Mal. 3 The forerunner, and coming of the Messiah to cleanse his church, and to judge the wicked, Mal. 3:1–6. The people are warned to repent, and turn from their sins, Mal. 3:7; particularly their sacrilege, Mal. 3:8–12, and impious blasphemy, Mal. 3:13–15.

The former chapter, as we have it cast, ended with an inquiry made by vicious and ungodly priests and people, who either doubted or denied the present government. or future judgment of God over the world.

But, Heb. And. Who may abide the day of his coming? among the Jews were two sorts of inquirers after the day of the Messiah’s coming: some inquired with doubt of the truth of the promises, that he should come to set all right, like them Mal.

And he, King Messiah, Christ Jesus our Lord, shall sit; as resolved to attend this work, he will set to it vigorously, and continue in it constantly, till it is finished.

Then; when the Lord, Messenger or Angel of the covenant, the King Messiah, shall be come, and set up his kingdom, framed his gospel church. The offerings; the services and duties required of the church, and performed by it, expressed here in an allusion to the law services: such are now fervent…

And I; either God the Father, or Christ the Messiah, to whom the Father hath committed all judgment, John 5:22. Will come near; you have spoken as if you thought I was far off, but by what I do you shall see I am near to you, and you shall feel my hand, that you may believe I am a God of judgment,…

This introduceth the final and full confirmation of what hath been foretold in the verses before, the God of judgment will come, &c. I change not: as he loved righteousness, and hath purposed to defend and reward it, yea, hath promised it shall be well with the righteous, so he now loveth…

Even from the days of your fathers: we need not fix a particular time or age wherein this apostacy began; it is an old apostacy that is here charged on them, and they were notoriously guilty of it.

Will a man rob God? among the many deviations from God’s law (which they do not, because they will not, see) the prophet chargeth them with this kind of sacrilegious theft; they had detained his tithes, shortened him in that portion which he had reserved to himself and for his service, which is, as…

Ye, O priests, your sin, your sacrilege, of which you are guilty, hath provoked me. Are cursed with a curse; are greatly cursed, and are likely still to be cursed, the curse shall continue whilst you continue in this your sinful course.

Bring ye: if these persons spoken of be the priests, then they are required not to detain the tithes in their own hands, but, as was their duty, to bring them into the public storehouse.

I will rebuke; lay a restraint upon, or prohibit, and the prohibition shall be effectual; if God so check, no creature is or dares be deaf to it; such a check not only quiets the unruly sea, but can dry it up.

All nations, all that are about you, that know you, and see God’s dealings with you, shall call you blessed; praise the state and condition you are in, and pronounce you to be a very happy people, whose God is the Lord, and whose mercies come thus from God.

Your words; your discourses concerning my providences over you and others, your reasonings, censures, and verdicts passed on your own ways, and on the ways of your God.

Ye; ye that are the children of forefathers who had this good land given to them, and ever made fruitful while they feared and obeyed their God; you that have been well rewarded for your obedience, or you priests who have tithes, sacrifices, offerings, and first-fruits given you for your services.

And now, or now therefore; on these false reasonings of these deceived ones, they proceed to further impiety and audacious blasphemy. We call the proud happy; we (say they) see before our eyes, and must pronounce what we see, that the proud contemners of God and his law are the flourishing ones;…

Then; when atheism and bold contempt of God was grown so high, and was so plainly and smartly reproved by the prophet. They that feared the Lord; those that were truly religious, that knew God’s judgments were a great deep, and that his ways were as high above our ways as heaven above the earth.

They shall be mine; though now they seem to lie unregarded, as if they were not worth the owning, they shall appear to be mine. In that day; the day wherein God will sever between men and men, and between actions and actions, which day, though ye know it not, is well known to the Lord; and beside…

Then, when that day of the Lord punishing the Jews by the Romans shall come, and he shall do thus for his jewels, shall ye, the blasphemous scoffers, proud contemnors of God and.