一、神，这位万物的伟大创造者，确实维持（尼9:6；诗145:14-16；来1:3）、引导、安排和支配一切受造物、行动和事情（但4:34-35；诗135:6；徒17:25-28；伯38-41），从最大的到最小的（太10:29-31；6:26-32），这是借着祂最智慧和圣洁的护理（箴15:3；林后16:9；诗104:24；145:17），根据祂无谬的预知（徒15:18；赛42:9；结11:5），按照祂自己旨意中自主的、不变的计划（弗1:11；诗33:10-11），为要使祂智慧、能力、公义、良善和怜悯的荣耀得着称赞（赛63:14；弗3:10；罗9:17；创45:7；诗145:7）。

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 foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.

二、虽然就神的预知和定旨，也就是第一因而言，万事都不变和无差错地发生（徒2:23；赛14:24,27）；但是，出于同样的护理，祂也安排他们按照各种第二因的性质，或是必然地、或是自由地、或是偶然地发生（创8:22；耶31:35；赛10:6-7；出21:13；申19:5；王上22:28-34）。

Although in relation to the foreknowledge 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.

三、神在祂一般的护理中使用方法（徒27:24,31,44；赛55:10-11），但也随己意在不用（何1:7；太4:4；伯34:20）、超越（罗4:19-21）和抵触（王下6:6；但3:27）那些方法的情况下自由行事。

God, in His ordinary providence, maketh use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against them, at His pleasure.

四、神的全能、深不可测的智慧和无限的良善，在祂的护理中彰显到一个地步，甚至延伸到第一次堕落，以及天使和人类的一切其他罪恶（赛45:7；罗11: 32-34；撒下16;10；徒2:23；4:27-28；撒下24:1；代上21:1；王上22:22-23；代上10:4,13-14），并且不仅是简单的容许（约12:40；帖后2:11），而是有与之相结合的最智慧和有力的限制（诗76:10；王下19:28），以及其他的支配和管理，以多种方式成就祂自己的圣洁目的（创50:20；赛10:6-7,12,13-15）；尽管如此，罪乃是单单出于受造物，绝非来自神；神是至圣至义的，既不是、也不能是罪的始作者或赞同者（雅1:13-14,17；约壹2:16；诗50:21）。

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, and that not by a bare permission, but such as hath joined with it a most wise and powerful 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.

五、最智慧、公义和恩慈的神，的确常常让祂自己的儿女暂时遭受各种试探和他们内心的败坏，为他们以前的罪恶管教他们，或让他们发现自己败坏的潜力和内心的诡诈，好使他们谦卑（代下32:25-26,31；申8:2-3,5；路22:31-32；撒下24:1,25）；并使他们更加与祂亲近、更常倚赖祂的扶持，又使他们更加警醒防备将来一切犯罪的机会，以及达成其他各种公义和圣洁的目的（林后12:7-9；诗73:1-28；77:1,10-12；可14:66-72 ；约21:15-19）。

The most wise, righteous, and gracious God, doth 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; 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.

六、至于那些恶人和不敬虔的人，神作为公义的审判者，因先前的罪使他们变得盲目和刚硬（罗1:24,26,28；11:7-8）。祂不但不向他们施恩，免得他们的悟性得光照、心灵被感动（申29:4；可4:11-12），有时也收回他们已得的恩赐（太13:12；25:29；徒13:10-11），并使他们接触到那些因他们的败坏而成为罪恶机会的事物（创4:8；王下8:12-13；太26:14-16）；并且还把他们交给了自己的私欲、世界的试探和撒但的权势（诗109:6；路22:3；帖后2:10-12）；由此导致他们在神用来软化别人的手段之下，反而使自己变得刚硬（出8:15,32；林后2:15016；赛8:14；彼前2:7-8；徒28:26-27）。

As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God, as a righteous judge, for former sins, doth blind and harden; from them He not only withholdeth his grace, whereby they might have been enlightened in their understandings, 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, even under those means which God useth for the softening of others.

七、神的护理既然普遍惠及一切受造物，更以最特别的方式眷顾祂的教会，并为教会的益处安排万事（提前4:10；摩9:809；罗8:28；太16:18；罗8:28；赛43:3-5,14）。

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 the good thereof.