November 13

With the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

ROMANS x. 10.

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. — MATT. x. 32, 33.

TO confess Christ before men is to make a public acknowledgment of him as the Saviour of the race, but especially to express one's acceptance of him as his personal Saviour, to espouse actively his cause, to ally one's self with the disciples of Christ. He that announces his trust in Jesus for forgiveness, who is truly baptized into the name of Christ, and partakes of the Lord's Supper, who unites with the Church and labors for the upbuilding of Christ's kingdom, in all these ways confesses Christ. So also a life of obedience, humility, piety, godly zeal, which is Christ-like, is a witness for Christ and a testimony to his transforming power. Such an one will Christ not only formally acknowledge before the Father, but give him a glorious share in his heavenly honor.

To deny Christ is to do the opposite of the above. To do this it is not necessary publicly and formally to declare one's renunciation of Christ as an infidel might do, but simply neglect to confess him in the ways above indicated. If we in any such way disown Christ, we are none of his, and it cannot but be that he must disown us.

Let us, then, accept and confess Christ as our Lord and Saviour.

J. P. Landis

I'm not ashamed to own my Lord,

Or to defend his cause;

Maintain the honor of his Word.

The glory of his cross.

WATTS.