The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1919-10-23


Now we know
hat from time lmmemorial people
have used salt TO preserve. purify and
sweeten things. No knowing these uses
NJ salt we understand In the first place
that disciples Of Christ are to be the
worlds preseryative.
Only today a man said To me: "If II
were not for you Christians do not
know what would become Of the
world; II would soon be an unllvable
place" This man was only expressing
In another way what Christ says his
disciples are to the earth. II there are
any people on earth who keep II from
moral decay Il IL the Christians. They
are the salt Of the earth.
Remove them from the earth and II
would not be long before the corrupt
Ing influences that are In society would
overcome the world. No man who
loves decency and morality would
choose to live In community where
there are no Christians. no churches,
no Bibles. Even real estate Is worth
more In a Christian community than
In pagan one. Life there Is more
sacred. homes more secure. peace more
certain. Civilization today owes all
that ls good and true In II 20 Chris
tianlty. and wherever Christians have
not failed 10 perform their functions
as the preventative force of society,
there society Is at its best morally.
But II Is not for the Christian to
congratulate himself that he is the
moral preservative of society, but 20
examine himself and see whether or
not he Is fulfilling this function. II he
IL not helping TO keep the world from
moral decay then he il falling short of
his high privilege. as disciple OF
Christ. to be the salt of the earth. Like
salt which has lost Its SAVIOR and Is
good for nothing but TO be thrown
away and trodden under foot OF men,
he too Is useless.
In the second place. we understand
from the uses Of salt that the disciples
of Christ are TO sweeten and purify so
ciety.
II il one thing TO preserve society
from decay; II Ii quite another thing
to purify and sweeten II. Christians
are TO do both. The very fact that
they live In a community should pre-
serve II from moral corruption. Their
very presence Is a preservatlve force
IL they have not lost their moral infiu'
ence. Men will not pull or In a com.
munity OF Christians the ungodly and
unholy things they will do In another
community. Salty Christians always
exercise upon evil a retarding influ
ence. One strong. stalwart Christian
character has been known TO save q
community from moral corruption.
But the function OF disciples as salt
does not end here. They are to be al
active. purifying and sweetening force
In society. This is what Christ means
when he says 10 his disciples: aye
are the salt OF the earth" BY these
words he calls upon them TO sweeten
and cleanse society.
am aware that there are those who
believe that Christians ought to have
W ootitty
They base this largely upon the teach
ing that a Christians citizenship Is 10
heaven. II is true that the Christian
has a heavenly citizenship. but II is
also true that he has an earthly clti.
zenship. Paul, who has more 10 say
than anyone else Of heavenly citizen
ship. claimed also TO be Roman clti'
zen. and appealed 10 his Roman citi'
zenship for protection. At another
time. referring TO Tarsus. he said he
was a citizen OF no mean city. Pau
recognized what some Christians fail
TO recognize. namely. that the Chris
tian has a dual citizenship and. as we
should expect. he was In this In har'
mony with the teaching OF our LORD
who said: "Render unto Caesar the
things that are Caesars and unto God
the things that are Gods" Failure &c
recognize this fact of the Christians
dual citizenship leads some Christians
who see the truth of their heavenly
citizenship. but do not see the truth OF
their earthly citizenship. to come short
of their dlscipleship here on earth
Christ plainly states that disciples are
"fhe salt OF the EARTH" not the salt OF
heaven. Here then ON earth and not
In heaven is the function Of disciples