Practical Religion - Ryle - I - Preface and Chapter 1

Required reading
Practical Religion by JC Ryle (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Preface and Chapter 1 (Self-Inquiry).

My summary
Today we begin our second of Ryle's work, Practical Religion.

In the Preface Ryle outlines how this work fits in with his other well-known works, including the one we just completed, Holiness.

Then Chapter One takes Acts 25:36 as its text and discusses how the Christian should make a self-inquiry of their walk with God.

Ryle gives ten questions by which we can examine our lives.  Do you:
(1) think about your soul at all?
(2) do anything about your soul?
(3) try to satisfy your conscience with mere formal religion?
(4) receive the forgiveness of sins?
(5) know anything by experience of conversion to God?
(6) know anything of practical Christian holiness?
(7) know anything of enjoying the means of grace?
(8) ever try to do any good in the world?
(9) know anything of living the life of habitual communion with Christ?
(10) know anything of being ready for Christ's second coming?

What grabbed me
I loved Ryle's testimony to the truth of Christianity in the Preface: 'I am fully aware that Evangelical churchmanship is not popular and acceptable in this day.  It is despised by many, and has "no form or comeliness" in their eyes.  To avow attachment to Evangelical views, in some quarters, is to provoke a sneer, and to bring on yourself the reproach of being an "unlearned and ignorant man."  But none of these things move me.  I am not ashamed of my opinions.  After forty years of Bible-reading and praying, meditation and theological study, I find myself clinging more tightly than ever to "Evangelical" religion, and more than ever satisfied with it.  It wears well: it stands the fire.  I know no system of religion which is better.  In the faith of it I have lived for the third of a century and in the faith of it I hope to die.  The plain truth is, that I see no other ground to occupy, and find no other rest for the sole of my foot.  I lay no claim to infallibility, and desire to be no man's judge.  But the longer I live and read, the more I am convinced and persuaded that Evangelical principles are the principles of the Bible, of the Articles and Prayer-book, and of the leading Divines of the reformed Church of England.  Holding these views, I cannot write otherwise than I have written.'

There is simply no other place on which we can safely place our feet than Evangelical Christianity!

Next week's reading
Read Chapter 2 (Self-exertion).

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.