J.C. Ryle of Joining Anything with Christ

"Is Christ all?  Then learn the enormous folly of joining anything with Christ in the matter of salvation.  There are multitudes of baptized men and women who profess to honor Christ, but in reality do Him great dishonor.  They give Christ a certain place in their system of religion, but not the place which God intended Him to fill.  Christ alone is not all in all to their souls.  No!  It is either Christ and the church, or Christ and the sacraments, or Christ and His ordained ministers, or Christ and their own repentance, or Christ and their own goodness, or Christ and their own prayers, or Christ and their own sincerity and charity, on which they practically rest their souls.

"If any reader of this message is a Christian of this kind, I warn him also plainly, that his religion is an offense to God.  You are changing God's plan of salvation into a plan of your own devising.  You are in effect deposing Christ from His throne, by giving the glory due to Him to another.

"I care not who it is that teaches such religion, and on whose word you build.  Whether they be pope or cardinal, archbishop or bishop, dean or archdeacon, presbyter or deacon, Episcopalian or Presbyterian, Baptist or Independent, Wesleyan or Plymouth brother, whoever adds anything to Christ, teaches you wrong.

"Take heed what you are doing.  Beware of giving to Christ's servants the honor due to none but Christ.  Beware of giving the Lord's ordinances the honor due unto the Lord.  Beware of resting the burden of your soul on anything but Christ, and Christ alone" (Holiness, J.C. Ryle).