1.  God presenting their sins unto their view, so as they shall cry out, “Our sin is ever before us,” Psal. li. 3, and say, as it is, Psal. xc. 8.  “Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance;” and so cause them see the Lord contending for sin, as the church did, Isa. lix.  “We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves.  We look for judgment but there is none, for salvation but it is far off from us; 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,” &c.

2.  Yea, God may bring upon them the iniquities of their youth, as Job speaketh, chap. xiii. 26, and so bring upon them, or suffer conscience to charge them, with their old sins formerly repented of and pardoned.  And this is more terrible:  David is made to remember his original sin, Psal. li.

3.  And, as Job speaketh, chap. xv. 17, God may seem to be sealing up all their sins in a bag, that none of them may be lost or fall by, without being taken notice of; and, as it were, be gathering them together in a heap.

4.  He may pursue sore with signs of wrath and displeasure, because of those sins, as we see in David, Psal. iv.; xxxviii. 51, and in several others of his people, chastened of the Lord because of their transgressions; whereof there are many instances in Scripture.

5.  Yea, and that for a considerable time together, and cause them cry out, with David, Psal. iv. 3, “But thou, O Lord, how long!”

6.  And that not only with outward, but also with inward plagues and strokes, as David’s case cleareth, in the fore-cited Psalms.

7.  Yea, and not even themselves, but even their posterity; as David’s child was smitten with death, and the posterity of Manasses, who found mercy himself, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 13, was carried into captivity for his sin, 2 Kings xxiii. 26, 27.

8.  Further, the Lord may deprive them of all their former joy and comfort, which made David cry out, Psalm li. 12, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and grant me thy free Spirit.”

9.  And, which is yet more terrible, write their sin upon their judgment, as when he caused the sword and whoredom follow David’s house.

10.  And, finally, he may cause them fear utter off-casting, as Psalm li. 12, “cast me not away,” said he, “from thy presence.”

And this the Lord thinketh good to do (that we may speak a word to the second particular) for those, and the like reasons: 

1.  To discover to them, and to all the world, how just, holy, and righteous a God he is, that cannot approve of, or bear with sin, even in his own children.

2.  To make all fear and tremble before this great and holy God, who is terrible in his judgments, even when they come from a Father’s hand that is not pursuing in pure anger and wrath, but chastening in love.  Sure all must think that his dispensations with the wicked will be much more fearful and horrible, seeing they are not yet reconciled to him through the blood of Jesus.