Page:Tetrachordon - Milton (1645).djvu/78

 only to avoid an evill, because no other end is there exprest. Thus Moses of necessity suffer'd many to put away their wives for hardnesse of heart; but enacted the law of divorce doubtles for other good causes, not for this only sufferance. He permitted not divorce by law as an evil, for that was impossible to divine law, but permitted by accident the evil of them who divorc't against the lawes intention undiscoverably This also may be thought not improbably, that Christ stirr'd up in his spirit against these tempting Pharises, answer'd them in a certain forme of indignation usual among good authors; wherby the question, or the truth is not directly answer'd, but som thing which is fitter for them, who aske, to heare. So in the ecclesiastical stories, one demanding how God imploy'd himself before the world was made, had answer; that he was making hel for curious questioners. Another (and Libanius the Sophist as I remember) asking in derision som Christian, what the Carpenter, meaning our Saviour, was doing, now that Julian so prevail'd, had it return'd him, that the Carpenter was making a coffin for the Apostat. So Christ being demanded maliciously why Moses made the law of divorce, answers them in a vehement scheme, not telling them the cause why he made it, but what was fittest to be told them, that for the hardnes of their hearts he suffer'd them to abuse it. And all beit Mark say not he suffer'd you, but to you he wrote this precept; Mark may be warrantably expounded by Mathew the larger. And whether he suffer'd, or gave precept, being all one as was heard, it changes not the trope of indignation, fittest account for such askers. Next for the hardnes of your hearts to you he wrote this precept, inferrs not therfore for this cause only he wrote it, as was parallell'd by other Scriptures. Lastly, It may be worth the observing, that Christ speaking to the Pharises does not say in general that for hardnes of heart he gave this precept, but you he suffer'd, & to you he gave this precept for your hardnes of heart. It cannot be easily thought that Christ heer included all the children of Israel under the person of these tempting Pharises but that he conceals wherefore he gave the better sort of them this law, and expresses by saying emphatically To you how he gave it to the worser, such as the Pharises best represented, that is to say for the hardnes of your hearts: as indeed to wicked man and hardn'd hearts he gives the whole law and the Gospel also, to hard'n them the more. Thus many waies it may orthodoxally be understood how God or Moses suffer'd such as the demanders were, to divorce for hardnes of heart. Whereas the vulgar expositor beset with contradictions and absurdities round, and resolving at any peril to make an exposition of it, as Rh