In his preface to Practical Religion, Bishop J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) wrote, The present volume contains a series of papers about practical religion and deals with the daily duties, dangers, experiences and privileges of all who profess and call themselves Christians. I now send forth this volume with an earnest prayer that God the Holy Spirit may bless it, and make it useful and helpful to many souls. By practical religion Ryle does not mean a religion of works , but one in which those who are saved can put their faith into practice. Ryle was appointed a the first Bishop of Liverpool in 1880 and was the leader of the Evangelical party in the Church of England for more than half a century. He is highly regarded for his plain and lively writings on practical and spiritual themes, and their usefulness and impact have been consistently recognized and remain as wise and relevant today as when he first wrote them.
Lightly edited and updated, this modern edition remains faithful to Ryle s original work, and conveys its timeless truths of what every believer ought to be, to do, and to expect.
(John Charles Ryle) Ryle started his ministry as curate at the Chapel of Ease in Exbury, Hampshire, moving on to become rector of St Thomas's, Winchester in 1843 and then rector of Helmingham, Suffolk the following year. While at Helmingham he married and was widowed twice. He began publishing popular tracts, and Matthew, Mark and Luke of his series of Expository Thoughts on the Gospels were published in successive years (1856-1858). His final parish was Stradbroke, also in Suffolk, where he moved in 1861, and it was as vicar of All Saints that he became known nationally for his straightforward preaching and firm defence of evangelical principles. He wrote several well-known and still-in-print books, often addressing issues of contemporary relevance for the Church from a biblical standpoint. He completed his Expository Thoughts on the Gospels while at Stradbroke, with his work on the Gospel of John (1869). His third marriage, to Henrietta Amelia Clowes in 1861, lasted until her death in 1889.