men with the deep thinkers of past ages deserves encouragement and support. If the few words I have written in this preface shall in any wise promote the circulation of the present work I shall be much pleased.

After all, the highest and best recommendation of the work is its thorough soundness and doctrinal purity. Without pretending to say that every Christian will agree with every statement in so large a body of divinity, it is not too much to say that no Christian will find anything in it which favours Romanism, Ritualism, or Scepticism. This is indeed high praise. Few are the religious works now-a-days which do not contain something or other that is unsatisfactory, either about Christ, or the Holy Ghost, or sin, or redemption, or justification, or sanctification, or the church, or the ministry, or the sacraments, or the world to come. On points like these how rarely one can read through a modern book of theology without stumbling on some expression which makes one's flesh writhe and creep! I am greatly mistaken if the reader of the present collection of extracts finds anything in it that is not perfectly sound and scriptural.

May God bless this and every kindred effort to maintain pure and undefiled religion in our land!

August 8th, 1867.

J. C. RYLE,

VICAR OF STRADBROKE,

SUFFOLK.

NOTE.

THE general plan of the present work has been, as far as possible, to place doctrinal pieces first and practical ones last in each chapter. And, as will be seen from the tables of contents, the first volume is more doctrinal in its subjects than the second, which is chiefly practical.

In arranging the extracts under the different heads, the endeavour has been to place them in such order, that thought should follow thought without too abrupt changes, so that each chapter or division of the work should read well as a whole.

Quaint words and expressions, even in some cases where the sense has seemed a little doubtful or obscure, have always been left unless they have been corrected by reference to the original works of the author.

The index to each volume refers to the names of the authors. The name will be found at the end of the portion, while the number always refers to the page upon which it begins.

October, 1867.