3. Their final acceptance —
[Even here they are rejected both by God and man. Those who walk consistently, are hated and despised by the ungodly world ; but those who walk inconsistently, are despised a thousand times more ; and this God has ordained as a just punishment for their treachery?. As for his own abhorrence of them, it is scarcely possible for language to express it more strongly than he has declared ifi. Moreover, if they repent not, the same indignation will pursue them in the eternal world. What reception they will then meet with at his hands, he has plainly warned them''." And the saints with whom they associated here, will then disown them, and cast them out of their society^: yea, the very heathen who walked agreeably to the light that they enjoyed, will be admitted into bliss, whilst the lifeless professor of religion, who brought forth no fruit to perfection, will be banished from it with abhorrence*: so true
^ Rom. ii. 21—24. ' Matt. xiii. 12 '" Luke xiv. 35.
" Judg. ix. 45. Jer. xvii. 6. Ezek. xlvii. 11. and particularly Ps. cvii. 34. the marginal reading. The Salt Sea is the Dead Sea. ° Matt, xviii. 7. p Mai. ii. 8, 9. i Rev. iii. 15, 16.
>• Ps. 1. 16—22. s Luke xiii. 28. t Rom. ii. 27.
g2
is that expression in our text, " They shall be trodden under foot of men ! "]
Seeing then that the power of godhness is of such importance, we call upon you all,
1. To seek it —
[It is not a hfeless formal religion that will avail for your salvation. The command of God to every one of us is, " Have salt in yourselves"." The distinction between the true Chris- tian and the self-deceiver is, that the one " savours the things of the Spirit," which the other does not''." We must " delight ourselves in God," or it will be in vain to hope that ever He will delight in us.]
2. To preserve it —
[The " salt may soon lose its savour." Religion is not like the sculptor's work, which if left ever so long remains in the state it was : but like a stone rolled up a hill, which will descend again as soon as the impelling force is withdrawn. The stony-ground and thorny-ground hearers shew, that we are prone to depart from God, or to rest in a carnal state whilst maintaining outwardly a spiritual profession. It is a melan- choly, and an undeniable fact, that many do " begin in the Spirit, and end in the flesh." Let us then " stir up the gift of God that is in us," as we would stir a languishing fire ; that we *' lose not the things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward >"."]
3. To diffuse it —
[We must never forget the office which God has assigned us in our respective spheres. The treasure committed to us earthen vessels, is not for ourselves only, but to enrich others. " Our speech should always be with grace seasoned with salt^." Let us then exert ourselves to the utmost of our power to in- struct the rising generation to reform the habits of the
tvorld to send the Gospel to the Heathen and
to impart to all within our reach the knowledge and salvation of God^]
" Mark ix. 50.
^ Rom. viii. 5. (ppornuaiv, sapiunt, Beza. See also Rom. ii. 28, 29.
y 2 John, ver. «'. z Col. iv. G. Eph. iv. 29.
* If this be a subject for Missions, or Bible Society, or Sunday Schools, or for Visiting the Sick, or Reformation of Manners, the ap- propriate idea should be exclusively insisted on.