The souls exaltation A treatiseThe soules exaltation A treatise

Secondly, there are actions also which pass from God upon the creature, and do work a change and an alteration upon the creature; and these we call transient actions, or actions that pass, which are not only in God, but pass from God, and do frame, and order, and dispose of the creature, as God sees fit; and of this sort are all the actions that belong to a Christian, except predestination: for the Lord doth not reveal those secrets unto any by the work of vocation, which is wrought upon the creature, for there the Lord quickens desire, and stirs up hope, and kindles love and joy, and the Lord turns the face of the soul God-ward, and in adoption, regeneration, and all the works of grace and salvation, and of this kind is justification: and this is the reason why I call it a transient action, because it passeth upon the creature, but that must be warily understood with a grain of salt, as the Proverb is: now what change is this? I answer, the Lord works a change upon the creature two ways.

Secondly, there are actions also which passe from God upon the creature, and doe worke a change and an alteration upon the creature; and these wee call transient actions, or actions that passe, which are not onely in God, but passe from God, and doe frame, and order, and dispose of the creature, as God sees fit; and of this sort are all the actions that belong to a Christian, except predestination: for the Lord doth not reveale those secrets unto any by the worke of vocation, which is wrought upon the creature, for there the Lord quickens desire, and stirres up hope, and kindles love and joy, and the Lord turnes the face of the soule God-ward, and in adoption, regeneration, and all the workes of grace and salvation, and of this kinde is justification: and this is the reason why I call it a transient action, because it passeth upon the creature, but that must be warily understood with a graine of salt, as the Proverbe is: now what change is this? I answer, the Lord workes a change upon the creature two wayes.

First, the Lord is said to pass a work or an action upon the creature, when he puts some kind of ability upon the creature, either spiritual, or natural: as when the Lord makes a wicked man, a good man; an adulterous man, a chaste man; and of an envious proud malicious man, a patient meek and holy man; and this we call a natural change, because there is a gracious frame put into