2. The second proposition is this. That the favourable, signal, and eminent presence of God ivith his people in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers, is only to he extended to his covenant-people, to tlwse tliat are his people by special grace : Jer. xxxii. 38, ' And they shall be my people, and I will be their God :' ver. 40, ' And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good ; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me :' ver. 41, ' Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good.' There are many precious promises of the divine presence, as I have already shewed ; but they are all entailed upon God's covenant-people. We are all the people of God by creation, both good and bad, sinners and saints, bond and free, rich and poor, high and low ; and we are all the people of God by outward profession. All that do make an outward profes- sion of God, and perform external worship to God, they are all the people of God in this sense. All the carnal Israelites are frequently called the j)eople of God, as well as the spiritual seed. Thus Cain was one of God's people as well as Abel, and Esau as well as Jacob. Now such as are only the people of God by creation, or by profession, these are strangers to God, these are enemies to God, Eph. ii. 12 ; and will he be favourably present with these ? Such as are only the people of God by creation and outward profession, they are dead in trespasses and sins ; and can the living God take pleasure in being among the dead ? Eph. ii. 1 ; Col, ii. 13. Such are under all the threatenings of the law, and under all the curses of the law, Gal. iii. 10, even to the uttermost extent of them ; such are not one moment secure ; the threatenings of God and the curses of the law may light upon them, when in the house, when in the field, when waking, when sleeping, when alone, when in company, when rejoicing, when lamenting, when sick, when well, when boasting, when despairing, when upon the throne, when upon a sick-bed ; and will God grace these with his pre- sence ? Lev. xxvi. ; Deut. xxviii. Surely no. Such say to God, ' Depart from us ; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him ? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him ?' Job xxi. 14, 15. Such query- ings as this carry greatest contempt in them, and w^ould lay the Almighty quite below the required duty as if Almighty were but an empty title ; and will God ever honour such with his favourable presence, who bid him be packing, who reject his acquaintance, and are willing to be rid of his company ? Surely no. Such as are only his people by creation, and an outward profession, such are under
542 THE SIGNAL PRESENCE OF GOD
the wrath and displeasure of God. ' God is angry with the wicked every day,' Ps. vii. 11 ; not with a paternal, but with a judicial anger, even to hatred and abhorment. ' The wicked is an abomination to him, and he hates all workers of iniquity,' Pro v. iii. 32, and xv. 9. And therefore to these he will never vouchsafe his signal presence. Such may well expect that God will pour on them the fierceness of that wrath and indignation, that they can neither decline nor with- stand. Such wrath is like the tempest and whirlwind that breaks down all before it. It is like burning fire, and devouring flames, that consumes all. This wrath will break down all the sinner's arrogancies, and strangle all his vain hopes, and mar all his sensual joys, and fill him with amazing distractions, and make him drunk with the wine of astonishment. And will God dwell with these ? will he keep house with these ? Surely no. By these short hints it is most evident that the special presence of God is entailed upon none out of covenant, John xiv. 21, 23, God loves to keep house with none but his covenant- people. He will grace none with his gracious presence, but those that are his people by special grace, 1 Cor. i. 16-18, When wicked men are in great troubles, deep distresses, and most deadly dangers, God either leaves them, as he did Saul, 1 Sam, xxviii. 15, 16, &c. ; or else pursues them to an utter overthrow, as he did Pharaoh, Exod. xiv. ; or else cuts them off by an invisible hand, as he did Sennacherib's mighty hosts, Isa, xxxvii, 36, and proud king Herod, Acts xii, 23 ; or else he leaves them to be their own executioners, as he did Ahithophel and Judas, &c. But,
3. The third proposition is this. That a sincere Christian may enjoy the presence of the Lord in great troubles, deep distresses, and most deadly dangers, supporting and upholding of him when he has not the presence of God quickening, comforting, and joying of him, Ps. cxix, 117: Ps. xxxvii, 24, 'Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand,' n"* "[QID, ' uphold- ing with his hand.' This is the upholding psalm. There is not one moment wherein the Lord doth not uphold his people by the hand. The root samach signifies to sustain and bear up, as the nurse or ten- der mother does the little child, the weak child, the sick child, God's hand is still under his, so that they can never fall below supporting grace : Ps. Ixiii. 8, ' Thy right hand upholdeth me ; ' or, ' Thy riglit hand underprops me,' God never did, nor never will, want a hand to uphold, a hand to underprop his poor people in their greatest troubles and deepest distresses. Though the saints have not always the comforting presence of God in their afflictions, yet they have al- ways the supporting presence of God in their afflictions, as Christ in his bitter and bloody agony had much of the supporting presence of his Father, when he had none of the comforting presence of his Father with him- : Mat, xxvii. 46, ' My God, my God,' &c, ; so, the saints in their deep distresses have many times much of the supporting presence of God. His left hand is under their heads, and his right hand doth embrace them. Cant, ii, 6, when, in respect of his comforting presence, they may say with the weeping prophet, ' The comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me,' Lam. i. 16,^ When the love-sick spouse
WITH HIS PEOPLE IN THEIR GREATEST TROUBLES. 543