Pastoral Newman
A passage in Tract 10, Heads of a Weekday Lecture, Delivered to a Country Congregation in —shire , struck me for a couple of reasons: (1) it has a gentleness and simplicity of tone, different from the polemical works, and showing Newman's humanity and pastoral care for the (presumably simple rural) people he was addressing; (2) the fact that bishops are successors of the Apostles would be a surprise to Chuch of England people. This shows how far the church had drifted in Newman's time.
[...] When a man dies, his son takes his property and represents him; that is, in a manner he still lives in the person of his son. Well, this explains how the Apostles may be said to be still among us; they did not indeed leave their sons to succeed them as Apostles, but they left spiritual sons; they did not leave this life, without first solemnly laying their hands on the heads of certain of their brethren, and these took their place, and represented them after their death.
But it may be asked, are these spiritual sons of the Apostles still alive? no:—all this took place many hundred years ago. These sons and heirs of the Apostles died long since. But then they in turn did not leave the world without committing their sacred office to a fresh set of Ministers, and they in turn to another, and so on even to this day. Thus the Apostles had, first, spiritual sons; then spiritual grandsons; then great grandsons; and so on, from one age to another, down to the present time.
Again, it may be asked, who are at this time the successors and spiritual descendants of the Apostles? I shall surprise some people by the answer I shall give, though it is very clear, and there is no doubt about it; THE BISHOPS. They stand in the place of the Apostles, as far as the office of ruling is concerned; and, whatever we ought to do, had we lived when the Apostles were alive, the same ought we to do for the Bishops.
[Roger]
[...] When a man dies, his son takes his property and represents him; that is, in a manner he still lives in the person of his son. Well, this explains how the Apostles may be said to be still among us; they did not indeed leave their sons to succeed them as Apostles, but they left spiritual sons; they did not leave this life, without first solemnly laying their hands on the heads of certain of their brethren, and these took their place, and represented them after their death.
But it may be asked, are these spiritual sons of the Apostles still alive? no:—all this took place many hundred years ago. These sons and heirs of the Apostles died long since. But then they in turn did not leave the world without committing their sacred office to a fresh set of Ministers, and they in turn to another, and so on even to this day. Thus the Apostles had, first, spiritual sons; then spiritual grandsons; then great grandsons; and so on, from one age to another, down to the present time.
Again, it may be asked, who are at this time the successors and spiritual descendants of the Apostles? I shall surprise some people by the answer I shall give, though it is very clear, and there is no doubt about it; THE BISHOPS. They stand in the place of the Apostles, as far as the office of ruling is concerned; and, whatever we ought to do, had we lived when the Apostles were alive, the same ought we to do for the Bishops.
[Roger]