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The Upper Room
The dawn of New Testament Christianity in an upper room in Jerusalem and its final triumph when ‘many shall come from East and West and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven’, mark the beginning and ending respectively of the general sweep of this republished volume of papers by Bishop J.C. Ryle.
Sermons in some cases, lectures in others, they all exhibit the robust evangelical doctrine and down-to earth application, characteristic of Ryle’s style. With a vibrant challenging note and an occasional flash of humour, reliable advice, grounded in Biblical principles, is offered to ministers and congregations, parents and children, young and old, converted and unconverted.
Enlivening every word and sentence, the writer’s evangelistic zeal and tender pastoral concern compel the reader’s attention. Few, surely, can fail to be stirred and instructed by these addresses which have an astonishingly contemporary ring.
‘I have reached an age when I cannot reasonably expect to write much more. There are many thoughts in this volume which I do not wish to leave behind me in the precarious form of separate single sermons, addresses, lectures, and tracts. I have therefore resolved to gather them together in the volume I now send forth, which I heartily pray God to bless, and to make it a permanent blessing to many souls.’ — J. C. RYLE
Sermons in some cases, lectures in others, they all exhibit the robust evangelical doctrine and down-to earth application, characteristic of Ryle’s style. With a vibrant challenging note and an occasional flash of humour, reliable advice, grounded in Biblical principles, is offered to ministers and congregations, parents and children, young and old, converted and unconverted.
Enlivening every word and sentence, the writer’s evangelistic zeal and tender pastoral concern compel the reader’s attention. Few, surely, can fail to be stirred and instructed by these addresses which have an astonishingly contemporary ring.
‘I have reached an age when I cannot reasonably expect to write much more. There are many thoughts in this volume which I do not wish to leave behind me in the precarious form of separate single sermons, addresses, lectures, and tracts. I have therefore resolved to gather them together in the volume I now send forth, which I heartily pray God to bless, and to make it a permanent blessing to many souls.’ — J. C. RYLE
407 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
23 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
J.C. Ryle
823 books490 followers(John Charles Ryle) Ryle started his ministry as curate at the Chapel of Ease in Exbury, Hampshire, moving on to become rector of St Thomas's, Winchester in 1843 and then rector of Helmingham, Suffolk the following year. While at Helmingham he married and was widowed twice. He began publishing popular tracts, and Matthew, Mark and Luke of his series of Expository Thoughts on the Gospels were published in successive years (1856-1858). His final parish was Stradbroke, also in Suffolk, where he moved in 1861, and it was as vicar of All Saints that he became known nationally for his straightforward preaching and firm defence of evangelical principles. He wrote several well-known and still-in-print books, often addressing issues of contemporary relevance for the Church from a biblical standpoint. He completed his Expository Thoughts on the Gospels while at Stradbroke, with his work on the Gospel of John (1869). His third marriage, to Henrietta Amelia Clowes in 1861, lasted until her death in 1889.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 21, 2022
Simply fantastic book. May be the best book I've read all year. Ryle is an author I've long found profitable to read - he is both simple and straightforward in his language while at the same time he does not shy away from discussing frankly the deep truths of the Christian faith. I surely cannot speak objectively, but if I had to think of authors or figures from the 19th century that I admire most for their faith and wisdom, he would surely sit in the top tier. This book is no exception and it has greatly encouraged and edified me these past months that I've been reading it. It is a simple book and one easily read, partly because it is not a book about a single subject. Each chapter in this book is actually an address or lecture or essay that he prepared for a particular audience or event, but eventually near the end of his life he put them in one single volume, which is the volume I now speak of. This means that each chapter can be read "stand alone" and you can usefully fill an hour or two in the afternoon reading one of his lectures to great benefit. I am most surely not doing this work justice with my feeble words, but I would heartily encourage you that if you have a desire to grow closer to God and be made more like Christ, that you would pick up this book and read it. Some of it may seem old-fashioned to our modern sensibilities, but I found nothing in it that was not grounded and rooted in the Word of God. And I was surprised by how many of Ryle's statements and exhortations seem so well-fitted to our present age! Surely we are not so different now than were the English of the late 19th century. We still are sinners in the need of a saviour. We are still men and women who need Christ - to know Him and be known by Him. All that we do should be done with the purpose of glorifying God more with our thoughts, words and deeds and I dare say this book will be a great aid to that end. It certainly convicted me in many ways. No less did it encourage my heart and bring joy to my soul as I considered the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
April 6, 2023
Ryle is my current favorite. I read this devotionally over the course of a few months and was very blessed to do so. His hermeneutics are on point and there isn't any better at straight forward, simple, Scriptural preaching. Virile and direct, yet filled with gospel hope and joy.
