Rev. John Ryland

Mr. Ryland had resided at Northampton as the pastor of the Baptist church, where also, for many years, he had kept a large and flourishing school. He had, when I became acquainted with him, no pastorate, but preached occasionally for any of his brethren. His residence was then at Enfield, where he had a seminary; but he passed his vacations at the house of one of his sons, who carried on trade in Blackfriars Road. There he was all the time of my first and second engagements at Surrey Chapel; and, as the chapel was near, he frequently heard me, and I gained his approbation and attachment.

He was a peculiar character, and had many things about him outre and bizarre, as the French would call them; but those who have heard him represented as made up only of these are grossly imposed upon. We are far from justifying all his bold sayings, and occasional sallies of temperament; but, as those who knew him can testify, he was commonly grave, and habitually sustained a dignified deportment; and he had excellencies which more than balanced his defects. His apprehension, imagination, and memory, to use an expression of his own, rendered his brains like fish-hooks, which seized and retained everything within their reach. His preaching was probably unique, occasionally overstepping the proprieties of the pulpit, but grappling much with conscience, and dealing out the most tremendous blows at error, sin, and the mere forms of godliness.

Mr. Hall has said in print, “He was a most extraordinary man, and rarely, if ever, lias full justice been done to his character.^^ And Mr. Hervey, rector of Weston Favell, often entertained him at his parsonage, and kept up a frequent correspondence with him, as may be seen in seventy of his letters inserted in his life by Mr. Ryland. These letters show, not only the value he attached to Mr. Ryland s friendship, but the confidence he placed even in his judgment, consulting him with regard to his own several publications, as well as desiring his opinion of the works of others.

The first time I ever met Mr. Ryland was at the house of a

wholesale linendraper in Cheapside. The owner, Mr. B h,

told him one day, as he called upon him, that I was in the parlour, and desired him to go in, and he would soon follow. At this moment I did not personally know him. He was singular in his appearance; his shoes were square-toed; his wig was five-storied behind; the sleeves of his coat were profusely large and open; and the flaps of his waistcoat encroaching upon his knees. I was struck and awed with his figure; but what could I think when, walking towards me, he laid hold of me by the collar, and, shaking his fist in my face, he roared out, “Young man, if you let the people of Surrey Chapel make you proud, I ’11 smite you to the ground! ‘^ But then, instantly dropping his voice, and taking me by the hand, he made me sit down by his side, and said, —” Sir, nothing can equal the folly of some hearers; they are like apes that hug their young ones to death.’’ He then mentioned two promising young ministers who had come to town, and been injured and spoiled by popular caressings; adding other seasonable and useful remarks.

From this strange commencement a peculiar intimacy ensued. We were seldom a day apart during my eight weeks’ continuance in town, and the intercourse was renewed the following year, when we were both in town again at the same time. As

u the chapel was very near, and spacious, he obtained leave from the managers to deliver in it a course of philosophical lectures, Mr. Adams, the celebrated optician, aiding him in the experimental parts. The lectures were on Friday mornings, at the end of which there was always a short sermon at the reading-desk; and the lecturer would say to his attendants,” You have been seeing the works of the God of Nature; now go yonder, and hear a Jay talk of the works of the God of Grace.^^

As I was then single, and had the chapel-house to myself, he soon found its roominess and quiet more agreeable than the noise of grandchildren; and, as he did not dissent much from Mr. Berridges notion, that prudence is a rascally virtue, he quartered himself too much upon me, often bringing over his friends with him; regardless of the fact that I was not the owner, but only the occupier of the dwelling. As I was near, and rose early, (as he also did), he soon turned me also to some account. He was often publishing, and was fonder of dictating than of writing. I was, therefore, gradually and increasingly drawn in to be his amanuensis; and at different times I wrote from his lips his “Qualifications of an able Expositor,” for Scott’s Bible; “The Corner Stone of the British Constitution;” “Address to the Youth of England and France;” and a large proportion of the “Life of James Hervey.” His publications were very numerous; too numerous for the contents to be distinct and finished; yet all abounding with strong and striking passages.

