THE HUE and CRY OF CONSCIENCE AFTER Secure Sinners; OR THE ALARM of CONSCIENCE In order to the Discovery of HIDDEN GILD  
The Heaven shall reveal his Iniquity, and the Earth shall rise up against him.  Job 20.27 
Thou hast set our Iniquities before thee, our secret Sins in the light of thy Countenance  Psal. 90.8. 
By JOHN RYTHER Minister of the Gospel.  
LONDON, Printed by J. D. for john White, at the Three Bibles in the Minories, 1680.   

TO THE Serious and Impartial READER.  
THe present Day cannot but be looked upon to be an evil Day, (even by those who have but their Eyes half opened.) That which makes a Day evil, is the Sin of the Day; which brings on the dangers of the Day, and God's threaten to cause our Sun to go down at Noon, and to darken the earth in the clear Day. And I will turn your Feasts into Mourning, and all your Songs into Lamentations; and I will bring up Sackcloth upon all Loins, and Baldness upon every Head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only Son, and the end thereof as a bitter Day. Now when the evils of our Sins abound among us, and the evils of God's Threaten impend over us, it is a seasonable time to contribute to a check of the one, and to a preventing of the other; which must be by some awakening, or searching Calls and Cries to sleepy and drowsy Consciences, which is the sole Design of this small Treatise.  
Three sorts of Readers it is like to fall into the Hands of.  
1. Of awakened or it may be startled Consciences, but half awakened. Or,  
2. Into the hands of such who are sprinkled from an evil Conscience. Or,  
3. Into the hands of such whose Consciences are seared.  
Now for the first of these, I would offer some things to serious Consideration. 1. Whatever thou findest here to concern thee, do not put it off: Know, is a renewed Call of God to thee, and say, as in that case, Lo this we have searched, 
Job 5.27.  so it is, hear it, and know it for thy good: [Or as it is in the Hebrew] for thyself. Know it to a practical and profitable improvement of it. Dost thou know what thou mayst find in following the Search? Hadst not thou better search Truth, to set thee upon a diligent search for Gild, that hath laid long hid, than let God find it out to thy shame, sorrow, and confusion of Face? O, be not thou troubled that thy Conscience is startled, and gins to fly in thy Face! Know now, it is a Call of Christ, 
Ephes 5.14.  saying, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the Dead, and Christ shall give thee Light. Little do Sinners know the danger of putting off Christ's renewed Calls.  
2. Carry what concerns thee in this Treatise, to God in Prayer: Conviction looks well, when it puts upon Supplication. O, this is the great Reason, why so many awakenings by the Ministry of the Word, or by Providential Dispensations, die and come to nothing, because they are not prayed over. O, how hard is it to bring guilty obstinate Sinners upon their Knees! We find when Ephraim bemoaned himself, and lay under Conviction, he then presently fell on praying: 
Jer. 31.18.  Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord, my God. O Sinners! know that such Convictions as are not attended with Prayer, will but prove aggravations of your Sin and Gild another day. As soon as ever God had wrought throughly upon Paul, it was said Behold, he prayeth. Prayer is the first breath of the new Creature.  
3. What concerns thee here, consider it well, weigh it in the balance of the Sanctuary, prove whether it be according to the standard of the Sanctuary. Poor Souls hear much, and it may be read much, but this mars all, they consider little: Now it is the considerate Reader that is the profitable Reader. Consider what thou readest, 
2 Tim. 2.7.  and the Lord give thee understanding.  
1. Consider the Word thou hearest, and thou readest, shall judge thee at the last Day: All thou hast heard, all thou hast read, shall come in as witness against thee; And canst thou stand before such a Testimony?  
2. Consider thy own Conscience in that Day will be a thousand witnesses: And canst thou then lift up thy Head when the Books shall be opened, 
Rev. 20.12.  and amongst the rest, this sealed Book of thy own guilty Conscience? where thy Iniquity that hath been sewed up, shall be brought to light; 
Job 14.1.  and thy Transgression that hath been sealed up in a Bag, shall be openly detected and discovered.  
3. Consider the Day is bastening upon thee, that the iniquities of thy heels shall compass thee about. 
Psal. 19.5.  O how wilt thou, poor Sinner, be entangled and perplexed with thy Sin and Gild! Some understand by Heel, the last part of a Man's life towards his Death; And doth not such a day hasten upon you? O what work will Gild make in the Conscience in a day of Distress! consider by Joseph's Brethren.  
4. Consider how thy Conscience consents as thou readest. Is not this true, says Conscience? Hast not thou found and felt it so, says Conscience? Is not thy Conscience put to silence as thou readest? Consider that the Truths are commended to thy Conscience.  
5. Consider how sad it would be for all thy awakenings, all thy touches, all thy impressions, all thy Convictions to be lost at last. O Sinners, how will such be condemned out of their own Mouths! Can these be lost, and your Souls saved? of all your losses you may reckon these among your great est losses.  
4. What concerns thee here, remark, and remember; you may read much, and remark little, and this mars all you read: this remarking is Conscience taking Notes, and making Animadversions upon Truths. You do not bring your Consciences to read Books: say as you read, O my Conscience, mark this! this nearly concerns thee! You know Men mark and observe what concerns them.  
The second sort of Readers this little Tract may fall into their Hands, are such who are sprinkled from an evil Conscience, upon whose Door-posts the Blood of the Paschal Lamb is sprinkled; who with Paul, daily exercise themselves in all good Conscience, both towards God and Man.  
1. O do you read, and bless God that you have to all Challenges and Questions, the answer of a good Conscience; that you can silence all your Objections and Accusations by Faith in the Blood of Christ; and can sing that triumphant Song even in your Militant State, 
Rom. 8.33.  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect? etc. Can every one say so? can every Professon say so? can every Child of God say so? Are there not many that have been a long time learning to sing this Song, and have not learned it to this day?  
2. Let this be your care to preserve the tenderness of your Consciences. You may by guilt (Sirs) benumb your Consciences, as you find by what you here read: A smiting checking Conscience is a very great Mercy, though little prized, or esteemed by the most.  
3. Remember how bitter Sin was to you, before you came to know what peace of Conscience meant, how many a bitter Tear it fetched from your Eyes? how many deep and bitter sighs from your Hearts? yea, even to the breaking of your Loins? O what Gall and Wormwood was it to your Souls! How often did you say, will it not be bitterness in the latter end? How often did you take up that Language to your own Souls, This is thy way and thy do? because it is bitter, it reaches to thy Heart, etc. But yet as you read, do you remember how sweetly all this ended, in God's speaking peace to your Souls, and you no more turning to Folly.  
4. Tremble to think of losing the Peace that God hath spoken to your Consciences, under sense of Gild, when you meet with that guilt which concerns you. O, let the loss of your peace be like Hell to your Souls! O, blot not that Pardon your Redeemer hath written so legibly in his own Blood! Blurring off your Pardon may cost you dear.  
5. Be afraid of the least Gild, the least Sin, because it is Sin. When Satan cannot prevail with you to venture upon greater Sins, than he will tempt to lesser Sins: But know you not that the least Sin is Soul. defiling, yea, the least Sin is Soul damning, unless the Blood of Christ sprinkle your Consciences? How have many Souls groaned under the guilt of such Sins for many Years, when God hath set them home upon your Consciences?  
The third sort of Readers, into whose hands this little piece may fall, are such whose Consciences are seared (such the Apostle mentions) these are in sensible, 
1 Tim. 4.2.  Truths make no impression upon them, 
Ephes. 4.19.  they are be numbed: The Apostle expresses it, by being past feeling. And when they are arrived at such an height of Sin, what do such do? The Text tells you, They commit all Uncleanness with greediness. Now to such I would say,  
1. The day is coming, thy seared and insensible Conscience shall condemn, and rise up in judgement against thee. And, O, than who can stand before the witness of an awakened Conscience! You may as well think to dwell with everlasting Burn, and tormenting Flames, as avoid or evade the Testimony of a tormented and awakened Conscience. Nay, know that sometimes this Hell hath begun here. Will not Cain tell you, while he cries out, My punishment is greater than I can bear, No torment like the torment of a guilty Conscience? Nay, ask Adam, and he will tell you when he was afraid, and hid himself from the presence of God. O, Gild, you know, cannot endure the presence of the Judge. O, doth not Pashur's case speak forth this truth! What a terror to himself was he? Did not Judas preach this Doctrine when he cried out, I have finned in betraying innocent Blood. Nero, that Monster, when he had killed his Mother Agrippina, and his Wife, and set Rome on fire; after all this Gild, at last felt an Hell in his Conscience, and could not rest Day nor Night; so that when he died, he cried out, his Mother, Wife, and Father, all willed him to die. Richard the 3d, O what a guilty tormenting Conscience had he after the Murder of his Nephews in the Tower? and the Night before he was slain at Bosworth, he dreamt he thought all the Devils in Hell were haling him in most hideous and ugly Shapes. What says Judge Morgan to this case, after he had unrighteously passed Sentence upon the Lady Jane, afterwards feeling an Hell in his Conscience, cried out, O, take away the Lady Jane, take away the Lady Jane! Which made one say, 
The Gild which from unseen Pollution springs,  
Pale sweeting Horror in the Bosom brings.   
2. What though your Consciences, be seared upon the account of your Gild being undiscovered; Yet know, God many times hath found out Gild, in an extraordinary way. Providence treads not always the same Paths in discovering hidden Gild, 
Eccles. 10. ult.  he can cause a Bird of the Air to carry the Voice, and that which hath Wings to tell the matter. He can reveal In quity from Heaven. The Heavens shall reveal his Iniquity, 
Job 20.7.  and the Earth shall rise up against him. One of our 
* Lord St. John.  Judges riding his Circuit of late Years, met with this Passage: One being Murdered, and the Murderer not being discovered, the Murderer being brought to the dead Corpse, the Corpse opened his Eyes at the Murderer, and fell into a Sweat. This the Judge related to a godly Minister then living. History is full of such Providential bringing hidden Gild to light.  
3. Know, poor Sinners, while your Consciences are seared, you are Satan's marked Slaves. In Ancient Times they used to mark their Slaves; and the Holy Ghost alludes to it, when we read of the Mark of the Beast in the Forehead, or in the Hand. This Searing-Iron puts Satan's Brand upon you, you are his. And, O poor Sinners, did you but, as you read this, believe it, what restless Days and Nights would you have, until you had some hopes of your escape from this House of Bondage? Can you be content to live and die in the Devil's Drudgery? Can you be content to be his bored and marked Slaves, his Servants for ever? Then you must have the Wages of such Servants, and such a Service. The Wages of Sin is Death. Death Spiritual, Death Eternal.  
4. Know, poor Sinners, there is not so much as one seared Conscience in Hell; they are sadly awakened that are awakened with Hell's flames about their Ears. If you could hear the Cries and Shrieks of tormented Souls, you would say Hell is full of sense of Gild. But alas, now it is too late, than Repentance is too late. They are all saying, This and this hath their own Ways and Do procured unto them. O, it is bitter! O, it reaches to their Heart! But, O Sinners, this should have been sooner!  
5. Know, poor Sinners, what you read here, if you go on in Sin, you will feel another day for an aggravation of Sin, yea, and Condemnation too. What, read what may prevent your Ruin, and yet run on! What, split your Souls upon these Rocks and Sands, you saw such Sea-marks before to keep you off? O, is not this to be wilful in your Perdition? Is not this to run headlong to Destruction? O Sinners, hear God calling out of Heaven to you by his Servants Preaching to you, Printing for you, why will you die? why will you perish? why will you run on in Sin, when you know that when Lust hath conceived, it brings forth Sin, 
Jam. 1.15.  and Sin when it is finished, bringeth forth Death. O then, poor Soul, Reade, and Hear, and Pray, that thou may'st prosit by all, bless God for all, and bring forth the Fruits of all.  
