Thomas Manton · 51 of 60

A Practical Commentary, or an Exposition with Notes on the Epistle of James. · Chapter V. · Part 1

VER. 1. Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for the miseries which shall come upon you.

Before I come to the particular verses of this paragraph, it will be necessary to premise somewhat concerning the persons to whom it is to be referred; for it seemeth strange that any should be so vile under the Christian name and profession as to oppress and persecute their brethren, and that even to death; in these times of persecution, to `condemn and kill the just, and `draw them before the judgment-seats, &c. Briefly, then, though the main of the epistle concern the godly, and the principal intent be their instruction and comfort, yet he taketh occasion many times to speak to the ungodly and unconverted amongst them. The ancient holy seed was now upon the dregs, guilty of oppression, injury, and all manner of profaneness; and because these lived dispersed, and intermingled with the godly and those that were gained to the Christian faith, he taketh occasion to divert and direct his speech to them. That you may not look upon this as an uncertain conjecture, give me leave to produce my grounds and reasons.—(1.) I may argue from the inscription of the whole epistle `to the twelve tribes, promiscuously, without any express mention of their holy calling or faith, which is usual in the other apostolical epistles. (2.) From the common and civil form of salutation, χαίρειν, greeting: the apostles, writing to Christians, do solemnly wish them `grace and peace, &c. (3.) From the style, which is more rousing and pressing than usual, as intended for the awakening of secure sinners, or persons carnal. (4.) The last verses of the epistle seem to intimate that much of his scope was to convert unbelievers; see James v. 19, 20. (5.) Here he plainly speaketh to rich wicked men, though the truth is, not so much for their sakes as the sake of the godly, to encourage them to-patience. For I like Calvin's judgment well, that these six verses are not so much an admonition as a denunciation, wherein the apostle doth not so much direct them what to do, as foretell what should be done to them, that the godly might be encouraged to the more patience under their oppressions; for that the apostle inferreth plainly, ver. 7. I have been long in prefacing, but I hope you will judge it necessary, it conducing much not only to the opening of this paragraph, but of many other places in the epistle. From the whole we may learn:—

Obs. That we must not so altogether mind believers, but that we must give unbelievers their portion, terror to whom terror belongeth, as well as comfort to whom comfort. Christ's sermon chiefly aimed at the disciples, profit, but yet there are many lessons for the multitude: Mat. v. 1, 2, `Jesus, when lie saw the multitude, called his disciples, and taught them;, the disciples in the people's hearing; and so intersperseth many things that are of a general use and profit.

Go to now, ἄγε ωῦν.—The phrase we opened before; it is a kind of asciting or calling them to the throne of God's judgment.

Ye rich men, ὃι πλούσιοι—He doth not threaten rich men simply, but such as are afterwards described, carnal rich men, such as were drowned in pleasures, puffed up with pride, worldly, wicked, oppressive; and though he use the word rich, yet the threatening is appliable not only to those that abuse their wealth, but also their greatness, public place, authority, power, as to princes, judges, magistrates, and their officers. Because the apostle speaketh indefinitely, ye rich men, something is notable.

Obs. That it is hard to possess riches without sin. Riches are called `the mammon of unrighteousness, Luke xvi. 9, because they are usually possessed by wicked men, `the men of God's hand., Ps. xvii. 14; and because they are most adored and admired by wicked men; and because they are often gotten by unrighteous dealing, and hardly kept without sin. It is a hard matter to have them and not to be hindered from heaven by them, Mat. xix. 24; not to grow proud, sensual, injurious, carnal, and worldly. We see the beasts, as boars and bulls, when they are full and in good plight, grow man-keen and fierce; so do men wax insolent in the midst of their abundance. Well, then, do not covet riches so much, or please yourselves in the enjoyment of them, but look to your hearts with the more care; it is an easy matter to offend in the midst of outward fulness. A long coat .will soon be draggled and turned into a dirty rag, and a short will not cover nakedness; the mean is best. See Agur's choice, Prov. xxx. 9; when he saith, `Give me not riches, he addeth, `lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord?, There is no condition of life begetteth insolency and contempt of God so much as a luxurious fulness. But you will say, What would you have us do? throw away our estates? I answer—No; but (1.) Prize them less; when you possess them, let them not possess you. Shall I value unrighteous mammon, the portion of the men of God's hand? No; let me have `the favour of God's people, Ps. cvi. 4, 5, and cxix. 132. A man cannot know love and hatred by all that is before him. Riches are given to the good, lest they should be thought evil; to the bad, lest we should think them the only and chiefest good. (2.) Do the more good; duties recovered out of the hand of difficulty are the more commendable: `Make you friends of the unrighteous mammon, Luke xvi. 9. It is usually the matter of sin; do you make it the matter of duty. The more liable we are to sin in any estate, the more commendable every way is the duty of it. (3.) Seek God the more earnestly for grace; in a full estate you need it much. It is not simply and absolutely impossible for a rich man to go to heaven. Poor Lazarus resteth there in the bosom of rich Abraham. God can loosen the heart from the world, so as riches shall be no impediment to hinder you from heaven. Whatever difficulties we are told of in the way to heaven, they serve only to make us despair of our own strength and abilities, Mat. xix. 26.

