The Joyful and the Sad

Admonition 4. The joyful are to be admonished in one way, and the sad in another. That is, the sad things that follow as punishment are to be set before the joyful, but the glad things promised in the kingdom before the sad. Let the joyful learn from the sharpness of threats what to be afraid of; let the sad hear what joys of reward they may look forward to. For to the joyful it is said, “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will weep.” But the sad hear from the teaching of the same Master, “I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” But some are not made joyful or sad by circumstances; they are so by temperament. Such people should be shown that certain faults go with certain temperaments: the joyful have lust close at hand, and the sad have anger. So everyone must consider not only what he suffers from his own particular temperament, but also what worse thing presses on him along with it, lest, while he does not fight at all against what he has, he also give way to the fault he supposes himself free of. [b]