Thus prays thy Servant for thy Soul, J. R.   
Gen. 42.21. 
And they said one unto another, Verily we are guilty concerning our Brother, in that we saw the anguish of his Soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear: therefore this distress is come upon us.  
THe Text refers to the Tragical story of joseph's sale by his Brethren. The occasion of which severity towards him, you have mentioned, (viz.) Their envy to him upon the account of the Dream he had of his Advancement and Preferment above them. And likewise their way they took to prevent the accomplishment of his Dream, (viz.) Their selling of him, though this was the way to bring it to pass: Therefore (says he) it was not you, but God that sent me hither.— It is to be observed, that the Ways and Methods God takes many times to bring to pass his Designs, are strange and improbable to us. This was a most unlikely way in an Eye of Reason to Joseph's advancement, yet it was God's way.  
When Joseph was advanced, the Lord brings a Famine upon Canaan, the Land of his Father and Brethren, and they came now down to Egypt to buy Corn; and little did they know it was their sold Brother Joseph that they bowed to for Bread, according to his Dream, in the bowing of the Sheaves. God now brings Affliction upon them, and Joseph he deals roughly with them, by way of Probation and Temptation, and now they find themselves bryered, and plunged into a pit of Distress. They all jointly reflect upon themselves, to search and make a discovery of the Matter, as the Text tells us.  
In which we have 1. Their Reflection.  
2. We have the Occasion of it.  
1. We have their Selfreflection and Accusation: And they said one to another, We are verily guilty, etc. (As one says well upon it). We have here the force of Conscience, and the fruits of Affliction. Conscience calling old Sins to a new Reckoning; faithful in Recording, and fearful in Accusing.  
2. We have the occasion of it. Joseph handling them severely, and putting them in Ward three days, and binding them to the terms of bringing down their younger Brother: which they knew were hard Terms, because their Father's Life was bound up in him.  
3. We have farther in the Text, their Justification of God in all this: Therefore this Distress is come upon us.— O now the Lord hath found us out, and is reckoning with us for our guilt, and all his Procedures with us are very Righteous, in what he suffers to come upon us.  
The Reflection is that part of the Text, I principally aim at.  
I. We have the Reflection itself: In that we saw the Anguish of his Soul, when he besought us. O now Conscience is busy and active! O now their Gild lies uppermost, and they presently reflect upon it.— As if they should say, O what hard Hearts had we to him in his distress! O what bloody cruel Brethren were we to him! What Wretches were we to sin against the Law of Nature, against the Law of God, against our own Consciences! Here is an Asseveration in the Accusation, Verily we are guilty; and it hath a Verily written upon the head of it. They no ways hesitate, or doubt in the left about it.  
2. Here is in the Reflection, or Accusation, the aggravation of their Gild. 1. In that it was to their own Brother; and now this they reflect upon.— We are guilty concerning our Brother. It was their own Brother, and so a piece of Unnatural Gild for one Brother to do thus by another. It is not only Gild, but circumstances of Gild, that will fly in the faces of our Consciences in a day of Distress.  
II. Aggravation in it was, that their Eyes did not affect their hearts. We saw the anguish of his Soul. O! now it rises in their Consciences.  
3. Aggravation of Gild in their Reflection: He besought us. His cries and prayers should have pitied and melted their Hearts.  
4. Aggravation, We would not hear. They turned a deaf Ear to their Brother's cries. O! now all this comes fresh to their Minds, in the day of their Distress.  
5. Aggravation. It was a deliberate consulted Case. Come let us kill him. It was an advised Act.  
III. As we have the Reflection itself, and the Aggravations of it; So also we have observable, that it was by joint consent. This Reflecting, it was not one or two of them, but They said one unto another. It was a joint confession (Nemine contradicente) they differed not in the case, their Sentiments were the same; therefore they jointly conclude, that they were all Guilty concerning their Brother.  
iv The occasion of this joint Reflection, and Accusation, was their distress; Therefore is this distress come upon us.  
The whole of the Text resolves into these two Practical Truths.  
First, That Gild will walk in Sinners Consciences a great while after the Fact committed.  
Secondly, That in a Day of Affliction, Conscience is often quick and active in its Reflections. Thus it was with them; Therefore is this Distress come upon us.  
1. Gild will walk in the Consciences of Sinners a great while after the Fact committed.  
This is plain from the Text. Joseph had been a great while sold by his Brethren. Joseph did certainly spend many Years in Potiphar's House. Some say ten Years, some say eleven Years, before he was cast into Prison. It is true, it is said (Chap. 39.7.) after these things, his Master's Wife cast her Eyes upon Joseph.— (It is thought by some Expositors, it is a mistake to read it) After these things. The Latin Translation reads it, After many days. It must be reckoned thus, He was 17 years of Age when he was sold, Gen. 37.2. And, He was 30 years of Age when he expounded Pharaoh 's Dream, and was delivered by him. So that that time was 13 Years [or 14, as you reckon the 17th Year when he was sold either begun or ended] Gen. 41.46. During which time it is supposed he spent 10 or 11 in the House of Potiphar, and 3 in the Prison. Now to these 13 Years, from the time of his Sale, to the time of his Advancement by Pharaoh, you must add the 7 Years of Plenty that was in the Land of Egypt before the Famine began, (the time when his Brethren came to him for Corn, and when he dealt thus with them, (as in the Story) and this distress was upon them, mentioned in the Text.) So that the whole, from the Sale to this time, was 20, or 21 
* As Dr. Lightfoot, and others,  Years, (if you reckon the 17th Year of his Age but to be begun when he was Sold, and the time of this their Distress, to be the first year of the Famine) and 22, 
* As Mr. Burroughs and others.  if the first year of Famine was expired (as some think) so that it was now 20 Years at the least, or 22 at the most, that this Gild had slept in their Consciences, and now God awakens it.  
Gild now rises and walks in their Consciences after so many Years being forgotten. As we say of Murder, It will out; so we may say of other Sins, They will out. That is a great Text: When the two Tribes and an half were to take up their Habitations on the other side Jordan: Moses preaches a very home Sermen to them, counselling them so and so, and concludes: But if you will not do so, 
Numb. 32.23.  behold, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your Sin will find you out. A Metaphor (Expositors say) taken from a Bloodhound, that follows the Thief by scent, and discovers him. Ah, Sinners, Gild is a Bloodhound that will pursue you, and in time make a discovery of your Sins. 
Psal. 40.12.  Mine iniquities (says David) take hold upon me, that I cannot look up; as a Bloodhound lays hold upon the Thief, which hath stolen the Goods, or as an Hue and Cry follows the Malefactor, and apprehends him, upon which he confesses the Fact. It was said to Gain, If thou dost well, shalt not thou be accepted? But if thou dost ill, Sin lieth at thy Door;— Lurks as a Bloodhound, ready to fly upon the guilty Thief, as soon as he appears; and many times it lies there a long time together. Gild lay at David's Door three quarters of a Year. Considering David was a good Man, considering his Fact to be so deliberate as it was, it was a long time for such an heinous piece of Gild to sleep in his Conscience, whose Heart was once so tender, that it smote him for the cutting off of Saul's Garment, his implacable Enemy. Conscience may reckon with poor Souls after a long time: Christ may reckon with Souls many Years after. It is said, After a long time, 
Mat. 25.19.  the Lord of the Servants reckoned with them. Long forbearance; as we say, is no forgiveness.  
So Conscience may reckon with a Sinner, and God may reckon with a Sinner after a long time. It is true, God may keep silence, but yet (says he) I will reprove thee, and set thy sins in order before thee. 
Psal. 50.21.  (viz.) Thy Gild shall come out, I will discover all.  
But before we proceed further, I shall premise these things:  
1. Gild may be hid from the World a long time, it may lie incognito a long time; the shame of many a Persons nakedness may not appear for many a Year. Who can accuse them? Many Murders have lain hid a long time together, that God hath brought to light afterwards. Hidden works of Darkness have been concealed long, as here Gild for many years lay dormant. It is said at Paris, There was a young Woman Brained with a Hammer: A Smith from whom the Hammer was stolen was suspected, and tortured till he was Lame. But twenty Years after the Murderer was Arraigned, and Condemned for another Offence, and confessed this Murder. Twenty years' Gild was here hid. Many Instances might be given in our own Country, but I forbear.  
2. Gild may be hid from Conscience a long time. Conscience may be silent, stupid, and insensible a great while together. So was David: So were these Brethren of Joseph's, several Years. This is evident, until either God by his Word, or Rod, awaken Conscience, and then it preaches cuttingly to the Soul of a guilty Sinner: Didst not thou play the Wretch at such a time? and was Drunk at such a time? And didst not thou commit Filthiness at such a time? O! Conscience is a most faithful Recorder. Thy Sins may lie and lurk a great while in secret, yet they will speak out one Day.  
3. Some men's Sins are not discovered, until the Revelation of the Great Day: 
1 Tim. 5.24.  Some men's Sins go before hand to Judgement, and some follow after. The Hypocrisy of the foolish Virgins was not discovered until Christ came. 
1 Cor. 4 5.  We read of the hidden things of Darkness, then being made manifest: Then are the secrets of Hearts judged. 
Rom. 2.16.   
4. God, when he hath a design of Pardoning-Grace and Mercy upon a poor guilty Sinner, he will discover his Gild. 1. Sometimes to the World to shame him, in order to humble him. And O poor Sinner! hadst not thou better be shamed here in order to be humbled, than damned hereafter. Ah! many Sinners had gone on in Sin to the far end, (it may be as far as Hell) if God had not found them out and shamed them. 2. He always when he hath a design of Pardoning-Grace and Mercy, discovers hidden Gild to the Soul itself; he searches for it, and finds it out: For the Lord sets before us even our secret sins. Thus now he set the Consciences of Joseph's Brethren at work.  
Now our Work will be to inquire into the grounds to evince this truth: That Sin and Gild often walk in the Consciences of Sinners, long after the Fact is committed. 
2 Rim. 4.2.  1. Because when the Fact is committed, the Conscience is seared. We read of seared Consciences, a Metaphor taken from that part which is Cauterised by an hot Iron, and so made brawny and insensible. Alas poor Sinner! it may be Satan's Searing-Iron hath cauterised thy Conscience, 
Ephes. 4.16.  that at present it is past feeling (as we read of some) and then the Sinner goes on merrily; questions nothing, all is well with him, he is fast sleep, like Jonah, with all ●s Gild upon him. But now ●●e Day comes, that God hath design of Grace, it may be upon him, or however a design of Glorifying himself; and now he finds out a way ● awaken Conscience, to set ●●s Gild before it: I will set by Sins in order before thee. 
Psal. 50.21.  and now the Conscience be●ins to be tender, and relent, and confess Sin, and say as they in the Text: Verily, we are guilty concerning our Brother. O! now Sin gins to heigh heavy upon the Soul, and the Sinner gins to be restless, being pricked in the seart. Now being pricked in the Conscience, O! how it ●leeds!  
2. Reason is, Because when the Sin was committed, was in hot Blood (as we say O! many a poor Soul committeth that in hot Blood, 〈◊〉 reputes of in cold. By h● Blood (I mean) an Hurry and heat of Temptation, ● in the hot blood of Passion. Is not this hot Blood? In t●● hot blood of Lust? Is n●● this hot Blood? O! wh●● hot Blood was David in, whe●● he in Anger boiled so again Nabal! And what hot Blood was he in, when he boyle● so in Lust against Bathsheha But when in cold Blood, h●● was another manner of Ma● Men in cold Blood are confederate, composed, and cal● in Spirits and Thoughts. Now the Guilty Sinner take himself to his second thought and, upon a review of the Fact; O then Sin gins 〈◊〉 appear in its proper co●●urs, and, as in Paul's phrase, 
Rom. 7.9.  Revives, hath a Resurrection in the guilty Man's Consence. And now as [a pectrum] it appears and ●alks, and haunts the Sinner ●●at he cannot be quiet Night or Day. It is with Sinners 〈◊〉 this respect, as it is with a ●an in a Fight, that gets a ●ot, but, being warm, at pre●nt feels it not; but afterwards the loss of Blood causes ●●m to faint. Persons engaged in their Temptations, do ●●t feel the fiery Darts, that ●atan shoots at them. O! but in cold Blood, how do ●●ey cry out! When they ●ome to a feeling of themselves, what they have done against God, and against their own Souls. Remember Sinners, what you commit 〈◊〉 your hot Blood, you will 〈◊〉 penned in your cold; and it w●● walk in your Consciences afterwards: 
Prov. 28.23.  He that rebuketh Man, afterwards shall f●● favour, more than he that flattereth with his Tongue (say Solomon) viz. When a Man is in cold Blood, composed 〈◊〉 his Spirit, than he cousider this friendly rebuke was 〈◊〉 Love.  
