;, 0 Among the Jews were two ſorts of Enquirers | , = Hae the Mcſſiahy's uf wn ſome enquired with doubt of —_— of the Promiſes, that he ſhould come to ſet all right, like - h, 2. 17. where is the God of Fudgment ? Others enquired, ho- — Preferment in the Kingdom of the Meſſiah ; of theſe, who Fai be able to endure ? to abide this Day ? When the unparallel'd a MiRions of that time ſhall cut off ſomany Jews, when the Sword ot the God of Judgment ſhall deſtroy the ungodly Scoffers,when ſo ma- muſt, in Zech. 13. 8, 9. be cut off, and ſo many muſt paſs through 0 Fire This will be a terrible Day to theſe ungodly ones. Nor wall : ye much better with thoſe, whe, diſappointed of the expetted worldly Grandeurof the Meffiah, ſhall ſtumble and fall, and be ſnared ev broken, who will reje&thar Mefſiah, who appears in a Chara&er ſo extremely different from-that they had preconceived : and when God ſhall puniſh for the reje&ing the Meffiah, it will be a dreadful Day, as 't15 deſcribed, Mat. 24. 6, 7,8, &c. Mark 13. 2, 8, 12, 13, 14.
7 > +» Think of, as Vulzs Lat. the forethought of thoſe Cala- gene wn bea burden z who ſhall beable to ſtand under the heavy weight of thoſe Croſſes which in that Day will fall on all ſorts of Men? 9 This Day was trom his Preaching, rill the utter Deſtru&ion of the Gity Jeruſalem, abouc ſeventy Years after the Birth of Chriſt ; Days they were, had not been ſhortened, would haye worn out all ; but for the Ele& ſake they were ſhortened, Mar. 24. 22, rAn elegant Ingemination to confirm the thing, and to affett us with it, 5 Same are like Metals, which nothing but a fierce Fire can purge, ſuch Fire ſhalbthe Troubles of theſe Days he. t Another Allufion though this may expreſs the Trouble of thoſe times ſomewhat more tolerable, yer troubleſome enough. The boiling Waters, into which ſpotted Clothes are thrown, where they lie ſoaking e're they are ta- ken out ; the rubbing of them with the Soap, by which the Clothes are whitened and cleanſed indeed, but withal fretred, weakned, and in time worn out ; ſo thar Day of the Lord will prove to all a Day of great Trial, to purge and refine.
3 And * he # ſhall fir« a a refiner and purifier of
purge them as gold and {ilver a, that rhey may ofter þ unto the LORD an ottering in righteouſneſs c. tKing Meſſiah, Chriſt Jeſus our Lord. u As reſolved to attend
MAL ACHE:
his dereſtation of the Sin, and ſuch as praiſe it, Dent, 13. 10, ir; I2, 13, 14. the People of God who may conſult with their God, his Word and Prophers, do very abominably if they conſult with the De- vilz a fin their Fathers learnt among the Egyptians, a ſin they had learnt among the Chaldeans during the Captivity,and praiſed under the ſecond Temple. p Who tranſgreſſed the Law of Nature, and of God, Exod. 20. 14, Deut. 5.18. and 22,22, and were by the Law to die for it. q Perjury, againſt which Zech. 5. 3, 4. and God hateth this fin, Zech. 8. 17. r Either deraining ic, or leſſening it, Fer. 22, I3: 7am. $5.4. s Who ſhould be relieved, Dent. 24. 19, 20, 2c. not oppreſſed, 7/a.1.17. t Such are not only thoſe who have loft their Fathers by death, bur all friendleſs ones; God requires us to afit and helf ſach, not oppreſs them, Pſal. 82.1, 2, 3,4. # Pervert Judg- ment, or wreſt the Law, or admit falſe Witneſs againſt a Stranger. Not doing Right is ill, though to an Enemy, bur'tisa crying ſin to do Wrong to a ſtranger, and God will puniſh it when it crieth, as he did upon your Fathers, Ezek. 22. 7. with 13, 14,15, 16. x Neither reyerence my Precepts to keep them, nor tremble at my Threats to prevent the execution of them by declining the fins I threaten. Irre- Iigion is Root of all theſe Oppreſfions, and Gcd will puniſh them.
6 For yT am the LORD, I * change not > : * there.
tore ve Tons of Jacob 2 are not conſumed b. y This introducerh the final and full Confirmation of what hath been foretold in the Verſes before, the God of Judgment wiil come, c. 2 As heloved Righteoufneſs, and harh purpoſed to defend and
he now loveth Righteouſneſs, and purpoſeth to deal well with them that love and praftiſe it ; theſe may rejoyce, I change not. And fo on the other hand I do asI ever hayg hated Wickedneſs, and will, as I have threatned, puniſh it ; I change not, my Mind toward the thinss or Perſons, that are wicked, is the ſame. a Either taken for all the natural Branches of Zacob, or taken for ſuch as are the Sons of Facob according to the Faith, who did indeed tear God. 6b Since the ſame hatred of fin,and reſolution to puniſh, is accompanicd with the ſme Long-ſuffering and Patience, that you Sons of Facob by Natur« ( but: not by {mitation) who have provoked me, and delſerve to be 1e- ſtroyed, might yer have time to repentand amend , ſince my Long- ſuffering changerh not, you are not yet conſumed in your fias, So | for the Good, though they are oppreſs'd, and ſuffer, yet not con-= ſumed, for God changeth not, he now doth love as he ever hath
this Work, he will ſer to it vigorouſly,and continue in it conftantly, till 'tis finiſhed. x Overlookiog the Furnace, that ir be hot enough to melt down the Silver and Gold, and to conſuine the Drofs, and pu- rife the beſt part of the Gold. y The Effc of this fiery Trial, of this Scouring, ſhall be the thorow cleanſ1ag of the Perſons that are to paſs through it : Theſe Sufferings, tozether with his Word, ſhall by the Power of the Spirit accompanying them, throughly purge the Good, and they ſhall be a Fire hot enough to burnup the Wicked. 7x Ei- ther the Jewiſh Levirtes, or all Chriſtians, who are made Priefts unto God, to offer Sacrifices to him, even Prayers, Praiſes and Alms, gc. or ſuch as ſhould miniſter more immediately to God, in the Services of the Spiritual Temple, as the Levites did ia the Material Temple. « That they may be Veſſels of Honour, purified for holy-Employ- ments. b By the Law-Phraſe is ſet torth Goſpel-Worſhip, for it can- not be meant of Legal Offerings, which the Meffiah did aboliſh at his coming. c In right manner, purely and uprightly.
4 Then 4 * ſhall. the offerings e of Judah and Jeruſa- lem f be pleaſant g unto the LORD, as in the days of
1; 01d, and as in || former years h.