Chapter 5. Of Providence

Chapter 5. Of Providence

God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold,¹⁰² direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things,¹⁰³ from the greatest even to the least,¹⁰⁴ by his most wise and holy providence,¹⁰⁵ according to his infallible foreknowledge¹⁰⁶ and the free and immutable counsel of his own will,¹⁰⁷ to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.¹⁰⁸

II. Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly,¹⁰⁹ yet by the same providence he ordereth them to fall out, according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.¹¹⁰

III. God, in his ordinary providence, maketh use of means,¹¹¹ yet is free to work without,¹¹²

above,¹¹³ and against them, at his pleasure.¹¹⁴

IV. The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God so far manifest themselves in his providence that it extendeth itself even to the first fall, and all other sins of angels and men,¹¹⁵ and that not by a bare permission,¹¹⁶ but such as hath joined with it a most wise and powerful bounding,¹¹⁷ and otherwise ordering and governing of them, in a manifold dispensation, to his own holy ends;¹¹⁸ yet so as the sinfulness thereof proceedeth only from the creature, and not from God; who, being most holy and righteous, neither is nor can be the author or approver of sin.¹¹⁹

V. The most wise, righteous, and gracious God doth oftentimes leave for a season his own children to manifold temptations and the corruption of their own hearts, to chastise them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they may be humbled;¹²⁰ and to raise them to a more close and constant

dependence for their support unto¹²¹ himself, and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for sundry other just and holy ends.¹²²

VI. As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God, as a righteous judge, for former sins, doth blind and harden,¹²³ from them he not only withholdeth his grace, whereby they might have been enlightened in their understandings and wrought upon in their hearts,¹²⁴ but sometimes also withdraweth the gifts which they had,¹²⁵ and exposeth them to such objects as their corruption makes occasion of sin;¹²⁶ and withal, gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan;¹²⁷ whereby it comes to pass that they harden themselves, even under those means which God useth for the softening of others.¹²⁸

VII. As the providence of God doth, in general, reach to all creatures, so, after a most special manner, it taketh care of his Church, and disposeth all things to the good thereof.¹²⁹