Commentary on Malachi 2, Chapter 3 · Exposition on verse 12
VERS. XII.
And all Nations ſhall call you bleſſed: for ye ſhall be a pleaſant land, ſaith the Lord of Hoſts.
AND all Nations ſhall call you bleſſed.] The ſecond benefit, that ſhall come to them in obeying God, and bringing his tithes into his houſe, a good name, and honour and eſtimation. In former time ye were in contempt among the heathen and barbarous, becauſe of your poverty and want and penury, with which I had curſed you, for not bringing my tithes; but now when they ſhall ſee the bleſſing increaſed upon you, they ſhall ſay, ſeeing your plenty, that you are a people dear and beloved of me.
For ye ſhall be a pleaſant land.] Saint Hierom would have it, a Land deſired, for the fruit and plenty of it. But why ye, and not it? It is the Hebrew phraſe, giving to the poſſeſſors, that which is proper to the earth. As Deut. 28.3. Bleſſed ſhalt thou be in the City, and bleſſed alſo in the field. For it is the field that is bleſſed with increaſe: but ſome thinke the ſenſe will be more plaine, if you underſtand, As, ye ſhall be as a pleaſant land, that is flouriſhing and proſpering and abounding with riches.
The Lord will bleſſe with honour and credit, Doctrine all ſuch as deale faithfully with him, and give to his Church and Miniſters liberally, their due and competent maintenance. So much is promiſed here, and ſo much was performed to Obadiah. 1. Kings 18.13. To the widow of Sarepta. Cap. 17.15. And to the Shunamite. 2. Kings 4.8. For to this may we apply that, Matth. 26.13. Verily I ſay unto you, whereſoever this Goſpell ſhall be preached throughout all the world, there ſhall alſo this that ſhe hath done, be ſpoken of for a memoriall of her. This is that Nehemiah had, and prayed for. Nehemiah 13.14. Remember me, O my God! herein; and wipe not out the kindneſſe, that I have ſhewed on the houſe of my God, and on the offices thereof.
Becauſe by this, they honor the meſſengers of God. 1. Tim. 5.17. Reaſon And by the contrary, poverty makes contemptible, as in the Magiſtrate, ſo in the Miniſtery. Now if Princes honour thoſe who honour their followers and ſpeciall favorites, much more will God.
Reaſons 2. and 3. vide 1. and 2. in the promiſe of plenty.
If this be ſo, that honour is their due from the Lord, Vſe 1 who honour him in his Miniſters, what honour can they looke for, who thinke every thing well gained, that is got and kept from the Church? and thinke it well ſpared, when they have pared them of any thing, making them contemptible by poverty, and contemning them when they have done, and bring the contempt of many others upon them; for by want they either preach not, or they preach unfaithfully, pleaſing, and not wholeſome, toothſome, not ſaving things, and either will bring contempt upon them, and ſo utterly hindering the glory of God, and the ſalvation of his people. Doe they thinke then to have honour of God? many can be content to entertaine Miniſters in their houſes, at their tables, ſpecially ſtrangers, rather then their owne painefull Paſtors, but with Sauls humour, 1 Sam. 15.30. not to give them honour, but to honour themſelves. Many are heard glorying that they have a Miniſter in their houſe, and they give him twenty pound or thirty pound, per annum, when their hearts tell them that they deprive him of eighty, as due to him as the reſt, they enjoying the impropriation, being a thing, for ought I can ſee, under correction of the law, againſt right or reaſon; both in reſpect of the people, that they ſhould have their tithes for nothing, performing no duty or ſervice unto them, and in reſpect of the Miniſter who doth the labour, and they enjoy his wages: And theſe men thinke to be honoured before the people for them, and by them; but if that be due to ſuch as deale liberally with them, which is rather in giving them more then their owne, then in keeping any thing backe from them; if they by this, diſhonour them, let them looke for diſhonour from him, when they thus provoke him. If the Prince be offended to ſee one of his common ſouldiers diſgraced, and pinched of their wages; if one of his Guard and nigh attendance, wherein the ſafety of his perſon conſiſteth, his anger would exceedingly be kindled; but if his ſonne, ſaith Cyril, I would apply it, if himſelfe, his owne homage and tribute denyed him, would he honour ſuch?