Weep and liowl, κλαύσατε ὀλολύζοντες, weep howling. The first word is proper to the sorrow of man, or the reasonable creatures, and so it noteth the height of the calamity; it would be such as would make them `howl like wolves of the evening., Howling is a sign of great grief; nature overburdened striveth to give it vent by loud complaints. {Some observe an allusion; they that had lived after the manner of beasts, like hounds and wolves, are here bidden to howl like beasts; but this may be a strain of wit. That inquiry is most necessary and solid, whether this be spoken here by way of counsel or commination. Some think it spoken by way of counsel, as if he would have them prevent their judgments by godly sorrow.

Obs. The truth is, this is the way to escape judgments, when we mourn for them before they come. After great showers the air is clear. It is better weep and howl in a way of duty, than in a way of judgment. There will be weeping and howling hereafter, but it will be to no purpose. `Cast him into utter darkness, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth., But I rather look upon it as a threatening and denunciation of judgment, than an advice or invitation to repentance. Partly because it is usual with the prophets to utter their threatenings in an imperative and commanding form, especially when they would note the sureness of judgments, as if already come; as here, weep, howl. And the prophets do so to check their present security and jollity to whom they speak. See the 15th and 16th chapters of Isaiah, and Jer. xlviii. 36, &c. Partly because our apostle seemeth to cut off all hope from them: `For the miseries that shall come upon you, not `lest miseries shall come upon you, Partly because his main drift is to speak to the poor Christians, that they might be the more patient under the oppression of these great men, by showing that their prosperity should not always last. Observe hence:—

Obs. 1. That many that frolic away their days have more cause to weep and howl. `Go to now, &c., that is, you are merry and voluptuous, and dream of nothing but golden days, without the least thought of the miseries that are hastening upon you. After fine weather cometh a storm, and when the wind is still, the great rain falleth. They that were to go first into captivity had their merry banquets, Amos vi., the first seven verses. Well, then, learn that they are not most happy who have least trouble, but who have least cause.

Obs. 2. Again, you may observe from the pressing of the rich to howl, and his endeavour to wean them from their jollity, `Go to now, &c., that riches and outward enjoyments are a sorry ground of rejoicing. This is a joy that may end in sorrow; the rich are called to howling. When rich men are troubled, we ask what such a man should ail? The barbarous Irish ask why they mean to die? But the judgment of God and the world are contrary; `his thoughts are not as your thoughts, Isa. lv. 8. The world thinketh that none have more cause to rejoice, and God that none have more cause to mourn. Well, then, look to the ground of your rejoicing: Ps. xciv. 19, `In the midst of my sad thoughts thy comforts delight my soul., Christians should look to the rise of their contentment, and be sure their comforts be such as flow from God. What a difference is there between David and the carnal fool in the Gospel! David biddeth his soul be merry upon this ground, `God is the light of thy countenance, Ps. xlii. 5. And the fool saith, `Soul, eat, drink, and be merry., Upon what ground?—`thou hast goods laid up for many years, Luke xii. 19.

