8. There was not any considerable good work of a public nature, done at _Paris_, or within a great distance of it, wherein he had not a great share. There was no undertaking there, tending to the honour of God or good of men, of which he was not either the author, or promoter, or finisher, and very often all these together. He was one at all the meetings of piety; and of many the very soul. He kept correspondence throughout the whole kingdom, concerning works of charity, receiving letters from all parts, desiring his advice in all difficulties that occurred, in the erecting or perfecting hospitals, seminaries of religion, and fraternities of virtuous persons, associating together for the better applying themselves to their own and others salvation, and the managing all sorts of good works.
9. From _Caen_ one writes of him thus: “M. _de Renty_ was our support and refuge in the execution of all our designs, relating to the service of God, the saving of souls, and the relief of the poor and distressed. To him we continually wrote, and from him we received counsel and succour on all occasions. Nor have we met with any since his death to whom we could have the like recourse in the things of God.” Another from _Dijon_ writes thus: “We cannot but acknowledge the great benefit this province has received from M. _de Renty_. Wherever he came he hath wonderfully advanced all works of piety. We may truly say, that his days were filled with the fulness of God. Nor do we believe he lost one minute of time, in which he did not either speak or act something for his service.”
10. He applied himself to the necessities of the _English_, the _Irish_, the captives in _Barbary_, and of the missions into the _Levant_; took great pains for the support of the hospital at _Marseilles_; laboured much for the relief of galley-slaves, and contributed much to the advancing the affairs of _New France_ in _America_. He had a design likewise to purge all trades and manufactures from the corruptions which had grown upon them, so that men might live upon them like Christians; which thing he begun and perfected in two of them.
11. The scripture he most studied, next the life of our blessed Saviour, to qualify himself for all good works, was St. _Paul_’s description of charity, in the 13th chapter of his first epistle to the _Corinthians_. And whosoever is exercised in the virtues there described, will not run in vain, nor labour in vain. *Indeed the more any one is animated with this spirit, the more shall he advance holiness in others. Yea, though his words be few and ordinary. For our words do not derive their force from the mouth that speaks, but from the disposition of the heart, and the power of the spirit that dwells there.
12. To qualify himself to be more extensively useful to his neighbour M. _de Renty_, to the natural abilities God had given him, and to the learning he had acquired in his youth, had by his industry added several smaller parts of knowledge: and that not only for his own use, but to teach them to others, whereby to help themselves. Yea, he abased himself to learn the meanest skill, which might be any way useful to his neighbour. One day in _Paris_ he carried a friend with him to a poor man, who got his living by making wicker-baskets. He there finished a basket which he had begun some days before, with design as soon as he had learned it, to teach some poor people in the country to make them, to help to get their living. He then left the basket with the poor man, and a piece of money for teaching him.
13. Indeed he took upon him all shapes, transformed himself into all figures, condescended to all things for the good of his neighbour: all his thoughts, words and actions, being wholly cast in the mould of charity: *Which made him say one day, “Methinks my soul is all charity, and I am not able to express with what ardour and strange expansion my heart is renewed in the divine life of my Saviour, burning in love to all mankind.”