PREFACE.

THE Words of the Lord Jesus Christ must ever be regarded by His disciples as the central glory of the Bible, the most precious heritage of Humanity. The faithful who lived before His Advent, from the earliest ages of the world, looked to Him as the Desire of All Nations, and "died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and embraced them." The Christian Church, since His Advent and Ascension, have rested upon His Work and His Words as their healing for the past, their strength for the present, and their hope for the future.

It seems desirable, therefore, that Words which are so precious, and which must remain equally precious to all generations, should be gathered together into a complete whole, and

presented, in a convenient form, for the use of those who value them.

To effect this object, and nothing more, has been the design of the compiler of this book. He offers, not an epitome of the New Testament, but simply a collection of the recorded oral teaching of our Lord during His ministry on earth, with no more of connecting narrative than is necessary to explain the occasions of the Sayings. The Miracles and the Parables are collected under their respective headings; but, with these important exceptions, the rest of the Sayings are arranged, according to the compiler's best judgment, in chronological order.

The work being intended as only subsidiary to the reading of the New Testament, references have been dispensed with, as insuring greater ease and freedom in reading.

An index is given, which will enable the reader to trace our Lord's teaching on the subjects referred to.