135. Not without pain is a limb of the body
cut off which has become corrupt. It is treated for a long time,
to see if it can be cured with various remedies. If it cannot be
cured, then it is cut off by a good physician. Thus it is a good
bishop’s desire to wish to heal the weak, to remove the spreading
ulcers, to burn some parts and not to cut them off; and lastly, when
they cannot be healed, to cut them off with pain to himself.
Wherefore that beautiful rule of the Apostle stands forth brightly,
that we should look each one, not on his own things, but on the things
of others. Phil. ii. 4. In this way
it will never come about that we shall in anger give way to our own
feelings, or concede more than is right in favour to our own
wishes.