To perſwade men to give unto the Miniſters, Vſe 2 who watch over them, and for them, when they ſleepe, and ſtudy for them when they play, and weepe for them when they laugh, and in all things, and by all meanes, ſeeke their ſalvation and good; to give them I ſay their due, and competent maintenance, if other things move them not; if the commodity and profit promiſed doe not move them, yet this, that is better then riches and gold, and to be deſired above it, Prov. 22.1.
All nations ſhall call you bleſſed.] They ſhould be honourable and famous for their outward proſperity: beſides the generall doctrine we may obſerve ſome particulars.
The Lord ſometime makes his Church famous and honourable in the eyes of the world, Doctrine. and wicked men for outward peace and proſperity and plenty, as here is promiſed. So was it with this people, for the moſt part, in the dayes of Ioſhua, and divers of the Judges, then their victories & taking the land, here their often deliverances, and forty yeares peace and plenty together, witneſſe the bookes of Judges. In the times of David and Solomon his ſon, that they came from farre to ſee the plenty and proſperity: and ſo of divers others of the Kings times. Amongſt other that is ſpecially markeable, and of ſpeciall note when they were in captivity, yet for deliverance famous, Eſter 8.17. In all and every Province, and in all and every City and place, where the Kings commandedement and his decree came, there was joy and gladneſſe to the Iewes, a feaſt and good day, and many of the people of the land became Iewes, for the feare of the Iewes fell upon them.
Becauſe God hath promiſed ſuch things unto them, Reaſon 1 while they feare him, and walke in his waies, and keepe his ordinances, and judgements, therefore they doing, he will not be wanting.
Becauſe wicked men ſhould ſee that, Reaſon 2 which they will hardly confeſſe, that even in this life there is a reward for the righteous, or to ſhew his power in preſerving it, as Moſes buſh,*Dum perſequitur floret, dum, &c. Hilar. de Trinit. cap. 7. while it is perſecuted, it flouriſhes; while it is contemned, it encreaſes; while it is wronged, it orecomes; while it is oppreſt, it growes; and then ſtands, when it ſeemes throwne downe. Now in this, I ſay, the Lord doth oftentimes thus bleſſe his Church, not alwaies; for even under the law when this was more ſpecially promiſed to them under the Goſpell, and when they were led more by theſe, becauſe of their child-hood and infirmity, they had them not alwaies, then leſſe under the Goſpell. Beſides, Jer. 12.1. Pſal. 73. 2 Tim. 3.12. John 16. ultimo 20. Heb. 11. Iſrael in Egypt, in Canaan by Philiſtimes, Ammonites, Midianites, Babylonians, Perſians. The Primitive Church for 300. yeares after Chriſt, after it was perſecuted by the Arrians, Gothes, Vandals, yea after that it had Chriſtian Princes, yea and much miſery the Church hath felt from the Turkes. All which ſhewes, this is but ſometime, not alwaies. This may be becauſe it is with the Church, as Salvian once complained.*Ipſa Dei occleſia quae, &c. …alvian D. l. 3. de Imber. The very Church of God, which in all things ought to pleaſe God, and to appeaſe him; what is it or doth it elſe but imbitter or provoke him, or beſides a very few who flye from evil? what is almoſt the whole ſociety of Chriſtians any other, but a very ſinke of ſinnes?
Againſt the dreame of Anabaptiſts, Vſe 1 who thinke a man cannot be a religious man, and a rich man, but that one overthrowes the other. It is true, it often falls out by the corruption of men, that as the leane Kine devoured the fat in Pharoahs dreame, ſo in this; and that the mother is devoured of the daughter; but yet this ſentence and opinion muſt needs condemne all the generation of Gods children, who ſometimes have had ſuch abundance, plenty, and proſperous eſtate, and that which hath beene, may be; for as there is no new thing under the ſunne, ſo nothing hath beene, but it may be renued.
