Engraven on Human Hearts

From this, my present contention is brought out with greater certainty, that a sense of divinity is by nature engraven on human hearts. For necessity forces from the reprobate themselves a confession of it. In tranquil times they wittily joke about God, indeed are facetious and garrulous in belittling his power. If any occasion for despair presses upon them, it goads them to seek him and impels their perfunctory prayers. From this it is clear that they have not been utterly ignorant of God, but that what should have come forth sooner was held back by stubbornness.

~John Calvin~

Apart From God We Make Our Own Gods

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. When this gulf opens, in whatever direction they move their feet, they cannot but plunge headlong into ruin. Indeed, whatever they afterward attempt by way of worship or service of God, they cannot bring as tribute to him, for they are worshipping not God but a figment and a dream of their own heart.

~John Calvin~

As all mankind are, in the sight of God....

“As all mankind are, in the sight of God, lost sinners, we hold that Christ is their only righteousness, since, by His obedience, He has wiped off our transgressions, by His sacrifice appeased the divine anger, by His blood washed away our stains, by His cross borne our curse, and by His death made satisfaction for us.”~John Calvin

OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD THE CREATOR

"But although our mind cannot conceive of God, without rendering some worship
to him, it will not, however, be sufficient simply to hold that he is the only being whom all ought
to worship and adore, unless we are also persuaded that he is the fountain of all goodness, and that
we must seek everything in him, and in none but him. My meaning is: we must be persuaded not
only that as he once formed the world, so he sustains it by his boundless power, governs it by his
wisdom, preserves it by his goodness, in particular, rules the human race with justice and Judgment,
bears with them in mercy, shields them by his protection; but also that not a particle of light, or
wisdom, or justice, or power, or rectitude, or genuine truth, will anywhere be found, which does
not flow from him, and of which he is not the cause; in this way we must learn to expect and ask
all things from him, and thankfully ascribe to him whatever we receive.....For, until
men feel that they owe everything to God, that they are cherished by his paternal care, and that he
is the author of all their blessings, so that nought is to be looked for away from him, they will never submit to him in voluntary obedience; nay, unless they place their entire happiness in him, they
will never yield up their whole selves to him in truth and sincerity.....What avails it, in short, to know a God with whom we have nothing to do? The
effect of our knowledge rather ought to be, first, to teach us reverence and fear; and, secondly, to
induce us, under its guidance and teaching, to ask every good thing from him, and, when it is
received, ascribe it to him. For how can the idea of God enter your mind without instantly giving
rise to the thought, that since you are his workmanship, you are bound, by the very law of creation,to submit to his authority?—that your life is due to him?—that whatever you do ought to havereference to him? If so, it undoubtedly follows that your life is sadly corrupted, if it is not framed in obedience to him, since his will ought to be the law of our lives"

Calvin Institutes of Christian Religion

John Calvin – Thinking of Ourselves Rightly

For, because all of us are inclined by nature to hypocrisy, a kind of empty image of righteousness in place of righteousness itself abundantly satisfies us. And because nothing appears within or around us that has not been contaminated by great immorality, what is a little less vile pleases us as a thing most pure–so long as we confine our minds within the limits of human corruption. Just so, an eye to which nothing is shown but black objects judges something dirty white or even rather darkly mottled to be whiteness itself. Indeed, we can discern still more clearly from the bodily senses how much we are deluded in estimating the powers of the soul. For if in broad daylight we either look down upon the ground or survey whatever meets our view round about, we seem to ourselves endowed with the strongest and keenest sight; yet when we look up to the sun and gaze straight at it, that power of sight which was particularly strong on earth is at once blunted and confused by a great brilliance, and thus we are compelled to admit that our keenness in looking upon things earthly is sheer dullness when it comes to the sun. So it happens in estimating our spiritual goods. As long as we do not look beyond the earth, being quite content with our own righteousness, wisdom, and virtue, we flatter ourselves most sweetly, and fancy ourselves all but demigods. Suppose we but once begin to raise our thoughts to God, and to ponder his nature, and how completely perfect are his righteousness, wisdom, and power–the straightedge to which we must be shaped. Then, what masquerading earlier as righteousness was pleasing in us will soon grow filthy in its consummate wickedness. What wonderfully impressed us under the name of wisdom will stink in its very foolishness. What wore the face of power will prove itself the most miserable weakness. That is, what in us seems perfection itself corresponds ill to the purity of God.

~John Calvin~The Institutes of the Christian Religion

John Calvin- Christ our only righteousness

“As all mankind are, in the sight of God, lost sinners, we hold that Christ is their only righteousness, since, by His obedience, He has wiped off our transgressions, by His sacrifice appeased the divine anger, by His blood washed away our stains, by His cross borne our curse, and by His death made satisfaction for us.”

~John Calvin