ascension into heaven of the beloved Jesus Christ our Lord, and his coming from heaven in the glory of the Father for the consummation of all things, and for raising again all flesh of the human race, that, in order that ([Greek:  ina]), to Christ Jesus our Lord and God, and Saviour and King, according to the good pleasure of the invisible Father, every knee should bow of things in heaven and in earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess to Him, and that he should execute just judgment on all:  that he should send the spirits of wickedness, and the transgressing and rebel angels, and the impious and unjust, and wicked and blaspheming men into eternal fire; but to the just and righteous, and to those who keep his commandments, and persevere in his love,—­some indeed from the beginning, and some from their repentance,—­he granting life, by way of gift, should confer incorruption, and should clothe them with eternal glory.” [Haeres. xxxi. c. 30.]

    [Footnote 43:  The words “of God” are in the Latin, but not in
    the Greek.]

The words, “some from the beginning,” “others from their repentance,” can refer only to the two conditions of believers; some of whom have grace to keep the commandments, and persevere in the love of God from the beginning of their Christian course, whilst others, for a time, transgress and wax cold in love, but by repentance, through God’s grace, are renewed and {119} restored to their former state of obedience and love.  On both these classes of Christians, according to the faith as here summed up by Irenaeus, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when He comes in glory for the consummation of all things, and for the resurrection of the dead, will confer glory and immortality.  No ingenuity of criticism can extract from this passage any allusion to the intercession of saints, or to their being with God before the end of the world[44].  But I am not {120} here condemning Bellarmin’s untenable criticism:  what I lament is the negligence or the disingenuousness with which he misquotes the words of Irenaeus, and makes him say what he never did say.  To extract from an author’s words, correctly reported, a meaning which he did not intend to convey, however reprehensible and unworthy a follower of truth, is one act of injustice:  to report him, whether wilfully or carelessly, as using words which he never did use, is far worse.

    [Footnote 44:  It will be well to see the words of Bellarmin and
    those of the translation side by side: 

    (Transcriber’s note:  They are shown here one after the other.)

    Bellarmin lib. i. c. iv. p. 851.

“Quartus Irenaeus, lib. i. c. 2.  ’Justis, inquit, et aequis, et praecepta ejus servantibus et in dilectione perseverantibus, quibusdam quidem ab initio, quibusdam autem ex poenitentia, vitam donans, incorruptelam loco muneris CONFERT, et claritatem aeternam CIRCUMDAT.’  Nota ‘quibusdam,’ id est, iis qui mox a Baptismo moriuntur, vel qui pro Christo vitam ponunt; vel denique perfectis statim donari vitam et claritatem aeternam; aliis non nisi post poenitentiam, id est, satisfactionem in futuro saeculo actam.”

    Latin Translation.