Calvin couldn’t stomach the notion of separating the Spirit from the Word in such a way that personal revelations were treated as Scripture. The ‘libertines’ who entertained this error in Calvin’s day, called their position ‘spiritual’. They would say that Calvin was arguing in favor of a ‘dead letter’ over the Spirit. Calvin’s response follows.
“Those who, rejecting Scripture, imagine that they have some peculiar way of penetrating to God, are to be deemed not so much under the influence of error as madness. For certain giddy men have lately appeared, who, while they make a great display of the superiority of the Spirit, reject all reading of the Scriptures themselves, and deride the simplicity of those who only delight in what they call the dead and deadly letter… [Isaiah shows] that, under the reign of Christ, the true and full felicity of the new church will consist in their being ruled not less by the Word than by the Spirit of God. Hence we infer that these miscreants are guilty of fearful sacrilege in tearing asunder what the prophet joins in indissoluble union… Hence the office of the Spirit promised to us, is not to form new and unheard-of revelations, or to coin a new form of doctrine, by which we may be led away from the received doctrine of the gospel, but to seal on our minds the very doctrine which the gospel recommends.” -Institutes, 1.9.1
“But they say that it is insulting to subject the Spirit, to whom all thigns are to be subject, to the Scripture: as if it were disgraceful to the Holy Spirit to maintain a perfect resemblance throughout, and be in all respect without variation consistent with himself… It ought to be enough for us when once we hear his voice; but lest Satin should insinuate himself under his name, he wishes us to recognize him by the image which he has stamped on the Scriptures. The author of the Scriptures cannot vary, and change his likeness. Sush as he there appeared at first, such he will perpetually remain… The Holy Spirit so cleaves to his own truth, as he has expresed it in Scripture, that he then only exerts and puts forth his strength when the Word is received with due honor and respect.” -Institutes, 1.9.2-3
