As gold among the metals, so is faith among the graces. Clement of Alexandria calls the other graces the daughters of faith. Love takes possession of glory, but faith gives a title to it. If faith did not feed the lamp of hope with oil, it would soon die. Believing the mercy and merit of Christ causes a flame of love to ascend.
Faith believes the glorious rewards given to suffering.
This makes the soul patient in suffering. Thus faith is the master-wheel, it sets all the other graces running. In its being the grace which God honours to justify and save. Repentance or love do not justify, but faith does. Thus faith saves and justifies, but it is not any inherent virtue in faith, but as it lays hold on Christ it justifies.