The bodily physician shall consider
what abundance of these evil humours the man hath, that the devil
maketh his instruments, in moving the man toward that fearful
affection. And he shall proceed by fitting diet and suitable
medicines to resist them, as well as by purgations to disburden
the body of them.
Let no man think it strange that I would advise a man to take
counsel for the body, in such spiritual suffering. For since the
body and the soul are so knit and joined together that they both
make between them one person, the distemperance of either one
engendereth sometimes the distemperance of both twain. And
therefore I would advise every man in every sickness of the body
to be shriven and to seek of a good spiritual physician the sure
health of his soul. For this shall not only serve against peril
that may peradventure grow further by that sickness than in the
beginning men think were likely, but the comfort of it (and God's
favour increasing with it) shall also do the body good. For this
cause the blessed apostle St. James exhorteth men in their bodily
sickness to call in the priests, and saith that it shall do them
good both in body and soul. So likewise would I sometimes advise
some men, in some sickness of the soul, besides their spiritual
leech, to take also some counsel of the physician for the body.
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