The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume 31, 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 — John Shaqi
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume 31, 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 centuryAduarte, Diego
History
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume 31, 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
Aduarte, Diego
Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources
From this same spirit of compassion arose the
benevolence which he displayed toward all the natives by building
a hospital in Manila in which sick Indians might be cared for. He
gave so much energy to this that he not only was the chief person
who concerned himself with it, but he gave the first and the chief
contribution to establish and endow it. At the very beginning of
the hospital he did something worthy of his virtue and prudence. The
sick in this hospital were cared for by religious of the order of the
seraphic father St. Francis, and particularly by a brother named Fray
Juan Clemente. The infirmity for which they were ordinarily treated
was buboes, which are very frequent on these poor Indians because
they ordinarily have to walk in the water in their grain-fields. [8]
The brother had much to suffer with the Indian men, and still more
with the Indian women, the care of whom was in general not very
consonant with decency. On this account, the religious determined
to give up this duty, and actually asked the bishop for permission
to leave the hospital. The bishop, who was well acquainted with the
conscience of Fray Juan, and who saw the reason for his unhappiness,
encouraged and consoled him; and exhorted him not to give up, on
account of these temptations, the good work and the service which he
had begun there. He gave the brother holy and devout reasons for this,
and finally said: "My son Fray Juan, fast for three days in the week;
give yourself a discipline, and keep your hour of prayer. As for the
rest, I will charge myself with it, and will take the responsibility
upon myself." The result was marvelous, for, because of the good
advice which had been given him and the prayer which the bishop made
for him, Fray Juan found himself so much consoled and changed that he
no longer felt the least difficulty or disquiet in the world; and,
as if he had cast all these difficulties upon another person, he no
longer perceived them in himself. Yet before this he had found himself
so much oppressed by them that, in order not to fall, he had desired to
flee. In a case of this kind, to take flight is to conquer--but not so
nobly as when the Lord puts forth His hand that His servants may handle
such serpents as these without being harmed by them, which happened
in this case as the result of the prayer of His servant the bishop.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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