Commentary on Malachi, To the reader – Errata
To all Chriſtian, and charitable Readers: but, with more ſpecialty, to my loving Countrymen, the Pariſhioners of Pitmiſter, in the County of Sommerſet, who yet ſurviving reſent with due reſpects the memory of their too ſoon deceaſed Paſtor, Doctor Sclater, the Author of this Book.
HAving, nigh about two yeares ſince, reviſed ſome Manuſcripts of my Fathers, I found theſe papers, which are now expoſed to the publique uſe, written in a ſmall, and ſomewhat an obſcure Character, inſcribed Sermones Dominicales, Sermons upon the Prophet Malachy, Preached on the Lords dayes; began February the nineteenth, 1608. In the peruſal of them, I perceived that the diſcourſe therein might not be impertinent, but rather ſeaſonable for theſe latter times: And, out of a ſerious deſire to do good, having obſerved a fair reception of ſome other of his works, publiſhed ſince his death, by me, (a catalogue whereof I ſhall now give you) I immediately reſolved upon a tranſcription; which being finiſhed, and in ſome order digested, was tendered to the licenſe; but could not, through the intervenience of new commotions, be well put the Preſs, till now.
As for the Author, his other writings have made him known; and in this brief comment, upon this Prophet, he hath delivered his judgment, Orthodoxly, and ſo conſentient to Divine Truth, that what was written of Rabanus Maurus, (ſometimes Archbiſhop of Mentz) by him, who ſet out his Commentaries upon Jeremy, may be hither applyed; Facile eſt colligere, vel ex hoc uno Authore, Spiritum ſanctum nunquam ſuam deſeruiſſe Eccleſiam, it may be eaſily collected, though but from this one Author, that the Holy Spirit hath notaPſal. 89.33. forſaken his Church, no not in the worſt times, but hathb1 Tim. 1.12. enabled, and raiſed up faithfulcMatth. 9.37, 38. labourers,d2 Chro. 36.15. & Matth. 10.5. ſending them forth into his own great harvest.
Let not this poſthume little Volume of his be thought ſpurious, for that it hath lain ſo long concealed; tw'as not of ſhame to ſhew it's face; but for that, perhaps, in ſo quaint an Age, it wanted better garments; at leaſt, ſome trimming upon it's plain cloth: in totter'd times, it may hope to paſs, though in an homely, yet in an untorngarb: in ſhort, the watch may be of good materials, albeit the maker of it be by time preventet for to crave, or to enamel it: I ſhall deſire the Reader, now, to view truth, in this Book, as in it's firſt naked ſimplicity, without the dreſſings, or curlings, or ornaments of Rhetorick, which like to painted glaſs in a fair window, often hinder the native beauty of the purer light.
I have, in a ſpecialty of reſpect, directed it unto the place of my own Nativity, as by a kinde of natural inſtinct, to declare, (as Ulyſſes ſometimes did after his Ithaca,) how IePhil. 1.8. 2 Cor. 9.4. long after thef3 Epiſt. joh 2. proſperity thereof; and partly, for that a preſent of this nature, brought them as a legacy from their dead Paſtor, chiefly, when their own*Gal. 3.1. eyes have ſeen, or their hearts felt the actual accompliſhment of what was in theſe, as in other Sermons, ſo long agon fore-ſhewn them; this may haply revive his memory afreſh among them, and therewith alſo ſome new thanks to God, for the advantage of thoſe labours, whereby they wereg1 Cor. 3.10. 2 Cor. 13.10. Jude v. 20. edified in the faith of Chriſt.
I perſwade my ſelf, that there are yet among you ſome, who bear in yourhpſal. 89 50. boſomes a witneſs, that tels your fouls, what St. Paul did, ſometime, to his ſoon-forgetting Corinthians though you have had many inſtructors in Chriſt, yet have you not had many i1 Cor. 4.15. and as he might have ſaid, Iſa. 8.18. Behold me and the children whom the Lord hath given me. See pag. 5 on 2 Theſſ.Fathers, for in Chriſt Jeſus he hath begotten you, through the Goſpel: Now ſome have thought, that men do …owe (at least reſpectively) more to their*Gal. 4.19. ſpiritual, than to their natural Parents; by how much more heavenly the ſecond is, then the firſt Birth; and the regeneration of the precious Soul to be preferred to the generation of the Body: what teſtimony or proofe you have given of ſuch an apprehenſion, your ſelves beſt know.
For my ſelf, though I cannot have perſonal addreſſes tomEzek. 21.2. drop among you my word, as an Eccho to the old voyce; yet am I with you in the Spirit▪ and my hearts deſire, and prayer to God, for you all, both is, and ſhall be, that you may not be ſhaken (no not under the strongest guſts of temptations, in t eſe ſpeckled times of ſo many motly opinions) from thoſe ancient, fundamental truths, wherewith, under his ministrei, your ſouls were once well ballaſted the skill of the ſeamankSee Gal. 4.14, 15. l2 Cor. 2 9.nCol. 2.5.oRom. 10.1.p2 Theſſ. 2.2.qMatth. 7.25.rJer. 6.15.ſ1 Cor. 3.11.is beſt diſcovered in a ſtorm: As ye have therefore received Chriſt Jeſus the Lord, ſo walk ye in him; rooted, and built up in him, and ſtabliſhed in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thankſgiving: I conclude all, with that advice of St. Paul to his Philippians, Chapter the fourth; verſe the nineth: Thoſe things which ye have learned, and received, and heard, and ſeen in him, do, and the God of peace ſhall be with you.
