5.4 The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God so far manifest themselves in his providence, that it extends itself even to the first fall, and all other sins of angels and men; and that not by a bare permission, but such as has 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 proceeds 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.
5.5 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.
ACT 14:16 Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
PSA 76:10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
2KI 19:28 Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
GEN 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
ISA 10:6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. 12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.
JAM 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
1JO 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
PSA 50:21 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
Resources
Exposition of WCF 5.4 - On the Question of Providence & Evil by Robert Shaw
God is Not the Author of Sin by Girolamo Zanchi
How Can God Ordain Sin and Yet Not Be Responsible for It? by William G Shedd
The Intrusion and the Decalogue by Meredith Kline
Does God Command Evil? Introducing Kline’s Intrusion Ethic by
How did the First Human Sin Happen? by Various Reformed Authors
l Will Fear No Evil, for You Are with Me by Bryan D. Estelle
What Every Christian Needs to Know about Evil and Suffering by Michael Horton
Adam's Fall and Mine by R. C. Sproul
Job: Mystery and Faith by D. A. Carson
Reformed Defences of God's Righteousness in Ordaining the Fall. Part One by Neil Jeffers
Reformed Defences of God's Righteousness in Ordaining the Fall. Part Two by Neil Jeffers
Why Did God Allow the Fall? by James Anderson
Evil @Monergism. List of essays
Is God a Moral Monster? @Monergism. List of essays
Multimedia
How Did Evil Come Into the World? (MP3) by Dr. William Edgar
I Believe in Monsters: God, Horrendous Evils, and the Christian Faith (MP3) by Dr. Mark A. Garcia
Why Does God Allow So Much Suffering & Evil? (Video) by John MacArthur
What Is Evil & Where Did It Come From? (Video) by R. C. Sproul
The Problem of Evil and Suffering (Video) by James Anderson
Why Believe in God Despite Evil in the World? (Video) by K. Scott Oliphint
If God is Good, Why is There Suffering and Evil? (Video) by K. Scott Oliphint
Where did evil come from? (MP3) by Tim Keller
How Do We Deal with the Problem of Evil? (Video) by Greg Welty
Responding to Evil and Suffering - Luke 13:1-5; Job 38-42 by James White
Episode 5.4: The “Problem” of Evil by Jerusalem Chamber
The 1689 on Providence (5.3-4) Doctrine & Devotion Podcast
Of Providence (Ch.5, Sec.4) by Greg Bahnsen
Of Providence (Ch.5, Sec.5-7) by Greg Bahnsen
Of Providence (Ch.5, Sec.7) by Greg Bahnsen
Books
Why Is There Evil in the World (and So Much of It?) by Greg Welty
Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Tim Keller
How Long O Lord: Reflections on Suffering and Evil by D. A. Carson
The Crook in the Lot by Thomas Boston
The Providence of God by Paul Helm
The Secret Providence of God by Paul Helm
What is Providence? by Derek Thomas
Behind a Frowning Providence by John J Murray
The Providence of God by GK Berkouwer
Divine Providence by Stephen Charnock
The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel (Also free eBook)
All Things for Good by Thomas Watson (Also free eBook)
Jehovah-Jireh: A Treatise on Providence by William Plumer
Providence Handled Practically by Obadiah Sedgwick
On Providence by Ulrich Zwingli
----
"Even when God uses the deeds of the godless for His purposes, He does not suffer reproach. This does not make god the author of wickedness. God has decreed, thus, they will obey His will. This is not wrong for God to do, for some men confuse “will” and “precept”: “while God accomplishes through the wicked what He has decreed by His secret judgment, they are not excusable, as if they had obeyed his precept which out of their own lust they deliberately break.” - John Calvin