29 There are many persons in France who are of no use, and have nothing to do there; they are scholars and that is all, and that is of no use in the Church of God; alas! in New France these men would be Apostles, if they would come here to use their talents; less wisdom, and more humility and zeal, would perform miracles here, and it is possible they would gain more in one year than they will do in a lifetime in France.
30 L'experience nous fait voir, que ceux de la Compagnie qui viennent en la Nouuelle France, il faut qu'ils y soient appellez par vne vocation speciale & bien forte; que ce soit gens morts & à soy, & au monde; hõmes veritablement Apostoliques, qui ne cherchent que Dieu, & le [242] salut des ames, qui aiment d'amour la Croix, & la mortification; qui ne s'espargnent point; qui sçachent supporter les trauaux de la mer & de la terre, & qui desirent plus la conuersion d'vn Sauuage, que l'Empire de toute l'Europe; qui ayent des cœurs de Dieu, & tous remplis de Dieu; qui soient comme des petits Iean Baptistes, criant parmy ces deserts & ces forests, comme des voix de Dieu, qui appellent tous ces pauures Sauuages à recognoistre Iesus-Christ; en fin que ce soient des hommes qui ont tous leurs contentemens dans [190] Dieu, & ausquels les souffrances soient leurs plus cheres delices. Voila ce que l'experience nous fait veoir tous les iours: mais aussi il est vray, qu'il semble que Dieu respande bien plus abondamment les rosées de ses graces sur cette Nouuelle France, que sur la vieille, [243] & que les cõsolations interieures, & les Diuines infusions y sont bien plus solides, & les cœurs bien plus embrasez. Nouit Dominus qui sunt eius. Mais il n'appartient qu'à Dieu de faire le choix de ceux dont il se veut seruir, & ausquels il fait cette misericorde de les amener en la Nouuelle France, pour en faire des saincts. Sainct François Xauier disoit qu'il y auoit vne Isle en Orient, qui estoit bien propre pour faire perdre la veuë à force de plorer de ioye excessiue du cœur; ie ne sçay si nostre Nouuelle France ressemble point ceste Isle: mais nous experimẽtons que si quelqu'vn icy s'abandonne à Dieu à bon escient, il court hazard d'y perdre la veuë, & la vie, & tout, & auec grande ioye à force de trauailler; il n'appartient qu'à ceux qui y sont, & qui goustent Dieu, d'en parler par experience.
30 Experience shows us that those of the Society who come to New France should be impelled to it by a special and very forcible call; persons who are dead to themselves and to the world; men truly Apostolic, who seek God alone, and the [242] salvation of souls, who love with real love the Cross and self-mortification; who do not spare themselves; who can endure the hardships of the sea and of the land, and who desire the conversion of a Savage more than the Empire of all Europe; who have Godlike hearts, all filled with God; who are like little John the Baptists, crying through these deserts and forests like voices from God, which summon all these poor Savages to acknowledge Jesus Christ; in fine let them be men whose sole satisfaction is in God and to whom suffering is the greatest delight. That is what experience shows us every day; but it is also true that it seems as if God shed the dew of his grace much more abundantly upon this New France than upon the old, [243] and that the internal consolations and the Divine infusions are much stronger here, and hearts more on fire. Novit Dominus qui sunt ejus. But it belongs to God alone to choose those whom he will use, and whom he favors by taking them into New France, to make saints of them. Saint François Xavier said that there was an Island in the Orient which was quite capable of making a person lose his sight, by crying from excessive joy of the heart; I know not if our New France resembles this Island, but we know from experience that, if any one here gives himself up in earnest to God, he runs the risk of losing his sight, his life, his all, and with great joy, by dint of hard work; it belongs only to those who are here and who enjoy God to speak from experience.
