Let this point therefore stand: that those whom the Holy Spirit has inwardly taught truly rest upon Scripture, and that Scripture indeed is self-authenticated; hence, it is not right to subject it to proof and reasoning. And the certainty it deserves with us, it attains by the testimony of the Spirit. For even if it wins reverence for itself by its own majesty, it seriously affects us only when it is sealed upon our hearts through the Spirit.
–John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion I:vii, 5 (Battles version)
Today is the 507th birthday of John Calvin. He left an indelible mark not only in theology, but in the whole configuration of Western republican and democratic ideas and the whole fabric of society. I thank God for the life of such a servant.