{"collection":"chr","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/chr/syndort.htm","path":"chr/syndort.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/chr/syndort.htm","text":"Synod of Dordrecht\nNovember 13, 1618 - May 9, 1619\nFIRST HEAD OF DOCTRINE. DIVINE ELECTION AND REPROBATION\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 1. As all men have sinned in Adam, lie\nunder the curse, and are deserving of eternal death, God\nwould have done no injustice by leaving them all to perish\nand delivering them over to condemnation on account of sin,\naccording to the words of the apostle: \"that every mouth may\nbe silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.\"\n(Rom 3:19). And: \"for all have sinned and fall short of the\nglory of God,\" (Rom 3:23). And: \"For the wages of sin is\ndeath.\" (Rom 6:23).\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 2. but in this the love of God was\nmanifested, that He \"sent his one and only Son into the\nworld, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have\neternal life.\" (1 John 4:9, John 3:16).\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 3. And that men may be brought to\nbelieve, God mercifully sends the messengers of these most\njoyful tiding to whom He will and at what time He pleases; by\nwhose ministry men are called to repentance and faith in\nChrist crucified. \"How, then, can they call on the one they\nhave not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of\nwhom they have not heard? And how can they hear without\nsomeone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless\nthey are sent?\" (Rom 10:14-15).\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 4. The wrath of God abides upon those who\nbelieve not this gospel. But such as receive it and embrace\nJesus the Savior by a true and living faith are by Him\ndelivered from the wrath of God and from destruction, and\nhave the gift of eternal life conferred upon them.\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 5. The cause or guilt of this unbelief as\nwell as of all other sins is no wise in God, but in man\nhimself; whereas faith in Jesus Christ and salvation through\nHim is the free gift of God, as it is written: \"For it is by\ngrace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from\nyourselves, it is the gift of God\" (Eph 2:8). Likewise: \"For\nit has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to\nbelieve on him, but also to suffer for him\" (Phil 1:29)\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 6. That some receive the gift of faith\nfrom God, and others do not receive it, proceeds from God's\neternal decree. \"For now unto God are all his works from the\nbeginning of the world\" (Acts 15:18 A.V.). \"who works out\neverything in conformity with the purpose of his will\" (Eph\n1:11). According to which decree He graciously softens the\nhearts of the elect, however obstinate, and inclines them to\nbelieve; while He leaves the non-elect in His just judgment\nto their own wickedness and obduracy. And herein is\nespecially displayed the profound, the merciful, and at the\nsame time the righteous discrimination between men equally\ninvolved in ruin; or that decree of election and reprobation,\nrevealed in the Word of God, which, though men of perverse,\nimpure, and unstable minds wrest it to their own destruction,\nyet to holy and pious souls affords unspeakable consolation.\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 7. Election is the unchangeable purpose\nof God, whereby, before the foundation of the world, He has\nout of mere grace, according to the sovereign good pleasure\nof His own will, chosen from the whole human race, which had\nfallen through their own fault from the primitive state of\nrectitude into sin and destruction, a certain number of\npersons to redemption in Christ, whom He from eternity\nappointed the Mediator and Head of the elect and the\nfoundation of salvation. This elect number, though by nature\nneither better nor more deserving than others, but with them\ninvolved in one common misery, God has decreed to give to\nChrist to be saved by Him, and effectually to call an draw\nthem to His communion by His Word and Spirit; to bestow upon\nthem true faith, justification, and sanctification; and\nhaving powerfully preserved them in the fellowship of His\nson, finally to glorify them for the demonstration of His\nmercy, and for the praise of the riches of His glorious\ngrace; as it is written \"For he chose us in him before the\ncreation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.\nIn love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through\nJesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- to\nthe praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given\nus in the One he loves.\" (Eph 1:4-6). And elsewhere: \"And\nthose he predestined, he also called; those he called, he\nalso justified; those he justified, he also glorified.\" (Rom\n8:30).\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 8. There are not various decrees of\nelection, but one and the same decree respecting all those\nwho shall be saved, both under the Old and New Testament;\nsince the Scripture declares the good pleasure, purpose, and\ncounsel of the divine will to be one, according to which He\nhas chosen us from eternity, both to grace and to glory, to\nsalvation and to the way of salvation, which He has ordained\nthat we should walk therein (Eph 1:4, 5; 2:10).\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 9. This election was not founded upon\nforeseen faith and the obedience of faith, holiness, or any\nother good quality or disposition in man, as the\nprerequisite, cause, or condition of which it depended; but\nmen are chosen to faith and to the obedience of faith,\nholiness, etc. Therefore election is the fountain of every\nsaving good, from which proceed faith, holiness, and the\nother gifts of salvation, and finally eternal life itself, as\nits fruits and effects, according to the testimony of the\napostle: \"For he chose us (not because we were, but) in him\nbefore the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in\nhis sight.\" (Eph 1:4).\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 10. The good pleasure of God is the sole\ncause of this gracious election; which does not consist\nherein that out of all possible qualities and actions of men\nGod has chosen some as a condition of salvation, but that He\nwas pleased out of the common mass of sinners to adopt some\ncertain persons as a peculiar people to Himself, as it is\nwritten: \"Yet, before the twins were born or had done\nanything good or bad--in order that God's purpose in election\nmight stand: not by works but by him who calls--she (Rebekah)\nwas told, 'The older will serve the younger.' Just as it is\nwritten: 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'\" (Rom 9:11-13).\n\"When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the\nword of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life\nbelieved.\" (Acts 13:48).\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 11. And as God Himself is most wise,\nunchangeable, omniscient, and omnipotent, so the election\nmade by Him can neither be interrupted nor changed, recalled,\nor annulled; neither can the elect be cast away, nor their\nnumber diminished.\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 12. The elect in due time, though in\nvarious degrees and in different measures, attain the\nassurance of this their eternal and unchangeable election,\nnot by inquisitively prying into the secret and deep things\nof God, but by observing in themselves with a spiritual joy\nand holy pleasure the infallible fruits of election pointed\nout in the Word of God - such as, a true faith in Christ,\nfilial fear, a godly sorrow for sin, a hungering and\nthirsting after righteousness, etc.\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 13. The sense and certainty of this\nelection afford to the children of God additional matter for\ndaily humiliation before Him, for adoring the depth of His\nmercies, for cleansing themselves, and rendering grateful\nreturns of ardent love to Him who first manifested so great\nlove towards them. The consideration of this doctrine of\nelection is so far from encouraging remissness in the\nobservance of the divine commands or from sinking men in\ncarnal security, that these, in the just judgment of God, are\nthe usual effects of rash presumption or of idle and wanton\ntrifling with the grace of election, in those who refuse to\nwalk in the ways of the elect.\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 14. As the doctrine of election by the\nmost wise counsel of God was declared by the prophets, by\nChrist Himself, and by the apostles, and is clearly revealed\nin the Scriptures both of the Old and the New Testament, so\nit is still to be published in due time and place in the\nChurch of God, for which it was peculiarly designed, provided\nit be done with reverence, in the spirit of discretion and\npiety, for the glory of God's most holy Name, and for\nenlivening and comforting His people, without vainly\nattempting to investigate the secret ways of the Most High\n(Acts 20:27; Rom 11:33f; 12:3; Heb 6:17f).