Ghap.XIIL 
Malabar and Coromandel 
607 
of our Heads are number'd. As we 
*' fee Ambafladors of Temporal Princes, 
" relying upon their Charafters, and the 
Power of their Mafters, pafs unarm'd 
" and undiilurb'd through an Enemy's 
" Camp \ fo it becomes us who bear the 
*■'• Charader of Interpreters of the Di- 
*' vine Law, and of Teachers of the 
*' Heathens, to rely upon nothing but 
" the Afliftance and Btower of the Di- 
" vine Majefty, which without any other 
" Weapons can carry us fafely through 
all Dangers both by Sea and Land, 
" through Fire and Sword, or what elfe 
" may feem to oppofe the accomplilli- 
ment of his Will. And if it happen 
*' that fome of his faithful Minifters fall 
into the hands of cruel Perfons, if they 
" are devour'd by wild Beafts, fuffer 
" Shipwracks, or are expofed to Hunger, 
Thirft, Cold, Heat, SicknefTes, and 
" other Miferies, all thefe are to be 
** look'd upon as the EfFeds of the Di- 
*' vine Pleafure, to try the Faith and 
Conftancy of his Servants : For were 
*' it not fo, we are fufficiently convinc'd 
*' by many Examples, in what manner 
" our God has a careful Eye over them ; 
how he has fent the Ravens to feed 
" them, the Angels to feed them, how 
" the wildeft Beafts have depofited 
" their natural Fury and become mild, 
how the Flame it felf has not been 
*' able to hurt them, nor the greatefl 
" Tyrants to execute their Cruelcies 
" upon them. 'Tis true, the Viftory 
*' does not always incline on our fide, 
" and we are often fruftrated in the ex- 
peftation of the fruits of our Labour ^ 
** but thofe Difappointments ought not 
" in the leaft ftop the hand of a zealous 
Minifter, in attempting every thing 
" that may conduce to God's Honour, 
" and the Salvation of Souls. If a Sol- 
" dier in hopes of a fmall fhare of Ho- 
nour, ventures his Life in the midfl; of 
*' his Enemies \ if the Seaman for the 
hopes of an inconfiderable Lucre, leave 
" the fhore, and commit his Life to the 
" raercilefs Waves, would it not be a 
" lhame for a Minifter of Chrift to re- 
fufe to hazard his Life for God's Ser- 
*' vice, and to look upon every tiling as P>^ld(cuf. 
" a trifle in comparifon of the Kingdom '-^'^''■^ 
of Heaven, and its Increafe ? Let no 
fuch thoughts enter our Minds, there 
" being nothing fo preciows, that ought 
" in this regard to hinder us from the 
promoting of God's Service. 
A moft excellent Speech, worthy to 
be imprinted ill the Hearts of all faith- 
ful Minifters of Chiift, and the inoie 
valuable upon that !corc, that his Deeds 
were altogether agreeable to his Words : 
For embarking at Goa for Malacca, he 
thence fet fail in a Chinefe Joncke or Veflei 
for Japan^ where he ai'riv'd happily ac 
Cangoxima^ where this great Man did 
not think it below himt'clf to be in- 
ftruded in the firft Rudiments of that 
Language for Chrift's f^ke. The next 
thing he applies himfelf to was, to have 
the chief Articles of the Chriftian Fairh . 
tranflated into the Japomfc Language 5 
making ufe for this purpofe of sn Inter- 
preter, till he attain'd himfelf to the 
Perfedion thereof, in which he ceufed 
not to labour day and night •, being movM 
by an uncontroulable Zcai of planting 
the Gofpel among thefe Pagans. Truly 
a very commendable Zeal, not to be for- 
gotten by all who bear the Name of 
Chriftians j and tho A''averm his Religion 
differs in certain Points from ours,^ye!: 
might his Piety and other commendable 
Virtues ferre as an Encouragement to all 
pious Minifters, to follow his Foctlkp< 
in performing the Service of God to the 
utmoft of their Power, it muft be con- 
fefs'd on all hands, that had not the ac- 
tive Spirit of the Jefuits awaken'd the 
Framifcans^ and other Religious Orders 
from their Droudnefs, the Roman Church 
had before this time been buried in its 
Ruins: And as for my felf, I am very 
willing to own, that my Pen is not capa- 
ble of expre fling the worth of fo ercat 
a Mauj tho at the fame time I am of 
opinion, that if Xaverius were alive now 
he would difown many things, efpecially 
as to his Miracles, fince pabliOi'd by his 
Followers. 
CHAP. 