As he was eccentric, and eccentricity often appears like a degree of derangement, and with some always passes for it, this perhaps considerably affected the circulation and influence of his various works. I was struck with him as an original, and only viewed him as eccentric. His conversation, and illustrations, and expressions, were frequently very uncommon and impressive. His mind was never quiescent. He always seemed labouring to throw off something fresh and forcible, not only in his public discourses, but in his ordinary conversation. He sometimes failed, and you had (yet rarely) only extravagance; but he sometimes succeeded, and persons of some mind must have been surprised at his fine touches and strokes of genius. As to myself, I derived no little advantage from him. He was full of information, and ready to communicate. He seized my mind, and was always leading me to think. By his commendations he cheered and encouraged me, and several of his counsels and admonitions guided my youth, and have not been forgotten through life. One of them he often repeated: it was against sitting up late to study. He dwelt on the baneful consequences of this practice, and ran over several instances in which good and useful men had been sufferers by it, losing their health, and shortening their days; and when I took my leave of him at our first parting, he exclaimed, with a stentorian voice, “If ever you are in your study after nine o’clock, I wish {expressing a terrific object) may appear, and drive you to bed” I do not think I have ever transgressed this rule; and, if I had, I should not certainly have expected such a sight; yet I have never been there at the approach of the ninth hour without remembering the tender wish; and to preserve it from oblivion was his design, in clothing it with such terror.

He never seemed so niuch in his element as when he had those around him who were not only willing to receive, but eager to draw forth from his ample stores. The young could never leave his company unaffected and uninstr acted. I once passed a day at his house. It was the fifth of November. He took advantage of the season with his pupils. There was an effigy of Guy Fawkes. A court of justice was established for his trial. The indictment was read; witnesses were examined; counsel was heard. But he was clearly and fully convicted; when Mr. R. himself being the judge summed up the case; and,

u2 putting on his black cap pronounced the awful sentence — that he should be carried forth and burned at the stake; which sentence was executed amidst shouts of joy from his pupils. Of thisj I confess, my feelings did not entirely approve.

Speaking of him one day to Mr. Hall, he related the following occurrence: —” When I was quite a lad, my father took me to Mr. Rylands school at Northampton. That afternoon I drank tea along with him in the parlour. Mr. Ryland was then violently against the American war; and, the subject happening to be mentioned, he rose, and said, with a fierce countenance and loud voice, — ‘If I was General Washington, I would summon all my officers around me, and make them bleed from their arms into a basin, and dip their swords into its contents, and swear they would not sheath them till America had gained her independence.^ I was perfectly terrified. ‘What a master,^ thought I, ’ am I to be left under! ’ and when I went to bed, I could not for some time go to sleep.^^

Once a young minister was spending the evening with him, and when the family were called together for worship, he said,

“Mr., you must pray.^^ ‘^ Sir,^’ said he,” I cannot.’^ He

urged him again, but in vain. “Then, Sir,’^ said he, “I declare, if you will not, I ^11 call in the watchman.^^ At this time a watchman on his round was going by, whom he knew to be a very pious man; (I knew him too;) he opened the door, and calling him, said, “Duke, Duke come in; you are wanted here. Here,” said he,” is a young pastor that can’t pray; so you must pray for him.’’

At this time, the first opposition was made to the Slave Trade, and he threw all his impassioned energies into the condemnation of the accursed traffic. One morning I was reading to him some of the reported miseries and cruelties of the middle passage; among others, of a captain who had a fine female slave in his cabin, but, when her infant cried, he snatched him up, and flung him out into the sea; still requiring the wretched creature to remain, as the gratifier of his vile passions. At the recital of this Mr. Ryland seemed frantic, and to lose his usual self-control. He was agitated, and paced up and down the room, “Oh God, preserve me! Oh God, preserve me! “and then, unable to contain any longer, burst forth into a dreadful imprecation, which I dare not repeat. It shocked me, and I am far from justifying it -, and yet, had the reader been present to witness the excitement and the struggle, he would hardly have been severe in condemning him. Is there not a feeling of justice, as well as of mercy? And what is mercy, compared with justice? The one is confined to our economy of imperfection and evil; the other pervades all worlds, and reigns for ever., “Justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne,’^ who is holy in all his ways, and righteous in all his works.

