(49) For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. (50) Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Various have been the sense given to those verses, by different writers. I presume not to speak upon them decidedly. All I shall propose, I would propose by way of humble enquiry, looking to GOD the SPIRIT to guide me and instruct me through the whole passage; and if I err, to pardon my errors, and suffer them not to be the means of leading others into the same.
And first, I humbly conceive, that as our LORD all the way through this discourse, from the 43rd verse, is speaking of the misery of hell, and the blessedness of heaven; I apprehend that he is still preserving the view of both in what he saith here of the person and the sacrifice. The one, is said to be salted with fire, the other is distinguished from this in being salted with salt. The former, salted with fire, it should seem (for I humbly ask the question) hath reference to those whose everlasting misery is expressed under the similitude of a worm that dieth not, and the fire not quenched. Salted with fire will then imply, that as the common salt hath power to preserve flesh from corruption, so this fire shall be, to preserve in being those persons from being consumed. And while, as was before said, the worm of a guilty conscience shall grow upon them with inexpressible anguish, they shall never die the fire which is not extinguishable shall be as salt to preserve, while it shall burn with divine wrath to punish, and never go out; but the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever ever Revelation 14:11
In relation to the latter; every sacrifice shall be salted with salt I humbly conceive, that these sweet words have reference to the re deemed in CHRIST. It is a truth too well known, and too firmly ascertained to be questioned, that the whole law was but a shadow of good things to come; but the body is CHRIST. Hence, therefore, strictly and properly speaking, there was no real sacrifice, but the one offering of the body of JESUS CHRIST, once for all: for by that one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Hebrews 10:1-14. So that every offering under the law, was offered, with an eye to CHRIST: and HE was the one glorious substance of all. Laying this down as a foundation, which cannot be questioned, we can now enter into some apprehension at least of our LORD's gracious words, if (as I have ventured to suppose) they refer to the redeemed in CHRIST: Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. CHRIST the sacrifice; shall be offered by faith, with the salt of the Covenant. For so the LORD enjoined the Church when setting forth the sacrifice of CHRIST in type and shadow. Every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt: neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the Covenant of thy GOD to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. Leviticus 2:13. So that while the salted with fire acts upon the persons of the unredeemed, as salt to flesh to preserve in being, and yet in unextinguishable torments, the salt of the Covenant with which the sacrifice is offered, preserves to everlasting happiness the souls and bodies of the LORD's people; being saved and accepted in CHRIST. Oh! LORD JESUS! say to my soul, and in saying it, confirm thy word unto thy servant, wherein thou hast caused we to hope; have salt in ourselves. Let never the salt of the Covenant of my GOD be lacking, but may Jesus in all his person, offices, grace, and spiritual seasonings, be in all my poor offerings: then shall I be as the salt of the Earth, preserved in thee, and by thee, not only from the corruption of the world around, but the corruptions within, and have peace with thee, and all thy people.