SERMON XXXIX - How believers are described as unsavoury - Matthew 5:13
contentment will perish forever. These Scriptures contain powerful teachings to eradicate the corruptions of the heart. When you attend the Ministry of the Gospel, you will eventually discover that the Word uncovers your particular sins. Go home and rub them with salt. Labour to kill and mortify your sins. The Ministers of God cannot do it as effectively as you can. Christ speaks here in similes so that you will remember. You have occasion to remember when salt is on your table and when you salt your meat. If I don't salt my meat, it will putrefy and become unsavoury. Likewise, my heart cannot appreciate or savour anything without the Gospel. Without salt, I cannot offer any sacrifices that are pleasing to God. The Doctrine of the Ministry of the Word acts as salt for the benefit of our spiritual nature.
SERMON XXXIX
OR How believers are described as unsavoury "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden underfoot of men. You are the light of the world." - Matthew 5:13
We read in Scripture that sometimes salt makes the land barren where it is sown, as in Judges 9:45. "And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that
were therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt."
Excessive salt on the land can render it barren. The same can happen to many of our hearts. We receive a constant sowing of the salt of the word, yet there is no fruit. Instead, our hearts grow barren. There seems to be a curse on the ground that has salt sown on it. Likewise, there is a curse on the hearts of those who live under the ministry of the word, who hear these blessed truths preached to them and yet remain unfruitful.
Now, let's consider the phrase, "If salt loses its savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?" This can apply either to believers who carry the truths of the Gospel in their lives to some extent (Luke 14:25, compared with verse 35), or to ministers if they have lost their savour and need to be salted again.
Speaking briefly about believers who have knowledge of many Gospel truths and have expressed and embraced them for a time, they have been of great use in towns, parishes, and families where they have lived. They have served as salt, and many have benefited from their knowledge and the excellent gifts they possess through the Gospel. However, some of them lose their savour. True grace in the heart cannot be lost, but the abundance of truths and gifts acquired through the Gospel can be lost. Many believers who were once fervent and zealous, bearing fruit and benefiting all who encountered them, have now lost their savour. There is no longer the same vitality and liveliness in their duties and performances. They have become flat and cold, lacking passion in their duties and merely going through the motions. Little good can be gained or expected from them. When you converse with them, you find that many have become unsavoury. They have mingled base lusts with their profession and zeal, losing their power. They have become earthly, with their corruptions prevailing over the salt. Though they seemed
restrained for a while, their corruptions gained power over the truths they once understood and publicly professed. Consequently, they have lost all their vigour and become formal in their duties. Their savour is gone. This describes those who have made a profession of faith but have lost their savour. People may remark, "How they have changed! They were..." If salt loses its savour, how can it be seasoned? How can this condition be restored? It is not impossible, but it is rare for a former zealous believer who has now become flat and cold to be restored. It is a rare occurrence. Hebrews 6:4 states,
"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy
Ghost, etc." This passage does not explicitly mention the sin against the Holy Ghost, but it presents a more general warning, leaving individuals in dreadful fear, cautioning them not to fall away. Let such individuals be careful not to nurture any corruption. Rarely do we see anyone restored or returning after falling away from their profession of faith. Why is this so? When they had experienced truth and witnessed its effect on others' hearts, it did not have a similar impact on their own hearts. They understood these truths years ago, but for many, they only awaken their consciences, stir their hearts, humble their spirits, and reveal the wretchedness of their natural state. However, when a formal believer who has fallen away from the truth hears such things, they have gained power over their conscience. There is little efficacy in their lives to overcome it. How can they be seasoned when the salt has lost its savour? As a result, they are considered unuseful members in the Church or society. They are almost good for nothing. A believer who is not fruitful is of no value. When salt loses its savour, it becomes entirely useless, unlike other things such as broken money that can still serve a purpose for a goldsmith. Salt, on the other hand, is utterly worthless. The same applies to believers who apostatize from the truth. There is no more miserable creature than an apostatizing Christian. They are
worthless, as neither God nor man will trust them anymore. They had been zealous in their faith but have now fallen away. God no longer trusts them, and people do not trust them due to their unfaithfulness to God. Those who are not useful are cast out from people's hearts. There was a time when you rejoiced to be in their company, considering it a privilege. But now, you regard them with contempt. They wander as poor wretches forsaken by God and man because they are of no use to the world, nor are they esteemed or valued within the Church. On the contrary, they do harm wherever they go. God often takes away their gifts. When they professed their faith, they possessed gifts from God, but now they cannot pray as they once did. A secret curse accompanies everything they do. During their youth and when they initially made their profession, they received gifts from God for the edification of others. But now, God has withdrawn His presence, taking away their gifts. They have turned away from God, experiencing a tremendous change. They roam as burdens to towns and families, being trodden underfoot.
Few do more harm than those who were once fervent in their profession of faith but later fell away. They view the name of God as contemptible, and God regards them in the same light. They become stumbling blocks and discouragements to young believers who are starting their journey with God. When God begins to work in their hearts, the apostates harden the hearts of the wicked. Once considered great in the Church of God, they have now fallen away, leading others to think that religion is merely a fancy or a passing whim. They become discouragements to weak individuals, causing them to wonder, "What will become of me if even those who were once eminent in their profession fall away?" Oh Lord, how can I persevere? You are discouragements to others who previously made a profession but have grown complacent, vexed to see young believers showing more fervour than themselves. The truth is, they should examine their hearts and ask, "Have I lost my savour? Have I
become more sluggish? Is it not just for God to take away my esteem and reputation within the Church?" They should be willing to cry out, having apostatized from the truth, just as one did, "Tread upon me, tread upon me, unsavoury salt. Let everyone tread upon me. It is just for all of God's servants to tread upon me." I beseech you to consider this if you are beginning to make a profession of faith and have experienced the work of God in your hearts, especially those of you who are young and still have a taste for savoury things. When temptation comes, consider the dreadful condition of those who apostatize from their profession of faith. While you are young, you may believe that you will hold fast to these truths of God that you currently embrace. However, you do not know your own hearts.
