Shall We Know One Another and Other Papers

For J.C. Ryle (1816–1900) the question Shall We Know One Another? was a heartfelt inquiry of one who buried three wives. His first wife, Matilda, died after less than two years marriage, when he was thirty-one. Two-and-a-half years later, he married his second wife, Jessie, only to lay her in the grave within ten years. His third wife, Henrietta, died after twenty-seven years of holy matrimony, when he was seventy-two. Well could he write, “The closest relation on earth—the marriage bond—has an end.”

The Other Papers of this volume reveal both the narrow lens and broad scope of a biblical worldview. From planet Earth to Christian contentment, and from Nero’s household to words for women, a wide spectrum is considered—all grounded in holy Scripture—all centered in Christ.