The Canons Of Dordt

1 Introduction 2 Article 1 As all men have sinned in Adam, lie under the curse 3 Article 2 But in this the love of God was manifested 4 Article 3 And that men may be brought to believe, God mercifully sends the messengers of these 5 Article 4 The wrath of God abides upon those who believe not this gospel. 6 Article 5 The cause or guilt of this unbelief as well as of all other sins is 7 Article 6 That some receive the gift of faith from God 8 Article 7 Election is the unchangeable purpose of God, whereby, before the foundation of the world 9 Article 8 There are not various decrees of election, but one and the same decree respecting all 10 Article 9 This election was not founded upon foreseen faith and the obedience of faith 11 Article 10 The good pleasure of God is the sole cause of this gracious election 12 Article 11 And as God Himself is most wise, unchangeable, omniscient 13 Article 12 The elect in due time, though in various degrees and in different measures 14 Article 13 The sense and certainty of this election afford to the children of God additional matter 15 Article 14 As the doctrine of divine election by the most wise counsel of God was declared 16 Article 15 What peculiarly tends to illustrate and recommend to us the eternal and unmerited grace of 17 Article 16 Those in whom a living faith in Christ, an assured confidence of soul 18 Article 17 Since we are to judge of the will of God from His Word 19 Article 18 To those who murmur at the free grace of election and the just severity of 20 Rejection of Errors 21 Paragraph 1 Who teach: That the will of God to save those who would believe and would 22 Paragraph 2 Who teach: That there are various kinds of election of God unto eternal life 23 Paragraph 3 Who teach: That the good pleasure and purpose of God 24 Paragraph 4 Who teach: That in the election unto faith this condition is beforehand demanded that man 25 Paragraph 5 Who teach: That the incomplete and non-decisive election of particular persons to salvation occurred because 26 Paragraph 6 Who teach: That not every election unto salvation is unchangeable 27 Paragraph 7 Who teach: That there is in this life no fruit and no consciousness of the 28 Paragraph 8 Who teach: That God, simply by virtue of His righteous will 29 Paragraph 9 Who teach: That the reason why God sends the gospel to one people rather than 30 Second Head of Doctrine 31 Article 1 God is not only supremely merciful, but also supremely just. 32 Article 2 Since, therefore, we are unable to make that satisfaction in our own persons 33 Article 3 The death of the Son of God is the only and most perfect sacrifice and 34 Article 4 This death is of such infinite value and dignity because the person who submitted to 35 Article 5 Moreover, the promise of the gospel is that whosoever believes in Christ crucified shall not 36 Article 6 And, whereas many who are called by the gospel do not repent nor believe in 37 Article 7 But as many as truly believe, and are delivered and saved from sin and destruction 38 Article 8 For this was the sovereign counsel and most gracious will and purpose of God the 39 Article 9 This purpose, proceeding from everlasting love towards the elect 40 Rejection of Errors 41 Paragraph 1 Who teach: That God the Father has ordained His Son to the death of the 42 Paragraph 2 Who teach: That it was not the purpose of the death of Christ that He 43 Paragraph 3 Who teach: That Christ by His satisfaction merited neither salvation itself for anyone 44 Paragraph 4 Who teach: That the new covenant of grace, which God the Father 45 Paragraph 5 Who teach: That all men have been accepted unto the state of reconciliation and unto 46 Paragraph 6 Who use the difference between meriting and appropriating, to the end that they may instil 47 Paragraph 7 Who teach: That Christ neither could die, nor needed to die 48 Third and Fourth Heads of Doctrine 49 Article 1 Man was originally formed after the image of God. 50 Article 2 Man after the fall begat children in his own likeness. 51 Article 3 Therefore all men are conceived in sin, and are by nature children of wrath 52 Article 4 There remain, however, in man since the fall, the glimmerings of natural understanding 53 Article 5 Neither can the decalogue delivered by God to His peculiar people 54 Article 6 What, therefore, neither the innate understanding nor the law could do 55 Article 7 This mystery of His will God revealed to but a small number under the Old 56 Article 8 As many as are called by the gospel are unfeignedly called. 