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Puritan Treasury of Quotations
Aptly chosen quotations from the works of many of the great preachers and writers of the Puritan period.
320 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1977
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 19, 2022
There is probably no series of books that has had more influence on me than the Puritan Paperbacks. They are all good. This one, however, is probably the best one to keep on your shelf as a reference (along with Vincent's "The Shorter Catechism Explained From Scripture").
There are two others that are also compilations of quotations ("Flowers from a Puritan's Garden," "Smooth Stones from Ancient Brooks"), the former being sermon illustrations by Manton expanded by Spurgeon, and the latter quotations from Brooks, again, gathered by Spurgeon. But those quotations are limited to only those two Puritans, and neither is arranged topically.
In contrast, this volume extracts 1500 quotations from almost 150 Puritan authors, and arranges them topically. The most frequently quoted authors are Watson, Gurnall, Thomas Adams, Baxter, Brooks, Swinnock, Owen, Trapp, Flavel, Henry Smith, and Manton, in that order. The quotations are selected for their brevity, intrinsic value, and thought-provoking quality. Highly recommended.
There are two others that are also compilations of quotations ("Flowers from a Puritan's Garden," "Smooth Stones from Ancient Brooks"), the former being sermon illustrations by Manton expanded by Spurgeon, and the latter quotations from Brooks, again, gathered by Spurgeon. But those quotations are limited to only those two Puritans, and neither is arranged topically.
In contrast, this volume extracts 1500 quotations from almost 150 Puritan authors, and arranges them topically. The most frequently quoted authors are Watson, Gurnall, Thomas Adams, