No Need to Ask For the Father’s Love

John Owen:

In John 16:26-7 our Saviour says, ‘I say not to you, that I will pray the Father for you; for the Father himself loves you.’  But how is this, that our Saviour says, ‘I say not that I will pray the Father for you,’ when he says plainly, ‘I will pray the Father for you?’ (John 14:16).  The disciples, with all the gracious words, comfortable and faithful promises of their Master, with most heavenly discoveries of his heart to them, were even fully convinced of his dear and tender affections towards them; as also of his continued care and kindness, that he would not forget them when bodily he was gone from them, as he was now upon his departure: but now all their thoughts are concerning the Father, how they should be accepted with him, what respect he had towards them.  Says our Saviour, ‘Take no care of that, nay, impose not that upon me, of procuring the Father’s love for you; but know that this is his peculiar respect towards you, and which you are in him: “He himself loves you.”  It is true, indeed (and as I told you), that I will pray the Father to send you the Spirit, the Comforter, and with him all the gracious fruits of his love; but yet in the point of love itself, free love, eternal love, there is no need of any intercession for that: for eminently the Father himself loves you.  Resolve of that, that you may hold communion with him in it, and be no more troubled about it.  Yea, as your great trouble is about the Father’s love, so you can no way more trouble or burden him, than by your unkindness in not believing of it.’  So it must needs be where sincere love is questioned.