Malachi E Dennett

8/9/2019 Malachi E Dennett

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Malachi

Or, The State Of Things At The End

by Edward Dennett

http://www.biblecentre.org

Malachi 1

THE law and the prophets, we read, were until John; and the Baptist indeed closed up the

dispensation of which they were the expressions, inasuch as he was the fore!runner of

the "essiah Hiself. But "alachi# was the last of the prophets, the last canonically $forif there were any after hi, their prophecies ha%e not been preser%ed&, and the last

orally; for he testifies of the coing of the 'ord, and of the shining forth of the (un of

)ighteousness with healing in His wings. His prophecies therefore ha%e a gra%e andsolen iportance, and on two accounts. *irst, as showing the state of the renant who,

in the tender ercy of +od, had been brought bac fro Babylon that He ight declare

His faithfulness, and fulfil His purpose in the presentation of "essiah to His people; and

secondly, because of the correspondence of the position of this renant with that of +od-s people at the present oent. s there was nothing between the, so there is nothing to

inter%ene between oursel%es, and the expectation of the 'ord-s return. The essage to

the was, The 'ord, who ye see, shall suddenly coe to His teple; to us it is,Behold, 0 coe 1uicly. 2hether there is any siilarity in our oral condition to theirs,

it will be for our consciences to detect as we ponder the re%elations found in the boo,

and the instruction it affords. 3ne other preparatory rear ay be ade. Though all the

people addressed were the descendants of those who had returned fro capti%ity, and allalie were in fact on the ground of, as well as actually by descent, +od-s people, yet a

renant is discerned in the idst of this renant, and it is these alone who eet the indof the 'ord. $(ee especially "al. 4: 56!57& The boo has therefore a special %oice in a

day lie this for those who ha%e been brought out fro the corruptions of 8hristendo,

and for those aongst the whose one desire is to be found eeping the word of 8hrist,

and not denying His nae.

#0t is interesting to note, especially in connection with chapter 4, that "alachi eans

the essenger of Jeho%ah. The prophet therefore, as was not unusual, had a typical

character.

There is soething alost sublie in the siple and ephatic way in which the boocoences.

The burden of the word of the 'ord to 0srael by "alachi. 0 ha%e lo%ed you, saith the

'ord. $%%. 5, 9.&


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2hate%er the state of His people, the 'ord ne%er forgets, and ne%er hesitates to declare,

His lo%e for the. it is in this way indeed that He brings their true condition to light. 2e

ight ha%e supposed that the first word would be one of warning and rebue on accountof their sins; but no, +od-s first word is one that ought to ha%e recalled the length and

breadth, the depth and height, of that unchanging lo%e which had flowed out in the

acti%ities of His ercy and grace fro the call of braha until now. 0t is so also in theepistles. The heart of +od for His saints is always displayed before the needed

adonitions and corrections are gi%en. s we read in another prophet, 0 ha%e lo%ed thee

with an e%erlasting lo%e: therefore with lo%ing!indness ha%e 0 drawn thee. $Jer. 45: 4.&2e are thus brought face to face with the source of our redeption, and of all the

blessings we enoy; for we cannot be too often reinded that we do not belong to the

'ord because we lo%e Hi, but because He has lo%ed us and ade us what we are. $8p. 5

John 6: , 5; ?eut. @: >!7, Ac.&

2ith this siple declaration of Jeho%ah-s lo%e the state of the people iediately appears

in their response, 2herein hast thou lo%ed us the expression of a oral insensibility,

as well as of spiritual blindness, which is their characteristic in this prophecy. Blindindeed they ust ha%e been to 1uestion the truth of Jeho%ah-s lo%e; for had they not the

records of the wonders He had wrought in their redeption, in the guidance of their

fathers through the wilderness, in dispossessing the heathen and setting the in a land

flowing with il and honey nd was not their own position at that oent the proofof it. hC but they would ha%e probably said, 0f the 'ord lo%es us, why ha%e we suffered

chastiseent and udgent, and why are we now so feeble and ipo%erished This is

but a coon deception which souls in e%ery age practise upon thesel%es; that is, these poor 0sraelites wanted to turn e%ery one after his own ways, and to ha%e at the sae tie

the blessing of +od, to please thesel%es and yet to be surrounded with the toens of

+od-s fa%our. $8opare Jer. 66& They had not, as so any of us ha%e not, learned the

truth, 2ho the 'ord lo%eth He chasteneth, and scourgeth e%ery son who Herecei%eth.

But the 'ord proceeds to gi%e His own proofs, and puts the 1uestion through the prophet,

2as not Esau Jacob-s brother saith the 'ord: yet 0 lo%ed Jacob, and 0 hated Esau, andlaid his ountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. $%%. 9, 4.& 0t

ust be carefully obser%ed that this is not an appeal to +od-s so%ereignty in His choice of

Jacob as in )o. , where the apostle indeed cites this passage $after he has recalled thescripture which announced the di%ine purpose respecting Esau and Jacob& to show, not

only that 0srael was entirely indebted to grace for the difference +od had put between

thesel%es and Esau, but also that +od-s ways with the two branches of 0saac-s

descendants had been in accordance with His purposes. The e%idence here gi%en is drawnwholly, not fro +od-s action towards Esau hiself, but fro +od-s udgents upon his

posterity D 0 laid his ountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the

wilderness. nd in other scriptures we find $see especially 3badiah& that these udgents were %isited upon the because of their irreconcilable hatred of 0srael, and

their triuph o%er, and their %engeance upon, the in the day of their calaity. +od had

chosen Jacob D let not this truth be ignored, albeit Esau despised his birthright; but thescripture before us concerns the ways rather than the so%ereignty of +od.


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"oreo%er the 'ord taes occasion to proclai His e%erlasting indignation against Edo

$see 0sa. 46: =!7; 0sa. >4: 5!6; Jereiah 6: !5@, Ac.&, and that though Edo would see,

in the energy of their own strength, to build, +od, being against the, would throw down,and anifestly ae the a byword aongst their neighbours who should call the

The border of wicedness, and The people against who Jeho%ah hath indignation for

e%er. Thus the issue of +od-s dealings with 0srael and Esau respecti%ely would pro%e Hislo%e for His chosen people; but He says, our, eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The 'ord

will be agnified fro the border of 0srael. *ro the re%elation thus ade flow two

ost instructi%e lessons. *irst, that +od is not to be udged by present circustances. 0t isthe result of His ways that %indicates His nae. *aith always ustifies +od in His

dealings with His people; but e%entually all His ways will be seen, as in the case before

us, to be the expression both of His lo%e and His truth. The second lesson is, that +od

ne%er allows the state of His people to interfere with the accoplishent of His counselsof grace. Thus at the %ery oent that He is about to expose the wretched spiritual

condition of 0srael, He declares their future blessing. Truly the nowledge of this should

huble us, and at the sae tie gi%e us a deeper sense of the sin of coldness,

indifference, and bacsliding in the presence of such unchanging grace and lo%e. He canrighteously act thus, because He has been $and all His ways with 0srael had respect to

this& so abundantly glorified in the death of His belo%ed (on, who died for that nation,and not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of

+od that were scattered abroad. $John 55: =5, =9.&

The 'ord ha%ing reinded His people of His relationship to the, and of His unalterable

purposes of grace, now coences on that foundation to search the as to their practicalcondition. This principle is of all iportance. The belie%er can ne%er easure his true

state before +od unless he does it by the standard of the position in which he by grace has

been set. 0t is a coon error to deduce our place fro our state; but nothing could ore

copletely contradict the truth of +od. 0f a saint, if a child of +od, a eber of 8hrist, a belie%er, does not cease to be this because he has bacslidden, and becoe insensible to

the clais which are thus established upon hi, it is only, on the other hand, by the

acceptance, without 1uestion, of e%ery position in which he has been put, that he caneither understand what grace is, or gauge the depth of his fall, if he has fallen. 0t is on this

principle that Jeho%ah acts in this scripture, and hence He says: son honoureth his

father, and a ser%ant his aster: if then 0 be a father, where is ine honour and if 0 be aaster, where is y fear saith the 'ord of hosts unto you, 3 priests, that despise y

nae. nd ye say, 2herein ha%e we despised thy nae $%. >.&

0n this solen anner does +od arraign, not the people erely, but especially the priests.

These He had chosen to stand before Hi, to offer the sacrifices of His people, to instructthe in His word, and to ha%e copassion on the ignorant and those that were out of the

way; but so far fro eeting their responsibilities they had sun into coplete oral

degradation. The state of the priests, e%en as now the state of those who presuptuouslytae the place of such, as well as those who are really pastors and teachers, is always

ore or less the state of the people. nd what is the indictent that +od brings against

these sons of aron He says, -ou profess that 0 a a *ather to you- $and the adoption


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belonged to 0srael&, -and that 0 a your "aster: where then,- He ass, -are the honour and

the re%erence due to e as such- Fay, He tells the, ou despise y nae.

