# J.C. Ryle-Expository Thoughts on the Gospels



## Pilgrim (Feb 10, 2009)

Does anyone know if the *complete and unabridged* edition of Ryle's Expository Thoughts on the Gospels is available online? 

I already have an old paperback copy of Matthew and Mark from the 4 vol. Baker series, so it's really Luke and John that I am after. I found some volumes in Google Books but they don't appear to have them all. Grace Gems does appear to have them, but they are not unabridged (the notes are missing) and have been modernized to some extent. You can compare here and here from John 13:1-5 to see the difference. There are over 6 pages of notes in the original. 

I may end up shelling out for the Baker hardcover 4 vol. set, which I'm assuming is complete, unabridged, unmodernized, etc. just like the volume I have now, which appears to be a reprint of the original Matt. and Mark expositions. Doing that is probably cheaper than paying individually for the Banner of Truth paperback volumes on Luke and John, at least at the prices at which I've seen them. For example CVBBS has them at $8.35 apiece, and that would be for 2 vols. of Luke and 3 vols. of John, totalling $41.75 whereas they have the hardcover Baker set of all 4 Gospels for $29.99. Other than the pretty pictures on the covers of the BOT volumes, what's the difference between these two editions? Darker print maybe?


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## Whitefield (Feb 10, 2009)

Maybe they are on this page:
Internet Archive Search: j.c. ryle


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## Pilgrim (Feb 10, 2009)

Whitefield said:


> Maybe they are on this page:
> Internet Archive Search: j.c. ryle



Looks more promising than Google Books. I will check it out. 

Thanks,


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## Whitefield (Feb 10, 2009)

Pilgrim said:


> Whitefield said:
> 
> 
> > Maybe they are on this page:
> ...



Look carefully. Vol 1 is not grouped with the others, it is farther down the page.


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## bookslover (Feb 11, 2009)

Pilgrim said:


> I may end up shelling out for the Baker hardcover, which I'm assuming is complete, unabridged, unmodernized, etc.



Your assumption about the Baker hardcover set is correct. In fact, it's a photolithographed edition of the original publication, as far as I can tell. The type is mostly clear, though Baker could have cleaned up the plates a little, in places. Ryle is worth it, though.


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## Pilgrim (Feb 11, 2009)

bookslover said:


> Pilgrim said:
> 
> 
> > I may end up shelling out for the Baker hardcover, which I'm assuming is complete, unabridged, unmodernized, etc.
> ...



The Baker paperback of Matthew-Mark that I have is Vol 1 of a 1977 4 vol. reprinting: Amazon.com: Expository Thoughts on the Gospels (Complete 4 Vol Set): Books 

When I bought it, the store only had that volume and Vol. 4, which if I recall contained part of the exposition of John. Assuming that the hardback is simply the latest reprinting of the same series, I agree that it looks that they could have cleaned up the plates a little. In some instances part of a word or sentence will be faint (or part of a letter here or there will even be missing altogether) while in others a letter or part of a word will be too dark. But overall it's serviceable. I did buy the Banner edition of Luke a few years ago and seem to recall the print being darker and clearer. I never got around to reading it at the time and sold it along with a number of other books when I moved about 18 months ago and I haven't had occasion to look at any of the Banner editions since then.


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## KMK (Feb 11, 2009)

Pilgrim said:


> Whitefield said:
> 
> 
> > Maybe they are on this page:
> ...



I found the volumes containing Matthew, Luke and John on Google Books. I did a search for "Ryle" and "Expository".


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## nicnap (Feb 11, 2009)

bookslover said:


> Pilgrim said:
> 
> 
> > I may end up shelling out for the Baker hardcover, which I'm assuming is complete, unabridged, unmodernized, etc.
> ...



 ...thankfully, I was given the set as a wedding gift. They were on my "wish list." I just didn't have the $ for them at the time. It was a blessing.


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## Whitefield (Feb 11, 2009)

KMK said:


> Pilgrim said:
> 
> 
> > Whitefield said:
> ...



Mark is towards the bottom of the listing on that site I sent the link to.


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## Pilgrim (Feb 11, 2009)

Thanks to all who have posted. 

Using Ken's suggestion, I found the first volume of Luke on Google Books. I don't think it had come up for me yesterday. 

It appears that _Expository Thoughts_ was first published in the format in which Banner has published them, meaning one volume each of Matthew and Mark, Luke (2 vols) and John (3 vols.). This is what I've found on Google Books so far. 

Matthew

Luke Vol. I (Ch. 1-10)
Luke Vol. II (Ch. 11-24)

John Vol. III (Ch. 13-21), another copy here

What Whitefield posted from Internet Archive includes all of John, listed as vols. 5-7 there. As he noted, Mark is there too, which I didn't see on Google Books.


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## KMK (Feb 11, 2009)

Pilgrim said:


> Thanks to all who have posted.
> 
> Using Kens suggestion, I found the first volume of Luke on Google Books. I don't think it had come up for me yesterday.
> 
> ...



Thanks for this! I had overlooked the fact that there are two volumns to Luke.


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## Pilgrim (Feb 11, 2009)

KMK said:


> .
> 
> Thanks for this! I had overlooked the fact that there are two volumns to Luke.



It's very easy to overlook on a site like Google Books, especially if you're not familiar with the publishing history. 

Bishop Ryle's expositions got longer and he added more and more notes as he progressed through the gospels. You can even see this comparing his Matthew and Mark expositions. In the Baker volume I have, Matthew is 413 pages and has comparatively few notes. Mark (16 chapters vs. Matthew's 28) is 380 pp. In the preface Ryle states that in his estimation Mark's Gospel had (up until that time at least) been largely neglected by commentators.


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## David Heesen (Feb 11, 2009)

*Ryle on perseverance*

Somewhere in his Expository Notes, Ryle makes a very insightful statement, to paraphrase, "Perseverance of the saints is the great doctrine which bridges Calvinism and Arminianism." In other words, both sides can believe it. Does anyone here know the exact quote?

By the way, great to finally be on board.


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