that were in
truth a boon to the wicked. But what? That the souls of the pious remain
somewhere in a better place, and the unjust and wicked in a worse,
waiting for the time of judgment, when it shall be: thus the one
appearing worthy of God do not die any more; and the others are punished
as long as God wills them both to exist and to be punished." [Page 107.]

Not only so; Justin classes among renouncers of the faith those who
maintain the doctrine which is now acknowledged to be the doctrine of
the Church of Rome, and to be indispensable as the groundwork of the
adoration of saints. In his Trypho, sect. 80, he states his sentiment
thus strongly: "If you should meet with any persons called Christians,
who confess not this, but dare to blaspheme the God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and say there is no resurrection of the
dead ([Greek: nekron]), but that their souls, at the very time of their
death, are taken up into heaven; do not regard them as Christians."
[Page 178.] {104}

This, according to Bellarmin's own principle, is fatal evidence: if the
redeemed and the saints departed are not in glory with God already, they
cannot intercede with him for men. On the subject, however, of worship
and prayer, Justin Martyr has left us some testimonies as to the
primitive practice, full of interest in themselves, independently of
their bearing on the points at issue. At the same time I am not aware of
a single expression which can be so construed as to imply the doctrine
or practice among Christians of invoking the souls of the faithful. He
speaks of public and private prayer; he offers prayer, but the prayer of
which he speaks, and the prayer which he offers are to God alone; and he
alludes to no advocate or intercessor in heaven, except only the eternal
Son of God himself. In his first Apologia (or Defence addressed to the
Emperor Antoninus Pius) he thus describes the proceedings at the baptism
of a convert:--

"Now, we will explain to you how we dedicate ourselves to God, being
made new by Christ.... As many as are persuaded, and believe the things
which by us are taught and declared to be true, and who promise that
they can so live, are taught to pray and implore, with fasting,
forgiveness of God for their former sins, we ourselves joining with them
in fasting and prayer; and then they are taken by us to a place where
there is water, and by the same manner of regeneration as we ourselves
were regen