nd 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
deniq