nature. A piece of divinity was stamped on man, which outshined all
created perfections. The sun might blush when it looked on him, for what
was material glory to the glory of holiness and beauty of God's image! But
sin hath robbed poor man of this glorious image, hath defaced man, marred
all his glory, put on an hellish likeness on him. Holiness only putteth
the difference between angels in heaven and devils in hell, and sin only
hath made the difference between Adam in paradise, and sinners on the
cursed ground, Rom. iii. 23.

II. Sin hath so redounded through man unto all the creation, that it hath
defiled it, and made it corruptible and subject to vanity, (Rom. viii. 20,
&c.,) so that this is a spot in all the creature's face,--that man hath
sinned, and used all as weapons of unrighteousness, so that now the
creature groaneth to be delivered.

III. It hath brought on all the misery that is come on man, or that is to
come, it hath brought on death and damnation as its wages, and the curse
of the eternal God, Gal. iii. 13, Rom. vi. 23. How odious then an evil
must it be, that hath so much evil in it yea, all evil in the bosom of it!
Hell is not evil in respect of sin, for sin deserveth hell, it hath ruined
man, and made all the beautiful order of the creation to change.

IV. It separateth man from God, which is worst of all, and this is
included in the text, "We are all as an unclean thing," or man is as a
leprous man set apart, because of pollution, that may not come to the
temple, or worship God, so hath iniquity separated between God and us,
Isa. lix. 2. And O how sad a divorcement is this! it maketh men without
God in the world, in whom we live, and move, and have our being, in whose
favour is life, and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore. Now
poor man is made miserable, deprived of his felicity, which only consisted
in enjoyment of God. Sin as a thick partition wall, is come in between,
enmity also is come in, and divideth old friends, Eph. ii. 14-17, and now
no heavenly or comfortable influence can break through the night of
darkness is begun which must prove everlasting. Except the partition-wall
be removed, all must wither and decay as without the sun.

V. Look on the price paid for sin, on the cleansing that washeth it away,
and you may see unspeakable deformity and vileness in it. The redemption
of the soul is precious silver and gold and precious stones will not do
it,--that would be utterly