The Perkins Model

The following is another article on the "ordo salutis" and one I hope to review in the near future together with the previous articles posted over the past week or so.

"Regeneration: Instantanaous or Elongated?"

"In the library forum, there was a discussion of John Murray's view of regeneration as an instantaneous occurrence. I thought it might be worth a thread of its own.

Murray's view seems to dominate these days, but Dr Peter Masters, the Pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London ('Spurgeon's' ) and Principal of the London Reformed Baptist Seminary claims that this is not the traditional view of the Puritans and that it destroys preaching, since under Murray's view, one is either dead in one's sins and unable to respond to the Gospel, or converted and in no need of Gospel preaching.

Masters includes an appendix in his book, Physicians of Souls giving a summary of a work by William Perkins, a 16th Century Puritan, called The Golden Chaine: Or The Description of Theologie: Containing the Order of the causes of Salvation and Damnation. They knew how to give books titles in those days! Perkins believed that there was an elongated process both before and after regeneration. He suggested ten stages:-

1. The ministry of the word comes, together perhaps with some outward or inward 'cross' or crisis, which makes the sinner's stubborn nature pliable to the will of God.

2. God brings the mind of the sinner to think about His holy laws.

3. God makes the sinner see and feel his very own sins, and how he offends God.

4. God smites the sinner's heart with fear of punishment and hell, and makes him despair of attaining salvation by his own efforts.

5. The mind is stirred up to serious consideration of the promises of salvation set forth in the Gospel.

6. God kindles a seed or spark of faith, or a will or desire to believe, and also gives grace to strive against doubt or despair.

7. Now a conflict takes place, in which that measure of faith fights with doubting, despair and distrust. In this battle, the person fervently, continuously and earnestly calls upon God for pardon, and this desire prevails.

8. God quietens and settles the conscience to feel more sure of salvation, and the soul rests on the promise of life.

9. The person truly repents with sorrow at having offended such a merciful and loving God, and he yeilds his entire being: his life, love and his behaviour.

10. The peson manifests a new obedience, in which he conscientiously obeys the commands of God, and walks in newness of life.

Perkins held that the first 5 stages could occur in the lives of those who do not come to salvation (Felix, Agrippa), but in the case of the elect, Perkins taught that the first 5 stages humbled them and prepared the way for regeneration. I'm sure this is all a bit over-elaborate. I can't trace all those stages in my own conversion. But those who have read Bunyan's account of his own conversion ( 'Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners' ) will know how he struggled for about 18 months before comng to a settled faith. There's more to Masters argument than that, but perhaps it's enough to stimulate some discussion."

http://www.biblelighthouse.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=650

I am sure that the bible and the Baptist Confessions teach that regeneration or the new birth is not a finished act until all ten of the items listed above are realities. But, more in upcoming chapters. "Stimulate some discussion"? Yes indeed!