William Gadsby

We must have a righteousness in which Jehovah Himself cannot find a
flaw, a righteousness which Jehovah cannot mend, a righteousness
which neither sin nor Satan can mar; and unless we have on a
righteousness of this nature, we can never enter into the blessedness of
the world to come.
Where, then, are we to find it? Eternal praises to the matchless mercy of
a covenant God, we have it in the blessed Person, glorious work, and
spotless obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ! And, therefore, as it was
essential for Him to fulfill all righteousness for His people, He loved the
Lord His God with all His heart, with all His mind, and with all His
strength. He began at the beginning, and went through holily,
righteously, and steadily every step of the law of God and all in justice
and righteousness. He fulfilled every iota of it, and gave it immortal
glory and honor. The law could only require the perfect obedience of a
perfect man, but He gave it the perfect obedience of the God-Man, and
stamped forever a holy dignity and majesty on it, in order to manifest
that this glorious righteousness is suited to every sinner's case, to all their
needs, and to honor and glorify all the perfections of God; and thus He
has "forever perfected them that were sanctified," all those who were set
apart for Himself. They are perfected forever in His own blessed
obedience and spotless righteousness; and this righteousness which God
gives shall endure forever. As for you who have a righteousness of your
own, you never can feel your need of Christ's righteousness. You do not
know your need of it, and it is an insult to your pride to mention it. But,
for the poor creature who feels himself to be a loathsome, vile, and
ruined sinner, and is brought experimentally to feel what he is before a
heart-searching God, and that every iota of the law is against him - for
God to give this righteousness to him, to put it upon him and
communicate the power of it to his soul, why it will raise and exalt him
to such a blessed enjoyment of God's righteousness that his tongue will
sing aloud and speak forth praise to the honor and glory of His blessed
Name; and he will say, "My soul shall be joyful in my God; I will glory
in the God of my salvation; for He hath covered me with the robe of
righteousness; He hath adorned me with the garments of salvation."