To Be Saved?

The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
~ Acts 16:17

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
~ Acts 2:37

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
~ Acts 9:6

How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
~ Job 25:4

And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
~ Luke 3:10

And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
~ Acts 16:30-31

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
~ John 6:27-29

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
~ John 15:5

John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
~ John 3:27

What Must a Man Do, That He May Come Into God’s Favor, And Be Saved, by William Perkins. The following contains an excerpt from Chapter Five of his work, “The First Book of the Cases of Conscience, Concerning Man Simply Considered in Himself Without Relation to an Other”. Printed in 1606.

Chapter 5

Of the first main question touching man.

Question 1: What must a man do, that he may come into God’s favor, and be saved?

For answer to this question, some grounds must be laid down before hand. The first is this: that we must consider and remember, how

1. by what means God brings any man to salvation. For look how God saves others, so that he who does not know how to be saved, must use the means whereby God saves them.

Section 1

In the work effecting of man salvation ordinarily there are two special actions of God: the giving of the first grace, and after that, the giving of the second. The former of these two works has 10 actions.

1. God gives man the outward means of salvation, especially the ministry of the word: and with it, he sent some outward and inward cross, to break and subdue the stubbornness of our nature, that it may be made it pliable to the will of God. This we may see an example of the jailer, Acts 16. And of the Jews that were converted at Peter’s Sermon, Acts 2.

2. This done, God brings the mind of man to consideration of law, and therein generally to see what is good, and what is evil, what is sin, and what is not sin.

3. Upon a serious consideration of the law, he makes a man particularly to see and know his own peculiar and proper sins, whereby he offends God.

4. Upon the site of sin he strikes the heart with legal fear, whereby when a man sees his sin he makes and to fear punishment and hell, into despair of salvation, in regard of anything in Him.

Now these four actions, are indeed no fruits of grace, for Reprobate may go thus far; but their only works of Preparation going before grace; the other actions which follow, are affects of grace.

5. The fifth action of grace therefore is, to stir up the mind to serious consideration of the promise of salvation propounded and published in the Gospel.

6. After this the sixth is, the kindle of the heart, some sense of the sparks of faith, that is, a will and desire to believe, in grace to strive against doubting and despair. Now in the same instant, when God begins to kindling the heart, any sparks of faith, then also He justifies the sinr, and with this begins the work of sanctification.

7. Then, so soon as faith is put it into the heart, there is presently a combat: for a fight of doubting, despair, and distrust. And in this combat, Faith shows itself, by fervent, constant, and earnest invocation for pardon: and after invocation follows the strength and prevailing of this desire.

8. Furthermore, God in mercy quite unsettles the conscience, as touching the salvation of the soul, and the promise of life, whereupon it rests and stays in itself.

9. Next after this settled assurance, and persuasion of mercy, falls a storing up of the heart to evangelical sorrow, according to God, that is, a grief for sin, because it is sin, and because God is offended: And then the Lord works repentance, whereby the sanctified heart turns itself on him. And though this repentance be one of the last in order, yet it didn’t itself first: as when a candle is brought into our room, we first see the light before we see the candle, and that the candle must needs be before the light can be.

10. Lastly, God gives a man grace to endeavor to obey his commandments by new obedience. And by these degrees doth the Lord give the first grace.

The second work of God tending to salvation is the giving of the second grace, which is nothing itself, but the continuance of the first grace given. For look as by creation, God gave a being to man and all other creatures, and then by his providence continued the same being which was as it were a second creation; so in bringing a man to salvation, God gives the first grace: for example, to believe and repent; and then in mercy gives the second, to preserve and continue in faith and repentance to the end. And this, if we regard man in himself, is very necessary. For as fire, without supply of matter where it is fed and contained, would soon go out, so, unless God of His goodness should follow His children, and by new and daily supplies continue His first grace in them, they would undoubtedly lose the same, and finally fall away.

The second ground for the answer of this Question is taken from some special places in Scripture, where the same is moved and resolved. The men that were at Peter’s Sermon, being touched with the sense of their own misery, upon the doctrine which had been delivered, as the Holy Ghost saith, were pricked in their hearts, and cried out one to another, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Peter moved by the Spirit of God, answers them, “Repent, and be baptized for the remission of your sins.” The like was the case of the jailor; who after that stubbornness of his heart was beaten down, by fear of the departure of the prisoners, he came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas and moved this question to them, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” to they gave the answer “Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shall be saved, and thine household.” The young man in the Gospel comes to Christ and asks him, “What shall I do to be saved?” Christ answers him “Keep the Commandments.” When he replied that he had kept them from his youth, Christ tells him, that he must go yet further, and sell all that he hath and give to the poor. And John tells the Scribes and Pharisees, who came unto his Baptism, and confessed his sins, That if they would flee from the wrath to come, they must repent and “bring forth fruits worthy of repentance.” Form these places then, I frame this answer to the Question in hand: the man that would stand in the favor of God and be saved must do four things: first, humble himself before God; secondly, believe in Christ; thirdly, repent of his sins; fourthly, perform new obedience to God.

Sect. 2.

