And thus from such error God ordained the Reformation.
The church is not the wrangler of the Holy Spirit. The church exists to faithfully proclaim the Scriptures. Scripture is always preeminent over the church because the church resides in the shadow of the Holy Spirit who guides our understanding of Scripture with a new heart given by God.
Not vice versa.
And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?" -- Acts 10:44-45;47"While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
Lovely. Thank you very much.
In short, since the Church is the kingdom of Christ, and he reigns only by his word, can there be any doubt as to the falsehood of those statements (cf. Jer.7:4) by which the kingdom of Christ is represented without his sceptre, in other words, without his sacred word?Scriptural support for this "reigns only by his word" nonsense? "The sheep hear my voice" and also "you are fellow citizens with the saints, and the domestics of God, Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Eph 2:19f). This fool thinks that since the Church is apostolic and the Lord speaks to her, Christ reigns through the scripture alone. The man is an anticatholic propagandist uncapable of coherent thought.
With Calvin, you repeat
The church is not the wrangler of the Holy Spirit. The church exists to faithfully proclaim the Scriptures.
In the passage you cite, the Holy Spirit is associated with Baptism. You could have added also
Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins: and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)
So, one receives the Holy Ghost and is baptized, or one is baptized and receives the Holy Ghost. Plain and simple: if you have a whiff of the Holy Ghost in you, thank the Church which baptized you.
I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father (and the Son), who together with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the Prophets. And one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I believe one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.You want to be counted among Christians, drop Calvin and take up the Nicene Creed.