ercy, or his Justice, or, as others say, to manifest
his saving grace, his wisdom, and his absolute power: And that God has
also, by an eternal and immutable decree, preordained the proper methods
of executing his will, by which those who are predestinated to salvation
are saved in a necessary and inevitable manner, so that it is impossible
they should perish; and such as are predestinated to eternal death (who
are the greater part of mankind) are necessarily and inevitably damned,
so that they cannot be saved.

2. "That God, according to others, willing from all eternity to make a
decree for electing some men and rejecting others, considered the human
race not only as created, but also as fallen and corrupted in Adam and
Eve our first parents, and thereby deserving of the curse; and that he
resolved to deliver by his grace some men from this fall and damnation,
for the manifestation of his mercy, and to leave others, both young and
old, and even the children of those who are in the Covenant, and died in
their infancy, by his just judgment, under the curse, for the
manifestation of his justice; and this without any regard to the
repentance or the faith of the first, or the impenitence and unbelief of
the others. They pretend that for the execution of this decree God makes
use of means by which the Elect are necessarily and inevitably saved,
and the Reprobate necessarily and inevitably damned.

3. "That accordingly Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, did not die
for all men, but for those alone who were chosen in the first or second
manner, as he was only appointed Mediator for the salvation of the
Elect, and of no others.

4. "That in consequence of this the Spirit of God and of Christ works so
efficaciously in the Elect, that they cannot resist it; but must be
converted, believe, and be necessarily saved: That this irresistible
grace and strength is given to the Elect alone, and not to the
Reprobate, to whom God not only refuses this irresistible grace, but
even denies them necessary and sufficient grace for their conversion and
salvation, though they be called and solicited to accept it, without
compulsion, externally, by the revealed will of God; but the inward
strength necessary to conversion and faith is nevertheless denied them,
by the secret will of God.

5. "That those who receive true and justifying faith by this
irresistible power, cannot totally or finally lose it, even when they
fall into gross sins;