3. Reason, Why Gild often walks in the Conscience after the Fact is committed, is, Because the custom of Sin takes away the conscience of Sin. Custom in Sin is a very hardening thing, when Sinners have gotten habits of Sin; one 〈◊〉 being Drunk, another of being Unclean, another of being Proud; now all sense of Sin is lost. 
Jer. 13.23.  Can the Ethiopian change his Skin, or the Leopard his Spots? No more can they that are accustomed to do evil, do good. O! but now when the Lord musters up the Sins of a poor guilty Wretch, in order to bring him to Repentance, than the Lord makes this Sin walk in his Conscience, and the other Sin is brought to remembrance. O! now the Soul cries out, Men and Brethren, what shall I do? My Sin is ever before me. O how was David haunted with his guilt! How did it now walk in his Conscience!  
4. Reason, Sinners are ignorant of the sad effects and consequences of Sin, until afterwards. Alas, many times Sinners know not what they do when they commit Sin. 1. They know not what they do in sinning against God. David in his heat of Temptation did not consider it, until afterwards 〈◊〉 than he cried out, 
Psal. 50.4.  Against thee, against thee only have 〈◊〉 sinned. The Prodigal did no● know what he did, in the going from his Father; but afterwards how did he cry out, 
Luke 14.21.  I have sinned against Heaven, and in thy sight. Now Gild did walk in his Conscience. Now Sinners cry out with them in the Prophet, 
Isa. 59.12.  For our Transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our Sins testify against us, for our Transgressions are with us 〈◊〉 and as for our Iniquities we know them. 2. Now the Eyes of the Sinner being opened, he sees the sad consequences of Sin, that he hath sinned against his own Soul. 
Pro. 8.36.  He that sinneth, wrongeth his own Soul. O now, what work is there in the Conscience, when the poor Guilty Sinner sees how he hath wronged his own Soul? yea, without Mercy from God, undone it for ever? nay, without Repentance, thou hast not only wronged thy own Soul, but damned thy own Soul. O now the Sinner sees the reward and wages of Sin is Death. The first Death, and the second Death, Temporal Death, and Eternal Death; and now it gins to appear in its proper Colours; but alas this is not until afterwards.  
5. Sin walks after the Fact committed, because the aggravations of Sin ordinarily do not appear until afterwards. That which makes Sin stand up in the Conscience of a Sinner, is the aggravation of Sin, which is laid before it usually by Reflecting Acts; therefore the work of Repentance is set forth, by these Reflecting Acts: O, says the penitent Sinner, 
Jer. 8.6.  What have I done? Alas! a Sinner in an hour of Temptation, doth not take time to deliberate upon it, to look into the Aggravations of it; but all these come in as After-claps: These are Conscience's After-claps. Oh! what aggravations undoubtedly did appear in this case of their Gild against their Brother Joseph! 1. They speak like Persons aggravating their Gild. O now they cry out, 
Gen. 37.26, 27.  We are verily guilty concerning our Brother! O now they see the aggravation of their Sin against their Brother, against the Law of Relation. To make a Slave of a Stranger, had been a great Sin; but to make a Slave of a Brother, this was an higher aggravation, and we find this consideration startled Judah, Let not our hand be upon him, for he is our Brother. This was a sin against the Law of Nature, and the Law of Relation, as well as the Law of Religion. 2. They have this aggravation of the matter of Fact, it was committed against Warning. Thus you see Reuben rubs them with it in their distress: 
Gen. 42.22.  Spoke I not unto you, saying, do not sin against the Child, and you would not hear? therefore, behold, his Blood is required. O now (all comes out, as we say) to sin against Warning, is a great aggravation: O now, says the guilty Conscience once awakened, how fairly wert thou warned! nay, how frequently wert thou warned! O says Conscience, did not I speak to thee, and tell thee solemnly, thou shouldst answer for it, and God would require it? 3. There was this aggravation in it, there was Theft, yea, the highest Theft in it; it was Man-stealing, (as Joseph says himself) I was stolen away out of the Land of the Hebrews. 
Gen. 40.15.  Now this kind of Theft was punishable by death. 
Exod. 21.16.  He that stealeth a Man and selleth him, shall surely be put to death. And, O then what an aggravation of Sin was this, to sell their own Brother! 4. There was this aggravation of Gild stood up in their Consciences, it was a deliberate Act, (as was hinted before) an Act of Counsel and Conspiracy (the Text is express in it) And when they saw him afar off, 
Gen. 37.18.  even before he came near them, they conspired against him to slay him. And as they joined in their Conspiracy, now upon guilt walking in their Consciences, they in my Text, join in their Confession. O! so it is with Sinners, when Sin is laid home to the charge of Conscience. O, but was it not a plotted piece of Gild, a contrived piece of Gild, a deliberate Act? David tells us, he said, He would confess his Sin, and God forgave the Iniquity of his Sin. 
Psal. 32.5.  (viz.) The deliberateness of it; it may be he points at that particular aggravation. 5. Aggravation that stood up in the Consciences of Joseph's Brethren, was their hiding of it; and this put them upon dreadful Lying and Dissembling with their Father. 
Gen. 37.30.  And we will say, Some evil Beast hath devoured him. This have we found, know whether it be thy Son's Goat or no. O what dreadful work was here! This is the fruit of Sin, to cover and hid all with Lies to their own Father. 6. Aggravation was there Cruelty, and Hardheartedness. The Text tells you, They would not hear when he besought them. And now this cuts them to the Heart. So will Conscience one day, say to the guilty Sinner: O! did not I beseech thee to hearken to me! Did not I beseech thee not to do this abominable thing which God hates! Did not I tell thee the sad effects of it, but thou wouldst not hear. 7. Aggravation, it was their envy to their Brother. They hated him because of his Dream, of their Sheaves bowing to his; and now they see the fruit of this their Envy. O now, when the aggravations of Sin are set home by God upon the Conscience, O then Sin appears (as the Apostle phrases it) to be exceeding sinful. Sin appears as a walking Ghost, or Spectrum, that haunts the Soul.  
Now I shall proceed to the improvement of this Practical Truth. Then, 1. It affords us this Instruction, that Sin leaves its sting behind it. It may be the sting of Sin doth not appear at first: It may seem to the Sinner to be an harmless thing, but it always leaves some thing behind it, that will torment the Soul at one time or another; and this (Sinners) is a thing called Gild. There is a Worm that is bred by Sin; and this is a guilty Conscience. And the Worm, O how terribly doth it gnaw! No Torment like the gnawing of a guilty Conscience; it is no less than an Hell on Earth; it is to be in Hell's flames beforehand. If you could ask Cain, he would tell you what a Torment an awakened guilty Conscience is. If you could ask Joseph's Brethren, they would tell you. If you could ask Francis Spira, he would tell you. If you could ask Judas, he would tell you, whether Sin after its commission, doth not leave a sting behind it. Nay, to come down to your latter Times, ask Butler, the penitent Murderer. Nay, ask Savage, and they will tell you, that Gild walks in the Conscience afterwards. O how hath this sting of Gild made many poor Souls cry out, and roar again. We all mourn like Doves, and roar all like Bears: What was the matter? 
Isa. 59.72.  Their iniquities testified against them. O what despair it hath brought many into! Therefore it was good Counsel of the Philosopher, Look not upon Pleasure coming, but going. And as he said, when asked, so much for lying with a famous Harlot: I will not buy Repentance at so dear a Rate. O! Will! not such Philosopher's shame thousands of Christians? O! What a dear bargain will your pleasurable or profitable Lusts be to you, either here or hereafter?  
2. Learn we hence, that though Conscience be dumb and silent now, yet it will not always be so. It may be thy silent Conscience is a seared Conscience, but the day may come, as silent as it is now, it will open at thee; though it now be a sleeping Lion, yet it may be a Roaring Lion. Joseph's Brethren had their Consciences silent many Years, twenty Years together, but now it speaks to them, and charges their guilt home upon them; and they could not stand before the Charge and Indictment, but plead Guilty. David's Conscience was strangely benumbed for three quarters of a Year together; as you have heard: But when it was awakened, O how it roared upon him! 
Psal. 38.8.  I am feeble and sore broken, I have roared by reason of the disquietness of mine heart.  
3. Learn we hence that the worst is not past, because Sin at present is not discovered. Many poor Sinners think, O! their guilt is so secret and concealed, that the World knows not of it; their Christian Acquaintance know not of it; their near and dear Relations know not of it; by this they flatter themselves, and think the worst is past. O poor Sinners! consider with yourselves, God knows of it, and Conscience knows of it, and it will and must come out sooner or later: O than the worst is to come, when Sin shall either be charged upon you by an awakened Conscience, or by a Revenging God. 
Ezek. 22.14.  Ah Sinners! What Hearts can endure, or what Hands can be made strong in the day the Lord shall deal with you.  
4. Learn hence, God is not only an Holy God, but an Omniscient God; he is Holy, and by no means will he clear the Guilty. This is a piece of his Name: But he is also an Omniscient God, knows where all the Sinners secret Gild lies: 
Psal. 90.8.  Our secret Sins are set before the Light of his Countenance. The Lord saw all this secret Gild of Joseph's Brethren; it was (as is said) laid up with him, 
Deut. 32.33.  and hid amongst his Treasures. What, poor Sinners! though your Relations see it not, nor the World see it not, yet God sees it, Conscience sees it; you can do nothing out of the sight of Conscience.  
5. Learn we hence the reason of that sorrow that many times follows Sin, so that the Sinner knows not where to rest. Thus Butler, the penitent Murderer. Thus poor Savage, whose Case was the greatest Sermon ever preached at Ratcliff-Gross. The reason of this Sorrow is the guilt that sticks in the Conscience; this fills the Soul with Horror and Sorrow. O now the Soul becomes a terror to itself, and it may be a terror to all that are round about him. When you are tempted to Sin, O that you did but think this Sin will end in sorrow! Will it not be bitterness in the latter end? O how would this tend to the breaking of the power of a Temptation!  
The 2d. Improvement of the Truth, is by way of Caution. If Sin leave Gild behind, O then take heed of Sin! Then poor Sinners, this may well be a Sermon to you against Sin. O then, 1. Take heed of Sins that make deep Wounds in the Conscience, such Sins as do (Vastare Conscientiam) make havoc of Conscience, sins against Light, against the Light of Nature; as thy own Conscience will accuse thee of, if thou didst not sit under the Light of the Gospel. Joseph's brethren's was such a Sin; David's was such a Sin: And, O how did it therefore break his Bones! What are your secret Drunkennesses, Uncleanness, your secret Night-haunts, will they not all come out one day, and be brought to light? Are they not sins against Light? Yea, against the Light of Nature? Can you sin without control of Conscience, if you● did not put your Finger in the Eye of Nature?  
2. Take heed then of secret Sins also, be they never so hidden, they will walk in your Consciences another day. Take heed of the works of Darkness, they will come to light. Did Joseph's Brethren think when they sold their Brother, it would have come out thus? Let not Satan, and your own Hearts flatter you, to think your sins will always be hid, because at present they are so.  
