The Voices
J.C. Ryle
John Charles Ryle (May 10, 1816 – June 10, 1900) was an English evangelical Anglican bishop, preacher, and prolific tract-writer; he served as the first Bishop of Liverpool from 1880 until his retirement two months before his death.
Short bio
John Charles Ryle (May 10, 1816 – June 10, 1900) was an English evangelical Anglican bishop, preacher, and prolific tract-writer; he served as the first Bishop of Liverpool from 1880 until his retirement two months before his death. Born to a wealthy Cheshire banking family, Ryle was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, and was preparing for a parliamentary or military career when his father's bank failed in 1841, taking the family fortune. He was ordained Anglican in 1842 and pastored quiet rural parishes (Helmingham, Stradbroke) in Suffolk for over thirty years, during which he built his reputation on cheap, plain-spoken evangelical tracts distributed by the millions. Appointed dean of Salisbury in early 1880, he was elevated within months to the newly created Liverpool see, where he served as a working evangelical bishop in a heavily Anglo-Catholic environment.
What they believed
- Fear of the Lord Emphasis — Fear of the Lord is the right disposition of the believer toward the holy God. Ryle's preaching is consistently graveyard-direct about hell, judgment, and the necessity of regeneration — the "fear of the Lord" is enacted in his sermons more than theorized.
- Cost of Following — Counting the cost is an evangelical non-negotiable. Ryle insists the modern church reduces the gospel to a quick decision and creates "Christians" without conversion. Real discipleship requires repentance, ongoing struggle against sin, and the willingness to suffer.
- Rapture Timing — Historic premillennial — Christ returns visibly to inaugurate a millennial reign — but NOT dispensational pre-tribulation rapture. Ryle's eschatology pre-dates the Scofield-Lindsey synthesis and explicitly distances itself from the secret-rapture framing then emerging via Darby.
- Cessation — Ryle is functionally cessationist in the 19th-c. Reformed Anglican mode. He does not engage modern continuationism (which postdates him). His pneumatology emphasizes the Spirit's regenerating, sanctifying, illuminating work in the believer and the gathered church.
- Modern State Prophetic Significance — Ryle held the future literal restoration of Israel — both spiritual (national conversion to Christ) and political (return to the land) — as a clear teaching of Scripture. He preached this in the 19th-c. context, decades before the modern state of Israel existed.
- Penal Substitution — Penal substitution is the central interpretive lens for the cross. Christ bore the wrath of God in the believer's stead; this is the gospel.
Notable works
7 listed
| Title | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots | 1877 | The classical Reformed alternative to Keswick "second-blessing" sanctification. The standard 19th-c. Anglican statement on progressive sanctification. Required reading for the holiness-vs-grace question. |
| Expository Thoughts on the Gospels | 1856 | The standard 19th-c. evangelical Anglican commentary on the Gospels. Ryle's functional equivalent of Matthew Henry but with sharper Reformed-Anglican inflections. Designed for family devotional reading and for lay teachers. |
| Knots Untied: Being Plain Statements on Disputed Points in Religion | 1874 | Ryle's articulation of Reformed Anglican distinctives against both Anglo-Catholicism and modernist liberalism. |
| Practical Religion | 1878 | Lay-accessible practical-religion handbook on prayer, Bible reading, the Lord's Day, family religion, etc. |
| Old Paths | 1877 | Ryle's positive Reformational doctrinal articulation in 19 essays. The companion-volume to *Knots Untied*'s polemic. |
| Christian Leaders of the 18th Century | 1869 | Ryle's account of the 18th-c. evangelical revival — Whitefield, Wesley, Berridge, Romaine, Grimshaw, Hervey, Toplady, Walker, Fletcher, etc. The model for evangelical historical biography. |
| Coming Events and Present Duties | 1867 | Ryle's premillennial eschatology articulated. Distinctively NOT dispensational pre-tribulation rapture; classical historic premillennialism oriented to the visible return of Christ. |
Their words on MannaFest
408 quotes across 4 books
Where this voice speaks on the site: each quote links to the verse it was chosen for.