I now address the issue concerning Ministers. According to most interpreters, they are considered the valuable individuals in society, often referred to as the "salt of the earth." However, when Ministers lose their zeal and effectiveness, they become unsavory. Initially, their preaching is powerful and zealous, but as they face worldly temptations and gain comfortable positions, their commitment weakens. Their sermons become flat, lacking the impact they once had. They avoid addressing matters that challenge people's hearts and consciences and instead prefer preaching easy, general truths that don't trouble anyone. Their teaching loses its saltiness, adopting a flattering and superficial tone. They even mix their own inventions with the truth and indulge in superstitious practices. To someone with genuine grace in their heart, this kind of preaching is unpalatable.
It is worth noting that many Ministers who were initially reluctant to preach become fervent and fierce when speaking against those who preach the true Word of God. Such preachers are what Christ refers to as unsavory. When Ministers become lazy and sluggish in their
ministry, they have lost their savour. It is nearly impossible for a Minister who has deviated from the truth of the Gospel to be restored. While I won't say it's impossible, it is a rarity. Firstly, their pride prevents them from being taught by others or acknowledging their errors, even when their consciences convict them. Secondly, their corrupted natural abilities are employed to resist the truths of God that could benefit them. It is like a person with a sore on their body; the body's nourishment goes toward feeding the sore.
Similarly, their wickedness prevails, and there is a curse from God upon them. The recovery of such Ministers is highly unlikely. How few Ministers who were once wicked and malign return, and only when compelled to do so.
Therefore, we should not be offended when we witness learned individuals behaving in certain ways. Instead, we should learn from it and understand the dreadful consequences of sinning against the light. If I were speaking to an audience full of young Ministers who are currently full of vigor and enthusiasm, I would caution them to take these words to heart. Those who are currently perceived as savory should strive to maintain that savour until the end. Even as their natural abilities may decline, they should display a light and fervor of spirit, demonstrating love for God and providing wholesome counsel based on their experiences. Blessed are those who possess these qualities. However, it is most miserable for those who were once fervent in their youth as Ministers to become unsavory and remain unrecoverable. They are henceforth good for nothing.
What should be done with them? If they are placed in congregations of good people, it will only dampen their spirits and grieve their hearts. If they are sent to congregations where the people are wicked, it will only worsen them. Moreover, there is usually a curse from God
upon their abilities and gifts, and they are seldom trusted due to their unfaithfulness to God. I recall a Papist commentator on Malachi 2:3, who remarked that such Ministers are good for nothing and shall be cast out and trodden underfoot. "Behold, I will corrupt your seed and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts, and one shall take you away with it." What will become of those who are unsavory? Some may pity them, but it is the just judgment of God that they shall be trodden underfoot. Even those who once flocked to their sermons now find no use for them in the Church. The more discerning among them reject them, casting them out of their hearts. There may be much evil in people's hearts when they withdraw from those who preach savory truths, but in general, all true believers reject them and hold them in low regard.
They may preach good things, but their words are disregarded. They are utterly useless. The Lord desires that they be cast out and trodden underfoot, despised. There is no group more deserving of contempt than Ministers whose ministry has turned from savouriness to unsavoriness. This is the just judgment of God upon them. Scripture provides evidence of this. For example, in 1 Samuel
2:30, the Lord God of Israel says, "I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me forever. But now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me, I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." These Ministers valued their own status more than God's honour. No group sets their own honour above that of Ministers. God declares that they will be lightly esteemed, trodden underfoot, and cast out. Another passage is found in Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no Priest to me, seeing thou hast forgotten the Law of thy God, I will also forget thy Children." Trimelius noted that there is one extra letter in the word "thee," emphasizing the strength of God's rejection. It signifies that this is not an ordinary rejection, but a
powerful one. The fulfillment of this Scripture is evident in the present circumstances. Once triumphant, the Prelatical Priests are now scattered and cast down. In Revelation 3:21, it is written, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches."
Let us acknowledge the righteousness of the Lord and recognize His hand in these events. Let us also appreciate the goodness of the Lord, who has stirred up our leaders to remove unsavory Ministers. It is a clear sign of the unsavoriness of people's spirits that they could still tolerate such ministry and consider it superior to the current ministry. This disposition reminds me of a scripture in 2 Corinthians
11:20: "For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face." People endured hardships and exploitation under those Ministers, even facing the confiscation of their possessions. Yet, despite all they suffered, their hearts still clung to those Ministers rather than those who preached the Gospel truths for the salvation of their souls. I am astonished by this disposition of people's spirits.
Indeed, many today would rather tolerate anything from unsavory Ministers than be offended by faithful Ministers of God. This is indicative of unsavory spirits.
Lastly, if I were to address young Ministers, I would provide them with a guiding principle to maintain their honour. The best way to uphold their honour in the manner that God has appointed for them is through the savoriness of their Ministry and their way of life. Even if wicked individuals in taverns mock and slander them, when they