June 5, 2025
This book feels like the spiritual equivalent of a plain, hearty and nutritious meal. Ryle is always worth reading, but this collection of papers is particularly refreshing, and I feel that his aim is fulfilled just as admirably as it was 140 years ago: "The volume now in the reader’s hands requires little introductory explanation. It contains a very miscellaneous selection of papers which I have sent forth from time to time, in one shape or another, during a forty-five years’ ministry...All of them, I venture humbly to think, will be found to contain some useful truths for the times, and words in season."
The topics and occasions of these papers are eclectic, but the content is classic Ryle: Earnestness is not enough; the scriptures are centrally important to all matters of Christian faith; the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ is the only road back to God. In short, Ryle is concerned with truth above all. But more than that, he is concerned with truth expressed in love as his pastoral heart shines through again and again. He generally speaks plainly and directly, but is never rough, harsh or unloving. Ryle is notable for his ability to clearly and simply articulate Christian truth in an exceptionally attractive way. He explains his approach to preaching sermons (and writing papers) when he comments that, "First: If you want to attain simplicity in preaching, you must have a clear knowledge of what you are going to preach. Secondly: If you would attain simplicity in preaching, you must use simple words. Thirdly: If you would attain simplicity in preaching, you must seek to acquire a simple style of composition, with short sentences and as few colons and semicolons as possible. Fourthly: If you would attain simplicity in preaching, aim at directness. Lastly: If you would attain simplicity in preaching, make abundant use of illustration and anecdote...whatever we preach, or whatever pulpit we occupy, whether we preach simply or not, whether we preach written or extempore, we ought to aim not merely at letting off fireworks, but at preaching that which will do lasting good to souls. Let us beware of fireworks in our preaching. “Beautiful” sermons, “brilliant” sermons, “clever” sermons, “popular” sermons, are often sermons which have no effect on the congregation, and do not draw men to Jesus Christ."
One memorable example of this writing style is in a passage where he comments on the push-back against any dogmatism in Christianity: "One plague of our age is the widespread dislike to what men are pleased to call dogmatic theology. In the place of it, the idol of the day is a kind of jellyfish Christianity - a Christianity without bone, or muscle, or sinew, without any distinct teaching about the atonement or the work of the Spirit, or justification, or the way of peace with God - a vague, foggy, misty Christianity, of which the only watchwords seem to be, “You must be earnest, and real, and true, and brave, and zealous, and liberal, and kind. You must condemn no man’s doctrinal views. You must consider everybody is right, and nobody is wrong.” And this Creedless kind of religion, we are actually told, is to give us peace of conscience! And not to be satisfied with it in a sorrowful, dying world, is a proof that you are very narrow-minded! Satisfied, indeed! Such a religion might possibly do for unfallen angels. But to tell sinful, dying men and women, with the blood of our father Adam in their veins, to be satisfied with it, is an insult to common sense, and a mockery of our distress. We need something far better than this. We need the blood of Christ."
Again, read this comment on earnestness without substance: "Wishing, and feeling, and meaning, and intending, do not make up saving religion. They are but painted corks, which may enable you to float on the surface for a time, and keep your head above water, but they will not prevent you being carried down the stream, and being at last swept over a worse fall than that of Niagara."
And once again, this comment on passivity: "The vast majority of church goers appear to suppose that when they have gone to church on Sunday, and have been at the Lord’s Supper, they have done their duty, and are not under the slightest obligation to warn, to teach, to rebuke, to edify others, to promote works of charity, to assist evangelization, or to raise a finger in checking sin, and advancing Christ’s cause in the world. Their only idea is to be perpetually receiving, but never doing anything at all. They have taken their seats in the right train, and are only to sit quiet, while the clerical engine draws them to heaven, perhaps half asleep."
Ryle consistently writes in this way, with a straightforward and earnest simplicity that is both memorable and timeless. As such, his writing is of value to the contemporary church that is not shared with the florid and overwrought output of many of his contemporaries.
