5 Of Divine Providence

2 LONDON BAPTIST CONFESSION 1689 39 in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness81; having the law of God written in their hearts82, and power to fulfill it, and yet under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject to change83 . 3. Besides the law written in their hearts, they received a command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil84,9 which while they kept, they were happy in their communion with God, and had dominion over the creatures85 . 5 Of Divine Providence 1. God the good Creator of all things, in His infinite power and wisdom does uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures and things86,1 from the greatest even to the least87, 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 mercy88 . 2. Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly89; so that there is not anything befalls any by chance, or without His providence90; yet by the same providence He ordered them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently91 . 3. God, in his ordinary providence makes use of means92, yet is free to work without93, above94, and against them95 at His pleasure. 4. The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God, so far manifest themselves in His providence, that His determinate counsel extends itself even to the first fall, and all other sinful actions both of angels and men96;11 and that not by a bare permission, which also He most wisely and powerfully binds, and otherwise orders and governs97, in a

81 Eccles. 7:29; Gen. 1;26 82 Rom. 2:14,15 83 Gen. 3:6 84 Gen. 2:17 85 Gen. 1:26,28 86 Heb. 1:3; Job 38:11; Isa. 46:10,11; Ps. 135:6 87 Matt. 10:29-31 88 Eph. 1;11 89 Acts 2:23 87 Prov. 16:33 6 Gen. 8:22 91 Gen. 8:22 92 Acts 27:31, 44; Isa. 55:10, 11 93 Hosea 1:7 94 Rom. 4:19-21 95 Dan. 3:27 96 Rom. 11:32-34; 2 Sam. 24:1; 1 Chron. 21:1 97 2 Kings 19:28; Ps. 76:10