"MANLINESS is Next to Godliness!! (For Christian Men)"

JOHN PIPER once referred to J.C. Ryle, the first Bishop of Liverpool, as "The Frank and Manly Mr. Ryle."  Ryle is, and HAS been, my favorite Christian author for the past 44 years!!  In the past FIVE years or so, I've read four books about him (pictured above) and am working on a fifth (the newest one at the END up there.)  The very TITLES of those books struggle to define Ryle, (with some success, I might add!!)

You see, Russell calls him "That Man of Granite With the Heart of a Child."  Murray describes Ryle as "Prepared to Stand Alone," and Rogers' title defines Ryle as "A Tender Lion." EACH of those descriptions certainly does Ryle justice, and they are TRUE, but I like PIPER'S "The Frank and Manly Mr. Ryle" the best!! (This wasn't the title of another BOOK about Ryle, as far as I know..."only" a sermon.)  In my opinion, all of these traits define true, Biblical, "godly manhood."

A few qualifications are in order.

     1.) All of these traits (Ryle's being "A Man of Granite" regarding his "unmoveableness" from the truth, his willingness and ability to stand alone to defend the truth , and his being "A Tender Lion" as he FOUGHT for truth), wouldn't mean a hill of beans if he didn't have, know, and PREACH the truth!! He did!!

     And, 2.) Ryle was an Anglican and I do NOT align with him doctrinally in some "lesser" things.  However, on the MAJOR doctrines of Scripture he is RIGHT ON THE MONEY so to speak.  And I love his manly, and godly, way of STATING God's truth!! So do many others....that's why there is so much renewed interest in his writings here, over 100 years after his death.  Manliness, TRUE Manliness, is "next to Godliness" in my opinion....and godly / manly ministers are, sadly, in short supply today.  This is why "we" have to reach back DECADES to find pastors who are godly and yet manly.

I, personally, and blessed to sit under the ministry of TWO such pastors in my church at the moment.  And, I "cut my spiritual teeth" for the first 14 years of my salvation under the ministry of a pastor who is perhaps the best living example of that godly / manly characteristic that I know of.  Here are HIS two most recent books, which I highly recommend....

These classics are available from Trinity Book Service here in NJ, currently at a GREATLY reduced price.  THANK GOD for men like Bishop Ryle and Pastor A.N. Martin, now 85, who show that "MANLINESS is Next to Godliness" for men like myself who are NOT pastors but most of all, for those who ARE.