As if they hnd said, "The reward which we have for our services at the altar is truly contemptible." But this view can sc!Lrcely be adopted, inasmuch as they tbem~elve~ accepted those worthless animals for sacrifice. H rather means that they bad rnarle worship appear contemptible to others, that their services had brought worship into contempt. How often do the religions leaders of mankincl, by the crndity of their thoughts, tho narrowness of their creeds, the worldliness of their spirits, brmg religion into popnlo.r contempt I 2. Burdensome. "Behold, what a weariness is it!" etc. This is not, alas! o.n uncommon occurrence. Religious leaders, perbap11; the majority of them, have in all ages, by their hoary platitudes, their vain repetitions, their long, dull prayers, their monotonous tones, their prosy twaddlings, made their bearers often exclaim, "Behold, what a weariness is it I" In truth, religious service is a weariness to all who have• not their hearts in it. Dr. Pusey well remarks, "The service of God is its own reward. If not, it becomes a greater toil, with less reward from this earth than the things of this earth. Onr only choice is between love and weariness." IV. THAT WRONG WORSHIP EVERMORE INCURS THE JUST DISPLEASURE OF HEAVE>. "But cursed be the deceiver," etc. He is here called the deceiver, who has the means of presenting a valuable sacrifice, and yet presents a worthless one. He "hath in his flock a, male," something that is valuable. It is not the man who openly denies God, and who makes no pretence of serving him, that is here cursed, but the man who professes to serve him, and yet is destitute of the.true spirit of dP.votion. He who offers to him the mere dregs of his time, his strength, his means, virtually presents that "polluted bread" upon the altar which is abhorrent to the Almighty. Co'NoLUBION, Let all eschew vain worship, a worship that may be either the worship of a· wrong god, some idol, or the worship of the right God in a wrong way. Let those of us who presume to be the religious leaders of our race take care that we do not bring public worship into contempt; and by our lack of ·spiritnal vivacity and the exciting inspiration of true devotion, cause the people to exclaim, " Behold, what a weariness is it I "-D. T.
EXPOSITION. them already. The curse bas already CHAPTER II .. begun to work. Dr. S. Cox (' Bible Edu- Ve~s. 1-4.-§ 4.· ·For these derelictions of cator,' iii. 67, etc.) points out here an allusion duty the priests are threatened with punish- to Neh. xiii. 1, 2, wherein it is recorded the.t they ree.rl from the Book of Moses how that ment. the Moabites "hired Balaam against them Ver. 1.-This oommandment. The threat that he should curse them; howbeit onr or announcement is ce.lled a command- Goel turned the curse into a blessing." ment, because God ordains it !Ind imposes Malachi, who, as he thinks, we.s present on its execution on certain instruments. (For this occasion, may have been deeply im- the expression, comp. Lev. xxv. 21.) The pressed by these words: and it is probable threat is contained in vers. 2, 3. that we hear an echo of them in the threat Ver. 2.-I will even send a onrse; Re- of ver. 2. "That of old God had turned a vised Version, then will I send the curse. curse into a blessing, may have suggested St. Jerome, regarding the temporal effect of the menace that he would now turn a blessing the curse, translates, egestatem, "scarr.ity" into a curse." (comp. Deut. xxvii. 15-26; xxviii. 15, Ver. 3.-I will corrupt your seed. etc.). I will ourse your blessings. The bless- Henrlerson, "I will rebuke the seed to your ings which as priests they had to pronounce hurt." God would mnr the promise of their upon the people (Lev. ix. 22, 23; Numb. vi. crops; but. as the priests did not concern 23-27). These God would not ratify, but themselves ·with agriculture, sueh a threat would tum them into curses, and thus would have had no particular applic1ttion punish the people who connived at nnd to them. It is best, therefore, to talrn the imit!Lted the iniquities of tho priests. Or the pointing of some of the versions, and to expression m!Ly refer to the material bcnents tn1nslate, I toil! rebuke your arm,- i.e. I promised by God to the Israelites on their will t!Lke from you the power of performing, obedience. But as the announoemeut is or, I will neutmlize your official duties, the made specially to the :priests, this explana- arm being the instrument of labour. offering, tion seems less probable, l have oursod !LI)d blessini;. Others consider the threllt THE BOOK OF MALACHI. [ou. u. 1-li,