Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/10



In perusing  these  pages,  it  will  be  well  to  make and to  bear  in  mind  a  distinction  between  the  manner and  the  matter  of  the  work. The manner,  such as it  is,  belongs  to  the  author,  but,  on  the  other hand, little  or  no  attempt  has  been  made  at  originality in  doctrine  or  thought. In the  seminary  it  was much insisted  on  that  every  priest,  and  more  especially every  young  priest,  should  have  continually beside him  some  suitable  means  wherewith  to  occupy his spare  time. Accordingly, the  study  and  the adaptation of  that  most  excellent  work  the  "  Conciones  Sacrae  "  of  Cardinal  Bellarmin,  S.J.,  have  been found in  this  instance  a  very  pleasant  and  a  very profitable employment. The first  design  was  to translate  the  sermons  verbatim,  but,  both  on  account of their  extreme  diffuseness  and  because,  as  originally written,  they  do  not  constitute  a  complete course for  the  year,  that  idea  proved  impracticable. From a  study  of  the  work  as  a  whole,  therefore,  and out of  the  resulting  mass  of  matter,  a  sermon  for  each