The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; 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, commericial and religious conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; [Vol. 1, no. 13]

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THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

[Vol. 13

ber 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.
But even more wonderful was the baptism of two
mutes, who, besides their natural barbarism, were
still further hindered in receiving human instruction
by their lack of the usual qualification therefor,
which, as the apostle St. Paul declares,'1 is the hearing-which they, being mutes, lacked entirely. But
God our Lord, in order to show His great mercy, and
to demonstrate that His law, as the royal prophet
says, is " unspotted, converting souls," and that His
divine word (as the apostle also says) is sharp-edged
and piercing - so that, unhindered by the absence of
the senses, it reaches " unto the division of the soul
and the spirit," 1 and with hidden force instructs,
10 Marginal reference: "Romans, o1 " - evidently to the seventeenth verse of that chapter, " Faith then cometh by hearing; and
hearing by the word of Christ." All citations from the Holy
Bible, and references thereto, made in the translations for this
work, are taken from the standard editions of the English Douay
Bible.
11 Marginal references: " Psalms, I8," and " Hebrews, 4."