For those of us who believe that, on one hand, we cannot recommend the recent literary offerings emanating from Philip Yancey / Rick Warren / Joel Osteen etc, yet still see the desperate need for an uncompromising clarion call to challenge the formalism, coldness, one dimensional conditional sanctificationism and (sometimes) cruel phariseeism / legalism into which much of the evangelical church has sunk - The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes comes as a very welcome and challenging breath of fresh air.

In fact, it ought to have the same circulation amongst evangelical Christians, church leaders, pastors, trainee pastors and Christian workers that Yancey, Warren and Osteen's books do. For pastors, it should be on a par with Spurgeon's 'Lectures to My Students'. It truly melted me and convicted my heart when I read it.

This book irresistibly forces the reader to look and linger into something of the incomprehensible grace of Christ. And then, almost without saying anything at all (oh the genius of the puritan writers), Sibbes causes us to reflect on our own very poor reflections of that great grace in our own lives. His book shows how we are to have the same relation to Christ that the moon has to the sun. Christ, our sun, sends his grace/light to us....and we, as his moon, reflect that/light grace to the whole globe.

Our author is frequently referred to amongst puritans as 'the heavenly Doctor Sibbes'. When you read this book, you will understand why. I want my church to be strong, and that is one reason that I am giving a copy of this book to each person in my congregation for 25th December - I see it as an investment in my people, sowing something great into their lives.

When someone in my church wants to be a pastor, The Bruised Reed is one of the first books that I buy them. It was once said that, when evangelical preachers went on their summer holidays each year, they should take a copy of Ryle's book 'Christian Leaders of the 18th Century' (one of my favourite books) with them - I agree with that advice, I'd advise them to take 'The Bruised Reed' with them as well.

You leave the Bruised Reed wanting to spend more time with [1] the Lord, [2] other writings by Sibbes (I understand Banner of Truth have republished his complete works...........I'm not overly keen on Christmas but if someone wants to give me these volumes as a present, I'll not be offended), [3] other puritan writings (especially Sibbes, Watson, Venn, Baxter and Rutherford's letters).