The Soft Pillow of Promise
“God can blow hot and cold, wrath and mercy, to his enemies and friends in the same breath.”
(excerpt from “The Magistrate’s Portraiture” a sermon by Puritan pastor, William Gurnall, 1656)
Isa. 1:26 “And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning.”
“Here, by the way, observe, God’s love and tender care over the godly in evil times. When his wrath is in its greatest career against the wicked, even then his thoughts of mercy are full at work in his heart for his people, he is carving a mercy for them out of the same providence in which he deals out vengeance to the ungodly. God can blow hot and cold, wrath and mercy, to his enemies and friends in the same breath. Yea, he contents not himself with this purpose of love to his people, but also he must acquaint them with it; that though they could not be put in present possession of the promise, yet they might be kept in possession of themselves, and be patience be enabled more comfortable to expect the performance of it. No such sweet companion to go with the saints to a prison as a promise. The bed of affliction of itself is hard. Now to prevent their tossing and tumbling in it through anguish of their present sorrow, he lays this soft pillar of the promise under their head – “I will restore.””
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