"It is a source of great consolation to see the purity that shines in many of these poor women. I know concerning some of them that, after being annoyed and even persecuted with liberal offers of money, neither by gifts nor threats were they in any way overcome. I also know of other women who, when, they have learned that lawless men have entered the village, have absented themselves from home and retired to their grain-fields, to avoid the danger of offending God. One of those soulless men promised a young boy, one of those who aid us at our house, that he would give him I know not what gift, if he would search after a certain woman for him. The lad answered that he could not, since he belonged to the house of the father, assist in such a matter. When he was told that the father would not know it, he replied: 'But will God fail to see it, even if the father does not know it?' At this reply the man became abashed and ashamed, and ceased to importune him. From Easter-time until the date of this writing, which is about a month and a half, more than eighty adults have been baptized—the greater part of them very old, but well prepared—and with these about ninety who are younger. While journeying during Lent, to the village of Leite, we were overtaken by a storm so violent that it drove our boat upon the shore and compelled us to continue our course by land. This change, however, was not without the special providence of God; for, as we were passing by some grain-fields, an old woman lay very sick in her wretched hut. Learning that I was going by, she had me summoned; and after I had given her instruction, I baptized her, with great consolation to both, and on the following day she died."
The remarkable case of three old men, of whom two were converted, and the third, who was blind, refused. Chapter LIX.
The village of Leite, which the father here mentions, lies on the banks of a very beautiful stream of the same name; which gives its name to the whole island. The village lies at the very entrance of the island, as one goes eastward from Manila, from which it is distant about one hundred and thirty leguas. The distance between Carigara and Leite is five leguas by land and ten by sea. The fathers usually make the journey by sea, to avoid the fatigue of crossing on foot the great mountain-ranges in that route. On the other side of Carigara, proceeding along the coast of this island—which, as we have said, runs east and west—there is another river, called Barugo, two leguas distant; on its shore are many dwellings, which, being united in a village, numbered three hundred houses (besides which there were many others). Father Mattheo Sanchez repaired to the village of Barugo, where at one haul he caught two of three fishes; the third remained in spiritual and bodily darkness. As the incident is a notable one, I shall relate it in the words of a letter from the same father, who writes thus: "In the village of Barugo an event occurred by which our Lord displayed to me the effects of His divine predestination, and how cujus vult miseretur, et quem vult indurat. I was summoned to baptize an old man who was very ill. Upon entering his house, I found him in company with two other men, also very aged—one, indeed, so old that he did not go from the house, nor could he even walk. This last, hearing me instruct the sick man, began to exert himself, and approached us by creeping across the floor. Then, with remarkable attention, he began to listen; and, very opportunely, he heard the catechism. Seeing the satisfaction which the old man and his companion received from hearing the things of our holy faith, I remained a long time, explaining it to them. When I had baptized the sick man, the other began with eagerness and devotion to ask for the sacrament, saying that he had faith in all that I had said, and was desirous of salvation. He said that in no case ought I to leave him without baptism, since his old age gave him not many more days of life and those he wished to spend as a Christian; accordingly, I baptized him. The third old man was blind; and all the time while I was catechizing his companions he spent in twisting some threads, and while the others were receiving so much pleasure and their hearts becoming softened, he was jesting and becoming more and more hardened. Taking pity on him, I tried to incline him to conversion; but I could do nothing with him, and his soul remained as forsaken as was his body."
How the Christian church continued to increase in Ogmuc. Chapter LX.
Every one of these mission-fields [doctrinas] is truly a school of celestial theology; for just as, in the schools, are seen the students assembled at the lectures, and their eagerness in studying and reciting their lessons, and afterward their reception of degrees, so in these missions it is a cause for praise to God to see old men become again children, and the chiefs made humble—all learning, with eagerness, delight, and perseverance, the Christian doctrine, and writing, repeating, studying, reciting, and singing it. As a final reward, they receive the degree of holy baptism, a blessing which those people as anxiously seek and desire, and receive with as much joy, as do students the degree of doctor or master. In some places they are assigned on one Sunday the lesson they are to learn for the next; in others, without being assigned a lesson, they are questioned as to what they know. In some districts, as here in Ogmuc, are formed as many classes as there are divisions of the Christian doctrine, from making the sign of the cross to the act of confession, and each student, whether child or old man, continues to advance as he learns, until he takes his degree, and is graduated—that is, until he knows the doctrine—which, as we said, was done with the old men of Antipolo. Not only do they, as good students, write their lessons—mainly in their own characters, and using a piece of a reed [7] as a book of memorandum, and an iron point as a pen; but they always carry with them these materials, and whenever one ceases his labors, whether at home or in the field, by way of rest he takes his book, and spends some time in study. Such is the fervor and zeal of these eager students in learning their supernatural and divine theology; and their ardor in learning is also evident in their demeanor and actions, for their lively faith enkindles and inflames their deeds, and after the ardent heart follows the eager and ardent hand. All this (omitting many other details, which might be related) is seen in their often frequenting the holy sacraments, with notable results in the amendment of their lives; and yet these are people newly born in the church, and but yesterday begotten in Christ. They devoutly and confidently ask that the gospel may be read to their sick, and that holy water be given them; and our Lord responds to their faith by frequently granting them complete health. Accordingly, they acknowledge these favors from His hand, being thus confirmed in the faith, and abhorring the sacrifices which in their maladies they were wont to make to the devil. Even the infidels are so undeceived concerning these vain illusions that scarcely a case is known of those accursed sacrifices which formerly were so frequent. Many infidels have brought their sick children to be baptized, saying that by this means our Lord would give them health. Indeed it has often happened so, and their cure has been the cause of converting their parents. They are greatly devoted to the holy cross, and have upon occasions experienced its protection. One night, while some Christians were reciting, as usual, the doctrine in their house, someone outside began to throw stones at the building, and made a great noise, and injured whatever was near the house. Several times they sallied forth to discover who was doing them harm, but saw no one; yet, again entering the house, the same disturbance was made outside. Thinking that it was an artifice of the devil, they persevered in prayer, and under this persecution confirmed themselves in the faith; and, as a defense, they erected a cross in front of the house. From that time, they were not in any way disturbed. The infidels are steadily growing more inclined to receive our holy faith; moreover, we are gradually uprooting that hindrance to conversion, so common among those people, and so difficult to remove, the practice of having several wives. They are easily persuaded that it is impossible and unseemly for them to have more than one wife, accordingly they have forsaken the others, although in doing so the husbands lose their property; for in marrying the women the men give them dowries, and if they leave their wives they must lose the dowries that they gave. To do this is no slight merit, for people who are not even Christians.
