Dirtll· I• Virea. 2· Vire8. 3· Asover-va– bing mcm ownundc:r– fhndingl in Reht:ion,is the m me of foul~ and ·The 'Duty of Plryjicions. CHAP. V. The 'Duty of Phyjicions. NEither is it my purpofe to give any occafion, to the learned men of thH honourable profcffion , ~o fay that I intermeddle in the myfieries or matters "of their arr. 1 {hall only tell them, and that very briefly, what God and Confcience will expect from them. 9· t· Direct. t· 'Befure that the favingof meutlivetand IJtalth, be firfl aMd chirfly in your Inun– tion, btfore any gain or honMr of.Your own. I know you may lawfully have refpcGt:, both to your maintenance and honour: But m a[tcond placeonly, as a far Idler goad than the ltvt 1 of men. · If rnonry be your Ultimate end, youdebafeyourprofeffion, which as exerci{td by yoH, can be no more to your honour or comfort, than your own. intention _carrye~h it. It is. more the EnJ than the M(an 1 that cnnobleth or dcbafeth men: If ga:n be the thmg whtch ·you chtefly fcek, the matter is 11 or ve'ry great (to you), w_hether you feek it. by medicining "'_l~n or beall~, or by lower means than either of them. To otbcrr mdeed at may be a very g~;eat benefit, whofe ltves you have been a means to fave.; but to your [elvu it ~ill be no greater, th~n your int~ntion rnakcth it. If the honouring and plcafing God, and the publtck good, and the favmg of mens ltvcs, be really firft and highell in your · defires, then it is God that you ~crvc to your profeffi~n :. Otherwtfe you ~o but ferve your felvcs. And take heed Id\ you h.<re dcCCivc your fclves, by thmkmg that the Good of others is your end :and clearer to yOu than your gain, hecaufc your Reafon telleth you it is bttttr, and ought to be pre~ ferred: For God and the publick good are not every mans end, that can fpcak highly of thern, and fay they jhould be fo. If moll of the world do practtcally prefer thm carnal profpcrity even before their fouls, while they fpeak of the World asdifgracefully as others, and call it Vanity ; how much more eafily may you deceive your_iclves, in preferring your gain before mens Jives, while your tongue ean fpeak contemptuoufly of gam. • . . · ~· 2 , Direct. 2. Be rwly t" help the poor M weD M the nch : Dtlfercncmg them no further than the public~ good requireth you to do. L<r not thchealth or hvcs of men be neglected, bccaufe they have no money to give you : Many poor people perdh for want of means. becaufe they are difcour4lged from going to Phyficions, thro~gh the cmptinefs of. t?eir purfes: In fuch a cafe you mull: nor only help them gro~tU, bur alfo appomt the cheapefi Medtctnes for them. §· 3· Dirt&. 3· Adventure not unneceffarily tm thingr beyond your l~iU) but in difficult ca[e1 ptr[wade your patient I to u{t tht help of abler Phyficio~J, if there bt any to be bad, thougk it be againft your own commodity. So far (hould you be from envymg the greater c:ficem and praCbce of abler men, and from all unworthy afperfions or detra8ion, that you fhould de your befi to perfwade all your pa. tients to fcck their counfels, when eVer the danger of their lives or health requireth ir. For their Liver are of greater value than. your gain.. So abfirufc and conje~ura~ is the buGnefs of your pro.. fcffion that it rcquireth v.ery h1gh accomphfhments to be a Phyfic10n mdeed ! If there concur not I · A ~aturalftrength of Rea[on and fagacity, 2. And a great deal of jlHdy, reading, and acquaintanc~ With the way of txcellcnt men, 3· And confiderablc experience of your 9Rm 1 to ripen all this; yoa have caufc ro be very fearful and cautelous in your pradice, lefi you facrifice mens lives to your igno– rance and temerity. And. one man that hath all thcfe accornplllhments, in a high degree, may do more good, than a bundred fmatterers: And when you are confcious of a defeCt: in any of thefe, (hould not rcafon and confcience command you, to prrfwade the fick, to feek out to thofe that arc abler than your fdvcs >Should mens lives be hazzarded, that you may get by it a little fordid gain? It is fo great a doubt whether tl!e ignorant unexperi~nced fort of Phyficions, do aue or hurt more, that it hath brought rhe vulgar m many Countreys, mto a contempt of Phyficions. ~;cu::~~~1in;~ens r~w uncxpericnced :tppreh"~fions in Phy!ick co!leth mulritudet their Ji,·es. experieuced Phy:~cions cure more or the re£1 kdl more? I know nor whether a few able, judiciQus, Dire!). 4· ~· 4· D'rcct. 4· Vtpt,d onGod for you' direl1io11 and fuccefs. Earnrj!ly crave h~ ~tip •nd blef!ingU. aU your und.·rtak_ing,r. Without this all your labour is in vain. How eatle is it for you, to overlook fomc ,me 1bi~tg, among a multitude that mujl be {em, about the CaHfir and CHrt of difeafcs, unlcfs God fh.dl op n it ro you, and give you a dear difcerning, and an univerfal obfervation ? And when twcn;y coqlldcrablc things are noted, a mans life may be loll, for want of your difcerning ont point mort. 'What nted have you of the help of God, to bring the titrefi remedies to your memory? And much more to blcfs them when they are adminillred ? as the experience of your daily praaice may inform you ( where Athcifm hath not made men fools). .
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