of praise to God continually,
that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks (confessing) to his
name."[65] Confessing here is manifestly parallel to the offering of the
sacrifice of praise. The vow was frequently a sacrifice; and is the
making of the vow not included in confessing to his name?

When either of these terms in the Greek, without limitation, is
employed, and God is the object, it bears the meaning _to Covenant_. In
the cases supposed, each must be viewed as capable, severally, of every
interpretation that it bears in specific connections, and, consequently,
of the import that is contended for. The former, in these cases,
sometimes means to confess sins--at others, to confess gratitude, or to
give thanks--at others, to covenant; and at others, considered apart
from its connection, it may not appear to intimate specifically any one
of these in preference to the others. When thus indefinitely used, it
must be understood as designed to bear individually each signification.
Thus, the passages, "I will confess to thee among the Gentiles," "Every
tongue shall confess unto God," each intimate the acknowledgment of sin,
the giving of God thanks, and the exercise of Covenanting with him. The
latter of the terms is used indefinitely only when God is the object: it
is in the passage, "giving thanks (or confessing) to his name," the
signification of which from the context, has been considered.

When the object of confession in any passages is not adverted to, and
the subject of confession is not stated, _to confess_ there means, to
Covenant. That object must be either God, or men, or both. In those
passages it must be severally both; and, consequently, such bring before
us, not only the making of acknowledgments to men, but the making of
confession, according to its most diversified character, to God. This is
the case in the passage, "With the mouth confession is made to
salvation."

To _confess_ Christ signifies to Covenant. Its import is, to confess him
to men, and also to confess him to God. And the passage last quoted,
according to the interpretation given of it, proves that the latter is
to Covenant. When confession with the mouth is made to salvation, it is
Christ that is confessed. "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved; for with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness, and with the mouth confession i