"...does God really know what befalls the sinner in such pain and distress? For an answer to this question let us hear Him say: 'The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak' (Mt. 26:41). 'Woman, has no one condemned you?...Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again' (John 8:10, 11). 'Do you want to be healed?' (John 5:6).
"It is thus that our weakness and misery were known to Him from eternity, and He has come Himself and put Himself in the service of the weak and defeated sinners. He has kept His Holy Spirit in guard of their soul, working day and night to expel terror and fear from the hearts of sinners and turn their hearts into a temple and a place of His habitation.
"The personality that has been broken asunder by sin is gathered again by the Spirit. The soul that had been humiliated by the devil, who had sneered at its authority and dissolved its will, is then touched by the grace of Christ, and hence is risen, renewed, and strengthened.
"A single glance of Christ made Peter overcome his weakness and defeat before the servants and concubines, pull himself together and regain his will, which had been shattered as a broken vessel, so that his soul melted before threat. From the eyes of Christ he drew forth the power of repentance, from which he regained his wholeness."
- Matthew the Poor in The Communion of Love, p. 104-105