True justifying faith is said to receive, to embrace, to obey the
Son of God as tendered in the gospel; by which expressions is showed
both the nature of justifying faith in its actings in point of
justification, and also the cause of its being full of good works in
the world. A gift is not made mine by my seeing it, or because I
know the nature of the thing so given; but it is mine if I receive
and embrace it, yea, and as to the point in hand, if I yield myself
up to stand and fall by it. Now he that shall not only see but
receive, not only know but embrace the Son of God to be justified by
him, cannot but bring forth good works; because Christ, who is now
received and embraced by faith, leavens and seasons the spirit of
this sinner, through his faith, to the making of him so to be. Acts
15:9. For faith has joined Christ and the soul together, and being
so joined, the soul is one spirit with him: not essentially, but in
agreement and oneness of design. Besides, when Christ is truly
received and embraced to the justifying of the sinner, in that man's
heart he dwells by his word and Spirit through the same faith also.
Now Christ by his Spirit and word must needs season the soul he thus
dwells in; so then the soul being seasoned, it seasoneth the body
and soul, the life and conversation.

If the receiving of a temporal gift naturally tends to the making of
us to move our cap and knee, and binds us to be the servant of the
giver, shall we think that faith will leave him who by it has
received Christ, to be as unconcerned as a stock or stone, or that
its utmost excellency is to provoke the soul to a lip-labor, and to
give Christ a few fair words for his pains and grace, and so wrap up
the business? No, no; the love of Christ constraineth us thus to
judge, that it is but reasonable, since he gave his all for us, that