Westminster Confession, Ch. 5.5-7

Westminster Confession

March 1, 2014

Chapter 5: Of Providence

5: The most wise, righteous, and gracious God does 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;^[114] 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 sundry other just and holy ends.^[115]


6: As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God, as a righteous Judge, for former sins, does blind and harden,^[116] from them He not only withholds His grace whereby they might have been enlightened in their understandings, and wrought upon in their hearts;^[117] but sometimes also withdraws the gifts which they had,^[118] and exposes them to such objects as their corruption makes occasion of sin;^[119] and, withal, gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of the world, and the power of Satan,^[120] whereby it comes to pass that they harden themselves, even under those means which God uses for the softening of others.^[121]


7: As the providence of God does, in general, reach to all creatures; so, after a most special manner, it takes care of His Church, and disposes all things to the good thereof.^[122]