This will confute the doctrine of Popery, Vſe 2 making this a note of the Church, for being but ſometimes befalling it, it cannot note the Church, which is certainely knowne onelyonly by ſuch things as are infeparable, which this is not, being oftner under perſecution then in proſperity; and how otherwiſe ſeeing here it is but a ſtranger and ſojourner, compared to a Dove lodged in the rockes, Cant. 2.14. to a ſhip ſhaken with the windes, but not ſunke; to a houſe upon the rocke beaten with winde and weather, but not caſt downe. Therefore is it but a weake argument which Bell. Sad. Stapl. and others uſe to prove the true Church, and to deny ours to be; and indeed no other then that which the Heathen and Pagans have uſed againſt Chriſtians. Symachus againſt whom Prudentius writ in an Epiſtle to Theodoſius the Emperor, which is in Ambroſ. Epiſt. 30. uſed this argument, and almoſt no other, to prove that the Emperor ſhould ſtill abide in the religion of the Romans, becauſe that Common-wealth was moſt flo uriſhing and proſperous, ſo long as they worſhipped Iupiter, Apollo, and other Gods. Alſo the old Tyrants, Perſecuters of the Church, were wont to impute to chance the cauſe of all calamities and miſeries; for they uſed to ſay when calamities were upon them; we are now leſſe fortunate then in former times, becauſe we ſuffer the Chriſtians, and becauſe we do not with that religion and devotion worſhip Iupiter, and other of the Gods, as we did before, therefore are the Gods angry with us: ſo the Papiſts from a temporal felicity meaſure piety, and gather that God doth favour them, becauſe he gives them theſe outward things, by it would condemne us and al other Churches. But if the Heathen reaſoned abſurdly, they conclude not well, but very impudently; but if the concluſion would follow, it would be on our ſides rather then theirs; who have for theſe 48. yeares not been inferiour to any Kingdome in the world for peace, plenty and proſperity, and ſpecially when we have beene moſt ſevere not in perſecuting, but correcting of their impieties & Idolatries, (For projuſtitiâ perſequentes perſecutores ſunt, propter flagitium correctores, Auguſt. contra lit. Petil. lib. 21. ca. 84.) And for victory in warre, which is the principalleſt they ſtand of, we have given them more foiles then ever they us, and have often carried the day and triumph both by ſea and land, bleſſed be our God for it. Therefore muſt they let this argument, this weapon goe, or elſe we will ſheath it in their owne ſides.
If this be a bleſſing, Ʋſe 3 then have we cauſe to ſtirre up our ſelves and ſoules to God to give him thankes for that he hath performed to us, which he promiſed to this land and people; that we have had ſuch peace, plenty, and proſperity as we have beene accounted of all bleſſed and happy, and of our enemies mightily maligned and envied. That we uſe that of Auguſt. de Civit. D. l. 1. c 7. Quiſquis non videt caecus, quiſquis nec laudat, ingratus, quiſquis laudanti reluctatis in ſanus eſt. And yet ſeeing it is no perpetuall bleſſing, but ſuch as the Church is often deprived of, and hath beene, let us ſee we walke worthy of it, leſt he pull us downe as low as he lifted us up high, and make us as vile as he hath made us honourable. As he did divers times with his people, Deuter. 29.22.24.25. which was then and ſhall be when they are worſe, and walke unworthy of this, and we be as Salvian, ad Catholicum Eccleſiam. lib. 1.*Ac ſic neſcio quomodo &c. I know not how, but thy felicity flights againſt thy ſelfe; ſo much as thou art encreaſed in people, thou art almoſt as much encreaſt in vices; by how much thou haſt more abounded, thou haſt loſt in diſcipline, and thy proſperity hath brought with it a great encreaſe of evills; for the profeſſors of the faith being multiplyed, the faith it ſelfe is leſſened; and her children encreaſing, the mother is ſicke: and thou O Church of God! art made weaker by thy fruitfulneſſe, and the more children, the leſſe ſtrength, for thou haſt ſpread through the whole world the profeſſors of thy religious name, but not having the power of religion, as if thou wert rich in men, poore in faith, wealthy in multitude, needy in devotion, enlarged in body, ſtrengthned in ſpirit, &c.