Commentary on Malachi, Commentary · Chapter 3 · Verse 3
VERS. III.
And he ſhall ſit downe to try and fine the ſilver: he ſhall even fine the ſonnes of Levi, and purifie them as gold and ſilver, that they may bring offerings unto the Lord in righteouſneſſe.
AND he ſhall ſit downe to try.] He ſhall ſit downe to try and fine the ſilver. The third ſimilitude by which Chriſt is deſcribed, is, from the Goldſmith. The ſumme is that as he ſitting in his ſhoppe by his fornace, doth purge the droſſe and corruption from the ſilver, ſo will Chriſt purge corruption from thoſe which are his.
He ſhall ſit.] Noting the dilligence and conſtancy and care of Chriſt in this worke. i. He ſhall not doe it lightly or curſorily, but ſeriouſly and dilligently, being marveylous attentive upon the worke, for then we ſit when we would doe any thing ſeriouſly, and with all care and endeavour. So Pſal. 1.1. and 50.20.
And fine the ſilver.] Septuag. and fining as ſilver, or as a man that fineth ſilver: for the Hebrewes often omit the note of ſimilitude; and the people, ſome thinke is compared to ſilver, becauſe they are ſo excellent in reſpect of others, which are but iron to them. Some becauſe ſilver hath this of it nature, that it is moſt mixed with other mettalls and mineralls, and by the fire is made moſt pure: ſo they by the vertue of Chriſts death.
And he ſhall purge the ſonnes of Levi.] The parties whom he ſhould purge; underſtanding not thoſe who were ſuch by nature, but ſuch as were ſpirituall Prieſts, ſuch as were true, and lawfull Prieſts, dedicated to the perpetuall and holy ſervice of God.
And purifie them as gold and ſilver.] Hee expreſſeth the ſame thing againe and againe, that it might be more certaine and firme, and to ſhew that their purity ſhould be very great; for theſe mettalls are of all others moſt accurately purged with the fire, leſt any ruſt or droſſe ſhould remaine with them.
That they may bring offerings] Here is an effect of Chriſt purging of them, that their ſacrifices being polluted and corrupt before, ſhould now be pure and holy, and be made acceptable to the Lord. In theſe words are noted the purity of them: in the next the acceptableneſſe of them.
Doctrine. Chriſt is to his as a Goldſmith, or Goldfiner, he that purgeth and purifieth them from their droſſe of ſinne and corruption; which is as the former, perfectly in the life to come, when as all blots and every ſpot ſhall be removed, Epheſ. 5.27. or partially in this life, where as all is pardoned, ſo purged, but not whole ſinne; neither if it were, can he be perfectly free, becauſe living in an infected ayre, they cannot but draw in ſome corruption, which though it prevaile not to death, yet it will corrupt them ſtill, and infect them. But Chriſt he purgeth them; and hence is waſhing of us given unto him, Revel. 1.5. and cleanſing, 1 John 1.7. And the baptiſme of ſpirit and fire, Matth. 3.11. that as fire he takes away droſſe and ruſt. Hence he is ſaid to be Ieſus, Matth. 1.21. becauſe he ſaves his people from their ſinnes: not à culpa onelyonly, and à poena, but à contagione. Hence that Rom. 6.3. we are partakers of his death, to make us to dye to ſinne, and ſinne to dye in us, Galat. 6.14.
Reaſon 1 Becauſe he might make way for holineſſe and purity, for elſe the new man cannot be put on, unleſſe the old man be deſtroyed; men cannot be renued in the ſpirit of their mindes, unleſſe they caſt off the old man, and he be taken from them. As the Serpent cannot receive new ſtrength, unleſſe ſhe firſt put off her old skin or coate, paſſing and preſſed by the ſtraitneſſe of her denne or hole: So cannot we put on the new, unleſſe we put off the old, Auguſt. de doct. Chriſti. lib. 2. cap. 16. Therefore to make way for that, Chriſt firſt muſt purge us from ſinne.