Especially noteworthy are two of the longer papers in this volume, "Duties of Parents" and "Thoughts for Young Men." They are probably the most widely read as they have also been published as standalone booklets, and both are among the best Christian writings on their subjects. The two Q&A style papers on baptismal regeneration and communion are also excellent, and while these controversies are less white hot now than when Ryle wrote them, these papers serve as an excellent primer on sacramental theology from a reformed Anglican perspective.
This is a book to dip in and out of rather than one to read cover to cover, and I found something in every paper to savour and ponder, whether it was a new thought for me or just expressed freshly. Highly recommended.
"Can this man of science show us anything through his microscope or telescope which will minister to a mind diseased, bind up the wounds of a broken heart, satisfy the wants of an aching conscience, supply comfort to the mourner over a lost husband, wife, or child? No, indeed! He can do nothing of the kind! Men and women are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are not made up merely of brains, and head, and intellect, and reason. We are frail, dying creatures, who have got hearts, and feelings, and consciences; and we live in a world of sorrow, and disappointment, and sickness, and death. And what can help us in a world like this? Certainly not science alone. Nothing can help us but the doctrine of that volume which some people call an old worn-out Jewish book, the Bible. None can help us but He who was laid in the manger of Bethlehem and died on the cross to pay our debt to God, and is now at God’s right hand. None but He who said, ”Come unto Me, all ye that labour, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)."
The topics and occasions of these papers are eclectic, but the content is classic Ryle: Earnestness is not enough; the scriptures are centrally important to all matters of Christian faith; the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ is the only road back to God. In short, Ryle is concerned with truth above all. But more than that, he is concerned with truth expressed in love as his pastoral heart shines through again and again. He generally speaks plainly and directly, but is never rough, harsh or unloving. Ryle is notable for his ability to clearly and simply articulate Christian truth in an exceptionally attractive way. He explains his approach to preaching sermons (and writing papers) when he comments that, "First: If you want to attain simplicity in preaching, you must have a clear knowledge of what you are going to preach. Secondly: If you would attain simplicity in preaching, you must use simple words. Thirdly: If you would attain simplicity in preaching, you must seek to acquire a simple style of composition, with short sentences and as few colons and semicolons as possible. Fourthly: If you would attain simplicity in preaching, aim at directness. Lastly: If you would attain simplicity in preaching, make abundant use of illustration and anecdote...whatever we preach, or whatever pulpit we occupy, whether we preach simply or not, whether we preach written or extempore, we ought to aim not merely at letting off fireworks, but at preaching that which will do lasting good to souls. Let us beware of fireworks in our preaching. “Beautiful” sermons, “brilliant” sermons, “clever” sermons, “popular” sermons, are often sermons which have no effect on the congregation, and do not draw men to Jesus Christ."
One memorable example of this writing style is in a passage where he comments on the push-back against any dogmatism in Christianity: "One plague of our age is the widespread dislike to what men are pleased to call dogmatic theology. In the place of it, the idol of the day is a kind of jellyfish Christianity - a Christianity without bone, or muscle, or sinew, without any distinct teaching about the atonement or the work of the Spirit, or justification, or the way of peace with God - a vague, foggy, misty Christianity, of which the only watchwords seem to be, “You must be earnest, and real, and true, and brave, and zealous, and liberal, and kind. You must condemn no man’s doctrinal views. You must consider everybody is right, and nobody is wrong.” And this Creedless kind of religion, we are actually told, is to give us peace of conscience! And not to be satisfied with it in a sorrowful, dying world, is a proof that you are very narrow-minded! Satisfied, indeed! Such a religion might possibly do for unfallen angels. But to tell sinful, dying men and women, with the blood of our father Adam in their veins, to be satisfied with it, is an insult to common sense, and a mockery of our distress. We need something far better than this. We need the blood of Christ."
Again, read this comment on earnestness without substance: "Wishing, and feeling, and meaning, and intending, do not make up saving religion. They are but painted corks, which may enable you to float on the surface for a time, and keep your head above water, but they will not prevent you being carried down the stream, and being at last swept over a worse fall than that of Niagara."
