FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83  
84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   >>   >|  
stles' creed, the commandments, the Lord's prayer, the salutation of the angel, the confiteor, the salve regina, and, in fine, the whole catechism. The translation being finished, the Father got, without book, what he could of it, and took his way about the villages of the coast, in number thirty, about half of which were baptized, the rest idolaters. "I went about, with my bell in my hand," says he himself, "and gathering together all I met, both men and children, I instructed them in the Christian doctrine. The children learnt it easily by heart in the compass of a month; and when they understood it, I charged them to teach it their fathers and mothers, all of their own family, and even their neighbours. "On Sundays I assembled the men and women, little boys and girls, in the chapel; all came to my appointment with an incredible joy, and most ardent desire to hear the word of God. I began with the confessing God to be one in nature, and trine in Persons; I afterwards repeated distinctly, and with an audible voice, the Lord's prayer, the angelical salutation, and the apostles' creed. All of them together repeated after me; and it is hardly to be imagined what pleasure they took in it. This being done, I repeated the creed singly; and, insisting on every particular article, asked, if they certainly believed it? They all protested to me, with loud cries, and their hands across their breasts, that they firmly believed it. My practice is, to make them repeat the creed oftener than the other prayers; and I declare to them, at the same time, that they who believe the contents of it are true Christians. "From the creed I pass to the ten commandments, and give them to understand, that the Christian law is comprised in those ten precepts; that he who keeps them all according to his duty is a good Christian, and that eternal life is decreed to him; that, on the contrary, whoever violates one of these commandments is a bad Christian, and that he shall be damned eternally in case he repent not of his sin. Both the new Christians and the pagans admire our law as holy, and reasonable, and consistent with itself. "Having done as I told you, my custom is, to repeat with them the Lord's prayer, and the angel's salutation. Once again we recite the creed; and at every article, besides the Paternoster and the Ave Maria, we intermingle some short prayer; for having pronounced aloud the first article, I begin thus, and they say aft
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83  
84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Christian

 

prayer

 

repeated

 
salutation
 
article
 

commandments

 
Christians
 

believed

 

children

 

repeat


precepts
 

understand

 

contents

 

comprised

 

breasts

 
firmly
 

protested

 

practice

 

declare

 
prayers

oftener

 
recite
 

Paternoster

 

Having

 

custom

 

intermingle

 

pronounced

 
consistent
 

violates

 

contrary


eternal

 

decreed

 

damned

 

eternally

 

admire

 

reasonable

 

pagans

 

repent

 

distinctly

 

gathering


idolaters

 

instructed

 

doctrine

 

understood

 

charged

 

compass

 
learnt
 

easily

 

baptized

 

catechism