\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 15. What peculiarly tends to illustrate\nand recommend to us the eternal and unmerited grace of\nelection is the express testimony of sacred Scripture that\nnot all, but some only, are elected, while others are passed\nby in the eternal decree; whom God, out of His sovereign,\nmost just, irreprehensible, and unchangeable good pleasure,\nhas decreed to leave in the common misery into which they\nhave willfully plunged themselves, and not to bestow upon\nthem saving faith and the grace of conversion; but,\npermitting them in His just judgment to follow their own\nways, at last, for the declaration of His justice, to condemn\nand punish them forever, not only on account of their\nunbelief, but also for all their other sins. And this is the\ndecree of reprobation, which by no means makes God the Author\nof sin (the very though of which is blasphemy), but declares\nHim to be an awful, irreprehensible, and righteous Judge and\nAvenger thereof.\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 16. Those in whom a living faith in\nChrist, and assured confidence of soul, peace of conscience,\nan earnest endeavor after filial obedience, a glorying in God\nthrough Christ, is not as yet strongly felt, and who\nnevertheless make use of the means which God has appointed\nfor working these graces in us, ought not to be alarmed at\nthe mention of reprobation, nor to rank themselves among the\nreprobate, but diligently to persevere in the use of means,\nand with ardent desires devoutly and humble to wait for a\nseason of richer grace. Much less cause to be terrified by\nthe doctrine of reprobation have they who, though they\nseriously desire to be turned to God, to please Him only, and\nto be delivered from the body of death, cannot yet reach that\nmeasure of holiness and faith to which they aspire; since a\nmerciful God has promised that He will not quench the smoking\nflax, nor break the bruised reed. But this doctrine is justly\nterrible to those who, regardless of God and of the Savior\nJesus Christ, have wholly given themselves up to the cares of\nthe world and the pleasures of the flesh, so long as they are\nnot seriously converted to God.\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 17. Since we are to judge of the will of\nGod from His Word, which testifies that the children of\nbelievers are holy, not by nature, but in virtue of the\ncovenant of grace, in which they together with the parents\nare comprehended, godly parents ought not to doubt the\nelection and salvation of their children whom it pleases God\nto call out of this life in their infancy (Gen 17:7; Acts\n2:39; 1 Cor 7:14).\nFIRST HEAD: ARTICLE 18. To those who murmur at the free grace\nof election and the just severity of reprobation we answer\nwith the apostle \"But who are you, O man, to talk back to\nGod?\" (Rom 9:20), and quote the language of our Savior:\n\"Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own?\" (Matt\n20:15). And therefore, with holy adoration of these\nmysteries, we exclaim in the words of the apostle: \"Oh, the\ndepth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How\nunsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!\n'Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his\ncounselor?' 'Who has ever given to God, that God should repay\nhim?' For from him and through him and to him are all things.\nTo him be the glory forever! Amen.\" (Rom 11:33-36).\nREJECTION OF ERRORS\nThe true doctrine concerning election and reprobation having\nbeen explained, the Synod rejects the errors of those:\nFIRST HEAD: PARAGRAPH 1. Who teach: That the will of God to\nsave those who would believe and would persevere in faith and\nin the obedience of faith is the whole and entire decree of\nelection, and that nothing else concerning this decree has\nbeen revealed in God's Word.\nFor these deceive the simple and plainly contradict the\nScriptures, which declare that God will not only save those\nwho will believe, but that He has also from eternity chosen\ncertain particular persons to whom, above others, He will\ngrant in time, both faith in Christ and perseverance; as it\nis written \"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out\nof the world. (John 17:6). \"and all who were appointed for\neternal life believed. (Acts 13:48)\". And \"For he chose us in\nhim before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless\nin his sight. (Eph 1:4).\"\nFIRST HEAD: PARAGRAPH 2. Who teach: That there are various\nkinds of election of God unto eternal life: the one general\nand indefinite, the other particular and definite; and that\nthe latter in turn is either incomplete, revocable,\nnon-decisive, and conditional, or complete, irrevocable,\ndecisive, and absolute. Likewise: That there is one election\nunto faith and another unto salvation, so that election can\nbe unto justifying faith, without being a decisive election\nunto salvation.\nFor this is a fancy of men's minds, invented regardless of\nthe Scriptures, whereby the doctrine of election is\ncorrupted, and this golden chain of our salvation is broken:\n\"And those he predestined, he also called; those he called,\nhe also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.\n(Rom 8:30).\"\nFIRST HEAD: PARAGRAPH 3. Who teach: That the good pleasure\nand purpose of God, of which Scripture makes mention in the\ndoctrine of election, does not consist in this, that God\nchose certain persons rather than others, but in this, that\nHe chose out of all possible conditions (among which are also\nthe works of the law), or out of the whole order of things,\nthat act of faith which from its very nature is undeserving,\nas well as it incomplete obedience, as a condition of\nsalvation, and that He would graciously consider this in\nitself as a complete obedience and count it worthy of the\nreward of eternal life.\nFor by this injurious error the pleasure of God and the\nmerits of Christ are made of none effect, and men are drawn\naway by useless questions from the truth of gracious\njustification and from the simplicity of Scripture, and this\ndeclaration of the apostle is charged as untrue: \"who has\nsaved us and called us to a holy life, not because of\nanything we have done but because of his own purpose and\ngrace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the\nbeginning of time (2 Tim 1:9).\"\nFIRST HEAD: PARAGRAPH 4. Who teach: That in the election unto\nfaith this condition is beforehand demanded that man should\nuse the light of nature aright, be pious, humble, meek, and\nfit for eternal life, as if on these things election were in\nany way dependent.\nFor this savors of the teaching of Pelagius, and is opposed\nto the doctrine of the apostle when he writes: \"All of us\nalso lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of\nour sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.\nLike the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But\nbecause of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,\nmade us alive with Christ even when we were dead in\ntransgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God\nraised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the\nheavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming\nages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,\nexpressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by\ngrace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from\nyourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no\none can boast (Eph 2:3-9).\"\nFIRST HEAD: PARAGRAPH 5. Who teach: That the incomplete and\nnon-decisive election of particular persons to salvation\noccurred because of a foreseen faith, conversion, holiness,\ngodliness, which either began or continued for some time; but\nthat the complete and decisive election occurred because of\nforeseen perseverance unto the end in faith, conversion,\nholiness, and godliness; and that this is the gracious and\nevangelical worthiness, for the sake of which he who is\nchosen is more worthy than he who is not chosen; and that\ntherefore faith, the obedience of faith, holiness, godliness,\nand perseverance are not fruits of the unchangeable election\nunto glory, but are conditions which, being required\nbeforehand, were foreseen as being met by those who will be\nfully elected, and are causes without which the unchangeable\nelection to glory does not occur.\nThis is repugnant to the entire Scripture, which constantly\ninculcates this and similar declarations: Election is \"not by\nworks but by him who calls (Rom 9:12).\" \"And all who were\nappointed for eternal life believed (Acts 13:48).\" \"For he\nchose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy\nand blameless in his sight (Eph 1:4).