1689 London Baptist Confession
1. God the good Creator of all things, in his infinite
power and wisdom doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures and things, from
the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, to the end for the
which they were created, according unto his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and
immutable counsel of his own will; to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power,
justice, infinite goodness, and mercy.
( Hebrews
1:3; Job
38:11; Isaiah
46:10, 11; Psalms
135:6; Matthew
10:29-31; Ephesians 1:11 )
2. Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree
of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly; so that there
is not anything befalls any by chance, or without his providence; yet by the same
providence he ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either
necessarily, freely, or contingently.
( Acts
2:23; Proverbs
16:33; Genesis
8:22 )
3. God, in his ordinary providence maketh use of means,
yet is free to work without, above, and against them at his pleasure.
( Acts
27:31, 44; Isaiah
55:10, 11; Hosea
1:7; Romans
4:19-21; Daniel
3:27 )
4. The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite
goodness of God, so far manifest themselves in his providence, that his determinate
counsel extendeth itself even to the first fall, and all other sinful actions both of
angels and men; and that not by a bare permission, which also he most wisely and
powerfully boundeth, and otherwise ordereth and governeth, in a manifold dispensation to
his most holy ends; yet so, as the sinfulness of their acts proceedeth only from the
creatures, and not from God, who, being most holy and righteous, neither is nor can be the
author or approver of sin.
( Romans
11:32-34; 2
Samuel 24:1, 1
Chronicles 21:1; 2
Kings 19:28; Psalms
76;10; Genesis
1:20; Isaiah
10:6, 7, 12; Psalms
1:21; 1
John 2:16 )
5. The most wise, righteous, and gracious God doth
oftentimes leave for a season his own children to manifold temptations and the corruptions
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;
and to raise them to a more close and constant dependence for their support upon himself;
and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for other just and
holy ends. So that whatsoever befalls any of his elect is by his appointment, for his
glory, and their good.
( 2
Chronicles 32:25, 26, 31; 2
Corinthians 12:7-9; Romans
8:28 )
6. As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God, as the
righteous judge, for former sin doth blind and harden; from them he not only withholdeth
his grace, whereby they might have been enlightened in their understanding, and wrought
upon their hearts; but sometimes also withdraweth the gifts which they had, and exposeth
them to such objects as their corruption makes occasion of sin; and withal, gives them
over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan, whereby it
comes to pass that they harden themselves, under those means which God useth for the
softening of others.
( Romans
1:24-26, 28; Romans
11:7, 8; Deuteronomy
29:4; Matthew
13:12; Deuteronomy
2:30; 2
Kings 8:12, 13; Psalms
81:11, 12; 2
Thessalonians 2:10-12; Exodus
8:15, 32; Isaiah
6:9, 10; 1
Peter 2:7, 8 )
7. As the providence of God doth in general reach to all
creatures, so after a more special manner it taketh care of his church, and disposeth of
all things to the good thereof.
( 1
Timothy 4:10; Amos
9:8, 9; Isaiah
43:3-5 )
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