The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume 32, 1640 / Explorations by early navigators, descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commercial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the close of the nineteenth century.

by Diego Aduarte

The condition of the Christian Church lately established by our religious in Great China

[Though the religious of our order who had recently entered Great China had not enjoyed entire freedom from disturbance, they had met with no such opposition as they had expected. They baptized many who became devout Christians. The Christians converted in China are better Christians than those converted in these islands, being of higher rank and greater intelligence. They live a life of devotion, and do much penance. They often ask acute questions, which cause the minister difficulty in answering; and they are very constant in times of persecution. Up to this year 1634 our province has had in China only two priests; while the Order of St. Francis has sent two others, who have at our request labored in company with the members of our order. Our religious have gone to cities which do not belong to any other order, in order to avoid collisions. The Chinese women are kept in such seclusion that their conversion has been very difficult, though their husbands sometimes bring them; and the Lord has in some remarkable cases shown special favor to the preaching of his gospel by the members of our order. The Lord also works miracles by the hands of His preachers, showing that He is the true God, and that the idols are vanity. In especial, He has cast out devils by His ministers. At times the Chinese heathen have risen against the Christians, and have spread false tales about them. Three such uprisings are described, the church being torn down in one of them, some Christians being maltreated, and a few being slain. The judge punished the rioters, but directed the religious to leave the city. The women are devoted Christians. Father Fray Juan Baptista de Morales[59] and father Fray Francisco Diaz[60] were both exposed to the danger of death at the hands of the Chinese rioters, and a number of weak Christians fell away; but even under these circumstances the presence of the missionaries achieved much. The Chinese are great idolaters, especially the women, for they believe that after death they shall come to life again in new form, even men taking the form of brute animals, and good women becoming men—which is something which they regard highly, because of the subjection and inferiority of women in China. The Chinese in the region where the fathers were at work were given to horrible vices and to excessive and superfluous courtesy. The converted Chinese departed from their vices, and did much penance.]

Chapter LIV

The discovery by the religious of many superstitions concealed by some new Christians

[The greatest of the griefs of the Christian ministers in China was the discovery of a number of superstitions concealed by their converts. Many of these had to do with matters which were requisite for them to retain their honor and their positions in the state. They were obliged to offer the adoration yielded by everyone in this kingdom to their deceased ancestors and to worship a certain great teacher of theirs, Congchu[61] by name, who has left for them admirable laws full of excellent moral teachings and political virtues, and defective only from the lack of the divine illumination. The superiors of the religious orders went secretly to behold the mode in which the ancestors were worshiped, of which a full description is given in the text. The magistrates are required to render special worship to an idol named Chinhuan, the Christian magistrates, in order to hold their office, being obliged to perform sacrifices to this idol. Among the flowers they conceal a small cross, thus thinking that they may be able to satisfy their consciences and to keep their offices. All the Chinese scholars are obliged to sacrifice to Conchu. This worship is required of the mandarins and all public officers. Our religious informed the Christian Chinese that the mere exterior performance of these rites was a mortal sin, incapacitating them to receive the sacrament. It is affirmed by the Chinese that the fathers of the Society of Jesus permitted them to render this sacrifice, but this is not the case. The religious, by opposing these superstitions, met with many difficulties. At this time books were printed in Chinese against our faith, and the superiors of the two orders went to visit the author of the books, who, angry at the correction of the fathers, declared that they had attempted to kill him. Worse books were issued, one of them by a magistrate. The fathers openly opposed what was said, and were in danger of death, but were delivered by the hand of God.]

Chapter LV

The life of father Fray Luis Muro, and his martyrdom at the hands of heathen Indians in the island of Hermosa.

[To the judgment of flesh and blood it would not seem that the success of our order in the island of Hermosa was worthy of our efforts. We have sent there some of our best religious; and they have converted very few of the Indians, in proportion to the number of noble religious who have been lost there. Yet to him who will judge aright, and who understands the worth of the soul, it will not seem much to have spent the blood of martyrs and the sufferings of holy religious for the sake of those souls which have passed from this island to heaven. Among the martyrs on the island a high place is taken by father Fray Luis Muro, who died gloriously at this time by the hands of these Indians. He assumed the habit of the order in the famous convent of San Pablo at Valladolid, where he professed. Feeling the great need of preachers of the gospel in this province, he left all that he had to come to these islands (in 1626). He was desirous to go to Japan, but the Lord, not granting him that, permitted him to attain martyrdom in another way. He was a most devoted and successful minister in Bataan, whence he was sent to the island of Hermosa. Here he strove to bring back to the church those who had martyred father Fray Francisco de Sancto Domingo, and he obtained their pardon and safe-conduct. At this time there was a great lack of provisions in the chief town of the island, because of the failure of the ship sent with provisions from Manila. Troops were sent out with money and cloths (which the Indians prefer) to buy provisions justly, and without inflicting wrong. Father Fray Luis accompanied the troops, to restrain them from harming the Indians, and especially from driving back those whom he was striving to regain for the church. God was pleased that six Chinese vessels laden with rice should arrive at the time, thus relieving their needs. A small guard, with whom father Fray Luis remained, was put in charge of the rice, the rest of the company returning with as much as could be taken at one time to the chief camp. Father Fray Luis went out to make an attempt to reconcile some other Indians who had risen against the Spaniards. The Indians, seeing the Spaniards very few in number, conspired to attack them. A detachment of troops were attacked in an ambush, and one of the first who was shot by an arrow was father Fray Luis. The Indians cut off his head, his feet, and his hands, and washed them with his own blood. Miracles were wrought upon the holy body, and the provincial chapter gave special attention to his happy death and his excellent life.]