3. Take heed of being hardened in sins. Because God seems by his Providence to ●ink at it: Many do so. 
Psal. 50.22.  Because (says God) I kept si●nce, thou thoughtst I was altogether like thyself. Like ●●nose, 
Eccles. 8.11.  that Because Sentence ●●as not speedily executed, their ●●●rts were fully set in them to 〈◊〉. Whereas they should ●nake this use of it: God's forbearance is to be the space of ●●ny Repentance.  
4. Take heed of flattering yourselves, that your Sins will never come out all, because they have been a long time hid. You see to the contrary: Many have come at last to condign Punishment for long hidden and concealed Iniquities. It may be, Sinner, God's time is not yet come, to make a discovery of thy Wickedness. It may be thou art not ripe enough in Sin. It may be the Lo●●● is all this while letting the● alone to fill up thy Measure It may be thy impunity from Temporal Judgements, is th●● Spiritual Judgement. God i●● his wrath threatens some, Th● he will not punish their 〈◊〉 and Daughters, 
Hos. 4.14.  when they com●● mit Adultery. Sinners, you● think it a brave thing fo● God to let you alone in you● Sin, and spare you: And alas all this he may do in the hottest Wrath and Displeasure.  
5. Take heed of sinful excusing and covering your Sin●● He that covereth his Sin shall not prosper, 
Prov. 28.13.  but he that confesseth and forsaketh his Sin shall find Mercy. O! now Joseph's Brethren do not excuse and cover their Sin. O! now conscience is awakened & they ●ead guilty with one consent.  
III. The next improvement of the Truth, is this, ● word of Counsel and Ex●ortation: Then let us all ●and clear of Sin, if it leave Sting behind it; O! then ●a●●● in awe, and sin not. O ●ay this with Joseph, in the ●ase of his Mistress: 
Gen. 39.9.  How can ● do this great Wickedness, and ●in against God?  
1. Stand clear of Sin, it ●eaves that behind, will torment you. Alas, poor Sinners, they consult at present only the pleasure of Sin, only the satisfaction of a present Lust, and the profit of Sin, but they do not consider the guilt of Sin. Did the Thief consider, O! but this sin will leave a Sting behind it, and it will expose him to the danger of 〈◊〉 Law, it will end in Tybur● O! how this would awe 〈◊〉 check him: so did but S 〈◊〉 ners argue with themselv● O this wicked Trade of mi●● this sinful Course of mi●●● what will it end in? ●ill not end in Hell? Doth not expose me to the wra●● of a Righteous God? 〈◊〉 would not such a consideration cool the boiling he● of many a Sinner's Lust? is the misery of Sinners, the look not to an afterwards but only at present consu●● either their Pleasure or the Profit.  
2. Stand clear of Sin, f●● it will be very terrible to yo●● when it shall haunt you● Consciences. There is 〈◊〉 such terrible Spectrum in th●● 〈◊〉 ●orld, as the walking of ●pardoned Sin in the Con●ence. O what horror and ●azement did this Sin of Jo●●h's Brethren make in their consciences! And O, what ●●ad case was David in, when 〈◊〉 said, My Sin is ever be●●re me! As if he had seen ●●me Spectrum, or Apparition haunting him. You would ●●ot live in an haunted House, ●●nd yet how many Sinners ●●ve with haunted Conscien●●es? They are Magor-missa●●bs, Terrors to themselves, ●●●ea, and to those that stand ●bout them. O! how did Judas' guilt haunt him? And Spira his guilt haunt him?  
3. Stand off from Sin, for ●●ne Sin will beget another. Thus did the Sin of Joseph's Brethren, they now must c●●● for it with his Coat, they no●● must lie to their aged Father and say, an evil Beast hath d●● voured him. O! where wi●● Sin have an end! Sinners you know the beginning 〈◊〉 Sin, but who knows the en●● thereof? Who knows whe●● Sin will stop? Sinners, yo●● know not what you do, whe●● you meddle with Sin. Sin'●● chain hath many Links, and they all depend one upon an● other. And I must tell you● one Sin is so close linked to another, that they lead one to another. Thieving leads to Lying, Lying to Denying with Appeals to God, and so on to Swearing, and from Swearing on to Hardening.  
4. Stand clear of Sin, for● God will visit your Sin upon ●ou sooner or later. Though it ●as long first, yet you see God punishes this Sin of Jo●ph's Brethren; now God ●as visiting for it. O (Sirs) ●●e visiting of God for Sin, is terrible thing! Do you not ●ear the Lord say, 
Jer. 5.9.  Shall I not ●isit for these things? O poor ●inners! though God let ●ou alone at present, yet the ●ears of your Visitation shall ●ome.  
5. Stand clear of Sin, there ●s a worse thing than all this follows it, (viz.) Wrath to ●ome. O, may it not be said ●o any one of you, nay, to every one of you, 
John 5.14.  as was said to her, Go your ways, sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto you. A worse thing? O, what can that be? Wrath to come, Hell and eternal Torments, the Worm tha● never dies, the Fire that nerver goes out.  
Second Counsel is to stan●● clear of secret Gild, the mo●● covert Gild whatsoever This Sin of Joseph's Brethre●● was a covered Sin for man●● years together. This is 〈◊〉 that tempts many a poor So● to sin. Who seethe it? Wh● knoweth it? It shall neve● come to light: All will b● wrapped up in clean Linne●● and rest in darkness and 〈◊〉 lence all my days. And u●on this very account, man● poor Souls, they fall into th●● Snares, because laid in th● dark and secret for them.  
1. Consider poor Sinners God looks on when you com● mit secret Sins, there is no● thing hid from him. He 〈◊〉 all Eye: He is an Omniscient God. O poor Sinner! Didst but thou think God looks on, O how would this startle thee in the act of Sin! Shall the Eye of Men make Sinners afraid, and shall not the Eye of God much more? Would Joseph's Brethren thus secretly and perfidiously have sold their Brother, if they had considered God saw them at the Bargain making, if they had considered God looked on?  
2. Poor Sinners, stand off from secret Sins, for the eye of Conscience looks on; and Conscience is a thousand witnesses. Conscience in Joseph's Brethren, could very well remember their Gild. O (Sirs) Conscience hath a strange Memory. O if a Sinner did but solemnly debate the Matter with himself and say, O, but if I commi●● this sin never so secretly, my Conscience is Witness, and will tell me of it another day, and gripe me for it another day. O how would these thoughts be an Impediment in the way of many Sinner!  
3. Poor sinners, stand o● from secret sins, for secret sins have many times strangely come to light: 
Eccles. 10.20.  A Bird the Air shall tell the Matte● (says Solomon); viz. Sin sha●● be discovered by improbab● and unlikely means. W● read of others, that Heave● shall reveal their Iniquity The Heaven shall reveal h●● iniquity, and the Earth sha●● rise up against him. 
Job 20.27.  Rather than it shall be hid, Heaven and Earth shall conspire to bring it to light. God hath of late given us notable Instances, in deceiving wicked men's Plots and Projects against these poor Nations.  
4. Stand off from secret Sins. They are most dangerous, because they go a great while undiscovered, and the concealment of them often is an occasion of being hardened in them, and putting off Repentance for them. God often makes use of Shame upon discovery of some secret Sin, to be a means to lead to Repentance.  
5. The longer Gild lies hid, the louder will it roar in the Conscience when discovered; thus you see it did with Joseph's Brethren. O, now their guilty Consciences roar upon them, though it had been hid so long. O, what work will Sin make in thy Conscience, when it shall walk there after thou thoughtst it had been buried twenty or thirty years! O then, who would not stand off from secret Sins!  
Third word of Counsel. O then repent of sin, if guilt stay behind after the Fact be committed. Is it not then high time that your sin should be blotted out upon your Repentance? I must tell you, Sinners, the guilt of sin is upon your Consciences, until your Repentance. You lie under Gild, if it be twenty years after. What th● you have escaped the Revenging Hands of God hitherto, yet the Gild is upon you, and that binds you; therefore you see, Repentance and Remission of Sin goes together. O poor Sinners, until you sincerely Repent, all your Gild is upon you: Yea, it is marked before the Lord, and O how sad is this to have the guilt of all thy Sins that thou hast committed to this very day, upon the back of thy Soul!  
Fourth word of Counsel. O then fly to the Blood of Chr●●! Gild will walk in your Consciences when once awakened, until the Blood of Christ be sprinkled upon them: Until you by an eye of Faith, behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the Sins of the World. What though Gild hath laid long upon you? What though the Sin be of old standing, yet the Blood of Christ takes it away. It cleanses from all Sin, 
Heb. 12.24.  new or old, great or small, Inormities or Infirmities; sins against Light, or sins against Love. O then come, Sinners, come to the Blood of Sprinkling.  
Fifth word of Counsel is, O then do not lie long in your Gild! To fall into Sin is dangerous, but to lie long when fallen is much more dangerous. These B●●●●en of Joseph's laid long in their Sin and Gild. O poor Sinners, when you fall by Sin, make haste to get up by Repentance.  
1. What if you should be hardened in Gild? and do you not run the hazard of being hardened in Sin when you lie in it? It may be before you commit it, you think you may repent of it when you will; but alas, you may soon be hardened through the deceitfulness of Sin. Dr. Preston, speaking of the deceitfulness of Sin, O, says he, Sin in the first temptation to the Sinner seems little; commit but this once, and thou mayst afterwards repent of it, and thou needest never commit this Sin again. But alas (says he) every Sin committed leaves the Spawn of another Sin upon the Soul, and after once, the Soul is easily led into another Act, until it be hardened through the deceitfulness of Sin.  
2. What if you die in it? You may lie in it, and die in it. O, what if God say such a word to you in your Gild unrepented of, as he did to those Jews, You shall die in your Sins—? O, is not this a dreadful thing to die in Sin! You think it sad to die in Debt to Men; what is it then to die in Sin, which is debt to God, with all your sins upon the back of your Souls? What, if thou diest an unpardoned Sinner, art thou not damned if thou hadst ten thousand Souls? And, O what a venture dost thou run that liest in Sin!  
3. O do not lie in Sin. The longer it is laid in, the harder it will be to repent of: The longer a Sinner lies in his Fall, the harder he is to Rise. As the larger a Disease is upon a Person, the more difficult is the Cure. A Man feels not at first when he lies upon the Ground, but if he lies a while, he grows stiff, and can very hardly rise. Thus it will be with a Soul that lies long in Sin: O then repent speedily of Sin.  
GEN. xlii. 21. 
Therefore is this Distress come upon us.  
WE are now come to the second part of the Text, (viz.) The Reflection, or Accusation of Joseph's Brethren, their Consciences now being awakened by their Affliction, they now jointly draw up this Conolusion and Indictment against themselves: O, Therefore is this Distress come upon us.  
1. We have the Reflection itself. O how quick was Conscience now! What quick work sometimes doth, sense of Gild make? O now they cry out with an Asseveration, Verily we are guilty, etc.  
2. We have the occasion of this Reflection, (viz.) Their present Distress. Now they were under Affliction. (For their being all this while in the hand of Joseph was an unknown Business to them). Their distress and straight was great, and now they as one Man conclude for their guilt, this Distress was come upon them.  The Truth the Text presents us with, is this: In a day of Affliction, Gonscience is very quick and active in its Reflections. 
This is a profitable Truth, and worth enquiring into, such Days as these, when so many are hardened in their sins. Poor Sinners ruffle it out, and stout it out against God in a a day of Prosperity. O who but they! with Pharaoh, saying, Who is the Lord? Thus he swaggers it out: but stay until an Hand of God be upon him, and then you will find him of another mind; O then, Send for Moses to pray for me! Then he confesses, I and my People are wicked. Thus the Prophet Jeremiah makes the wild Ass an Emblem (and that very fitly) of a wicked Man in his prosperous condition, running on in Sin: As the wild Ass snuffs up the Wind at her pleasure. 
