, to ſanctifie it, by his Spirit: The fountain muſt firſt be purged, before the ſtreames can be wholeſome.