from
the essential principles of a thing, as it is natural to fire to
mount; secondly, we call natural to man what he has had from his
birth, according to Eph. 2:3: "We were by nature children of wrath";
and Wis. 12:10: "They were a wicked generation, and their malice
natural." Therefore the grace of Christ, whether of union or
habitual, cannot be called natural as if caused by the principles of
the human nature of Christ, although it may be called natural, as if
coming to the human nature of Christ by the causality of His Divine
Nature. But these two kinds of grace are said to be natural to
Christ, inasmuch as He had them from His nativity, since from the
beginning of His conception the human nature was united to the Divine
Person, and His soul was filled with the gift of grace.

Reply Obj. 1: Although the union did not take place in the nature,
yet it was caused by the power of the Divine Nature, which is truly
the nature of Christ, and it, moreover, belonged to Christ from the
beginning of His nativity.

Reply Obj. 2: The union is not said to be grace and natural in the
same respect; for it is called grace inasmuch as it is not from
merit; and it is said to be natural inasmuch as by the power of the
Divine Nature it was in the humanity of Christ from His nativity.

Reply Obj. 3: The grace of union is not natural to Christ according
to His human nature, as if it were caused by the principles of the
human nature, and hence it need not belong to all men. Nevertheless,
it is natural to Him in regard to the human nature on account of the
_property_ of His birth, seeing that He was conceived by the Holy
Ghost, so that He might be the natural Son of God and of man. But it
is natural to Him in regard to the Divine Nature, inasmuch as the
Divine Nature is the active principle of this grace; and this belongs
to the whole Trinity--to wit, to be the active principle of this
grace.
_______________________

QUESTION 3

OF THE MODE OF UNION ON THE PART OF THE PERSON ASSUMING
(In Eight Articles)

We must now consider the union on the part of the Person assuming,
and under this head there are eight points of inquiry:

(1) Whether to assume is befitting to a Divine Person?

(2) Whether it is befitting to the Divine Nature?

(3) Whether the Nature abstracted from the Personality can assume?

(4) Whether one Person can assume without another?

(5) Whether each Person can assume?

(6) Whether several Persons can assume o