\" \"You did not choose\nme, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit\nthat will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you\nask in my name (John 15:16).\" \"And if by grace, then it is no\nlonger by works (Rom 11:6).\" \"This is love: not that we loved\nGod, but that he loved us and sent his Son (1 John 4:10).\"\nFIRST HEAD: PARAGRAPH 6. Who teach: That not every election\nunto salvation is unchangeable, but that some of the elect,\nany decree of God notwithstanding, can yet perish and do\nindeed perish.\nBy this gross error they make God be changeable, and destroy\nthe comfort which the godly obtain out of the firmness of\ntheir election, and contradict the Holy Scripture, which\nteaches that the elect can not be led astray (Matt 24:24),\nthat Christ does not lose those whom the Father gave him\n(John 6:39), and that God also glorified those whom he\nforeordained, called, and justified (Rom 8:30).\nFIRST HEAD: PARAGRAPH 7. Who teach: That there is in this\nlife no fruit and no consciousness of the unchangeable elect\nto glory, nor any certainty, except that which depends on a\nchangeable and uncertain condition.\nFor not only is it absurd to speak of an uncertain certainty,\nbut also contrary to the experience of the saints, who by\nvirtue of the consciousness of their election rejoice with\nthe apostle and praise this favor of God (Eph 1); who\naccording to Christ's admonition rejoice with his disciples\nthat their names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20); who also\nplace the consciousness of their election over against the\nfiery darts of the devil, asking: \"Who will bring any charge\nagainst those whom God has chosen? (Rom 8:33).\"\nFIRST HEAD: PARAGRAPH 8. Who teach: That God, simply by\nvirtue of His righteous will, did not decide either to leave\nanyone in the fall of Adam and in the common state sin and\ncondemnation, or to pass anyone by in the communication of\ngrace which is necessary for faith and conversion.\nFor this is firmly decreed: \"God has mercy on whom he wants\nto have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden (Rom\n9:18).\" And also this: \"The knowledge of the secrets of the\nkingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them (Mat\n13:11).\" Likewise: \"I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and\nearth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and\nlearned, and revealed them to little children. Yes , Father,\nfor this was your good pleasure (Mat 11:25-26).\"\nFIRST HEAD: PARAGRAPH 9. Who teach: That the reason why God\nsends the gospel to one people rather than to another is not\nmerely and solely the good pleasure of God, but rather the\nfact that one people is better and worthier than another to\nwhich the gospel is not communicated.\nFor this Moses denies , addressing the people of Israel as\nfollows: \"To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the\nhighest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet the LORD\nset his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he\nchose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is\ntoday (Deu 10:14-15).\" And Christ said: \"Woe to you, Korazin!\nWoe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in\nyou had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have\nrepented long ago in sackcloth and ashes (Mat 11:21).\"\nSECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE. THE DEATH OF CHRIST, AND THE\nREDEMPTION OF MEN THEREBY\nSECOND HEAD: ARTICLE 1. God is not only supremely merciful,\nbut also supremely just. And His justice requires (as He has\nrevealed Himself in His Word) that our sins committed against\nHis infinite majesty should be punished, not only with\ntemporal but with eternal punishments, both in body and soul;\nwhich we cannot escape, unless satisfaction be made to the\njustice of God.\nSECOND HEAD: ARTICLE 2. Since, therefore, we are unable to\nmake that satisfaction in our own persons, or to deliver\nourselves from the wrath of God, He has been pleased of His\ninfinite mercy to give His only begotten Son for our Surety,\nwho was made sin, and became a curse for us and in our stead,\nthat He might make satisfaction to divine justice on our\nbehalf.\nSECOND HEAD: ARTICLE 3. The death of the Son of God is the\nonly and most perfect sacrifice and satisfaction for sin, and\nis of infinite worth and value, abundantly sufficient to\nexpiate the sins of the whole world.\nSECOND HEAD: ARTICLE 4. This death is of such infinite value\nand dignity because the person who submitted to it was not\nonly begotten Son of God, of the same eternal and infinite\nessence with the Father and the Holy Spirit, which\nqualifications were necessary to constitute Him a Savior for\nus; and, moreover, because it was attended with a sense of\nthe wrath and curse of God due to us for sin.\nSECOND HEAD: ARTICLE 5. Moreover, the promise of the gospel\nis that whosoever believes in Christ crucified shall not\nperish, but have eternal life. This promise, together with\nthe command to repent and believe, ought to be declared and\npublished to all nations, and to all persons promiscuously\nand without distinction, to whom God out of His good pleasure\nsends the gospel.\nSECOND HEAD: ARTICLE 6. And, whereas many who are called by\nthe gospel do not repent nor believe in Christ, but perish in\nunbelief, this is not owing to any defect or insufficiency in\nthe sacrifice offered by Christ upon the cross, but is wholly\nto be imputed to themselves.\nSECOND HEAD: ARTICLE 7. But as many as truly believe, and are\ndelivered and saved from sin and destruction through the\ndeath of Christ, are indebted for this benefit solely to the\ngrace of God given them in Christ from everlasting, and not\nto any merit of their own.\nSECOND HEAD: ARTICLE 8. For this was the sovereign counsel\nand most gracious will and purpose of God the Father that the\nquickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of\nHis Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon\nthem alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring\nthem infallibly to salvation; that is, it was the will of God\nthat Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby He confirmed\nthe new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every\npeople, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those\nonly, who were from eternity chosen to salvation and given to\nHim by the Father; that He should confer upon them faith,\nwhich, together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy\nSpirit, He purchased for them by His death; should purge them\nfrom all sin, both original and actual, whether committed\nbefore or after believing; and having faithfully preserved\nthem even to the end, should at last bring them, free from\nevery spot and blemish, to the enjoyment of glory in His own\npresence forever.\nSECOND HEAD: ARTICLE 9. This purpose, proceeding from\neverlasting love towards the elect, has from the beginning of\nthe world to this day been powerfully accomplished, and will\nhenceforeward still continue to be accomplished,\nnotwithstanding all the ineffectual opposition of the gates\nof hell; so that the elect in due time may be gathered\ntogether into one, and that there never may be wanting a\nChurch composed of believers, the foundation of which is laid\nin the blood of christ; which may stedfastly love and\nfaithfully serve Him as its Savior (who, as a bridegroom for\nhis bride, laid down His life for them upon the cross); and\nwhich may celebrate His praises here and through all\neternity.\nREJECTION OF ERRORS\nThe true doctrine having been explained, the Synod rejects\nthe errors of those:\nSECOND HEAD: PARAGRAPH 1. Who teach: That God the Father has\nordained His Son to the death of the cross without a certain\nand definite decree to save any, so that the necessity,\nprofitableness, and worth of what christ merited by His death\nmight have existed, and might remain in all its parts\ncomplete, perfect, and intact, even if the merited redemption\nhad never in fact been applied to any person.\nFor this doctrine tends to the despising of the wisdom of the\nFather and of the merits of Jesus Christ, and is contrary to\nScripture. For thus says our Savior: \"I lay down my life for\nthe sheep ... and I know them. (John 10:15, 27).\" And the\nprophet Isaiah says concerning the Savior: \"Yet it was the\nLord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though\nthe LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his\noffspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will\nprosper in his hand (Isa 53:10).\" Finally, this contradicts\nthe article of faith according to which we believe the\ncatholic Christian Church.\nSECOND HEAD: PARAGRAPH 2. Who teach: That it was not the\npurpose of the death of Christ that He should confirm the new\ncovenant of grace through His blood, but only that He should\nacquire for the Father the mere right to establish with man\nsuch a covenant as He might please, whether of grace or of\nworks.