57 Article 9 It is not the fault of the gospel, nor of Christ offered therein 58 Article 10 But that others who are called by the gospel obey the call and are converted 59 Article 11 But when God accomplishes His good pleasure in the elect 60 Article 12 And this is that regeneration so highly extolled in Scripture 61 Article 13 The manner of this operation cannot be fully comprehended by believers in this life. 62 Article 14 Faith is therefore to be considered as the gift of God 63 Article 15 God is under no obligation to confer this grace upon any 64 Article 16 But as man by the fall did not cease to be a creature endowed with 65 Article 17 As the almighty operation of God whereby He brings forth and supports this our natural 66 Rejection of Errors 67 Paragraph 1 Who teach: That it cannot properly be said that original sin in itself suffices to 68 Paragraph 2 Who teach: That the spiritual gifts or the good qualities and virtues 69 Paragraph 3 Who teach: That in spiritual death the spiritual gifts are not separate from the will 70 Paragraph 4 Who teach: That the unregenerate man is not really nor utterly dead in sin 71 Paragraph 5 Who teach: That the corrupt and natural man can so well use the common grace 72 Paragraph 6 Who teach: That in the TRUE conversion of man no new qualities 73 Paragraph 7 Who teach: That the grace whereby we are converted to God is only a gentle 74 Paragraph 8 Who teach: That God in the regeneration of man does not use such powers of 75 Paragraph 9 Who teach: That grace and free will are partial causes which together work the beginning 76 Fifth Head of Doctrine 77 Article 1 Those whom God, according to His purpose, calls to the communion of His Son 78 Article 2 Hence spring forth the daily sins of infirmity, and blemishes cleave even to the best 79 Article 3 By reason of these remains of indwelling sin, and also because of the temptations of 80 Article 4 Although the weakness of the flesh cannot prevail against the power of God 81 Article 5 By such enormous sins, however, they very highly offend God 82 Article 6 But God, who is rich in mercy, according to His unchangeable purpose of election 83 Article 7 For in the first place, in these falls He preserves in them the incorruptible seed 84 Article 8 Thus it is not in consequence of their own merits or strength 85 Article 9 Of this preservation of the elect to salvation and of their perseverance in the faith 86 Article 10 This assurance, however, is not produced by any peculiar revelation contrary to or independent of 87 Article 11 The Scripture moreover testifies that believers in this life have to struggle with various carnal 88 Article 12 This certainty of perseverance, however, is so far from exciting in believers a spirit of 89 Article 13 Neither does renewed confidence of persevering produce licentiousness or a disregard of piety in those 90 Article 14 And as it has pleased God, by the preaching of the gospel 91 Article 15 The carnal mind is unable to comprehend this doctrine of the perseverance of the saints 92 Rejection of Errors 93 Paragraph 1 Who teach: That the perseverance of the TRUE believers is not a fruit of election 94 Paragraph 2 Who teach: That God does indeed provide the believer with sufficient powers to persevere 95 Paragraph 3 Who teach: That the TRUE believers and regenerate not only can fall from justifying faith 96 Paragraph 4 Who teach: That TRUE believers and regenerate can sin the sin unto death or against 97 Paragraph 5 Who teach: That without a special revelation we can have no certainty of future perseverance 98 Paragraph 6 Who teach: That the doctrine of the certainty of perseverance and of salvation from its 99 Paragraph 7 Who teach: That the faith of those who believe for a time does not differ 100 Paragraph 8 Who teach: That it is not absurd that one having lost his first regeneration is 101 Paragraph 9 Who teach: That Christ has in no place prayed that believers should infallibly continue in 102 Conclusion And this is the perspicuous, simple, and ingenuous declaration of the orthodox doctrine respecting the