Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

For the moral Laws a reason may be rendered; to Love God, hath reason to enforce it besides Gods Will, viz. The Excellency of his Nature, and the greatness and multitudes of his benefits. To love our Neighbour, hath enforcing reasons, viz. the Conjunction in blood, and the preservation of humane Society, and the need we may stand in of their love our selves. But no reason can be assigned of this positive command about the Tree of knowledge of good and evil but merely the pleasure of God. It was a branch of his pure dominion, to try mans Obedience, and a mark of his Goodness to try it by so easy and light a precept, when he might have extended his Authority further. Had not God given this or the like order, his absolute dominion had not been so conspicuous. 'Tis true, Adam had a Law of Nature in him, whereby he was obliged to perpetual Obedience, and though it was a part of God's dominion to implant it in him, yet his supreme dominion over the Creatures had not been so visible to man, but by this, or a precept of the same kind. What was commanded, or ⟨p. 724⟩prohibited by the Law of Nature, did bespeak a comeliness in it self, it appeared Good or Evil to the reason of man, but this was neither Good nor Evil in it self, it received its sole Authority from the absolute Will of God, and nothing could result from the fruit it self, as a reason why man should not taste it, but only the sole Will of God. And as God's dominion was most conspicuous in this precept, so man's obedience had been most eminent in observing it. For in his obedience to it, nothing but the sole power and Authority of God, which is the proper rule of obedience, could have been respected, not any reason from the thing it self.

For the moral Laws a reason may be rendred; to Love God, hath reason to enforce it besides Gods Will, viz. The Excellency of his Nature, and the greatness and multitudes of his benefits. To love our Neighbour, hath enforcing reasons, viz. the Conjunction in blood, and the preservation of humane Society, and the need we may stand in of their love our selves. But no reason can be assign'd of this positive command about the Tree of knowledge of good and evil but meerly the pleasure of God. It was a branch of his pure dominion, to try mans Obedience, and a mark of his Goodness to try it by so easie and light a precept, when he might have extended his Authority further. Had not God given this or the like order, his absolute dominion had not been so conspicuous. 'Tis true, Adam had a Law of Nature in him, whereby he was obliged to perpetual Obedience, and though it was a part of God's dominion to implant it in him, yet his supream dominion over the Creatures had not been so visible to man, but by this, or a precept of the same kind. What was commanded, or