\nFor this is repugnant to Scripture which teaches that \"Jesus\nhas become the guarantee of a better covenant that is a new\ncovenant ...\" and that \"it never takes effect while the one\nwho made it is living. (Heb 7:22; 9:15, 17).\"\nSECOND HEAD: PARAGRAPH 3. Who teach: That Christ by His\nsatisfaction merited neither salvation itself for any one,\nnor faith, whereby this satisfaction of Christ unto salvation\nis effectually appropriated; but that He merited for the\nFather only the authority or the perfect will to deal again\nwith man, and to prescribe new conditions as He might desire,\nobedience to which, however, depended on the free will of\nman, so that it therefore might have come to pass that either\nnone or all should fulfill these conditions.\nFor these adjudge too contemptuously of the death of Christ,\nin no wise acknowledge that most important fruit or benefit\nthereby gained and bring again out of the hell the Pelagian\nerror.\nSECOND HEAD: PARAGRAPH 4. Who teach: That the new covenant of\ngrace, which God the Father, through the mediation of the\ndeath of Christ, made with man, does not herein consist that\nwe by faith, in as much as it accepts the merits of Christ,\nare justified before God and saved, but in the fact that God,\nhaving revoked the demand of perfect obedience of faith,\nregards faith itself and the obedience of faith, although\nimperfect, as the perfect obedience of the law, and does\nesteem it worthy of the reward of eternal life through\ngrace.\nFor these contradict the Scriptures, being: \"justified freely\nby his grace through the redemption that came by Christ\nJesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through\nfaith in his blood (Rom 3:24-25).\" And these proclaim, as did\nthe wicked Socinus, a new and strange justification of man\nbefore God, against the consensus of the whole Church.\nSECOND HEAD: PARAGRAPH 5. Who teach: That all men have been\naccepted unto the state of reconciliation and unto the grace\nof the covenant, so that no one is worthy of condemnation on\naccount of original sin, and that no one shall be condemned\nbecause of it, but that all are free from the guilt of\noriginal sin.\nFor this opinion is repugnant to Scripture which teaches that\nwe are by nature children of wrath (Eph 2:3).\nSECOND HEAD: PARAGRAPH 6. Who use the difference between\nmeriting and appropriating, to the end that they may instil\ninto the minds of the imprudent and inexperienced this\nteaching that God, as far as He is concerned, has been minded\nto apply to all equally the benefits gained by the death of\nChrist; but that, while some obtain the pardon of sin and\neternal life, and others do not, this difference depends on\ntheir own free will, which joins itself to the grace that is\noffered without exception, and that it is not dependent on\nthe special gift of mercy, which powerfully works in them,\nthat they rather than others should appropriate unto\nthemselves this grace.\nFor these, while they feign that they present this\ndistinction in a sound sense, seek to instil into the people\nthe destructive poison of the Pelagian errors.\nSECOND HEAD: PARAGRAPH 7. Who teach: That Christ neither\ncould die, nor needed to die, and also did not die, for those\nwhom God loved in the highest degree and elected to eternal\nlife, since these do not need the death of Christ.\nFor the contradict the apostle, who declares, Christ: \"loved\nme and gave himself for me (Gal 2:20).\" Likewise: \"Who will\nbring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God\nwho justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who\ndied (Rom 8:33-34)\", namely, for them; and the Savior who\nsays: \"I lay down my life for the sheep (John 10:15).\" And:\n\"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.\nGreater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life\nfor his friends (John 15:12-13).\"\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEADS OF DOCTRINE. THE CORRUPTION OF MAN, HIS CONVERSION TO GOD, AND THE MANNER THEREOF\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 1. Man was originally formed\nafter the image of God. His understanding was adorned with a\ntrue and saving knowledge of his Creator, and of spiritual\nthings; his heart and will were upright, all his affections\npure, and the whole man was holy. But, revolting from God by\nthe instigation of the devil and by his own free will, he\nforfeited these excellent gifts; and an in the place thereof\nbecame involved in blindness of mind, horrible darkness,\nvanity, and perverseness of judgment; became wicked,\nrebellious, and obdurate in heart and will, and impure in his\naffections.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 2. Man after the fall begat\nchildren in his own likeness. A corrupt stock produced a\ncorrupt offspring. Hence all the posterity of Adam, Christ\nonly excepted, have derived corruption from their original\nparent, not by limitation, as the Pelagians of old asserted,\nbut by the propagation of a vicious nature, in consequence of\nthe just judgment of God.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 3. Therefore all men are\nconceived in sin, and are by nature children of wrath,\nincapable of saving good, prone to evil, dead in sin, and in\nbondage thereto; and without the regenerating grace of the\nHoly Spirit, they are neither able nor willing to return to\nGod, to reform the depravity of their nature, or to dispose\nthemselves to reformation\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 4. There remain, however, in\nman since the fall, the glimmerings of natural light, whereby\nhe retains some knowledge of God, or natural things, and of\nthe difference between good and evil, and shows some regard\nfor virtue and for good outward behavior. But so far is this\nlight of nature from begin sufficient to bring him to a\nsaving knowledge of God and to true conversion that he is\nincapable of using it aright even in things natural and\ncivil. Nay further, this light, such as it is , man in\nvarious ways renders wholly polluted, and hinders in\nunrighteousness, by doing which he becomes inexcusable before\nGod.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 5. In the same light are we to\nconsider the law of the decalogue, delivered by God to His\npeculiar people, the Jews, by the hands of Moses. For though\nit reveals the greatness of sin, and more and more convinces\nman thereof, yet, as it neither points out a remedy nor\nimparts strength to extricate him from his misery, but, being\nweak through the flesh, leaves the transgressor under the\ncurse, man cannot by this law obtain saving grace.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 6. What, therefore, neither\nthe light of nature nor the law could do, that God performs\nby the operation of the Holy Spirit through the word or\nministry of reconciliation; which is the glad tidings\nconcerning the Messiah, by means whereof it has pleased God\nto save such as believe, as well under the Old as under the\nNew Testament.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 7. This mystery of His will\nGod reveals to but a small number under the Old Testament;\nunder the New Testament (the distinction between various\npeoples having been removed) He reveals it to many. The cause\nof this dispensation is not to be ascribed to the superior\nworth of one nation above another, nor to their better use of\nthe light of nature, but results wholly from the sovereign\ngood pleasure and unmerited love of God. Hence they to whom\nso great and so gracious a blessing is communicated, above\ntheir desert, or rather notwithstanding their demerits, are\nbound to acknowledge it with humble and grateful hearts, and\nwith the apostle to adore, but in no wise curiously to pry\ninto, the severity and justice of God's judgments displayed\nin others to whom this grace is not given.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 8. As many as are called by\nthe gospel are unfeignedly called. For God has most earnestly\nand truly declared in His Word what is acceptable to Him,\nnamely, that those who are called should come unto Him. He\nalso seriously promises rest of soul and eternal life to all\nwho come to Him and believe.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 9. It is not the fault of the\ngospel, nor of Christ offered therein, nor of God, who calls\nmen by the gospel and confers upon them various gifts, that\nthose who are called by the ministry of the Word refuse to\ncome and be converted. The fault lies in themselves; some of\nwhom when called, regardless of their danger, reject the Word\nof life; other, though they receive it, suffer it not to make\na lasting impression on their heart; therefore, their joy,\narising only from a temporary faith, soon vanishes, and they\nfall away; while others choke the seed of the Word by\nperplexing cares and the pleasures of this world, and produce\nno fruit. This our Savior teaches in the parable of the sower\n(Matt 13).