Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume XII/Gregory the Great/The Book of Pastoral Rule/Part III/Chapter 3

Chapter III.

How the joyful and the sad are to be admonished.

Admonition4.&#160; Differently to be admonished are the joyful and the sad.&#160; That is, before the joyful are to be set the sad things that follow upon punishment; but before the sad the promised glad things of the kingdom.&#160; Let the joyful learn by the asperity of threatenings what to be afraid of:&#160; let the sad bear what joys of reward they may look forward to.&#160; For to the former it is said, Woe unto you that laugh now!&#160; For ye shall weep (Luke vi. 25); but the latter hear from the teaching of the same Master, I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man shall take from you (Joh. xvi. 22).&#160; But some are not made joyful or sad by circumstances, but are so by temperament.&#160; And to such it should be intimated that certain defects are connected with certain temperaments; that the joyful have lechery close at hand, and the sad wrath.&#160; Hence it is necessary for every one to consider not only what he suffers from his peculiar temperament, but also what worse thing presses on him in connection with it; lest, while he fights not at all against that which he has, he succumb also to that from which he supposes himself free.