3437. Conversing with him largely concerning the knowledges of faith, that no true life can ever be given except through such knowledges: that without life by the knowledges of faith, or by the doctrine of faith, that is, by faith, there would be no need of the revelation of the Word, either the Word of the Old Testament or the New; in order that this might be evinced, it was given to say that otherwise there would have been no need of his preaching, in order to instruct as to the conduct of life, and the rejection of faith; nor would there have been any need of his disputing with me on the subject, as life might have been immediately infused without the Word and without his preaching: to all which, because he was unable to answer, he confessed once or twice that it was so, but because he was in the persuasion [before mentioned] he returns to it again, and wishes to retract the words, which I have written in this paragraph. This also he wishes to insinuate, that man is regenerated while ignorant of it, and thus obtains life; concerning which it was also previously given to speak with him and to say, that such is indeed the case with regeneration, but yet [that it is effected] by the knowledges of faith, and that although man is ignorant of it at the time, yet in a state of adversity and temptation, when bodily things recede, the things that are of faith are recalled by the Lord to his mind.