What endeavours I have uſed in this publication, let them be entertained in good part, Gods Name be glorified; you, and the Church of Chriſt benefited thereby, ſo ſhall I be abundantly ſatisfied, as who am,
Your affectionate well-willer in the Lord Chriſt, William Sclater. From my ſtudy in Collompton. Sept. 1. 1649.
Imprimatur,uCol. 2.6, 7.
Edmond Calamy
A Catalogue of ſuch Books, or Sermons, as were publiſhed in the Life-time of this Authour.
1 AN Expoſition on the three firſt Chapters to the Romans.
2 An Expoſition, with Notes, on both Epiſtles to the Theſſalonians.
3. Three Sermons; The one ſtyled, the ſick ſouls ſalve, on Prov. 18.14. The other, the Chriſtians ſtrength, on Philip. 4.13. Thē third, the Miniſters Portion, on 1 Cor. 9.13, 14. which was enlarged into a treatiſe, wherein is handled the queſtion of Tythes.
Books of his, ſet forth by me, ſince his deceaſe.
1. THree Sermons; the one, on 1 Pet. 2.11. Styled, the Spiritual warfare; the other, on 2 King. 9.31. Preached on the Gunpowder Treaſon; the third, on Heb. 9.27. A Funeral Sermon on his Patron.
2. An Analytical Expoſition on both Epiſtles to the Corinthians, in Latine, Printed at Oxford.
3. Sermons, experimental, on Pſalm. 116. Meditated, and Preached by him, after his recovery from a dangerous ſickneſs, and his being ſtricken with the fit of an Apoplexy, when actually Preaching in his Pulpit, at Pitmister.
4. Now, his brief Commentary, with Notes, on the Prophet Malachy; of which I have ſaid a few words, in my Epiſtle Dedicatory.
5. An Expoſition on the fourth Chapter to the Romans, in an addition to the former three already ſet out, is now prepared for the Preſs, a Scholaſtical, and elaborate piece.
6. Some remainders there yet are of his lucubrations upon good part of the Revelation, and ſome more Scriptures competently entire, beſides other things, which as the parcels of a broken Picture, expreſs the Authours gravity, and diligence: More may be hereafter publiſhed, if theſe finde welcome, or, if induſtry, and learning, meet with encouragements.
Errata.
PAge 14. line 2. for works, r. makes. p. 15. l. 19. for Election, r-Reprobation. p. 20. l. 30. for denied, r. dicreed. p. 21. l. 23. for ſecurity, r. ſcarcity. p. 37. for Matth, 21.12. r. 43. p. 41. l. 21. Of inherence, aboundeth, & l. 35. for thou, r. though. p. 52. l. 24. r. all the world for a (good) conſcience. p. 66. l. 30. put, for verſe, 15. v. 12. p. 71. l. 30. for v. 28. put, v. 20, p. 74. l. 13. for Mark. 15. r. 14. and l. 26. ib. for. v. 18. put, v. 13. p. 82. l. 26. for ſeems, r. ſerves. p. 89 l. 20. r. (to) bribery. p. 90. l. 20. r. covering p. 93. l. 28. for like, r. light eſteem and, l. 36. for pleaſeth, r. pleaſed. p. 94. l. 1. for hath r. had. p. 96. l. 5. for the, r. thee. p. 97. l. 4. for heardened, r. hardened. p. 99. l. 17. for Iob 21. r. 31. p. 100. l. 2. r. Pſal. 32. p. 10. l. 36. for Inferiours Authority, r. Superiours. for p. 114, 115. r. 106, 107. p. 108. l. 21. r. I know not what. & l. 27.1.2. Pet. 2.19, & l, 29. for oak, r. cloak. p. 109. l. 23. for And… r. An. p. 111. l. 15. for continance, r. continuance. p. 112, l. 3. r, 2 Tim. 4.2. p. 117. l. 1. r. 2 Tim. 2.24. p. 118. l. 13. for yet, r. ye. p. 119. l. 24. for hem, r. them. p. 123. l. 35. r. and, for an. p. 126. l. 21. for workip, r. worſhip. alſo, p. 127. l. 15. p. 135. l. 25. r. ſeaſonable. p. 136. l. 14. for waſt. r. ſhalt. p. 138. l. 20. r. (to) be your Saviour. p. 142. l. 28. Of, abundat. p. 148. l. 29. r. bring them up. p. 156. l. 22 is, abundat. p. 162. l. 20. for amongſt, r. amongſt. p. 182. l. 15. r. who is not (with) him. p. 200. l. 19. r. converted.