One afternoon we went together to drink tea with Mrs.,

and she prevailed upon us to spend the evening. His supper was always spinach and an e^ on a slice of toasted bread, and a glass of pure water. At the domestic worship he said, “You, Eusebius,^^ (so he commonly called me, I know not wherefore;) “you shall pray, and I will for a few minutes expound.^^ (He was never tedious.) He took the story of the woman of Canaan. After commenting on her affliction, and application for relief, he came to her trial and her success; — reading the words —” And he answered her not a word; he said, “Is this the benefactor of whom I have heard so much before I came? He seems to have the dead palsy in his tongue.” — “And the disciples came and besought him, saying. Send her away, for she crieth after us;” — “And why should we be troubled with a stranger? We know not whence she is, and she seems determined to hang on tiU she is heard.’’” But he said, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the hoitse of Israel; “—” and you know you are not one of them j and what right have you to clamour thus? ‘^ — “Then came she, falling at his feet, and cried. Lord, help me! But he said. It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs; And she said, Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.’ What I want is no more to thee than a crumb, compared with the immense provisions of Thy board; and I come only for a crumb, and a crumb I must have; and, if Thou refase me a seat at Thy table with Thy family, wilt Thou refuse me a crawl and a crumb underneath? The family will lose nothing by my gaining all I want/^ .... Omnipotence can withstand this attack no longer; but He yields the victory, — not to her humility, and importunity, and perseverance, — but to her faith, that produced and employed all these; for” all things are possible to him that believeth.^^ — “O, woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt,” “Lord, what was that you said? ‘^” Why, be it unto thee even as thou wilt.^^ “Why, then, I will have my dear child instantly healed.” “Be it unto thee even as thou wilt.^^” Why, then, I will have my poor soul saved.” ‘^ Be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” “Why, then, I will have all my sins pardoned and destroyed.^’ ‘^ Be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” “Why, then, I ^11 have all my wants supplied from thy riches in glory.” “Be it unto thee even as thou wilt. Here, take the key, and go, and be not afraid to rifle all my treasures.”

“Now, Mrs., this woman was a dog, a sad dog, a sinful

dog, and if she had had her desert she would have been driven out of doors; and yet there is not a woman in this house comparable to her. — Let us pray.”

N. B. — I relate as characteristic, what I did not wholly admire as proper. I repeat the same with regard to another instance: —

He took my place one Tuesday-evening at Surrey Chapel, and preached a most striking sermon from DanieFs words to Belshazzar, — “But the God in whose hands thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified/^ After an introduction, giving some account of Belshazzar, he impatiently and abruptly broke off by saying, — “But you cannot suppose that I

am going to preach a whole sermon on such a rascal as

this,^-* — and then stated, that he should bring home the charge in the text against every individual in the place, in four grand instances.

Mr. Ryland was exceedingly full of striking, and useful, and entertaining anecdotes, and (which is everything in anecdotes,) he told them with admirable clearness, and brevity, and ease. I heard him repeat more than once many of those which Dr. Newman has published in his account of him; some of which, for want of his stating the circumstances which iiltroduced or followed them, appear less credible than they otherwise would do. For instance, when, during the execrable badness of the singing after sermon, he said,” I wonder the angels of God do not wrench your necks off,^^ he had been preaching on the presence of the angels in our assemblies. The thing itself was very exceptionable, but this circumstance rendered it less unnatural and improbable.

Though he was rather high in his doctrinal sentiments, and not entirely friendly to some of Fuller s views, he was not soured and malignant towards others.

He was intimate with Mr. Whitfield and Mr. Rowland Hill, and much attached to many other preachers less systematically orthodox than himself; and laboured, as opportunity offered, with them. He was, indeed, a lover of all good men; and, while many talked of candour, he exercised it. Though he was a firm Baptist, he was no friend to bigotry or exclusiveness. He warmly advocated the cause of mixed communion, and republished Bunyans reasons for the practice, with the addition of some of his own. And this brings to my mind the following occurrence: — I was one day to dine with him at a Mend’s house: the company was large; and, while waiting for the dinner, a minister asked him his opinion concerning strict communion, and excluding pious men from the Lord’s table. He replied thus, — “You decide the thing by calling it the Lords table. Suppose, sir, when I entered this room, I had taken upon me to say, — ‘Mr. Such-an-one,’ (naming him,) ’ you shall not sit down at this table; and Mrs. Such-an-one,’ (naming her,) ’ you shall not sit down at this table f — what would Mr. D — , the master of the house, say? ‘Why, John Kyland, you have forgotten yourself. You are not the owner of this table, but the master is. The table is mine, and I have a right to invite them, and I have invited them; and is it for you to forbid them? So in the church. The table is the Lord’s; and all who are called by his grace are his guests, and he has bidden them.’’

