Quotes from John Calvin

Can we conceive that man was so placed in the earth as to be ignorant of his own origin, and of the origin of those things which he enjoyed?

Indeed, vanity joined with pride can be detected in the fact that, in seeking God, miserable men do not rise above themselves as they should, but measure him by the yardstick of their own carnal stupidity, and neglect sound investigation; thus out of curiosity they fly off into empty speculations. They do not therefore apprehend God as he offers himself, but imagine him as they have fashioned him in their own presumption.

What is said of the law applies to the whole of Scripture: when it is not directed toward Christ as its one aim, it is tortured badly and twisted.

Christ is indeed presented to all, but God opens the eyes of the elect alone, and enables them by faith to seek after him.

For the truth of God is sufficiently solid and certain in itself, and can receive no better confirmation from any other quarter than from itself; but our faith being slender and weak, unless it be supported on every side, and sustained by every assistance, immediately shakes, fluctuates, totters, and falls.

The disposition of the heart is man's, but the preparation of the tongue is the Lord's." [Prov. 16:1, 9, conflated.] It is an absurd folly that miserable men take it upon themselves to act without God, when they cannot even speak except as he wills!

There is nothing absurd in the doctrine, that though man is justified by faith, he is himself not only not righteous, but the righteousness attributed to his works is beyond their own deserts.

The law itself does not produce sin; it finds sin in us. It offers life to us; but we, being evil, derive nothing but death from it.

For although we hold that the Word of God alone lies beyond the sphere of our judgement, and that fathers and Councils are of authority only in so far as they accord with the rule of the Word, we still give to the Councils and fathers such rank and honor as it is meet for them to hold, under Christ.

If the testimony by which the Jews were assured of the salvation of their posterity is taken away from us, the coming of Christ would have the effect of making God's grace more obscure and less well attested to us than it was to the Jews before us.

When he would have Jonah cast into the sea, God sent a wind by stirring up a whirlwind [Jonah 1:4]. Those who do not think that God controls the government of the universe will say that this was outside the common course. Yet from it I infer that no wind ever arises or increases except by God's express command.

When the law is separated from Christ, nothing is left but empty forms.