And once again, this comment on passivity: "The vast majority of church goers appear to suppose that when they have gone to church on Sunday, and have been at the Lord’s Supper, they have done their duty, and are not under the slightest obligation to warn, to teach, to rebuke, to edify others, to promote works of charity, to assist evangelization, or to raise a finger in checking sin, and advancing Christ’s cause in the world. Their only idea is to be perpetually receiving, but never doing anything at all. They have taken their seats in the right train, and are only to sit quiet, while the clerical engine draws them to heaven, perhaps half asleep."
Ryle consistently writes in this way, with a straightforward and earnest simplicity that is both memorable and timeless. As such, his writing is of value to the contemporary church that is not shared with the florid and overwrought output of many of his contemporaries.
Especially noteworthy are two of the longer papers in this volume, "Duties of Parents" and "Thoughts for Young Men." They are probably the most widely read as they have also been published as standalone booklets, and both are among the best Christian writings on their subjects. The two Q&A style papers on baptismal regeneration and communion are also excellent, and while these controversies are less white hot now than when Ryle wrote them, these papers serve as an excellent primer on sacramental theology from a reformed Anglican perspective.
This is a book to dip in and out of rather than one to read cover to cover, and I found something in every paper to savour and ponder, whether it was a new thought for me or just expressed freshly. Highly recommended.
"Can this man of science show us anything through his microscope or telescope which will minister to a mind diseased, bind up the wounds of a broken heart, satisfy the wants of an aching conscience, supply comfort to the mourner over a lost husband, wife, or child? No, indeed! He can do nothing of the kind! Men and women are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are not made up merely of brains, and head, and intellect, and reason. We are frail, dying creatures, who have got hearts, and feelings, and consciences; and we live in a world of sorrow, and disappointment, and sickness, and death. And what can help us in a world like this? Certainly not science alone. Nothing can help us but the doctrine of that volume which some people call an old worn-out Jewish book, the Bible. None can help us but He who was laid in the manger of Bethlehem and died on the cross to pay our debt to God, and is now at God’s right hand. None but He who said, ”Come unto Me, all ye that labour, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)."
April 28, 2018
Another excellent book by the venerable J. C. Ryle. While the volume is a collection of addresses, which lacks an over-arching thesis, that does not matter as the content of the chapters is so good. The chapter on simplicity in preaching is alone worth the price of the book. Every minister and anyone who wishes to communicate clearly in either speaking or writing should read it.
The chapter on the rights and duties of ordinary church members is most illuminating. Despite being a bishop in the established Church of England, Ryle was willing to admit that his denomination did not get everything entirely right. He basically conceded that the so-called Puritans were correct in thinking that the Elizabethan Settlement did not go far enough in the direction of reform and that there were some areas where John Knox, the Church of Scotland, and even later English Dissenters were more biblical. Interestingly, he strongly recommends that ministers consult with ordinary members before making changes in the church. How many needless controversies would be avoided if ministers would follow this simple rule.
The chapter on the rights and duties of ordinary church members is most illuminating. Despite being a bishop in the established Church of England, Ryle was willing to admit that his denomination did not get everything entirely right. He basically conceded that the so-called Puritans were correct in thinking that the Elizabethan Settlement did not go far enough in the direction of reform and that there were some areas where John Knox, the Church of Scotland, and even later English Dissenters were more biblical. Interestingly, he strongly recommends that ministers consult with ordinary members before making changes in the church. How many needless controversies would be avoided if ministers would follow this simple rule.
May 30, 2020
Some sermons and papers by Ryle. Together with Spurgeon, he was of the twin towers of Victorian evangelical preaching, but though there is great meat in both it’s Ryles punchy, unflowery style which has arguably dated a little less.
He’s a man of his time and there is just a tinge of class bias at times, but he’s very forward thinking in other ways and there is much here to uplift as well as challenge.
Recently my church took its student group on an away day which included some teaching from Ryle. His down to earth approach crossed the time distance to minister to them.
He’s a man of his time and there is just a tinge of class bias at times, but he’s very forward thinking in other ways and there is much here to uplift as well as challenge.
Recently my church took its student group on an away day which included some teaching from Ryle. His down to earth approach crossed the time distance to minister to them.
September 9, 2022
In The Upper Room, J. C. Ryle presents a series of papers with truths for the times. Over 21 chapters and less than 400 pages, these sermons and lectures give fresh insight and encouragement into Christian living. While Jesus is not physically present in many of the texts, you can’t but mistake his spiritual presence and power amongst the disciples and in the life, mind, and heart of Ryle.