Obs. 3. Again, from that weep and howl. Nothing but woe to them, as if they were past hope and counsel, and only left to terror and threatening. He had said, Go to now before to the ambitious traffickers, James iv. 13, but he instructeth them, and only threateneth these. Rich sinners are most incurable. The reason is, prosperity begetteth security: Hosea xii. 8, `And Ephraim said, I am become rich, I have found me out substance; they shall find no iniquity in me that were sin., Because they were rich, they were not sensible of their civil crafts and subtleties. Besides, these are seldom faithfully reproved; and when they are, are most unwilling to bear a reproof; they storm at it, as if their greatness should bear them out: Jer. v. 5, `I went to the great men, but they had dissolved the bands, and wholly broken off the yoke., The meaning is, they had cast off all manner of respect and subjection to the law of God. Well, then, you that have great estates, beware of these two things—security in sin, and storming at the reproofs of sin. Salvian, in his fourth book `De Gubernatione Dei, saith that he could not speak against the. vices of great men, but one or other of them would be objecting, there he meant me, he hit me; and so storm and fret. Alas! as he replieth, it is not we speak to you, but your own consciences; we speak to the order, but conscience speaketh to the person.

For the miseries that shall come upon you, ταλαιπωρίαις ταῖς ὑπὲρχομέναις.—But what are these? Partly sore afflictions in this life, partly hell torments in the life to come; both may be understood. (1.) The temporal miseries which lighted up Jerusalem, Christ foretold them, Luke xix. 43, 44; and they came to pass about some forty years after his ascension—see Josephus, lib. vi., vii.; as also the calamities which everywhere attended the people of the Jews wherever they were scattered, especially in Alexandria, a city in which the Jews were two parts of five, yet were they ransacked, and by the command of Flaccus forced into a strait place of the city, without sustenance, food, or fresh air, where they were not able to stir one for another, and if any straggled abroad, they were knocked down and slain; many were smoked and choked to death in a fire, where they wanted fuel to burn them outright. Thirty-eight of their counsellors and rich men were sent for, dragged through the streets, scourged to death, &c. This may be intended in part. (2.) Hell torments, which are indeed miseries to come; the other are but `the beginning of sorrows, to what Dives or the rich man in the Gospel felt in the flames. See Luke xvi. 24. From all observe:—

Obs. That sore miseries and judgments shall come upon wicked rich men: `Howl, ye rich men, for the miseries, &c. Thou shalt not be miserable as a murderer or a fornicator (as Salvian glosseth), but as a rich man, because thou hast ill used thy wealth, at least not employed it for God's glory. See what a strain of threatenings there is against rich men, Luke vi. 24, 25, `Woe unto rich men, for you have received your consolation: woe unto you that are full, for you shall hunger: woe unto you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep, &c. So Isa. v. 8, `Woe to them that join house to house and field to field, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth., It is notable that in both these places words that do merely imply riches are used, though the worldly man be in tended, that placeth all his delight, love, care, confidence, and glory in his riches. To rich men much is committed; they have more opportunities and obligations to do good than others, and yet usually have least hearts, and therefore they are called to a more severe account in this world and the world to come. Sometimes in this world God reckoneth with them; in all changes rich men have the greatest proportion of calamity. The winds shake the tallest cedars most sorely. God loveth to bear down the strong oaks, Amos ii. 9. But in the world to come they come sadly to know what it is to have a portion only in this world. God will not give you a double heaven. Oh! who would for a temporal heaven adventure an eternal hell! Oh! then, if there be any worldly, wicked, rich man that heareth me this day, `Go to now, weep and mourn for the calamities that are coming upon you., You will say, We do no hurt with our wealth. Ay! but what good do you do? `Your garments are moth-eaten, and your money rusted; you are wretched and worldly, negligent in religion, careless to lay out your substance for good uses; and `to him that knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin., So also the poor may learn hence not to envy worldly pomp and glory. A little with righteousness is a greater blessing, and a pledge of more; all their great treasure bringeth but a trouble and a curse. See Ps. xxxvii. 16, `A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked., Your little may bring you more comfort than if all their store were cast into one heap, and bestowed upon you. So Prov. xv. 16, `Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure, and trouble therewith., These are principles that are only relished by men of a mortified and contented mind.

Ver. 2, 3. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped up treasure together for the last days.

Here the apostle cometh particularly to discover their sin, and the reason of God's judgment. The method is observable; he first threateneth, and then cometh particularly to convince. Note hence:—

Obs. That every solemn threatening must be accompanied with sound conviction. This headeth the arrow, and maketh it enter. Every woe must have a for, Mat. xxiii., otherwise men will not care for terrible words. Such brutish thunder becometh a Mahometan dervis, rather than a preacher of the gospel. The success of our work dependeth upon evidence, and `the demonstration of the Spirit, 1 Cor. ii. 4.

