The object has been to sum up the points of doctrine and to condense them in such a manner that the preacher may go over them all, in the pulpit, within the space of four years at most, as the spiritual well-being of his congregation may require; to avail myself of the assistance of the most accredited Catechists, such as Noel, Cambournac, Guillois, Couturier, Guillet, Canisius, Bressenvido, Reinerie, etc., and to support myself on the contemporary theology of Gousset and Gury; to set forth the truths and to give the practical details with simplicity, clearness, and method, in order to put them within the compass of the most ordinary intelligences; finally to dispose the form of my instructions in such a manner that, by the unity of the subject, the connection of the ideas, and an uniformity of style, they may serve as well for sermons as for catechetical instructions. Such has been my programme and my end. I shall be happy, indeed, if I have succeeded in fulfilling the former and attaining the latter. My readers shall judge, and the future shall tell me. What inspires me with a little confidence, is the favorable judgment of the" Committee on Books" which took such great care in examining my manuscript, and, especially, the high approbation of Monseigneur Delalle, our well-beloved prelate, who, by his learning and accomplishments, occupies a distinguished rank in the French episcopate.