The Rule of Right, The Way that's Just

"Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity that is in me." -Psalm 7:8 [KJV]

What! is David become a self-justifier? Does he trust in, and depend upon his own righteousness? Does he plead it, even before the Lord, and expect justification by it? Hath he not elsewhere declared, “In Thy sight shall no man be justified”? (Psalm 143:2.) Why then does he here talk of my righteousness? and why does he say, The Lord reward me, according to my righteousness? (18:20.) It was far from David’s heart, to make his own righteousness the ground of his acceptance before God, or to place his hope of eternal life on it. He was a poor sinner. He knew it well. He confesses it constantly to the Lord. He declines it in point of justification, “I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine ONLY,” (Psalm 71:16.) 

Why then does he here talk of his own righteousness? Let not this puzzle thy mind, nor pervert thy judgment, O Christian! You now also do the same, in the same sense. Consider, David is here speaking of false calumnies, and unjust against him by Saul, his cruel and unkind enemy. Hast thou not met with the same treatment? Has thy conscience acquitted thee of what has been laid to thy charge? Hast thou known, that thy hands were clean, thy heart pure, and thine integrity free from base imputation? Then thou hast a right to carry thy cause to the Lord, and to plead thy righteousness, uprightness, and integrity of conduct, in this sense before him: thank Him for His grace which kept thee from doing, as thy enemies unjustly charge thee, and enabled thee to do what was just and right: and to beseech the Lord to save thee from them, who unjustly persecute thee: to pity their cruelty before him: to pray to thy Lord for them. 

All this is perfectly consistent with thy faith, thy hope, and thy love. Study to profit by thy enemy’s treatment. Cease ye from man. Like thy Lord, learn obedience by the things which you suffer, (Hebrews 5:8.) Commit thy cause unto the Lord. “For all men have not faith.” (II Thessalonians 3:2.) A Christian’s moral character should be held most sacred by him. Righteousness, integrity, and uprightness to all men, should ever be practiced by him, that the way of truth be not blamed on his account. O it grieves one to the very heart, when professors give cause to the enemies of Christ to say, See, here are your saints! they pay no regard to moral righteousness and integrity! Be careful to give no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed. -see II Corinthians 6:3

 

The rule of right, the way that’s just, 

O may I ever prize! 

Tho’ in my works I dare not trust, 

Yet works faith justifies. 

Dear Lord, I daily need Thy grace, 

Each duty to fulfil. 

Blameless to walk before Thy face, 

Tho’ charged with ev’ry ill.

 

-preacher Wm. Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

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