The gallants burden A sermon preached at Pauls Cross, the twenty nine of March,…The gallants burden A sermon preached at Paules Crosse, the twentie nine of March,…

Thus God crosseth the worlds fashion, by putting them in his Chronicle, which are not here thought of, and leaving those out, which the world boasts of as her glory: to a soul that hath more Affection in her, then Religion, it seems a great matter of pity: that Plato, Cato, Alexander, & some of those mighty Roman Caesars, honoured with the graces of Nature, the bounties of Fortune, & the greatest glory, the forced world could yield them, should yet want a name in Gods Book, a place in his Kingdom. Greatness is the fairest object to the eye of the world, Goodness to the eye of Heaven: There is a glorious splendour in pompous Honour, to draw the eyes of admiration after it; it little affects the sight of God, if Virtue gives it not a Lustre: he that is goodness and greatness it self (when others have it in the concrete, good and great, he hath and deserves it in the abstract) is pleased (to prefer his title of Optimus, before that of Maximus) and first to be called Good,¹ ⟨image 5⟩and then Great. His affections should be ours: he is the absolute precedent of our imitation.

Thus God crosseth the worlds fashion, by putting them in his Chronicle, which are not heere thought of, and leauing those out, which the world boastes of as her glorie: to a soule that hath more Affection in her, then Religion, it seemes a great matter of pitty: that Plato, Cato, Alexander, & some of those mighty Romane Cesars, honored with the graces of Nature, the bounties of Fortune, & the greatest glory, the fore'd world could yeeld them, should yet want a name in Gods Booke, a place in his Kingdome. Greatnes is the fairest obiect to the eye of the world, Goodnes to the eye of Heauen: There is a glorious splendour in pompous Honour, to draw the eyes of admiration after it; it litle affectes the sight of God, if Vertue giues it not a Lustre: hee that is goodnesse and greatnesse it selfe (when others haue it in the concrete, good and great, he hath and deserues it in the abstract) is pleased (to preferre his title of Optimus, before that of Maximus) and first to be called Good,¹ ⟨image 5⟩and then Great. His affections should be ours: he is the absolute precedent of our imitation.