Malachi 3

In uno Christo Angelus faederis completur, Fagius. The Angel of the Covenant (Malachi 3:1), a Lamp (2 Samuel 22:29), the bright Morning-star (Revelation 22:16). Jesus Christ is the great Prophet of his church; the woman of Samaria gave a shrewd guess (John 4:19).

The next attribute is God's unchangeableness (Malachi 3:6). I am Jehovah, I change not.

Christ cursed the barren fig-tree. 2. It reproves such as are so far from bringing glory to God, that they rob God of his glory (Malachi 3:8). Will a man rob God, yet you have robbed me.

2. God adopts us to a state of dignity: God makes us heirs of promise; God installs us into honor (Isaiah 43:4): Since you were precious in my sight, you have been honorable. The adopted are God's treasure (Exodus 19:5), his jewels (Malachi 3:17), his firstborn (Hebrews 12:23).…

1. By his essential greatness, I am the Lord; or as in the Hebrew, Jehovah. This name of God sets forth his majesty: Sanctius habitum fuit, says Buxtorf, the name Jehovah was had in more reverence among the Jews, than any other name of God; it signifies God's self-sufficiency, e…

1. In case of private devotion. Christian, you set hours apart for God, your thoughts run upon him as your treasure, God takes notice of every good thought (Malachi 3:17). He had a Book of Remembrance written for them that thought upon his name.

Quest. 6. Wherein lies the dignity of such as have God for their Father? Resp. They have greater honor than is conferred on the princes of the earth; They are precious in God's esteem; (Isaiah 43:4) Since you were precious in my eyes, you have been honorable; the wicked are dros…

Good discourse brings holy truths into our memories, and fastens them upon our hearts. (Malachi 3:17) Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another. There is a great power and efficacy in good discourse.

Fourthly, in this we resemble God, to be doing good to others. 'Tis our excellence to be like God. Godliness is God-likeness. And in what are we more like him than in acts of bounty and munificence? Psalm 119:68. You are good, and do good. You are good, there is God's essential…

3. Consider what the Scripture says, and it may ponere obicem — lay a bar in the way to this sin. Malachi 3:5: I will be a swift witness against the adulterers. It is good when God is a witness for us — when he witnesses for our sincerity, as he did for Job.

That may be one reason why some people get no more good by what they hear, because they never speak one to another of what they have heard: as if sermons were such secrets, that they must not be spoken of again; or as if it were a shame to speak of matters of salvation. Malachi…

Use 2. Seeing there is a God, he will deal righteously, and give just rewards to men. Things seem to be carried in the world very unequally; the wicked flourish (Psalm 73); they who tempt God are delivered (Malachi 3:15). The ripe clusters of grapes are squeezed into their cup,…

(Psalm 78:22): They believed not in God. Verse 41, they turned back — sinners have hard thoughts of God, they think they may pray and hear, yet never the better (Malachi 3:14): they question whether God will give them the kingdom at last, then they turn back, and throw away Chri…

Christ after his resurrection did speak of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). Are our tongues tuned to the language of the heavenly Canaan (Malachi 3:16)? Then they that feared the Lord spoke often to one another.

Wings are swift, but wind in the wings denotes great swiftness; an emblem of the swiftness and cheerfulness which should be in obedience; we go to heaven in the way of obedience. 14. If we would obtain this kingdom, be much in the Communion of Saints; one coal of juniper will wa…

If sin be so deadly an evil, then we cannot get any profit by it; no man did ever thrive upon this trade. Those atheists said (Malachi 3:14), It is in vain to serve God, and what profit is it? But we may say more truly, what profit is there in sin?

Again, the same counsel once set down, is unchangeable. God says, I am Jehovah, and I change not (Malachi 3:6). With God (says Saint James) there is no variableness, nor shadow of change (James 1:17).

How ignoble and contemptible are the wicked compared to the godly! The difference will more fully appear at the last day (Malachi 3:18). Then shall you return and discern between the righteous and the wicked.

The roof of the mouth is called Coelum, heaven; a godly man's mouth is full of heaven; he speaks as if he had been already in heaven: The holy conference of the two disciples going to Emmaus brought Christ into their company (Luke 24:15). While they communed together, Jesus hims…

Here (say they) is a prayer made to angels. Answer: By the angel is meant Christ, who is called the angel of the covenant (Malachi 3:1) and the angel that guided Israel in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:9 compared with Exodus 23:20). Objection 2.

Psalm 66:12: We have gone through water and fire. Malachi 3:3: The children of Levi must be purified in a purging fire of affliction. 1 Peter 1:7: Afflictions are called the fiery trial whereby men are cleansed from their corruptions, as gold from the dross by the fire.

A seventh ground or cause (which is as large and comprehensive as any,) is folks resting and sitting down, before they have any solid ground to rest upon, taking a counterfeit work for a real one, like these spoken of (Hosea 7:16), of whom it's said, They return, but not to the…

In Song of Solomon 6:9: My dove, my undefiled is but one, she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bore her. The saints in Christ's books are jewels (Malachi 3:17) — his only choice, the flower of the earth. All the world is Christ's refuse, and kings…

It is true in civil assemblies, and judicatures, Christ has a few number; yet he has a fair and numerous offspring of children, and when they are gathered together, they are a fair beloved world: In the Hebrew many and great, are often one and the same. As one Ruby is worth ten…

In the high priest's breastplate when he went into the Holy of Holies, were set twelve stones, on which were written the names of the twelve tribes: the mystery of which is this, Christ bears us and our names in his heart, when he goes to God: and moreover, we are God's jewels,…

