Objection 2. Christ by His death, merited that our works should merit life everlasting. Answer. That is false. All we find in Scripture is that Christ, by His merit procured pardon of sin, imputation of righteousness, and life everlasting. And it is . . . Continue reading →
william perkins
Perkins: The Law Written On Our Hearts Is Still The Law
Perkins: Learning And Wit Is For Nothing If One Is Outside Of Christ
[I]t is a privilege to be endued with all kinds of learning, of arts and tongues, but alas, all is nothing; for if a man had all wit, wisdom, and learning, and could speak in all matters with the tongue of men . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: Civil Righteousness Will Not Do
[S]uch persons as live an honest and civil life, and stand upon this, that they are no thieves, no murderers, no adulterers, no blasphemers, but in outward duties show love to God and man, they must I say, take heed lest they . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: The Law Promises Salvation On The Basis And Through Obedience. The Gospel Promises Salvation On The Basis Of Christ’s Obedience And Through Faith Alone
Perkins On The Threefold Use Of The Law
[W]hy the Lord says, “He that doeth the things of the law shall live,” considering no man since the fall can do the things of the law? Answer. The Lord since man’s fall repeats the law in his [its] old tenor, not . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: Justification Is The Greatest Question In The World
Two things are generally to be considered, the occasion of this [Galatians] epistle and the scope. The occasion that moved Paul to write this epistle was because certain false apostles slandered him both in respect of his calling as also in respect . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: Justification Is The Foundation Of The House
A man breaks down the windows of his house. The house stands. He breaks down the roof or the walls. The house yet stands, though deformed. He pulls up the foundation— the house itself falls and ceases to be a house. Now . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: Rome Confuses Law And Gospel
The Church of Rome in a manner confounds the law and the gospel, saying that the gospel, which is the new law, reveals Christ more clearly than Moses’ law did, which they call the old law. But this is a wicked opinion, . . . Continue reading →
William Perkins On Infant Baptism
Infants of believing parents are likewise to be baptized. The grounds of their baptism are these. First, the commandment of God, “Baptize all nations” (Matt. 28:19), in which words the baptism of infants is prescribed. For the apostles by virtue of this . . . Continue reading →
William Perkins: Both Justification And Salvation Are Through Faith Alone
“Faith therefore justifies because it is an instrument to apprehend and apply that which justifies, namely, Christ and His obedience. As the Israelites stung of fiery serpents were cured, so are we saved (John 3:14). The Israelites did nothing at all, but . . . Continue reading →
William Perkins On Nicodemism
“First, among the Gentiles at Antioch, he uses Christian liberty in eating things forbidden by the ceremonial law. Yet after the coming of certain Jews from Jerusalem, he separates himself from the Gentiles and plays the Jew among the Jews. Like to . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: Your Good Works Are All Imperfect And Mixed With Corruption
The child of God is like a lame man that goes the right way, but yet halts at every step. Abraham and Sarah desire issue, that is from the Spirit; but they desire issue by Hagar their handmaid, that is from the . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: We Are Not Justified By Our Works Either Before Or After Our Justification
"Cooperation Is Not In The Act Of Justification, Nor In The Work Of Our Salvation"
“[I] answer, that not only works done before faith are excluded, but also works that follow faith and are done in the estate of grace. For Paul here reasons thus: If no flesh be justified by works, then not we believers; but . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: Want Heaven? Go To Church
We must in this world come as near heaven and the happiness of life everlasting as may be (Phil. 3:14). And for this cause we must join ourselves to the assemblies where the word is preached, prayer is made, and sacraments administered. . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: Eternal Life Is By Grace Alone, Through Faith Alone
If the inheritance of life eternal be by the law, it is no more by the promise. But it is by the promise because God gave it unto Abraham freely by promise. Therefore it comes not by the law. The opposition between . . . Continue reading →
Perkins On The Pedagogical Use Of The Law
If life and justice come not by the law, the law then is in vain. And this objection is expressed by way of interrogation, ‘Wherefore then serves the law?’ The answer is in the next words, ‘It is added for transgressions,’ that . . . Continue reading →
Perkins: The Remedy For Our Need Is To Be Clothed With Christ
For the King of heaven has long invited us to the marriage of His Son. We have yielded ourselves to be His guests. And there is a time when the King will take a survey of all His guests, whether they have . . . Continue reading →
Perkins On The Order In Which To Read The New Testament
“[P]roceed to the reading of the Scriptures in this order:…read first the epistle of Paul to the Romans [and], after that, the Gospel of John (as being indeed the keys of the New Testament).” William Perkins (1558–1602) | The Art of Prophesying| . . . Continue reading →
William Perkins On Justification
Perkins objected to Rome’s sacrifice of the Mass. For Perkins, this doctrine was attached to erroneous views of Christology, Christ’s propitiatory suffering unto death, and in turn the doctrine of justification. One of Perkins’s clearest Christological statements is found in his treatise, A Warning Against the Idolatry of the Last Times (1601), where he wrote, “For He in one person is perfect God and perfect man, our only Redeemer all-sufficient in Himself, and therefore perfect king, priest, prophet; without either partner or fellow in the work of man’s salvation.” Continue reading →