Englands sickness, comparatively conferred with Israels Divided into two sermons, by ThoEnglands sicknes, comparatively conferred with Israels Diuided into two sermons, by Tho

1 Riches are the desire of many hearts, the special fruit which their hands reach to gather (passing by all the better trees in Gods orchard) the object of most endeavours: How vain, how tedious, how odious are they without health? Let them bind gold to their a king head, drink Cleopatras draught, (precious stones dissolved) to ease their rasping stomach, involve and wrap their convulsed joints in furs and silks, empty their coffers in the Physicians study; if (nature and her Ordinatour) God deny health, how unvaluable are their riches, how unavailable their projects! How complain they (after all experimented succours) their unabated anguish! Therefore the son of Sirach truly saith;¹ Better is the poor being sound and strong of constitution, then a rich man that is afflicted in his body. Health and good state of body are above all gold, a strong body above infinite wealth. There is no riches above a sound body, and no joy above the joy of the heart. The poor man well, only admireth wealth, The rich man sick, only commendeth health. ⟨p. 58⟩Health gives means to be rich, riches give no means to be healthful. Nay, they are rather traitors and adversaries to it: Not scaffolds whereby health is built up, but stairs to descend by to the grave. The Rich mans quotidian delicacies rotted him for death. Where there is a full purse, and an esurient ambitious appetite, there is a close and unsuspected conspiracy against the health. Thus we do not more eagerly pursue opulency in our soundness then in our sickness we contemptibly despise, loathingly dislike it.

1 Riches are the desire of many hearts, the speciall fruit which their hands reach to gather (passing by all the better trees in Gods orchard) the obiect of most endeuours: How vaine, how tedious, how odious are they without health? Let them binde gold to their a king head, drinke Cleopatras draught, (precious stones dissolued) to ease their rasping stomacke, inuolue and wrappe their conu•lsed ioyntes in furres and silkes, empty their coffers in the Physitians study; if (nature and her Ordinatour) God deny health, how vnualuable are their riches, how vnauaileable their proiects! How complain they (after all experimented succours) their vnabated anguish! Therefore the son of Sirach truly saith;