Your riches are corrupted, your garments moth-eaten, your gold and silver is cankered.—It is observable that he speaketh of all kinds of wealth. `Your riches are corrupted;, that is, corn, and wine, and oil, all things subject to corruption. `Your garments are moth-eaten;, that is, silks, clothes, linens, and all such kinds of wares. Then, by the `rust of gold and silver, he intendeth the decay of all kinds of metals. Now by these circumstances the apostle doth—(1.) Evince their sin; that they would hoard up their goods and money, and suffer them to be eaten up by moths and rust, and so to be corrupted or perish, without any profit at all, rather than lay them out for good uses, the supply of the poor, and public commodity. (2.) Up braid their folly; that they were such fools to place their confidence in that which is of so perishing and frail a nature as to be eaten out by rust and moths. (3.) The apostle may produce these circumstances as the first pledges of God's displeasure against them, and the preface and introduction of the curse upon their hoards and treasures, in that they were defaced or destroyed by moths, wet, or rust. Out of the whole, observe:—

Obs. 1. That sordid sparing is a sure sign of a worldly heart. Covetousness is all for keeping; as the fool in the Gospel talked of `laying up in his barns, Luke xii. 18. Those that are enamoured, will not part with their pictures of desire, and let their darling go out of sight; that which God would have communicated and laid out, they are all for keeping and laying it up. God gave us wealth, not that we should be hoarders, but dispensers. The noblest act of the creature is communication to others, necessities; but a covetous man doth not dispense to his own; a spiteful envy keepeth him from the supply of others, and a carnal esteem from sparing to himself. Seneca calleth covetous men chests. We think them men, and they are but coffers; who would envy a trunk well stored? Well, then, beware of `withholding more than is meet, Prov. xi. 24, of a delight in hoarding; it is a sure note that the world has too much of your heart.

Obs. 2. Keeping things from public use till they be corrupted or spoiled is sordid sparing. When you lay them not out upon God, or others, or yourself, you are justly culpable. The word for money is χρῆμα, which signifieth use; you abuse it when you make it κτῆμα, a possession; then you were as good have so many stones as so many treasures. It is against the ordination of God and the common good of human societies. Scourge your souls with remorse for this baseness. Your meat putrifieth when many a hungry belly wanteth it; your clothes are eaten of moths, which would cover the nakedness of many a poor soul in the world; your money rusteth, which should be laid out for public defence. The inhabitants of Constantinople would afford no money to the Emperor Constantinus Palaeologus when he begged from door to door for a supply for the soldiers; but what was the issue? the barbarous enemy won the city and got all. The like story there is of Musteatzem, the covetous caliph of Babylon, who was such an idolater of his wealth and treasures that he would not dispend anything for the necessary defence of his city, whereupon it was taken, and the caliph famished to death, and his mouth, by Haalon, the Tartarian conqueror, filled with melted gold.

Obs. 3. Covetousness bringeth God's curse upon our estates. He sendeth corruption, and the rust, and the moth. There is nothing gotten by rapine or tenacity, by greedy getting, or close withholding. Not by greedy getting; when men will snatch an estate out of the hands of providence, no wonder if God snatch it away again; ill gains are equivalent to losses: Micah vi. 10, `Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked?, that is, have they them still? Not by undue withholding; it draweth man's curse and God's too upon us: see Prov. xi. 26, `He that withholdeth corn, the poor shall curse him; but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it., God can easily corrupt that which we will not bestow, and cause a worm to breed in manna. Certainly there is a `withholding that tendeth to poverty, Prov. xi. 24. Well, then, learn the meaning of that gospel riddle, that he that will save must lose, and the best way of bringing in is laying out.

