above his fellow-apostles, but to declare the faith of those who gave it him in the union of the divine and human nature of Christ.—­See Joan.  Damascenus, Hom. ii. c. 18.  In Dormit.  Virg. vol. ii. p. 881.  Le Quien, Paris, 1712.  The Latin translation renders it Domini frater.]

Nothing in our present inquiry turns upon the real {324} meaning of that word theotocos.  Some who have been among the brightest ornaments of the Anglican Church have adopted the translation “mother of God,” whilst many others among us believe that the original sense would be more correctly conveyed by the expression “mother of Him who was God.”

I am induced here to lay side by side, with the second Article of our Anglican Church, the Confession of Faith from Cyril, first recited at Constantinople, then repeated at Ephesus, and afterwards again rehearsed at Chalcedon; in its last clause the expression occurs which gave rise to these remarks.

    Ancient Confession.

We confess that our Lord Jesus, the Christ, the only begotten Son of God, perfect God and perfect man, from a reasonable soul and body, begotten from everlasting of the Father according to his Godhead, and in these last days, He the same for us and for our salvation [was born] of Mary, the Virgin, according to his manhood—­of the same substance with the Father according to his Godhead, of the same substance with us according to his manhood.  For of two natures there became an union.  Wherefore we confess one Christ, one Lord.  According to this sense of the unconfused union, we confess the holy Virgin to be theotocos, because that God the Word was made flesh, and became man, and from that very conception united with himself the temple received from her.

    [Vol. vi. p. 736.]

    Second Article of Anglican Church.

The Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father, the very and eternal God, and of one substance with the Father, took man’s nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance:  so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one Person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God, and very man; who truly suffered, was crucified, dead and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men. {325}

But there are other points in the course of these important proceedings to which I would solicit your especial attention, with the view of comparing the sentiments of the Bishop of Rome at that day, and also the expressions employed by other Chief Pastors of Christ’s flock, with the language of the appointed authorized services of the Roman Church now, and the sentiments of her reigning Pontiff, and of his accredited ministers.