\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 10. But that others who are\ncalled by the gospel obey the call and are converted is not\nto be ascribed to the proper exercise of free will, whereby\none distinguishes himself above others equally furnished with\ngrace sufficient for faith and conversion (as the proud\nheresy of Pelagius maintains); but it must be wholly ascribed\nto God, who, as He has chosen His own from eternity in\nChrist, so He calls them effectually in time, confers upon\nthem faith and repentance, rescues them from the power of\ndarkness, and translates them into the kingdom of His own\nSon; that they may show forth the praises of Him who has\ncalled them out of darkness into His marvelous light, and may\nglory not in themselves but in the Lord, according to the\ntestimony of the apostles in various places.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 11. But when God accomplishes\nHis good pleasure in the elect, or works in them true\nconversion, He not only cause the gospel to be externally\npreached to them, and powerfully illuminates their minds by\nHis Holy Spirit, that they may rightly under and discern the\nthings of the Spirit of God; but by the efficacy of the same\nregenerating Spirit He pervades the inmost recesses of man;\nHe opens the closed and softens the hardened heart, and\ncircumcises that which was uncircumcised; infuses new\nqualities into the will, which, though heretofore dead, He\nquickens; from being evil, disobedient, and refractory, He\nrenders it good, obedient, and pliable; actuates and\nstrengthens it, that like a good tree, it may bring forth the\nfruits of good actions.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 12. And this is that\nregeneration so highly extolled in Scripture, that renewal,\nnew creation, resurrection from the dead, making alive, which\nGod works in us without out aid. But this is in no wise\neffected merely by the external preaching of the gospel, by\nmoral suasion, or such a mode of operation that, after God\nhas performed His part, it still remains in the power of man\nto be regenerated or not, to be converted or to continue\nunconverted; but it is evidently a supernatural work, most\npowerful, and at the same time most delightful, astonishing,\nmysterious, and ineffable; not inferior in efficacy to\ncreation or the resurrection from the dead, as the Scripture\ninspired by the Author of this work declares; so that all in\nwhose heart God works in this marvelous manner are certainly,\ninfallibly, and effectually regenerated, and do actually\nbelieve. Whereupon the will thus renewed is not only actuated\nand influenced by God, but in consequence of this influence\nbecomes itself active. Wherefore also man himself is rightly\nsaid to believe and repent by virtue of that grace received.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 13. The manner of this\noperation cannot be fully comprehended by believers in this\nlife. Nevertheless, they are satisfied to know and experience\nthat by this grace of God they are enabled to believe with\nthe heart and to love their Savior.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 14. Faith is therefore to be\nconsidered as the gift of God, not on account of its being\noffered by God to man, to be accepted or rejected at his\npleasure, but because it is in reality conferred upon him,\nbreathed and infused into him; nor even because God bestows\nthe power or ability to believe, and then expects that man\nshould by the exercise of his own free will consent to the\nterms of salvation and actually believe in Christ, but\nbecause He who works in man both to will and to work, and\nindeed all things in all, produces both the will to believe\nand the act of believing also.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 15. God is under no obligation\nto confer this grace upon any; for how can He be indebted to\none who had no previous gifts to bestow as a foundation for\nsuch recompense? Nay, how can He be indebted to one who has\nnothing of his own but sin and falsehood? He, therefore, who\nbecomes the subject of this grace owes eternal gratitude to\nGod, and gives Him thanks forever. Whoever is not made\npartaker thereof is either altogether regardless of these\nspiritual gifts and satisfied with his own condition, or is\nin no apprehension of danger, and vainly boasts the\npossession of that which he has not. Further, with respect to\nthose who outwardly profess their faith and amend their\nlives, we are bound, after the example of the apostle, to\njudge and speak of them in the most favorable manner; for the\nsecret recesses of the heart are unknown to us. And as to\nothers who have not yet been called, it is our duty to pray\nfor them to God, who calls the things that are not as if they\nwere. But we are in no wise to conduct ourselves towards them\nwith haughtiness, as if we had made ourselves to differ.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 16. But as man by the fall did\nnot cease to be a creature endowed with understanding and\nwill, nor did sin which pervaded the whole race of mankind\ndeprive him of the human nature, but brought upon him\ndepravity and spiritual death; so also this grace of\nregeneration does not treat men as senseless stocks and\nblocks, nor take away their will and it properties, or do\nviolence thereto; but is spiritually quickens, heals,\ncorrects, and at the same time sweetly and powerfully bends\nit, that where carnal rebellion and resistance formerly\nprevailed, a ready and sincere spiritual obedience begins to\nreign; in which the true and spiritual restoration and\nfreedom of our will consist. Wherefore, unless the admirable\nAuthor of every good work so deal with us, man can have no\nhope of being able to rise from his fall by his own free\nwill, by which, in a state of innocence, he plunged himself\ninto ruin.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: ARTICLE 17. As the almighty operation\nof God whereby He brings forth and supports this our natural\nlife does not exclude but require the use of means by which\nGod, of His infinite mercy and goodness, has chosen to exert\nHis influence, so also the aforementioned supernatural\noperation of God by which we are regenerated in no wise\nexcludes or subverts the use of the gospel, which the most\nwise God has ordained to be the seed of regeneration and food\nof the soul. Wherefore, as the apostles and the teachers who\nsucceeded them piously instructed the people concerning this\ngrace of God, to His glory and to the abasement of all pride,\nand in the meantime, however, neglected not to keep them, by\nthe holy admonitions of the gospel, under the influence of\nthe Word, the sacraments, and ecclesiastical discipline; so\neven now it should be far from those who give or receive\ninstruction in the Church to presume to tempt God by\nseparating what He of His good pleasure has most intimately\njoined together. For grace is conferred by means of\nadmonitions; and the more readily we perform our duty, the\nmore clearly this favor of God, working in us, usually\nmanifest itself, and the more directly His work is advanced;\nto whom alone all the glory, both for the means and for their\nsaving fruit and efficacy, is forever due. Amen.\nREJECTION OF ERRORS\nThe true doctrine having been explained, the Synod rejects\nthe errors of those:\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 1. Who teach: That it cannot\nproperly be said that original sin in itself suffices to\ncondemn the whole human race or to deserve temporal and\neternal punishment.\nFor these contradict the apostle, who declares: \"Therefore,\njust as sin entered the world through one man, and death\nthrough sin, and in this way death came to all men, because\nall sinned (Rom 5:12).\" And: \"The judgment followed one sin\nand brought condemnation (Rom 5:16).\" And \"the wages of sin\nis death (Rom 6:23).\"\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 2. Who teach: That the\nspiritual gifts or the good qualities and virtues, such as\ngoodness, holiness, righteousness, could not belong to the\nwill of man when he was first crated, and that these,\ntherefore, cannot have been separated therefrom in the fall.\nFor such is contrary to the description of the image of God\nwhich the apostle gives in Eph. 4:24, where he declares that\nit consists in righteousness and holiness, which undoubtedly\nbelong to the will.\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 3. Who teach: That in\nspiritual death the spiritual gifts are not separate from the\nwill of man, since the will in itself has never been\ncorrupted, but only hindered through the darkness of the\nunderstanding and the irregularity of the affection; and\nthat, these hindrances having been removed, the will can then\nbring into operation its nature powers, that is, that the\nwill of itself is able to will and to choose, or not to will\nand not to choose, all manner of good which may be presented\nto it.