Go to now, ye rich men
All rich men are not here designed; there are some rich men who
are good men, and make a good use of their riches, and do not
abuse them, as these here are represented; and yet wicked rich
men, or those that were the openly profane, are not here intended
neither; for the apostle only writes to such who were within the
church, and not without, who were professors of religion; and
such rich men are addressed here, who, notwithstanding their
profession, were not rich towards God, but laid up treasure for
themselves, and trusted in their riches, and boasted of the
multitude of their wealth; and did not trust in God, and make use
of their substance to his glory, and the good of his interest, as
they should have done:
weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon
you;
meaning, not temporal calamities that should come upon them at
the destruction of Jerusalem, in which the rich greatly suffered
by the robbers among themselves, as well as by the Roman
soldiers; for the apostle is not writing to the Jews in Judea,
and at Jerusalem; but to the Christians of the twelve tribes
scattered in the several parts of the world, and who were not
distressed by that calamity; but eternal miseries, or the
torments of hell are intended, which, unless they repented of
their sins, would shortly, suddenly, and unavoidably come upon
them, when their present joy and laughter would be turned into
howling and weeping.