Generations of readers have found in J. C. Ryle (1816-1900) faithful biblical wisdom and searching application that aims at the heart rather than the eyebrow.

As the compiler of this anthology notes, if two things stand out like jewels in Ryle's crown, they were his unflagging determination to tell us the terrible truth about ourselves and to point us to Jesus. Arranged by topic in alphabetical order with a bibliography of sources, so that a quotation can be traced back and read in full.