Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 580

;

556

TESTIMONIUM SPIRITUS SANCTI, OK

§ 86.

[Div. Ill

nature of faith and it remains a question whether any one but Christ Himself, in that absolute sense, has stood alone This is the very profound meaning of Gethin his faith. ;

semane.

and hence unbelief, scatters, individualizes, but grace, and hence faith, restores life in

Sin,

and pulverizes

;

organic connection,

And what here iii.

the

life of

each member in the body.

an " apprehending with

also

the saints" (Eph.

all

The power of public opinion shows how mightily factor inworks upon our own conviction and as there

18).

this is

it is

viz.

applies to heiiig applies also to the consciousness

;

a public opinion

in

the

things

also a certain fides communis^

opinion in the

communion

or,

of saints.

of if

the

you

And

world,

there

is

please, a public

in so far the ethi-

cal school maintains correctly that "the faith of the believers " supports the faith of the individual, and exercises a

certain authority over

way

it.

This factor works in a threefold

(1) in an Idstorical sense, in so far as the testimony of the ages comes to us in tradition and writings (2) in a catholic sense, insomuch as the general appearance of the :

;

Church always includes a certain confession of and (3) in an empirical sense, if we ourselves personally come in contact with confessors of Christ, move in the circles of the children of God, and thus experience universal

faith

;

immediately the influence of the communion of the saints. In this we are not dealing with the Church as an institution, but with the Church as an organism. And though it must be granted that the influence of this public opinion, if untrue, can inwork disastrously upon our conviction, so that spiritual criticism only keeps us in the right path, it is never-

theless

entirely true that this

opinion

among

lievers

*'

as it

cotnmunis

fides,

this public

the children of God, this "faith of the bemay be called, imprints in our consciousness

the image of Christ as the Saviour of the world, and supports in us faith in the

Holy

Scripture.

This, of course, cannot be the last point of support, and therefore the Reformers wisely appealed on principle to tlie "witness of the Holy Spirit." By this they understood a testimony that went out directly from the Holy Spirit, as author

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