Richard Sibbes, frequently called "the heavenly Sibbes", was admired both for his preaching and his godly life. Izaac Walton, author of the Compleat Angler and contemporary of Sibbes, wrote of him:

Of this blest man, let this just praise be given,
Heaven was in him, before he was in heaven.

Spurgeon wrote "Sibbes never wastes the student's time. He scatters pearls and diamonds with both hands." More recently, Martyn Lloyd-Jones stated "I shall never cease to be grateful to Richard Sibbes who was balm to my soul. Indeed, Sibbes' works have offered enlightenment and comfort to Christians over the last four centuries."

This collection, a classic of Puritan thought and spirituality, contains some of his best-known writings-"The Bruised Reed," "The Soul's Conflict," and "Christ is Best." The complete contents are: Memoir of Richard Sibbes, Description of Christ, The Bruised Reed and Smoking Flax, The Sword of the Wicked, The Soul's Conflict with Itself and Victory over Itself by Faith, The Saint's Safety in Evil Times, Christ is Best; Or St. Paul's Strait, Christ's Suffering for Man's Sin, The Church's Visitation, The Ungodly's Misery, The Difficulty of Salvation, The Saint's Hiding-Place in the Evil Day.