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:--