To your friends you may now so represent your course of action as to make a pretty fair showing for yourselves. To one who does not know the objectionable features of your character, it may be an easy matter for you to present plausible excuses for your indecision, your unwillingness to confess your sins. But how will these excuses stand with Him who judgeth righteously? Will you present the same reasoning when you are brought before the tribunal of God, when the eye of the Lord is fixed upon you, and the angels of heaven are looking on? It is thus that every man's account must be yielded up. What, then, can any of you gain by being untrue to himself, giving to others a representation which you could not in any case lay before God?

I må vise jeres venner jeres handlemåde, som en ganske rimelig for jer selv. For dem som ikke kender til ubehagelige karaktertræk, er det en nemt for jer at komme med gode undskyldninger for jeres ubeslutsomhed, jeres uvillighed til at bekende jeres synder. Men hvordan vil disse undskyldninger virke hos Ham som dømmer retfærdigt? Vil I komme med den samme forklaring når i bringes for Guds domstol, når Herrens øje hviler på jer, og himlens engle ser til? Det er sådan at ethvert menneskes regnskab skal aflægges. Hvordan kan nogen af jer vinde noget ved at være uærlig for sig selv, og give andre en fremstilling af det som på ingen måde kan vises for Gud?