“Let us mark, in this passage — the power of a bad conscience. We are told that "when Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by our Lord — he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead." He said, "I beheaded John. …”
“The miracle described in these verses is more frequently related in the Gospels than any that our Lord wrought. There is no doubt a meaning in this repetition . It is intended to draw our special attention to the things which it contains. We see, for one th…”
“Let us notice in this passage — the variety of opinions about our Lord Jesus Christ, which prevailed during His earthly ministry. We are told that some said that He was John the Baptist — some that He was Elijah — and some that one of the old prophets had r…”
“These words of our Lord Jesus Christ contain three great lessons for all Christians. They apply to all ranks and classes, without exception. They are intended for every age and time, and for every branch of the visible church. We learn, for one thing — the …”
“The event described in these verses, commonly called "the transfiguration" — is one of the most remarkable events in the history of our Lord's earthly ministry. It is one of those passages which we should always read with particular thankfulness. It lifts a…”
“The event described in these verses took place immediately after the transfiguration. The Lord Jesus, we should remark, did not tarry long on the Mount of Olives. His communion with Moses and Elijah was very short. He soon returned to His usual work of doin…”
“The verses we have now read contain two most important warnings . They are directed against two of the commonest evils which are to be found in the Church of Christ. He who gave them, well knew what was in the heart of man. Well would it have been for the C…”
“Let us notice in these verses — the steady determination with which our Lord Jesus Christ regarded His own crucifixion and death. We read that, "When the time approached for Him to be taken up to Heaven — Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem." He knew ful…”
“The passage of Scripture we have just read, is a very remarkable one. It contains three short sayings of peculiar solemnity, addressed by our Lord Jesus Christ to three different people. We know nothing of the names of those people. We know nothing of the …”
“The verses before us relate a circumstance which is not recorded by any Gospel writer except Luke. That circumstance is our Lord's appointment of seventy disciples to go before Him, in addition to the twelve apostles. We do not know the names of any of thes…”
“These verses comprise the second part of our Lord Jesus Christ's charge to the seventy disciples. Its lessons, like those of the first part — have a special reference to ministers and teachers of the Gospel. But they contain truths which deserve the serious…”
“We learn, from this passage — how ready Christians are to be puffed up with success. It is written, that the seventy returned from their first mission with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject unto us through your name." There was much false fire…”
“There are five remarkable points in these verses which deserve the attention of all who wish to be well-instructed Christians. Let us take each of the five in order. We should observe, in the first place — the one instance on record of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
“We should notice in this passage — the solemn question which was addressed to our Lord Jesus Christ. We are told that a certain lawyer asked Him, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" The motive of this man was evidently not right. He only asked this q…”
“These words contain the well-known parable of the good Samaritan. In order to understand the drift of this parable, we must carefully remember the occasion on which it was spoken. It was spoken in reply to the question of a certain lawyer, who asked, "who i…”
“The little history which these verses contain, is only recorded in the Gospel of Luke. So long as the world stands, the story of Mary and Martha will furnish the Church with lessons of wisdom which ought never to be forgotten. Taken together with the eleven…”
“These verses contain the prayer commonly called the Lord's Prayer . Few passages of Scripture perhaps are so well known as this. The most benighted Roman Catholic can tell us that there is a prayer called the "Pater Noster." The most ignorant English child …”
“In these verses, our Lord Jesus Christ instructs us about prayer. The subject is one which can never be too strongly pressed on our attention. Prayer lies at the very root of our practical Christianity. It is part of the daily business of our Christian life…”
“The connection between these verses and those which immediately precede them, is striking and instructive. In the preceding verses, our Lord Jesus Christ had been showing the power and importance of prayer. In the verses before us, he delivers a man from a …”
“The subject of these words of Christ is mysterious, but deeply important. They were spoken concerning Satan and his agency. They throw light on the power of Satan, and the nature of his operations. They deserve the close attention of all who would fight the…”
“A woman is brought before us in this passage of Scripture, of whose name and history we know nothing. We read that, as our Lord spoke, "A certain woman of the company lifted up her voice and said unto him: Blessed is the mother that gave you birth." At once…”
“We learn from these words of the Lord Jesus, the importance of making a good use of religious light and privileges. We are reminded of what men do when they light a candle. They do not "put it in a hidden place," under a basket. They place it on a candlesti…”
“Let us notice in this passage — our Lord Jesus Christ's readiness, when needful, to go into the company of the unconverted. We read that a certain Pharisee invited Jesus to eat with him. The man was evidently not one of our Lord's disciples. Yet we are told…”
“The passage before us is an example of our Lord Jesus Christ's faithful dealing with the souls of men. We see Him without fear or favor rebuking the sins of the Jewish expounders of God's law. That false charity which calls it "unkind" to say that any one i…”
“The words which begin this chapter are very striking, when we consider its contents. We are told that "a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another." And what does our Lord do? In the hearing of this multitude He delive…”