[Footnote 51:  Vol. ii. p. 222.  Nondum enim receperunt laetitiam
    suam, ne apostoli quidem, &c.  But see Huetius on Origen, lib.
    ii. q. 11.  No. 10.]

    [Footnote 52:  He thinks it probable, that the saints departed
    feel an interest in the welfare of men on earth.  See vol. iv. p.
    273.]

Modern Roman Catholic writers tell us, that we must consider Origen here as only referring to the reunion of the soul with the body; but his words cannot be so interpreted.  The cause of the saints still waiting for their consummation of bliss, is stated to be the will of God, that all the faithful should enter upon their full enjoyment of blessedness together.

Again:  it may be asked, whether the following passage could have come from the pen of one who prayed to the saints, as already reigning with Christ in heaven.

“But now whether the saints who are removed from the body and are with Christ, act at all, and labour for us, like the angels who minister to our salvation; or whether, again, the wicked removed from the body act at all according to the purpose of their own mind, like the bad angels, with whom, it is said by Christ, that they will be sent into eternal fires;—­let this too be {147} considered among the secret things of God, mysteries not to be committed to writing.” [Epist. ad Rom. lib. ii.  (Benedict. vol. iv. p. 479.) “Jam vero si etiam,” &c.]

In a passage found in Origen’s Comment on Ezekiel’s text, “Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver neither son nor daughter, they should deliver only their own souls by their righteousness,” [Hom. iii. vol. iii. p. 372.] independently of the testimony borne to the point before us, we read a very interesting and awakening lesson of general application:—­

“First, let us expound the passage agreeably to its plain sense, in consequence of the ignorance of some who maintain the ideas of their own mind to be the truth of God, and often say, ’Every one of us will be able by his prayers to snatch whomsoever he will from hell,’ and introduce iniquity to the Lord; not seeing that the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him; so that each shall die in his own sin, and each live in his own person.  My father being a martyr profits me nothing, if I shall not live well, and adorn the nobleness of my race,—­that is, his testimony and confession, by which he was glorified in Christ.  It profiteth not the Jews to say, ’We were not born of fornication, we have one father, the Lord;’ and, a little after, ‘Abraham is our father.’  Whatever they may say, whatever they will assume, if they have not the faith of Abraham they make their boast in vain; for they will not be saved on account of their being children of Abraham.  Since, therefore, some have formed incorrect notions, we have necessarily brought in the plain sense of the passage as to the