Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1894-07-26
A SHORT SERMON ON SALT.
BY Rev. Theodore l., cuylor.


Sermon on the Mount knew the value
Of salt; it was prime necessary of
life in that hot climate; it was the I'M
iversal preservative without which
their daily food would soon putrefy.
"Ye are the salt Of the EARTH" said
the Master to His disciples. That is
as true now AZ eighteen centuries
ago. But salt in a barrel is of no use
to anybody; it must be brought into
contact with the objects which it IS to
preserve and to purify.
One Of the burning problems of the
day, especially in great cities, is to
bring the rich, the cultured, and the
Chrishanlzed into closer contact with
the poor, the ignorant, and the I'M
godly. The tendency is for the social
salt to concentrate into fine streets
and into costly churches by itself
How shall the chasm be bridged2
How shall the two classes be brought
together for their own good2 For
the well-to-do class needs to mix with
the poor and destitute quite as much
as the humber class needs the SYM
pathy and uplifting influence of those
above them. Mission chapels are in
the right direction provided that the
broad cloth Christians IN considerable
numbers will 60 and worship and
work there also. Personal visitation
through the week is still better
Prof. Drummond told us that group
of Christian students of the Edin-
burgh University took lodgings down
in squalld region that they might
live among the wretched poor and
help bUe them to Christ. A noble
piece of genuine apostolic work that.
What the whole irreligious world
needs most is that Christs followers
shall put the restraining, purifying,
and sweetening influence of beautiful
lives right up against it. An honest
Christian in corporation, in a BUSH
ness firm, or in a Legislative hall, may
shame out deal of iniquity by the
protest OF his example. So may a
fearless young Christian make him
self or herself felt in social life 1t
has been we'll said that unless the
Church salts the world, the world
will soon rot the Church,
The indwelling presence of Jesus
Christ is what imparts the healthful
sadness to character. If Christ is in
us He will come out-as light spon-
taneously flows from lamp or heat
from kindled fire. Can salt lose it's
savor2 Yes; even physical salt can
lose all it's saline properties, DR.
Thomson tells us that merchant OF
Sidon, to escape paying duty to the
Government, carried off an immense
cargo of Cyprus salt, and stored it up
among the mountains in fifty or sixty
stone cabins. There were no floors to
the cabins, aud the salt, by lying next
to the ground, became utterly worth
less. Bushels of it were shoveled
into the road, and twas trodden
under foot Of men," In the same
way thousands of church members
lose go entirely their Christly savol
of character that no one can detect
the slightest difference between then
and their unconverted neighbors. 81
see some people go and sit among thu
communicates on sacrament Sabbathl
that would never suspect of being
Christians" said a candid merchan
to me once He had had some deal
ings with the counterfeit salt Now, i
is a just punishment to inconsisten
church members when their profes
slons are trodden under the foot o
contempt by the world,
What is to become of the saltles
saltY Shall all those who have los
their SAVIOR by forssking Christ an,
falling into wretched backsliding b
excluded summarily from the Church
This might only make bad case tn
worse. The true remedy is to restor
the sadness, by the repentance an
the reconverslon of the backslidel
Poor Peter had lost his sadness sadl
and pitiably on that night of his ten
ptation in Pilates courtyard. If b
Master had left him to himself
would been flung out into the mir
Repentance saved him, He was r,
converted, and the divine'y imparte
salt same back into him. That
what every inconsistent, world,
minded and useless member of OF
churches needs; be or she needs