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he was speaking, and he offered him a final teaching; saying, "Brother, beloved and sweetest child, whom I have begotten through the Gospel, you know for what king you have enlisted and to whom you have made your professions. It is necessary, then, to keep these things firm, and to fulfill eagerly the duties of the campaign, as much as you promised in the charter of profession to the Lord of all, with all the heavenly host being present and bearing witness together, and at the same time also recording the things confessed, which keeping, you will be blessed. Therefore prefer nothing of present things to God and his goods. For what among present things could be so terrible as the Gehenna of eternal fire, which in its burning has no light at all, and in its punishing never ceases? And what again of the beautiful things of the world could bring so much joy, as God himself bestowing himself on those who have loved him? whose beauty is ineffable, whose power is invincible, and whose glory is eternal; whose good things, those laid up for his friends, incomparably surpass all things seen, which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and have not entered into the heart of man; of which may you be shown to be an heir, 314 being guarded by the most mighty hand of God." But the king's son, overcome with tears, was distressed and grieved, not enduring to be left behind by a loving father and an excellent teacher; "And who for me," he says, "O father, will fill your place? And under what such a shepherd and guide of the soul's salvation will I be? What comfort shall I find for my longing for you? For behold, me, the wicked servant and apostate, you have brought to God, and established in the rank of a son and heir, and the one who was lost and wandering in the mountains, ready as prey for every wild beast, you have sought, and you have mingled with the un-wandering sheep of God; and you have shown me the short way of truth, leading me out of the darkness and of the shadow of death, and, having moved my feet from the slippery and death-bearing and most crooked and curved path, you have become for me a procurer of great and marvelous good things, the excellence of which no word would suffice to narrate. May you yourself also partake of great gifts of God on behalf of me, the little one; and may the Lord fulfill the lack of my thanksgiving, who alone overcomes by the requital of his gifts those who love him." But Barlaam, cutting him off from the lament, having risen, stood for prayer, and raised his hands to the heavens; "O God," he said, "and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who enlightened the things previously darkened, and brought forth this visible and invisible creation from non-being, 316 who turned back your creature and did not allow us to walk after our foolishness, we thank you, and your wisdom and power, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom you also made the ages, and raised us up when we had fallen, and to those who had transgressed you have forgiven sins, those who had strayed you brought back, those who were captured you redeemed, those who were dead you made alive by the precious and lordly blood of your Son. You therefore I call upon, and your only-begotten Son, and your all-holy Spirit; look upon this your rational sheep, which has come through me the unworthy as a sacrifice to you, and sanctify his soul by your power and grace; visit this vine which was planted through your Holy Spirit, and grant it to bear the fruit of righteousness; strengthen him, confirming in him your covenant, and deliver him from the deceit of the devil. by the wisdom of your good Spirit teach him to do your will, and do not take away your help from him, deeming him worthy with me, your unprofitable servant, to become an heir of your unending good things, for you are blessed and glorified forever. Amen. And having finished the prayer and turned around, he embraced the child now of the heavenly Father. and having prayed for peace for him and eternal salvation, he went out of the palace, and

