4 The joy that one feels when he has baptized a Savage who dies soon afterwards, and flies directly to Heaven to become an Angel, certainly [222] is a joy that surpasses anything that can be imagined; one no longer remembers the sea, nor seasickness, nor the horror of past tempests; but one would like to have the suffering of ten thousand tempests that he might help save one soul, since Jesus Christ for one soul would have willingly shed all his precious blood.
5 Le plus grand combat que nous ayons eu parmy nous, c'est qui seroit celuy qui auroit la bonne aduenture d'estre choisi pour aller aux Hurons. Dieu a fait tomber le sort sur ceux qu'il luy a plû choisir, & qui sont allez à ces Nations barbares, comme si c'eust esté le Paradis Terrestre. Vne fois qu'on a gousté à bon escient la douceur de la Croix de Iesus-Christ, on la prefere à tous les Empires de la terre.
5 The greatest strife we have had among ourselves was to see which would have the good fortune of being chosen to go to the Hurons. God has made the lot fall upon those he was pleased to choose, and who are going to these barbarous Nations as if to a Terrestrial Paradise. When once a person has tasted in earnest the sweetness of the Cross of Jesus Christ, he prefers it to all the Empires of the earth.
6 Nous trouuans nagueres dans [223] vne tempeste si furieuse, que tout l'Ocean sembloit se bouleuerser, on nous dit que nous estions cause de cét horrible orage; cela nous estonna d'abord, estant dit par des gens de bien; & en demandant la raison, il nous fut dit, que voyant vne si furieuse & enragée tourmẽte, il falloit croire que l'Enfer enrageãt de nous veoir aller en la Nouuelle France, pour conuertir les infidelles, & diminuer sa puissance, par dépit il sousleuoit tous les Elemens contre nous, & vouloit abysmer la flotte, & tout ce qui estoit dedans. Mais nous leur dismes tout doucement; Souuenez vous, Messieurs, que Dieu est plus puissant pour nous defendre, que Lucifer pour nous persecuter: Que la mer s'esleue tant qu'elle voudra, si faut-il que Dieu soit le Maistre. Mirabiles elationes maris, mirabilis in altis Dominus. Nous craignons bien [224] plus la cholere de Dieu contre nos infidelitez, que celle de la mer contre nos infirmitez humaines.
6 Finding ourselves lately in [223] a tempest so furious that the whole Ocean seemed to be in a turmoil, they told us that we were the cause of this horrible storm; this astonished us at first, as it was said by honest people; on asking the reason, we were told that, seeing so furious and raging a tempest, it must be that Hell was enraged at seeing us go to New France to convert infidels and to diminish its power; for revenge it raised up all the Elements against us, and was trying to sink the fleet and all that was within it. But we said to them very gently: "Remember, Sirs, that God is more powerful to defend us, than Lucifer is to persecute us; that the sea may rise as high as it will, yet God must be its Master. Mirabiles elationes maris, mirabilis in altis Dominus. We fear indeed [224] the anger of God against our unfaithfulness, more than that of the sea against our human weakness".
[172] 7 En Europe on a coustume de dire, que quiconque veut apprendre à prier Dieu, il faut aller sur la mer: mais c'est toute autre chose d'y estre effectiuement. Dernierement nous fusmes plus de deux iours & deux nuicts en continuel danger d'estre absorbez de l'Ocean; chaque moment sembloit deuoir estre le dernier moment de nos vies. Vous voyez venir des montagnes, qui sembloient nous deuoir engloutir: Nous estions nous deux prosternez à genoux, priant Dieu de bon cœur; la plus grande peur estoit que quelqu'vn ne mourust sans Confession: c'est là où on fait bien les Oraisons iaculatoires, & où on regarde le Ciel de bon œil: mais on ne croiroit iamais l'efficace de la grace, & les [225] puissantes asseurances que Dieu donne à ses seruiteurs, au milieu des tempestes, & des desespoirs les plus espouuantables.
7 In Europe they are accustomed to say that whoever would learn to pray to God must go upon the sea; but it is quite a different thing to be there in reality. Lately we were more than two days and two nights in continual danger of being engulfed by the Ocean; every moment, it seemed, must be the last of our lives. We saw mountains coming toward us, which seemed about to swallow us up; we two were prostrate upon our knees, praying God with earnest hearts; the greatest fear was that some one would die without Confession; it is there that jaculatory Prayers are made, and that one looks gladly toward Heaven; but one can never believe the power of grace and the [225] invincible confidence that God gives to his servants in the midst of tempests and the most fearful despair.
8 Iamais ie n'auois entendu que c'est d'arriuer à vn poinct de vertu, que pour passer plus auant il faudroit faire miracle: tant il est vray qu'on se trouue quelquefois si auant ou dans la souffrance, ou dans les hazards, ou dans l'abandonnement des creatures, qu'on ne trouue plus rien que Dieu, Mais on le trouue tousiours au bout de l'eschelle de Iacob, à bras & cœur ouuerts, pour embrasser les Anges, & les ames qui volent droit à luy: & c'est chose admirable comme Dieu prend plaisir à se communiquer abondamment aux ames qui ont tout abandonné, & se sont toutes abandonnées à luy. Perdre tout pour trouuer Dieu, c'est vne douce perte, & vne saincte vsure.
8 I have never understood what it was to reach such a point of virtue that, to pass beyond, a miracle would have to be performed; so true is it that a person sometimes finds himself so far plunged into either suffering, or danger, or desertion by his fellow-creatures, that nothing is left to him but God, who nevertheless is always found at the end of Jacob's ladder, with arms and heart open to embrace the Angels and the souls which fly straight to him; and it is wonderful how God takes pleasure in abundantly communicating himself to souls which have abandoned all and given themselves wholly to him. To lose all, that one may find God, is a sweet loss and a holy usury.
[226] 9 Le cœur croist à mesure que les trauaux croissent pour Iesus-Christ; & la Nouuelle France est le pays du monde le plus propre, pour entendre le sens literal de ces belles paroles, Sicut misit me viuens [174] Pater, ita & ego mitto vos. Ie vous enuoye de mesme sorte, que mon Pere m'a enuoyé. Ecce ego mitto vos sicut oues in medio luporum. Voicy que ie vous enuoye cõme des brebis au milieu des loups. Parmy ces forests, en voyant ces Sauuages, nous pauures Estrangers, & seruiteurs de Dieu, que pouuons nous attendre sinon vn coup de dent, & quelque effect de leur barbarie naturelle. Qui craind bien Dieu, ne sçauroit plus rien craindre en ce monde.