Calvin begins chapter five paraphrasing Thomas Aquinas that the “final goal of the blessed life is the knowledge of God.” To this end, Calvin believes, that God has created all things as a revelation of Himself. “Men cannot open their eyes without being able to see Him.” He demonstrates this using Ps. 19:2, Ps.104:2-4, Heb. 11:3, and again Romans 1: 19-20. This, I think reveals a particular love that Calvin has for Psalms and the Pauline epistles. The bulk of his scriptural quotations thus far have been from these books, particularly from Romans, which the reformers viewed as a Christian manifesto. Luther himself called it the “most important document in the New Testament” and the “soul's daily bread” ( Preface to Romans).
He then begins his discussion of the usefulness of the liberal arts, which in Calvin's day included what we now consider science. Men who have studied these mysteries of nature know well of the glory of God that shines forth in Creation. However, ignorance of these arts does not, in his mind, disable the average person from apprehending this “divine wisdom.” He feels that there is indeed a certain degree of usefulness to this kind of pursuit. He uses astronomy as his example. However, like Aquinas (Contra gentes iii. 37) he feels that these pursuits are only valid when the knowledge of God is their end. Science, when pursued in its purest sense ought to have as its goal the knowledge of God in His creation. This means that knowledge of the natural world in-of-itself is not enough. When the knowledge of the Divine is not its end goal, it is a vain pursuit, and has lost proper perspective.
Not only should man look to the stars and external world for the workings of the Creator, he should look within himself. For man is “microcosm” of the entire created world. It would be useful to look at Foucault's The Order of Things to understand what he means by this. In the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, the world was viewed as a 'great chain of being', in which man was seen reflected in the cosmos and vice versa. The seven orifices on the body ( eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth) were related to the seven orifices in the dome of the sky (the planets). This would explain the validity of something like astrology which related the fate of man to something so distant as the stars and planets. But within this microcosm, according to Calvin one can see plainly the work of the Creator. This kind of notion would not be readily accepted today in an era where the existence of God is no longer an assumed premise. But for Calvin's purpose, this fact is irrelevant.
Despite man having before him the glory of this magnificent creation, he has turned away from God. They mistake creature for Creator and vainly worship the former. He condemns what we would call pantheism. For Calvin, it is common trap for those who study the “liberal arts”. And indeed it is today. Einstein's quote that “God is in the integers” comes to mind. For Calvin “nature is the order prescribed by God.” He is the source of nature and not nature Himself.
Not only does God reveal Himself in the created world of the cosmos and in the human body, He also does so in “administering human society.” In this He reveals providence. He demonstrates this as “protector and vindicator of innocence.” He rewards the good with support , “alleviates their pain”, and “ in all things He provides for their salvation.” Likewise, He “hates all sin” and “pursues miserable sinners with unwearied kindness, until He shatters their wickedness by imparting benefits and by recalling them to Him with more than fatherly kindness.” This, of course, is in reference to the written history of the world as recorded in the Hebrew Bible and takes as an assumption the authority of those texts. There are countless examples in scripture that demonstrate what he's talking about here. King David, is shown so much mercy, even after having killed a man in the vain pursuit of a woman. This mercy is wrought through God's providence. Man is pursued until he performs what God asks. In this case, being a holy king. Through such actions God is revealed in the world. He then discusses what we call miracles. These are not “chance occurrences” but are rather revelations of the love of God and proof of his sovereign will. In this way they are also part of the dispensation of the created order.
Therefore all these manifestations of the created order reveal to us the workings of God. Calvin likens God to a painter. He says, “God's powers are actually represented as in a painting (…) thereby the whole of mankind is invited and attracted to recognition of him, and from this to true and complete happiness.” I think this is a beautiful metaphor. We are meant to enjoy God's creation like we enjoy a work of art. This enjoyment is, of course, only possible in man's original “piety” and to jump ahead to Calvin's conclusion, and also through Christ.
These revelations do not at all profit the fallen man. We worship the creature rather than the Creator, “we disregard the author” and “sit idly in contemplation” of His works. Sometimes, and these are rare occasions, we are able to grasp at some kind of divinity behind creation. However, like Calvin discussed earlier, man perverts this vague awareness into something other than God. Each man “privately forges” his own truth. Every man then lives in his own folly and error “but are alike in that, one and all, (…) forsake(s) the one true God.” Not only the learned do this in their understanding of the created order but also the unlettered and ignorant. To Calvin to is pitiable that even the philosophers, for whom has such great love, fall into this trap. There are now as many gods as there men. For Calvin, this is the cause of an honest and logical atheism. He says,"And this very confused diversity emboldened the Epicureans and other crass despisers of piety to cast out all awareness of God. For when they saw the wisest persons contending with contrary opinions, from the disagreements of these – and even from their frivolous or absurd teaching – they did no hesitate to gather that men vainly bring torments upon themselves for a god that is not."This should definitely should sound familiar. One often hears the same argument day in and day out. Why should we believe in your God above all others? The multitude of divinities makes it impossible to decide. And Calvin admits that its impossible. Our fallen nature, without Grace, cannot worship the true God. With our loss of original 'piety', we are doomed to idolatry. Whatever awareness of divinity we can get out of nature is worthless because we will just pervert it into idolatry. In one fell swoop Calvin has obliterated natural theology. The existence of a divinity may be able to proven through causality like Aquinas (and Aristotle) say; however, that knowledge is worthless.
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