A treatise of original sin ... proving that it is

2. The trouble of conscience may arise from some heavy and grievous judgement that hath overtaken us. Conscience may lie asleep may years; the sins thou hast committed long ago may be almost forgotten, and yet some judgement and calamity, falling upon thee afterwards, may bring them to mind: Thus Joseph's brethren, whose consciences were so stupid (as you heard) that upon the throwing of their brother into the pit, they could sit down as if nothing a•led them; many years after, when they were in anguish of mind by Joseph's severe carriage towards them, Gen. 42. 21. Then they said one to another, We are very guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear, therefore is this distress come upon us; so that some unexpected calamity may be to us, as the hand-writing on the will to Belshazzar, making conscience to tremble within us.

2. The trouble of conscience may arise from some heavy and grievous judgement that hath overtaken us. Conscience may lie asleep may yeares; the sinnes thou hast committed long agoe may be almost forgotten, and yet some judgement and calamity, falling upon thee afterwards, may bring them to mind: Thus Joseph's brethren, whose consciences were so stupid (as you heard) that upon the throwing of their brother into the pit, they could sit down as if nothing a•led them; many yeares after, when they were in anguish of mind by Joseph's severe carriage towards them, Gen. 42. 21. Then they said one to another, We are very guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear, therefore is this distress come upon us; so that some unexpected calamity may be to us, as the hand-writing on the will to Belshazzar, making conscience to tremble within us.

3. God as a just Judge can command these Hornets and Bees to arise in thy conscience. It is plain, Cain, when he set himself to build Townes, thought to remove that trembling which was upon him, but he could not do it; how many have set themselves with all the might they could to be delivered from this anguish of conscience and could not? because God is greater then our conscience, if he command terror and trembling none can expel it. This troubled conscience is threatened as a curse to such, who did break the Law of God, Deut. 29. 65 67. The Lord shall give thee a trembling heart—and sorrow of mind—In the morning thou shalt say, would God it were day—for the fear of thy heart. Here we may observe, that God can, when he pleaseth, strike the heart of the most jolly and profane sinner with such a trembling conscience, that he shall not have rest day or night; and when God, after much patience abused, doth smite the soul with such horror and astonishment many times: This never tendeth to a gracious and Evangelical humiliation, but as in Cain and Judas is the beginning even of hell it self in this life. So fearful a thing is it to fall into the hands of the living God, when provoked,