Behold now, I have ordered [my] cause
Or "judgment" F20; that is, he had looked over his
cause afresh, had reviewed the state of his case, had considered
it in every light, had drawn a plan of it, had digested it in a
proper manner, and had arranged his reasons and arguments in
vindication of himself in a regular form; and had them at hand,
and could readily and easily come at them on occasion, to
vindicate himself; and upon the whole could say, in the
strongest, manner, and could draw this conclusion,
I know that I shall be justified;
which, though it may primarily respect the case in dispute
between him and his friends, and the charge of wickedness and
hypocrisy brought against him by them, from which he doubted not
he should upon a fair hearing be acquitted by God himself, yet it
may include his whole state of justification, God-ward, in which
he was and should continue; and so may respect, not only the
justification of his cause before men, as it was ordered and
managed by him, but also the justification of his person before
God, of which he had a full assurance; having ordered his cause
aright, settled matters well, and proceeded upon a good plan and
foundation; which to do is not to put justification upon the foot
of purity of nature at first birth, and a sober life and
conversation from youth upward, and a perfection of good works
arrived unto, as imagined; nor upon a comparative righteousness
with respect to other men, even profane and ungodly persons; nor,
upon repentance, and sincere though imperfect obedience; nor upon
an external belief of evangelic truths, and a submission to
Gospel ordinances: but such order their cause well, and rightly
conclude their justification, who see and own themselves to be
transgressors of the law of God, behold and acknowledge their own
righteousness to be insufficient to justify them, view the
righteousness of Christ revealed in the Gospel, in its glory,
excellency, and suitableness, and lay hold upon it as their
justifying righteousness; and observing that the word of God
declares, that those that believe in Christ are and shall be
justified, and finding in themselves that they do with the heart
believe in Christ for righteousness, hence they most comfortably
and most sensibly conclude that they are justified persons; for
this knowledge is of faith, and this faith the faith of
assurance; it is not barely for a man to know that there is
righteousness in Christ, and justification by it, but that there
is righteousness in him for himself, and that he is the Lord his
righteousness; for the words may be rendered, "I know that I am
righteous"; or, "am justified" F21; justification is a past act
in the mind of God; it is present, as it terminates on the
conscience of a believer; it is future, as it will be notified at
the day of judgment before angels and men; see ( Isaiah 45:25
) .