The response to this charge brings out a characteristic of the whole boo. 2herein, saythey, ha%e we despised thy nae $(ee %%. 9, >, @; "al. 4: @, 7, 54.& Fot only were they

pursuing a course of forgetfulness of +od, and dishonouring His nae in all that they did, but, what was still worse, they were also ignorant of their actual condition. Hence in reply

to the charges brought against the, they say, alost in surprise, Wherein ha%e we donethis or that The counterpart of this ay be seen in e%ery age. Together with declension,

spiritual perceptions grow e%er ore feeble, and eeping up, and it ay be diligently and

Gealously, the outward fors of religion, souls are astonished if their attention is directedto their state. n e%il prophet, say they; he taes a glooy %iew of things; it is not well

to be occupied with e%il. re we not the 'ord-s people hC he should see us as the 'ord

sees us, and then he would loo ore constantly on to the tie when the 8hurch will be presented to 8hrist in all her spotless beauty and glory. But the wor of a prophet is to

deal with the state of the people, and to set their consciences in exercise in the presence

of +od, to cry indeed with aul, 0 a ealous o%er you with godly ealousy: for 0 ha%eespoused you to one husband, that 0 ay present you a chaste %irgin to 8hrist. $9 8or.

55&

'et us then see how +od pro%es to these careless priests that they were despising His

nae. He says:

e offer polluted bread upon ine altar; and ye say, 2herein ha%e we polluted thee 0nthat ye say, The table of the 'ord is conteptible. nd if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is

it not e%il and if ye offer the lae and sic, is it not e%il offer it now unto thy go%ernor:

will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person saith the 'ord of hosts. nd now, 0

pray you, beseech +od that He will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your eans:will he regard your persons saith the 'ord of hosts. 2ho is there e%en aong you that

would shut the doors for nought neither do ye indle fire on ine altar for nought. 0ha%e no pleasure in you, saith the 'ord of hosts, neither will 0 accept an offering at your

hand. $%%. @!5, 7, 5@, 95, 99; Fu. 97: 9; John

>: 44.& Hence the priests here are charged with offering polluted bread upon +od-s altar in

proof that they despised Jeho%ah-s nae; for in so doing they plainly showed that they

had lost all conception of the holiness of Hi to who they professed to sacrifice, andthat the altar was in their eyes but a coon thing, saying, by their act, that the 'ord-s

table was conteptible. But the charge against the is e%en ore distinct: they offered

the blind, the lae, and the sic for sacrifice, thereby %iolating, and nowingly %iolating,one of the ost rigid precepts of the (criptures. 0n e%ery case the anial offered upon the

altar was to be without bleish $see 'e%. 99: 5@!9=&, that it ight be a ore fitting type

of 8hrist. But this was to gi%e +od of their best; and these en, as they sur%eyed theirherds and flocs, lost to all sense of the di%ine clais, and the eaning of the sacrifices


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He re1uired, were willing to gi%e Hi what was of no use to thesel%es D their

%alueless anials, but nothing ore, thereby truly despising His nae, polluting His

altar, and aing the 'ord-s table conteptible. They were thus treating Jeho%ah as theywould not ha%e dared to do with their go%ernor. -3ffer what you offer e, saith the 'ord,

unto thy go%ernor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person- They new he

would not.

0s there no %oice to us in this solen language re we ne%er betrayed into offering to the'ord our useless things 2hen, for exaple, the opportunity is presented of gi%ing to the

'ord of our substance, to inister to His poor, or to ha%e fellowship with His wor in

encouraging those who go forth, whether at hoe or abroad, taing nothing of the+entiles, in what way do we act ?o we gi%e of our best, of our first!fruits, or of our

superfluities or useless things ?o we lay, so to spea, upon the altar as uch as we can,

or only as uch as we ay thin necessary ?o we, in a word, acnowledge that the'ord-s clais D we spea after the anner of en D are first and foreost ?o we

begin first with Hi or with oursel%es nd do we ne%er gi%e ore to an, when he ass

of us, than we should ha%e done if left to oursel%es to act in secret before the 'ord Hasnot an indeed often ore influence upon us in these things, because he is seen, than the

'ord who is not seen 2e ight well search our hearts by the light of such words, that,

while learning fro the the state of this poor renant, we ay gain practical instruction

for oursel%es.

The prophet thereon proceeds $as it sees to us& in a tone of irony, nd now, 0 pray you,

beseech +od that He will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your eans $or, fro

your hand&: will He regard your persons saith the 'ord of hosts. 0f 0 regard ini1uity in

y heart, says the salist, the 'ord will not hear e. But these priests, spite of theircondition D utterly indifferent and insensible as they were D did not hesitate to appear

before +od as if all were well. ray, then, says the prophet, intercede that +od ay begracious to us, and see if He will regard your persons. 0t is often a characteristic of a bacslidden state that the outward fors of piety are continued, and soeties with

increased Geal. 0n proportion as life decays the attention is directed to rites and

cereonies. The soul thus decei%es itself, and slides, as in the case before us, into a stateof ignorance of its real condition. 'osing all sense of its relationship with +od, it places

its dependence upon the exact perforance of the re1uired cereonial. The harisees, for

exaple, were ost scrupulous in cleansing the outside of the cup and the platter, whilethey were perfectly indifferent concerning their inward cleansing.

nother charge is now forulated against these wiced priests. 2ho is there e%en

aong you that would shut the doors for nought $e%idently the doors of the teple&

neither do ye indle fire on ine altar for nought. $%. 5


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be a dooreeper in the house of y +od, than to dwell in the tents of wicedness.

$sal 76; see also sal 599, etc.& +od Hiself had pro%ided for the aintenance of

His priests; but they were not satisfied indeed to be in dependence upon Hi; theydesired to extort their reuneration fro their fellow en. Fo greater re%elation of the

state of their hearts in their alienation fro +od could possibly be ade. nd is not this

sae spirit to!day the curse, as well as the e%idence of the condition, of 8hristendo 0sit not notorious that so!called sacred offices are sought for and held for the sae of

position and eoluent 2hat section of the 8hurch is free fro this deadly taint

There are indi%idual exceptions, than +od, but these are few and far between D the %astaority of preachers and inisters seeing for and obtaining specified salaries for the

wor which they engage to do. The cry therefore ight be sounded out through the

professing 8hurch with e1ual propriety at the present tie D 2ho is there e%en aong

you that would shut the doors for nought neither do ye indle fire on ine altar fornought. nd yet there is no lesson, ore plainly written in the word of +od than that He

Hiself undertaes for His ser%ants, that, if it be His wor they are engaged in, He will

see to their recopense, for He will be debtor to none. Thus if the 'ord borrowed the

boat of eter to spea fro to the people on the shore, He will iediately reward eter$not to enter upon the deeper significance of the incident& with a draught of fish. How

uch happier for us all $for none of us are exept fro the danger& to learn to bedependent on +od, that we ay be independent of en.

The cliax of their spiritual condition ha%ing been indicated, Jeho%ah declares that He

has no pleasure in the, and that He would not accept an offering at their hands.

$8opare 0saiah 5 and Hebrews 5


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the streas of His grace towards those D the +entiles D who had no clai upon Hi

but for udgent. The introduction of the word ing in this connection is significant. Fot

only is it the assertion of the di%ine authority in the ingdo, but it also contains awarning of the approach of the tie when the ingdo would be established in power

and righteousness, and when, as a conse1uence, there would be a liit to Jeho%ah-s long!

suffering and forbearance towards those who despised His nae.

Malachi 2

TH0( chapter is chiefly de%oted to the priests. They were forally addressed in the first

chapter, but there rather as being the expression of the state of the people, on the

principle, 'ie priest, lie people. Here it is their own fearful degradation that is brought to light, in contrast with what they ought to ha%e been as chosen of +od for the

counication of His ind and will, and as interediaries between Hiself and His

people, "ost abrupt and se%erely solen is the opening of the chapter: nd now, 3 ye

priests, this coandent is for you. Then, fro %erses 9 to 6, we ha%e the

denunciation of udgent unless they should repent; fro %erses = to @, what +odintended the priest to be; and then, in %erses 7 and , their actual condition, and +od-s

action towards the (uch is the outline of the first part of the chapter, which we now proceed to exaine.

E%ery reader of the (criptures ust ha%e noticed that there is always, so to spea, a

period of grace before the %isitation of udgent. (o here. +od first exposes the

sorrowful oral state of His people, and then, while warning the that He cannotcontinue to tolerate their highhanded ini1uity, He gi%es the space for repentance. 0f ye

will not hear, He says, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to gi%e glory unto y nae,

saith the 'ord of hosts, 0 will e%en send a curse upon you, and 0 will curse your blessings:

yea, 0 ha%e cursed the already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

This passage is %ery instructi%e. 0t teaches us what +od desires fro His people while in

the place of testiony. 0t is to gi%e glory unto His nae. Thus at the %ery outset He said

to "oses, Behold, 0 send an ngel before thee, to eep thee in the way, and to bring theeinto the place which 0 ha%e prepared. Beware of Hi, and obey His %oice, pro%oe Hi

not; for He will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in Him." $Ex. 94: 9


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will also be ours. 0n this way also we ha%e a certain test for all our own actions and

acti%ities as well for all the schees and wor of the professing 8hurch. The siple

1uestion, 0s it for the glory of the 'ord-s nae will elicit the character of e%erythingthat clais our attention.

second lesson is, that the obect of +od-s ways in go%ernent with His people is thatthey ay lay their condition to heart. 3n this account it is He uses His rod. This is

striingly exeplified in the boo of Haggai Thus saith the 'ord of hosts; 8onsider your ways. *or there the renant were occupied with their own interests, building their own

houses, and neglecting the house of the 'ord. +od therefore, as in "alachi, cursed their

blessings, saying, 0 sote you with blasting, and with ildew, and with hail, in all thelabours of your hands; yet ye turned not to e, saith the 'ord. $Haggai 5, 9& 3n the sae

principle He still acts in go%ernent, and any a chastening which falls upon His people

has for its end that they ay lay their condition to heart. nd nothing pro%es so distinctlythe insensibility of our hearts when, after passing through trials, whether indi%idually or

in connection with the 8hurch, we pay little or no heed as to the obect +od had in %iew,

and flatter oursel%es that all is well. E%ery stroe of +od-s rod should produce greatsearchings of heart, and where it does not, it is the sure precursor of the sorer chastenings

of His hand. *or, as we learn fro this scripture, +od does not forget; for He says, 0f ye

will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, 0 20'' curse your blessings.

