230

THE RELATIVE DUTIES OF MANKIND [Part III.

relatives, and such as appear to originate in motives of personalpique, malice, or revenge. He may be useful, too, in caseswhere suits are inevitable, in allaying the bitterness and animos-ity of the contending parties. On the other hand, no man hasit in his power to disturb society so much as the lawyer, by ex-citing animosities, fomenting quarrels, and otherwise stirring upthe elements of discord. “It is scarcely possible,” says Gis-borne, “to calculate the injury done to individuals and to thepublic, by a lawyer who foments quarrels and encourages litiga-tion ; who takes fraudulent advantages; who imposes on thesimplicity of witnesses ; who heaps expenses on his employersby recommending needless consultations, by promoting artificialdelays and suggesting circuitous methods of proceeding, bydrawing out deeds and other instruments to an extravagant andunnecessary length, and by immoderate charges for his personaltrouble and attendance ; who betrays the private concerns of oneman, or of one family, to another ; or practises any of the innu-merable devices of unprincipled chicanery, by which contestsare excited or prolonged, the demands of justice resisted oreluded, and dishonest emoluments obtained or pursued.” *

The spiritual functions of the clergy, bring them into friendlyand confidential relations with every class of mankind, from thehumblest to the highest ; and this peculiarity in the nature oftheir office gives them constant facilities for rendering themselvesuseful to every grade of society, by promoting peace, givinginstruction and advice, and administering consolation to all, asoccasion is from day to day presented. Every member of acongregation may well expect to find in his pastor a friend and aconfidential adviser ; a man “ ready to every good work.”f Noone of the private professions, however, puts it in a man’s powerto do so much good at a small expense, as the profession ofmedicine. Health, which is precious to men of every condition,is to the poor invaluable, — it is their all. And with respect toexpense, the price of medicines, at first hand, is small, and thecost of advice is nothing, where it is given to those only who arewithout the means of paying for it.J

* Inquiry into the Duties of Men in the higher Glasses of Society in GreatBritain, Vol. I. p. 342.

t Titus iii. 1.

♦ Paley’s Moral and Political Philosophy, p. 169.