Alan Gross
Well-Known Member
from; The Canons of Dort
Article 7
Election is the unchangeable purpose of God, whereby,
before the foundation of the world, He hath out of mere grace,
according to the sovereign good pleasure of His own will, chosen,
from the whole human race,
which had fallen through their own fault
from their primitive state of rectitude into sin and destruction,
a certain number of persons to redemption in Christ,
whom He from eternity appointed the Mediator
and Head of the elect,
and the foundation of salvation.
This elect number, though by nature neither better
nor more deserving than others,
but with them involved in one common misery,
God hath decreed to give to Christ, to be saved by Him,
and effectually to call and draw them
to His communion by His Word and Spirit,
to bestow upon them true Faith, Justification and Sanctification;
and having powerfully preserved them in the fellowship of His Son,
finally, to glorify them for the demonstration of His mercy
and for the praise of His glorious grace, as it is written:
“According as He hath chosen us in Him
before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace,
wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved”
(Eph. 1:4–6).
And elsewhere:
“Whom He did predestinate, them He also called:
and whom He called, them He also justified:
and whom He justified them He also glorified”
(Rom. 8:30).
Article 8 There are not various decrees of election,
but one and the same decree respecting all those who shall be saved,
both under the Old and New Testament;
since the Scripture declares the good pleasure, purpose
and counsel of the divine will to be one,
according to which He hath chosen us from eternity,
both to grace and glory, to salvation and the way of salvation,
which He hath ordained that we should walk therein.
Article 9 This election was not founded upon foreseen faith,
and the obedience of faith, holiness, or any other good quality
or disposition in man, as the prerequisite,
cause or condition on which it depended;
but men are chosen to faith and to the obedience of faith, holiness, etc.;
therefore election is the fountain of every saving good,
from which proceeds Faith, Holiness, and the other gifts of salvation,
and finally eternal life itself, as its fruits and effects,
according to that of the apostle:
“He hath chosen us [not because we were but]
that we should be holy, and without blame, before Him in love”
(Eph. 1:4).
Article 10 The good pleasure of God
is the sole cause of this gracious election,
which doth not consist herein, that out of all possible qualities
and actions of men God has chosen some as a condition of salvation;
but that He was pleased out of the common mass of sinners
to adopt some certain persons as a peculiar people to Himself,
as it is written,
“For the children being not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil,” etc.,
it was said (namely to Rebecca):
“The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written,
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated”
(Rom. 9:11-13).
“And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed”
(Acts 13:48).
Article 11 And as God Himself is most wise, unchangeable,
omniscient and omnipotent, so the election made by Him
can neither be interrupted nor changed, recalled or annulled;
neither can the elect be cast away, nor their number diminished.
Article 12 The elect in due time, though in various degrees
and in different measures, attain the assurance
of this their eternal and unchangeable election,
not by inquisitively prying into the secret and deep things of God,
but by observing in themselves, with a spiritual joy and holy pleasure,
the infallible fruits of election pointed out in the Word of God —
such as a true faith in Christ, filial fear, a godly sorrow for sin,
a hungering and thirsting after righteousness, etc.
Article 13 The sense and certainty of this election
afford to the children of God additional matter
for daily humiliation before Him,
for adoring the depth of His mercies, for cleansing themselves,
and rendering grateful returns of ardent love to Him,
who first manifested so great love towards them.
The consideration of this doctrine of election
is so far from encouraging remissness
in the observance of the divine commands
or from sinking men in carnal security, that these,
in the just judgment of God,
are the usual effects of rash presumption or of idle
and wanton trifling with the grace of election
in those who refuse to walk in the ways of the elect.
Article 14 As the doctrine of divine election
by the most wise counsel of God was declared by the prophets,
by Christ Himself, and by the apostles,
and is clearly revealed in the Scriptures,
both of the Old and New Testament,
so it is still to be published in due time and place in the Church of God,
for which it was peculiarly designed, provided it be done with reverence,
in the spirit of discretion and piety, for the glory of God's most holy Name,
and for enlivening and comforting His people,
without vainly attempting to investigate the secret ways of the Most High.
“For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God”
(Acts 20:27);
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!
For who hath known the mind of the Lord?
or who hath been His counselor?”
(Rom. 11:33–34);
“For I say, through the grace given unto me,
to every man that is among you,
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think;
but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith”
(Rom. 12:3);
“Wherein God, willing more abundantly
to shew unto the heirs of promise
the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
that by two immutable things,
in which it was impossible for God to lie,
we might have a strong consolation,
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us”
(Heb. 6:17–18).
Article 15 What peculiarly tends to illustrate and recommend to us
the eternal and unmerited grace of election,
is the express testimony of sacred Scripture
that not all, but some only are elected,
while others are passed by in the eternal decree;
whom God, out of His sovereign, most just, irreprehensible
and unchangeable good pleasure,
hath decreed to leave in the common misery
into which they have wilfully plunged themselves,
and not to bestow upon them saving faith and the grace of conversion;
but permitting them in His just judgment to follow their own ways,
at last for the declaration of His justice, to condemn and perish them forever,
not only on account of their unbelief but also for all their other sins.
And this is the decree of reprobation
which by no means makes God the author of sin
(the very thought of which is blasphemy),
but declares Him to be an awful, irreprehensible,
and righteous Judge and avenger thereof.