For the first. Humiliation is indeed a fruit of faith: yet I put it in place before faith, because in practise it is first. Faith lieth hid in the heart, and the first effect whereby it appears, is the abasing and humbling of our selves. And here we are further to consider three points: first, wherein stands humiliation: secondly, the excellency of it: thirdly, the Questions of conscience that concern it.

Touching the first point, Humiliation stands in the practise of three things. The first is, a sorrow of heart, whereby the sinner is displeased with himself, & ashamed in respect of his sins. The second is, a confession to god, wherein also three things are to be done: first, to acknowledge all our maine sins originall and actuall: secondly, to acknowledge our guiltinesse before God: thirdly, to acknowledge our iust damnation for sin. The third thing in Humiliation, is supplication made to God for mercie, as earnestly as in a matter of life and death: and of these three things we have in Scripture the examples of Ezra, Daniel, and the prodigall son, Ezra 9. Dan. 9. Luk. 15. 18.

The second point is, the excellency of Humiliation, which stands in this, that it hath the promises of life eternall annexed to it, Esa. 57. 15. I dwell in the high and holy place: with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to giue life to them that are of a contrite heart. Psal. 51. 17. A contrite and a broken heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Prov. 28. 13. He that hideth his sins shall not prosper: but he that confesseth and forsaketh them, shall finde mercie, 1. Ioh. 1. 9. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithfull and iust, to forgiue vs our sins, and to clense vs from all unrighteousnes. By all these and many other places, it is manifest, that in the very instant, when a sinner beginnes truly in heart and conscience to humble himself, he is then entred into the state of saluation. So soone as David said, I have sinned, Nathan pronounceth in the name of the Lord, that his sins were put away. And David himself saith, alluding to the former place, I said I will confesse my sin, and loc, thou forgavest the wickednes of my sin. When the Prodigall son had but said, I will goe to my father, &c. euen then, before he humbled himself, his father meetes him, and receives him.

The third point, is touching the Questions of conscience, concerning Humiliation, all which may be reduced to foure principle Cases.

I. Case. What if it fall out, that a man in humbling himself, cannot call to minde either all, or the most of his sins? I answer; A particular humiliation indeed is required, for maine and knowne sins: but yet there are two cases, wherein generall repentance, will be accepted of God for unknowne sins. One is, when a man hath searched himself diligently, and by a serious examination, passed through all the commandments of God, and yet after such examination and search made, his particular offences are yet hidden and not revealed unto him, so as he cannot call them to remembrance; then the generall repentance is accepted. For this is answerable to the practise of David, who after long search, when he could not attaine to the knowledge of his particular slippes, then he addresseth himself to a generall humiliation, saying, Who knoweth the errors of this life? clense me, Lord, from my secret faults: and upon this, he was no doubt accepted. Againe, when a man humbleth himself, and yet is preuented by the time, so as he cannot search his heart and life, as he would: his generall repentance will be taken and accepted of God. The truth hereof appeares in the theefe upon the crosse, who having no time to search himself, made no speciall humiliation, yet upon his generall confession he was accepted. Now the ground of this doctrine is this; He that truly repents of one sin, in this case when he is preuented: is, as if he repented of all.

II. Case. What must a man doe, that findes himself hard hearted, and of a dead spirit, so as he cannot humble himself as he would? Answ. Such persons, if they humble themselves, they must be content with that grace which they have received. For if thou be truly and unfainedly grieved for this, that thou canst not be grieved, thy humiliation shall be accepted. For that which Paul saith of almes, may be truly said in this case, that if there be a readie minde, a man shall be accepted, according to that he hath, and not according to that he hath not.

III. Case. Whether the party that is more grieved for loss of his friend, then for office of God by his sin, doeth or can truly humble himself? Answ. A man may have a greater griefe for an earthly loss, then for the other, and yet be truly greiued for his sins too. The reason is, because that is a bodily, naturall, and sensible loss, and accordingly sorrow for it is naturall. Now the sorrow for the offending of God, is no sensible thing, but supernaturall and spirituall; and sensible things doe more affect & urge the minde, then the other. David did notably humble himself for his sins, and he did exceedingly mourne for the loss of his son Absolom, yea and more too then for his sins, Would God I had died for thee Absolom, O Absolom my son, my son, &c. Againe I answer, that the sorrow of the minde, must be measured by the intention of the affection, & by the estimation of the thing for which we sorrow. Now sorrow for sin, though it be lesse in respect of the intention thereof; yet is it greater in respect of the estimation of the mind, because they which truly mourn for their sins, grieve for the offence of God, as the greatest euill of all; and for the loss of the fauour of God, as for loss of the most excellent & pretious thing in the world.

IV. Case. Whether it be necessary in Humiliation, that the heart should be smitten with a sensible sorrow? Answer. I. In sorrow for sin, ther are two things: first, to be displeased for our sins; secondly, to have a bodily moving of the heart, which causeth crying and teares. The former of these is necessary, namely, in heart to be deeply displeased with ourselves: the latter is not simply necessary, though it be commendable in whomsoever it is, if it be in truth; for Lydia had the first, but not the second. II. It falleth out oftētimes, that the greatnes of the grief, taketh away the sensible paine, and causeth a mummednesse of the heart, so that the partie grieveth not. III. Sometimes the complexion will not affoard teares: and in such there may be true humiliation, though with dry cheekes.

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