The firstborn in Adam’s house was Cain–a murderer.
The family of Noah, that just man, contained Ham –the wicked father of Canaan, the accursed race.
Abraham was the father of Midian–an idolatrous people who deceived Israel in the wilderness.
Isaac was the father of Esau–that “profane person.”
Jacob was the father of Reuben–who defiled his father’s bed.
Eli, the priest of the Lord, was the father of Hophni and Phinehas–who made people abhor the offering of God.
David, the man after God’s own heart, was the father of immoral Absalom and Amnon.
Hezekiah, that godly man, was the father of Manasseh–the most wicked of the kings of Judah.
Why am I telling you these things? I tell you them to show you that good education and good example alone, cannot make our children godly–without the grace of God; and to show you how deeply rooted is the corruption of our natural dispositions!
(Distributed by Grace Gems.)
1 response so far ↓
Erik // September 8, 2008 at 7:44 pm
I realize your post is from a while ago, however it hasn’t lost it potency. Without a doubt, Ryle hits the nail on the head. J.C. Ryle’s writings are so clear cut and sharp, that while reading them, you feel as if he is talking directly to you. I discovered Ryle a few years back and have come to appreciate his no-nonsense, straightforward approach to writing and exposition of Scripture. We need more men like John Charles Ryle today.
Erik