He goes still further: Behold, 0 will corrupt see arginK your seed, and spread dungupon your faces, e%en the dung of your solen feasts; and one shall tae you away with

it. $%. 4.& This passage is soewhat obscure as it stands in our translation, but it is not

difficult to ascertain its general eaning.# 0t was e%er a characteristic of the Jew, that the

farther he had departed in heart fro the 'ord, the ore he prided hiself upon theexternals of the "osaic econoy, and upon all the ritualistic obser%ances he hiself had

connected with it. $(ee "att. 5=& 0t was so at this tie, and Jeho%ah warns the that Hewill huiliate the in the %ery things by which they exalted thesel%es. Thus, as theyhad said, The table of Jeho%ah is polluted; and the fruit thereof, e%en His eat, is

conteptible $"al. 5: 59&, so He would pollute and ae the conteptible by eans

of the %ery beasts D blind and lae and sic D wherewith they dishonoured Jeho%ah-snae. But again, in His tender ercy, e%en this dealing of His hand should ha%e the

correction of His priests as its ai; for He says, nd ye shall now that 0 ha%e sent this

coandent unto you, that y co%enant ight be with 'e%i, saith the 'ord of hosts.

#(oe translate, 0 will rebue the seed for your sae i.e. that it should not grow. 0n thisway, since the priests recei%ed the tithes, +od would depri%e the of a considerable part

of their eans of subsistence.

The ention of the nae of 'e%i leads to the introduction of the nature of +od-s original

co%enant with hi, and the stateent of +od-s own thought of the priesthood when Hefirst established it. 8onnected with this is a principle of great iportance, affired

e%erywhere in the (cripture. 0t is, that in ties of apostasy the real state of those in it can

only be understood when tested by what it was at the outset, *or exaple, if we wouldcoprehend the condition of the 8hurch at the present oent, we ust copare it with


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entecost. (o when the 'ord sends His essage to Ephesus, He says, 0 ha%e soewhat

against thee, because thou hast left thy first lo%e. )eeber therefore fro whence thou

art fallen; and repent, and do the first wors. To (ardis He also says, )eebertherefore how thou hast recei%ed and heard, Ac. $)e%. 9, 4& 0n lie anner +od, in this

scripture, puts alongside the corruption into which the priests had fallen what the

priesthood was in its first institution. This principle contains a greatly!needed lesson forthis day. 2e are continually exhorted to go bac to the fathers for guidance in

ecclesiastical atters. +o bac by all eans, not, howe%er, to the fathers, but to the

fountainhead, the apostolic and inspired writings. 3nly thus can we detect our departurefro the truth and our fallen condition.

'et us now exaine this beautiful picture of the priesthood as delineated by the 'ord

Hiself through the prophet. 0t was a so%ereign act of +od-s fa%our in choosing aron

and his sons for the priesthood. $Ex. 97: 5. 0t was not till afterwards that +od ade aco%enant with 'e%i, and then on the ground of their faithfulness in the idst of

apostasy and sin. $)ead Ex. 49: 9>!9; Fu. 9=: 5


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ltogether that which 0 ha%e said unto you $John 7: 9=&; i.e., His words were the

perfect display of what He was, e%ery one of the being the re%elation of His own

perfection. 0ni1uity conse1uently was not, could not be, found in His lips; and since Healways did the things that pleased the *ather $John 7: 9&, He waled with Hi in peace

and e1uity, and at the sae tie turned any fro ini1uity.# 2hile, howe%er, bearing in

ind that 8hrist as the perfect priest is here adubrated, the words are spoen of 'e%i,and we ay thus learn the perfect standing which +od gi%es to His own in His presence,

ust as, for exaple, when (atan attepted through Balaa to curse the people of +od,

the answer was, He hath not beheld ini1uity in Jacob, neither hath He seen per%ersenessin 0srael. $Fu. 94: 95.&L

#8opare as to this last expression 0saiah =4: 55 D By His nowledge shall y

righteous ser%ant ustify any; ore truly rendered, by His nowledge turn any to

righteousness.

L(ee also 9 (a. @ as an exaple of how the 'ord could tae up (oloon as a type of

8hrist, using expressions which will only find their coplete fulfilent in the rince ofeace.

0n the next %erse we ha%e the responsibility side, together with the character of the office

D *or the priest-s lips should eep nowledge, and they should see the law at hisouth; for he is the essenger of the 'ord of hosts. This is what Jeho%ah intended His

priests to be in the idst of 0srael; that is, in the aspect of their office towards the people.

They represented the people before +od, and they were charged to represent +od to the people. The apostle therefore in writing to the Hebrews says, 8onsider the apostle and

High riest of our profession, Jesus; and the first chapter of the epistle exhibits Hi as

the apostle or the essenger of +od D the 3ne coing out fro +od, while the second

sets Hi forth as going in on behalf of the people to +od D as the erciful and faithfulHigh riest in things pertaining to +od, to ae propitiation for the sins of the people,

thus laying the efficacious foundation on which He could tae up and exercise His officein the holiest of all. ?oubtless in the wilderness it was "oses rather who acted as the

apostle; while aron filled the functions of the priesthood +odward, the two together

being in this way a type of 8hrist. $8opare 'e%. : 94, 96& (till the two aspects were

cobined in the instructions gi%en to aron. 2e accordingly read, nd the 'ord spaeunto aron, saying, ?o not drin wine nor strong drin, thou, nor thy sons with thee,

when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for

e%er throughout your generations: and that ye ay put difference between holy andunholy, and between unclean and clean; and that ye ay teach the children of 0srael all

the statutes which the 'ord hath spoen unto the by the hand of "oses. $'e%. 5


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they had been placed, and the seducers of those of who they ought to ha%e been the

guides in right paths. 3n this account it is that the 'ord says, e are departed out of the

way; ye ha%e caused any to stuble at the law: ye ha%e corrupted the co%enant of 'e%i,saith the 'ord of hosts. Therefore ha%e 0 also ade you conteptible and base before all

the people, according as ye ha%e not ept y ways, but ha%e been partial in the law. $%%.

7, .&

2e see exeplified here the sae thing as obtains e%erywhere in the (criptures; %iG., thatresponsibility is increased by position and pri%ilege. Thus if the priest or a ruler sinned,

he had to bring a larger sacrifice than one of the coon people. $'e%iticus 6& (o in this

chapter the priests, being the appointed instructors of the people, are dealt with orese%erely D with unsparing udgent. 0nstead of guiding the people aright, as we ha%e

seen, they caused any to stuble. 2hene%er leaders go astray, the conse1uences are

ore gra%e, for they are ore influential, both for good and for e%il. "any illustrations of this ay be found in the history of the 8hurch of +od. pri%ate 8hristian falling into

error or iorality exerts an influence only upon his own circle; but if a teacher,

proinent in the 8hurch, departs fro the way of truth, he oftenties draws awaythousands after hi in his own e%il path. 3n the other hand, ust as we read here, 0 ha%e

ade you conteptible and base before all the people, according as ye ha%e not ept y

ways, etc., so will it be when such are guilty of glaring inconsistencies. 0f the wal of

those who assue sacred offices, or of those who are really gifts to the 8hurch, be notaccording to godliness, they will soon be despised and regarded as conteptible. E%en a

an of the world has no respect for those whose li%es belie their profession.

But in the application of these solen truths to oursel%es, it ust not be forgotten that the

priests under the "osaic dispensation typify the whole 8hurch as the priestly faily. 2eay all, therefore, well en1uire whether these charges could be sustained against

oursel%es; whether we, whose boast, by the grace of +od, it is that we ha%e been adeings and priests to +od and the *ather, are stubling!blocs to others because we ha%enot ept the ways of the 'ord, and ha%e been partial in His word.# 2ould that this word

of +od ight pro%e, as we read it, li%ing and powerful, and sharper than any two!edged

sword, piercing e%en to the di%iding asunder of soul and spirit, and of the oints andarrow, and be a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our hearts; that we ight truly

tae the place of self!udgent before +od as to our state and ways, and so recei%e

restoring grace and blessing at His handsC

#0n the argin accepted faces is gi%en instead of partial, and this indeed is the literalrendering. The priests therefore were guilty of interpreting the law to please persons, and

it ay be for the sae of ad%antage.

0n the second section of the chapter $%%. 5

brethren, and their sin in uniting thesel%es with idolaters, are exhibited. 0t is no longerthe priests especially, except indeed their conduct ight be taen as indicati%e of that of

all, that are addressed, but the (pirit of +od now includes both Judah and 0srael. The first

sin entioned is that of dealing treacherously e%ery an against his brother by profaningthe co%enant of their fathers. $%. 5


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are the truths he adduces to show the e%il of their conduct They are two D their

coon standing before +od, on the ground of His co%enant $Ha%e we not all one

*ather&, and their coon relationship to +od as their 8reator $Hath not one +odcreated us&. Init thus by coon ties to +od, both in creation and $as we ight say&

redeption, they were bound together by coon relationships, interests, and blessings,

the nowledge of which should ha%e guarded the fro thus sinning against their brethren. 0n doing so, they profaned the co%enant which had been ade with their fathers,

the second great coandent of which was, Thou shalt lo%e thy neighbour as thyself.