\nThis is an innovation and an error, and tends to elevate the\npowers of the free will, contrary to the declaration of the\nprophet: \"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond\ncure (Jer 17:9)\"; and of the apostle: \"All of us also lived\namong them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful\nnature and following its desires and thoughts (Eph 2:3).\"\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 4. Who teach: That the\nunregenerate man is not really nor utterly dead in sin, nor\ndestitute of all powers unto spiritual good, but that he can\nyet hunger and thirst after righteousness and life, and offer\nthe sacrifice of a contrite and broken spirit, which is\npleasing to God.\nFor these things are contrary to the express testimony of\nScripture: \"you were dead in your transgressions and sins\n(Eph 2:1, 5).\" And: \"every inclination of the thoughts of his\nheart was only evil all the time. (Gen 6:5, 8:21).\" Moreover,\nto hunger and thirst after deliverance from misery and after\nlife, and to offer unto God the sacrifice of a broken spirit,\nis peculiar to the regenerate and those that are called\nblessed (Ps 51:17; Matt 5:6).\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 5. Who teach: That the\ncorrupt and natural man can so well use the common grace (by\nwhich they understand the light of nature), or the gifts\nstill left him after the fall, that he can gradually gain by\ntheir good use a greater, that is, the evangelical or saving\ngrace, and salvation itself; and that in this way God on His\npart shows Himself ready to reveal Christ unto all men, since\nHe applies to all sufficiently and efficiently the means\nnecessary to conversion.\nFor both the experience of all ages and the Scriptures\ntestify that this is untrue. \"He has revealed his word to\nJacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this for\nno other nation; they do not know his laws (Psa 147:19-20).\"\n\"In the past, he let all nations go their own way (Acts\n14:16).\" And: \"Paul and his companions traveled throughout\nthe region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the\nHoly Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.\nWhen they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter\nBithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to\n(Acts 16:6-7).\"\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 6. Who teach: That in the\ntrue conversion of man no new qualities, powers, or gifts can\nbe infused by God into the will, and that therefore faith,\nthrough which we are first converted and because of which we\nare called believers, is not a quality or gift infused by God\nbut only an act of man, and that it cannot be said to be a\ngift, except in respect of the power to attain to this\nfaith.\nFor thereby they contradict the Holy Scriptures, which\ndeclare that God infuses new qualities of faith, of\nobedience, and of the consciousness of His love into our\nhearts: \"\"This is the covenant I will make with the house of\nIsrael after that time,\" declares the LORD. \"I will put my\nlaw in their minds and write it on their hearts (Jer 31:33).\"\nAnd: \"For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams\non the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your\noffspring, and my blessing on your descendants (Isa 44:3).\"\nAnd: \"God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy\nSpirit, whom he has given us (Rom 5:5).\" This is also\nrepugnant to the constant practice of the Church, which prays\nby the mouth of the prophet thus: \"Restore me, and I will\nreturn (Jer 31:18).\"\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 7. Who teach: That the grace\nwhereby we are converted to God is only a gentle advising, or\n(as others explain it) that this is the noblest manner of\nworking in the conversion of man, and that this manner of\nworking, which consists in advising, is most in harmony with\nman's nature; and that there is no reason why this advising\ngrace alone should not be sufficient to make the natural man\nspiritual; indeed, that God does not produce the consent of\nthe will except through this manner of advising; and that the\npower of the divine working, whereby it surpasses the working\nof Satan, consists in this that God promises eternal, while\nSatan promise only temporal good.\nBut this is altogether Pelagian and contrary to the whole\nScripture, which, besides this, teaches yet another and far\nmore powerful and divine manner of the Holy Spirit's working\nin the conversion of man, as in Ezekiel: \"I will give you a\nnew heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you\nyour heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ezek\n36:26).\"\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 8. Who teach: That god in\nthe regeneration of man does not use such powers of His\nomnipotence as potently and infallibly bend man's will to\nfaith and conversion; but that all the works of grace having\nbeen accomplished, which God employs to convert man, man may\nyet so resist god and the Holy Spirit, when God intends man's\nregeneration and wills to regenerate him, and indeed that man\noften does so resist that he prevents entirely his\nregeneration, and that it therefore remains in man's power to\nbe regenerated or not.\nFor this is nothing less than the denial of all that\nefficiency of God's grace in our conversion, and the\nsubjecting of the working of Almighty God to the will of man,\nwhich is contrary to the apostles, who teach that we believe\naccord to the working of the strength of his might (Eph\n1:19); and that God fulfills every desire of goodness and\nevery work of faith with power (2 Th 1:11); and that \"His\ndivine power has given us everything we need for life and\ngodliness (2 Pet 1:3).\"\nTHIRD AND FOURTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 9. Who teach: That grace and\nfree will are partial causes which together work the\nbeginning of conversion, and that grace, in order of working,\ndoes not precede the working of the will; that is, that God\ndoes not efficiently help the will of man unto conversion\nuntil the will of man moves and determines to do this.\nFor the ancient Church has long ago condemned this doctrine\nof the Pelagians according to the words of the apostle: \"It\ndoes not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on\nGod's mercy (Rom 9:16).\" Likewise: \"For who makes you\ndifferent from anyone else? What do you have that you did not\nreceive? And if you did receive it (1 Cor 4:7)?\" And: \"for it\nis God who works in you to will and to act according to his\ngood purpose (Phil 2:13).\"\nFIFTH HEAD OF DOCTRINE. THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 1. Those whom God, according to His\npurpose, calls to the communion of His Son, our Lord Jesus\nChrist, and regenerates by the Holy Spirit, He also delivers\nfrom the dominion and slavery of sin, though in this life He\ndoes not deliver them altogether form the body of sin and\nfrom the infirmities of the flesh.\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 2. Hence spring forth the daily sins of\ninfirmity, and blemishes cleave even to the best works of the\nsaints. These are to them a perpetual reason to humiliate\nthemselves before God and to flee for refuge to Christ\ncrucified; to mortify the flesh more and more by the spirit\nof prayer and by holy exercises of piety; and to press\nforward to the goal of perfection, until at length, delivered\nfrom this body of death, they shall reign with the Lamb of\nGod in heaven.\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 3. By reason of these remains of\nindwelling sin, and also because the temptations of the world\nand of Satan, those who are converted could not persevere in\nthat grace if left to their own strength. But God is\nfaithful, who, having conferred grace, mercifully confirms\nand powerfully preserves them therein, even to the end.\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 4. Although the weakness of the flesh\ncannot prevail against the power of God, who confirms and\npreserves true believers in a state of grace, yet converts\nare not always so influenced and actuated by the Spirit of\nGod as not in some particular instances sinfully to deviate\nfrom the guidance of divine grace, so as to be seduced by and\nto comply with the lusts of the flesh; they must, therefore,\nbe constant in watching and prayer, that they may not be led\ninto temptation. When these are great and heinous sins by the\nflesh, the world, and Satan, but sometimes by the righteous\npermission of God actually are drawn into these evils. This,\nthe lamentable fall of David, Peter, and other saints\ndescribed in Holy Scripture, demonstrates.\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 5. By such enormous sins, however, they\nvery highly offend God, incur a deadly guilt, grieve the Holy\nSpirit, interrupt the exercise of faith, very grievously\nwound their consciences, and sometimes for a while lose the\nsense of God's favor, until, when they change their course by\nserious repentance, the light of God's fatherly countenance\nagain shines upon them.