Thoughts for Young Men, J.C. Ryle 4.1

This reading marks the fourth and final part of J.C. Ryle’s Thoughts for Young Men. Part 4 holds Special Rules for Young Men. The first rule is this: “For one thing, resolve at once, by God’s help, to break off every known sin, however small.”

Ryle outlines the tragedy of a life where sin is not dealt with.

He traces sin from its beginnings and shows how no one ever sets out to be wicked. Rather, their downfall began with little transgressions which in turn led to something greater.

Ryle then goes on to remind us there is no such thing as little sins. He vividly paints a picture of two ways to come down from the top of a church steeple and likens that to two ways of going to hell. In both cases you can jump down or come down by the steps. Ryle suggests more people choose to descend into hell one step at a time.

He closes by reciting the words of Jeremy Taylor who described the progress of sin in a man as follows: ‘First it startles him, then it becomes pleasing, then easy, then delightful, then frequent, then habitual, then confirmed! - then the man is impenitent, then obstinate, then resolves never to repent, and then he is damned.’

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Intro created and performed by Isaac Johnson