Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

156 ST. MATTHEW.
Sect. VI. Jesus Christ is to be confessed,
" 32. Whosoever therefore shall confess me be-
fore men, him will I confess also before my Father
which is in heaven."
To confess Jesus Christ, is to follow his precepts
and example ; to suffer for his sake ; to love, teach,
and practise his doctrine. We have but little faith,
if such a promise is not capable of encouraging us to
bear testimony to the truth, at the expense of all
things. We own Christ, when we own bis doctrine,
his ministers, his servants, and when no fear hinders
las from supporting and assisting them in the time of
necessity. We refer this great truth to the times
of the martyrs, for no other reason, but only because
we will not ourselves be martyrs for the truth. It
belongs to all times, and to all sorts of persons ; every
one in his proper way.
" 33. But whosoever shall deny me before men,
him will I also deny before my Father which is in
heaven."
Whoever prefers his interest to his duty, with
relation to truth and justice, he sets a greater value
upon the friendship of men than upon that of God,
and in some manner denies Jesus Christ. What
confusion will it be to those, who shall Jiot have
confessed Christ before men, to see themselves
denied by him before God 1 Did we thoroughly
conceive, that to be denied by Christ, is to have him
neither for a Mediator, nor a Saviour, but to be
treated as reprobates : human respects, and the fear
of men, could have no influence upon us. To ap-
pear before the tribunal of God, without having