The Commandments Explained According To The Teaching And Doctrine Of The Catholic Church

The Commandments Explained According To The Teaching And Doctrine Of The Catholic Church

Author: Devine, Arthur, 1849-1919

Year: 1897

PREFACE. It is not necessary to explain the plan or method followed in this volume on the Commandments, which is very clear and simple, as may be seen by the contents. It may be well, however, by a few introductory sentences, to give the author's own views of the aim and purpose of the work in order that more may not be expected from it than he intended, and that the readers may, at the outset, understand the extent and limitations of the instructions given in the several parts and chapters. A work treating of the Commandments is, of necessity, a work of Moral Theology and of Moral Philosophy at the same time. As a work of Moral Theology it has for its subject-matter all the obligations of Christians, natural and supernatural. It appeals concerning both these classes of duties to Scripture and Tradition and the teaching of the Church. It appeals also, arid largely, to reason regarding the former class, and it uses reason in deducing and $sf elbpJ&g >he latter, as well as the former. It takes its materials from all departments of Divine and human law. As a work of Moral Philosophy it confines itself to merely natural sources of knowledge and natural grounds of argument in dealing wi