The apostle aul, it will be reebered, uses a siilar arguent in writing to theEphesians. 2herefore, he says, putting away lying, spea e%ery an truth with his

neighbour; for we are ebers one of another. $Eph. 6: 9=.& The oent, indeed, we

realiGe that we are bound up together with our fellow!8hristians by iperishable ties as

ebers of the sae body, and also as ebers of the sae faily, we shall loo upontheir welfare and interests as our own. But when all sense of the oneness of +od-s people

is lost, as in the case before us, e%ery. an will see after his own things; self and

selfishness will predoinate and rule, to the destruction of all brotherly care and lo%e.

nother thing ay be obser%ed as arising out of the connection. The priests had

departed out of the way, and then they are found dealing treacherously e%ery an

against his brother. 0n the gospel of "atthew we find a %ery siilar thing. The e%il

ser%ant says in his heart, "y 'ord delayeth His coing, and he iediately begins tosite his fellow!ser%ants, and to eat and drin with the drunen. 0n both cases alie,

losing all sense of the di%ine clais and of the nature of their position is followed by e%il

conduct towards their brethren. The coparison indeed goes further; for as the next thingthe e%il ser%ant does is to eat and drin with the drunen, so here, after the dealing

treacherously e%ery an with his brother, we ha%e union with the daughter of a strange

god D in both cases alliance with the world. nd this is e%er the oral order: first,

relationships with +od ignored, then with our brethren, and finally association with theworld. There are four ters eployed in this passage to indicate this grie%ous for of the

ini1uity of +od-s people: dealing treacherously $not, as in the preceding %erse, with their

brethren, but with +od D copare Jer. 4: >!5


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righteousness with unrighteousness and what counion hath light with darness nd

what concord hath 8hrist with Belial or what part hath he that belie%eth with an infidel

unbelie%erK nd what agreeent hath the teple of +od with idols for ye are theteple of the li%ing +od, etc. $9 8or. >: 56!5>.& The sae apostle also explains the only

way by which we ay o%ercoe the attractions of the world when he says, +od forbid

that 0 should glory, sa%e in the cross of our 'ord Jesus 8hrist, by who or wherebyK theworld is crucified unto e, and 0 unto the world. $+al. >: 56.& But udgent swift and

sure, if there be no repentance, will be %isited in such a case; for the prophet says, The

'ord will cut off the an that doeth this, the aster and the scholar, out of the tabernaclesof Jacob, and hi that offereth an offering unto the 'ord of hosts. Fo position, neither

age nor youth, nor any external religiousness, should shield the offender; for the +od who

had redeeed the out of Egypt was holy, and He re1uired holiness on the part of His

people. $(ee 'e%. 55: 66, 6=; 5 eter 5: 5=, 5>.&

The last part of the chapter is coprised in %erses 54!5>. The se%enteenth %erse really

belongs to "al. 4. *ro %erse 54 we learn that, together with all the oral corruption

which we ha%e considered, there were all the outward signs of de%otion to the ser%ice. ofJeho%ah. nd what would see so strange, did we not now the iense aount of

deception it is possible to practise upon oursel%es, is, that nowing how they had

departed fro the li%ing +od, they yet could not, or professed that they could not,

understand why the 'ord did not accept their offerings. This, says "alachi, ha%e yedone again, co%ering the altar of the 'ord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out,

insouch that He regardeth not the offering any ore, or recei%eth it with good will at

your hand. Yet ye say, Wherefore? How often is this the case with +od-s people e%ennow D clea%ing to their sins, and yet surprised that He does not hear their cries, forgetful

of the truth uttered by the apostle, 0f our hearts conden us, +od is greater than our

hearts, and noweth all things. $5 John 4: 9


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with the wife of their youth. 0t is religious, social, and doestic corruption; and let it be

carefully obser%ed that the last two flow fro the first. The odern doctrine is that an

atheist e%en ay perfor the duties of this life. 0t is utterly ipossible; for where theconscience is not in exercise before +od there is no guarantee for fidelity to an, or e%en,

as in this scripture, to those who are united by the closest of all ties. ?issol%e the tie

between an and +od, and you dissol%e e%ery other tie that unites an to an. These ofwho the prophet speas were the professing people of +od, and were still punctilious in

the obser%ance of their sacrificial ritual, and yet they were unfaithful in e%ery relationship

in which they stood $copare "icah @: 5!>&; and the flesh is the sae in e%ery age, and,though social restraints ay %ary in different ages, it will e%er find its outlet in corrupt

channels. 0f, therefore, there be no fear of +od before the eyes of en, sin and ini1uity

ust continually and increasingly abound.

"oreo%er, the obect of the oneness of an and wife, the in%iolability of the arriage bond $sa%e for the one sin specified by our 'ord $"att. 5& D the sin itself being, in fact,

its %iolation& is declared by the prophet. nd wherefore one That He ight see a

godly seed. The 'ord thus loos to find His people aong the children of His ser%ants;and it is on this account indeed that the apostle enoins belie%ing parents to bring up their

children in the nurture and adonition of the 'ord. The 'ord-s interest in, and His care

and lo%e for the children of His people, ha%e not been sufficiently reebered, nor that

the godliness of the children D a godly seed D is di%inely connected with theaintenance of the indissoluble sanctity of the arriage relationship. 2e ha%e e%en

further light now, because the 'ord has been pleased to show us that the union of husband

and wife is a figure of that between Hi and the 8hurch, and hence our responsibility isthe greater, both to understand the nature of arriage, and also +od-s attitude of grace

and blessing towards the offspring of His saints.

Based on this re%elation which +od aes through "alachi is the exhortation, alreadyenforced by these solen considerations, Therefore tae heed to your spirit, and let nonedeal treacherously against the wife of his youth. The 'ord lays, in this way, great stress

upon, attaches great iportance to, the godly aintenance of natural relationships;# and

where%er these are slighted under whate%er pretence, whether spiritual or otherwise, thedoor is already opened to the worst fors of licence and corruption. 0t is well to press the

iportance of this subect in a day when so any, under the specious pretext of a higher

spirituality, see to eancipate thesel%es fro natural clais, and in any cases frothe irsoeness of hoe duties or parental control. 3ne of the plainest e%idences of a

desire to please the 'ord is the faithful and diligent discharge of our responsibilities in the

doestic circle.

#(ee "ar 5


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long since, and any ties, ha%e been renounced. They broe His co%enant again and

again, thereby forfeiting all clais upon His fa%our and lo%e; but He endured the with

uch long!suffering, for His gifts and calling are without repentance. nd in the prophetsHe continually reinded the of His union with the, that He was arried to the, and

that, therefore, He could not cast the off. $(ee 0sa. = contains a general principle, and one, therefore, that has

been rightly applied to discipline in the 8hurch; for the heart of +od ust be expressed indiscipline as uch as in brotherly fellowship. 0f this were borne in ind there could be

no roo for haste or harshness, no forgetting the obect of true and di%ine discipline, no

satisfaction felt in the cutting off of the offender; but e%ery step would be taen intenderness, yea, in di%ine pity, identifying oursel%es with the one o%er who (atan had

obtained a teporary ad%antage; and we should thus proceed with any searchings of

heart, taing his burden on our own shoulders, considering oursel%es lest we also betepted. ?iscipline thus adinistered, ha%ing solely for its obect the honour of the 'ord,

the glory of His nae, would becoe a eans of grace to all who too part in it, and

would be far ore fre1uently used for the restoration of the one who had sinned, as. well

as to re%eal to all the terrible nature of the e%il, which could not otherwise be reachedthan by putting away fro fellowship with the saints. 0t would then be seen that the

offender was put away only because he could no longer be retained if the saints

thesel%es would continue in fellowship with the 'ord. The sentence, The 'ord, the+od of 0srael, saith that He hateth putting away, should therefore be deeply gra%en upon

all our hearts, and especially upon the hearts of those who ha%e the place of lead and

go%ernent in the assebly.

