The highest state of happiness is communion with God; the best example of this is Paradise, where Adam and Eve experienced this in a perfect way. There they lived in God's presence by day and night. Adam and Eve were created after the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness and holiness. Now it is necessary for man to know God, but we lost this knowledge (thru the fall) since we left Him, our Creator. If the Lord did not make Himself known to us, we would have no knowledge of God at all. How did the Lord reveal something of Himself to man? He did this in two ways – in nature and by His Word.

It has pleased the Lord to reveal something of Himself, but we may never forget: "Behold, God is great, and we know Him not, neither can the number of His years be searched out." God is incomprehensible, but know­able. God has revealed something of Himself in His power, His majesty, His wisdom, His love, etc. – in brief, in His attributes and in His works. In nature there are many things we cannot understand, but there are greater riddles when we speak about spiritual things. How necessary it remains that the Lord gives light to understand what He says in His Word.

God has made something of Himself known in nature. This we call a common revelation whereas the revelations in God's Word are called special revelations. These are different, but they are never conflicting.

First something about those revelations in nature! How do we know from nature that there is a God? We know that our original knowledge of God was lost by the breaking of the covenant of works, as we lost the image of God in the restricted sense; but the Lord has left something in us – a little knowledge that there is a higher Being, which we call God. This is the internal or innate knowledge which all people have. But can we prove this? I think so! All people on earth have more or less knowledge of what is good or evil. In Romans 2 the apostle says that the heathens have no knowledge of the law, but that their conscience condemns them when they sin. We know that, since we sinned, our conscience is no longer a perfect compass, but in general we can say that the Lord uses it to keep us away from many sins, especially when we live under the truth.

All nations on earth have some form of religion whereby they worship a God. This means that every child born on this earth has this innate knowledge, independent of their education. God's majesty shines as the sun, and nobody can withdraw himself from this revelation of God. Even the devils, which are very deep-fallen creatures for whom there is no way to be saved, have knowledge of God. Even in hell the Lord cannot be excluded, but will be there with His wrath and anger burning against the sinners and devils.

When we stated that everyone has this internal knowledge of God, then this means also that, in the absolute sense of the word, there are no born atheists, but they are made such by outside influences. It is possible that, under the permission of God, the internal knowledge of God is opposed. For example, by living in sin our consciences can be closed for impressions, and thus by our own work we can come so far that we deny the Lord completely.

This innate knowledge is denied by the Remonstrants, and overestimated by Rome. The latter say that by this knowledge we can be saved, but this we do not believe. The knowledge from nature is not sufficient unto salvation because it does not teach Christ. In John 17:3 we read, "And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent." This we will never learn from nature.

Now we have seen that this innate or internal knowledge can be opposed in its growth by our works, but it is also possible to strengthen it by studying and observing nature. The revelations of God give impressions in the heart of men so that they begin to meditate on these matters. In Psalm 19 is written: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge." By day and night we can read this book of nature in what we hear and see, and it reveals something of the attributes of God. The heavens do not speak in an audible voice, but still it is as a trumpet to glorify the Lord. See how the Lord casts the snow and ice on the world, bringing it forth out of His storeroom. It is very clear that the Lord, by the creation, preservation and government of the universe, shows that He is God.

When we observe the movement of the sun, moon and stars, then we cannot deny the work and hand of the Lord in it. Look at the birds of the air and the beasts of the field, how they work, how they gather their food; it is not of themselves, but the Lord gave them this wisdom. The stork and the swallow know their times to come and to leave. Really, when we observe nature, then it is before our eyes as a most elegant and excellent book, wherein all creatures. great and small are so many characters leading us to contemplate the invisible things of God, namely, His power and divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even the eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.

From this we can learn that we are without excuse when we remain lost, as the Lord has spoken in many ways to us. When this can be said of the heathen, what will it be for us who have also the revelations of God by His Word? That we together, young and old, may learn to supplicate not only for this external knowledge of God in nature and by His Word, but that by the Holy Spirit we may receive knowledge of God and ourselves which will lead to His glory, which means also the salvation of our souls.

We have seen that there is a difference between the internal or innate knowledge and the external or acquired knowledge of God. The first is inborn in the hearts of all men by nature, while the latter is derived from the visible creation. Heaven and earth and all that the Lord created are testimonies of God's presence. Did we ever see that presence of the Lord? This will humble us before Him.