Obs. 4. There is corruption and decay upon the face of all created glory. Riches corrupted, garments moth-eaten, gold and silver cankered. It is madness to set up our rest in perishing things: Prov. xxiii. 5, `Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?, It is not only against grace, but reason; confidence should have a sure and stable ground. Well, then, take Christ's advice, Mat, vi. 19, 20, `Lay not up treasures upon earth, where moth and rust do corrupt, &c. We are apt to seek treasures here, but the moth and the rust checketh our vanity: these are like treasures of snow, that melt in our fingers. So Luke xii. 33, `Provide yourselves bags that wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, or moth corrupteth., A man should look after a happiness that will last as long as his soul lasteth. Why should we, that have souls that will not perish, look after things that perish in the using? These things pass away, and the lust of them also, 1 John ii. 17. Time will come, when the world will not relish with us; when we are about to leave the world, then we complain how it hath abused us.

Obs. 5. From the diversity of the terms, moth, corruption, canker, note that God hath several ways wherewith to blast our carnal comforts. Sometimes by the moth, sometimes by the thief, by rust or robbery; they may either rot, or be taken from us. Well, then, let the greater awe be impressed upon your thoughts. Usually we look no further than the present likelihoods. Sometimes God can arm the fire, sometimes a great wind, and anon the Sabeans: Job hath messenger upon messenger, chap. i. There is nothing keepeth the heart so loose from earthly comforts as the consideration of the several ways they may be taken from us: this evinceth our near dependence upon God, and the absolute dominion of providence.

And the rust of them shall be a witness against you.—It is usual in scripture to ascribe a testimony to things inanimate against the unthankful and wicked. As to the gospel: Mat. xxiv. 14, `For a witness to them., The preaching of the word will be a witness that men had warning enough. So to the dust of the apostles, feet: Mark vi. 11, `Shake off the dust of your feet for a testimony against them;, that is, it shall be clear that you are free of their blood; if there be no other witnesses, this dust shall witness it So to the rust here, it shall be a witness; that is, for the present it is an argument of conviction that you had enough, though you would not lay it out; and here after it shall be brought by the supreme judge as a circumstantial evidence for your condemnation. Your own consciences, remembering the moth and the rust, shall bring to remembrance your covetous hoarding. Note hence:—

Obs. That in the day of judgment the least circumstances of our sinful actions shall be brought forth as arguments of conviction. God cannot want witnesses; the rusty iron, the cankered silver, the moth-eaten clothes shall be produced; that is, by the recognition of our consciences. So see Hab. ii. 11, `The stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it;, that is, the materials of the house built up by oppression shall come as joint witnesses. The stones of the wall shall cry, Lord, we were built up by rapine and violence; and the beam shall answer, True, Lord; even so it is. The stones shall cry, Vengeance, Lord, upon our ungodly owner; and the beam shall answer, Woe to him, because he built his house with blood. The circumstances of sin are as so many memorials to put us in mind of guilt, and to put God in mind of vengeance. Well, then, think of these things for the present; this rust may be produced against me, this pile of building, these musty clothes in the wardrobe. Conscience is a shrewd remembrancer; it writeth when it doth not speak. Many times for the present it is silent, and seemeth to take no notice of those circumstances of guilt; but they are all registered, and produced at the last day; the very filth of thy fingers in telling money will be an evidence that thou hast defiled thy soul with the love of it. And shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Some interpret this of those anxious and `piercing cares, 1 Tim. vi. 9, wherewith covetous men cumber their lives, and eat out the vigour of their own spirits; but with little probability. They come much nearer to the scope of the apostle who interpret this `eating as fire, of the means and cause of their ruin. It is usual in scripture to compare the wrath of God to fire, whether expressed by temporal judgments or eternal torments. See Ps. xxi. 9; Isa. xxx. 27, and xxxiii. 11, `Your breath as fire shall devour you;, so Mark ix. 44, `Their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched., Now the effects of wrath are also ascribed to the meritorious cause of it; for what wrath is said to do, that sin is said to do; as in the places cited, and here, the rust shall eat as fire; that is, shall hasten the wrath of God, which shall burn as fire, either in your temporal or eternal ruin. Possibly here may be some latent allusion to the manner of Jerusalem's ruin, in which many thousands perished by fire, which was a pledge of the general judgment. Observe hence:—

