The minister who keeps back hell from his people in his sermons is neither a faithful nor a charitable man.
J. C. RyleRead
If we are true Christians, we must not expect everything smooth in our journey to heaven. We must count it no strange thing, if we have to endure sicknesses, losses, bereavements, and disappointments, just like other men. Free pardon and full forgiveness, grace along the way, and glory at the endall this our Savior has promised to give. But He has never promised that we shall have no afflictions.
Interpretation
Life's journey for Christians involves struggles and hardships, but promises ultimate grace and glory.
In this quote, J.C. Ryle emphasizes that being a true Christian does not exempt one from life's challenges and adversities. Suffering, loss, and disappointment are part of the human experience, and Christians should expect to encounter these difficulties. However, Ryle reassures believers that despite these tribulations, they can find solace in the grace, forgiveness, and glory promised by their Savior, which serves as a reminder of the hope that sustains them through tough times.
In practice
During a church sermon on overcoming life's challenges.
The minister who keeps back hell from his people in his sermons is neither a faithful nor a charitable man.
Good hymns are an immense blessing to the Church. They train people for heaven, where praise is one of the principal occupations.
When I speak of a man growing in grace, I mean simply this - that his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, his spiritual mindedness more marked.
Those who confine God's love exclusively to the elect appear to me to take a narrow and contracted view of God's character and attributes....I have long come to the conclusion that men may be _x000D_ more systematic in their statements than the Bible, and may be led into grave error by idolatrous veneration of a system
Never be satisfied with the world's standard of Christianity!
Sunday morning, before we go to hear the Word of God preached...let us not rush into Godβs presence careless, reckless, and unprepared, as if it mattered not in what way such work was done. Let us carry with us faith, reverence, and prayer. If these three are our companions, we will hear with profit, and return with praise.
There is no true gracefulness which is not epitomized goodness.
The most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.
I felt early on I wasn't going to be a respectable citizen.
Sometimes thinking back on things is a mistake arising out of pride, but I guess you live inside a moment for years, move with it and feel it grow, and it sends out roots until it touches everything in sight.
If in the least particular, one could derange the order of nature, who would accept the gift of life?
The penalty that good men pay for not being interested in politics is to be governed by men worse than themselves.
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