Malachi 1

Represents the contempt of God’s relations and services which prevailed among the Jews, and especially their priests; 6: and their corrupted oblations; 7, 8, 12-14. (2) Represents the aggravations of their wickedness, that it was an ungrateful trampling on the kindness whereby he had distinguished them from the Edomites; 1-5: and contrary to God’s relations to them; 6: that it was contrary to their usage of common governors; 8: and to their own interests, 12. (3) Denounces judgments upon them for it, 1. that they should be cursed; 14: 2. their prayers, persons, and offerings, rejected; 9, 10: and 3. his worship translated from them to the Gentiles: 11. • Or prophesy. Prov. 31. 1. 1s. 13. 1. & 15. 1. & 17. 1. & 19. 1. & 21. 1. & 22. 1. & 23

Malachi 1:10

James 4. 1316. Job 20. 5. THE burden of the word of the LORD to Israel *by Malachi. 2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, 3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. 4 Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, CHAP. I. 3-5. Their very eyes saw that the Lord had not only almost The ‘border of wickedness, and ’the people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever. 5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be ‘magnified †‡from the border of Israel. 6 ¶ ‘A son honoureth his father, and ‘a servant his master: if then ‘I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, ‘where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, ‘O priests, that despise my name. And ‘ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? 7 ¶ Ye offer ‘polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. 8 And if ye offer the blind *for sacrifice, is it not evil? and ‘if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased † Lev. 22. 19—25. & 21. 6. & 3. 11, 16. ver. 8, 14

Malachi 1:14

Lev. 22. 19—25. Deut. 15. 21. • Heb. to sacrifice. Before Christ cir. 400, or 424 † Or country. † See ver. 3. Is. 31. 2, 5. Ezek. 25. 14. & 35. 9. † Psalms 35. 26, 27. & 58. 10, 11. & 83. 18. † Or upon. ‡ Heb. from upon. † † Tim. 6. 1. Tit. 2. 9, 10. † Exod. 4. 22. & 19. 5, 6. Luke 1. 46, 47. • Ver. 7—14. C. 11. 11. N. 6. M. 1. • Hos. 5. 1. Ezek. 22. 26. ch. 2. 8. • Hos. 12. 8. ver. 7. ch. 2. 14. 17. & 3. 7. 4, 13, 14. ‡ Or Bring unto, &c. utterly destroyed the Edomites, but had rendered their country altogether desu10 M late, and fruitful in nothing but serments. 10, 11. Since ye are so mercenary that, notwithstanding all that I have allotted to you as a reward, ye can scarcely think of shutting a door in my temple without some special hire, ye may withhold your sacrifices. I have provided for myself a people among the Gentile nations, to worship and to honour me with spiritual sacrifices, of their persons, praises, thanksgivings and alms-deeds

REFLECTIONS UPON CHAP. I.—Great is the sovereignty of divine grace with respect to persons and nations, in favouring and saving some, and in rejecting and destroying others for their sins. But if once ingratitude towards God prevail in the heart, nothing will appear too base to be done to or said of him. No greatness in him will awe, no relation engage, and no law will influence, nay, nor even self-interest move, us to serve him alight: and none are ever more noted profaners of God’s worship than careless clergymen.—Let Britain beware! Let our behaviour correspond to God’s distinguishing kindness and peculiar relations to us! Let bitter repentance, reverential fear, upright obedience, and fervent and holy devotions, prevent God’s removing his gospel kingdom from us to another nation, and his executing his fearful and ruinous curse upon us!