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The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 43, 1670-1700: 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

History

The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 43, 1670-1700: 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

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

That so pernicious root having been torn out, the religious had no
difficulty in sowing in the land of their hearts the good doctrine and
teaching. The holy fear of God, the frequency of the holy sacraments,
the devotion of the queen of the Angels, and the exercise of the
holy rosary persuaded them. And since now the demon had left their
souls, and he had been bereft of the right which he had to them, the
instructions and inducements of the religious found no resistance in
their hearts; and, consequently, they agreed thoroughly in all those
things, and thereby they daily became more perfect, and became fervent
Christians, anxious for their salvation, and given to the exercises
of piety. Now one never heard, as formerly, of violent murders; and
now there was no intoxication or other disorders; now the superiors
were obeyed and respected by their inferiors; now one no longer heard
among them a "I do not wish," as they were wont to answer formerly;
now all were safe, each in his own house, and no one thought of
taking vengeance on another. They attended mass almost every day,
and went to recite the rosary in the afternoon. They all wore the
rosary hanging from their necks with great devotion, and recited it
in their houses every night. They observed the fasts of the Church,
and the days of abstinence with punctuality, for they feared greatly
lest God punish them, as He did punish some for the example of
others. In fine, such was the reform in their morals, and the change
of life in those Indians, that the fathers themselves were surprised
to see what had been wrought by the hand of God, which had changed
them in the briefest of space from ravening wolves to gentle lambs,
and from fierce and savage men into faithful and obedient sons of the
Church. And although our religious worked mightily in this yet all the
glory is due to God, who not only gave His spirit to the ministers,
but also coöperated in their preaching with many manifest miracles
which will be related in the following chapter.

[Chapter xxxii recounts the miraculous occurrences above mentioned,
all of which resulted in greater faith and devotion to the new precepts
taught by the missionaries, and instilled fear of God into the hearts
of the Indians.]




CHAPTER XXXIII

    Of another mission in the farthest villages of Yrraya in the
    province of Cagayan

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