J.C. Ryle on Happiness

I apologize for my lack of posts lately. If there was ever a sure fire way to get people to stop reading my blog, it would be to cut down on the number of posts (like I've done lately). That's really not my goal. Sometimes you just don't have weekends with the internet, and sometimes you randomly leave work at noon for Atlanta to watch Greg Maddux pitch against John Smoltz (yeah I did that yesterday and got into bed at 2 AM last night, so I'm going to make this short, for I'm about to pass out). I imagine the posts will pick up soon in the summertime, as my activities and favorite TV shows start to die down. I'm really really looking forward to a boring summer full of reading books --- let's just see if it happens.

It looks like my brother-in-law (friend in rehab) is going to miss jail yet again, so thank you if you prayed for him. God's mercy has been poured out in an abundance on him, and hopefully Christ has changed his life for good.

John Owen's "Overcoming Sin & Temptation" is still what I'm reading through, and it's still really good. I'll probably post a lot about it in the near future, especially when I start on the second book of the book.

I should bust out some more hymn spotlights soon. "Thy Mercy, My God" has really been on my mind a lot lately. It would be a good one to do.

Anyway...before I do the hour long post thing, let me type out an excerpt from J.C. Ryle's "Practical Religion" on a chapter about happiness. I really liked this paragraph (punctuation and italics all Ryle's).

The true Christian is the only happy man, because he can sit down quietly and think about his soul. He can look behind him and before him, he can look within him and around him, and feel, "All is well." -- He can think calmly on his past life, and however many and great his sins, take comfort in the thought that they are all forgiven. The righteousness of Christ covers all, as Noah's flood overtopped the highest hills. -- He can think calmly about things to come, and yet not be afraid. Sickness is painful; death is solemn; the judgment day is an awful thing: but having Christ for him, he has nothing to fear. -- He can think calmly about the Holy God, whose eyes are on all his ways, and feel, "He is my Father, my reconciled Father in Christ Jesus. I am weak; I am unprofitable: yet in Christ He regards me as His dear child, and is well-pleased." Oh, what a blessed privilege it is to be able to think, and not be afraid! I can well understand the mournful complaint of the prisoner in solitary confinement. He had warmth, and food, and clothing, and work, but he was not happy. And why? He said, "He was obliged to think."