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,…

But alas, sin (which is Burden enough to sink the world) is made light by custom; as if resting in mans heart, it did (Quiessere in propriam sedem) settle it self in the own natural place: It is a philosophical Axiom (Nullum elementum suo loco pondurat) no element is heavy in the proper place: Though Sin be as weighty as a Talent of Lead,¹ (saith the Prophet) yet it is at the Centre, (when) got into the corrupted heart, and weighs light: and except the wrath of God fall upon the naked Conscience, Sin lies at the door, and Cain never cries, It is greater then I am able to bear. Judas had Burden enough of treason, hypocrisy, malice, covetousness, to sink him down; it was no Burden, till the finger of Gods wrath touched the tender heart-strings, and then it pressed him down to his own place.² How many have in curvate and oppressed souls, bowed down with the spirit of infirmity (nay of rank iniquity) more then 18. years, that are not yet sensible of their own crookedness, nor the cause thereof: for it can not be, but the devoured Patrimonies of many Orphans, the ruins and depopulations of Townes, the devastation of Holy things, should be Burdens too heavy for a poor crazy Soul to stand under: Piles of Usury heavier then Ae•na, Burdens of Bribes out balancing the Axletree, are more then the Giants, Geonaxo, Monsters of Men, and Prodigies of Nature were able to bear. We could not see a corrupted Lawyer, Citizen, Cormorant, go so nimbly, and so bolt upright under such a mass of sin, if they had not some help: Here it is, the strong man Satan (so it pleaseth Christ to term him) puts under his shoulder, and makes the Vessel go tight and easy, with an equal Balance, which could not else swim upon the Waters without sinking: Pride could not else carry a whole Township on his back, which his father Covetousness ⟨p. 7⟩had (but newly) devastate, clambering up to Honour, (as Jonathan to the Garrison of the Phi•istens by the raggedness of these two Rocks, Bozez and Seneh; so these) by the desolation of our two main Rocks, the Church, and Common-wealth.

But alasse, sinne (which is Burden enough to sinke the world) is made light by custome; as if resting in mans heart, it did (Quiessere in propriam sedem) settle it selfe in the owne naturall place: It is a philosophicall Axiome (Nullum elementum suo loco pondurat) no element is heauie in the proper place: Though Sinne be as weightie as a Talent of Lead,