william perkins

William Perkins On Justification (2)

by on December 15, 2021

In connection with Trent and Bellarmine’s stance on purgatory and the sacrifice of the Mass was Rome’s doctrine of a second justification. Bellarmine’s Scriptural basis for a second justification was Romans 3—which he saw as the first justification, and James 2—which he saw as the second justification. For Perkins, James 2 was for the justified because of Christ, “outward testimonies of the truth of our faith and profession, proving that the grace of our hearts is not in hypocrisy, but in truth and sincerity.” In other words, James 2 spoke not of justification in the same sense as Paul in Romans, but in a completely different sense, scope, and design, James 2:21 is in the demonstrative for Abraham’s “works did testify that his faith was true and sincere. Continue reading →

Catholicity, Confusion, And A Correction

by on July 13, 2022 | 6 Comments

In the mid-1970s, the original cast of Saturday Night Live featured a regular character as part of the Update sketch. The character’s name was Emily Litella. She was played by the late Gilda Radner. It used to be that local newscasts would . . . Continue reading →

Faith: The Cause Of Love

by on November 10, 2022

The third conclusion is that true faith works by love. Hence the papists gather that love is the form and life of faith, not because it makes faith to be faith but because it makes it to be a true faith., a . . . Continue reading →

Perkins: Salvation, All Of It, Is By Grace Alone, Through Faith Alone

by on October 4, 2023 | 5 Comments
William Perkins

As part of my response to the claim that some Reformed orthodox theologians taught that salvation was not only in two stages but also, in some way, through works, I appealed to a quotation from William Perkins. I could have written much . . . Continue reading →

Perkins On Self Love

by on October 17, 2023

Men’s hearts are so possessed with self-love, and they are so addicted to their own praise, that it is grief to them to hear any praised beside themselves; whereas love binds us as well to take care for the good name of . . . Continue reading →

Perkins: Two Natures, One Christ

by on October 23, 2023

The second question is, how Christ could obey, being God, and satisfy for us, being man? Answer. Christ must be considered, not merely as God, or as man, but as God-man or man-God. For the Godhead does not redeem us without the . . . Continue reading →

Review: The Labors of a Godly and Learned Divine, William Perkins: Including Previously Unpublished Sermons By Matthew N. Payne and J. Stephen Yuille

by on November 2, 2023 | 3 Comments

The English Reformed theologian William Perkins (1558–1602), is perhaps the most prominent and influential of all English-speaking divines. As preacher and lecturer at Great St. Andrews and Christ’s College, Cambridge, he “influenced a generation of young students including Richard Sibbes, John Cotton, . . . Continue reading →

Perkins: The Use Of Sola Fide

by on November 3, 2023

This doctrine is of great use. First, we learn hence that a man is justified by the mere mercy of God, and that there is excluded from justification all merit of congruity,* all meritorious works of preparation wrought by us, all cooperation . . . Continue reading →