Saturday, April 18, 2009

J.C. Ryle: Cry to God for Mercy

J.C. Ryle:

It is useless to say you cannot pray till you have faith and a new heart, and that you must sit still and wait for them. This is to add sin to sin. It is bad enough to be unconverted and going to hell. It is even worse to say, "I know it, but will not cry for mercy." This is a kind of argument for which there is not warrant in scripture. "Call ye upon the Lord," saith Isaiah, "while He is near" (Isa. 55:6). "Take with you words, and turn unto the Lord," says Hosea (Hos. 14:2). "Repent and pray," says Peter to Simon Magus (Acts 8:22). If you want faith and a new heart, go and cry to the Lord for them. The very attempt to pray has often been the quickening of a dead soul. – J.C. Ryle, A Call to Prayer, pg. 22

Read all of J.C. Ryle's "A Call to Prayer" online here.

(HT: Joshua Harris)

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