J. C. Ryle (1816-1900) was 71 years old when he last revised Thoughts for Young Men. And as a husband, father of five (including three sons), pastor, and the first Bishop of Liverpool, he was no doubt qualified to address young men. Of all his credentials, however, there are two which most recommend him to the subject at hand—J. C. Ryle was both a thinker and a man:
"I am growing old myself, but there are few things I remember so well as the days of my youth. I have a most distinct recollection of the joys and the sorrows, the hopes and the fears, the temptations and the difficulties, the mistaken judgments and the misplaced affections, the errors and the aspirations, which surround and accompany a young man's life. If I can only say something to keep some young man in the right way and preserve him from faults and sins, which may mar his prospects both for time and eternity, I shall be very thankful . . .
"Young men, these things are true. Suffer the word of exhortation. Be persuaded. Take up the cross. Follow Christ. Yield yourselves unto God."