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ὡμίλει, καὶ τελευταίαν αὐτῷ διδασκαλίαν προσῆγεν· Ἀδελφέ, λέγων, ἠγαπημένε καὶ τέκνον γλυκύτατον, ὃ διὰ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἐγέννησα, οἶδας τίνι ἐστρατεύθης βασιλεῖ καὶ πρὸς τίνα τὰς ὁμολογίας σου διέθου. δεῖ οὖν βεβαίας ταύτας φυλάξαι, καὶ τὰ τῆς στρατείας προθύμως τελέσαι, ὅσα ὑπέσχου ἐν τῇ τῆς ὁμολογίας χάρτῃ τῷ πάντων ∆εσπότῃ, πάσης παρούσης τῆς ἐπουρανίου στρατιᾶς καὶ συμμαρτυρούσης, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἀπογραφομένης τὰ ὁμολογηθέντα, ἅτινα φυλάττων μακάριος ἔσῃ. μηδὲν οὖν τῶν παρόντων Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ προκρίνῃς ἀγαθῶν. τί γὰρ ἂν οὕτω φοβερὸν εἴη τῶν παρόντων, ὡς γέεννα πυρὸς αἰωνίου, μήτε τοῦ καίοντος ὅλως φῶς ἔχοντος, μήτε τοῦ κολάζοντός ποτε λήγοντος; τί δὲ πάλιν τῶν τοῦ κόσμου καλῶν τηλικοῦτον εὐφράνοι, ὡς Θεὸς αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος τοῖς ἀγαπήσασι χαριζόμενος; οὗπερ τὸ κάλλος μὲν ἄφατον, δυναστεία δὲ ἄμαχος καὶ ἡ δόξα ἀΐδιος· οὗπερ τὰ ἀγαθά, τὰ τοῖς αὐτοῦ φίλοις ἀποκείμενα, πάντων τῶν ὁρωμένων ἀσυγκρίτως ὑπερέχει, ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε, καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη· ὧν κληρονόμος 314 ἀναδειχθείης, τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ φρουρούμενος κραταιοτάτῃ χειρί. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱός, δάκρυσι συγκεχυμένος, ἠνιᾶτο καὶ ἤσχαλλε, φιλοστόργου πατρὸς καὶ διδασκάλου ἀρίστου ἀπολειφθῆναι μὴ ἀνεχόμενος· Καὶ τίς μοι, φησίν, ὦ πάτερ, τὴν σὴν πληρώσει τάξιν; ὑπὸ τίνι δὲ ἐγὼ τοιούτῳ ποιμένι καὶ ὁδηγῷ ψυχικῆς σωτηρίας γενήσομαι; τί τοῦ σοῦ παραμύθιον ποιήσομαι πόθου; ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐμὲ τὸν πονηρὸν δοῦλον καὶ ἀποστάτην τῷ Θεῷ προσήγαγες, καὶ εἰς υἱοῦ καὶ κληρονόμου κατέστησας τάξιν, καὶ τὸν ἀπολωλότα καὶ ὀρειάλωτον, τὸν παντὶ θηρίῳ ἕτοιμον εἰς βοράν, ἐζήτησας, καὶ τοῖς ἀπλανέσι κατέμιξας Θεοῦ προβάτοις· καὶ ἔδειξάς μοι τὴν ἐπίτομον τῆς ἀληθείας ὁδόν, ἐξαγαγών με τοῦ σκότους καὶ τῆς σκιᾶς τοῦ θανάτου, καί, τοὺς πόδας μου μεταγαγὼν ἐκ τῆς ὀλισθηρᾶς καὶ θανατηφόρου καὶ σκολιωτάτης καὶ καμπύλης ἀτραποῦ, μεγάλων καὶ θαυμασίων μοι γέγονας πρόξενος ἀγαθῶν, καὶ ὧν οὐδεὶς ἐξαρκέσειε λόγος τὸ ὑπερέχον διηγήσασθαι. μεγάλων καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ τοῦ μικροῦ μετάσχοις τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεῶν· καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς εὐχαριστίας ὑστέρημα πληρώσαι Κύριος, ὁ μόνος νικῶν ταῖς τῶν δωρεῶν ἀντιδόσεσι τοὺς αὐτὸν ἀγαπῶντας. Ὁ δὲ Βαρλαάμ, τῆς θρηνῳδίας αὐτὸν ἐκκόπτων, ἀναστὰς εἰς εὐχὴν ἵστατο, καὶ τὼ χεῖρε εἰς οὐρανοὺς διάρας· Ὁ Θεός, ἔλεγε, καὶ Πατὴρ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ φωτίσας τὰ πρὶν ἐσκοτισμένα, καὶ τὴν ὁρατὴν ταύτην καὶ ἀόρατον κτίσιν ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος 316 παραγαγών, ὁ τὸ σὸν ἐπιστρέψας πλάσμα καὶ μὴ ἐάσας ἡμᾶς ὀπίσω τῆς ἀφροσύνης ἡμῶν πορεύεσθαι, εὐχαριστοῦμέν σοι, καὶ τῇ σῇ σοφίᾳ καὶ δυνάμει τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, δι' οὗ καὶ τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐποίησας, πεσόντας τε ἡμᾶς ἀνέστησας, καὶ πεπλημμεληκόσι τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἀφῆκας, πλανηθέντας ἐπανήγαγες, αἰχμαλωτισθέντας ἐλυτρώσω, τεθνηκότας ἐζωποίησας τῷ τιμίῳ τοῦ Υἱοῦ σου καὶ δεσποτικῷ αἵματι. σὲ οὖν ἐπικαλοῦμαι, καὶ τὸν μονογενῆ σου Υἱόν, καὶ τὸ πανάγιόν σου Πνεῦμα· ἔπιδε ἐπὶ τὸ λογικόν σου πρόβατον τοῦτο, τὸ προσελθὸν δι' ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἀναξίου εἰς θυσίαν σοι, καὶ ἁγίασον αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν τῇ σῇ δυνάμει καὶ χάριτι· ἐπίσκεψαι τὴν ἄμπελον ταύτην τὴν φυτευθεῖσαν διὰ τοῦ Ἁγίου σου Πνεύματος, καὶ δὸς αὐτὴν καρποφορῆσαι καρπὸν δικαιοσύνης· ἐνίσχυσον αὐτόν, βεβαιῶν ἐν αὐτῷ τὴν διαθήκην σου, καὶ ἐξελοῦ τῆς ἀπάτης τοῦ διαβόλου. τῇ σοφίᾳ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ σου Πνεύματος δίδαξον αὐτὸν ποιεῖν τὸ θέλημά σου, καὶ τὴν βοήθειάν σου μὴ ἀφέλῃς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, ἀξιῶν σὺν ἐμοὶ τῷ ἀχρείῳ σου οἰκέτῃ τῶν ἀτελευτήτων σου ἀγαθῶν κληρονόμον γενέσθαι, ὅτι εὐλογητὸς εἶ καὶ δεδοξασμένος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. ἀμήν. Τελέσας δὲ τὴν εὐχὴν καὶ ἐπιστραφείς, κατησπάσατο τὸ τέκνον ἤδη τοῦ ἐπουρανίου Πατρός. εἰρήνην τε αὐτῷ ἐπευξάμενος καὶ σωτηρίαν αἰώνιον, ἐξῆλθε τοῦ παλατίου, καὶ