Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
Ver. 32. Whosoever therefore shall confess me] A bold and wise confession of Christ is required of all his, who are therefore said to be marked in their foreheads,Revelation 7:3, an open place: and they that will not profess him shall be sorted with such as through excess of pain, and defect of patience, gnaw their own tongues, Revelation 16:10. Antichrist takes it in as good part, if his bond-slaves receive his mark in their hand only; the which, as occasion serveth, they may cover or reveal, Revelation 13:16. He lets his use what decption they will, so it may help to amplify his kingdom. It was a watch word in Gregory XIII's time, in Queen Elizabeth's reign, "My son, give me thy heart." Dissemble, go to church, do what ye will, but Da mihi cor: be in heart a Papist, and go where you will. Christ will endure no such dealing. He will have heart and tongue too, Romans 10:9, he will be worshipped truly, that there be no halting; and totally, that there be no halving. We may as well (saith Zwinglius) do worship at the altar of Jupiter or Venus, as hide our faith for fear of antichrist? a "He that is not with me is against me," saith our Saviour. He likes not these political professors, these neuter passive Christians, that have fidem menstruam, faith for a month, as Hilary said of some in his time, that have religionem ephemeram, flexible religion, as Beza saith of Balduinus the French apostate, that can turn with the times, comply with the company, be (as the planet Mercury) good in conjunction with good, and bad with bad. These are they that do virtutis stragulam pudefacere, put honesty to an open shame, as the philosopher could say, And shall these men's faith "be found to praise and honour and glory?" 1 Peter 1:7. It is not likely.
a Ad aras Iovis aut Veneris adorare ac sub antichristo fidem occultare.