St Silas' & J. C. Ryle

I've just finished reading Pat Meldrum's Conscience and Compromise: Forgotten Evangelicals of Nineteenth Century Scotland. Among other things, it provides a great reminder that it's possible for faithful Anglicans to exist within the boundaries of a province, yet seek episcopal oversight from outside that province.

I had never heard this little titbit about the history of St Silas'. In 1883, the first Bishop of Liverpool, J.C. Ryle, confirmed candidates from St Silas'. They had to travel to England (no diocesan boundaries crossed by the confirming bishop!). Nonetheless, Bishop Ryle showed support for Anglicans in Scotland who weren't part of the Scottish Episcopal Church. This is an exciting historical link. I've long-loved Ryle's 'Holiness' and his expository commentaries on the gospels. An example of his preaching (from here):

Zeal is a subject, like many others in religion, which is sadly misunderstood. Many would be ashamed to be thought zealous Christians. Many are ready to say of zealous people what Festus said of Paul: “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted, “Your great learning is driving you insane” (Acts 26:24). Zeal in Christianity is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in every possible way. … A zealous person in Christianity is preeminently a person of one thing. It is not enough to say that they are earnest, strong, uncompromising, meticulous, wholehearted, and fervent in spirit. They only see one thing, they care for one thing, they live for one thing, they are swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God. Whether they live, or whether they die-whether they are healthy, or whether they are sick-whether they are rich, or whether they are poor-whether they please man, or whether they give offense-whether the are thought wise, or whether they are thought foolish-whether they are accused, or whether they are praised-whether they get honor, or whether they get shame-for all this the zealous person cares nothing at all. They have a passion for one thing, and that one thing is to please God and to advance God’s glory. If they are consumed in the very burning of their passion for God, they don’t care-they are content. They feel that, like a candle, they were made to burn; and if they are consumed in the burning, then they have only done the work for which God has appointed them. Such a person will always find a sphere for their zeal. If they cannot work, or give money, or a man cannot preach, then they will cry out and sigh, and pray. Yes: if they are extremely poor, on a perpetual bed of sickness, they will make the activity of sin around him slow to a standstill, by continually interceding against it. If they cannot fight in the valley with Joshua, they will do the work of Moses, Aaron, and Hur, on the hill. (Exodus 17:9-13) If they are cut off from working themselves, they will give the Lord no rest until help is raised up from another quarter, and the work is done. This is what I mean when I speak of zeal in Christianity.

Comments

[Andrew T]

I was very interested to read that bit of info about there being a St Silas connection to John Charles Ryle as I'm just about to embark on his book "Practical Religion". Would you be familiar with that work, GV? It was first published in 1878 and recently re-printed by the Banner of Truth Trust.

[RachelS]

JC Ryle is remembered in Macclesfield (his birthplace) with a wall-mounted memorial in St Michael's Church, in the city centre.