Jer. 2.24.  All Counsel, all Instruction, all Advice is lost: All that seek her, do but weary themselves. But stay until her Months of Affliction and Distress come, and then they may be spoken with. In their Months one shall find them. O now Conscience gins to talk with them, and call them to a serious debate concerning their past lives and Transactions, God often sets Conscience to discourse with Sinners, in the day of their Distress. We have plentiful Instances of this Truth in holy Writ. You may find it proved of the worst of Men, as well as of God's own People. The case of Gain, what a quick Reflection was that of his, All that meet me will slay me. His sin and guilt walked in his Conscience. Abel's Ghost (as I may say) he haunted Gain Conscience. Alas! Who was in the World to slay him? It was only the conclusion of his guilty Conscience. Ahab had sinned highly against the Lord, he was a Non-such for a Sinner. 
1 King. 21.24.  There was none like unto Ahab, which did set himself to work wickedness in the sight of God. Yet when this poor Wretch came to hear of God's Threaten, how quick was Conscience in making Reflections upon him, he humbled himself before the Lord. Manasseh for all his Abominations, when God brought him into the Briars, than Conscience fell to work; O now Manasseh came to know the Lord! O now he humbled himself! How ordinary is this? How many wicked Men sometimes upon a supposed Deathbed, sometimes upon a real Deathbed, have confessed that guilt which hath laid dormant in their Consciences a very long time? How have they had all their Sins set in order before their Eyes? O how have all their former committed Wickednesses (though never so secret) taken hold of them!  
Now for the Proof of it, as to the Godly in particular, they contribute witness abundantly to this Truth; therefore when we find them under the Hand of God, what confession do they make to God? What supplications do they pour out to God at such times? How do they mourn like Doves? and, as the Church saith, roar like Bears, accusing themselves now in a day of Distress: 
Isa. 59.12, 13.  As for our Iniquities, they testify against us, etc. It is said of Israel, That God slew the fattest of them, and smote the chosen Men of Israel. O, what did they then in this sad day? Then they returned to the Lord. 
Psal. 78.31, 34.  But alas, all this was but while the Affliction was upon them. David, when under Affliction, O how he Reflects, There was no rest in his Bones, because of God's Anger, and his Sin. And Jonah, guilty Jonah! when God had found him out, how quick was Conscience with him? For my sake is this evil come upon you: Gast me overboard. He acknowledges himself to be the Storm-breeder.  
Now, First, We shall inquire what a Reflection of Conscience is.  
Secondly, What Conscience doth Reflect upon in a day of Distress.  
Thirdly, What kind of Reflections these reflections of guilty Consciences are.  
Fourthly, Why Conscience is so quick with Sinners, in a day of Affliction and Distress.  
Fifthly, We shall improve all by way of Application.  
First, What a Reflection of Conscience is. Here we must inquire what Conscience 〈◊〉. We read often of it in Scripture: 
Heb. 10.22.  Having our Hearts ●rinkled from an evil Conscience. 
Heb. 9.14.  And Consciences pur●●ed from dead Works, to serve the Living God. I will not trouble you with any Nicety ●bout Conscience, because ●he Truth is purely practical. It is indeed disputed, whether Conscience be a Power, or in Habit, or an Act only. Some of late have called it an justinct, or a Principle in Man impressing upon his Mind a future Judgement. 
Dr. Barthog in his Causa Dei pag. 404.  Or an Habit, a Natural Habit. [An Habit] because it was at first in Adventitious Impression. [Natural] because now it is Original, and transmitted in ●he same way as other Natural Qualities, (thus one upon it). But I will apply myself to those things that have no perplexity in them to understand.  
Conscience is a very busy faculty in the Soul of Man, or a Practic and Reflexive Power of the Mind; and its Operations are these.  
1. It takes notice of men's Actions, what we do we do under the Eye of Conscience. A Heathen could say, It is God's Register, and a strict Observer of our ways.  
2. It doth testify either with us, or against us; so it acts the part of a Witness. And so it is said to Excuse, or Accuse. 
Rom. 2.15.  It speaks sometimes for poor Souls; this is our rejoicing, 
2 Cor, 1.12.  the testimony of our Consciences. I doth sometimes Accuse. Thus it did in Joseph's Brethren, than they cried out of their Gild.  
3. It doth torment. O what ●orment like that of a griping ●uilty Conscience! How did Cain's Conscience torment him? and Judas his Conscience torment him? How did Spira his Conscience torment him? This is a piece of Hell's Torments begun here. This Conscience in Men, is Judge, Witness, and Executioner.  
Now we must understand, ●here is a twofold Conscience.  
1. A seared Conscience, Having their Consciences seared with an hot Iron: 
1 Tim. 4.2.  Cauterised (as hath been hinted before) whereby it is made brawny and insensible. Now while thus, it is not a Reflecting Conscience. Here is no walking Gild, though abundance of dormant and sleepy Gild And for the present, had no Joseph's Brethren seared Consciences, when they did 〈◊〉 down to eat after such a Fact as casting their Brother into the Pit: 
Gen. 37.25.  And they took him and cast him into a Pit: and the Pit was empty, there was no Water in it. And they sa● down to eat Bread, etc. Her was little Sense upon them no Reflection yet upon them.  
2. There is a soft and tender Conscience, and this is the Conscience that make Reflections Conscience is awakened before it be thus softened. It must know i● hath dove evil, before it say What have I done? David's Conscience was thus tender, when it smote him for cutting off the Lap of Saul's Garment.  
Now for the better understanding, what is meant by these Reflections of Conscience, we must inquire by what Expressions the Scripture sets them out.  
1. Reflections of Conscience are set forth by Conviction. We read of them that brought the Woman to Christ taken in Adultery: They were convicted in their Consciences, 
John 8.9.  they went out one by one.— It is a Law-term, The Prisoner stands Convict. Now these Persons applied Gild to themselves, They were guilty in their Consciences. Thus Joseph's Brethren were guilty, and cried out as Men convict in their own Consciences. Convictions (say one) is the light of the Understanding reflecting upon the Gild discovered to it whereby it makes a deep impression upon the Spirit. S● that one piece of Reflection consists in conviction 〈◊〉 Gild.  
2. Another expression setting forth the Reflections 〈◊〉 guilty Consciences, is wounded Spirit: It is now wounded Conscience. Now Joseph's Brethren were wounded in their Consciences: 〈◊〉 wounded Spirit, 
Prov. 18.14.  who can bea● or lift up (as some read it) A Metaphor taken from Bodily Wounds. O, how will a Wound smart and throb So doth Gild in an awakened Sinners Conscience when it makes Reflections, O! now it is pained under the sense of Gild. Thus David, 
Psal. 38.5.  My Wounds stink, and are corrupt.  
3. Another expression setting forth the Reflections of guilty Consciences, is the reproaching of Conscience: My Heart shall not upbraid me, as long as I live, 
Job 27.6.  (or from my days). Concerning my manner of Living, my Heart shall take no shame from my Days (says Mr. Broughton). Viz. From those things I have done in my Days, or from my whole Conversation. He had lived in good Conscience before God and Man: 
Acts 23.1.  But now when Conscience reflects upon a Man under sense of Gild, it reproaches him, it upbraids him, it is always chiding him.  
4. Another expression setting forth the Reflections o● guilty Consciences, is, Th●● Conscience smiting him. A● David his Heart smote him when he cut off the Lap o● Saul's Garment. Tende● Consciences find this inwar● smiting, either upon th● commission of Evil, or th● omission of Good. Ah! now how did Joseph's Brethren's Consciences smite them? It is set forth by the poor Publican smiting on his Breast And sometimes with Ephraim's smiting upon his Thigh. O, now Sinners reflect upon their Sins, as tha● word, No Man repent, and said, what have I done?  
5. It is set forth by bringing again to mind, which is the proper notion of Reflection: Remember, and show yourselves Men: 
Isa. 46.8.  and bring it again to mind, O ye Transgressor's. Therefore we have frequently such Expressions. Remembering their evil ways: 
1 Kings 8.47.  and if my People shall bethink themselves. These are properly the Reflex Acts of the Mind and Conscience.  
6. It is set forth by Accusing: The Conscience draws up an Accusation against the Sinner, as here Joseph's Brethren did: it Reflects when it Accuses. We read of the Gentiles, who only had the Law of Nature, and yet their Consciences did accuse them.  
7. It is set forth by Condemning, which is higher than Accusing; it passes Judgement, as well as it witnesses: If our own Hearts condemn us, 
1 John 3.20.  God is greater than our Hearts, (viz.) our Consciences. We may spell out of all these, some things of the nature of Reflection of Conscience.  
Second Inquiry is, What this awakened Conscience reflects upon. For we must understand that Conscience doth never bear false Witness, for in this case the voice of Conscience is the Voice God. Conscience's Testimony holds true in the case of Joseph's Brethren.  
1. Conscience in a day of Affliction, reflects upon matters of Fact. It may be at the present commission of the Sin, the Sinner takes no notice of it; in an hurry and huff of Temptation, all is forgotten. O! but there is 〈◊〉 Book of Remembrance that Conscience keeps, and all your Sins are registered there; and though it be a sealed Book at present, you know not ●ow soon it may be opened, and you judged out of it, according to what you have ●one. O, how many Sinners may now deny matter of fact, but when Conscience ●hall be awakened to lay it ●ome, and charge them plain●ith it (saying as Nathan to David) Thou art the Man: Then there will be no denying of it. The witness of ●●es own Conscience, is an ●deniable Testimony. Cain ●ould not deny this Testimony, therefore his Gild cried, all that meet me will slay me. 〈◊〉 aoh could not deny this Testimony, I and my People are wicked. Judas could nodeny this Testimony, I have sinned in betraying innocent Blood. The People of God could not deny this Testimony, when they cried out Our Iniquities testify again us, etc.  
2. Conscience doth not only reflect upon matter o● Fact, but upon Circumstances and Aggravations of the Fact, Conscience when awakened becomes tender, and calls every particular Circumstance to remembrance that did heighten, or any way aggravate the matter and thus did they in the Text: Wherein lay the aggravation of the Gild? You have heard hinted before [I that we saw the anguish of h●● Soul, and he besought us, yet we would not hear].  

1. They saw the anguish of his Soul, and yet their Eyes did not affect their Hearts.  
2. It was their Brother too.  
3. He besought us.  
4. They would not hear. All of them great Aggravations. Saw it. The anguish of a Brothers Soul. A beseeching Brother, and would not hear. Deasned their Ears to his lamentable Cries. O, how do their Consciences Reflect upon all these!   
There are several things that Conscience when awakened, reflects upon, with reference to the Circumstances of matter of Fact.  
1. Sometimes Conscience tells the Sinner, it is against Light: Thou hadst so much Light as to conceive this before commission, that it was a Sin, that it was a Violation and Transgression of an holy Law; and says Conscience, this thou knewest, yea, this thou knewest beforehand, and yet contrary to the discovery of this Light, thou didst run violently into it, and rebelledst against the Light (as Job's phrase is). 
Job 24.13.   
2. Sometimes Conscience tells the Sinner, he hath sinned against Resolutions; and this is an aggravating Circumstance. O how often (says Conscience) hast thou broken thy serious Purposes and Vows, when it may be you have been in imminent dangers and distresses. Now Conscience registers and records the very Resolutions of poor Sinners, it being privy to all the secret Purposes. When some of you are at Sea, ready to be swallowed up of the Belly of Hell (as Jonah phrases it) O then you pray to God, and purpose against Sin, if God will bring you off with your Lives at this time. Or, it may be, others of you at Land, upon a supposed Deathbed, O, if God will spare you, How do you resolve against Sin, yea, against those Sins that sting your Consciences most? But alas, after all this, do not you break your Bonds? Now Conscience books all, and at one time or other, will remember you of all these things.  
