A learned and very usefull commentary upon the whole prophesie of Malachy by ... Mr. Richard Stock ... ; whereunto is added, An exercitation upon the same prophesie of Malachy, by Samuel Torshell.

VERS. VI.

For J am the Lord: I change not, and ye sons of Iaakob are not consumed.

FOR I am the Lord: I change not.] This some take as a reason to confirme the former judgement threatned; that as he was the Lord of hoasts able to doe all what he would, so is he in himselfe and in his decrees immutable, as he cannot change, no more can they be changed, Quod est 9. Be ye well assured of this, that as I am Lord and Jehovah, eternall and without change, so are all my judgements, and whatsoever I have spoken, that know you, they shal come to passe in their time, and not one thing shal come to the ground, howsoever they are not so speedily as you thinke execu∣ted, yet they shall, for they cannot but be accomplished.

And ye sonnes of Iaakob.] And that you are not consumed and destroyed already for these sinnes; doe not thinke me mutable or your selves without merit, that you should be spared; but this is meerely from my mercy, and love, and long suffering, I have not dealt with you according to your sinnes.

[Doctrine 1] God is immutable, and without change, both in himselfe and his nature, Jam. 1.17.

[Doctrine 2] He is immutable in his will and his decrees.

And ye sonnes of Iaakob are not consumed.] I change not, there∣fore

are you not consumed; for being in my selfe mercifull and long suffering, yea, mercy and patience it selfe, I have spared you, when you deserved long since to have beene confounded and destroyed by my judgements: and this by resemblance may we interpret out of Lam. 3.22. It is the Lords mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions faile not.

[Doctrine] That men escape destruction, and are not consumed with Gods judgements for their sinnes, it is onely the mercy and good∣nesse of God. So much is here: And that Lam. 3.22. Gen. 19.19. 2 Sam. 24.14. 2 Chron. 30.9. Therefore is that Isaiah 30.19. and 54.7.8. and Matth. 15.22. and 20.30. God hath two feet where∣by he walketh towards men, so hath he two hands whereby he handleth or dealeth with men; mercy and justice; and these are both infinite. What City upheld when an infinite hand will cast downe? nothing but an infinite hand and power.

[Reason 1] Because sinne deserving Gods anger, which anger is as God himselfe, infinite, cannot be satisfied nor appeased by any that is no more then a finite creature, or a finite thing; for this cannot ballance with that, but onely his infinite mercy with his infinite wrath. And this Lam. 3.22. his great mercies are infinite for mea∣sure and continuance. i. Such are our sinnes, that if he should deale righteously with us, we miserable wretches had beene ten thou∣sand times utterly undone, but we are preserved in the middest of our distresses. Ergo, Not from us but his infinite mercy, Isaiah 1.9. Except the Lord of hoastes had restored unto us a small remnant: we should have beene as Sodom, and should have beene like unto Go∣morrah.

[Reason 2] Because without the pardon of those sinnes the wrath cannot be avoided, nor destruction escaped, seeing God will not justifie the wicked. Now pardon of sinne is onely from the mercy of God, Luk. 1.77.78. Ps. 32.1. Al sin is against God, Ps. 51.4. Tibi soli cui soli reddenda est ratio de peccato, qui solus es sine peccato, Ruff. He onely can pardon sinne, against whom onely it is: Now he par∣doneth sinnes in mercy, and so David prayeth there for mercy; Gratiae tuae deputo & misericordiae quod peccata mea tanquaem glaci∣em solvisti: gratiae tuae deputo & quaecunque non feci mala, August. confess. 7.2. cap. 7.

[Vse 1] This will confute the doctrine of Popery, who hold by their workes and satisfactions, to have if not remission of great sinnes, yet of veniall; or if not of sinne, yet deliverance from the punish∣ment, wherein they are the flat enemies of the mercy of God, and rob him of his honour, to give it to themselves; as if finite workes and satisfactions could deliver from infinite wrath. But when they see this will not hold water, then they flye to this, that it is onely from temporall punishments, and the fire of purgatory; but first for this, that it is but a new coyned shift, I manifest from their

prayers for the dead, whereby they thought to bring them re∣mission of sinne. Breviar. secund usum Sarum in vigil. mortuorum. O God of the faithfull! the maker and redeemer of all men, give to the soules of all the faithfull deceased, remission of all their sins, that by godly prayers they may obtaine the pardon which they alwaies desired, through Christ our Lord. And againe, Lord we beseech thee, let the prayers of thy humble servants be helpfull to the soules of al the faithful deceased, that thou mayest both relieve them from all their sinnes, and make them partakers of thy re∣demption, who livest, &c. Now hence I reason, that if by their prayers they would helpe the faithfull, whom they presumed to be free from purgatory, to bring them remission of sinne, can they make us believe that they intend onely deliverance from the paines of purgatory, for such as are there, and not from the guilt of sinne, by their sacrifices and masses? Againe, it is manifestly false, that the sinne pardoned, yet the punishment should remaine; yea, it is against the justice of God, and so cannot be unlesse he can cease to be God: for the instance of David, 2 Sam. 12.13.14. and some other of Gods children whose sinne remitted the affliction remai∣ned, is not against this, because in him it was not a punishment, but a clearing of the justice of God, before the wicked, as the place sheweth, and in others they are but purgers or pre∣venters.

