'A man may love another as his own soul, yet perhaps with all that love he can do nothing to help his friend. He may pity someone in prison, but be helpless to bring him any comfort. We may suffer with someone in trouble, and yet be unable to help. We cannot love grace into a child, nor mercy into a friend. We cannot love anyone into heaven though we may greatly desire to do so. But the love of Christ, being the love of God, is infallibly effectual. It produces all the good things Christ desires to produce in his people. Christ loves life, grace and holiness into us. He loves us also into a covenant of love with himself. Christ loves us into heaven. Love in Christ is his will to do good to the one he loves. Whatever good Christ by his love wills to do to anyone is infallibly done to that person.'
John Owen, Communion with God, p.72.