Obs. 1. That the matter of our sin shall in hell become the matter of our punishment. The rust of hoarded treasures is not only witness, but executioner. As it hath eaten out the silver, so it shall eat your flesh, and gnaw upon your consciences. When you are burning in hell flames, reflections upon the rust will be sad and horrible. The vexation and anger at your past folly will heighten your present sufferings. Conscience and a sense of the wrath of God are a great part of that fire which burneth souls; and the outward pains are much in creased by remembering the past circumstances of sin; the revenging image and representation of them always runneth in the thoughts, and their flesh is eaten, but not consumed. Oh! consider of it; the rust that eateth out the money is but a pledge of those devouring torments. It will be sad to think hereafter that so much money as you hoarded up, so much fire you kept in your chests to your own eternal ruin. It is a part of heaven's happiness to `know as we are known;, that is, to look back upon the circumstances of our past lives, and to see what we were enabled to do by the care and help of grace. And so it is a part of hell's torment to review the passages of a sinful life, and with horror and a despairing remorse to look back upon the known evidences and circumstances of their own guilt. Their present delights prove their future torments.

Obs. 2. Observe, again, the misery of covetousness here and here after. Now it burneth the soul with desires and cares, and hereafter with despair and remorse of conscience. Here pierced with thorns, and there scorched with fires. Oh! what a hard service have these drudges of Satan! Care for the present, and horror hereafter! They labour and toil, and all that they may go to hell with just nothing. What do you gain by Satan? Every sinner is first taken in his snares, and then bound in chains of darkness; but you, above all others, be gin your hell by eating out all your quiet with carking care, that you may eternally undo your souls with the more pains.

Ye have heaped treasure for the last days.—This clause hath under gone several constructions. Some by `the last days, understand the latter part of their lives, as if the apostle in this expression did tax that carnal distrust whereby covetous men think they shall never have enough to suffice their needy old age. Such kind of men are always distrustful of future events, and carking for the morrow: what shall become of them and their children, and how they shall live when they are old—a sinful anxiety, however veiled under the appearance of necessity. God gave the Israelites manna but for one day, and our Lord taught us to pray for `daily bread., Every day's trouble is ordained by God for our exercise, and is enough to take up our thoughts. We do but anticipate our cares, and create a needless distraction to ourselves, by carking for the last days; and yet usually this disposition increaseth with age, and the older men grow, the more solicitous about worldly provisions. Thus some explain the apostle, but with little reason; for it is not a description, but a threatening; and the apostle is not now intimating their disposition, but their judgment and ruin. Others expound the clause of treasuring and storing up wrath against the day of judgment, as the apostle Paul useth such another phrase, Rom. ii. 5. Calvin inclineth to this sense, because of the former expression, `shall eat your flesh as fire., And, indeed, some translations (as the Syriac and Arabic) read that clause `as fire `with this last sentence, `You have treasured up riches as it were fire for the last days;, that is, as Diodati expoundeth it, whereas you thought to lay up treasures for time to come, you shall in effect find that you have laid up God's wrath. I confess this is probable, because of the particular allusion to their hoarding, and because of the known resemblance between wrath `and a treasure. It is long a-gathering, but every day the sum increaseth; and the longer it is ere it be opened, the greater the heap. As Jehoiada's chest, which was not to be opened till the sum was considerable, so it is here. God's wrath increaseth by degrees, the slower always the more sharp in the issue, so that it is some kind of mercy to meet with a sudden punishment, and to have our worldly practices checked with an early disappointment, lest wrath grow r with our estates, and we do not treasure up money so much as judgments, which will be a sad gain when the chest of God's patience is broken open. See Job xxvii. 8, and Prov. xi. 4. It were far better to scatter than to increase such a heap, as those that fly in battle scatter their wealth that they may not be pursued. God gave us riches as a means to escape wrath, by a liberal and charitable distribution of them to his own glory. Certainly we should not use them as a means to treasure up wrath. Thus you see the words may be fitly accommodated with this sense. But I rather prefer a third, because there is no cogent reason why we should take this ἐθησαυρίσατε, `ye have heaped treasures, in a metaphorical sense, especially since, with good leave from the context, scope of the apostle, and the state of those times, the literal may be retained. I should therefore simply understand the words as an intimation of their approaching judgments; and so the apostle seemeth to me to tax their vanity in hoarding and heaping up wealth, when those scattering and fatal days to the Jewish commonwealth were even ready to overtake them. All that treasure which, with such wrong to others, hazard of their own contentment, and violation of their consciences, they had heaped up together, was but heaped up for the spoiler and the violence of the last days. From whence we may observe:—