Article 7
Election is the unchangeable purpose of God, whereby,
before the foundation of the world, He hath out of mere grace,
according to the sovereign good pleasure of His own will, chosen,
from the whole human race,
which had fallen through their own fault
from their primitive state of rectitude into sin and destruction,
a certain number of persons to redemption in Christ,
whom He from eternity appointed the Mediator
and Head of the elect,
and the foundation of salvation.
This elect number, though by nature neither better
nor more deserving than others,
but with them involved in one common misery,
God hath decreed to give to Christ, to be saved by Him,
and effectually to call and draw them
to His communion by His Word and Spirit,
to bestow upon them true Faith, Justification and Sanctification;
and having powerfully preserved them in the fellowship of His Son,
finally, to glorify them for the demonstration of His mercy
and for the praise of His glorious grace, as it is written:
“According as He hath chosen us in Him
before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:
having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace,
wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved”
(Eph. 1:4–6).
And elsewhere:
“Whom He did predestinate, them He also called:
and whom He called, them He also justified:
and whom He justified them He also glorified”
(Rom. 8:30).
Article 8 There are not various decrees of election,
but one and the same decree respecting all those who shall be saved,
both under the Old and New Testament;
since the Scripture declares the good pleasure, purpose
and counsel of the divine will to be one,
according to which He hath chosen us from eternity,
both to grace and glory, to salvation and the way of salvation,
which He hath ordained that we should walk therein.
Article 9 This election was not founded upon foreseen faith,
and the obedience of faith, holiness, or any other good quality
or disposition in man, as the prerequisite,
cause or condition on which it depended;
but men are chosen to faith and to the obedience of faith, holiness, etc.;
therefore election is the fountain of every saving good,
from which proceeds Faith, Holiness, and the other gifts of salvation,
and finally eternal life itself, as its fruits and effects,
according to that of the apostle:
“He hath chosen us [not because we were but]
that we should be holy, and without blame, before Him in love”
(Eph. 1:4).
Article 10 The good pleasure of God
is the sole cause of this gracious election,
which doth not consist herein, that out of all possible qualities
and actions of men God has chosen some as a condition of salvation;
but that He was pleased out of the common mass of sinners
to adopt some certain persons as a peculiar people to Himself,
as it is written,
“For the children being not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil,” etc.,
it was said (namely to Rebecca):
“The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written,
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated”
(Rom. 9:11-13).
“And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed”
(Acts 13:48).
Article 11 And as God Himself is most wise, unchangeable,
omniscient and omnipotent, so the election made by Him
can neither be interrupted nor changed, recalled or annulled;
neither can the elect be cast away, nor their number diminished.
Article 12 The elect in due time, though in various degrees
and in different measures, attain the assurance
of this their eternal and unchangeable election,
not by inquisitively prying into the secret and deep things of God,
but by observing in themselves, with a spiritual joy and holy pleasure,
the infallible fruits of election pointed out in the Word of God —
such as a true faith in Christ, filial fear, a godly sorrow for sin,
a hungering and thirsting after righteousness, etc.
Article 13 The sense and certainty of this election
afford to the children of God additional matter
for daily humiliation before Him,
for adoring the depth of His mercies, for cleansing themselves,
and rendering grateful returns of ardent love to Him,
who first manifested so great love towards them.
The consideration of this doctrine of election
is so far from encouraging remissness
in the observance of the divine commands
or from sinking men in carnal security, that these,
in the just judgment of God,
are the usual effects of rash presumption or of idle
and wanton trifling with the grace of election
in those who refuse to walk in the ways of the elect.
Article 14 As the doctrine of divine election
by the most wise counsel of God was declared by the prophets,
by Christ Himself, and by the apostles,
and is clearly revealed in the Scriptures,
both of the Old and New Testament,
so it is still to be published in due time and place in the Church of God,
for which it was peculiarly designed, provided it be done with reverence,
in the spirit of discretion and piety, for the glory of God's most holy Name,
and for enlivening and comforting His people,
without vainly attempting to investigate the secret ways of the Most High.
“For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God”
(Acts 20:27);
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!
For who hath known the mind of the Lord?
or who hath been His counselor?”
(Rom. 11:33–34);
“For I say, through the grace given unto me,
to every man that is among you,
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think;
but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith”
(Rom. 12:3);
“Wherein God, willing more abundantly
to shew unto the heirs of promise
the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
that by two immutable things,
in which it was impossible for God to lie,
we might have a strong consolation,
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us”
(Heb. 6:17–18).
Article 15 What peculiarly tends to illustrate and recommend to us
the eternal and unmerited grace of election,
is the express testimony of sacred Scripture
that not all, but some only are elected,
while others are passed by in the eternal decree;
whom God, out of His sovereign, most just, irreprehensible
and unchangeable good pleasure,
hath decreed to leave in the common misery
into which they have wilfully plunged themselves,
and not to bestow upon them saving faith and the grace of conversion;
but permitting them in His just judgment to follow their own ways,
at last for the declaration of His justice, to condemn and perish them forever,
not only on account of their unbelief but also for all their other sins.
And this is the decree of reprobation
which by no means makes God the author of sin
(the very thought of which is blasphemy),
but declares Him to be an awful, irreprehensible,
and righteous Judge and avenger thereof.
