Opening the text

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.Aduarte, Diego

History

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.

Name: 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.
Author: Aduarte, Diego

Aduarte, Diego

Demarcation line of Alexander VI; Missions -- Philippines; Philippines -- Discovery and exploration; Philippines -- History -- Sources

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 [67] 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.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.