Luke 22:61

"And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter." - Luke 22:61

My soul, hath that eye that looked so graciously upon Peter, looked graciously upon thee? Pause and determine the point by the effects. "Peter went out and wept bitterly." Hath such impressions of grace been upon thee, my soul? Hast thou wept over the recollection of sin and a ruined nature, which is continually manifesting itself in the same faithlessness and worthlessness as in the apostle? Moreover, hast thou ever looked with an eye of faith and love to Jesus? If so, it must be wrought by this eye of Christ upon thee, my soul: for, mark it, we never look to him with an eye of faith, until Jesus hath first looked on us with an eye of love. If we love him, it is because he first loved us. Sweet testimony this, if so be thou hast it in thine experience, that he that turned and looked upon Peter, hath looked on thee also. Moreover, anything short of this glance of Jesus's eye, is short of all to induce true repentance. Peter heard, unmoved, again and again, the crowing of the cock; just as we hear, unmoved, the warnings of God's holy word in his scriptures; until Jesus accompanied the crowing of the cock, which he had admonished the apostle concerning, with his tender and remonstrating look: then, and not before, the blessed effects were wrought. Oh precious Master! turn, I beseech thee, and look on me; and let that look enter my very soul, that I may "look on thee whom I have pierced, and mourn as one that mourneth for his only son, and be in bitterness as one that is in bitterness for his first-born." Let all my soul's affection be continually going out after the look of Jesus, until eye-strings and heart-strings break and give way; and when they close in the sleep of death, may I, with the eyes of the soul, behold thy face in righteousness, that I may be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.