3. Sometimes Conscience in its Reflections, tells the Sinner of sinning against its Warnings and Dictates. To sin against the dictates of Conscience, is a very great Aggravation. O Sinners! how often hath Conscience warned you? As you love your Peace, as you love your Souls, as you will answer it at the great Tribunal of God, that you go not on in such a Course, or that you commit not such a Sin at your Peril (says Conscience): but not withstanding all this, the Sinner blunders on. I tell you Sinners (from the Lord) there is never a Warning an awakened Conscience hath given any of you, but it will rise up against you another Day; either here or, hereafter.  
4. Sometimes Conscience in its Reflections, tells Sinners of their sinning against its Reproofs; which is an aggravating Circumstance. To run into Sin after long reproved, hence you have that terrible word, 
Proy. 28.1.  He that being of ten reproved, hardens his Heart, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. O, says Conscience, is not this thy Case? Hast thou not often been reproved? Have not I often reproved thee, and God often reproved thee? and Ministers often reproved thee? Yet hast thou gone on, etc. And will not every Reproof walk in your Consciences another day, that you sin against now?  
5. Sometimes Conscience in its Reflections, tells Sinners of sinning against Mercy, which is another aggravating Circumstance. How many Mercies (says Conscience) have you sinned against? sparing Mercy at Sea, and at Land? preventing Mercy, preserving Mercy? O what a life of Mercy hath thy Life seen! Nothing but a Series of Mercy, a large Tract of Mercy, a Line of Mercy, and yet thou hast sinned against all. This will grieve thee another Day, when thou shalt have all thy Mercies as well as Sins, set in order before thee.  
Thirdly, Conscience reflects upon the dishonour Sin brings to God, as well as upon the Fact, and the circumstances of the Fact. When Conscience gins to be enlightened and awakened, O then it gins to think what dishonour Sin hath brought upon God; for as Sin brings guilt upon the Soul, so it brings dishonour upon the Name of God. And thus David's Conscience reflects, Against thee, against thee have I sinned; this laid uppermost on the Heart of David. He sinned against his Soul, he sinned against his own Body, he sinned against Bathsheba, he sinned against the whole Church of God; but of all (says he) Against Thee, against Thee have I sinned. O, says Conscience to the Sinner, how hast thou opened the Mouths of the Enemies of God and his People, to blaspheme? and caused the Ways of God to be evil spoken of? Thou hast wounded and stabbed the Honourable and Blessed Name of God: and should not the Honour of that God that created thee be dear to thee? who hath preserved thee in a thousand Dangers, and hath provided for thee in a thousand Wants, should not his Honour lie near thy Heart? Did not this make Joseph say, How can I do this Wickedness, and sin against God?  
Fourthly, Conscience when awakened reflects upon Times and junctures of Time, in which Persons have sinned. There is a great deal in the Time of Sin, as well as the Act of Sin, to reflect upon. Therefore it was taken notice of in that black Brand upon Ahaz: 
2 Chron, 28.22.  This is that King Ahaz that sinned more and more, in the time of his Distress. O what a monstrous thing was it to sin then? There are three Times that Conscience takes special notice to reflect upon, when we sin in them.  
1. A time of common Calamity, when God's Judgements are abroad. To sin when God is smiting for Sin, when God smites on, and Sinners they sin on, They returned not unto the Lord that smote them. O now, cries Conscience, did not you commit such a Sin in the time of the Plague? in the time of the Fire? How durst you sin when God's Sword was drawn, and sheathed in the Bowels of so many thousand Sinners? This was to sin when the Judge was upon the Bench. And while he was passing Sentence against poor guilty Malefactors, and O what impudence was this in Sinners!  
2. A time of Personal Affliction. This is a Juncture of Time for an awakened Conscience to reflect upon, and tell you of, when any of you have laid under the Hands of God; and what! then to lift up your Heel against God? This is not only Sinning, but daring Sin, and Conscience takes notice that that was your Sinning Time, which should have been your Humbling Time for Sin.  
3. A Time of receiving eminent and particular Mercies from God, then to Sin against God; O! how will Conscience take its opportunity and tell you of it another Day? For Hezekiah to sin against God, when God had so lately raised him up, and recovered him from a Sentence of Death: O what will Conscience say to this, when Hezekiah comes to be humbled for it? What! for David to sin after God had brought him through all his Dangers and Difficulties, and put him in possession of the Kingdom, for him to say, Thou hast made my Mountain strong, and I shall not be moved; O how will David's Conscience reflect upon this another Day!  
4. When God hath graciously visited the Soul, with smiles of his Love, then to sin, Conscience will be sure to reflect upon this. To return to Folly after God hath spoken Peace, O! how will Conscience tell thee of this another Day, and tell thee what Disingenuity and Ingratitude there was in it. Is this a time to sin? Is not this like a foolish People, to requite the Lord with evil, for so much Good as you have received from him?  
5. To sin after thou hast humbled thyself for Sin, this is a time Conscience will Reflect upon. What will Conscience say to these things? Is this thou that lately wert upon thy Knees, bemoaning thy Sin before the Lord? What, thou who hast so lately confessed and acknowledged thy Sin, and now running into Sin, yea, into the same Sins you have mourned over, and repent of? O! how will Conscience sadly animadvert upon these things, in the day of its dealing with you, poor Sinners!  
Fifthly, Conscience when awakened, will Reflect upon lost means and seasons of Grace. Christ considered this, when he preached that doleful Sermon to Jerusalem: O! 
Luke 19.29.  that thou hadst known in this thy day, the things that concern thy Peace. He knew it would cut to the Conscience to tell them of lost Seasons, and lost Advantages for Heaven and Eternity. And indeed this makes up much of the Torments of Hell. These Reflections upon the last motions of the Spirit, last convictions of Conscience last Sermons, Ordinances, and Sabbaths. Nay, when God comes to awaken Conscience how doth it reflect upon these things in this present Life. As one said when a Minister came to comfort her, Call Time again, call Time again. Implying, she thought it was as impossible to apply Come for't to her, as to call time again. So, poor Sinners, how sad will this be for you another Day, to cry, Call Sabbaths again, Ministry again a day of Grace again, motions of the Spirit again. Alas (Sirs) now you think these things may be dallied and trifled with, and it is indifferent whether you lay hold of such opportunities to improve them, or no. O, but when they are gone, how will these things sting? A Man who hath been under good opportunities to arrive at a great Estate in the World, and when he is brought by his bad Husbandry and Prodigality, to Penury and Poverty, O! how doth he then Reflect upon himself (if he be sensible) and upon his fair Opportunities that now are past recalling. O then, what a Madman was I? What fair Opportunities have I lost? Thus it is in this Case with Guilty Consciences, when awakened. O, what a fair way was I once in for Heaven, and eternal Life! What Seasons had I to enrich my Soul in Grace? O! what a Fool was I, that had so many Prizes put into my Hand, and had not an Heart to make use of them! these will be sad Reflections.  
Sixtly, An awakened Conscience will Reflect in a day of Affliction, upon the sad Effects and Consequences of Sin; what Sin brings along with it, what follows and treads upon the Heels of it.  
1. Sad effect of Sin Conscience reflects upon, is God's displeasure. O! who can bear it? Angel's could not it cast them out of Heaven. Adam could not, it cast him out of Paradise: He drove out the Man. Nay, the most holy Servants of God could not bear it: It made David cry out, 
Psal. 38.3.  There was no rest in his Bones, because of God's Anger. Nay more, It made the Lord Jesus Christ cry out, when he endured it for our Sins, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And, says Conscience, can you bear it? can you stand under his Anger? According to thy Power, so is thine Anger.  
2. Conscience reflects upon the Soul's Pollution and Defilement; another sad effect of Sin. That a Soul which came out of the Hand of God so pure, so spotless a Being, should be so deformed and defiled: O, how sad is this!  
3. Another sad effect of Sin, that the awakened Conscience reflects upon in a day of Affliction, is the withdrawment of God's comfortable Presence from the Soul. O! how did the Spouses Conscience Reflect, when she said, My Beloved hath withdrawn himself. Sin makes God hid himself from his dearest Children. And, O what temptations are God's Children exposed unto, when their Father is withdrawn. O, how easily then are they drawn in to think hardly of God, to be jealous of God, to question his Promise! I might name many other sad Effects and Consequences of Sin, that awakened Consciences Reflects upon. (But I will forbear).  
The Third Query is this, What kind of Reflections these Reflections of awakened Consciences are?  
1. These Reflections are home Reflections. O Sinners! when Conscience Reflects and charges it home, (this was the case of my Text) it was a home charge, Verily, we are guilty concerning our Brother. O, how quick was Conscience now with them! And so when David reflected upon his Sin, charged upon him by Nathan: Thou art the Man, (says Nathan). I have sineed (says David). It may be for the present, your Consciences say little to you, are very silent; but stay until God shall awaken them, O then, until your Sin be pardoned, it will be a Terror to you, and cause you to mediate Terror. What though this Lion sleep, day will come that God will rouse him up, and then he will be a Roaring Lion. O, what an home Reflection was that of Judas I have sinned, in betraying innocent Blood. And surely Peter's Conscience charged him home, when he went out and wept bitterly.  
3. These Reflections of awakened Consciences, they are just and righteous Reflections. O! Conscience doth not reflect without a Cause; doth not accuse or sting without a Cause. Was then not a Righteous Cause for this Reflection in the Consciences of Joseph's Brethren. Was there not great Gild a the bottom? Did Cain's Conscience affright him without a cause? had not he killed h● Brother Abel? Did David Conscience smite him with out a cause, when he cried out, I have sinned? Did Jud● his Conscience torment him without a cause, when he cried out, I have sinned, in betraying Innocent Blood? Oh Sinners! When you look into your past Lives, and turn over the Book of your Conversations Page by Page, Leaf by Leaf, and observe Page and Margin well, you will sinned both full of causes for these Reflections: May not you charge yourselves for this Sin and the other? for this unknown Gild to the World, and the other? O than you will say, it is a righteous thing that Conscience should Condemn, and that the Sentence thereof is a just and righteous ●entence. We read of him that had not on the Wedding Garment, his Mouth was stopped, he stood speechless. So will it be in this Day, with all poor guilty Sinners, they will not have a word to say for themselves, why Sentence should not be Executed upon them. 
Rom. 2.19.  Every Mouth must be stopped, that all the World may become Guilty before God.  
3. These Reflections are full of Horror and Dread. Fear naturally results from them, and you know Fear hath Torment in it. These Reflections become great Torments to guilty Consciences; the inward gnawings of this Worm are very terririble. Alas, what can arise out of Gild (Sinners) but Dread and Horror? Gild we say, makes a Man afraid of his own Shadow. O, what a torment is this when a Man ●omes to be dogged and haunted wherever he goes, with with his own guilty Conscience! He needs no other Executioner, or Tormentor. The ●ase of Spira is a dreadful ●anding Instance. Herod heard ●f the Fame of Jesus, and ●id unto his Servants, 
Mat. 14.2, 3.  This 〈◊〉 John Baptist, he is risen ●●m the Dead, therefore might. Works do show themselves in 〈◊〉. What was the matter ●ith Herod, that he was thus ●●●tled, and cries it was ●●hn? He had killed John, ●●d now John, though dead, ●●lk'd in his guilty Conscience, and as a Spectrum ●eadfully affrighted him.  