Malachi 3

THE last %erse of "al. 9, as we ha%e pointed out, introduces the subect of chap. 4,

wherein another phase is taen up of the oral state of the corrupted renant. e ha%e

wearied the 'ord with your words, says "alachi; and then the characteristic answer of

this boo is returned, 2herein ha%e we wearied Hi oor peopleC They had departedfro +od; they drew nigh to Hi with their outh, and honoured Hi with their lips, but

their heart was far fro Hi. nd yet in their ignorance, real or professed, of their own

condition, they are surprised to hear that they had wearied the 'ord. The truth was, theywere in the path of self!ustification, excusing thesel%es, and laying the blae of

e%erything on +od D sure e%idence of their own bacsliding. The prophet, therefore,

speas plainly, and tells the wherein they had wearied Jeho%ah. He says, 2hen ye say,E%ery one that doeth e%il is good in the sight of the 'ord, and He delighteth in the; or,

2here is the +od of udgent (o blind were they in their self!righteousness, that they

%entured to accuse +od of unrighteousness, insinuating that He could not discern

between good and e%il. They were lie the harisees of a later date, who were displeased because the 'ord in His grace consorted with publicans and sinners; whereas, in their

estiation, it was with thesel%es that He ought to be found. 0t is the sae in e%ery age;


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for ust in proportion as we ustify oursel%es we are een to detect the e%il in others, and

to exalt oursel%es at their expense. 2hat the 'ord-s people showed by their wiced

coplaints was: first, that they were utterly ignorant of the character of +od, as the 3newho is of purer eyes than to behold e%il; and secondly, that their sinful hearts had

decei%ed the into thining that they, spite of what they were, had a special clai, a

eritorious clai, upon Jeho%ah-s fa%our and regard. 3bser%e also that it was their wordsthat had wearied the 'ord. How often is it forgotten that our words are recorded, and

brought up for rebue or udgentC $(ee "att. 59: 4>, 4@; John 9.& This ust be

distinctly obser%ed in order to understand the difference between his ission and that of

Eliah before the coing of the great and dreadful day of the 'ord. $"al. 6: =, >.& True,our 'ord said, Elias is coe already, and they new hi not, but ha%e done unto hi

whatsoe%er they listed; but His eaning is explained by another passage. (peaing tothe ultitude concerning the Baptist, He said, ong the that are born of woenthere hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: not withstanding, he that is least in the

ingdo of hea%en is greater than he. nd fro the days of John the Baptist until now

the ingdo of hea%en suffereth %iolence, and the %iolent tae it by force. *or all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. nd if ye will recei%e it %iG., that which the

'ord was teachingK, this is Elias, which was for to coe. $"att. 55: 55!56.& Thus, if the

Jews had recei%ed John the Baptist, they would also ha%e recei%ed the "essiah, and theingdo would at once ha%e been established in power; and in that case "alachi 6: =, >,

would ha%e been true of John. But in fact it was not; for though ultitudes gathered

around hi when he first rang out the cry, )epent, for the ingdo of hea%en is at

hand, there was but little conscience wor, and scarcely any turning the heart of thefathers to the children, or the heart of the children to their fathers; and finally, as we

now, he died by the hand of the executioner in his solitary prison. lthough, therefore,

his ission was in the spirit and power of Elias, and he would ha%e been Elias, in allthat his ission signified, had the Jews recei%ed hi, he was not the fulfilent of the

prophecy in the next chapter. That reains, and +od will yet send Eliah the prophet

before the coing of the great and dreadful day of the 'ord. But the Baptist was the'ord-s essenger, and prepared the way before Hi by heralding His coing and


17/31

preaching the baptis of repentance; and few as they were, he did undoubtedly ae

ready a people prepared for the 'ord. $(ee John 5: 4=!=5&

2e read oreo%er, The 'ord, who ye see, shall suddenly coe to His teple. Twothings are here to be noticed: first, the erson who should coe, and then the anner of

His coing. 0t is Jeho%ah who speas: 0, He says, will send y "essenger; and Hewho sends His "essenger is also donai D the 'ord in the words, The 'ord, who ye

see, being donai, not Jeho%ah. The two appellations are cobined in sal 55


18/31

at His appearing. He has baptiGed His 8hurch with the Holy +host; He will baptiGe 0srael

with fire when He returns. $8opare "att. 4: 5

way that He will effect the purification of His people, though it will be accoplished onthe ground of that perfect atoneent which He ade in His death. 0t will be indeed by

His udgents that He will lead the to afflict their souls $see 'e%iticus 94: 9@& and to

faith in Hiself; and thus will they be brought under the efficacy of His sacrifice, and socleansed fro their guilt and ini1uity. 3therwise indeed not one could abide the day of

His coing; whereas now we learn fro Mechariah, He will bring the third part through

the fire, and will refine the as sil%er is refined, and will try the as gold is tried: theyshall call on y nae, and 0 will hear the: 0 will say, 0t is y people: and they shall say,

The 'ord is y +od. (uch are the blessed results of +od-s purposes in grace which will

be accoplished in 8hrist.

(o here in our scripture, although, as ore or less throughout the boo, the prophet-s%iew is confined to the sons of 'e%i. Their corrupt condition we ha%e seen, but when the

'ord suddenly returns to His teple, He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of sil%er; and

He shall purify the sons of 'e%i, and purge the as gold and sil%er, that they ay offerunto the 'ord an offering in righteousness. $%. 4.& The figure which is here eployed has

often occupied attention. 0t is said that as a refiner of etals watches by the crucible until

his face is reflected in the olten ass, so the 'ord Jesus sits as the refiner and purifier

of His sil%er until His own iage is irrored in it, and that this is the end and obect ofall His dealings with His people. nd there is undoubted truth in the coparison; for as

+od has predestinated us to be confored to the iage of His (on, that He ight be the

firstborn aong any brethren, we ay be sure that He will ne%er rest until His purposeis fulfilled, and that He will use all His appointed eans for the accoplishent of His

end and purpose. 0t should be added, howe%er, that 8hrist before our souls in the power

of the Holy +host D a glorified 8hrist D is +od-s eans for bringing us into confority

with His belo%ed (on. $(ee 9 8or. 4: 57; 5 John 4: 9, 4.& But then it is through thechastenings of His hand, through the trials and sorrows of their path, as here through

special udgents, that He weans the hearts of His own fro other obects, that 8hrist

alone ay fill the %ision of their souls.

%ery iportant truth is brought out in this scripture, applicable alie to oursel%es and

the sons of 'e%i. There can be no presentation of an offering to the 'ord in

righteousness, nor can the offering presented be pleasant, acceptable, to the 'ord until the purification of His priests is effected. This in fact is also the teaching of the epistle to the

Hebrews. There the apostle shows that 8hrist by one offering hath perfected for e%er

the that are sanctified, before he points out that we ha%e boldness to enter the holiest by

the blood of Jesus. The difference is only in the fact that now all belie%ers are priests, thatit is no longer the title of a pri%ileged class, as with the sons of 'e%i, to appear in the

iediate presence of +od; but that e%ery one who is cleansed by the blood of 8hrist,

and ha%ing therefore no ore conscience of sins, has freedo, yea, boldness of access,and is exhorted to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, on the ground of

ha%ing the heart sprinled fro an e%il conscience, and the body washed with pure water.

$Heb. 5


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priests ust ha%e a di%ine 1ualification and a di%ine cleansing in order to discharge

acceptably the functions of their office, to enable the to approach with acceptance

before +od. Testing by such a truth as this those who clai, by %irtue of a huanordination, the prerogati%es of the priesthood, their presuption, not to say profanity, is

at once discerned. 2hat indeed can ore copletely set aside the truth of 8hristianity,

ignoring as it does the place of 8hrist Hiself, and of His people as associated with HiCnd the solenity and the peril of those who intrude into the office without being

di%inely called and 1ualified ay be learned fro the history of Iorah, ?athan, and

bira $'e%iticus 5>& The fulfilent of this scripture, in its application to the sons of'e%i, is yet future; for it is after the appearing of the 'ord that He will purify the sons of

'e%i; and that the offering of Judah and Jerusale will be pleasant unto the 'ord, as in

the days of old, and as in forer years. $(ee Jer. 44: 5!99; EGe. 66&

0f, on the one hand, the 'ord will purge His priests as gold and sil%er, on the other He willset His face in udgent against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against

false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and

the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger, and fear not e, saith the 'ord of hosts.$%. =.& This clearly explains the difference in character between 8hristianity and the

ingdo. Fow +od sends out His entreating essage of reconciliation $9 8or. =& to all

these classes which are here naed D to all sinners without distinction; for it is the day

of his grace, and He waits to sa%e e%eryone that coes to Hi in the nae of 8hrist.+race reigns through righteousness; but when the 'ord appears He will coe to reign in

righteousness. Justice and udgent will be the habitation of His throne, and

conse1uently sinners D those who refuse to subit to His royal sway D ust bedestroyed out of the land. Fow He lingers in long!suffering, not willing that any should

perish, but that all should coe to repentance. Then He will strie through ings in the

day of His wrath, and in His aesty He will ride prosperously because of truth and

eeness and righteousness; and His right hand will teach Hi terrible things. $sals6=, s. 55


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0n the sixth %erse we ha%e what ay be tered a solen affiration of the certainty of

His coing by the truth of the 'ord-s nae, and the principle of His dealing with His

people; for He says, 0 a Jeho%ah, 0 change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are notconsued. 0n these words, containing the sublie stateent of Jeho%ah-s unchangeable

character, we ha%e cobined His truth and His grace. Because He is iutable in His

holiness, He ust be a swift witness against all sin and ini1uity; and because His purposes of grace and blessing are unalterable, His people are not consued. 2hen, for

exaple, the golden calf was set up in the cap, whereby they broe the co%enant of

(inai and incurred the penalty of death, on what ground did the 'ord spare His guilty people 0t was on that of His oath to braha, 0saac, and Jacob Ex. 49: 59, 54&; and thus

it was in the so%ereignty of His grace, and in His faithfulness to His word, that He was

gracious to who He would be gracious, and showed ercy to who He would show

ercy. Ex. 44: 5.& This is a sure foundation on which His people can rest in e%ery ageand in e%ery dispensation. 0t is a roc that no stor can shae; and hence the writer to the

epistle to the Hebrews says, +od, willing ore abundantly to show unto the heirs of

proise the iutability of His counsel, confired it by an oath: that by two iutable

thing., the oath and the proiseK, wherein it was ipossible for +od to lie, we ightha%e a strong consolation, who ha%e fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before

us, etc. $Heb. >: 5@, 57.& 0t is thus the guarantee of the certainty both of His udgent ofe%il and of the accoplishent of all His counsels of grace in 8hrist; and this too in its

application, as in this scripture, to 0srael.

