PREFACE TO THE PRESENT EDITION.
This volume of Meditations is interesting not only from its origin, which is given at length in the Preface to the first American edition, but also from the fact that it is among the first devotional works published in this country. Even prior to its appearance here the English edition was much in use. This, in itself, adds vastly to its historical interest, since it creates, as it were, a spiritual fellowship with those pioneers of the faith who came not only to teach, but prepared to suffer. The first American edition owed its appearance to the exertions of the Rev. Roger Baxter, S.J., a man conspicuous for his learning, eloquence, and zeal in defence of the faith. Though dying at the early age of thirty-four, he was the author of at least two books which earned for him fame in the field of polemics; one, "A Series of Letters between M. B. and Quaero on the Tenets of Catholicity" appeared in 1817; the other, " The Most Important Tenets of the Roman Catholic Church, fairly explained," was published three years later, and even to this day is recognized as a standard controversial work.
This present volume contains Father Baxter's Preface
