Chap. 22. An .Exp- ition upon the Book of J OB. Vert. 20, awed with a holy fear ofthat in God, which they lhall never feel fromGod. Secondly, God is fometimes a confuming fire to beo leevers; but it is only toconfarne their corruptions, or their cor- ruptiblecomforts: He willnever confumeeither their Graces or fpirituall interefis. Thefe he will not confume whatfoever hecon- fumes, But the wholeofa wicked man is as combuftible matter ' before him.There went up a finoak out ofhis noflrills, fire oat of his mouth devoured (Pfal. 18.8.) That is, God powred out wrath, which devoured them like a fire. Fire (I meane naturali fire ) isa great devourer, it bath a firong fiomacke, there's nothing but pure Gold too hard for its digeftion; but myfticall fire,the fire of divine wrath is infinitely a greater devourer. Wrath kindles many devouring fires, but wrath it felfis the molt devouring fire who can ftand before it ? whocan abide the beateand flames of it ? This is the Tophet prepared ofold for the wicked;This fire is able toconfumebranch and ruffs, the roote and top of thewicked in one day, andyet it will continue confuming them to eternity.The remnant of them the fire confumeth. Bliphaz having thus farre profecuted a defcription both of the unrighteoufnefe and of the ruine, bothof the fin and punifhment of wicked men,clofely infinuating that lob was the man concern'd in all this large Difcourfe, he, in the latter part of this Chapter, turnes his fpeech into a ferious Exhortation to move yob to re- pent, and feeke God, giving him many affurances and promifes, that (in cafe he did fo) it fbouid aot be in vaine. D d 2 0 31,; 203:
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