Relevant Applications
What I was most moved to see was how Ryle’s applications remain relevant today. While Ryle was the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool, I am still challenged by his applications. Ryle takes the text and shows the big implications on Christian living and a Christian worldview. Being thankful for freedom of religion, the sanctity of life and showing dignity to the human body, and more. Ryle takes on a variety of topics such as new birth and faith, and he does so with wisdom and simplicity. He writes in a straightforward manner, fully grounded in Biblical texts and principles. His words are kind, warm, and pastoral.
Personal Encouragement
I was most interested to see Ryle speak of his own early days of preaching in Chapter 3: Simplicity in Preaching. He offers tips and gives insight into his methods. It was stirring for me as a man still new in my preaching career. I was also moved in Chapter 16, where Ryle describes the Duties of Parents. I was reminded to teach my children to love the Bible, and that obedience is a virtue for all of life. Towards the end of the book, Chapter 19 gave Ryle’s Thoughts for Young Men, and I couldn’t help but think that Ryle was personally reminding me and giving me a call to come out from the world. Like the disciples in the upper room, I was gripped with a sense of holy urgency to worship and share the gospel, fearing and trembling at the wonder and glory of of the resurrected Christ.
I received a media copy of The Upper Room and this is my honest review.
Relevant Applications
What I was most moved to see was how Ryle’s applications remain relevant today. While Ryle was the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool, I am still challenged by his applications. Ryle takes the text and shows the big implications on Christian living and a Christian worldview. Being thankful for freedom of religion, the sanctity of life and showing dignity to the human body, and more. Ryle takes on a variety of topics such as new birth and faith, and he does so with wisdom and simplicity. He writes in a straightforward manner, fully grounded in Biblical texts and principles. His words are kind, warm, and pastoral.
Personal Encouragement
I was most interested to see Ryle speak of his own early days of preaching in Chapter 3: Simplicity in Preaching. He offers tips and gives insight into his methods. It was stirring for me as a man still new in my preaching career. I was also moved in Chapter 16, where Ryle describes the Duties of Parents. I was reminded to teach my children to love the Bible, and that obedience is a virtue for all of life. Towards the end of the book, Chapter 19 gave Ryle’s Thoughts for Young Men, and I couldn’t help but think that Ryle was personally reminding me and giving me a call to come out from the world. Like the disciples in the upper room, I was gripped with a sense of holy urgency to worship and share the gospel, fearing and trembling at the wonder and glory of of the resurrected Christ.
I received a media copy of The Upper Room and this is my honest review.
March 17, 2015
An excellent--if eclectic--collection of some of Ryle's public addresses, sermons, and other publications. This really does have the feel of a volume made up of "good stuff that we couldn't fit in anywhere else, and some things that we could." Thoughts for Young Men and The Duties Of Parents, for example, are both published independently, while some of the talks and sermons in here are stand-alone addresses to discrete groups of people that wouldn't fit in well in any other volume (such as Ryle's address on the occasion of the Queen's jubilee). Even the titular address is only "titular" because it happens to come first in the volume. The book could just as easily have been "One Blood" or "For Kings" or even "About the Author."
As one would expect from Ryle, even with the disjointed feel of the book as a whole it is excellent and well worth reading.
As one would expect from Ryle, even with the disjointed feel of the book as a whole it is excellent and well worth reading.
February 3, 2023
Upper Room is another excellent volume by Ryle written to his readers in late 19th century England. In it he seeks to ground his readers in sound doctrine and biblical living. It’s applicable for today just as it was in the late 19th century. In it Ryle compiles some of the most important subjects he wanted to address before his old age prevented him from writing more books. This is a must read volume if you’re a Ryle fan.
March 31, 2023
This is a collection of essays, sermons, and tracts by Ryle that he collated towards the end of his ministry, as he describes in the preface. Consequently, is does not have a particular theme running throughout, as he does in Holiness and Practical Religion, for example. However, that is not to say that it is any less relevant or helpful to the reader in understanding the living of a Christ-centered life. This volume is definitely worth the investment of time.
September 3, 2012
Not quite the book Holiness is, but still many excellent chapters.
January 8, 2021
A great read that makes one think about the unity that these people shared.
May 30, 2022
A must read 📚
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews