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5. But faith, of which we are compelled, by reason of the
arrangement of our subject, to dispute somewhat more at length in this
book: faith I say, which they who have are called the faithful, and
they who have not, unbelievers, as were those who did not receive the
Son of God coming to His own; although it is wrought in us by
hearing, yet does not belong to that sense of the body which is called
hearing, since it is not a sound; nor to the eyes of this our flesh,
since it is neither color nor bodily form; nor to that which is called
touch, since it has nothing of bulk; nor to any sense of the body at
all, since it is a thing of the heart, not of the body; nor is it
without apart from us, but deeply seated within us; nor does any man
see it in another, but each one in himself. Lastly, it is a thing
that can both be feigned by pretence, and be thought to be in him in
whom it is not. Therefore every one sees his own faith in himself;
but does not see, hut believes, that it is in another; and believes
this the more firmly, the more he knows the fruits of it, which faith
is wont to work by love. And therefore this faith is common to all of
whom the evangelist subjoins, "But as many as received Him, to them
gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on
His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God;" common I say, not as
any form of a bodily object is common, as regards sight, to the eyes
of all to whom it is present, for in some way the gaze of all that
behold it is informed by the same one form; but as the human
countenance can be said to be common to all men; for this is so said
that yet each certainly has his own. We say certainly with perfect
truth, that the faith of believers is impressed from one doctrine upon
the heart of each several person who believes the same thing. But that
which is believed is a different thing from the faith by which it is
believed. For the former is in things which are said either to be, or
to have been or to be about to be; but the latter is in the mind of the
believer, and is visible to him only whose it is; although not indeed
itself but a faith like it, is also in others. For it is not one in
number, but in kind; yet on account of the likeness, and the absence
of all difference, we rather call it one than many. For when, too,
we see two men exceedingly alike, we wonder, and say that both have
one countenance. It is therefore more easily said that the souls were
many, a several soul, of course, for each several person of whom we
read in the Acts of the Apostles, that they were of one soul, than
it is, where the apostle speaks of "one faith," for any one to
venture to say that there are as many faiths as there are faithful.
And yet He who says, "O woman, great is thy faith;" and to
another, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
intimates that each has his own faith. But the like faith of believers
is said to be one, in the same way as a like will of those who will is
said to be one; since in the case also of those who have the same
will, the will of each is visible to himself, but that of the other is
not visible, although he wills the same thing; and if it intimate
itself by any signs, it is believed rather! than seen. But each
being conscious of his own mind certainly does not believe, but
manifestly sees outright, that this is his own will.
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