the question at issue, that various attempts have been made to explain away its meaning, so as not to represent Irenaeus as believing that the souls of departed saints, between their death and the day of judgment, exist otherwise than in bliss and glory in heaven.  But those attempts have been altogether unsuccessful.  I believe the view here presented to us by the plain and obvious sense of the words of Irenaeus, is the view at present acquiesced in by a large proportion of our fellow-believers.  The Anglican Church has made no article of faith whatever on the subject.  The clause within brackets is found both in the Latin and the Greek.

“Since the Lord[45] in the midst of the shadow of death went where the souls of the dead were, and then afterwards rose bodily, and after his resurrection was taken up, it is evident that of his disciples also, for whom the Lord wrought these things, [the souls go into the unseen[46] place assigned to them by God, and there remain till the resurrection, waiting for the resurrection; afterwards receiving again their bodies and rising perfectly [[Greek:  holoklaeros], perfecte], that is, bodily, even as the Lord also rose again, so will they come into the presence of God.] {124} For no disciple is above his master; but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.  As, therefore, our Master did not immediately flee away and depart, but waited for the time of his resurrection appointed by his Father (which is evident, even by the case of Jonah); after the third day, rising again, he was taken up; so we too must wait for the time of our resurrection appointed by God, and fore-announced by the prophets; and thus rising again, be taken up, as many as the Lord shall have deemed worthy of this.”

[Footnote 45:  Bellarmin, rather than allow the testimony of Irenaeus to weigh at all against the doctrine which he is defending, seems determined to combat and challenge that father himself.  “Non ausus est dicere,” “He has not dared to say, that the souls go to the regions below,” &c.]

    [Footnote 46:  There is no word in the Greek copy corresponding
    with the Latin “invisibilem.”]

* * * * *

SECTION III.—­CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA—­ABOUT THE YEAR 180.

Contemporary with Irenaeus, and probably less than twenty years his junior, was Clement, the celebrated Christian philosopher of Alexandria.  I am not aware that any Roman Catholic writer has appealed to the testimony of Clement in favour of the invocation of saints, nor have I found a single passage which the defenders of that practice would be likely to quote; and yet there are many passages which no one, anxious to trace the Catholic faith, would willingly neglect.  The tendency of Clement’s mind to blend with the simplicity of the Gospel of Christ the philosophy in which he so fully abounded, renders him far less valuable as a Christian teacher; but his evidence as to the matter of fact, is even rendered more cogent and pointed by this tendency of his mind.  I would {125} willingly have transferred to these pages whole passages of Clement, but the very nature of my address forbids it.  Some sentences bearing on the subject immediately before us, we must not omit.