(4) ¶I shall always be grateful that Lunsford P. Yandell made this little volume known to me years ago. He explained that a friend of his, a businessman, Arthur Hinds, sensed the importance of bringing the words of Jesus together in chronological form so that the full sweep and completeness of the immortal message might more effectively be felt and comprehended. These laymen had a keen consciousness of the ineffable power of the words of Jesus and, in a desire to relate them more widely to busy modern people, arranged them in this convenient and readable form. For many years this book has been made available through the literature sales organization of the Marble Collegiate Church. The thousands who have read the book, through our recommendation, have reported that it has brought great spiritual blessing to them. I commend this new edition to all who desire the creative touch of Christ upon their lives.

(2) ¶This compiler's purpose has been to enable any reader, whether confirmed Christian or inquiring pagan, or a frankly detached, to get him a book of CHRIST'S OWN WORDS, "divested," so runs the title page, "of the context, excepting those brief portions of the gospel narratives retained to establish the place, the time, or occasion, or a question the reply to which is the Master's own answer."

(4) And he was the first among men that are born on earth who learnt writing and.tcnpwleage and wicdom * and who wrote down the signs of heaven according to the order of their months in a book, that men might know the seasons of the years according to the order of their separate months.

(3) Many a reader, arrived at FINIS in the New Testament itself, has but a hazy picture of Christ on his daily walks as a circuit preacher everywhere within walking distance; has but a sketchy outline of the times and occasions—so many biographers!—Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul—each essaying not a biography as such, not the record of the Teacher's sayings as such, but intent upon launching each his own conception of Christ's mission.

(1) THE shelves of the libraries and of the bookstores bend beneath the tomes of the sayings, the bare sayings, of all the other great men; but one will not find in library or bookstore, in any published book, the complete sayings of Jesus, the bare sayings in simple sequence, Christ's own words, separate.

(4) ¶Christ's sayings complete, brought into a sequence of times and occasions, but lifted out of contexts alien to the present purpose, may prove to be a glowing story new not only to the non-reader, but new even to the whilom New-Testament readers who have not as yet discerned the "continuities."

(96) Therefore observe exactly, and take notice of the order of this book, and then thou wilt find whatsoever thy heart desireth or ever longed for.

(6) The publisher is convinced that this book provides the means for the nonreaders of the New Testament to become familiar with Jesus the Christ, his sayings, and his great purpose, without delving—indeed without effort, so engaging is the story here recorded—a glowing short story.

(16) From that time Jesus began to preach; and he taught them on the sabbath days.

(70) It would take an entire volume to give the translations of all the forms the chapter has assumed. It must be sufficient here to give the earliest forms known to us of the text and of the first commentaries. These are printed in characters which show the difference between text and later additions; all of which, it must be remembered, are of extreme antiquity—some two thousand years before any probable date of Moses

(15) At hand also was a manuscript copy in English of the Book of the Cabalistick Art, by Doctor John Pistor. The document is undated; but judging from the general type of the writing, the copy was made during the eighteenth century. The third volume used as a reference was the Sepher Yetzirah, by the late Win. Wynn Westcott, Magus of the Rosicrucian Society of England. The fourth was the Sepher Yetzirah, or The Book of Creation, according to the translation in the Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East, edited by Prof. Charles F. Horne. The fifth was a recent publication, The Book of Formation, by Knut Stenring, containing an introduction by Arthur Edward Waite. At hand also were four other copies--two German, one Hebrew, and one Latin. Certain portions of the Sepher Yetzirah are considered older and more authentic than the rest, bur the controversy regarding them is involved and nonproductive that it is useless to add further comment. The doubtful passages are therefore included in the document at the points where they would naturally fall.

(5) Devoted readers will not be diverted from the Great Text. Perhaps other readers—the casual New-Testament reader and the non-reader —after enjoying these pages may venture the greater enjoyment: the attentive perusal of all the gospels and all the epistles, perhaps of all the New Testament.

(1) JESUS came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. When he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

(23) The editor of The Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East calls attention to the peculiar spirit with which the childhood of Jesus is treated in most of the Apocryphal books of the New Testament, particularly in one work attributed to the doubting Thomas, the earliest known Greek version of which dates from about A.D. 200: "The child Christ is represented almost as an imp, cursing and destroying those who annoy him." This Apocryphal work, calculated to inspire its readers with fear and trembling, was popular during the Middle Ages because it was in full accord with the cruel and persecuting spirit of mediæval Christianity. Like many other early sacred books, the book of Thomas was fabricated for two closely allied purposes: first, to outshine the pagans in miracle working; second, to inspire all unbelievers with the "fear of the Lord." Apocryphal writings of this sort have no possible basis in fact. At one time an asset, the "miracles" of Christianity have become its greatest liability. Supernatural phenomena, in a credulous age interpolated to impress the ignorant, in this century have only achieved the alienation of the intelligent.

(4) Through thee I Poet was, through thee a Christian; But that thou better see what I design, To colour it will I extend my hand. Already was the world in every part Pregnant with the true creed, disseminated By messengers of the eternal kingdom; And thy assertion, spoken of above, With the new preachers was in unison; Whence I to visit them the custom took. Then they became so holy in my sight, That, when Domitian persecuted them, Not without tears of mine were their laments; And all the while that I on earth remained, Them I befriended, and their upright customs Made me disparage all the other sects. And ere I led the Greeks unto the rivers Of Thebes, in poetry, I was baptized, But out of fear was covertly a Christian, For a long time professing paganism; And this lukewarmness caused me the fourth circle To circuit round more than four centuries. Thou, therefore, who hast raised the covering That hid from me whatever good I speak of, While in ascending we have time to spare,

(38) The First Parable. When the congregation of the righteous shall appear, And sinners shall be judged for their sins, And shall be driven from the face of the earth:

(4) He • began to call on the name of the Lord on the earth. The Patriarchs from Adam to Noah (cf. Gen. v.) ; Life of Enoch ; Death of Adam and Gain (iv. -). 3°-3i5

(4) What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

(6) This chapter and the following are recensions and combinations of extremely ancient texts

(30) This is the disciple which testifieth of these things: and wrote these things. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.