RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Jesuits
and for the true and germane progeny of this same society to be distinguished as it were by this note, that they never look upon the person himself whom they obey, but in him look upon Christ the Lord for whose sake they obey. Even if the superior be ornamented and furnished with prudence, goodness, and whatever other gifts, he is not to be obeyed on account of these things, but solely because he is God's vicegerent by whose authority he performs his functions, who says ' he that heareth you heareth me,' ' he that despiseth you despiseth me ': nor, on the contrary, even if the superior should be somewhat deficient in counsel or prudence, ought there to be any remission of obedience on that account, so long as he is one's superior; since it has reference to the person of Him whose wisdom can not be deceived: and He will supply whatever may be wanting to his minister, whether he be lacking in probity or in other ornaments — seeing that when Christ had said in express words ' The Scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses' seat,' he straightway added ' All things therefore whatsoever they have said to you, observe and do, but refuse to do according to their works.' "
He proceeds to show that mere outward obedience to a superior, with inner disapproval of the command, is the " lowest and utterly imperfect form of obedience, not worthy of the name of virtue unless it ascends to another grade, which makes one's own the will of the superior and so agrees with it that not only the execution appears in the effect, but also the consent in the affection, and so both will the same thing and disapprove the same thing." Obedience is declared to be " the sacrifice of one's own will, which is the highest part of the mind," the highest possible offering we can make to God. He warns his readers never to attempt to bend the will of a superior to their own. This would be not to conform your will to the divine, but to wish to regulate the divine will by the standard of your own. As a third degree of obedience, which he would have his readers attain, he urges that they should not only will the same, but also think the same as the superior; they should subject their judgment to his. The devout will is able to sway the intelligence, so that " whatever things the superior commands and thinks may seem to the inferior right and true." The best way to accomplish this " holocaust " so essential to personal peace and tranquillity, alacrity, and diligence, and to the unity and efficiency of the society, is " not to look upon the person of the superior as a man obnoxious to errors and miseries, but as Christ himself, who is the highest wisdom, immeasurable goodness, infinite love, who can neither be deceived nor does he wish to deceive you; and since you are conscious within yourselves that by the love of God you have subjected yourselves to the yoke of obedience, that in following the will of the superior you follow more certainly the divine will, do not allow yourselves to doubt that the most faithful love of the Lord will go on by his own ministry which he has appointed over you to govern you from step to step and lead you in right ways. Therefore the voice of your superior and his orders receive not otherwise than as the voice of Christ." On Jan. 1, 1604, Acquaviva, general of the society, prescribed the reading of this tract by every member of the society every two days. It is appended to the Regulae Societatis Jesu in the edition published in Rome in 1616 and frequently afterward.
Early in the history of the society a body of rules was printed for the guidance of members in private and in public life. The edition of 1616, published in
Rome by Bernardus de Angelis, secretary of the society, embraces additions made by the Seventh General Congregation. It begins with 4. Rules a summary of the Constitution. " Comand Other mon rules " to be observed by all re- Manuals, garding general deportment, religious exercises, reading, etc., follow. Next come the " Rules of the Provincial," the responsible leader in a province, and his assistants; those of the provost of the house of the professed; those of the college rector; those of the examiner who has to pass upon the qualifications of candidates for admission into the society; those of the master of the novices (with a list of ascetical books suitable for his use); instruction for rendering an account of one's conscience, comprising fourteen questions to be answered in confession and intended to cover all experiences of soul for six months (a year in case of the professed) follows. Rules for those who go on pilgrimages, for assistants of provosts and rectors, consultors (experts without office available for the settlement of difficulties that may arise in any institution of the society), the monitor (whose function is to admonish superiors and report to consultors, to collect the letters of consultors and send them to superiors, etc.). A formula for writing letters by superiors to provincials and by provincials to the general, and directions for the preparation of the annual catalogue of each institution with full information about each member, follow. Rules for prefects, priests, preachers, proctors, librarians, sextons, those who have the care of the sick, etc., are also given.
The Institutum Societatis Jesus (Rome, 1606, Lyons, 1607) and the Corpus Institutionum S. J. (Antwerp, 1709) include a collection of the works already mentioned, with the " Decrees and Canons of the General Congregations," the " Ordinances of the Generals," and some ascetical works.
In 1614 there was published at Cracow what purported to be the secret instructions given to members of the society as to the means to be used to acquire influence over the rich and the noble and to get the advantage of members of other orders and of secular priests in the confessional and other kinds of service. It abounds in worldly-wise advice and recommends the use of all kinds of chicanery for the enrichment and aggrandizement of the society. It consists of seventeen short chapters. It has been frequently reprinted and translated into many languages, thus becoming widely circulated. It seems highly probable that Hieronymus Zahorowski, who had recently severed his connection with the society, published the book with the cooperation of Count George Zbaraski and other Polish enemies of the order. The repudiation of the work by the society is no conclusive evidence of its spuriousness. It has been its policy from the beginning to deny all discreditable reports and to take the chances of being proved unveracious. If the Monita Secreta was really written by Jesuit officials, it is probable that it was never printed by them and that copies in manuscript were very closely guarded before and especially after the publication of 1614. On the other hand, there is no conclusive proof of the genuineness of the work. It embodies in true
Jesuits