Brief
Biography
On May 10, 1816, John Charles Ryle was born to
John And Susanna Ryle of Macclesfield, Cheshire County, England. He attended
Eton and then went on to Oxford, finishing his Oxford studies in 1837. It was
at this time in 1837 that Ryle found salvation and faith in Christ. Ryle was
out shooting with his old Eton friend, Algernon Coote, and some others. In the
course of the day, he swore in the hearing of Coote's father, a keen Christian,
who rebuked him sharply. Ryle never swore again. This incident led to a
lifelong friendship with Algernon Coote, of whom Ryle wrote: 'he was the first
person who ever told me to think, repent and pray.' Although he did not become
a Christian forthwith, he was very much aware that his own standard of life and
that of the Christians he knew were in sharp contrast. Thus when the summer of
1837 came and with it Ryle's conversion, the foundations had been laid. Just
before he was due to take his final examinations, he became very ill with
inflammation of the chest. The tutor's report on his year's work simply states
'Aeger' ('sick'). But he was able to go through with the examinations, and for
this he credits Bible reading and prayer. His illness gave him more time to
think, and the more he thought the more he realised Jesus Christ was not at the
center of his life. Then one Sunday afternoon, he happened to go to a service
in one of the parish churches. He remembered nothing particular about it, not
even the sermon. But he did respond to the manner in which the second lesson
was read -by someone whose name he never knew. The passage was from the second
chapter of Ephesians and when the eighth verse was reached, the reader laid
emphasis on it with a short pause between each clause. Thus Ryle heard: 'By
grace are ye saved - through faith - and that not of yourselves - it is the
gift of God.' The same truth which had so transformed Luther in his discovery
of justification of faith now had like effect upon Ryle. By the grace of God,
he had become a Christian. Henceforth, he would be doughtily upholding
Reformation principles. “
In 1841 Bishop Charles Sumner of Winchester
ordained J. C Ryle as a minister in the Anglican Church, (Church of England).
In 1880 Ryle was named the first Bishop of the newly constituted diocese of
Liverpool. Throughout his ministry he became known and beloved as a defender of
the evangelical reformed faith as expressed in the Thirty-nine Articles of
Religion, of the Church of England. In February, 1900, the 83 year old Bishop
Ryle retired after many years of faithful ministry. He went home to be with his
Lord on June 10, 1900.
Useful
Links
http://web.singnet.com.sg/~kohfly/articles.html
the Thirty-nine Articles of the CoE.
http://www.usa-people-search.com/content-john-c-ryle.aspx
Site sent me by a viewer in USA. Looks good.
http://www.iserv.net/~mrbill/index.html
Matthew - complete text plus other gospels.
http://www.iserv.net/~mrbill/pr/pr01s01.html
Practical Religion - first page (rest follows)
http://www.iserv.net/~mrbill/letter-of-John-Hooper.html
Light from old times - letter from Hooper.
http://www.anglicanlibrary.org/ryle/
More works..
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/history/spurgeon/web/ryle.holiness.html
sermon on "Holiness"
http://grace-for-today.com/ryle.htm
thirteen more works by Ryle.
http://www.ccel.org/r/ryle/ Christian
Classics Ethereal Library - Ryle.
http://www.fpcr.org/blue_banner_articles/ryle_sabbath.htm
Sabbath - a day to keep holy.