8oencing with the se%enth %erse, the state of the people is again dealt with. nd what

a bill of indictent is brought against theC E%en fro the days of your fathers ye aregone away fro ine ordinances, and ha%e not ept the. This, in one sentence, is the

suary of the history of 0srael under law. Their fathers had said, when standing at the

foot of (inai, ll that the 'ord hath spoen we will do Ex. 5&; but ere e%er the tables

of the co%enant had reached the cap they had been false to their proise, and hadapostatiGed fro Jeho%ah. Judgent after udgent was %isited upon the during their

wanderings in the desert, but they would not eep the ordinances of the 'ord. 0t was the

sae in the land both under udges and ings. Through all their history indeed they wentastray lie lost sheep, and turned e%ery one to his own way. (till, according to the

proclaation of the nae of Jeho%ah to "oses, He was the 'ord, the 'ord +od,

erciful and gracious, long!suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, eepingercy for thousands, forgi%ing ini1uity and transgression and sin, and that will by no

eans clear the guilty; %isiting the ini1uity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the

children-s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. Ex. 46: >, @.& "ercy andtruth et together in His go%ernent of His people; and His nae, as so unfolded to

"oses, was abundantly exeplified in all His dealings with the. Here it is ercy that

reoiceth against udgent; for the in%itation goes forth, )eturn unto e, and 0 willreturn unto you, saith the 'ord. He had been copelled to depart fro the because of

their ini1uity, but His heart was still towards the $8p. Hosea =: 56, 5=&; and thus He

cries, )eturn unto e, and 0 will return unto you, saith the 'ord of hosts. The reply to

this gracious in%itation is one with which we are failiar in this boo, and one which betrays the hardness as well as the corruption. of their hearts, 2herein shall we return

They did not e%en now that they had departed fro +od, so wonderful is the


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deceitfulness of sin; for how could it be possible, that those who had nown what it was

to be waling in the enoyent of the light of +od-s countenance should be unaware that

they had passed out of it into the chill and death of oral night nd yet so it was, as itstill often is. (ason, for exaple, wist not that the 'ord had departed fro hi; and the

path of bacsliding, and e%en apostacy, is often so gradual that the soul, occupied now

with other obects and interests, is unconscious, lulled to rest also by the artifices of(atan, of the change that is taing place. Fothing can be sadder or ore dangerous than

ignorance of our true spiritual condition.

0t is to awae His people, if possible, that the 'ord proceeds to bring a specific proof of

their departure fro Hi. He would fain open their eyes, and copel the to see; andthus He says, 2ill a an rob +od et ye ha%e robbed e Then coes the usual

reoinder of this isguided and decei%ed people, 2herein ha%e we robbed thee The

answer is clear and distinct, 0n tithes and offerings. $%%. @, 7.& 0t was ipossible forthe to e%ade the truth of such a charge; for the 'ord through "oses had laid down the

ost inute directions concerning tithes and offerings, and they could not but now

whether they had coplied with the. $(ee 'e%. 94; Fu. 5=, 97; ?eut. 56: 99!9, 9>,etc.& They new precisely, therefore, what was re1uired of the, and they had no excuse

for their disobedience. They ight indeed ha%e argued within thesel%es that it was a

atter of no conse1uence, but their thoughts were not the thoughts of +od; for He tells

the, e are cursed with a curse: for ye ha%e robbed e, e%en this whole nation. $%. .&

2e are not under law, but under grace, and we therefore ha%e no such prescriptions as to

what we are to gi%e to the 'ord; but ay there not be soe ost %aluable instruction for

us in these solen words Fay, is it not true that now all that we are and ha%e belong to

Hi who has redeeed us through His precious blood "uch ore, then, should weenter into- such a word as this, Honour the 'ord with thy substance, and with the

firstfruits of all thine increase, if we ha%e understood at all the responsibilities of grace,the grace which has been displayed in our redeption through +od-s unspeaable gift. 3r if any ha%e failed to apprehend the bearing of this truth, let the read, ar, learn, and

inwardly digest the teaching of the apostle aul in 9 8or. 7, . nd with these chapters

before us, let us be candid with oursel%es, and solenly interrogate our hearts in the presence of +od, to learn whether we ha%e risen to the height of our pri%ilege in this

respect, in honouring the 'ord with our substance, in de%oting the first!fruits of our

increase to His ser%ice. 'et us not be afraid e%en of figures, asing oursel%es, if need be,How uch ha%e we gi%en of our incoe for the 'ord-s use or, 2hat proportion ha%e

our gifts borne to what we ha%e. recei%ed hC belo%ed, if we thus exained oursel%es

on this subect, would not any of us ha%e to own that the 'ord ight also ha%e a

contro%ersy with us, and truly say, e ha%e robbed +od 3r else how coes it to passthat alost in e%ery place the saints ha%e to be reinded, again and again, that there is

not enough oney in the 'ord-s treasury for e%en necessary uses, and that collections,

pri%ate and public, are continually being ade to conceal our shortcoings, and to pro%ide eans for the sustenance both of the 'ord-s poor and the 'ord-s wor ll this

only re%eals the fact how feebly grace is operati%e in our hearts, and how unlie we are to

the gi%ing!+od, by whose bounty it is that we ha%e been set in the possession of such priceless blessings. nd ay we not as also, whether our own barrenness, and whether


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the lac of blessing aong the 'ord-s people D in their eetings for praise and

edification D ay not be traced to our own narrowness of heart, to our withholding fro

+od of the substance, sall or great, which He has entrusted to our stewardship $(ee 98or. : 7!5=.& *or here the 'ord expressly connects His blessing His people with their

faithfulness to Hiself in the atter of tithes. Bring ye, he says, all the tithes into the

storehouse, that there ay be eat in ine house, and pro%e e now herewith, saith the'ord of hosts, if 0 will not open you the windows of hea%en, and pour you out a blessing,

that there shall not be roo enough to recei%e it. $%. 5


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with the nature of the co%enant under which they were li%ing. 0t is different with

8hristians. They are sa%ed by pure unconditional grace; but being sa%ed, their blessing

and their enoyent of spiritual blessing are ade dependent upon their wal, uponobedience to the 2ord. This ust always be insisted upon. They do not obey, we repeat,

in order to be sa%ed, except indeed it be with the obedience of faith, and this is the gift of

+od; but ha%ing been brought to +od through faith in the 'ord Jesus 8hrist, their blessing, during their soourn in this world, is conditioned by their subection to the ind

and will of +od. Thus our 'ord says, He that hath y coandents, and eepeth

the, he it is that lo%eth e: and he that lo%eth e shall be lo%ed of y *ather, and 0 willlo%e hi, and will anifest yself to hi. $John 56: 95.& (uch is the blessed portion of

those, and of those alone, who treasure up the coandents of 8hrist in their hearts.

The next section, which, coencing with %erse 54, extends to the end of "al. 6, clearly

separates a faithful renant fro the rest of the nation. This is often the case with the prophets $see 0sa. 7 D 5,5@&; and nothing can be ore beautiful than the contrast which is thus drawn between


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these hidden saints and the self!righteousness of those by who they are surrounded.

They ha%e but two characteristics D they feared the 'ord, and they spae often one to

another, and we ay add, what is necessarily connected with this, they thought upon the'ord-s nae. He Hiself was the subect of their thoughts and editations. 'et us loo a

little at these se%eral features. They feared the Lord. This is precisely what the nation

were not doing; indeed, they had cast off the fear of +od fro before their eyes, as shown by their high!handed transgressions of His statutes and ordinances, and their entire

insensibility to His clais, and the honour of His nae. But this pious, feeble renant

feared Jeho%ah, feared Hi with the fear due to His holy nae, with a fear which showeditself in obedience to His word. He Hiself was their obect and hope, their stay and

support, aid the confusion and e%il by which they were surrounded; yea, their sanctuary

fro the power of the eney on e%ery side. Then, they spake often one to another. They

were drawn together in happy, holy fellowship by their coon obects, coonaffections, and coon needs; and in this way their piety, their fear of the 'ord, was

sustained and encouraged. 0t is one of the consolations of an e%il day, that in proportion

as religious wicedness and corruption abound, those who ha%e the ind of the 'ord are

drawn ore closely together. The nae of the 'ord becoes ore precious to those thatfear Hi when it is generally dishonoured; and, on the other hand, the power of the

eney dri%es those together who are seeing to lift up a standard against hi. The obectof the special hostility of (atan, because they for the one barrier to the success of his

efforts, they find their resource and strength in united counings in the presence of

+od. 'astly, they thought upon the Lord's name. 2e do not ean lastly in order ofiportance, only in that of ention in this scripture; for at the close of %erse 5> it is

associated with the fear of the 'ord. These two things can ne%er indeed be disoined. The

nae of the 'ord, as before reared in these pages, is the expression of all the truth of

Jeho%ah as re%ealed to His ancient people, ust as now the nae of the 'ord Jesus 8hrist,to which His people are gathered, is the sybol $if we ay use this ter& of all that He is

as unfolded to us in these se%eral ters D The 'ord D Jesus D 8hrist. 2hat is eant,

therefore, when it is said, They thought upon His nae, is, that they set thesel%es touphold all the truth which had been coitted to 0srael; this truth being their testiony

in the idst of a crooed and per%erse generation, and also that they were drawn together

by their coon fear of Jeho%ah, to aintain the honour of His nae. This was their oneend and obect D not the welfare and blessing of one another, not the conciliation of

di%erse interests aong the professing people of +od, not the culti%ation of that spirit of

charity, the creed of which is to agree to differ, and to be indifferent to e%il; but e%er

seeing to %indicate Jeho%ah-s nae, to affir His supreacy, and thus to gi%e Hi Hisrightful place in the idst of 0srael. nd in doing this, though their brethren ight ha%e

despised and contened the for not swiing with the strea, they were adopting the

one and only eans for the blessing of the nation.