\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 6. But God, who is rich in mercy,\naccording to His unchangeable purpose of election, does not\nwholly withdraw the Holy Spirit from His own people even in\ntheir grievous falls; nor suffers them to proceed so far as t\nlose the grace of adoption and forfeit the state of\njustification, or to commit the sin unto death or against the\nHoly Spirt; nor does He permit them to be totally deserted,\nand to plunge themselves into everlasting destruction.\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 7. For in the first place, in these falls\nHe preserves in them the incorruptible seed of regeneration\nfrom perishing or being totally lost; and again, by His Word\nand Spirit He certainly and effectually renews them to\nrepentance, to a sincere and godly sorrow for their sins,\nthat they may seek and obtain remission in the blood of the\nMediator, may again experience the favor of a reconciled God,\nthrough faith adore His mercies, and henceforward more\ndiligently work out their own salvation with fear and\ntrembling.\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 8. Thus it is not in consequence of their\nown merits or strength, but of God's free mercy, that they\nneither totally fall from faith and grace nor continue and\nperish finally in their backslidings; which, with respect to\nthemselves is not only possible, but would undoubtedly\nhappen; but with respect to God, it is utterly impossible,\nsince His counsel cannot be changed nor His promise fail;\nneither can the call according to His purpose be revoked, nor\nthe merit, intercession, and preservation of Christ be\nrendered ineffectual, nor the sealing of the Holy Spirit be\nfrustrated or obliterated.\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 9. Of this preservation of the elect to\nsalvation and of their perseverance in the faith, true\nbelievers themselves may and do obtain assurance according to\nthe measure of their faith, whereby they surely believe that\nthey are and ever will continue true and living members of\nthe Church, and that they have the forgiveness of sins and\nlife eternal.\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 10. This assurance, however, is not\nproduced by any peculiar revelation contrary to or\nindependent of the Word of God, but springs from faith in\nGod's promises, which He has most abundantly revealed in His\nWord for our comfort; from the testimony of the Holy Spirit,\nwitnessing with our spirit that we are children and heirs of\nGod (Rom 8:16); and lastly, from a serious and holy desire to\npreserve a good conscience and to perform good works. And if\nthe elect of God were deprived of this solid comfort that\nthey shall finally obtain the victory, and of this infallible\npledge of eternal glory, they would be of all men the most\nmiserable.\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 11. The Scripture moreover testifies that\nbelievers in this life have to struggle with various carnal\ndoubts, and that under grievous temptations they do not\nalways feel this full assurance of faith and certainty of\npersevering. But God, who is the Father of all consolation,\ndoes not suffer them to be tempted above that they are able,\nbut will with the temptation make also the way of escape,\nthat they may be able to endure it (1 Cor 10:13), and by the\nHoly Spirit again inspires them with the comfortable\nassurance of persevering.\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 12. This certainty of perseverance,\nhowever, is so far from exciting in believers a spirit of\npride, or of rendering them carnally secure, that on the\ncontrary it is the real source of humility, filial reverence,\ntrue piety, patience in every tribulation, fervent prayers,\nconstancy in suffering and in confessing the truth, and of\nsolid rejoicing in God; so that the consideration of this\nbenefit should serve as an incentive to the serious and\nconstant practice of gratitude and good works, as appears\nfrom the testimonies of Scripture and the examples of the\nsaints.\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 13. Neither does renewed confidence of\npersevering produce licentiousness or a disregard of piety in\nthose who are recovered from backsliding; but it renders them\nmuch more careful and solicitous to continue in the ways of\nthe Lord, which He has ordained, that they who walk therein\nmay keep the assurance of persevering; lest, on account of\ntheir abuse of His fatherly kindness, God should turn away\nHis gracious countenance from them (to behold which is to the\ngodly dearer than life, and the withdrawal of which is more\nbitter than death) and they in consequence thereof should\nfall into more grievous torments of conscience.\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 14. And as it has pleased God, by the\npreaching of the gospel, to begin this work of grace in us,\nso He preserves, continues, and perfects it by the hearing\nand reading of His Word, by meditation thereon, and by the\nexhortations, threatenings, and promises thereof, and by the\nuse of the sacraments.\nFIFTH HEAD: ARTICLE 15. The carnal mind is unable to\ncomprehend this doctrine of the perseverance of the saints\nand the certainty thereof, which God has most abundantly\nrevealed in His Word, for the glory of His Name and the\nconsolation of pious souls, and which He impresses upon the\nhearts of the believers. Satan abhors it, the world ridicules\nit, the ignorant and hypocritical abuse it, and the heretics\noppose it. But the bride of Christ has always most tenderly\nloved and constantly defended it as an inestimable treasure;\nand God, against whom neither counsel nor strength can\nprevail, will dispose her so to continue to the end. Now to\nthis one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be honor and\nglory forever. Amen.\nREJECTION OF ERRORS\nThe true doctrine having been explained, the Synod rejects\nthe errors of those:\nFIFTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 1. Who teach: That the perseverance of\nthe true believers is not a fruit of election, or a gift of\nGod gained by the death of Christ, but a condition of the new\ncovenant which (as they declare) man before his decisive\nelection and justification must fulfil through his free\nwill.\nFor the Holy Scripture testifies that this follows out of\nelection, and is given the elect in virtue of the death, the\nresurrection, and the intercession of Christ: \"What Israel\nsought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The\nothers were hardened (Rom 11:7).\" Likewise: \"He who did not\nspare His own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he\nnot also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who\nwill bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It\nis God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus,\nwho died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the\nright hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall\nseparate us from the love of Christ (Rom 8:32-35)?\"\nFIFTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 2. Who teach: That God does indeed\nprovide the believer with sufficient powers to persevere, and\nis ever ready to preserve these in him if he will do his\nduty; but that, though all though which are necessary to\npersevere in faith and which God will use to preserve faith\nare made us of, even then it ever depends on the pleasure of\nthe will whether it will persevere or not.\nFor this idea contains outspoken Pelagianism, and while it\nwould make men free, it make them robbers of God's honor,\ncontrary to the prevailing agreement of the evangelical\ndoctrine, which takes from man all cause of boasting, and\nascribes all the praise for this favor to the grace of God\nalone; and contrary to the apostle, who declares that it is\nGod, \"He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be\nblameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:8).\"\nFIFTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 3. Who teach: That the true believers\nand regenerate not only can fall from justifying faith and\nlikewise from grace and salvation wholly and to the end, but\nindeed often do fall from this and are lost forever.\nFor this conception makes powerless the grace, justification,\nregeneration, and continued preservation by Christ, contrary\nto the expressed words of the apostle Paul: \"While we were\nstill sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been\njustified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from\nGod's wrath through him (Rom 5:8-9).\" And contrary to the\napostle John: \"No one who is born of God will continue to\nsin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on\nsinning, because he has been born of God (1 John 3:9).