Quotations from Gleanings from William Gurnall. See review on page 216
“THE Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him,” (Lamentations 3:24). Hast thou not chosen Him for thy portion? Dost thou not look for a heaven to enjoy Him in for ever? And can any dungeon of outward affliction be so dark, that this hope will not enlighten it? He that hath laid up a portion in heaven for thee, will surely lay out all the expenses thou needest in thy way thither. Remember how often God hath confuted thy fears, and proved thy unbelief a false prophet. Hath He not knocked at thy door with inward comfort and outward deliverance, when thou hadst put out the candle of hope, given over looking for Him, and been ready to lay thyself down on the bed of despair? When the storm of thy fears was so great that the anchor of hope gave way, and left thee to feed with misgiving and despairing thoughts, . . . even then thy God proved them all liars, by an unlooked for surprise of mercy, with which He stole sweetly in upon thee.
HOPE is the handkerchief that God puts into His people’s hands, to wipe the tears from their eyes, which their present troubles, and long delay of expected mercies, draw from them. “Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end,” Jeremiah 31:16, 17.
IF Christ sends His disciples to sea, He means to be with them when they most need His company. “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee.”
NONE find such quick answers at the throne of grace as suffering saints. “In the day when I cried,” saith David, “Thou answeredst me, and strengthenest me with strength in my soul,” (Ps. 138:3). Peter knocked at the gate of those who were assembled to seek God for him, almost as soon as their prayer knocked at heaven’s gate in his behalf. There is ever a door more than the Christian sees in his prison, by which Christ can with a turn of His hand open a way for His saint’s escape. The devil surely will leave all in the lurch that do his work. But thou need never fear a “Look thou to that” from God’s lips, when thy faithfulness to Him hath brought thee into the briers. Be not troubled if thou art cast overboard, like Jonah, before thou seest the provision which God makes for thy safety. It is ever at hand, but sometimes out of sight, like Jonah’s whale, which was sent of God to ferry him ashore under water before he knew where he was. That which thou thinkest is come to devour thee, may be the messenger that God sends to bring thee safe to land.