I cannot but think some of his own brethren, and of his own denomination, bore too hard upon him for some difficulty in his pecuniary circumstances. They did not, indeed, charge him with dishonesty and injustice, but they seemed to forget that a brother may be overtaken in a fault, and that the fault in this case was in reality the effect of an excellence, or virtue. In his ardour for learning and science, he was too free in the purchase of books, for his own use, and also to give to poor ministers who had few intellectual helps; and also, in the exercise of beneficence to the poor and needy, he was drawn beyond his means. I was told by a person who attended the examination of his affairs, that, when something rather reflecting on his integrity had escaped from one of the party, he instantly rose up, and turned his face to the wall, and, looking up to heaven, said, ‘’ Lord, thou knowest I am not wicked! Oh, give me grace to preserve my temper and tongue, while I endeavour to answer and rectify the mistake of my brother.” This instantly softened and melted the

party, and Mr. R soon gave them full satisfaction. If God

had not called Lot ‘just Lot,” we should probably never have registered him in our calendar of saints. Dr. Rippon, one of his permanently attached friends and advisers, preached his funeral sermon: and, as they were letting down the deceased into the grave, he pointed to the coffin, and said with admirable impression, —

“Defects through Nature’s best productions run, — Our friend had spots, — and spots are in the sun!”

The Rev. Mr. Bell, of Cheshunt, who attended him, informed me of the blessed state of his mind in his dying hours; reporting, among other things which he addressed to himself; —” Oh,. Bell, I charge you, I charge you to love and preach Christ! Oh, how good has he always been to me, and how good is he now! My body is as full of ease, and my soul is as full of joy, as it can hold! ‘^

Dr. Newman, the late tutor of the Baptist Academy at Mile-End, and who has published affectionate Memoirs of him, was originally a youth whom Mr. Ryland took up, and entirely educated gratis.

I need not say the late Dr. Ryland was his son; who had the ability, and learning, and excellence of his father, (without any of his errata,) whose praise is in all the churches, and whose character, and consistency, and integrity, were proverbial; so that Mr. Hall, who preached his funeral sermon, once said, “I would as soon have Dr. Ryland’s word as GabrieFs oath.” John Ryland, the father, was a devourer of books, and an excessive praiser of some of them. Thus I remember his saying, — ‘’ If the dipping my pen in my very blood would recommend ‘Witsius’s Economy of the Covenants,’ I would not forbear doing it for a moment.” Of Henry’s Exposition he said, — ‘’ It is impossible for a person of piety and taste to read this work without wishing to be shut out from the whole world, and to read it through, without one moments interruption/^ Owen, also, was an extreme favourite with him, and whose Latin work on “Divine Justice,^^ he translated. He gloried in Bunyan; and I recollect his speaking with warmth against Mr. Booth, who, in his defence of strict communion, had said, — “Let him (Bunyan) dream, but not lay down rules for gospel-worship.^^

He had a great number of manuscripts, some of which I saw from time to time. He used to say,” These I shall bequeath to twelve ministers, each having a key to the box containing them; and, if you are a good boy, you shall be one of them.^^ What became of them?

Though so many years have elapsed since, I feel it pleasant and useful to recall the opportunities I had of being in company with him, and of leading him about from place to place, when leaning on my arm; and I retain many impressions he made upon me when I was most susceptible of impressions.

If sometimes he seemed severe, it was really more in the force of his expression than the feeling of his heart. No one was more capable of tenderness; and I remember his saying,” My mother died when I was five years of age, and I have ten thousand times wished that she was alive, that I might wait upon her.^’

I wish I had written down more of his sayings and remarks. These are a few of them: — “My dunghill heart.^^ —” The promises are the saints legacies.^^ — “When a Christian is matured for heaven, he leaves the present world as the acorn leaves its cup.^’ —” Work for the world is done best when work for God is done first.’’ — “It is perilous to read any impure book; you will never get it out of your faculties till you are dead. My imagination was tainted young, and I shall never get rid of it tiU I get into heaven.”

He used facetiously to mention that, when he resided in

Warwick, he lived in the Parsonage House, which he rented of the Rector, Dr. Tate; who, when he was reflected upon by some high ecclesiastic for letting it to a Dissenter, replied, — ‘^ What would you have me do? I have brought the man as near the Church as I can, but I cannot force him into it.^^