“Put sadness away from yourself,” he said, “for it too is a sister of double-mindedness and quick temper.” I said, “How, Sir, is it their sister? Quick temper seems to me to be one thing, double-mindedness another, and sadness another.” “You are without understanding,” he said, “and do not realize that sadness is more wicked than all the spirits and most dangerous to the servants of God. More than any other spirit it ruins a person, drives out the Holy Spirit, and yet can also save.” “Sir,” I said, “I am without understanding and do not understand these parables. I do not understand how sadness can drive out and yet also save.” “Listen,” he said. “Those who have never investigated the truth or sought to understand divinity, but have merely believed and then become entangled in business, wealth, friendships with Gentiles, and many other affairs of this age—those who devote themselves to these things do not understand the parables concerning divinity. They are darkened by these activities, corrupted, and become barren. Just as good vineyards, when neglected, are made barren by thorns and all kinds of weeds, so people who have believed and then fall into these many affairs already mentioned are led away from understanding and comprehend nothing at all about righteousness. Even when they hear about divinity and truth, their mind is occupied with their affairs, and they understand nothing at all. But those who fear God, investigate divinity and truth, and keep their heart directed toward the Lord understand and comprehend everything said to them more quickly, because they have the fear of the Lord within them. For where the Lord dwells, there is also great understanding. Therefore cling to the Lord, and you will understand and comprehend everything.”
“Listen then, foolish man,” he said, “to how sadness drives out the Holy Spirit and yet also saves. When a double-minded person undertakes some action and fails in it because of his double-mindedness, this sadness enters the person, grieves the Holy Spirit, and drives Him out. Then again, when quick temper attaches itself to a person over some matter and he becomes deeply bitter, sadness enters the heart of the person who became quick-tempered. He is grieved over what he did and repents because he did evil. This sadness, then, seems to contain salvation, because after doing evil he repented. Both actions therefore grieve the Spirit: double-mindedness grieves Him because the person did not succeed in his undertaking, while quick temper grieves the Spirit because the person did evil. Both double-mindedness and quick temper, then, are grievous to the Holy Spirit. Therefore remove sadness from yourself and do not distress the Holy Spirit who dwells in you, lest He intercede with God and depart from you. For the Spirit of God who was given into this flesh does not endure sadness or distress.”
“Clothe yourself, therefore, in cheerfulness, which always has favor with God and is acceptable to Him, and delight in it. For every cheerful person does good, thinks good, and despises sadness. But the sad person is always doing evil. First, he does evil because he grieves the Holy Spirit, who was given to the person as a cheerful Spirit. Second, by grieving the Holy Spirit he commits lawlessness, because he neither prays nor confesses to the Lord. For the prayer of a sad person never has power to ascend to the altar of God.” I said, “Why does the prayer of the person who is sad not ascend to the altar?” “Because,” he said, “sadness is seated in his heart. Sadness, then, when mixed with prayer, does not allow the prayer to ascend pure to the altar. For just as vinegar and wine mixed together do not have the same pleasant taste, so sadness mixed with the Holy Spirit does not have the same prayer. Therefore cleanse yourself from this wicked sadness, and you will live to God; and all who cast sadness away from themselves and clothe themselves in all cheerfulness will live to God.”