Instructions on Christian morality for preachers and teachers

Preface

The following letters may serve as a preface to this book:

I

Our Lady & St. Hubert's,

Great Harwood,

Near Blackburn.

Reverend and Dear Father Kiely:—

I wish to recommend to you very strongly an admirable little French work entitled ft Plans d } Instructions sur les Principaux Sujets de la Morale Chretienne.”

It is admirably arranged, and full of very apposite and valuable quota¬ tions from the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church. The modest author, who does not even disclose his name, and signs him¬ self merely “Un Cure du Diocese de Liege/’ has produced a work that will be found of the greatest service to preachers and teachers, and to all who have to explain and enforce Christian Doctrine.

We have, no doubt, many books of instruction in English, but I know of none exactly like this, and I feel sure that it would receive a hearty welcome if it were presented to the English-speaking public in an English dress. The plan is first to explain the doctrine and to divide it into its different parts; then to give a number of striking verses from the Bible bearing on the subject, which are exceedingly well-chosen, and quoted in extenso; and finally to give a variety of extracts from the writings of the Fathers of the Church, which help to enforce and em¬ phasize the special doctrine under consideration.

If you could see your way to make a good English translation of this admirable book I feel sure you would be doing a very good and a very useful work, and that you would be conferring a real boon on the general Catholic public.

Yours very truly,

(signed) John S. Vaughan.

VI

PREFACE