4. These Reflections of ●●ty awakened Conscience are not easily quieted. Conscience is not easily pacified. Luther hath this passage, It is as hard a thing t● comfort an afflicted Conscience● as it is to create a World. God says he, 
Isa. 57.19.  created the fruits of the Lips, Peace, peace; (viz.) in his Minister's Mouths when they are Barnabasses Sons of Consolation to troubled Souls. O! Who ca● speak Peace to a Wounde● Conscience, but God? H● only can say to poor Souls i● danger of being Shipwracks with these Storms of Conscience's Troubles, Peace, and b● still. The Lord Jesus can only command these Wind and Storms to obey him. Thus it was with David, th● the Lord had sent Natha● the Prophet to him, to te● him, God had put away h●● Sin, yet all this would not do, until the Lord told him so himself; which occasioned that Prayer of his: Lord, make the Bones which thou hast broken, to rejoice: 
Psal. 51.8  Make thou me to hear the Voice of Joy and Gladness.  
5. These Reflections of awakened Consciences, are such as constrain the Sinner to seek out for ease. Poor Souls now dwell in little ease, they are disquieted and distressed, and therefore look out for a Remedy. A wounded Spirit, who can bear? Wounded Men, you know, groan for ease: So do these wounded Souls. Hence it was that Cain, under the horror of his awakened Conscience, gins to build Cities, to divert the rage of his throbing Conscience. Many Sinners, when awakened and troubled, they go to the Music (with Saul) to play the evil Spirit down. It is said of Charles the 9th, King of France, after that dreadful Massacre in Paris, which was in his Reign; He never durst awake out of his sleep without Music. So many go to sinful Company, and sinful Recreations, to make use of them as a sleepy Sop, to allay the rage of an accusing tormenting Conscience, as though they had a design to Conjure down the Gild that walks in their Consciences. But now, when a poor Soul is truly awakened with a clear sight of Gild in the Glass of the Gospel, O then he gins to pray, to seek out after Christ, to inquire what he shall do to be saved, to be pardoned. O! how do such poor Souls, like the stung Israelites, under the smart and pain of the Wound, run up and down to look towards the Brazen Serpent for Healing? And like those pricked in the Heart, cry out, Men and Brethren, what shall we do?  
First Reason, Why Conscience in a day of Affliction, is quick at Reflections: Because days of Affliction, are days of Remembrance. Conscience sets Memory now at work, and now Memory turns over the whole past Life of a Sinner. O, says Conscience in the day of Distress, Didst not thou commit such a Sin at such a time? in such a place? Dost thou not remember it? And didst not thou think thou shouldst never hear of it again, though I told thee, and warned thee to the contrary? but now I am come to call thy Faults into remembrance this day. In a day of Affliction, Conscience is our Monitor, and Remembrancer. It remembers the Sinner of two things, 

1. Of his past Convictions.  
2. Of his broken Resolutions. And it is upon this account, that Repentance is called, A remembering of our evil ways.    
You have, Sinners, committed many a Sin, and forgotten it, and buried many a piece of Gild in the grave of Oblivion; and because you had forgotten these things, you thought God had forgotten them too, and Conscience had forgotten them, but you will find yourselves mistaken. When a day of Affliction comes, than Conscience will remember you of all, and set all in order before your Eyes. David calls some of his Psalms, Psalms of Remembrance; To call to Remembrance. So Conscience will sing you a sad Song of Remembrance (as I may say); it will remember some of you, how often you were Drunk, and where; how often others of you have been Unclean, and where; with all the Circumstances of matters of Fact.  
Secondly, Because in a day of Affliction, Conscience is awakened, at other times it is asleep, and so cannot be quick and active. Men lull Conscience asleep with their Enjoyments, or with their Affairs and Employments; but now in a day of Affliction, the Lord takes them off these. They then are at leisure to reckon with their Consciences: as they awake, they begin to call themselves to an Account. Afflictions are great Awakeners. It may be, the poor Sinner is like Peter, asleep between two Soldiers, when the Angel came and smote him. So Conscience doth with Sinners. O! how quick is Conscience with them, when they are awakened? O! what a sleepy Fit for three quarters of a Year did David fall into, until God made use of Affliction to awaken him? Joseph's Brethren, what a Lethargy were their Consciences in for many years together, until this Affliction awakened them? And so, How did Manasseh his Afflictions awaken his guilty Conscience?  
Thirdly, Because a day of Affliction is a day of serious Consideration; Men go on inconsiderately in the Ruff of their Prosperity, while they are (as I may say) in their hot Blood: but when they consider with themselves better, than they change both their Minds and Courses. I considered my Ways, 
Psal. 119.59.  and turned my Feet to thy Testimonies. But now, What brings in this day of Consideration? Is it not a day of Affliction? In a day of Adversity, 
Eccles. 7.14.  consider. What brought the poor inconsiderate Prodigal to a stand and so to a return, was it not a day of Affliction? His consideration is expressed by this: He came to himself. Now Conscience being awakened, Sinners begin to come to themselves, and then they say, 
Jer. 8.6.  What have I done? Whither have I been going? O! what will follow upon this Course of mine? what will be the effects of this Sin and Gild? If Men did consider these things, and ask their Souls such Questions, how would it be a means to stop them in their career and course of Sin? O now, 

1. A Sinner gins to think how he hath dishonoured God.  
2. How he hath displeased God.  
3. How he hath wounded his own Conscience.  
4. How he hath led others into Sin by his example.  
5. How he hath aggravated his Sin, by sinning against Mercies and Deliverances.    
These, and many more, Considerations are called over in the Conscience, when awakened in a day of Distress and Affliction.  
Fourthly, Because a day of Affliction, is a Day that puts the Sinner upon a diligent search. O, how quick is Conscience upon the search! Now Sinners are set upon searching & trying their ways (with the Church): Let us search and try our ways, and turn again unto the Lord. 
Lam. 3.  This put Heman upon a diligent search: I communed with my own Heart, 
Psal. 77.5, 6.  and made a diligent search. As the Woman did seek for her lost Groat, did sweep the House, and lighted a Candle: So now, the Soul in a day of Affliction, seeks and searches for this Sin, and the other. Surely (says the awakened Conscience) there is some Provocation, there is some Wedge of Gold, some alured Thing, some right Eye, some right Hand, which puts the Lord upon contending with me, and upon thus afflicting of me. Thus Josepb's Brethren, they search and find out their Gild in the day of their Distress and Affliction.  
Fifthly, Because a day of Affliction, is a Day of plain and impartial dealing with one's own Soul. We are prone to be Partial at other times, and flatter ourselves; but now Conscience being awakened, it deals faithfully, as the Matter requires. O! now Conscience in the day of Affliction, tells the Sinner a plain story. Sinner, thou hast sinned, and thou canst not deny it; and thou must repent of it, or else perish to all Eternity: Except you repent, you shall likewise perish. Now this is a plain Sermon; and thus did Joseph's Brethren, Their Consciences in their Affliction, told them a very plain Story: We are verily guilty concerning our Brother, etc. And, ah Sinners! had not your Consciences better be plain with you now, than be plain with you in Hell; O what plain Sermons doth Conscience preach to the Damned! You will not, many of you, bear plain Preaching now; But, O remember, what a plain Preacher Conscience will be when awakened in a day of Affliction!  
Now we come to the Improvement of what hath been said upon all the Doctrinal part. 
Application.   
Is it so that Conscience is so quick and active in a day of Affliction? Then  
1. Learn we hence that many Souls have great cause to bless God for Afflictions. They may say (with David) Before they were afflicted, 
Psal. 119.67.  they went astray. Joseph's Brethren (for any thing I know) had died under this Gild, if God had not brought them into this Distress. Had not Manasseh cause to bless God for his Affliction? They were blessed Briars he was caught 〈◊〉. Hath not the Lord o●ened the Ears of many by Affliction? and commanded ●hem to return from Iniquity? Yea, great Persons, when they have been bound in Fetters, 
Job 36.8, 9, 10.  ●nd holden in Cords of Affliction, than God showeth ●hem their Work and their Transgressions, that they have exceeded. O! what a Mercy was it to the Church, when God hedged up her. Ways with Thorns? Is it not a mer●y to be kept from drowning 〈◊〉 a Pit, though it be by a Thorn Hedge? How many ●inners had gone on in Sin, ●nd had been drowned in ●ell, if God had not stopped ●hem by a sharp Thorn Hedge of Affliction? O! What would have become of the Prodigal in a far Country, it the Lord had not found him out by Affliction? It is said There is an antipathy betwixt the Serpent and the Nightingale; and while the Serpenlies' in wait for the Nightingale, she sets a sharp Thorn to her Breast, lest she should sleep and so be surprised, and when ever she is heavy, the Thorn pricks her, and make her sing with renewed Chear● fullness. O poor Souls! how many have cause to bless God for putting a sharp Thorn to their Breasts, to keep them awake, lest they should be surprised by the wily Serpent that lies in wait for precious Souls.  
2. Learn we hence not to conclude, because Conscience sleeps at present, that it will always do so. Though it sleep now, a day of Affliction will come, and then it may awake, and tell you many a sad story. You think, poor Sinners, all is well after the Fact is committed, if Conscience say nothing to you: But alas, the worst is to come, the Reckoning Day is yet to come. Stay until God bring thee into the Briars, or upon a Deathbed, and it may be thou wilt then tell another story: The longer Conscience sleeps, the louder will its Noise be when once it awakes. But what if it do not awake at all here? Then it will awake hereafter, it will awake in Hell. There is not one sleepy Conscience science there. But, O Sinners! had not your Consciences ten thousand times better awake here, when and while there is Hope?  
3. Learn we hence what a sad Judgement a seared Conscience is, which makes no Reflection at all; which never smites a poor Sinner, but lets him run headlong to Hell. O what Wrath like this! what Plague like this! to have an hardened Conscience, a Conscience past feeling? Such as can boast of Sinning, and their Conscience, never trouble them, God hath said to such, as once to Ephraim, He is joined to Idols, 
Hos. 4.17.  let him alone. And, O what a Judgement is this, for God to wink at Sinners Damnation! (as Luther says) Woe to that Man whose Sins God winks at.  
4. Learn we hence, what a Mercy a tender Conscience is; a Conscience that reflects in a day of Affliction, that smites a Man for what he doth. These Smitings and Reflections are great Mercies, for they are in order to bring Souls to Repentance, whereas you might else have died in your Gild unpardoned. O! Bless God when your Consciences recoil upon you, and tell you, you have Sinned. It was the commendation of Josiah, that he had a tender Heart. 
2 Chron. 34.27.   
5. Learn we hence the Reason why many Sinners have confessed that under Affliction, that they never did, nor never would confess before. Conscience would not let them alone, they could not be quiet. Gild was like Poison to them, if the Party do not Vomit, he dies for it; all comes out in a day of Affliction, that lay hid before. Afflictions are great Discoverers. Nay, how do some guilty Sinners in this case, like Seamen, that cast that overboard in a Storm, that they wish for again in a Calm. O, do not many confess and discover that in a storm of Conscience, that they wish they had concealed and kept in? Horror of Conscience extorts many a Confession from guilty Sinners.  
The second Use. Is it so that Conscience is very quick and active in its Reflections in a day of Distress and Affliction? Then it is a word of Caution:  
1. Take heed of not heartening in a day of Affliction ●o the voice of Conscience. O, take heed of turning a deaf Ear to a speaking Conscience! If ever it will speak in this Life, it will speak then when thou art in a day of Affliction. Do not as these Brethren did, who heartened not to the anguish of their Brother's Soul, when he besought them. O, do not so with your Consciences! O, do not say in this matter, as he did to Paul, Come again at a more convenient time, and I will hear thee. O poor Sinners! there can be no more convenient time in the World than a day of Affliction.  
1. Sinners, know if you hear it not now, it may be it will speak no more. Harken to it while it is to Day the Oracle will be silent to Morrow. O! What if this should be the last time, the las● words that ever your Conscience will speak to you, and yet you should be deaf to it would not this be sad?  
2. Sinners, what if th● next time that Conscience should speak to you, it should be in another World? What i● thou shouldst hear a voice from the Damned, say, a● was said to Saul, To Morrow thou shalt be with us? What if thou shouldst not live til● to Morrow, and thou be dea● to Conscience to day? Had not you better hear you● Consciences now, than hea● them in Hell?  
