These noisome accumulations were from time to time consumed by fire; and the things which were not consumed by fire were the prey of worms. Hence “ Gehenna” became the image of the place of eternal punish- ment, where “the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.” These terrible images are conclusive as to the eternity of future punishment, go far as our nature is eoncerned and our knowledge reaches. They are the symbols of certain dreadful realities; too dreadful for human language #o describe or human thought to conceive. Ver. 44.—Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. These words ‘are a quotation from Isa. lxvi. 24, and they are repeated three times in the Authorized Version. But the best anoient authorities ‘omit them in the two first places, retaining them at ver. 48. The metaphor is very striking as well as awful. Ordinarily the worm feeds upon the disorganized ae and then dies. The fire consumes the fuel, and then itself expires. But here the worm mover dies; the fire never goes out. The words of Cornelius & Lapide on the original pesace in Isaiah are well worth recording ere: “TI beseech you, O reader, by the mercies of our God, by your own ealvation, by that one little life entrusted to you and committed to your care, that you will ever keep before your eyes the living memory, as of eternity and of eternal torments, so also of the eternal joys on the other side offered to you by God, and concerning which you here cast the die, and that irrevocable. Let these two things never depart from your mind, In this world, ‘ Vanity of vanities, ‘and all is vanity.’ Oh, what a void there is in earthly things! Oh, how vain is all our life without Chric+! In the world to come, truth of truths, and all is truth; stability of stabilities, and all is stability ; eternity of eternities, and all is eternity. An eternity in heaven most happy, in hell most miserable, ‘ Where their worm dies not, -and the fire is not quenched.’” St. Bernard says “the worm that never dies is the memory of the past, which never ceases to gnaw the oonacience of the impenitent.” Ver. 49.—For every one shall be salted with fire; and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. According to the most approved authorities, the second clause of this verse should be omitted, although it is evident ‘that our Lord had in his mind the words in ‘Lev. ii. 18, “ Every oblition of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt.” Every one shall be salied with fire. ‘“ Kvery one.” The statement is general in its application. There is no limitation. The good and the evil alike shall be “salted with fire.” There ig an apparent incongruity bere. But it must be remembered that both the salt and
the fire are here used in a metaphorical sense; and there is a fire which is penal, and there is a fire which purifies. In the case of the wicked the fire is penal; and the salting with fire in their case can only mean the anguish of a tormented conscience, which must be commensurate with its existence in the same moral condition. But there is a fire which purifies St. Peter, addressing the Christians of the Dispersion (1 EHpist. iv. 12), bids them not to think it strange concerning the “ fiery trial” which was among them. This was their “salting with fire.” Those persecutions which they suffered were their discipline of affliction, through which God was purifying and pre- serving them. This discipline is necessary for all Christians. They must arm them- selves with the aame mind, even though they may not live in a time of outward persecution. He who parts with the hand, or the foot, or the eye; that is, he who sur. renders what is dear to him—he who parts with what, if he was only to confer with flesh and blood, he would rather keep, for the sake of Christ, is going through the discipline of self-sacrifice, which is often painful and severe, but nevertheless purify- ing. He is salted with fire; but he is pre- served by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Ver. 50.—Salt is good; that is, it is useful and beneficial. This is true of the literal salt. Its wholesome antiseptic properties are
universally recognized. But our Lord has before his mind in this whole passage the spiritual meaning. He is thinking of the sait of Divine grace, of the salt of a spirit informed and influenced by the Holy Spirit. He had
already told his disciples that they were “the salt of the earth.’’ Not, indeed, that they could deliver the earth from corruption —that was beyond their power. But when Christ had delivered it by his mighty sacri- fice and the gift of his Spirit, it was their business, as it is the duty of all Christians, to keep it in a healthy state; so that by their wisdom and purity, their holy lives and holy teaching, they might season the whole world. But if the salt have lost its saltness (cay rd dAas Bvadov yévnra), where- with will ye season it t This insipid, tasteless condition of salt is familiar to travellers in the East. Examples are to be found of large messes of salt which “has lost its savour.” Our Lord here applies this in a spiritual sense to his disciples. “If ye, my disciples, who are the salt of the earth,—if ye lose the true properties of salt; if your Christianity loses its heart, its quickening, stimulating influence; so that on account of the love of the world, or the fear of man, or through lust or ambition, you fall away from the | heavenly doctrine and life;—who shall re
10 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK.
store you to your former spiritual health and vigour? With what can salt itself be seasoned when its own chemical energies are lost ?”” Our Lord plays upon this figure of salt, and cautions his disciples, lest by any means they should lose the qualities of this mystic salt. Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace one with another. This sentence fitly winds up the whole. Have the salt of wisdom and purity, and of a Christian life, namely, humility, charity,
puting (ver. 33). Our Lord foresaw that this kind of contention, these rivalries, and these ambitious aims, would prove a great scandal and a great hindrance to the pro- gress of his Church in the future ages of the world. But he also knew that if his disciples in every age would endeavour to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,”’ their influence would be irresistible, and they would draw all men to them and to himself, the great Centre of uttraction,
and “the confidence of all the ends of the
contempt of the world, and especially peace. earth ” (Ps. lev. 5).
Do not be idly contending about place or position, aa not long agu you were dis-
HOMILETICS.