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In every sin there is not only guilt, that binds over to punishment, but defilement; which makes the sinner not less filthy than guilty; and even when the guilt is remitted, the filth remains still. The hurt is not so soon cured, as the fault is pardoned.

1. All men are spotted, originally from their parents; of actual spots themselves are the parents. If all our internal spots should break out, we could not endure one another. The whole world would be an hospital, and every man a lazar.

2. The whole world is spotted, that is another step: in the universal blemishes of nature let us read our own. To charge God with this degeneration is the highest blasphemy: coldness may sooner arise from fire, than any evil from the fountain of goodness.

3. But if every man be spotted, who shall then enter into heaven, seeing into that city no unclean thing shall come? (Revelation 26:27.) This is true, yet many that have been unclean persons are since admitted (1 Corinthians 6:11; Revelation 7:14; Jeremiah 4:14). The grace of God may go a great way in our souls, and yet not leave us without spots. Not to have no spot here, but to have no spot imputed hereafter, is the happiness of a Christian.

4. We have all spots, but these are spots; for the apostle speaks not of their actions here, but their persons; not the blemishes of the men, but that the men themselves are blemishes. This is a high degree of sin, to be wholly turned into sin.

5. To whom do these appear spots and blemishes?

(1) To God, who hath pure eyes, and can abide no unclean thing.

(2) To the angels. Iniquities be sport for devils, but an eyesore to the angels; they that rejoice at a sinner's conversion do rather grieve at his aberration.

(3) To good men, whom nothing pleaseth that displeaseth their Maker.

(4) To bad men; for howsoever sinners love to be evil themselves, yet they would have others good to them.

(5) To the creatures; they grieve that they are compelled to wait on a wrong master.

(6) And do they not offend themselves? No, the sick man may feel, the dead does not.

6. Sin is of a defiling quality; like a bemired dog, when it fawns upon us it fouls us. It may in this one thing be compared to fire, it converts matter into itself.

7. Open and notorious offenders ought to be denied these holy feasts; and instead of communicating with us, to pass under the censure of excommunication from us; till in penitent tears they have cleansed their pollutions.

8. We may not abstain from the sacrament, because there be spots and blemishes in the society.

9. As all sins are spots, so some have a more special resemblance, as carrying in them a natural poison and filthiness. Such particular instances we find in Scripture, wherein God discovered the spots in their consciences by sticking spots on their bodies (Exodus 9:11; Numbers 12:10; 2 Kings 5:27).

Application:

1. Learn to see thy spots. Many have unknown sins, as a man may have a mole on his back, and himself never know it (Psalm 19:12). But many a one knows his fault, yet loves it.

2. Confess these spots. The spots that God hateth, are the spots that man hideth.

3. It is madness to confess ourselves foul, and not to wash, therefore let us endeavour our own cleansing. In our making there was work for God only; in our marring there was work for ourselves only; in our restoring there is work for God and ourselves together.

4. There is only one fountain to purge all these spots, the blood of the Lamb. For this purpose Christ was baptized, even to wash us. His first baptizing was with water, His last with blood; both of them wash the world from their sins.

(Thos. Adams.)

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KJV: And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

WEB: receiving the wages of unrighteousness; people who count it pleasure to revel in the daytime, spots and blemishes, reveling in their deceit while they feast with you;