Christian saints -- India -- Romances; Gautama Buddha -- Legends -- Adaptations; Princes -- India -- Romances
Ioasaph said unto him, "All thy words are fair and wonderful, and,
while thou spakest, I believed them and still believe them; and I hate
all idolatry with all my heart. And indeed, even before thy coming
hither, my soul was, in uncertain fashion, doubtful of it. But now I
hate it with a perfect hatred, since I have learned from thy lips the
vanity thereof, and the folly of those who worship idols; and I yearn
to become the servant of the true God, if haply he will not refuse me,
that am unworthy by reason of my sins, and I trust that he will forgive
me everything, because he is a lover of men, and compassionate, as thou
tellest me, and will count me worthy to become his servant. So I am
ready anon to receive baptism, and to observe all thy sayings. But
what must I do after baptism? And is this alone sufficient for
salvation, to believe and be baptized, or must one add other services
thereto?"
Barlaam answered him, "Hear what thou must do after baptism. Thou must
abstain from all sin, and every evil affection, and build upon the
foundation of the Catholick Faith the practice of the virtues; for
faith without works is dead, as also are works without faith. For,
saith the Apostle, 'Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the
lust of the flesh.' Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are
these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions,
heresies, envyings, murders, love of money, railing, love of pleasure,
drunkenness, revelling, arrogance, and such like, of the which I tell
you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do
such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance, sanctification of soul and body, lowliness of
heart and contrition, almsgiving, forgiveness of injuries,
loving-kindness, watchings, perfect repentance of all past offences,
tears of compunction, sorrow for our own sins and those of our
neighbours, and the like. These, even as steps and ladders that
support one another and are clinched together, conduct the soul to
heaven. Lo, to these we are commanded to cleave after baptism, and to
abstain from their contraries.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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