Tropes and Figures · Benjamin Keach
Tropes and Figures, Treatise 1 · Head 5 · Part 1
Grace compared to Salt.
Mark 9.50. Have Salt in your ſelves, &c. foreign &c.
TOuching the ſeveral Metaphorical Notations of this Term [Salt,] we ſhall refer you unto the Eleventh Chapter of Philologia Sacra.
By Salt in this place, is meant the bleſſed and moſt precious Grace of the Spirit.
| Metaphor. | Parallel. |
| SAlt is of a ſearching quality; if it be laid or rubb'd upon Meat, it will pierce and ſearch it to the very Bone. | TRue Grace, or the ſpiritual Operation of the Spirit, is of a ſearching nature; it will (when received in Truth) infuſe it ſelf into every Faculty of the Soul: The Spirit ſearcheth all things, yea, 2 Cor. 2. the deep things of God. If there be any Sin hid, it will ſearch and find it out. |
| Simile. | Parallel. |
| II. Salt is of a purging, cleanſing, and purifying nature; it will work out Blood, Filth, &c. as common Experience ſhews. | II. Grace is of a purging and purifying virtue; it will not only ſearch Corruption out, whether it be in the Heart or Life, but alſo in a bleſſed manner purge and work it forth: He that hath this Hope, 1 Joh. 2.3. purifieth himſelf, even as he is pure. |
| III. Salt hath a preſerving quality; it will not only purge Corruption out of Meat, but alſo preſerve Meat, and other things, from Corruption and Putrefaction. | III. Grace preſerves the Soul from all manner of Sin and Defilements; it will not ſuffer a Saint to run with others to the ſame exceſs of Riot; 1 Pet. 4.4. but teacheth us to deny all Ʋngodlineſs, and worldly Luſts, and to live righteouſly, ſoberly, Tit. 2.12. and godly in this preſent World. How ſhall I do this thing, and ſin againſt God? |
| IV. Salt ſeaſons things, cauſing that to taſte ſavoury, which otherwiſe would be no way pleaſant, wholſom, or good for the Body. Can that which is unſavoury be eaten without Salt? Job 6.6. | IV. Grace ſeaſons a Chriſtian; it makes him ſavoury to God, and to all good Men, ſavoury in his Words, ſavoury in his Dealings and Commerce, ſavoury in all his whole Converſation; not only ſavoury himſelf, but ſeaſoning others alſo; hence called the Salt of the Earth. Let your Speech be alway with Grace, Col. 4 6: ſeaſoned with Salt: That ye may know how to anſwer every Man. |
| V. Salt is of univerſal uſe throughout the World; it is the one thing needful among Men; it is ſaid to ſeaſon all things; we receive great Advantage by it. It is known to be exceeding neceſſary both by Sea and Land. | V. Grace is alſo abſolutely neceſſary; 'tis the one thing needful to Salvation, without which there is no getting to Heaven. The Advantages all Believers receive thereby are wonderful. All Men, of what rank or quality ſoever, ſtand in need of Grace; they were better be without Gold, than without Grace. It is good in every Place and Condition; Men need it as well at Sea as at Land, in Sickneſs and Health. |
| VI. Salt (as Pliny, and other Naturaliſts ſay) is exceeding good againſt the Sting of Serpents, and will deſtroy Worms that breed in the Body, and hath many other medicinable Virtues in it. | VI. Grace is a moſt Sovereign Remedy againſt Sin, (that Sting of the old Serpent) and there is nothing like it to kill the Worm of Conſcience, that is bred by means of the Corruption of the inward Man, and there gnaws, and greatly torments the Soul; and many other Soul-medicinable Virtues it hath. |
| VII. Salt was made uſe of under the Law in Sacrifices: And every Oblation of thy Meat-Offering ſhalt thou ſeaſon with Salt. …v. 2 13. With all thy Offerings thou ſhalt uſe Salt. | VII. Grace muſt be made uſe of in all our ſpiritual Sacrifices and Offerings unto God. We muſt pray with Grace, and ſing with Grace, and do all in God's Worſhip with Grace in our Hearts; nothing we do will be accepted without it.Mark 9.4. Every one ſhall be ſalted with Fire, (or ſeaſoned with Affliction) and every Sacrifice ſhall be ſalted with Salt, viz. Grace. |
| Metaphor. | Diſparity. |
| SAlt is natural, or elſe made by Art, of ſalt Water, Aſhes, Fire, Plin. lib. 3…. p. 41…, 41…. &c. Pliny ſays, that in India they have Salt out of Quarries of Stone. | GRace is ſupernatural. No Man hath the Divine Influence and Operation of the Spirit of God naturally, nor can he get it by any humane Contrivance or Art whatſoever;Joh. 1.14. it is the Gift of God. |
| II. If Meat be quite corrupted, putrified, ſtink, and is loathſom, Salt cannot recover it, nor make it ſavoury. | II. But if the Soul be wholly or in every Faculty thereof corrupted, ſtinks, and is loathſom in the Noſtrils of God, yet Grace can quickly recover it, and make it very ſavoury and ſweet to God and good Men. |
| III. Salt may loſe its Saltneſs or Savour, and become good for nothing, but to be trodden under the foot of Men. | III. Grace cannot loſe the excellent Savour thereof. Chriſtians may loſe much of their Salt, or decay in Grace; but Grace, be it little or much, will never loſe its own precious Virtue. |
| IV. Things may be over-ſalted or ſeaſoned, ſo that they may be ſpoiled, and become unwholſom to human Bodies. | IV. But no Man can be over-much ſeaſoned with Grace; never had any Chriſtian too much of this ſpiritual Salt in him. The more you receive and take in of this, the better you will be ſeaſoned thereby. |
Inferences.
FRom hence we infer, That Grace is the principal Thing.
2. How unſavoury are all graceleſs Perſons? The whole World lieth in Wickedneſs. They are like putrified or ſtinking Carrion in a Common-Shore, (as the Greek Word there ſignifieth.)
3. This may ſtir up all ungodly Ones to look out and cry mightily for Grace, the excellent Nature of which is ſet forth under the Metaphor Light, Vol. 1.
4. Let all who profeſs themſelves Chriſtians, examine themſelves throughly, whether they are ſalted with Grace, or not. Are you ſavoury Men and Women? What is your Communication, your Speech, your Converſation? &c.
5. Take heed you loſe none of this Divine Salt; you will ſoon become unſavoury, if you have not Salt in your ſelves.
6. You that ſhould ſeaſon others, ſhould have much Salt in your own Hearts and Lives. Ye are the Salt of the Earth.