0n the gospel of 'ue $'ue 5 and 9&, as often reared, we ha%e a li%ing picture of this

+od!fearing renant. 0n Macharias, (ieon, and nna we behold a few, together with

those associated with the, who united all the characteristics which are here gi%en. Thus

of Macharias and his wife EliGabeth it is said, They were both righteous before +od,waling in all the coandents and ordinances of the 'ord, blaeless $'ue 5: >&; of

(ieon, that he was ust and de%out, waiting for the consolation of 0srael: and the Holy


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+host was upon hi $'ue 9: 9=&; of nna, that she was a widow of about fourscore

and four years, which departed not fro the teple, but ser%ed +od with fastings and

prayers night and day. $'ue 9: 4@.& (uch is the lo%ely picture, drawn by the unerring pencil of the Holy (pirit, of a few in Jerusale, aid decay and spiritual death, who

feared the 'ord, spae often to one another, and thought upon His nae. 3utside of the

acti%ities of the day, and unnown to those in power and influence, they were nown bythe 'ord, and by one another. This was enough for their souls, for their hearts were fixed

on the consolation of 0srael, the 'ord-s 8hrist, and He was sufficient to satisfy their

e%ery desire, e%en as He was the obect of all their hopes.

0s there, it ay be en1uired, in a word or two, any renant at the present daycorresponding to that here described To answer this 1uestion, it ust be reebered

that all who the prophet addresses were the renant gathered out of Babylon; and

hence that those who feared the 'ord, and spae often one to another, were a renant inthe idst of a renant, both alie occupying the sae public ground before +od. 0t does

not follow, therefore, because there are those today who are separated fro the e%ils of

8hristendo, and gathered professedly to the nae of 8hrist, that they answer to thesewho thought upon the 'ord-s nae. Fo. To correspond with these there ust be the

possession of the sae characteristics; in a word, there ust be the sae. spiritual state.

s in hiladelphia, so here, state is the proinent feature; and conse1uently no

ecclesiastical position, howe%er scriptural, constitutes a clai to correspondence withthese hiladelphians in the idst of 0srael.

Ha%ing shown us what this pious renant was in the eyes of the 'ord, the prophet now

re%eals Jeho%ah-s attitude towards the. He says, The 'ord hearened, and heard, and a

boo of reebrance was written before Hi for the that feared the 'ord, and thatthought upon His nae. nd they shall be ine, saith the 'ord of hosts, in that day when

0 ae up y ewels; and 0 will spare the, as a an spareth his own son that ser%ethhi. $%%. 5>, 5@.& *irst, the 'ord hearened, and heard. His eyes and His heart wereupon these despised few who encouraged thesel%es, aid surrounding corruptions, in

fellowship one with another concerning the 'ord and the 'ord-s things. nd when thus

gathered together, the 'ord was a spectator, delighting in the con%ersation He heard, their counings being as grateful to His heart as the sweet incense which in happier days

ascended before His throne fro off the golden altar. 2e ha%e exaples in the Few

Testaent of His intiate ac1uaintance with the thoughts and con%ersation of His people.The coission He ga%e to nanias concerning (aul of Tarsus, His repetition to

doubting Thoas of the words he had spoen to his fellow!disciples, bear witness to the

fact that our words ne%er escape His ears; and the ourney of the two disciples to

Eaus, when He Hiself drew near and waled with the, tells us how interested Heis in all that concerns His own, yea, e%en in their doubts and fears. But in the case before

us it was not doubt nor apprehension that occupied those that feared the 'ord, but when

they spae, often one to another, it was in the language of faith and hope; and hence whenwe are told that the 'ord hearened, and heard, it is not only an attenti%e, but also an

appro%ing, yea, a delighted, 'istener that is brought before us. nd how sweet is the

re%elation thus adeC nd what an encourageent to His own, especially in ties ofindifference and darness, to be found together, speaing often one to anotherC nd how


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near it brings the 'ord Hiself to usC nd, we ay add, what solenity it gi%es to the

fellowship of the saints, reinding us that our eetings, whether in pri%ate or in public,

are held in the presence of the 'ordC These reflections oreo%er ought to ha%e additionalforce for those of the present day who ha%e, in any easure, entered into what it is to

ha%e the 'ord Hiself in the idst when gathered to His nae.

(econdly, a boo of reebrance was written before Hi, Ac.; that is, the 'ord

condescends to use a figure to teach us that He records for e%erlasting reebrance thecon%ersation D ay we not rather say the naes and the words D of those who were

drawn to His nae, and to one another, in separation fro the e%il around at such a tie.

n illustration of this ay be found in the boo of Esther. 2hen the ing could not sleep,he coanded to bring the boo of records of the chronicles; and they were read

before the ing. nd therein was found written an act. of loyalty and fidelity on the part

of "ordecai at a tie of danger to his so%ereign the ing; and he was iediatelyrecopensed, besides being thereby used to becoe the sa%iour of his people. 0n lie

anner, but in a ore perfect way D for He ne%er forgets D the 'ord causes a boo of

reebrance concerning the faithfulness of His people to be written, and nothingescapes His eye or ear; and thus it will coe to pass, as we learn fro any scriptures,

that e%ery act and word, wrought and produced in His people by the power of the Holy

(pirit, will, in the sae grace that has called, ustified, and glorified the, be iputed to

the for acnowledgeent and recopense before the tribunal of 8hrist.

*inally, the 'ord will ar the out as His own. They shall be ine, saith Jeho%ah of

hosts, in that day when 0 ae up y ewels. He refers to the tie of His appearing; for

then it is that He will publicly distinguish and clai His own. The principle is contained

in the failiar passage in the pocalypse: Behold, 0 will ae the of the synagogue of(atan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, 0 will ae the to coe

and worship before thy feet, and to now that 0 ha%e lo%ed thee. $)e%. 4: ; $8p. 0sa. >


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The last %erse, we apprehend, is addressed to those who, in %erses 56, 5=, had charged

+od with identifying Hiself with e%il. They had said, They that wor wicedness are

set up; yea, they that tept +od are deli%ered D as if +od were confounding all oraldistinctions. But the prophet now tells the that, when +od will appear for the feeble few

who had thought upon His nae, they D those who had arraigned the righteousness of

+od-s ways D should return, and discern between the righteous and the wiced, betweenhi that ser%eth +od and hi that ser%eth Hi not. 2ilfully blind heretofore, they would

then be copelled to see; and the 'ord would once again be ustified when He was

udged, and publicly %indicate the rectitude of His ways before the eyes of ungodly en.The prophet proceeds to explain that this se%erance between the wiced and the righteous

will be ade at the 'ord-s appearing; but this is the subect of the next chapter,

Malachi 4

THE di%ision also between chapters 4 and 6 tends to obscure the connection, inasuch as

%erse 5 of chapter 6 explains the declaration of the last %erse of "al. 4. The prophet had

said that the tie would coe when those who were arraigning Jeho%ah should see thatthere was in His eyes an e%erlasting distinction between the righteous and the wiced,

and now he teaches that this distinction will be publicly anifested at a future day. Theword for is the connecting lin between the two chapters. *or, he continues, behold,

the day coeth, that shall burn as an o%en; and all the proud, yea, and all that do

wicedly, shall be stubble: and the day that coeth shall burn the up, saith the 'ord ofhosts, that it shall lea%e the neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear y nae

shall the (un of righteousness arise with healing in His wings, Ac.

Before we exaine this iportant passage, we ay call attention to the principle it

exeplifies. "an in his short!sightedness and unbelief is e%er prone, lie the apostate

priests in the preceding chapter, to udge +od by the circustances of the oent. 0t wasso also with the three friends of Job, yea, with Job hiself. But we learn there, as fro

innuerable scriptures, that the issue of +od-s ways and dealings will not be anifestedtill a future day, and that He waits for that tie to declare His righteousness e%en before

the world. 2e ust therefore, as the apostle teaches, udge nothing before the tie until

the 'ord coe, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darness and will ae

anifest the counsels of the heart; and then shall e%ery an $if he ha%e atter for praise&ha%e praise of +od. 0n the eantie faith says with braha, (hall not the Judge of all

the earth do right for the +od that faith nows is infinite in wisdo, holiness, and lo%e.

Fow this scripture brings us to the oent when Jeho%ah will anifest His holiness andtruth in His udgent of the wiced, and in blessing for those that fear His nae; but

e%en here the udgent is not eternal, as it is in connection with His appearing, and

preparatory, therefore, to the establishent of His ingdo on earth.

