special, and eminent presence of God with his people in
not forsaken when he was forsaken; he was not forsaken wholly when he was forsaken in part. The love and favor of God the Father towards Jesus Christ did not ebb and flow, rise and fall; for God never loved Jesus Christ more or better than at the time of his sufferings, when he was most obedient to his Father's will. "Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my life for my sheep," John 10:17. Christ had never more of the supporting presence of his Father than when he had least of his comfortable presence. When Christ was in his grievous agony and distress of body and mind, the godhead did withdraw the comforting presence from the manhood; and so far, and so far only, was Christ forsaken. Though the union was not dissolved—yet there was a suspension of vision for the time, so as the human nature did neither see nor feel any present comfort from God. Now so far as the godhead did withdraw its comfortable presence, so far our Savior was forsaken, and no further; that was but in part, and therefore he was but in part forsaken. God was really present with Christ when in respect of his comfortable presence he was withdrawn from him. Just so, here. The husband may be in the house and the wife not know it; the sun may shine and I not see it; there may be fire in the room and I not feel it; so God may be really present with his people when he is not sensibly present with his people. But,
2. The second proposition is this—That the favorable, special, and eminent presence of God with his people in their greatest troubles, deepest distresses, and most deadly dangers—is only to be extended to his covenant-people, to those who are his people by special grace. "They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me... I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them,
and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me." Jeremiah 32:38-40.
There are many precious promises of the divine presence, as I have already showed; but they are all given to 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 who do make an outward profession 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 people 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. 2:12; and will he be favorably 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. 2:1; Col. 2:13. Such are under all the threatenings of the law, and under all the curses of the law, Gal. 3:10, 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 gracious presence? Lev. 26; Deut. 28. Surely not! Such say to God, "Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of your ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit would we have, if we pray unto him?" Job 21:14-15. Such queryings as this carry greatest contempt in them, and would lay the Almighty quite below the required duty as if Almighty were but an empty title; and will God ever honor such with his favorable