# The Humble Advice of the Assembly of Divines/Chapter 5

Chap. V.
Of Providence.
GOD the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct dispose, and govern all creatures, actions and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy Providence; according to his infallible fore-knowledg, and the free, and immutable counsell of his own Will, to the praise of the glory of His Wisdom, Power Justice, Goodnesse, and Mercy.
II. Although in relation to the fore-knowledg and decree of God, the first Cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly: yet by the same Providence he ordereth them to fall out, according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely or contingently.
III. God in his ordinary Providence maketh use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against them at his pleasure.
IV. The Almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God so farre manifest themselves in his Providence, that it extendeth itselfe even to the first Fall, and all other sinnes of Angells and Men, but such as hath joyned with it, a most wise and powerfull bounding, and otherwise ordering, and ​governing of them, in a manifold dispensation to his own holy ends: 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.
V. The moft wife, righteous, and gracious GOD doth oftentimes leave for a feafon his owne children to manifold temptations, and the cor-ruption of their owne hearts, to chaftife them for their former finnes, or to difcover unto them the hidden srength of cor-ruption, and deceitfulneffe of their hearts, that they may be humbled: and to raife them to a more close and conftant dependence for their fupport unto himfelf, and to make them more watchfull againft all future occasions of sin, and for sundry other just and holy ends,
VI. As for those wicked and ungodly men, whom GOD as a righteous Iudg, for former sinnes doth blind and harden, from them he not only withholdeth his grace, whereby they might have been inlightened in their understandings, and wrought upon in their hearts; but sometimes also with draweth the gifts which they had, and exposeth them to such objects as their corruption makes occasions of sin: and withall, gives them over to their own lusts, the temptatians of the world, and the power of Satan: whereby it comes to pass that they harden themselves, even under those means, which GOD useth for the softning of others.
​ 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 good thereof.
* ↑ Heb, 1, 3
* ↑ Dan, 4, 34, 35 Psal, 135, 6 Act, 17, 25, 26 28 Iob 38, 39, 40, 41, chapters
* ↑ Mat, 10, 29, 30, 31
* ↑ Prov, 15, 3 Psal, 104, 24 Psal, 145, 17
* ↑ Acts 15, 18 Psal, 94, 8, 9, 10, 11
* ↑ Eph 1. 11 Psal, 33, 10, 11
* ↑ Isa. 63, 14 Eph 3, 10 Rom, 9, 17 Gen. 45, 7 Psal. 145, 7
* ↑ Acts 2 23
* ↑ Gen. 8, 22 Ier, 31, 35 Exod, 21. 13 with Deu, 19, 5 1 Kings 22, 28–34 Isa, 10, 6, 7
* ↑ Acts 27, 31, 44 Isa. 55, 12, 11 Hos. 2. 21, 22
* ↑ Hos. 1. 7 Mat. 4, 4 Iob. 34, 10.
* ↑ Rom. 4. 19, 20 21
* ↑ 2 Kings 6. 6. Dan. 3 17.
* ↑ Rom. 11. 32. 33, 34. 2 Sam. 24, 1. with 1 Chron 21. 1 1 Kings 22. 22, 23. 1 Chro. 10. 4, 13, 14. 2 Sam. 16. 10. Ats 2, 23. Acts 4 27, 28.
* ↑ Psa. 76. 10. 2 Kings 19 28.
* ↑ Gen, 50, 20 Isa. 10, 6, 7, 12
* ↑ Iames 1, 13 14, 17 1 Iohn 2 16 Psal. 50, 21
* ↑ 2 Chron, 32 25 26, 31 2 Sam, 24, 1
* ↑ 2 Cor, 12, 7 8, 9 Psal. 73 throughout, Psal, 77, 1, 10 12 Mar, 14, 66, to the end, with Iohn 21, 15, 16 17
* ↑ Rom, 1, 24, 26, 28 Rom, 11, 7, 8
* ↑ Deut. 9 4
* ↑ Mat, 13, 12 Mat. 25, 29
* ↑ Deut. 2. 30 2 Kin. 8 12. 13
* ↑ Psa. 81. 11. 12 2 Thess 2, 10 11, 12
* ↑ Exod, 7, 3 with Exod, 8 15. 32 2 Cor, 1, 15, 16 Isai. 8, 14 1 Pet, 2, 7, 8 Isaiah 6, 9, 10 with Acts 28. 26, 27
* ↑ 1 Tim. 4. 10 Amos 9. 8, 9 Rom 8. 28 Isa. 43. 3, 4, 5, 14