say, for hardnesse of heart: To which objection the Apostles rule, not to doe evill that good may come thereby, gives an invincible repuls; and here especially, where it cannot be shewn how any good came by doing this evil, how rather more evil did not hereon abound; for the giving way to hardnesse of heart hard'ns the more, and adds more to the number. God to an evil and adulterous generation would not grant a signe; much lesse would he for their hardnesse of heart pollute his law with adulterous permission. Yea, but to permitt evil, is not to doe evil. Yes, it is in a most eminent manner to doe evil: where else are all our grave and faithfull sayings, that he whose office is to forbid and forbids not, bids, exhorts, encourages. Why hath God denounc't his anger against parents, maisters, freinds, magistrates neglectfull of forbidding what they ought, if law, the common father, maister, friend, and perpetuall magistrate shall not onely not forbidd, but enact, exhibit, and uphold with countnance and protection, a deede every way dishonest, what ever the pretence be. If it were of those inward vices, which the law cannot by outward constraint remedy, but leaves to conscience and perswasion, it had bin guiltlesse in being silent: but to write a decree of that which can be no way lawfull, and might with ease be hinder'd, makes law by the doome of law it selfe accessory in the highest degree.
Seventhly, it makes God the direct author of sin: For although he bee not made the authour of what he silently permitts in his providence, yet in his law, the image of his will, when in plaine expression he constitutes and ordaines a fact utterly unlawfull, what wants hee to authorize it, and what wants that to be the author?
Eightly, to establish by law a thing wholy unlawfull and dishonest, is an affirmation was never heard of before in any law, reason, philosophy, or religion, till it was rais'd by inconsiderat glossists from the mistake of this text. And though the Civilians have bin contented to chew this opinion, after the canon had subdu'd them, yet they never could bring example or authority either from divine writt, or human learning, or human practice in any nation, or well-form'd republick, but only from the customary abuse of this text. Usually they allege the Epistle of Cicero to Atticus; wherein Cato is blam'd for giving sentence to the scumme of Romulus, as if he were in Plato's common wealth. Cato would have call'd some great one into judgement for bribery, Cicero as the time stood, advis'd against it. Cato, not to endammage the public treasury, would not grant to the Roman Knights, that the Asian taxes might be farm'd them at a
