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But double-mindedness is an earthly spirit from the devil, having no power. You therefore serve faith, which has power, and refrain from double-mindedness, which has no power, and you shall live to God, and all who think these things will live to God. Tenth Mandate Put away from yourself, he says, grief; for this is a sister of double-mindedness and of anger. How, sir, I say, is it a sister to these? For anger seems to me to be one thing, and double-mindedness another, and grief another. You are senseless, O man, he says; do you not understand that grief is more wicked than all the spirits and most terrible to the servants of God, and beyond all the spirits it corrupts man, and crushes out the Holy Spirit, and again saves him? I, sir, I say, am senseless, and I do not understand these parables; for how it can crush out and again save, I do not understand. Listen, he says; those who have never inquired concerning the truth nor sought concerning the Godhead, but have only believed, and are entangled in business and wealth and heathen friendships and many other occupations of this world; as many, then, as are devoted to these things, do not understand the parables of the Godhead; for they are darkened by these actions and are corrupted and become barren. Just as fine vineyards, when they are neglected, are made barren by thorns and various weeds, so men who have believed and fall into these many aforementioned actions, are led astray from their understanding and understand nothing at all about righteousness, but even when they hear about the Godhead and truth, their mind is occupied with their business, and they understand nothing at all. But those who have the fear of God and inquire concerning the Godhead and truth, and have their heart toward the Lord, quickly perceive and understand all that is said to them, because they have the fear of the Lord in themselves. For where the Lord dwells, there also is much understanding. Cleave therefore to the Lord, and you will understand and perceive all things. Listen now, he says, foolish one, how grief crushes out the Holy Spirit and again saves. When the double-minded man attempts some action, and fails in it on account of his double-mindedness, this grief enters into the man, and grieves the Holy Spirit and crushes it out. Then again, when anger cleaves to a man concerning some matter, and he is greatly embittered, again grief enters into the heart of the man who was angry, and he is grieved at the deed that he did, and repents that he did evil. This grief, therefore, seems to bring salvation, because having done evil he repented. Both actions, therefore, grieve the Spirit: double-mindedness, because it did not succeed in its action, and anger grieves the Spirit, because it did what was evil. Both, therefore, are grievous to the Holy Spirit, double-mindedness and anger. Put away, therefore, grief from yourself and do not afflict the Holy Spirit that dwells in you, lest it plead against you to God, and depart from you. For the Spirit of God which was given to this flesh does not endure grief or distress. Clothe yourself, therefore, in cheerfulness which always has favor with God and is acceptable to Him, and rejoice in it. For every cheerful man works good things and thinks good things, and despises grief. But the grieving man is always wicked; first, he is wicked because he grieves the

