Secondly: This inward Peace and quietness of soul, is so great a Commodity, that God would have the price to be enhanced and raised. Common and ordinary blessings once lost, and found again, are extraordinary: It is a common and ordinary mercy that a man sits in his Shop, and walks up and down in his Trade; but if he be sick a while, lose his health, and not able for five or six weeks to look into his Shop; if then he can get down but one day, O says ⟨p. 25⟩he, what an extraordinary mercy and blessing is it, that I should go down again: Thus the interruption of an ordinary blessing, does raise it to an extraordinary. So long as a man hath his health and strength, though he be able to travel forty, fifty, three-score miles a day, he is not much affected therewith; but if he be sick a little, and at deaths door, and then begins to recover, though he can but put forth his Hand, or stir his Leg, he blesses God, and says, O Friends, I can stir my self in my bed, I can move my Hand, or my Leg; what an extraordinary mercy and blessing is this! So in this case, So long as a man hath inward Peace and quietness of soul, without interruption, he looks upon it as a common mercy and blessing; but if his Peace be a little interrupted, and his soul buffeted by Satan, and then he recovers his Peace, O says he, what an extraordinary blessing and mercy is this! Now God will sometimes raise the price of this Commodity from an ordinary, to an extraordinary blessing, and therefore he doth suffer his own Children, and deerest Servants to be thus discouraged, and their peace to be interrupted.
Secondly: This inward Peace and quietness of soul, is so great a Commodity, that God would have the price to be inhanced and raised. Common and ordinary blessings once lost, and found again, are extraordinary: It is a common and ordinary mercy that a man sits in his Shop, and walks up and down in his Trade; but if he be sick a while, lose his health, and not able for five or six weeks to look into his Shop; if then he can get down but one day, O saies ⟨p. 25⟩he, what an extraordinary mercy and blessing is it, that I should go down again: Thus the interruption of an ordinary blessing, does raise it to an extraordinary. So long as a man hath his health and strength, though he be able to travel forty, fifty, three-score miles a day, he is not much affected therewith; but if he be sick a little, and at deaths door, and then begins to recover, though he can but put forth his Hand, or stir his Leg, he blesses God, and saies, O Friends, I can stir my self in my bed, I can move my Hand, or my Leg; what an extraordinary mercy and blessing is this! So in this caie, So long as a man hath inward Peace and quietness of soul, without interruption, he looks upon it as a common mercy and blessing; but if his Peace be a little interrupted, and his soul buffeted by Satan, and then he recovers his Peace, O saies he, what an extraordinary blessing and mercy is this! Now God will somtimes raise the price of this Commodity from an ordinary, to an extraordinary blessing, and therefore he doth suffer his own Children, and deerest Servants to be thus discouraged, and their peace to be interrupted.
