George Herbert on the pastor as lawyer and doctor

Most of this chapter of Herbert will sound quite strange to modern pastors. But in Herbert’s day it was not unusual for ministers to be looked upon as both legal and medical experts as well as spiritual guides. He was no doubt motivated by 1 Corinthians 6 to try and help Christians not to resort to law against each other, but sort their differences out within the family of the church.

There’s an interesting chapter about Herbert as a herbalist here. Puritan pastor, Richard Baxter was also known to dabble in medical affairs. In his autobiography, for example, he talks about reading a medical textbook and taking its advice to swallow a gold bullet (which he could not then be delivered of, without a special day of prayer and fasting being called for him!). Even as late as the 19th century, JC Ryle would be attempting to cure ague in his parishioners and claimed to have saved many lives from scarlet fever by giving people large quantities of beef tea. His cure for typhus fever was to give people large quantities of port, which he provided for them.

Having a well-educated man in the parish, the type who could read big dusty tomes and talk knowledgeably about various things, might have given people the idea that they had a truly gifted all-rounder in their midst. Whether they were always helped by such amateurs, is perhaps more difficult to judge. The best advice below is that the pastor should not usually “encroach on other’s professions.”

CHAPTER 23
The Parson’s Completeness

The country parson desires to be all to his parish, and not only a pastor, but a lawyer also, and a Physician.

Therefore he endures not that any of his flock should go to Law; but in any controversy that they should resort to him as their judge. To this end, he has gotten to himself some insight in things ordinarily incident and controverted, by experience, and by reading some initiatory treatises in the Law, with Dalton’s Justice of Peace, and the Abridgements of the Statutes, as also by discourse with men of that profession, whom he has ever some cases to ask when he meets with them; holding that rule, that to put men to discourse of that wherein they are most eminent is the most gainful way of conversation.

Yet whenever any controversy is brought to him, he never decides it alone but sends for three or four of the ablest of the parish to hear the cause with him, whom he makes to deliver their opinion first; out of which he gathers, in case he be ignorant himself, what to hold. And so the thing passes with more authority and less envy. In judging, he follows that which is altogether right; so that if the poorest man of the parish detain but a pin unjustly from the richest, he absolutely restores it as a judge; but when he has so done, then he assumes the parson and exhorts to charity.

Nevertheless, there may happen sometimes some cases wherein he chooses to permit his parishioners rather to make use of the Law, than himself — as in cases of an obscure and dark nature, not easily determinable by lawyers themselves; or in cases of high consequence, as establishing of inheritances; or lastly, when the persons in difference are of a contentious disposition, and cannot be gained, but that they still fall from all compromises that have been made. But then he shows them how to go to Law, even as brethren, and not as enemies, neither avoiding therefore one another’s company, much less defaming one another.

Now as the parson is in Law, so is he in sickness also. If there be any of his flock sick, he is their physician, or at least his wife, of whom instead of the qualities of the world, he asks no other but to have the skill of healing a wound, or helping the sick. But if neither himself nor his wife have the skill, and his means serve, he keeps some young practitioner in his house for the benefit of his parish, whom yet he ever exhorts not to exceed his bounds, but in tricky cases to call in help.

If all fail, then he keeps good correspondence with some neighbour physician, and entertains him for the cure of his parish. Yet is it easy for any scholar to attain to such a measure of physic as may be of much use to him both for himself and others. This is done by seeing one Anatomy, reading one book of physic, having one herbal by him. And let Fernelius be the physic author, for he writes briefly, neatly, and judiciously;. Especially let his Method of Physic be diligently perused, as being the practical part, and of most use. Now both the reading of him, and the knowing of herbs may be done at such times, as they may be an help, and a recreation to more divine studies, nature serving grace both in comfort of diversion and the benefit of application when need requires; as also by way of illustration, even as our Saviour made plants and seeds to teach the people: for he was the true householder, who brings out of his treasure things new and old; the old things of philosophy, and the new of grace; and makes the one serve the other.

And I conceive, our Saviour did this for three reasons: first, that by familiar things he might make his doctrine slip the more easily into the hearts even of the meanest. Secondly, that labouring people (whom he chiefly considered) might have everywhere monuments of his doctrine, remembering in gardens, his mustard-seed and lilies; in the field, his seed-corn and tares; and so not be drowned altogether in the works of their vocation, but sometimes lift up their minds to better things, even in the midst of their pains.

Thirdly, that he might set a copy for parsons. In the knowledge of simples, wherein the manifold wisdom of God is wonderfully to be seen, one thing would be carefully observed — which is, to know what herbs may be used instead of drugs of the same nature, and to make the garden the shop. For home-bred medicines are both more easy for the parson’s purse, and more familiar for all men’s bodies. So, where the Apothecary uses either for loosing, rhubarb, or for binding, bolearmena [bolus armenus], the parson uses damask or white roses for the one, and plantain, shepherds purse, knot-grass for the other, and that with better success.

As for spices, he does not only prefer home-bred things before them, but condemns them for vanities, and so shuts them out of his family, esteeming that there is no spice comparable for herbs, to rosemary, thyme, savoury, mints; and for seeds, to fennel and caraway seeds. Accordingly, for salves, his wife seeks not the city, but prefers her garden and fields before all outlandish gums. And surely hyssop, valerian, mercury, adders tongue, yerrow, melilot, and Saint John’s wort made into a salve; and Elder, camomile, mallows, comphrey and smallage made into a poultice, have done great and rare cures.

In curing of any, the parson and his family use to premise prayers, for this is to cure like a parson, and this raises the action from the shop to the Church. But though the parson sets forward all charitable deeds, yet he looks not in this point of curing beyond his own parish, except the person be so poor that he is not able to reward the physician. For as he is charitable, so he is just also. Now it is a justice and debt to the Commonwealth he lives in, not to encroach on other’s professions, but to live on his own. And justice is the ground of charity.