But like the animal sacrifices of the law, he too must be purified. The law required that the victim should be pure and without blemish: and that it might be preserved from any approach towards corruption, a strict command was given, being rendered necessary by the climate of Judea, "Every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking for the meat offering. With all thy sacrifices thou shalt offer salt." To the typical sacrifice, therefore, salt was indispensable, that it might be pure and uncorrupt. And so the spiritual sacrifice, the christian heart, must be salted with salt; secured from corruption by that which has the power of preserving it; by that which is to the spiritual part of man, what salt is to the animal substance, and keeps it from decay.

That which does thus preserve the Christian, is his faith. Faith is to him, what salt was to the sacrifice it" purifies his heart" through the power of the Holy Ghost, and makes him fit for the serIvice to which he is dedicated. So seasoned, so preserved, he is able to sustain the heat of temptation, and to come out entire and unimpaired from the fire of persecution. If it were not so, there would be proof against him that his faith were not that true and genuine faith with which every sacrifice must be salted, that it may be "accepted of God."

What therefore we learn from this difficult but instructive sentence, is that if trials come upon us,

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they are not to be looked upon "as a strange thing," but expected and that they may even be so severe, as to be properly compared to a furnace of fire. There have been many periods in the history of the Church, when this prediction has proved literally and exactly true: when they who have resolutely wept the faith, and could not be turned from their stedfastness," have been torn from their families and homes, have "had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection."7

We are likewise taught that the Christian must be endued with a quality which may enable him to withstand these trials, and preserve him from the destruction which they would otherwise bring upon him even that quality which has "subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouth of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword," turned fear into confidence and weakness into strength that faith which is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." "

7 Heb. xi. 1; 35-37.

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8 Ib. 1.

LECTURE LIX.

THE APOSTLES EXHORTED TO BROTHERLY LOVE.

MARK ix. 50.

50. Salt is good but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

The Lord had just before been saying, Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. The sacrifice, is the disciple of Christ; salt is the faith which makes him acceptable. As the sacrifices commanded by the Jewish law were sprinkled with salt, that no corruption might blemish them, and render them unfit for an offering to the Lord: so every follower of Christ who presents himself as a "living sacrifice to the service of God, must have that faith implanted in him, which should be to him what salt is to the victim.

Keeping up the metaphor, and using the same figure, the Lord now says, Salt is good. Salt is useful for the purposes which it is designed to serve. Nothing can stand in its stead. And so FAITH is good has an effect on the heart which nothing else has. Faith induced Noah to occupy many years and expend a vast cost that he might "prepare an ark to the saving of his house," when the deluge should

cover the earth.' Faith induced Abraham to abandon his home and country, and obey the call of God, not knowing whither he was summoned. Faith induced Moses to leave the royal court in which he had been bred up, and devote himself to the deliverance of his countrymen. Faith was now actuating in like manner the apostles and others who were of the company of Jesus, who had left all that was dear to them, and were following their Master "to prison and to death." Faith would soon achieve still greater triumphs, in bringing a heathen multitude to cast away the vanities of their idolatry, and to "serve the living and true God," waiting for an inheritance above. Farther still, they who in "the times of their ignorance" had been accustomed to indulge the desires of a carnal nature, would be led by faith to mortify their evil affections, and to "follow holiness," obeying "the will of God, even their sanctification." FAITH therefore is good: faith in the word of God, offering "grace and peace" to men through the gospel: faith in Jesus Christ, as the "author of eternal life to all them that obey him.”

Salt, however, may lose its power, and have no effect upon the substance which it ought to season. So likewise may the principle of faith grow weak and feeble, and its influence upon the heart may fail. Then wherewith will ye season it? There is always danger of this, from the weakness of man, and the malice of Satan and some signs of it had even now appeared. The spirit of rivalry had shown itself; and the apostles had lately been disputing

1 Heb. xi. 7-25.

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amongst each other," which should be the greatest." If this spirit prevailed, "the salt would lose its saltness:" so that the Lord assured them in the most earnest language, "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." So afterwards, the spirit of boasting and self-conceit was found amongst the elders of the church at Corinth; there were "contentions amongst them;" some desired to become leaders; and others acted as vehement partizans. If this spirit prevailed, the salt would lose its saltness; and St. Paul remonstrates with them, as with men whose salvation was in danger. Again, certain teachers in the Galatian church persuaded the people that the law of Moses must be observed, without which the atonement made upon the cross for sin would not avail. Here again the salt was losing its saltness: this was "another gospel,-which was not another:" and wherewith should the church be seasoned, if the truth were corrupted through these additions?

The Lord, therefore, leaves this exhortation: Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another. Pray that your faith may be increased, your christian principles strengthened. For "ye are the salt of the earth :" and "if the salt should lose its savour," the world itself would suffer injury." Especially, therefore, they must guard against those evils to which their circumstances strongly tempted them, and which yet would be destructive of all their usefulness. They must "follow after the

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2 Matt. xviii. 3.
'Gal. i. 6, 7.

1 Cor. i. 11-13.

5 Matt. v. 15.