CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…

3. We may conceive of a natural union with Christ and a supernatural;¹ A natural union all men have, in that he took mans nature and not Angels upon him, So that in this respect all men though never so wicked yet agree with him in his humane nature, and thousands are damned, though Christ took mans nature upon him; The other union is supernatural, for as Christ though man yet was conceived in a supernatural way by the holy Ghost, So all those who are mystically united to Christ are in a supernatural way changed by the holy Ghost, and thereby joined to Christ, for it's the Spirit of Christ as well as of God the Father that doth thus unite us to him; We cannot then take any comfort simply in this, that Christ was made man, unless we have a spiritual Union with him, as well as a natural; Therefore the Apostle excellently to this purpose urging Christs Incarnation, Heb. 2.11, 14. doth not press absolutely his being made man but so as thereby to help not all men but such as are his brethren, all men are not Christs brethren but such as by ⟨p. 588⟩faith are made one with him; Both he that sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified are all of one, that is, of one Adam, of one root, as it is generally expounded, but though other men be of that one root, as well as such as are sanctified, yet the Apostle limits it to such only that are sanctified, and from thence draweth that comfortable inference, Christ is not ashamed to call them brethren; and v. 14. because the Children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself took part of the same, so that it's plain by these Texts, No man can simply take comfort in this, that Christ became a man, That he is of the same humane nature with Christ, for it's only to the children, only to such as are sanctified, that his Incarnation is advantageous.

3. We may conceive of a natural union with Christ and a supernatural;¹ A natural union all men have, in that he took mans nature and not Angels upon him, So that in this respect all men though never so wicked yet agree with him in his humane nature, and thousands are damned, though Christ took mans nature upon him; The other union is supernaturall, for as Christ though man yet was conceived in a supernatural way by the holy Ghost, So all those who are mystically united to Christ are in a supernatural way changed by the holy Ghost, and thereby joyned to Christ, for it's the Spirit of Christ as well as of God the Father that doth thus unite us to him; We cannot then take any comfort simply in this, that Christ was made man, unlesse we have a spiritual Ʋnion with him, as well as a naturall; Therefore the Apostle excellently to this purpose urging Christs Incarnation,