“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 after me,—­’ Jesus, thou son of the living God, give me the grace to believe firmly this first article of thy faith, and with that intention we offer thee that prayer of which thou thyself art author.’  We add,—­’ Holy Mary, mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, obtain for us, from thy beloved Son, to believe this article, without any doubt concerning it.’  The same method is observed in all the other articles; and almost in the same manner we run over the ten commandments.  When we have jointly repeated the first precept, which is, to love God, we pray thus:  ’O Jesu Christ, thou Son of the living God, grant us thy grace to love thee above all things!’ and immediately after we say the Lord’s prayer; then immediately we subjoin:  ’O holy Mary, mother of Jesus, obtain for us, from thy Son, that we may have the grace to keep this first commandment.’  After which we say the Ave Maria.  We observe the same method through the other nine commandments, with some little variation, as the matter requires it.

“These are the things which I accustom them to beg of God in the common prayers; omitting not sometimes to assure them, that if they obtain the thing for which they pray, even that is a means for them to obtain other things more amply than they could demand them.

“I oblige them all to say the confiteor, but principally those who are to receive baptism, whom I also enjoin to say the belief.  At every article, I demand of them, if they believe it without any scruple; and when they have assured me, that they do, I commonly make them an exhortation, which I have composed in their own language,—­being an epitome of the Christian faith, and of the necessary duties incumbent on us in order to our salvation.  In conclusion, I baptize them, and shut up all in singing the salve regina, to implore the assistance of the blessed Virgin.”