Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. +Ryle ping.
7. Last, but not least, he that believes on Christ, has a special regard in all his religion to the person of Christ Himself. It is written, "Unto you that believe Christ is precious" (1 Peter ii. 7). That text deserves especial notice. It does not say "Christianity" is precious, or the "Gospel" is precious, or "salvation" is precious, but Christ Himself. A believer's religion does not consist in mere intellectual assent to a certain set of propositions and doctrines. It is not a mere cold belief of a certain set of truths and facts concerning Christ. It consists in union, communion, and fellowship with an actual living Person, even Jesus the Son of God. It is a life of faith in Jesus, confidence in Jesus, leaning on Jesus, drawing out of the fulness of Jesus, speaking to Jesus, working for Jesus, loving Jesus, and looking for Jesus to come again. Such life may sound like enthusiasm to many. But where there is true faith, Christ will always be known and realized, as an actual living personal Friend. He that knows nothing of Christ as his own Priest, Physician, and Redeemer, knows nothing yet of believing!
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Thank you, thank you, thank you! Printing the article out for an Episcopalian friend!
Orthodox ping on Anglican Bishop Ryle. Good stuff here gang. Everytime I read +Ryle's sermons or tracts I get a bit depressed when I think about what happened to so much of his church.
You know, S. its sad that these sermons and tracts have attracted so little attention here on FR. What we are reading here, from the pen of an English hierarch to my surprise, is almost pure, ancient, Orthodox Christianity. We have several thousand post threads on free will and sola scriptura and election, but this magnificent Christian testimony evokes little or no response. Just a few days ago the Vatican and the Moscow Patriarchate put out a statement after a conference that the only hope of Europe is to return to its Christian roots and not tomorrow, today. Isn't it amazing that as recently as 125 years ago, this is what was being preached in churches in England. Now London will be near majority Mohammaden, vicious, deadly heretical Mohammaden, within a couple or three decades and the CofE wrings its hands over gay, partnered vicars, women bishops and divesting from companies which do business with Israel in support of Mohammaden killers.
And here we, and I am the chief among these, spend time arguing over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.