It would be a mistake to think that, while Moral Theology is a technical and scientific treatise on human conduct, it deals exclusively or primarily with vice and sin, and that it is intended only to enable the priest rightly to administer the Sacrament of Penance, distinguishing between the various classes of sins and their consequences. Of course, it does all this, but it should do much more; for it has also a much higher purpose, which is to enable man, not only to know what is forbidden and how he may escape from moral disease and death, but also to understand what are his duties and how he may live the life of grace and virtue. The subject is indeed more positive than negative, and it should be discussed accordingly. Thus, far from being useful merely to confessors as a guide by which they may detect and distinguish mortal and venial sins and the higher and lower degrees of culpability, Moral Theology in its broader aspect should be of the greatest service likewise to the individual in forming his own habits and character, and in particular to those who have the guidance of others, whether in or out of the confessional, such as pastors, preachers, teachers, and the like. Consequently, the present work has been written with a view to the homiletic and pastoral functions of the priest, as well as those that pertain strictly to the administration of the Sacraments. Heretofore works on Moral Theology in English have been altogether too few or too fragmentary, whereas they have been abundant in the vernaculars of Continental Europe--German, French, Spanish, Italian, etc. This does not mean that the present work is intended to replace the Latin text-books used in our seminaries, but rather that it should enable students and priests to get a more thorough and ready knowledge of an all-important subject, and to adapt it more easily to the varying needs of the ministry. The section of this work on Law has been carefully read by two eminent civil lawyers. THE AUTHORS. May 10, 1929. REVISOR’S NOTE This is a revision, not a rewriting. Various deletions and additions have been made with the intent of bringing the work up to date within the scope of the original plan and methods of the authors. In this way it has been possible to preserve the features that have made this manual a standard guide for the past thirty years. EDWARD P. FARRELL, O.P., S.T.LR., S.T.D. Washington, D.C., June 8, 1958 CONTENTS [Volume I of print edition, through section 1625] PREFACE INTRODUCTION Definition of Moral Theology (1-3).--The Objects of Moral Theology (4-5).--The Sources of Moral Theology (6-12).--The Methods of Moral Theology (13-14).--The History of Moral Theology (15-16).--The Division of Moral Theology (17-18). PART I. GENERAL MORAL THEOLOGY Question I THE LAST END OF MAN AND THE MEANS TO THAT END Art. 1. THE LAST END OF MAN The Existence of the Last End (19).--The Nature of the Last End (20).--The Attainment of the Last End (21).