John Ryland

John Ryland (1753–1825) was an English Baptist minister.

John Ryland

Life

The son of John Collett Ryland, he was born at Warwick on 29 January 1753. Before he was 15, he began teaching in his father's school. On 13 September 1767 he was baptised in the River Nene, near Northampton, and, after preaching at small gatherings of Baptists from 1769, was formally admitted into the ministry on 10 March 1771. Until his twenty-fifth year he assisted his father in his school at Northampton, and in 1781 was associated with him in the charge of his church. after his father's retirement in 1786, he had sole charge of the congregation.[1]

In December 1793 Ryland became minister of the Broadmead chapel in Bristol, combining with the post the presidency of the Bristol Baptist College. These positions he retained until his death. He joined, on 2 October 1792, in founding the Baptist Missionary Society, and acted as its secretary from 1815 until his death at Bristol on 25 May 1825. On 2 June he was buried in the ground adjoining Broadmead chapel, and on 5 June Robert Hall, who succeeded him as minister, preached a memorial sermon (published 1825).[1]

A convinced Calvinist throughout his life, Ryland moved from the high Calvinism of his father[2] to an evangelical Calvinist position, under the influence of his long-term correspondent[3] John Newton, and the writings of the American theologian Jonathan Edwards. He is said to have preached 8,691 sermons. Among his friends were William Carey, John Erskine, Andrew Fuller, Robert Hall, John Newton, John Rippon, and Thomas Scott. The degree of D.D. was conferred on him by Brown University, in 1792.[1]

Works

Ryland's major works were:[1]

Two volumes of Pastoral Memorials, consisting of abstracts of some of his sermons, 25 of his hymns, and a short memoir by his son, were published after his death (vol. i. in 1826 and vol. ii. in 1828). Ryland wrote many prefaces for religious works and for biographies of his friends.[1]

Ryland was a popular hymn-writer, with John Julian's Hymnology stating that 13 of his hymns were in common use. His earliest hymns appeared in Serious Essays (1771). Others appeared in magazines between 1770 and 1790. Ninety-nine Hymns and Verses on Sacred subjects, mainly from unpublished manuscripts, with a biographical sketch, came out in 1862.[1]

Family

Ryland married, on 12 Jan. 1780, Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Tyler of Banbury, who died on 23 January 1787, a few weeks after the birth of her only child. His second wife was Frances, eldest daughter of William Barrett of Northampton, whom he married on 18 June 1789. She survived him, with one son, Jonathan Edwards Ryland, and three daughters.[1]

Further Reading

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7  Lee, Sidney, ed. (1897). "Ryland, John (1753-1823)". Dictionary of National Biography 50. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  2. ↑ Letter 'On Controversy': Letters of John Newton (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust 2011) p111
  3. ↑ Wise Counsel: John Newton's Letters to John Ryland Jr, ed. Grant Gordon (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust 2009)
Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1897). "Ryland, John (1753-1825)". Dictionary of National Biography 50. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 

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