They will be my people, and I will be their God

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 presence, who bid him be packing, who reject his acquaintance, and are willing to be rid of his company? Surely not! Such as are only his people by creation, and an outward profession, such are under the wrath and displeasure of God. "God is angry with the wicked every day," Psalm 7:11; not with a paternal anger—but with a judicial anger, even to hatred and abhorment. "The wicked is an abomination to him, and he hates all workers of iniquity," Proverbs 3:32, and 15:9. And therefore to these he will never give his special presence. Such may well expect that God will pour on them the fierceness of that wrath and indignation, that they can neither decline nor withstand. Such wrath is like the tempest and whirlwind which breaks down all before it. It is like burning fire, and devouring flames, which 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 horrors, and make him drunk with the wine of astonishment. And will God dwell with these? will he keep house with these? Surely not! By these short hints it is most evident that the special presence of God is entailed upon none outside of covenant, John 14:21, 23. God loves to keep house with none but his covenant-people. He will grace none with his gracious presence—but those who are his people by special grace, 1 Cor. 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. 28:15-16, etc.; or else pursues them to an utter overthrow, as he did Pharaoh, Exod. 14; or else cuts them off by an invisible hand, as he did Sennacherib's mighty army, Isaiah 37:36, and proud king Herod, Acts 12:23; or else he leaves them to be their own executioners, as he did Ahithophel and Judas, etc