before the souls of others, one ought to watch over his own. Let
it not be (as says St. Paul) that we, preaching to others, behold
ourselves in the irreparable danger of becoming reprobates.

735. Fifth, because the provinces of Philipinas are not, nor can
they be, like those of America, but are as distinct as they are
separate. The latter include, besides the ministries, many community
convents where there are plenty of religious, who greatly exceed
the parish priests in number. The former have but one convent apiece
in Manila, which enjoys an adequate community as do the convents of
Europa. The other houses are located in the villages of the Indians
where those who have charge of the spiritual administration live, and
there is no more community at times than the head of the house alone;
and at the most he has one or two associates, if they are considered
necessary for the exercise of the duties of the mission. Since that
is true, an undeniable inconvenience will follow, namely: if they
are subjected to the visitation and correction of the bishops all can
call themselves not regulars--those outside, because they are parish
priests; and those of Manila, because they have to go to take the
places of the others in case of absence, sickness, or death. They
cannot be excused from that by either the actual definitors of the
outgoing provincials, and all to have to be employed if there is a
lack of ministers. Since the provinces are composed of them almost
entirely, and the consent of the ordinary and the vice-patron would
be necessary for their removal, there would be some provinces which
would have the name of religious government and in reality would be
under the secular government, dependent on those two wills, to which
they would make no vow of obedience. It is a fact that it would be
a real change which those religious would have to endure, from free
and unhindered evangelical ministers to seculars bound in justice to
the care of souls. Can it be considered ill that they resist so great
a transformation, and leave the missions if they find no other way?

736. Sixth, and last, because in America the practice of presenting
three religious for each mission in the form ordered by the king can
be easily observed, as there are many religious. But that presentation
is mortally impossible in Philipinas because of the great scarcity of
religious. For although the orders make the most painstaking efforts
to get them from Espan