; in the place where there
were still lying on the ground great drops of blood, the earth still
wet with the strange sorrow of the Lamb. There, in his despair, he
would kneel; and yet even in his despair would be turned towards God.
His heart would be turned, even when he thought it never would be
turned again; he would be there, without comfort, and yet God
comforting him. Maybe, for him, too, there were strengthening angelic
ministries; for there are more of these heavenly messengers with us
than we think. Perhaps some words of ancient promise might be brought
to his mind by God, as he was kneeling there; such as, "My soul
cleaveth unto the dust, quicken Thou me according to Thy word!" "A
bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench,
till He bring forth judgment into victory." "He restoreth my soul, He
leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." But
whatever means were adopted, we believe that God was with
him--comforting, restoring, saving, strengthening him. All this
prepares us for the scene by the Lake.

This must have struck Peter as very like another passage in the
intercourse between him and Jesus. Strange scene! we are back in
Galilee; we experience again a night of fruitless toil. This was my
place of consecration at the first; and these nets, which I borrow now,
were then my own; and it was in the morning that the Lord was standing
on the beach, as He did even now.

There is no mere repetition in this story: to a soul in Peter's case
the one impossible thing would be that he should ever regain the place
from whence he fell. And the Lord was going to convince him, by means
of these similar circumstances and the miraculous draught of great
fishes, that there was for him, even for him, such a thing as a fresh
start; and that he should not mourn because there was "no returning
upon his former track." When the boat had been brought to land, the
Lord questioned Peter, not saying, "Thou didst deny Me," but "Dost thou
love Me?" and finally repeats in his ears the old word with which He
moved him to tread the heavenly way at the first--"Follow thou Me."

There were now no boats or nets which Peter could leave for the Lord,
but the whole drama of consecration is acted over again. "Follow Me,
Peter; what thou hast missed shall yet be given thee; formerly there
was a point beyond which thou couldst not follow Me; but now thou shalt
tread in My footsteps, even to t