Of some baptisms conferred in Paloc. Chapter LXI.
In the absence of Father Christoval Ximenez, this village was left alone; and while in this plight it was visited by Father Alonso Rodriguez, who went there to hold a mission. What he accomplished in the few days that he could spend among them he himself relates in a letter, a section of which is as follows: "We held a mission at Paloc; and the method of teaching the doctrine by decurias [8] so aroused the enthusiasm of all that within ten days many learned the prayers and gained all the knowledge necessary for baptism. Such was the emulation among them that their prayers never ceased—at night, in their homes; and by day, in the church. As a result, on the feast of the glorious St. Joseph I baptized fifty adults, among them the most prominent persons of this village. To see their leaders already Christians is a strong incentive for the others to follow these. From many others I withheld baptism, as it was necessary to investigate their marriages, and this could not be done on account of the absence of the persons concerned. Of these latter there is a considerable number, but I trust in our Lord that within a few days not a man will remain unbaptized in this village; for already they are all catechumens and attend the church. At the same time I baptized also fifty children." The father proceeds to relate other devout exercises of those Christians, which I do not repeat here, as they are similar to those which I have recounted of others. Afterward, Father Juan de Torres held another mission in the same town, and our Lord made him joyful by granting him another rich haul, when he cast from the pulpit the net of the word of God, in order to fish for souls. This was a chief, one of the most powerful in that district; in imitation of the chiefs of Botuan (although ignorant of what they had done), he arose like them in the congregation, and after earnestly asking for baptism, began then and there his preparation—by publicly asking pardon of all those whom he might have wronged, and offering full satisfaction, whatever might be the amount of his obligation; and (an act of much greater importance), by putting away one of his two wives. Through this the Spirit of truth, [9] which is uniform, swayed the hearts of the others to be like this man's, and brought them, most efficaciously and harmoniously, under the gentle yoke of Christ, although he and they were so far away. But inasmuch as this divine Spirit is present in all places, in all alike it operates as if they were but one, its strength and power being subtly and efficaciously active.
A third mission was held in this village during Lent of the year one thousand six hundred, by Father Melchior Hurtado, who had gone to these islands in the previous year with the father-visitor. Devoting himself to the study of the language, he used it effectively as we may judge from a letter written by him from Paloc to the same father, as follows: "In the village of San Salvador (which is the same as Paloc) the number of those who had recourse to the discipline was greatly increased, especially on Fridays, when it was necessary to exclude the children [from the church], to make room for the adults. Many went out for the bloody discipline, and it was cause for edification to behold the fervor with which at the conclusion of a short sermon which was preached to them before the procession began, all the people fell upon their knees, asking in a loud voice pardon for their sins, with such emotion and weeping that we who were present were also brought to tears. They were all deeply impressed by the sermons on the various stages of the passion; and also when we pictured to them the life of Christ our Lord, from His childhood until He was fastened to the cross. They shed many tears thereat, and their minds were so impressed by those sacred events that for many days they talked of nothing else. On Easter Sunday a most joyful procession was formed, in which was borne the cross triumphant, handsomely adorned; all were clad in white tunics, and bore garlands of flowers. Those who have received communion have set a notable example. They have a sort of brotherhood the members of which are the most assiduous in their attendance at church. There are two women, among the most exemplary and capable, who take care of the rest; and when any woman asks to receive communion for the first time, they instruct her how to approach it. The example of these few women has induced the rest of the people to ask eagerly for the most blessed sacrament. During this time some seventy adults have been baptized, among them six datos, or headmen of districts, with their wives. Matters are in such condition that in a short time all the people of this village will be baptized. The baptisms are conferred by families, in order that the Christians may not live intermingled with infidels, but may daily augment their virtue in the uniformity of the Christian religion. It was a source of great edification to see with what sincerity the chiefs, before receiving holy baptism, asked from all the people pardon for any wrongs that they had done them in the matter of slavery—a common practice in their heathenism, for very trifling causes. They also besought those who had grievances against them to betake themselves to the father, for they were willing and prepared to give full satisfaction therefor." All of this is told by Father Melchior Hurtado.
Of two mutes who were baptized in Dulac; and other matters of special interest in that mission. Chapter LXII.
This year the baptisms in Dulac reached the number of seven hundred, of which the most notable was that of a chief, whose conversion had (as is usual) much influence in bringing about that of an entire village, named Bincai, inasmuch as he was its head man and governor. This chief came one day to the church and eagerly sought holy baptism, saying that his people were negligent and dilatory, and were waiting for him to be first baptized; and that it seemed to him that if he should become a Christian many would follow his example. Accordingly he urged that this blessing might not be withheld from him and from so many others. To test him, however, he was put off for several days, upon various pretexts; but each day he displayed greater constancy, and each day his desire grew stronger.