The Pulpit Commentary — Malachi — Section 58

s11id of him: "And now e.lso t.he axe is le.Id nnto the root of the trees, therefore every tree whioh bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. I indeed bo.ptize yon with wo.ter unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: be shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, 1md with fire: whose fan is in his hand, and he will througbly purge hie floor, and gather hie wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unq uenchabl" fire." Even Peter, in hie awe-inspiring presence said, " Depart from me ; for I am a sinful man I " III. HE IB TII0R0UGH. "He is like a refiner's fire, e.nd like fuller's Boap." Two figures e.re here employed to indicate how thorough his reformation is. The smelter's fire, whioh burns out the corrupt ingredients the.t are mixed with the gold and silver; and the fuller's soap, whose alkaline salt cleanses all polluted garments from their dirt. In Christ's reformation, everything that is wrong, that is impure, is worked out of the human soul. IV. HE IS PERSISTENT. "He shall sit as a Refiner and Purifier of silver." He is intent upon the work, and makes no slight or passing business of it. As a refiner of gold and silver sits over the burning crucible until he sees his own face reflected in the metal, so Christ will continue his work until it is fully accomplished. V. HE IS SUOOESBFUL. "He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, e.nd as in former years." He will constitute for men one day a "holy priesthood," a priesthood that will render to the Almighty offerings that are holy and acceptable to him. CoNOLUSION. Blessed be the Eternal Father for sending such a Reformer into this corrupt world, One in every way qualified for the work, One who has reformed millions now in Paradise, is still reforming thousands on this earth, and will one day work out the more.I reformation of the race. "He will not fail nor be discouraged, until he bath aetjudgment [rectitude] in the earth" (Isa. xiii. 4).-D. T. Vers. 5, 6.-The world of sinners. "And I will come near to you to judgment." From this pe.ssage we are reminded- I. THAT SINNERS EXIST IN THIS WORLD IN GBEAT VARIETY. Here are" sorcerers," "adulterers," "false swearers," and heartless oppressors. The first were very general in Judma. "There was," says Lightfoot, "hardly any people in the whole world that more used or were more fond of amulets, charms, mutterings, exorcisms, and all kinda of enchantments. The elder who was chosen to sit in the Sanhedrin was obliged to be skilled in the arts of astrologers, jugglers, and sorcerers, that he might w able to judge those who were accused of practising such arts." Perhaps we have few, if any, professional sorcerers in England; but what is e.s bad, if not worse, practical deceivers abound. Adulterers, too, and liars, and ruthless oppressors, where are they not ? Sinners exist, alas ! in a great variety of type and in a great variety of degree. "There is not a just man on earth that doeth good and sinneth not." Il, 'l'H.AT SINNERS 01!' EVERY VARIETY ABE EXPOSED TO A DIVINE JUDGMENT. "l will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift Witness." I "whom ye challenged, saying, 'Where is the God of judgment?' 'I will be a swift Witness.' I whom ye think far off, e.nd to be slow in judgment, e.m near, and will come as a ' swift Witness,' not only as a Judge, but as e.n Eye-witness; for mine eyes see every sin, though ye think I take no heed. Earthly judges need witnesses to enable them to decide aright. I alone need none. Sinaers will be awfully undeceived who flatter themselves, 'God will never see it. How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High?' (Ps. x. 11 ; lxxiii. 11 ; xciv. 7)" (Fausset). Ill. THAT SINNERS ABE PRESERVED ON ACCOUNT OF THE IMMUTABILITY 01!' Go;,, "I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." Ewald translates this verse," For I, Jehove.h, have not changed; but ye sons of Jacob, have not ye altered?" I have not altered towards you, but you have altered towards me. Because I have not changed you are preserved. I determined to continue you a distinct people on the earth, and therefore, notwithstanding all your murmurings and transgression§, you are not "consumed." God'11 immutability explains the continua.- 58 THE BOOK ·.OF MA.LA.am.- [OH, IU, 1-18,