6014. About the progression of a certain faith
1. ) First there must be instruction from preaching, reading and the Word; from this a knowledge, a concept, of the things that are to be believed. 2) Questioning from the Word and from preaching, at the end confirmation from the Word, that is, understanding of them. 3) There must not be doubt, and if there is, it is a temptation, after which, if there is victory, faith becomes confidence; and that there is victory through the understanding being kept subservient to faith. 4) At the end an endeavor to do what is good comes, but nothing of this is from man, and it is as it were an inflow. 5) When he is in this state, he is justified and nothing condemns him, and then the Lord's merit becomes his, and then the Lord reconciles him to the Father. 6) Saving faith is especially the confidence that God has sent His son. All the rest of faith proceeds from this faith.
6014. SOME THINGS RELATING TO THE PROGRESSIONS OF FAITH. 1
(1) There must be, first, information from preaching, reading, and the Word - hence the science, or knowledge, of the things to be believed.
(2) Inquiry from the Word and from preaching; at last, confirmation from the Word, that is, the intelligence of these things.
(3) That there must not be doubting; and that, if there is doubt, it is some temptation, after which, if man conquer, faith becomes confidence and he conquers by the understanding being led captive under faith.
(4) Finally, that there arises the effort to do good; but nothing thereof is from man, and it is as an influx.
(5) When in that state, he is justified, and nothing condemns him; and then is appropriated to him the Lord's merit, and then the Lord reconciles him to the Father.
(6) Especially is saving Faith a confidence that God had sent His Son from which faith, all the residue of faith flows forth.
Footnotes:
1. It will not take the reader long to discover that what we have here, is a recital of the salient features of the doctrine of Faith alone as held by Protestants; especially if he compare what is here said with the contents of paragraph "III - On Justification by Faith and on Good Works," in the "Compendium of the Doctrines of the Reformed Church and Religion," which is prefixed to the work entitled, The Apocalypse Revealed. --Tr.
6014. De progressibus fidei quaedam
1) Primum erit informatio ex praedicatione, lectione ac Verbo, inde scientia vel cognitio credendorum,
2) inquisitio ex Verbo et ex praedicatione, tandem confirmatio ex Verbo, hoc est, eorum intelligentia,
3) quod non dubitandum, si dubitatur quod sit aliqua tentatio, post quam si vincit, fit fides fiducia, et quod vincat per quod intellectus captandus sit sub fide.
4) Denique quod veniat conatus ad benefaciendum, sed nihil ex homine, et id sicut influxus.
5) Cum in illo statu est tunc justificatus est, et nihil eum condemnat, et tunc ei appropriatur meritum Domini, et tunc Dominus reconciliat eum Patri;
6) fides imprimis salvans est fiducia quod Deus miserat filium ejus, ex qua fide omne reliquum fidei profluit.