In the most hazardous undertakings, he hoped all things from God, and from thence drew his assurance of daring all things.  Behold what he says himself concerning his voyage of Japan:  “We set out full of confidence in God, and hope, that, having him for our conductor, we shall triumph over all his enemies.

“As to what remains, we fear not to enter into the lists with the doctors of Japan; for what available knowledge can they have, who are ignorant of the only true God, and of his only Son our Lord Jesus?  And besides, what can we justly apprehend, who have no other aim than the glory of God and Jesus Christ, the preaching of the gospel, and the salvation of souls? supposing that we were not only in a kingdom of barbarians, but in the very dominion of devils, and that naked and disarmed, neither the most cruel barbarity, nor the rage of hell, could hurt us without God’s permission.  We are afraid of nothing but offending God Almighty; and provided that we offend not him, we promise ourselves, through his assistance, an assured victory over all our enemies.  Since he affords sufficient strength to every man for his service, and for avoiding sin, we hope his mercy will not be wanting to us.  But as the sum of all consists in the good or evil use of his benefits, we also hope he will give us grace to employ ourselves for his glory, by the prayers of his spouse, and our holy mother the Church, and particularly by the intercession of our Society, and those who are well affected to it.  Our greatest, comfort proceeds from this, that God beholds the scope of this our voyage, that our only aim is to make known the Creator of the universe to souls which are made after his own image; to bring those souls to give him the worship due to him, and to spread the Christian religion through all regions.

“With these encouragements, we doubt not but the issue of our voyage will be prosperous; and two things especially seem to assure us, that we shall vanquish all the opposition of hell; the one is the greatness of our holy enterprize, the other is the care of Divine Providence, whose dominion is of no less extent over devils than over men.  I acknowledge, that in this voyage, I foresee not only great labours, but also dangers of almost inevitable death; and this imagination is frequently presented to my thoughts, that if those of our Society, who are endued with the greatest stock of knowledge, should come into the Indies, they would certainly accuse us of too much rashness, and would be apt to think, that, in exposing ourselves to these manifest dangers, we tempted God.  Nevertheless, upon a more serious reflection, I cease to fear; and hope that the spirit of our Lord, which animates our Society, will regulate their judgments concerning it.  For my own particular, I think continually on what I have heard our good Father Ignatius often say, that those of our Society ought to exert their utmost force in vanquishing themselves, and banish from them all those fears which usually hinder