There be three things by which we receive Christ as into a temple: First, when we do prepare a way for Christ to come in to us, as it is said of John, he prepared the way for Christ, that so he might suddenly come into his Temple (Malachi 3:1). And Isaiah speaking of the same Me…

In the Temple the Messiah was as in his own house, where it was fit the Messiah should exhibit himself to his people. There was an old prophecy (Malachi 3:1): "The Lord whom you seek shall suddenly come into his Temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom you delight in." A…

1. There is a tempting or proving of God in a way of duty. So we are bidden (Malachi 3:10): Bring you all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house, and prove me now therewith, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pou…

So (Hebrews 3:1): "Consider the Apostle and high priest of our profession, Jesus Christ." Again, he is called the Angel or Messenger of the Covenant (Malachi 3:1). Christ with a great condescension took upon him the office of his Father's Ambassador to the Church, to promote the…

Hosea tells us, it was an Angel, yet withal he tells us, That by his strength he had power with God (Hosea 12:3-4). Therefore this was God himself, the creating, not a created Angel, even Jesus Christ, the Angel that redeemed him from all evil, whom Malachi calls, The Angel of t…

8. Obj. But I get no good by Closet-Prayer, I have used it so long, and still my heart is as cold, hard, dead, as ever; I will give over now. Answ. Is not this too like the language of those that say, It is in vain to serve God? (Malachi 3:14). And are you like those atheists, t…

Iam. 1. 17. Mal 3:16. It may be obiected, that God is saide in Scripture to repent.

Secondly, our common people are deceived, who think because they deal truly, and justly before men, that they are in as good a case, as they that hear all the sermons in the world: as though true happiness stood in civil conversation. Thirdly, this doctrine serves to beat down a…

Moreover, touching conversation, our consciences are settled thus: in that we are freed from the rigor of the law, God in mercy accepts the will and endeavor to believe, repent, and obey, for faith, repentance, and obedience. He spares them that fear him, as a father spares his…

When the Israelites refused to have Samuel and his sons to rule over them, the Lord says They have not cast you away, but they have cast me away, that I should not reign over them (1 Samuel 8:7). When the Levites were defrauded of their due, the Lord by his prophet tells the peo…

Thus also the Lord speaks by Malachi, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me,” (Malachi 3:1.) In short, the calling of John had no other design than to secure for Christ a willing ear, and to prepare for him disciples.

Elisabeth had been barren in the prime of life, and now she is in old age, which of itself shuts up the womb. By two hindrances, therefore, the Lord gives a twofold, surprising exhibition of his power, in order to testify, by stretching out his hand, as it were, from heaven, tha…

Malachi, distinguishing the two conditions of the Church, places the one under the Law, and commences the other with the preaching of John. He unquestionably describes the Baptist, when he says, “Behold, I send my messenger,” (Malachi 3:1:) for, as we have already said, that pas…

He was, no doubt, a Prophet, like others whom God had appointed in his Church to be expounders of the Law, and messengers of his will; but he was more excellent than the Prophets in this respect, that he did not, like them, make known redemption at a distance and obscurely under…

Among other passages in which our Author has treated of the erroneous notions entertained by the Jews respecting Elijah, the reader may consult his Commentary on John 1:21, 25. — Editor. Perhaps, too, they cunningly and wickedly endeavored to lessen the authority of Christ by br…

prepare the way of the Lord. (Malachi 3:1; Luke 7:27.) In short, he had pointed out Christ with the finger, and had declared him to be the only Son of God.

Psalm 37:9, 10, 11, 29. And one great reason of it will be, that at that time, God will give much greater light to his people, to distinguish between true religion and its counterfeits; Malachi 3:3. And he shall sit as a refiner, and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the s…

So by Fire are Metals purified and purged from their Dross and Mixtures, and by Water are all other unclean and defiled things cleansed and purified. Hence the Lord Jesus Christ in his Work by his Spirit is at once compared to a Refiners Fire and to Fullers Sope, Mal. 3. 2, 3. b…

And this value that God sets upon them on this account is so great, that God thinks fitting from regard to it to admit them to such exceeding glory. The saints on the account of their relation to Christ are such precious jewels in God's sight, that they are thought worthy of a p…

For in all Providences, especially in some, he comes nigh to us. He does so in his Judgements, Malachi 3:5 I will come nigh to you in judgement. He comes nigh in mercies also, Psalm 145:18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, &c.

We may give some examples of what it is to curse God, to blaspheme God thus to his face. You may read what it is (Malachi 3:14): 'Your words have been stout against me, says the Lord, you have spoken to my very face': why, what had they spoken to the Lord? What have we spoken sa…

As a father has compassion on his children, so has the Lord compassion on them that feare him. Mal. 3. 17.—and I will spare them as a man spars his own sonne that serus him. In the framing of this reason behold a speciall fauour of God vouchsafed to godly parents: They may take…

But where any thing is indeed consecrated to God, and set apart for the maintenance and encouragement of his worship and service, it is no less than sacrilege, and robbing of God, to alienate any part of this to any secular uses, or to detain it from that use to which it was sep…

The People of God are precious to Him. There is blood-Royal running in their souls, they are His Jewels, Malachi 3:17. And His heart is exceedingly taken with them, it is wounded with love, I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy; jealousy (we know) proceeds from love; nay, I…

The members of Christ's mystical body, speaking the truth in love, or truthing it in love, as the word imports, do grow up into him in all things, even Christ the head, and so that which is lacking in one joint, is made up by the usefulness of another. And for God's acceptance o…