WCF 5.1-4

Chapter 5 - Of Providence

I. God the great Creator of all things doth uphold,(1) direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things,(2) from the greatest even to the least,(3) by His most wise and holy providence,(4) according to His infallible foreknowledge,(5) and the free immutable counsel of His own will,(6) to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.(7)

I. God, the great Creator of all things, does sustain,(1) direct and govern all creatures, actions and things;(2) from the greatest to the least, nothing is excluded.(3) This He does according to his most wise and holy providence,(4) according to His infallible foreknowledge(5) and the free immutable counsel of His will.(6) He does this to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness and mercy.(7)

Slight modifications here, but nothing substantial.

II. Although, in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first Cause, all things come to pass immutably, and infallibly;(8) yet, by the same providence, He ordereth them to fall out, according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.(9)

II. Even though God is the first Cause and all things come to pass immutably, infallibly and according to His foreknowledge and decree;(8) yet by this same providence God has designed them to occur according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely or contingently.(9)

Again, little more than some rearranging and contemporizing. This section doesn't make much sense to me, especially sandwiched between the first and third sections. Whether or not things come to pass via second causes seems superfluous if (a) God is sustaining, directing and governing all things (presumably this includes second causes) and (b) God is free to work without, above and against these second causes.

III. God, in His ordinary providence, maketh use of means,(10) yet is free to work without,(11) above, (12) and against them, (13) at His pleasure.

III. God, in His providence, makes use of secondary causes;(10) yet He is free to work without,(11) above, and against them(13) as He sees fit.

Minor changes. I changed "means" to "secondary causes" because that seems to be the indirect implication and the direct application of what the Divines were setting forth. The proof texts of (9) and (10) appear to agree with my change in this regard.

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;(14) and that not by a bare permission,(15) but such as hath joined with it a most wise and powerful bounding,(16) and otherwise ordering, and governing of them, in a manifold dispensation, to His own holy ends;(17) 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.(18)

IV. The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom and infinite goodness of God which manifest themselves in His providence, which also extends over the first fall and over all other sins of angels and men.(14) This authority is not merely a permitting(15) of the first fall and all other sins of angels and men, but has joined with them a wise and powerful binding(16) so that they are ordered and governed by God, within redemptive history, to accomplish His own holy purposes.(17) However, the sinfulness of angels and men proceeds from themselves only and not from God, who is most holy and righteous in His being; neither is He, nor can He be, the author of sin and He cannot approve of it.(18)

Some hefty rewording and a little expanding in this section but I don't believe I've changed the content in any substantial way. I added "This authority... over the first fall and all other sins of angels and men" because I think it expresses a little more clearly what is going on in this part of the section, namely that God's providence is an exertion of His authority. I also changed "manifold dispensation" to "within redemptive history" because that's what it refers to and it is easier to understand worded this way.