Malachi 3:14 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Ye; ye that are the children of forefathers who had this good land given to them, and ever made fruitful while they feared and obeyed their God; you that have been well rewarded for your obedience, or you priests who have tithes, sacrifices, offerings, and first-fruits given you for your services. Have said; have thought first, and next have discoursed it; unthankful to your God, you have atheistlike maintained it in disputes, that it is vain to serve God; all is lost labour, no profit to God nor any to yourselves; therefore better sit still and do nothing, than to no purpose. What profit is it that we have kept his ordinance? while what they have before their eyes is the fruit of God's goodness, and what they want is punishment of their not doing it better; whilst a very unsuitable observing the ordinances of God hath so much profit for you, dare you say there is no profit? Sottish atheists ! who will not try what a more agreeable service would do. And that we have walked mournfully: so the hypocrites and ungodly object against God, Isaiah 58:3; yet their dissembled mournings, as Ahab s, had their reward, and infinitely better than they Ye; ye that are the children of forefathers who had this good land given to them, and ever made fruitful while they feared and obeyed their God; you that have been well rewarded for your obedience, or you priests who have tithes, sacrifices, offerings, and first-fruits given you for your services. Have said; have thought first, and next have discoursed it; unthankful to your God, you have atheistlike maintained it in disputes, that it is vain to serve God; all is lost labour, no profit to God nor any to yourselves; therefore better sit still and do nothing, than to no purpose. What profit is it that we have kept his ordinance? while what they have before their eyes is the fruit of God's goodness, and what they want is punishment of their not doing it better; whilst a very unsuitable observing the ordinances of God hath so much profit for you, dare you say there is no profit? Sottish atheists ! who will not try what a more agreeable service would do. And that we have walked mournfully: so the hypocrites and ungodly object against God, Isaiah 58:3; yet their dissembled mournings, as Ahab s, had their reward, and infinitely better than they