As we wrote before, He Who is the Creator, reveals Himself also in another way in our life – in preserva­tion and government. All those testimonies of God in nature are confirmed in our heart; we cannot find rest and satisfaction in the world, but only in the Lord. This is expressed in different ways, but thereby it is clear that man needs the communion with God. Think how the heathens do this in bowing before wood and stone.

We have mentioned that the world is a book written by the finger of God. To understand this in the right way we need light from on high. The Creator must recreate us, our mind must be sanctified, our eyes must be opened and our ears unstopped. This wonder is worked by Word and Spirit in the heart of the elect, most of whom, it is always said, are converted in their youth, under the age of thirty years. Solomon says, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth."

The situation in the world is so gloomy, as the wickedness is so great and the idols are so many. Never forget that the internal knowledge, which we all have, leaves us without excuse, but that for us the responsibility is greater because we have God's Word. This last is such a great blessing, because the Lord uses that Word. If we have only the internal knowledge of God from nature so that we know that there is a God, but know nothing more, then there is no hope to become converted. The uncivilized, but also the civilized or educated peoples such as the Egyp­tians and Greeks, did not come to the knowledge of God, as was evident by their most foolish ways of serving their gods or idols.

Thus nature, without the light of God's Word, leaves us in darkness concerning the world and mankind. Can we prove that this innate knowledge is incomplete? I believe this is not too difficult! We can never comprehend with our mind alone the government of the Lord in the universe. Many events we explain as accidental, but this is not true, because the Lord reigns over all things, both small and great. Another proof that our internal knowledge is only a partial knowledge is that our mind cannot give an answer about life after this life. Many believe that death is the end and others have different explanations, all which are against the Truth. Think only of the various expectations of what shall be hereafter among the heathens. With the light of God's Word we know the truth about the future ­eternal well for the children of God, but eternal woe for the wicked. The wicked are they who stay in the service of Satan and who, whether with or without religion, are not regenerated. We have another proof when we ask: Where is the origin of our misery? We don't know this from nature, but only from God's Word! And in like manner is hidden for us how we may be delivered from our misery by the merits of Christ. Do you understand the great benefit that is given to us when we have the Word of God? Under the dew of the Holy Spirit we will see what is necessary for us to be saved.

Here is yet another proof that with the knowledge from nature that there is a God, we still are in darkness. In about 500 B.C. there lived in Greece a well-known poet and philosopher, Simonides, who travelled from one place to another. One of his hosts asked him, "What is God?" He could not give an answer and asked for a delay of one day. The next day he requested two more days to consider it, then four days, etc. Each time he asked for twice as much time because the more he thought about it, the darker it became.

It is our duty to read the book of nature, even as David did in Psalm 8: "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" When we with our children may sit around the table with the many blessings of food and drink, then we can explain these visible things as God's care over us, while so many have not enough to eat and to drink. Such conversations with our family can bring us closer to the reality of life, but also cause us to acknowledge the Lord for His care for us in the days in which we live. The apostle Paul wrote to the Romans: "Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" In this way the Lord can use the temporal blessings to cause us to see His hand in them and to work the desire in us to know and serve Him. In giving an eternal blessing the Lord brings the person to the truth or the truth to the person, according to His pleasure. We all have and hear the Word of God, but has this brought us in humility before the Lord? Or are we yet the same as we were born, that is – unregenerated? How terrible is this state!

Often in catechism class we tell the boys and girls to read the Bible daily, also before they go to bed, as this can make us wise for eternity. All of us know that the Bible has been transla­ted from the original languages where­in they were first written. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and only a few verses in Aramaic; the New Testament was written in Greek. The original manuscripts of the books of the Bible have been worn out long ago. But the Lord has taken care that copies were made over and over again, which were all written by hand. The oldest manuscripts known at this moment are the so called CODEX SINAITICUS, now in the British Museum, and the CODEX VATICANUS, which is now in the Vatican. Next time, D.V., we hope to write more about the history of the Bible as we have it today in the Dutch and English languages.

How true it is what we find at the end of this second article of our confession: He makes Himself more clearly and fully known to us by His holy and divine Word, that is to say, as far as is necessary for us to know in this life, to His glory and our salvation. May it become reality in our life that it is applied to us.