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ἡ δὲ διψυχία ἐπίγειον πνεῦμά ἐστι παρὰ τοῦ διαβόλου, δύναμιν μὴ ἔχουσα. σὺ οὖν δούλευε τῇ ἐχούσῃ δύναμιν τῇ πίστει, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς διψυχίας ἀπόσχου τῆς μὴ ἐχούσης δύναμιν, καὶ ζήσῃ τῷ θεῷ, καὶ πάντες ζήσονται τῷ θεῷ οἱ ταῦτα φρονοῦντες. Ἐντολὴ ι Ἀρον ἀπὸ σεαυτοῦ, φησί, τὴν λύπην· καὶ γὰρ αὕτη ἀδελφή ἐστι τῆς διψυχίας καὶ τῆς ὀξυχολίας. Πῶς, φημί, κύριε, ἀδελφή ἐστι τούτων; ἄλλο γάρ μοι δοκεῖ εἶναι ὀξυχολία, καὶ ἄλλο διψυχία, καὶ ἄλλο λύπη. Ἀσύνετος εἶ, ἄνθρωπε, φησίν· οὐ νοεῖς ὅτι ἡ λύπη πάντων τῶν πνευμάτων πονηρο τέρα ἐστὶ καὶ δεινοτάτη τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ παρὰ πάντα τὰ πνεύματα καταφθείρει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἐκτρίβει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ πάλιν σώζει; Ἐγώ, φημί, κύριε, ἀσύνετός εἰμι, καὶ οὐ συνίω τὰς παραβολὰς ταύτας· πῶς γὰρ δύναται ἐκτρίβειν καὶ πάλιν σώζειν, οὐ νοῶ. Ἄκουε, φησίν· οἱ μηδέποτε ἐρευνήσαντες περὶ τῆς ἀληθείας μηδὲ ἐπιζητήσαντες περὶ τῆς θεότητος, πιστεύσαντες δὲ μόνον, ἐμπεφυρμένοι δὲ πραγματείαις καὶ πλούτῳ καὶ φιλίαις ἐθνικαῖς καὶ ἄλλαις πολλαῖς πραγματείαις τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου· ὅσοι οὖν τούτοις πρόσκεινται, οὐ νοοῦσι τὰς παραβολὰς τῆς θεό τητος· ἐπισκοτοῦνται γὰρ ὑπὸ τούτων τῶν πράξεων καὶ καταφθείρονται καὶ γίνονται κεχερσωμένοι. καθὼς οἱ ἀμπελῶνες οἱ καλοί, ὅταν ἀμελείας τύχωσι, χερσοῦνται ἀπὸ τῶν ἀκανθῶν καὶ βοτανῶν ποικίλων, οὕτως οἱ ἄν θρωποι οἱ πιστεύσαντες καὶ εἰς ταύτας τὰς πράξεις τὰς πολλὰς ἐμπίπτοντες τὰς προειρημένας, ἀποπλανῶνται ἀπὸ τῆς διανοίας αὐτῶν καὶ οὐδὲν ὅλως νοοῦσι περὶ δικαιοσύνης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅταν ἀκούσωσι περὶ θεότητος καὶ ἀλη θείας, ὁ νοῦς αὐτῶν περὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτῶν καταγίνεται, καὶ οὐδὲν ὅλως νοοῦ σιν. οἱ δὲ φόβον ἔχοντες θεοῦ καὶ ἐρευνῶντες περὶ θεότητος καὶ ἀληθείας, καὶ τὴν καρδίαν ἔχοντες πρὸς τὸν κύριον, πάντα τὰ λεγόμενα αὐτοῖς τάχιον νοοῦσι καὶ συνίουσιν, ὅτι ἔχουσι τὸν φόβον τοῦ κυρίου ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. ὅπου γὰρ ὁ κύριος κατοικεῖ, ἐκεῖ καὶ σύνεσις πολλή. κολλήθητι οὖν τῷ κυρίῳ, καὶ πάντα συνήσεις καὶ νοήσεις. Ἄκουε οὖν, φησίν, ἀνόητε, πῶς ἡ λύπη ἐκτρίβει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον καὶ πάλιν σώζει. ὅταν ὁ δίψυχος ἐπιβάληται πρᾶξίν τινα, καὶ ταύτης ἀπο τύχῃ διὰ τὴν διψυχίαν αὐτοῦ, ἡ λύπη αὕτη εἰσπορεύεται εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ λυπεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον καὶ ἐκτρίβει αὐτό. εἶτα πάλιν ἡ ὀξυχολία ὅταν κολληθῇ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ περὶ πράγματός τινος, καὶ λίαν πικρανθῇ, πάλιν ἡ λύπη εἰσπορεύεται εἰς τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοῦ ὀξυχολήσαντος, καὶ λυπεῖται ἐπὶ τῇ πράξει αὐτοῦ ᾗ ἔπραξε, καὶ μετανοεῖ ὅτι πονηρὸν εἰργάσατο. αὕτη οὖν ἡ λύπη δοκεῖ σωτηρίαν ἔχειν, ὅτι τὸ πονηρὸν πράξας μετενόησεν. ἀμφότεραι οὖν αἱ πράξεις λυποῦσι τὸ πνεῦμα· ἡ μὲν διψυχία, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπέτυχε τῆς πράξεως αὐτῆς, ἡ δὲ ὀξυχολία λυπεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα, ὅτι ἔπραξε τὸ πονηρόν. ἀμφότερα οὖν λυπηρά ἐστι τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ, ἡ διψυχία καὶ ἡ ὀχυξολία. ἆρον οὖν ἀπὸ σεαυτοῦ τὴν λύπην καὶ μὴ θλῖβε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τὸ ἐν σοὶ κατοικοῦν, μήποτε ἐντεύξηται κατὰ σοῦ τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἀποστῇ ἀπὸ σοῦ. τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ δοθὲν εἰς τὴν σάρκα ταύτην λύπην οὐχ ὑποφέρει οὐδὲ στενοχωρίαν. Ἔνδυσαι οὖν τὴν ἱλαρότητα τὴν πάντοτε ἔχουσαν χάριν παρὰ τῷ θεῷ καὶ εὐπρόσδεκτον οὖσαν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐντρύφα ἐν αὐτῇ. πᾶς γὰρ ἱλαρὸς ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὰ ἐργάζεται καὶ ἀγαθὰ φρονεῖ, καὶ καταφρονεῖ τῆς λύπης. ὁ δὲ λυ πηρὸς ἀνὴρ πάντοτε πονηρεύεται· πρῶτον μὲν πονηρεύεται, ὅτι λυπεῖ τὸ