Calvin quote - the repose of faith

"...we conclude, that those men are brutish who propose to themselves any other felicity than that which arises from drawing near to God."

- John Calvin (concluding sentence from his commentary on the 23rd psalm)

The new CCEL edition of Calvin's Commentaries is much more easy to access and read. I just read his commentary on the 23rd psalm. Calvin usually includes one or two passages of more than unusual depth. Here is one (I'll quote a large section for context, but I'll highlight the main part in it I refer to):

We thus see how, in his prosperity, he never forgot that he was a man, but even then seasonably meditated on the adversities which afterwards might come upon him. And certainly, the reason why we are so terrified, when it pleases God to exercise us with the cross, is, because every man, that he may sleep soundly and undisturbed, wraps himself up in carnal security. But there is a great difference between this sleep of stupidity and the repose which faith produces. Since God tries faith by adversity, it follows that no one truly confides in God, but he who is armed with invincible constancy for resisting all the fears with which he may be assailed. 535535 “ Celuy qui est arme d’une constance invincible pour resister a toutes les fraycurs qui penvent survenir .” — Fr. Yet David did not mean to say that he was devoid of all fear, but only that he would surmount it so as to go without fear wherever his shepherd should lead him. This appears more clearly from the context. He says, in the first place, I will fear no evil; but immediately adding the reason of this, he openly acknowledges that he seeks a remedy against his fear in contemplating, and having his eyes fixed on, the staff of his shepherd: For thy staff and thy crook comfort me. What need would he have had of that consolation, if he had not been disquieted and agitated with fear? It ought, therefore, to be kept in mind, that when David reflected on the adversities which might befall him, he became victorious over fear and temptations, in no other way than by casting himself on the protection of God. This he had also stated before, although a little more obscurely, in these words, For thou art with me. This implies that he had been afflicted with fear. Had not this been the case, for what purpose could he desire the presence of God? 536536 “ Car s’il n’y eust point en de crainte, a quel propos desireroit il la presence de Dieu ?” — Fr. Besides, it is not against the common and ordinary calamities of life only that he opposes the protection of God, but against those which distract and confound the minds of men with the darkness of death.

Faith here is described as more a state of being, or level of consciousness or being. A 'repose' that is a repose because it is in connection with what is above. And as he goes on to say it is an active respose - of necessity - (rather than a mechanical, sleeping repose). The correlations to states described by the Work language is what I'm getting at to see more in faith, as Calvin is presenting it... I think what I'm also seeing in the entire passage is a way to see the connection between states the Work describes and faith itself -- when you do have the Work AND faith..