3. Sinners, know the Voice of Conscience is the Voice of God, it hath its Commission from God. He hath bid Conscience speak to you, convince you, warn you, caution you, smite you. Go (says God) to Conscience, and talk with such a poor Sinner, who hath wronged and wounded his own Soul, and dishonoured my Name, and warn him from ●e: And tell him from Me, Except he repent, he shall ●erish in his Sins. And will ●ou refuse to hear such a cressage from God in a day ●f Affliction?  
4. Sinners, know this, It ●ill aggravate your Gild exceedingly, to be deaf to ●●e Voice of Conscience in a ●y of Affliction. Indeed it is so at any time, but much more in a day of Distress. Such Reflections as you have turned a deaf Ear to, will be great Aggravations against you another day. 
John 15.22.  If I had not come and spoken to them (says Christ) they had not had Sin. Their Sin had not been so circumstantiated; as may be said in this case. If Conscience had not Reflected upon you, convinced you, reproved you, you had not had Sin, but now your Sin remains.  
5. Sinners, if you harken not unto your Consciences in a day of Distress, it i● an argument you are hardened in your Sins; if thus deafened, then hardened: If 〈◊〉 deafened Wretch, thou wil● prove an hardened Wretch O now, if Sinners would put all these together, they would see need of this Caution, to take heed lest they should turn a deaf Ear to Conscience in a day of Distress.  
Second Branch of the Caution. Take heed of stifling and strangling the Reflection of Conscience in a day of Affliction: This is very dangerous, and yet very ordinary. The Lord made Man Righteous, but he hath found out many Inventions. And some of these Inventions are to stisle and strangle Conscience, to overly the Reflections of awakened Conscience; as the Woman overlaid the Child. O, how many Sinners have overlaid their Convictions! Some go to their Comforts, some to their Cares, some to their Pleasures, and all to smother Conscience. Some Sinners take these following Courses to murder their Convictions.  
1. They run further into Sin. Will this ever prove a Remedy? Will not this make the Wound to bleed so much the more? To run into sinful Company when wounded in your Consciences, will not this inflame the Reckoning? Is not this to run so much the more upon the score with God? O, Sinners, let me tell you, all these Arrears must at the long run be reckoned for.  
2. Others they run to lawful Comforts and Enjoyments, and so labour to stifle the Reflections of their guilty Consciences.  
3. Others they run to their lawful Employments, as Cain did to build Cities; so some go to their Trades to their Shops, on purpose to drown the convictions of their own guilty Consciences.  
4. Others go to their sinful Recreations, Carding, and Dicing, and Gaming.  
5. Others make Charms of their Duties and Forms, as Papists go to their [Pater Nosters], and their [Ave mary]; nay may not this piece of refined Popery be in the Heart of such as call themselves Protestant's? But alas, all these cannot bear down an awakened Conscience when God sets Gild on.  
The Third Use, Is a word of Exhortation to poor guilty Sinners: O! then yield an Ear to the Reflections of your own Consciences. Many a Man's Conscience cannot be heard by him; it checks him, and chides him, and reproves him, but yet all this while the Sinner stops his Ear, as the deaf Adder, of which some writ, That she claps one Ear to the Earth, and covers the other with her Tail. O, hear Sinners, than what Conscience hath to say. Harken to the Preacher in your Bosoms. Turn you about, Sinners, once before you die, and listen to this Preacher.  
1. Sinners, if you will not hear it now, you must hear it whether you will or no hereafter: And, O how sad will it be to hear it there, Where the Worm never dies, and the Fire never goes out. This Worm is the guilty Conscience, which Sinners must hear in Hell, if they will not hear it here. Guilty Consciences preach in Hell, and the Sermon is as long as Eternity itself; 
Maak 9.44.  and happy were the Damned, if they could run away from these Sermons. O Sinners! you cannot stop your Ears in the other World against your guilty Consciences, as you do in this.  
2. Sinners, harken to the Reflections of your own Consciences; for your hearing them will be in order to the getting of your Sins pardoned. Its Reflections are in order to your Repentance, and your Repentance will be in order to your Remission. They are both put together, and preached in the Name of Christ together: And would not you be glad to have your Sins pardoned? Would not you be glad to have your Sins washed away in the Blood of Christ? Would not you be glad to have this heavy and insupportable burden of Gild removed off the back of your Consciences? Are your Sins gone over your Heads as a Burden, yea, as too heavy a Burden for you to bear, and would not you rejoice to be led to Safety and Rest, under all your Loads and Pressures?  
3. Be sure you attend to the Reflections of your Consciences, for the Rod joins issue with Conscience; the Rod sets Conscience on work, and they preach the same Doctrine. Therefore we are called, and strictly charged to hear the Rod. It may be, Sinners, 
Mic. 6.9.  God hath tried other Preachers, and they have done little good, to make you sensible of your Gild, than God commissions these Preachers, Conscience, and the Rod. If a Man cannot come abroad and hear a Minister, than Affliction shall preach to him at Home. Now the Rod is assistant to Conscience, 
Job 24.13.  the Preacher in your Bosoms.  
4. Sinners, be not deaf to the Reflections of your Consciences; this is to sin against your Light, nay, to ●ebel against your Light. And is not this sad? and the guilt of this Rebellion you will be charged with another day.  
5. (Poor Sinners!) Be not deaf to the Reflections of your own Consciences; usually God follows such with his severest Judgements.  
1. Sometimes Temporal. Many times God makes that threatening good upon such: I will wound the hoary Scalp of every one that goes on in his Trespasses. 
Psal. 68.21.  If Men will walk on in their Sins, contrary to all checks and convictions of Conscience, let them look for some severe blow of the Hand of God upon them, sooner or later; for though the Sentence be not speedily executed, it is not said, it never shall. Tho Execution day be for a while deferred yet it will come.  
2. Spiritual Judgements, which are the worst and saddest of Judgements. Many times Sinners deaf to their Consciences, are given up to a seared Conscience, to a reprobate Mind, to vile Affection, to their own Lusts, to hardness of Heart: And is not the judicially hardened Sinner, the half-damned Sinner?  
The Second Branch of Exhortation is, To such as have Reflecting tender Consciences. O then, bless the Lord for such awakened Consciences! It is a greater Mercy than you think of, to have such a Monitor and Remembrancer in your Bosoms.  
1. Is it not a Mercy to be waylaid in a sinful Course? To be prevented in Sin? To be stopped in a Career and full Gallop for Hell? This, this is the end why God sets Conscience at work with a poor Sinner; Had not many poor Sinners run headlong to utter Destruction and Damnation else. May not many a poor Sinner say to Conscience, as David did to Abigail, Blessed be the God of Israel, 
1 Sam. 25.32, 33.  that sent thee this day, to prevent me from shedding innocent Blood. When thou hast had rebukes of Conscience, hast thou not said, 
Numb. 22.34.  as Balaam to the Angel, in his way to stop him, If my way be perverse before the Lord, and displease thee, I will get me back again. And is not this a Mercy?  
2. Is it not a Mercy to be raised to Re entance after falling into Sin? The Sinner's Sinning is his Fall, the Sinner's Repentance is his Rising. And are not all Conscience's Reflections, when it is awakened in order to Repentance? (as hath been already hinted): and is not this a Mercy to be plucked as a Firebrand out of the midst of the burning? O! how doth Conscience give many a pull at some Sinners, to get them out of the Fire, lest it should prove the Fire that never goes out!  
3. Is not this a Mercy to have thy Soul lie in the way of a Pardon? Canst thou, O poor Sinner! expect Remission without Repentance? Hast thou any Promise for it in all the Bible? Produce it if thou canst? O! whoever told thee so, but Satan and thy own deluding Heart? Do not all Offenders that receive Pardons from their Princes, receive them upon their Knees? Whither is it thy awakened guilty Conscience would send thee, but to the King of Israel, that Merciful King, with Sackcloth upon thy Loins, and an Halter about thy Neck, in order to the receiving of thy Pardon?  
Third Branch of the Exhortation. O then, bless the Lord for days of Affliction and Distress! Because these are the especial times when Conscience makes such q ●ck Reflections upon Souls. Are not such afflictions great Mercies, as are sanctified means in the Hand of God, to awaken poor guilty Souls? Had not you better be awakened by Afflictions, than perish in your Sins? O, how many poor Souls had run headlong to Hell, if a Thorn Hedge of smarting Affliction, had not stopped them? (as hath been noted already) Are not Afflictions Mercies which are means to awaken sleepy Consciences, which otherwise might have slept on to Hell else? Is it not a Mercy to be roused out of our Security? Suppose a Man sleep upon the Bank of the River, had not he been better awakened, though it be by pinching, than sleep on until he drop in and be Drowned? Is not this the Case? There are many poor Souls that lie asleep on the brink of the Pit, one turn by Death on the other side, and the Sinner is gone, and gone for ever.  
But, methinks, I hear a poor Soul say, What shall I do? what Course shall I take? The guilt of my Conscience lies like an heavy Load and Weight upon me. I am dogged with the sense of my guilt Day and Night. My Sin is ever before me. Let such troubled Consciences take these Directions.  
1. Freely confess thy guilt to God. Thus Joseph's Brethren did in the day of their Distress. Thus all Consciences when wounded, should bleed by Confession. Thus David: I have sinned, etc. Thus the poor Prodigal: Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and against thee, etc. The Promise runs to confession of Sin: 
Prov. 28.13.  He that confesseth, and forsaketh his Sin, shall find Mercy. 
1 John 1.9.  If we confess our Sins, God is Faithful and Just to forgive us our Sins.  
2. Be much upon your Knees, praying for Pardon. O, what will make a Man pray, if sense of Gild will ●ot! Need any put words ●nto the Mouth of a condemned Malefactor, to beg the ●udge to be good unto him? How ready is he to cry, Good ●y Lord, have Mercy? O, ●hat Petitioning will there ●e to the Judge! O, poor ●uilty Sinner, see this Course ●●ken by David; Lord, have ●dercy upon me, etc.  
3. O, run believingly to ●●e Blood of Christ! Your ●onfessions, your Prayers, ●ur Tears, will not do without the Blood of Christ; thou must get further (viz.) To the Blood of Sprinkling. This is the Blood that cleanseth from all Sin, and all Unrighteousness. Here, here is the Fountain for guilty and for filthy Souls to wash in.  
4. Defer not your Repentance, this is dangerous when under sense of Gild. You can say in other Cases, there is danger in delays: O, why do not you say so in this? O, poor Sinners, sleep not in your Gild! A wounded Spirit must be taken betimes, a● well as a Wound in the Body the Wound will get win● else, and will fester; thi● will make dreadful work i● once Gild gangreen and fester. O, how hard will gangreen'd Conscience be t● Cure.  
5. Direction is, Lay hold by an hand of Faith, upon your precious Promises in the Gospel held out to you. O, poor guilty Sinners are all for application of Threaten, and alas, this makes the Wound deeper and wider. O, how do such Sinners when they neglect Gospel-Promises! Hath Christ purchased such precious Promises to lie by you? O, what a sin is Unbelief, to null the Promises of God to make them void, and of none effect. Are these Cordials provided for Sinsick Souls, and will they not so much as taste of them? Will not God take this ill at your Hands? Is not a Gospel-Promise, a proper Plaster for a wounded Conscience? O, that all guilty Sinners were well studied in Gospel-Promises! Might not they then espy a door of Hope, 
Isa. 1.  concerning their pardon of Sin and Gild? Yea, though their Sins were as Scarlet, (such were Joseph's Brethren, in my Text) yet they should be as white as Snow. And the they were as Crimson, they should be as white as Wool O, what a Mercy, poor Sinners, would this be, to be awakened by the Reflections of your own guilty Consciences in a day of Affliction and for all to end and issue in Remission and Pardon!  
FINIS.