smiting him Aâ— David his Heart smote him when he cut off the Lap oâ— Saul's Garment Tendeâ— Consciences find this inwarâ— smiting either upon thâ— commission of Evil or thâ— 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 Brest And sometimes with Ephraim's smiting upon his Thigh O now Sinners reflect upon their Sins as thaâ— word No Man repented 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 shew your selves Men Isa 46.8 and bring it again to mind O ye Transgressors Therefore we have frequently such Expressions Remembring 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 reade 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 Judgment 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 registred there and though it be a sealed Book at present you know not â—ow soon it may be opened and you judged out of it according to what you have â—one O how many Sinners may now deny matter of fact but when Conscience â—hall be awakened to lay it â—ome and charge them plainâ—ith it saying as Nathan to David Thou art the Man Then there will be no denying of it The witness of â—â—es own Conscience is an â—deniable Testimony Cain â—ould not deny this Testimony therefore his Guilt cri'd 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 testifie again us c. 2. Conscience doth no only reflect upon matter oâ— 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 Guilt You have heard hinted before I that we saw the anguish of hâ—â— 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 before-hand 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 Death-bed 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 c. 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
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 Josephs 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 tho 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 bryer'd and plunged into a pit of Distress They all joyntly 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 Self-Reflection and Accusation And they said one to another We are verily guilty c. 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 it self In that we saw the Anguish of his Soul when he besought us O now Conscience is busie and active O now their Guilt 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 leaft about it 2. Here is in the Reflection or Accusation the aggravation of their Guilt 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 Guilt for one Brother to do thus by another It is not only Guilt but circumstances of Guilt 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 Guilt 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 crys 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 it self and the Aggravations of it So also we have observable that it was by joynt consent This Reflecting it was not one or two of them but They said one unto another It was a joynt 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 joynt 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 Guilt 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. Guilt 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 reade it After these things The Latine 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 Guilt had slept in their Consciences and now God awakens it Guilt now rises and walks in their Consciences after so many Years being forgotten As we say of
that gets a â—ot but being warm at preâ—nt feels it not but afterwards the loss of Blood causes â—â—m to faint Persons engaged in their Temptations do â—â—t feel the fiery Darts that â—atan shoots at them O! but in cold Blood how do â—â—ey cry out When they â—ome to a feeling of themselves what they have done against God and against their own Souls Remember Siâ—ners what you commit 〈◊〉 your hot Blood you will 〈◊〉 pent in your cold and it wâ—â— walk in your Consciences afterwards Prov. 28.23 He that rebuketh Man afterwards shall fâ—â— favour more than he that flatereth with his Tongue say Solomon viz. When a Man is in cold Blood composed 〈◊〉 his Spirit then he cousider this friendly rebuke was 〈◊〉 Love 3. Reason Why Guilt 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 hardniâ—â— thing when Sinners have gotten habits of Sin one 〈◊〉 being Drunk another of being Unclean another of being Proud now all sence 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 then the Lord makes this Sin walk in his Conscience and the other Sin is brought to remembrance O! now the Soul crys 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 〈◊〉 then he cried out Psal 50.4 Against thee against thee only have 〈◊〉 sinned The Prodigal did noâ— 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 Guilt 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 testifie 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 begins 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 Guilt against their Brother Joseph 1. They speak like Persons aggravating their Guilt 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 Spake 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 Guilt 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 joyned in their Conspiracy now upon guilt walking in their Consciences they in my Text joyn in their Consession 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 Guilt a contrived piece of Guilt 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 hide all with Lyes to their own Father 6. Aggravation was there Cruelty and Hard-heartedness 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
THE HUE and CRY OF CONSCIENCE AFTER Secure Sinners OR THE ALARM of CONSCIENCE In order to the Discovery of HIDDEN GUILT 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 Iohn 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 threatnings 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 Threatnings 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 Crys to sleepy and drowzy 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 find'st 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 fearched Job 5.27 so it is hear it and know it for thy good Or as it is in the Hebrew for thy self 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 Guilt 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 begins 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 Guilt 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 ballance of the Sanctuary prove whether it be according to the standard of the Sanctuary Poor Souls hear much and it may be reade much but this marrs 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 Guilt Some understand by Heel the last part of a Mans life towards his Death And doth not such a day hasten upon you O what work will Guilt 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 grea est losses 4. What concerns thee here remark and remember you may read much and remark little and this marrs all you read this remarking is Conscience taking Notes and making Animadversions upon Truths You do not bring your Consciences to reade Books say as you reade 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 reade and bless God that you have to all Chalenges 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 c. 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 learnt it to this day 2. Let this be your care to preserve the tenderness of your Consciences You may by guilt Sirs benum your Consciences as you find by what