For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. I REFER to the view given by Jerome in order to introduce a remark of Dean Alford, made in his critical commentary, on Mark ix, 49. He makes one of the best statements of what I have long regarded as true, that fire is a symbol, not of torment, as some say, but of purity. He says: “Fire is the symbol of the divine purity and presence; our God is a consuming fire, not only to his foes, but to his people; but in them, the fire shall only burn up what is impure and requires purifying out. (1 Cor. iii, 13; 1 Pet. i, 7; iv, 12–17.) This very fire shall be to them as a preserving salt. The SALT of the covenant of God (Lev. ii, 13) was to be mixed with every sacrifice; and it is with fire that all men are to be salted. This fire is the divine purity and judgment in the covenant, whose promise is, ‘I will dwell among them.’ And in and among this purifying fire shall the people of God walk and rejoice everlastingly. (Rev. xxi, 23.) This is the right understanding of Isaiah xxxiii, 14, 15.—‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire,’ &c. ‘He that walketh in righteousness,’ &c. And thus the connection with the preceding verses [Mark ix, 43–48] is,—‘it is better for thee to be cut off,’ &c.—‘for it is part of the salting of fire, the living sacrifice (Rom. xii, 1,) that every offence and scandal must burn out of thee before thou canst enter into life.’” The Dean is very orthodox. But he here not only gives up one proof text of the so-called orthodox view, but furnishes one of the best arguments for an end of evil and a clean universe at last.—Hudson.