A view of the covenant of grace - Boston - VI - Head III commenced

Required reading
A view of the covenant of grace by Thomas Boston (Available from Amazon or free here) - Commence the Third Head by reading up to the heading 'Inferences from the conditionary part of the covenant'.

My summary
Now Boston starts to explain the parts of the covenant of grace, beginning with the conditionary part.

Boston teaches us that the condition of the covenant of grace is Christ. 

Firstly he evinces that this is the condition of the covenant by asking us to consider that:
(i) Christ's fulfilling all righteousness as second Adam is what the Father proposed unto him;
(ii) this is the only ground of a sinner's right and title to eternal life;
(iii) it is by this that the salvation of sinners becomes a debt;
(iv) faith and obedience are benefits promised in the covenant, not conditions;
(v) the covenant of grace doth so exclude our boasting.

Secondly Boston unfolds that righteousness, the fulfilling of which was made the condition of the covenant of grace.  He views it in three parts:
(i) holiness of nature;
(ii) righteousness of life;
(iii) satisfaction for sin.

What grabbed me
I liked the point that faith and obedience are important, but not conditions of the covenant: 'Faith is necessary savingly to interest us in Jesus Christ the head of the covenant: and none can attain to eternal happiness, without actual believing, who are subjects capable of it; nor can any attain it without the Spirit of faith indwelling in them.  Obedience is necessary, as the chief subordinate end of the covenant, being that whereby God hath his glory he designed therein : and without obedience begun here, none who are subjects capable of it, can see heaven.  But withal it is necessary that they be kept in the place and station assigned them in the covenant by the Father and the Son from eternity.'

They are consequences of the covenant, not conditions.

Next week's reading
Continue the Third Head by reading up to the paragraph beginning, 'The second part of the covenant, namely, the promissory part.'

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.