Reaſon 2 Becauſe he might make us like him, he was made like us in all things, ſave in ſinne, this makes us unlike; this then will he take and purge from us, that we might be as he, without ſinne.
Reaſon 3 Becauſe we might ſerve him; he deſires to have ſervice from us, which cannot be, unleſſe he purge away ſinne, and deſtroy it in us; for elſe we ſhall ſerve it, and we cannot ſerve two maſters. Therefore hee deſtroyes this, that wee might not ſerve it, Rom. 6.6. And ſo might be free to ſerve him, Luke 1.74.
To try and fine the ſilver.] Droſſe is not eaſily ſeparated from mettall and ſilver, but with the violence and heat of the fire is it tryed and fined: inſinuating unto us by this, how hardly, and with what force ſin is ſeparated from us; how cloſe it ſticks by us, and with what a doe it is ſeparated.
Doctrine The ſinnes and corruptions of Gods children ſit cloſe to them, and cleave faſt; are not to be ſeparated, but with much force and violence; As droſſe to ſilver. Heb. 12.1. To ſhew this, belong thoſe ſpeeches of ſacrificing, Galat. 5.24. Of mortifying. Collo. 3.5. of cutting off, and pulling out the right hand and right eies. Mat. 5.29 30. proved alſo by that. Jer. 13.23. Can the blacke Moore, change his skin? Or the Leopard his ſpots? Then may ye alſo do good, that are accuſtomed to do evill. And Mich. 6.7. Men wil give any thing, rather then part with ſin.
Reaſon 1 Becauſe it is naturall unto them, as to others, brought into the world with them. Now as the proverbe, That which is bred in the bone, will hardly out of the fleſh. And as naturall and hereditarie diſeaſes ſticke the faſteſt, and moſt heard to be cured: ſo it is of ſinne.
Reaſon. 2 Becauſe beſides nature, cuſtome, and continuance, in them is adjoyned; now, cuſtome is another nature, and things bound with ſuch a twofold cord, both ſo ſtrong, will hardly be ſeparated. Cuſtom oftentimes prevailes much, and jura àidicit immitare naturae. Saint Chryſoſt. But when cuſtome and nature are joyned together, who or what ſhall alter them? No wonder ſo much preaching, and ſo little prevailing with men, to remove their ſins: and the Miniſterie ſo unacceptable. Mich. 6.7. and Mal. 2.6.
Vſe To teach every man not to looke to be ſeparated from his droſſe, and corruption, without violence: and that he muſt offer violence to them, to be rid of them.
The ſilver.] The Church and Gods people thus compared, in reſpect of their excellency, becauſe it and they are more excellent then any other ſociety.
Doctrine. The Church is the moſt excellent ſociety in the world. Rev. 2.1. Golden candleſtickes. The Churches of Aſia among other reaſons were ſaid to be golden, in regard of their excellency and dignity, which they have in Gods account: that as gold is the moſt pretious mettall, and much accounted of men, ſo is the Church much ſet by of God; It is dear unto him as the apple of his eie, Deut. 32.10. Zach. 2.8. It is a Diamond among an heape of pebles, the members of the Church, are Jewells, as we have it afterwards, verſe 17.