[Vse 2] To teach the Church and every particular, to acknowledge it to be the mercy of God, that they live and are not consumed, when they see many others are, and know themselves to have deserved the like. The Church wherein we live, and we our selves here present, have beene delivered from many and strange dangers and confusions; whom shall we ascribe this unto? shall we sacrifice to the wisedome of our state, to the valor of Marshall men, to the power of armes, to the multitude of our people, to our owne workes and worthinesse, to our profession of his truth, or practise of piety, our justice and equity, and such like? so may we provoke the Lords anger indeed to consume us. Whither else must we ascribe it, but to this? being taught every where, it is the mercy of God that we are not consumed, whose compassions failed not; and so as the Church begunne her prayer, we may our prayses, Psal. 115.1. Not unto us O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give the glory for thy loving mercy, and for thy truthes sake. For considering the height of our sinnes, the greatnesse of our iniquities and rebellions, whereto else can it be ascribed? And his mercy hath drawne him to spare us, partly for our selves, and partly for posterity, and those who shall come of us: As Saint Chrysostome, hom. 80. ad popul. Antioch. for our selves, that his mercy might draw us to repentance, and to fear him for posterity.

* 1.1 He spares oftimes the roote, that he may preserve the fruit. And heare how Terah, Abrahams father, was a worshipper of Idolls; yet in this life God punisht not his impiety; for if God had cut downe the roote, then whence had we had such great fruit of faith as in his sonne. So Esau was a fornicator and uncleane, and as much as in him lay a murtherer of father, mother, and brother, and of God hated, Mal. 1.2. Why is he not destroyed, why is he not cut downe? Truely, beloved, to tell you the cause, twas good to be so. Esau begat Raguel, he Zara, and he Iob; you see what plentifull fruit of patience had been lost, if God preventing had stricken the roote. So of us that we might leave the seede of the Church and piety behinde us. This is mercy, but the former the greater; else we have as little profit of it, as Terah and Esau. And it is to be acknowledged the speciall mercy of God, when others perish and their workes like that they escape. As Saint August. de Nat & grat. 8. c. 5. of the great salvation. Vni∣versa massa poenas debet. Qui ergò inde per gratiam liberantur non vasa meritorum suorum, sed vasa misericordiae nominantur.

[Ʋse 3] To teach men when destruction and calamity is at hand, and Gods judgements are threatned; the way how they may escape and not be confounded, is, they have Gods mercy towards them, and upon them; therefore for this must they pray and labour, their flying truely to this, will be like the City of refuge, where the avenger of blood could not slay a man-slayer: Then shall they be sure either to be kept from them, or delivered from them, kept in them or taken out of them; for when as Gods mercy doth bring remission of sinne, it must needs bring the removall or change of the punishment; either it will be good, or if it abide, the nature will be changed: for sinne taken away, that cannot conti∣nue, or not in the former nature; and a man shall be safer and more comfortable with this in divers affli∣ctions then without it, though he be never so free:* 1.2 you shal rejoyce more cheerefully and more truely with a good conscience in the midst of troubles, then with an evill in the midst of many pleasures. Now thus it is from the feeling of the mercy of God and remission of sinne.* 1.3 If you have Gods favour, despaire not though you fall into a fornace, whereas if he be angry you may not be bold in Paradice. Pa∣radice did no good to Adam sinning, and the hot for∣nace

could doe no harme to the three Children that were inno∣cent: And if they obtaine this, it shall not onely be their sanctua∣ry thus, but it shall be to them as a fountaine whence all blessings, as rivers shal rise and spring. It will be like the Philosophers stone, that will turne all mettall into gold; so this, all miseries into happy comforts: Even like the Arke brought into the house of Obed E∣dom, 2 Sam. 6.11. that brought a blessing upon the house, and al that he had: So Gods mercy brought into the heart, will be the cause that they and their house, and all that they have, shall prosper and be preserved for ever, to his glory and their eternall comfort.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Parcit fre∣quenter ra∣dici ut fru∣ctus conser∣vet, & quali∣ter audi: Te∣rah pater Abrahae, fuit Idolorum cultor, sed in hoc mundo impietatis poenas non dedit, & me∣rito. Nam si Deus praeve∣niens cadi∣cem praecidis∣set unde tan∣tus fidei fru∣ctus exortus fuisset. Sic Esau fornicator fuit & immundus, & matricida, & patricida & fratricida quantum in ipsius fuit proposito, & Deo exosus. Mal. 1.2. Quarè non perditur? quarè non exciditur? Bonum est verâ, dilectissimi, causâ dicere, si succisus fuisset maximam elcemosynae fructum & justitiae mundus amisisset, & qualem audi: Esau genuit Raguel, hic Zara, hic Iob. Vides quantus tolerantiae fructus esset perditus si praeveniens Deus à radi∣ce poenas exigisset, Chrysost. hom. 8. ad popul. Antioch.
• * 1.2

  Ve••ius ac jucundius gaude bis de bona conscientia inter molestias, quam de mala in∣ter delicias. August.
• * 1.3

  Si Deum benevolū habeas licet in furnacem cadas, ne desperes, sicut si succenseat licet in paradiso sis ne con∣fidas. Adae peccanti nihi•• profuit paradisus: pueris be∣nè agentibus nihil obfui•• fornax. Chry. ho. 4 adpo. A.