Commentary on Malachi, Commentary · Chapter 1 · Verse 3
VERSE III.
And I hated Eſau, and made his mountaines waſte, and his heritage a wilderneſſe for Dragons.
ANd I hated Eſau, and made his mountaines waſte.] Some think that this is only added to prove his hatred to Eſau; viz. You may eaſily ſee my hatred: when as that famous mountaine Seir, where there were ſo many Dukes, as Gen. 36.15. ad finem, is now without any dweller, and all the Cities and habitations of them are deſtroyed. Which thing as it is true, and wee doubt not in part the meaning of this place, yet not the whole, becauſe the Lord aimes not ſo much to ſet out his hatred to Eſau and his poſterity, as his love to Jacob and his: therefore there muſt needs be ſomewhat more in it, that is, the diſſimilitude or diſlike effect, to ſhew his love to them, which riſeth thus: Thoſe whom I love, I keepe them in their countrey, and ſuffer them not to be led captive; yet if for correction I ſuffer the enemy ſo farre to prevaile, I doe againe reduce them into their owne countrey, and give them their owne land, and the comforts of it. On the contrary, thoſe whom I hate, thoſe for their ſinnes I caſt into baniſhment, and never bring home againe: but let their land to be a dwelling for beaſts, Dragons, and ſuch like. Now the former I have done to you who are Jacobs poſterity, and the latter to Eſaus; now contrary effects have contrary cauſes. So then as they may ſee in them my hatred, ſo in your ſelves ye may apprehend my love, who are now at home in your owne Land and Countrey, and enjoy your comforts in your Countrey. This then apparently ſhews his hatred to Eſaus poſterity, as in ſpirituall things, the Apoſtle being interpreter, Rom. 9. ſo here in temporall things, and cloſely and by compariſon his love to Jacobs ſeed, and to this people. The firſt onelyonly to the children of promiſe, but this to all, even the whole ſeed, and not they onelyonly which were bleſſed in Iſaac.
Doctrine. Exile and baniſhment when it falls to a man, or multitude; to a family, or a whole nation; it is a ſigne and a proofe of the wrath and diſpleaſure, of the anger and hatred of God. So is it here made and proved, becauſe God threatneth by his Prophet uſually, that which men threaten and menace when they are angry, that proves their anger when it is effected. Deut. 28.41, 64, 68. Thou ſhalt beget ſonnes and daughters, but thou ſhalt not enjoy them, for they ſhall goe into captivity. And the Lord ſhall ſcatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even to the other, and there thou ſhalt ſerve other gods which neither thou nor thy fathers have knowne, even wood and ſtone. And the Lord ſhall bring thee into Aegypt againe with ſhips, by the way whereof I ſpake unto thee; thou ſhalt ſee it no more againe, and there ye ſhall be ſold unto your enemies for bond-men and bond-women, and no man ſhal buy you. Going into captivity, ſcattering and ſerving the enemy, are threatned as tokens of wrath. Mic. 1.15. and 2.4. 2 Chro. 36.16, 17.
Reaſ. 1 Becauſe it is a judgment of God upon whomſoever; now the judgment of God ſhews his wrath and diſpleaſure.
Reaſ. 2 Becauſe it is a bleſſing, and ſo a token of the favour of God, to have houſes or lands, and ſo to enjoy them.
Object. Many are baniſhed and caſt into exile for Chriſt and the profeſſion of his truth. Ergo.
Sol. It is true, that as among the Grecians they had an Oſtraciſmus, a Law to baniſh every one that excelled other in riches, or in honour, or favour, or eloquence, and wiſedome, yea, in their outward juſtice: As Ariſtides was baniſhed Athens by the voyces of all, even a ruſtick who knew him not by face, but becauſe they called him juſt; ſo falls it out in the world, and in the kingdomes of it, that they doe expell thoſe who profeſſe Chriſt and piety, but that is nothing againſt this: Firſt, for that which Justine Martyr ſaith, Epiſt. ad Diognetum, de Chriſtianis; Omnis peregrina regio, patria eſt eorum, & omnis patria eſt peregrina: Every forreigne Countrey is their home, and at home they are ſtrangers, and ſo they not baniſhed whereſoever. Againe, becauſe this comes onelyonly from the malice and diſpleaſure of men, and is a favour of God, that they are enabled to part with all for his ſake, as Act. 5.41. ſo wee may rejoyce if we be counted worthy to be exiles for his name; but this here ſpoken of comes both from the wrath and diſpleaſure of God and man. Further, as Cauſa, non poena, the cauſe, not the puniſhment makes a Martyr;Salvian. Ex duobus lethalibus malis levius, ut reor, eſt captivitatem corporis Chriſtiani, quàm captivitatem animae ſuſtinere. So Salvian ſpeaketh of a double captivity, or of two ſorts of captives; one who are extrinſecus carne, captives outwardly in the body, others, intus mente captivi, inwardly in their mindes, and affirmeth, Of two great evills, I ſuppoſe 'tis more eaſie for a Chriſtian to ſuſtaine the captivity of his body, than the bondage of the ſoule. Now they which are captives in body for this, are freed in their minds; and è contr. they who hold them captive, are moſt captive; for they are in their minds ſo, as 2 Pet. 2.19.
