Wesley Corpus

I applied to it again. I took into my assistance an Apothecary, and an experienced Surgeon; resolving, at the same time, not to go out of my depth, but to leave all difficult and complicated cases to such Physicians as the patients should choose. 3. I gave notice of this to the society; telling them, that all who were ill of chronical distempers (for I did not care to ven ture upon acute) might, if they pleased, come to me at such a time, and I would give them the best advice I could, and the best medicines I had. 4. Many came : (And so every Friday since :) Among the rest was one William Kirkman, a weaver, near Old Nichol street. I asked him, “What complaint have you?” “O Sir,” said he, “a cough, a very sore cough. I can get no rest day nor night.” I asked, “How long have you had it?” He replied, “About threescore years: It began when I was eleven years old.” I was nothing glad that this man should come first, fearing our not curing him might discourage others. However, I looked up to God, and said, “Take this three or four times a day. If it does you no good, it will do you no harm.” He took it two or three days. His cough was cured, and has not returned to this day. 5. Now, let candid men judge, does humility require me to deny a notorious fact? If not, which is vanity? to say, I by my own skill restored this man to health; or to say, God did it by his own almighty power? By what figure of speech this is called boasting, I know not. But I will put no name to such a fact as this. I leave that to the Rev. Dr. Middleton. 6. In five months, medicines were occasionally given to above five hundred persons. Several of these I never saw before; for I did not regard whether they were of the society or not. In that time seventy-one of these, regularly taking their medi cines, and following the regimen prescribed, (which three in four would not do,) were entirely cured of distempers long thought to be incurable. The whole expense of medicines during this time, was nearly forty pounds.