[244] 31 Nous recognoissons euidemmẽt, qu'il faut que ce soit le Ciel qui conuertisse la terre de la Nouuelle Frãce, & que nous ne sõmes pas assez forts. Nous ne craignõs rien tãt, sinon que nos imperfectiõs n'empeschẽt la cõuersiõ de ces pauures Sauuages; c'est pourquoy nous auõs tous esté d'auis de recourir au Ciel, & à la tres saincte Vierge Mere de Dieu, par laquelle Dieu a coustume de faire ce qui ne se peut faire, & conuertir les cœurs les plus abandonnez. A cet effet nous auons resolu de faire vn vœu fort solemnel, dont voicy la teneur.
[244] 31 We clearly recognize that it must be Heaven which shall convert the land of New France, and that we are not strong enough. We fear nothing so much as that our imperfections may prevent the conversion of these poor Savages; that is why we have all been minded to have recourse to Heaven and to the very holy Virgin, Mother of God, through whom God is accustomed to do what seems impossible, and to convert the hearts of the most abandoned. To this end, we have resolved to make a very solemn vow, of which the following is the purport:—
Mon Dieu & mon Sauueur Iesus, quoy que nos pechez nous doiuent esloigner de vostre presence, si est-ce qu'épris d'vne affection de vous honorer & vostre tres-Ste Mere, poussez d'vn desir de nous veoir dans [192] la fidelle correspondance que vous desirez de vos seruiteurs, souhaittãs en [245] outre de vous veoir recõneu & adoré de ces pauures peuples: Nous vous promettons & faisons vœu, comme aussi à la tres-saincte Vierge vostre Mere, & à sõ glorieux Espoux S. Ioseph, de celebrer douze fois és douze mois suiuant le sacrifice de la Ste Messe, pour ceux qui sont Prestres; & pour les autres de reciter douze fois la Couronne ou le Chappellet de la Vierge en l'honneur & en action de grace de son immaculee Cõception, & de ieusner tous la veille de ceste feste: vous promettans en outre que si on erige quelque Eglise ou Chappelle stable dãs ces pais, dans le cours de ce tẽps limité, que nous la ferõs dedier à Dieu sous le tiltre de l'immaculée Cõception, si cela est en nostre pouuoir, le tout pour obtenir de la bõté de N. S. la conuersion de ces Peuples, par l'entremise de sa saincte Mere, & de son sainct Espoux. Receuez [246] cependant, ô l'Emperiere des Anges & des hommes, les cœurs de ces pauures Barbares abandonnez, que nous vous presentons par les mains de vostre glorieux Espoux, & de vos fidelles seruiteurs S. Ignace & S. François Xauier, & de tous les Anges Gardiens de ces miserables contrées, pour les offrir à vostre Fils, afin qu'il leur donne sa cognoissance, & leur applique le merite de son pretieux sang. Ainsi soit-il.
My God and my Savior Jesus, although our sins ought to banish us from your presence, yet being inspired with a desire to honor you and your very Holy Mother, urged by a wish to see ourselves in the faithful correspondence [to your graces] that you desire in your servants, wishing [245] besides to see you acknowledged and adored by these poor people: We promise and make a vow unto you and also to the very holy Virgin your Mother, and to her glorious Spouse St. Joseph, to celebrate twelve times in twelve succeeding months the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass, for those who are Priests; and for the others to say twelve times the Crown or Chaplet of the Virgin, in honor of and as an act of grace for her immaculate Conception, and all to fast the day before this festival; promising you further that, if a permanent Church or Chapel is erected in this country within this specified time, we will have it dedicated to God under the title of the immaculate Conception, if it is in our power,—all this, to secure by the goodness of Our Lord the conversion of these Peoples, through the mediation of his holy Mother and of her holy Spouse. In [246] the meantime receive, O Empress of Angels and of men, the hearts of these poor abandoned Barbarians that we present to you through the hands of your glorious Spouse and of your faithful servants, St. Ignace and St. François Xavier, and of all the Guardian Angels of these wretched countries, to offer them to your Son, that he may give them knowledge of himself and apply to them the efficacy of his precious blood. Amen.
Dieu par son infinie bonté nous rende dignes de cette excellente vocation, pour dignement cooperer à sa grace, au profit de ces pauures Sauuages.
May God in his infinite goodness render us worthy of this noble calling, worthily to coöperate with his grace, to the benefit of these poor Savages.