Out of this place of fining and purging, ſome Papiſts, catching at ſhadowes, when they have no ſubſtance; would prove and eſtabliſh their purgatory, where a company of ſoules, are holden in with paper walls, and grievouſly tormented with painted fire; which poeticall fiction, and Papall fancy, as we deny, ſo cannot this place poſſibly induce us to believe it, ſeeing God himſelfe hath taught us no ſuch thing, neither in this place, nor in any other. For what if S. Auguſt and ſome others have applied this place to purgatory? for he was never reſolved, there was ſuch a place, but thought it credible and not impoſſible, there might be ſuch a place, but never once definitively determined of it. Euchri. ad Laurent. 69. beſides Epiſt. 54. Maced. p. 2.*Morum corrigendorum nullus alius eſt quam in hac vita locus: nam poſt hanc quiſ que id habebit, quod in hac ſibimet acquieſiret. Epiſt. Mae. ced. 54. p. 2. There is no other place of amendement but in this life; for after this, every one ſhall have, what he merited here. Now this place is apparently underſtood, of purging men from the ſin and corruption, and not from the puniſhment; And ſo cannot be underſtood of their purgatory, where only the puniſhment is ſatisfied for. Beſides the end of this purging is, that they may be fit to offer up lawfull ſacrifice to God, but in theirs the ſoules offer up no ſacrifices, ſay no Maſſes there. Beſides this purgation is onelyonly by Chriſt, through the ſanctification of the holy Ghoſt, being the onelyonly purgation that the ſcripture acknowledgeth, & therefore this cannot be an impeachment of that. Iohn 1.29. Iohn ſeeth Ieſus comming unto him, and ſaith; Behold the Lambe of God, which taketh away the ſins of the world. Arguing a want and weakneſſe, in his paiment, if after it men muſt pay for it. But that there can be no ſuch thing, neither can any ſuch thing ſtand with the Juſtice of God, I prove thus: By a reaſon which Tertul. dereſurrectione carnis; and other of the Fathers uſe to prove the reſurrection of the body; For if in courſe of juſtice, it be neceſſary, that the body which hath been partaker with the ſoule, of all that hath been done, either in righteouſneſſe or ſin, be alſo partaker of the reward of either: and hereby there be inforced neceſſarily a reſurrection of the body, to be joyned with the ſoule, to be partaker thereof. We muſt from the ſame principle of juſtice conclude, that if there be a Purgatory, it ſhould be as well for the body as the ſoule: becauſe the body hath been partaker of thoſe pleaſures and delights, for which they tell us, that the ſoules pay deare in Purgatoy fire. But they deny any Purgatory for the body, therefore they cannot truly affirme there is any for the ſoule. For thus ſhall the judgements of God be juſt, (ſaith Epiphanius in Ancorat.) whilſt both participate, either puniſhment for ſin, or reward for vertue; which juſt judgement they greatly impeach, by laying upon the ſoule only, the puniſhment of thoſe ſins which have been committed by the whole man.
He ſhall even fine the ſons of Levi.] The parties whom he ſhould purge, and fine, his owne, called the ſons of Levi, becauſe they were, and are ſpirituall Prieſts.
Doctrine All they who are Chriſts, are truely ſpirituall Prieſts. 1. Pet. 2. 9. Revel. 1.6.
And purifie them as gold and ſilver.] Thus Gods people and his Church are compared, and reſembled, not to baſe, but to the moſt excellent and moſt pretious mettalls.
That they may bring offerings unto the Lord.] Here is the end, why they are purged, and purified by Chriſt; to offer up ſacrifices, pure ones, and ſuch as ſhould be acceptable. verſe 4. Now theſe offerings are Evangelicall, not Legall, their perſons, prayers, prayſes, almes, and ſuch like. vide. Cap. 1.11. offering.
Offerings in righteouſneſſe.] Their ſacrifices ſhall be pure, oppoſite to the ſacrifices of the Iewes which were corrupt, and polluted.
Doctrine The works and worſhip of ſuch as are purged, are pure and holy. Vide Cap. 1.11. A pure offering.
Offerings in righteouſnes.] Some of our Papiſts, underſtand this place, as that Cap. 1.11. of the ſacrifice of the Maſſe, and the offering up of Chriſt in it.
But by theſe reall, and outward ſacrifices, are underſtood the ſpirituall ſacrifices of the Gentiles and Church under Chriſt.
Doctrine Under the Goſpel, Chriſtians are freed from all outward and reall ſacrifices, to be offered immediately to God, and of them are onelyonly required, ſpirituall ſacrifices. vide Cap 1.11.