These two aspects of the 'ord-s appearing ust be carefully obser%ed in order todistinguish it fro His coing for His 8hurch, a truth not re%ealed in the 3ld Testaent,

because the 8hurch ne%er coes into %iew in the prophetic writings. $(ee, for exaple,

Eph. 4& 2hen He returns to clai His Bride, it is in pure uningled blessing, and has forits obect only His own people. $John 56: 5!4; 5 Thess. 6: 56!57.& The world will not e%en


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be aware of the e%ent, sa%e, perchance, fro the unwilling recognition of the absence of

so large a nuber with who they had been con%ersant The shout, the %oice of the

archangel, and the trup of +od are exclusi%ely for the saints, and will not e%en be heard by the world around; or if they are heard, lie the copanions of (aul of Tarsus, when the

'ord et hi on the way to ?aascus, they will not understand the significance of such

unwonted sounds. The language will be incoprehensible to their ears, as it will coefro a land to which they do not belong, and which they ha%e ne%er %isited. Fo; when

the 'ord fulfils His proise to His waiting 8hurch, (urely, 0 coe 1uicly, He has

regard to it alone; and none but the saints will be caught up in the clouds to eet Hi inthe air, to be for e%er with Hi. But the day of which our passage treats will be public;

it will be introduced when the 'ord returns with His saints. 0t is of this John speas when

he says, Behold, He coeth with clouds: and e%ery eye shall see Hi, and they which

pierced Hi: and all indreds of the earth shall wail because of Hi. $)e%. 5: @.& 3ur'ord Hiself also describes it in "atthew-s gospel: 0ediately after the tribulation of

those days shall the sun be darened, and the oon shall not gi%e her light, and the stars

shall fall fro hea%en, and the powers of the hea%ens shall be shaen: and then shall

appear the sign of the (on of an, in hea%en: and then shall all the tribes of the earthourn, and they shall see the (on of an coing in the clouds of hea%en, with power

and great glory. $"att. 96: 9, 4


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in this scripture. n inter%al D greater or less D there will be between the two e%ents;

but the relation between the, in regard to the earth, is that which is syboliGed by the

"orning (tar and the (un of righteousness.#

#(ee, for further instruction on this subect, The Blessed Hope.

The day then of which the prophet speas has a double aspect D udgent without

ercy $for the day of grace will then be past& upon the proud and all that do wicedly;

and pure, uningled blessing for those that fear the nae of Jeho%ah. $(ee 0sa. 96 D 9>;Mech. 59 D 56 Ac.& There is oreo%er another thing. e shall go forth, and grow up as

cal%es of the stall. nd ye shall tread down the wiced; for they shall be ashes under the

soles of your feet in the day that 0 shall do this, saith the 'ord of hosts. $%%. 9, 4.& This proise, which the 'ord aes to His people 0srael in connection with their deli%erance

and blessing at His appearing, again distinguishes this e%ent both fro His return for the

8hurch, and fro the closure of all dispensations at the end of the thousand years. There

are soe who affir that the coing of the 'ord for His saints and His appearing are

identical. 0n what sense, if this were so, will His people, who will then be caught up toeet the 'ord in the air, as those who hold this %iew adit, tread down the wiced as

ashes under the soles of their feet There would be a anifest incongruity in such a figurewith the circustances of those who will then be for e%er with the 'ord. There are others

who deny any coing or appearing of the 'ord until after the illenniu. 'et such then

tell us how the saints of +od, who, according to their own thought, enter at that tie uponeternal blessedness, will then coe into conflict with and triuph o%er the wiced. To

ention these %iews is sufficient to show that they are opposed to the truth of (cripture.

This passage, we ay repeat for the sae of clearness, has no application to the 8hurch; it

concerns itself with +od-s ancient people, who, then in the land, had been brought bac

fro their capti%ity in Babylon. There are two classes, as we ha%e seen, aongst the D those who had departed fro +od while they ept up the fors of their ritual, and those

that feared the 'ord, spae often one to another, and thought upon Jeho%ah-s nae. Theselatter et the ind of Jeho%ah; and were the obects of His heart; and, addressing to the

words of consolation and proise, He taes the up as characteristic orally of the

renant that will be found at the 'ord-s appearing. There was such a renant at the

'ord-s first coing; but the nation reected Hi, and all was lost on the ground ofresponsibility. The realiGation of these blessed proises was conse1uently postponed D

only postponed, because what was forfeited on the ground of responsibility will be finally

ade good in grace according to the unchanging counsels of +od on the foundation ofthe finished wor of 8hrist. These proises yet reain therefore for 0srael, though they

ha%e no title to anything, sa%e in and through the 8hrist; and when He shall return to

the in power and glory, as shown in this scripture, He will accoplish their fulfilent.Then will His people D the renant brought through the fire, but %iewed as the nation D

be not only put into the enoyent of these blessings, but they will also, under the sway

of their "essiah and Iing, and as thus associated with Hi, tread down the wiced, who

will be as ashes under their feet. $(ee s. 9, s. 55


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The three last %erses $6!>& constitute a ind of appendix. 0n %erse 6 Jeho%ah recalls the

people to the unchanging basis of His co%enant with the; %iG., the law. This was His

standard for the, the easure of their responsibility, and thus the condition of blessing.Their safety, as the safety of +od-s people in all ages, would lie in obedience to the word.

Testing all by that infallible standard, and refusing all that answers not to it, while

seeing grace at the sae tie to restore it to its supreacy o%er our own hearts andways; such is the only path of reco%ery and blessing. They were thus to go bac to the

beginning D a principle that has before occupied us, not to the ties of Feheiah and

EGra, neither to the glory of the ingdo in the days of ?a%id and (oloon, but to Horeb D the law of "oses y ser%ant, which 0 coanded unto hi in Horeb. 0n lie

anner we, in days of confusion and ruin, ust not stop short of entecost, if we would

gauge the extent of our decline, and disco%er the eans of restoration. This is an abiding

principle, and on this account it is solenly affired ust as +od was about to silence the%oice of prophecy for the long period of four hundred years.

Jeho%ah, oreo%er, lays the foundation in this exhortation, and in the principle which it

contains, for the announceent of the ission of Eliah the prophet, before the coing of the great and dreadful day of the 'ord. $%. =.& 2e ha%e explained the relation of John the

Baptist to Eliah in connection with "al. 4: 5. 0f 0srael, when our 'ord first cae, had

recei%ed the Baptist, he would ha%e been Eliah for the, and as it was his ission was in

the spirit and the power of Eliah. But John was beheaded, and the 8hrist, of who hewas the forerunner, was crucified; and +od, who is as iutable in His holiness as in His

grace, will as surely perfor His truth unto braha, as execute his udgents upon the

wiced. 0n the day of udgent, howe%er, He reebers ercy, and therefore, before thead%ent of the great and dreadful day of the 'ord, He will send Eliah to test the hearts of

His people, and to recall the to His unchanging faithfulness and grace. nd the %ery

ention of Eliah is significant of the state in which 0srael will then be found. The

ission of Eliah, historically, was at a tie of general apostacy, when Jeho%ah had been publicly disowned, and Baal had been chosen in His place. nd we gather fro any

scriptures that apostacy will characteriGe 0srael as a whole in the last days. s in the tie

of hab there was a hidden renant, so will it be again, for +od will ne%er lea%e Hiself without witness on the earth. But outwardly, under the sway of ntichrist, idolatry will

ar the condition of the people. The ission of Eliah will be in the idst of this state

of things, and the character of his inistry in the tie of hab and JeGebel will enable usto understand its nature at the end. 0ts obect is here gi%en: nd he shall turn the heart of

the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest 0 coe and

site the earth with a curse. $%. >.& John the Baptist ne%er fulfilled this proise, at leastin the largeness of its iport. 8rowds gathered about hi at the coenceent of his

labours, but the ost of these only reoiced in his light for a season, and then turned bac

to the darness of their own pride and self!righteousness. 2ith Eliah it will bedifferent, for the 'ord hath spoen the word, and He will perfor it. 'abouring as the

prophet will, under far greater difficulties than e%en the Baptist, the effects of his wor, if

not outwardly seen, will be greater; and in this way there will be once again a people

prepared for the 'ord on His return. The obect, howe%er, here is, 'est 0 coe and sitethe earth with a curse. There will be udgents, as we ha%e seen fro %erse 5; but the

existence of a people who +od has called and prepared in grace will once again be the


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salt of the earth, and on their account the earth, or ore probably the land, will be

exepted fro that which is here tered a curse D pure and uningled udgent.

The conunction of "oses and Eliah $%%. 6, =& at the close of the 3ld Testaent cannotfail to be obser%ed. They are, as we now, the expressions of the law and the prophets,

and these abide for e%er D till the close of all +od-s ways on the earth. $8opare "att.=: 5@!5; see also )e%. 55 D the inistry of the two witnesses being characteriGed by the

features of "oses and Eliah.&

2ith these words the light of prophecy is 1uenched, and +od ceases to send His

essengers to His people until the days of the Baptist; and, while ne%er failing in His

lo%e and faithfulness, He withdraws for a season fro all acti%e and direct inter%ention intheir affairs. ll has now been prepared to test their hearts by the coing of 8hrist, and

+od waits four hundred years, until the fulness of the tie should arri%e when He would

send forth His (on, ade of a woan, ade under the law, who would be for 0srael a

"inister of the circucision for the truth of +od, to confir the proises ade unto the

fathers. $)oans 5=: 7.& But though He cae unto His own, and His own recei%ed Hinot, +od, in His infinite long!suffering, still waits, and e%entually, in pursuance of His

eternal counsels of grace and ercy, 8hrist will be a light f

Malachi E Dennett

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