Ʋſe. 1 This may teach all ſuch as may fall into captivity and exile, that when it betides them,If any ſhould not, we may then uſe the words of Salvian. An credimus forte quod captivus animo populus ille non fuerit, qui laetus tunc in ſuorum captivitatibus fuit? captivus corde & ſenſu non erat, qui inter ſuorum ſupplicia ridebat? qui jugulari ſe in ſuorum jug… lis non intelligebat? qui mori ſe in ſuorum mortibus non putabat? Quo ante. they ſhould learne to groane under it, as under the manifeſt ſigne, yea, and the thing that is the wrath of God: for if they may and ought to apprehend Gods diſpleaſure, when their land brings not forth abundance to them and their uſe, what, when it beares not them any longer? But this leſſon you may teach thoſe that are in captivity, we neither are, neither are we in feare of it. I anſwer, that men carefull of themſelves will learne and regard medicines or preſcriptions before they have need of them, eſpecially if there be any likelyhood they may fall into a diſeaſe, leſt the remedy not ready, the danger may be, and prove the greater; and the knowledge of any thing is no burden. So in this. But have we no feare of this, that we have no need to learne it? What then meant this late and moſt horrible treaſon or practice, that every Nation, Chriſtian or barbarous, whether Turkes, Tariars, or whoſoever, heard of? If our Papiſts, the greateſt enemies of Chriſt this day the world hath; if our Pſeudo-catholicks, the moſt deſpightfull enemies to the King and his poſterity, to the State and the proſperity of it, to the Church and the peace of it, had prevailed in their deſignes, what would have beene our condition but this? Queſtionleſſe either muſt it have come to cutting of throats, and the ſpilling of our blood, after which the Scarlet-whore and her whoriſh brood hath a long time thirſted, or elſe this captivity and exile, if not carryed out of our owne Land, yet made ſlaves in our owne Land; for they that had remained, ſhould have ſerved a ſtranger in their owne land, Deut. 28.49, 51, 52. and verſ. 66, 67. for whereto elſe tended this, but to bring in a forraigne power, to the ſlaughter of moſt, and ſlavery of the reſt?
Ʋſe. 2 Then is it a ſpeciall favour to be acknowledged, and God to be with all thankfull minds glorified of all thoſe, who finde that they are kept in their owne Land, not unthankfully as this people ſaid, Wherein haſt thou loved us? when they had this benefit. But herein haſt thou loved us, that we are not carryed or taken captive, that our Cities and Townes are not laid waſte: it is for us in reſpect of many other deliverances, and preſervations from dangerous attempts; ſo of this laſt not the leaſt but that which is every waies the greateſt; for if it was the horribleſt and moſt fearefull treaſon that ever was plotted, if the danger of overturning the Church and State the greateſt, if the confuſion to us and ours the moſt fearefull, if the greateſt ſigne of Gods wrath and diſpleaſure, if they had prevailed not onelyonly to lay the Parliament-houſe waſt, when they cryed, Raze it, raze it even to the ground; but to overthrow both Church and Common-wealth, when their condition that had beene blowne up with the Houſe, and then periſhed, had beene better than ours who were out of it: when our men were appointed for the ſwords and ſlaughter, our Wives and Daughters for rapes and adulteries, and after to the Sword; our children to have beene daſhed in pieces againſt the ſtones of our ſtreets, our Cities to have beene ſet on fire over our heads, and all our wealth to have beene a prey for deſperate and forlorne wretches: Then, that God hath delivered us from all this, it muſt needs be a token, yea, the greateſt of his favour and love. He that ſeeth it not, is blind; he that ſeeth it, and doth not acknowledge it, is unthankfull; he that ſees and acknowledgeth it, and doth not praiſe and magnifie God for it, is very wicked and impious. If it had beene the preſerving of goods alone from the ſpoile, if our Cities alone from burning, if our children onelyonly from periſhing, if our wives onelyonly from rapes and uncleanneſſe, if our lives alone from death, and our ſoules from the grave, the leaſt of theſe, and any one of them had beene a ſpeciall favour and ſigne of his love, what, when not one of theſe, but all? The preſervation of them continually, and every day, when there is none that hunts ſo after them, and ſeekes extraordinarily by malice to take them away, is a favour and a ſigne of his love. More, when they had laid their counſells thus deepe, and ſought it ſo dangerouſly, if he had revealed it halfe a yeare ſince in the beginning of the plot, it had beene a token of his good will: but when it was come to ſuch ripeneſſe, and as there was but a ſtep betwixt David and death, ſo not a night betwixt us and confuſion; it was much more. Therefore to ſet forth his love, he brought us within the ſight and ſmelling of the danger, that we might the more account of it: Our Cities not waſted as Edoms mountaines, is a token of his favour.
His mountaines waſt.] Mountaines are for ſtrength, for the defence and preſervation of any thing, and by them is ſignified the greatneſſe of Edom, and all his power and ſtrength; and Metaphoricè, the great and mighty men, as Mich. 1.4.
Doctr. No outward thing can priviledge a man from Gods judgements, or be a ſanctuary to ſave any from his wrath and diſpleaſure, when he will puniſh and execute his wrath.
And his heritage a wilderneſſe for Dragons.] Mount Seir it was Eſaus inheritage and his poſterity, not onelyonly left then of his father, but given him of the Lord: Joſhua 24.4. Notwithſtanding when they had defiled this with their ſinnes, as followeth in the next verſe, the Lord caſt them out, and made it caſt them out, that it was no longer inhabited by them, but poſſeſſed by Dragons.
Doctr. They who defile their land and inheritage by ſinne and wickedneſſe, ſhall be caſt out of it, and it ſhall ſpue them out. Vide Mich. 2.10.