his age a similar work to that which WllS done by Elija.h for his age would, in Scripture, be coiled on Elijah. There is no occasion whatever for ima.giniqg tha.t any miraculous reappearance of Elijah was in the mind of Malachi, or a. pa.rt of his prophetic message. The Jews overpressed ll litera.l interpretation, and to this day they earnestly pray for the coming of Elias, which, they assume, will immediately precede the appearance of Messin.h. Dean Stanley says, "Elijah was the prophet for whose return in later years his countrymen have looked with most eager hope. . . . It was a fixed belief of the Jews that he had appeared again and again, as an Ara.bia.n merchant, to wise arnl good rabbis, at their prayers or on their journeys. A seat is still placed for him to superintend the circumcision of the Jewish children. Passover after Passover the Jews of our own day placo the paschal cup on the table, and set the door wide open, believing that that is the moment when Elijah will reappear. When goods a.re found, and no owner comes; when difficulties arise, and no solution appears, the answer is, _'Put them by till Elijah comes.'" "Twice in her seBSon of decay, The fallen Ohnrch hath felt Elijah's eye, Dart from the wild its pierc10g ray, .. • The herald star, Whose torch afar Shadows and boding night-birds fly." (Keble.) Matthew Henry, in a few skilful sentences, suggests the likenesses and the contrasts of the two Elija.hs. "Elijah was a man of great austerity and mortification, zealous for God, bold in reproving sin, and active to reduce an apostate people to God and their duty. John the Baptist was animated by the same spirit and power, and preached repentance and reformation, as Elias had done; and all held him for a. prophet, as they did Elijah in his day, and that his baptism was from heaven, and not of men." Rabbi Eliezer closes a curious chapter on repentance with these words: "And Israel will not make great repentance till Elijah-hi8 memory for blessing I-come." For fair comparison of the two Elijahs, it is necessary to make careful comparison of the times to which they were sent, noticing the essential same- ness underneath the manifest differences. Rabbinism had really driven the spiritual religion of Jehovah from the land in John's days, just as the Asta.rte form of Baalism had driven the Jehove.h-worship from Israel in the days of Elije.h. The two men may be compared in relation to-- I. 'l'HEIR •PERSONS. In each case there was an arresting personal appearance, and an· unusual power of personal impression. In each case we have e. man markec'y different from surrounding men. This is noticeable in the dress, but more in the men themselves. And their mission largely lay in their personnel. Men minister for God in what they are in :figure, countenance, and impression. II. 'l'HEIR HABITS. Both were wilderness men, whose very food was a reproach of prevailing luxury. Their indifference to personal plea.sure declared their absorption in their work for God. III. THEIR MISSIONS. Both were sent to be forerunners of a coming God, in grace, to his people. Both were sent to call the people to repentance. Turning-turning the people to God, was the work or both. Both had to make the same abrupt demand. IV. 'l'HEIB sPmIT. Both were absolutely loyal to Jehovah. Both were perfectly fearless of all consequences in doing their work. Both were stem in their tone, and saw the sterner side of truth. Both were humanly weak in times of unexpected strain. V. TaEm INCOMPLETENESS. That characterizes the work of all who have preparing work to do. Neither Elijah nor John could count up results. To both life-work might seem a. failure. To Elijah, in a mood of depression, it did. But no life is incomplete that is but a piece of a whole, if, as a piece, it is complete. That is a comforting truth for the two Elijahs, and for us who now may have but pieces or work given us to do.-R. T. Vers. 5, 6.-The day of Divine manifestation. The m~rgin of the Revis,11\ Ve1oi,>n 68 THE BOOK OF MALAClil. [cH. IV, 1-6,
gives tbc rendering with, e.s preferable to to, in the clause, "And he shall turn the bee.rt of tbe fathers to t.be children," etc. Then tbe reference ie to the work e.nd influence of tbe second Elijah on all classes of society, on the hearts of both fathers and children. Keil, however, suggests e. more difficult, yet more likely, explanation of the verse, "The fathers are rather the ancestors of the Israelitish nation, the pat.riarcbs, and ~enerally the pious forefathers . . . . The sons, or children, are the degenerate descendants of Me.la.chi's own time e.nd the sncceeding ages." The Messiah is designed to be the bond of union for them all. What arrests atteution in these closing verses of the Old Testament canon is that the stern side of Messiah's mission gains exclusive prominence. That sterner side specially interested the judgment- propbets of Israel's degenerate days. And it was more particularly suitable for Malachi, becanse the very form of evil that was to hinder Messiah was becrinning in his day. Malachi saw rabbinism taking root. b
I. 'l'HE DREADFULNESS OF MESSIAH'S DAY FOR THE JEWISH NATION. All days of God, e.11 Divine manifestations, are necessarily two-sided. They are dealings with moral beings, and their results must depend on the response of the moral beings. Every day of God must be a "' savour of life unto life, or of death unto death.' What the coming of Christ was to Simeon and Anna, to the disciples, and to the Church of all the ages, we are constantly dwelling on. That is the bright and sunny side of Messie.h's mission. But we may ask-What was Messiah's coming to the officials of the Mosaic religion, and for the Jewish nation that rejected him, under the leading of those officials ? It was their last opportunity, their fine.I testing. It proved them to be beyond moral recovery. It removed the last check, and their woe c:ame. 'l.'heir house was left unto them desolate." IL THE Dl!.E.Al>FULNESS OF CmusT's DAY FOR THE SELF-WII.LED IN EVERY AGE. For Christ's test of the Jewish nation did but illustrate the test that he is, wherever and whenever he comes. Men reject him still at e. peril which they seldom recognize, There is the stem side to e. preached gospel. Christ proclaimed as Saviour makes for every man a new and overwhelming condition for the testing of the judgment- day.-R. T.