\" And\nalso contrary to the words of Jesus Christ: \"I give them\neternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch\nthem out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is\ngreater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father's\nhand (John 10:28-29).\"\nFIFTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 4. Who teach: That true believers and\nregenerate can sin the sin unto death or against the Holy\nSpirit.\nSince the same apostle John, after having spoken in the fifth\nchapter of his first epistle, vs. 16 and 17, of those who sin\nunto death and having forbidden to pray for them, immediately\nadds to this in vs. 18: \"We know that anyone born of God does\nnot continue to sin (meaning a sin of that character); the\none who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one\ncannot harm him (1 John 5:18).\"\nFIFTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 5. Who teach: That without a special\nrevelation we can have no certainty of future perseverance in\nthis life.\nFor by this doctrine the sure comfort of the true believers\nis taken away in this life, and the doubts of the papist are\nagain introduced into the Church, while the Holy Scriptures\nconstantly deduce this assurance, not from a special and\nextraordinary revelation, but from the marks proper to the\nchildren of God and from the very constant promises of God.\nSo especially the apostle Paul: \"neither height nor depth,\nnor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate\nus from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom\n8:39).\" And John declares: \"Those who obey his commands live\nin him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives\nin us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us (1 John 3:24).\"\nFIFTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 6. Who teach: That the doctrine of the\ncertainty of perseverance and of salvation from its own\ncharacter and nature is a cause of indolence and is injurious\nto godliness, good morals, prayers, and other holy exercises,\nbut that on the contrary it is praiseworthy to doubt.\nFor these show that they do not know the power of divine\ngrace and the working of the indwelling Holy Spirit. And they\ncontradict the apostle John, who teaches that opposite with\nexpress words in his first epistle: \"Dear friends, now we are\nchildren of God, and what we will be has not yet been made\nknown. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like\nhim, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this\nhope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure (1 John\n3:2-3).\" Furthermore, these are contradicted by the example\nof the saints, both of the Old and the New Testament, who\nthough they were assured of their perseverance and salvation,\nwere nevertheless constant in prayers and other exercises of\ngodliness.\nFIFTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 7. Who teach: That the faith of those\nwho believe for a time does not differ from justifying and\nsaving faith except only in duration.\nFor Christ Himself, in Matt 13:20, Luke 8:13, and in other\nplaces, evidently notes, beside this duration, a threefold\ndifference between those who believe only for a time and true\nbelievers, when He declares that the former receive the seed\non stony ground, but the latter in the good ground or heart;\nthat the former are without root, but the latter have a firm\nroot; that the former are without fruit, but that the latter\nbring forth their fruit in various measure, with constancy\nand steadfastness.\nFIFTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 8. Who teach: That it is not absurd\nthat one having lost his first regeneration is again and even\noften born anew.\nFor these deny by this doctrine the incorruptibleness of the\nseed of God, whereby we are born again; contrary to the\ntestimony of the apostle Peter: \"For you have been born\nagain, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable (1 Pet\n1:23).\"\nFIFTH HEAD: PARAGRAPH 9. Who teach: That Christ has in no\nplace prayed that believers should infallibly continue in\nfaith.\nFor the contradict Christ Himself, who says: \"I have prayed\nfor you, Simon, that your faith may not fail (Luke 22:32)\",\nand the evangelist John, who declares that Christ has not\nprayed for the apostles only, but also for those who through\ntheir word would believe: \"Holy Father, protect them by the\npower of your name,\" and \"My prayer is not that you take them\nout of the world but that you protect them from the evil one\n(John 17:11, 15, 20).\"\nCONCLUSION\nAnd this is the perspicuous, simple, an ingenuous declaration\nof the orthodox doctrine respecting the five articles which\nhave been controverted in the Belgic Churches; and the\nrejection of the errors, with which they have for some time\nbeen troubled. This doctrine the Synod judges to be drawn\nfrom the Word of God, and to be agreeable to the confession\nof the Reformed Churches. Whence it clearly appears that\nsome, whom such conduct by no means became, have violated all\ntruth, equity, and charity, in wishing to persuade the\npublic:\n\"That the doctrine of the Reformed Churches concerning\npredestination, and the points annexed to it, by its own\ngenius and necessary tendency, leads off the minds of men\nfrom all piety and religion; that it is a opiate administered\nby the flesh and the devil; and the stronghold of Satan,\nwhere he lies in wait for all, and from which he wounds\nmultitudes, and mortally strikes through many with the darts\nboth of despair and security; that it makes God the author of\nsin, unjust, tyrannical, hypocritical; that it is noting more\nthan interpolated Stoicism, Manicheism, Libertinism, Turcism;\nthat it renders men carnally secure, since they are persuaded\nby it that noting can hinder the salvation of the elect, let\nthem live as they please; and, therefore, that they may\nsafely perpetrate every species of the most atrocious crimes;\nand that, if the reprobate should even perform truly all the\nworks of the saints, their obedience would not in the least\ncontribute tot their salvation; that the same doctrine\nteaches that God, by a mere arbitrary act of his will,\nwithout the least respect or view to any sin, has\npredestinated the greatest part of the world to eternal\ndamnation, and has created them for this very purpose; that\nin the same manner in which the election is the fountain and\ncause of faith and good works, reprobation is the cause of\nunbelief and impiety; that many children of the faithful are\ntorn, guiltless, from their mothers' breasts, and\ntyrannically plunged into hell: so that neither baptism nor\nthe prayers of the Church at their baptism can at all profit\nthem;\" and many other things of the same kind which the\nReformed Churches not only do not acknowledge, but even\ndetest with their whole soul.\nWherefore, this Synod of Dort, in the name of the Lord,\nconjures as many as piously call upon the name of our Savior\nJesus Christ to judge of the faith of the Reformed Churches,\nnot from the calumnies which on every side are heaped upon\nit, nor from the private expressions of a few among ancient\nand modern teachers, often dishonestly quoted, or corrupted\nand wrested to a meaning quite foreign to their intention;\nbut from the public confessions of the Churches themselves,\nand from this declaration of the orthodox doctrine, confirmed\nby the unanimous consent of all and each of the members of\nthe whole Synod. Moreover, the Synod warns calumniators\nthemselves to consider the terrible judgment of God which\nawaits them, for bearing false witness against the\nconfessions of so many Churches; for distressing the\nconsciences of the weak; and for laboring to render suspected\nthe society of the truly faithful.\nFinally, this Synod exhorts all their brethren in the gospel\nof Christ to conduct themselves piously and religiously in\nhandling this doctrine, both in the universities and\nchurches; to direct it, as well in discourse as in writing,\nto the glory of the Divine name, to holiness of life, and to\nthe consolation of afflicted souls; to regulate, by the\nScripture, according to the analogy of faith, not only their\nsentiments, but also their language, and to abstain from all\nthose phrases which exceed the limits necessary to be\nobserved in ascertaining the genuine sense of the Holy\nScriptures, and may furnish insolent sophists with a just\npretext for violently assailing, or even vilifying, the\ndoctrine of the Reformed Churches.\nMay Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who, seated at the Father's\nright hand, gives gifts to men, sanctify us in the truth;\nbring to the truth those who err; shut the mouths of the\ncalumniators of sound doctrine, and endue the faithful\nministers of his Word with the spirit of wisdom and\ndiscretion, that all their discourses may tend to the glory\nof God, and the edification of those who hear them. Amen.","title":"Synod of Dordrecht","type":"page"}