# “Give me the cross of Christ!” by J.C. Ryle

- Link: https://tollelege.net/2018/06/07/give-me-the-cross-of-christ-by-j-c-ryle/
- Published: 2018-06-07T12:00:15-05:00
- Author: tollelege

“Let others, if they will, preach the law and morality. Let others hold forth the
terrors of hell, and the joys of heaven. Let others drench their congregations with
teachings about the sacraments and the church. Give me the cross of Christ!

This is the only lever which has ever turned the world upside down hitherto, and
made men forsake their sins. And if this will not, nothing will. A man may begin
preaching with a perfect knowledge of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, but he will do little
or no good among his hearers unless he knows something of the cross.

Never was there a minister who did much for the conversion of souls who did not 
dwell much on Christ crucified. Luther, Rutherford, Whitefield, M’Cheyne, were all
most eminently preachers of the cross. This is the preaching that the Holy Ghost
delights to bless. He loves to honour those who honour the cross.

The cross is the foundation of a Church’s prosperity. No Church will ever be honoured
in which Christ crucified is not continually lifted up: nothing whatever can make
up for the want of the cross.

Without it all things may be done decently and in order. Without it there may be
splendid ceremonies, beautiful music, gorgeous churches, learned ministers, crowded
communion tables, huge collections for the poor.

But without the cross no good will be done. Dark hearts will not be enlightened,
proud hearts will not be humbled, mourning hearts will not be comforted, fainting
hearts will not be cheered.

Sermons about the Catholic Church and an apostolic ministry,—sermons about baptism
and the Lord’s supper,—sermons about unity and schism,—sermons about fasts and communion,—
sermons about fathers and saints,—such sermons will never make up for the absence
of sermons about the cross of Christ.

They may amuse some: they will feed none. A gorgeous banqueting room, and splendid
gold plate on the table, will never make up to a hungry man for a lack of food.

Christ crucified is God’s ordinance for doing good to men. Whenever a Church keeps
back Christ crucified, or puts anything whatever in that foremost place which Christ
crucified should always have, from that moment a Church ceases to be useful.

Without Christ crucified in her pulpits, a church is little better than a cumberer
of the ground, a dead carcass, a well without water, a barren fig tree, a sleeping
watchman, a silent trumpet, a dumb witness, an ambassador without terms of peace,
a messenger without tidings, a lighthouse without fire, a stumbling-block to weak
believers, a comfort to infidels, a hot-bed for formalism, a joy to the devil, and
an offence to God.”

–J.C. Ryle, [_Old Paths: Being Plain Statements of Some of the Weightier Matters of Christianity_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1848712278?tag=toletaupanre-20)(
London: Charles J. Thynne, 1898), 257-259.

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