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sians," ἐν ᾗ ἐχαρίτωσεν ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ, where your own Douay Bible translates it as we do, by which He made us ACCEPTABLE through His beloved Son."† Now, highly favored and acceptable accord well enough in meaning; whereas FULL OF GRACE and ACCEPTABLE are manifestly phrases which express a wide difference in privilege. There is no reason why we should translate the same verb one way with respect to the Virgin, and another way with respect to St. Paul and the Christians of Ephesus. And hence, the Church of Rome herself justifies our version, and proves that, instead of attributing too little force to the term which the angel applied to the Virgin, our translators have, in truth, given it as much as it will fairly bear.

The other part of the angel's address pronounces that the Virgin is blessed among women. And she herself, in her inspired hymn, saith, Behold, from henceforth all generations

shall call me blessed.

This is, undoubtedly, a high honor to the Virgin; but it is limited plainly to the estimation of the saints below, and conveys no intimation whatever of the celestial prerogatives claimed for her as the Queen of Heaven, &c. In like manner, we see that Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite,‡ is pronounced "Blessed among women." So the Lord declares to Israel,§ “All nations shall call you blessed." Hence, it is plain that the Scriptures, thus far, give no support whatever to your Romish doctrine.

We come, lastly, to the only remaining argument, derived

* Chapter i., v. 6.

+ Our English Bible reads, "Wherein He hath made us ACCEPTED in the Beloved." This is closer to the Greek, but the meaning is the same, precisely.

Judges, ch. v., v. 24.

§ Mal. iii. 12

from the simple fact thai the Virgin was the Mother of the Redeemer. It is for this, undoubtedly, that she is accounted Blessed among women. It is for this that all generations

shall call her Blessed, and we claim our full share in the honor due to her, accordingly. But this eminent blessing in the Church below is one thing, and all power in heaven and earth is quite another. And hence, the enormous superstructure which Romanism has built upon the maternal relation to our Lord is contradicted throughout, and most emphatically, by His own express teaching.

Thus, we find that the Saviour never calls her Mother at any time, but Woman. As, for example, at the marriage feast of Cana in Galilee,* your Douay Bible reads as follows: "And the wine failing, the Mother of Jesus saith to Him, They have no wine. And Jesus Woman, what is that to me and to thee?

saith unto her, My hour is not yet come. His mother saith to the waiters, Whatsoever He shall say to you, do ye."

Here, by the way, let me notice another discrepancy in the translation of our English Bible, where your writers accuse us very unjustly. According to our version, the words of Christ are, "What have I to do with thee?" The Douay Bible adopts the language which I have given above, What is that to me and to thee? The Greek original is, Tí ¿μoì kaì ooì, literally, WHAT TO ME AND TO THEE? Your version would therefore seem to be nearer to the Greek; and yet it is not so, for the phrase is idiomatic, and signifies precisely what our translators have given as its true meaning. Of this we have full proof from your Douay Bible itself. Thus,t where the devils address to the Saviour these words, "What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Son of God,"

St. John, ü. 3, 4, 5.

↑ St. Matthew, viii. 29.

according to your own version (which, in this place, agrees with ours), the original Greek gives the very same form. Tí ŋμìv kaì ooì, literally, WHAT TO US AND TO THEE? Thus, we have another example, from your own undesigned acknowledgment, of the superior fidelity of our English Bible.

But according to your Roman version, we have here an expression, which the Douay commentators are obliged to say, has been considered "as harsh," although they insist, with Dr. Milner, that the Virgin "knew of the miracle which the Saviour was about to perform, and that it was at her request he wrought it." Assuredly, however, the sacred history itself shows the very contrary. She merely tells her divine Son of the fact that there was no wine, and she does not presume to make any request whatever. What was to be done, or how, she leaves entirely to His own discretion. She therefore tells the servants to follow His directions, in the hope that He would, in His kindness, devise some plan to meet the difficulty, while to Himself she does not venture to make any reply. It is perfectly evident, therefore, that the miracle which He saw fit to perform was His own voluntary suggestion, and it is impossible to infer, from his language to the Virgin, that He wished to connect her in any way with the transaction. He did not stand in need of her information, and evidently answered as if to discourage her well-meant officiousness. Instead, therefore, of affording any warrant for your Romish doctrine that the Virgin is the very medium through whom Christ bestows His gifts, it is, in reality, rather a warning against it. For why this admitted harshness of expression? Why address her by the name of woman, instead of the endearing title of mother? Why disclaim her interference rather than encourage it? Manifestly, because our Lord foresaw the evils which a superstitious worship of His

Rebukes of Christ.

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mother would bring into His Church, and therefore, from first to last, mercifully, though sternly, set His face against it.

In strict accordance with this, when He was but twelve years old, and had tarried at Jerusalem, in the temple, and Joseph and His mother sought for Him and found Him there, she undertook, though very gently, to rebuke Him.* "His mother said unto Him, Son, why hast thou so done to us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Did you not know that I must be about the things that are my Father's? And they understood not the word that He spoke unto them. And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And Mary kept all these words in her heart."

Here we see that the Saviour, young as he was, answers the rebuke of his mother with another rebuke, far better justified. For she had said, " Thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing." Whereas she knew that Joseph was not His father, and He reminds them both of His true paternity by saying, "Do you not know that I must be about the things that are my Father's?" They ought not, therefore, to have sought Him amongst "their kinsfolk and acquaintance," as if He were a common youth, seeking to amuse Himself, during the religious festival. They should rather have taken it for granted that He was at the Temple, His Father's house, employed in preparing for the fulfilment of the high and holy purpose for which He had been sent into the world. Hence, they were to blame, and He shrinks not from telling them so. Nevertheless, He had no intention to withdraw from the ordinary fulfilment of His duties, and therefore He went down with them, and was subject

VOL. II.

* St. Luke, ch. ii., v. 43, Douay Bible.

4

unto them, aiding them to the utmost of His power. But He never departed from the sublime peculiarity of His nature and office, as the Redeemer of the world. He was the Son of Mary according to the flesh, and He was the ward of Joseph, while, nevertheless, He was the divine Lord and Saviour of them both. Hence, they seem to have submitted to His rebuke without a murmur; and though they understood not His full meaning at the time, yet they asked for no explanation, but Mary kept His words in her heart.

And yet, in the face of a narrative like this, your modern Church of Rome does not shrink from saying, "St. Josephruler of the Lord of the universe-St. Joseph, Governor of the Incarnate Wisdom-St. Joseph-Saviour of the Saviour of mankind-St. Joseph, honored and served by the King and Queen of Heaven!" as if our Lord could have been RULED and GOVERNED by the will of Joseph, like an ordinary child, instead of being guided, in all things, by His own perfect sense of duty. The principle is the same on which He afterwards submitted Himself to be baptized by John the Baptist, not because He could be in any proper sense considered as John's disciple, but because of the rule He had prescribed to Himself," So it becometh us to fulfil all justice." The distinction is of the highest importance, because it explains, throughout, the otherwise unaccountable style of His language towards His mother.

The next part of the Gospel history which bears upon this subject, is that conclusive passage, where we read,† "As he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak with him. And one said to him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, seeking thee. But he, an* St. Mat., iii. 15, Douay Bible. St. Mat., xii. 46, Douay Bible.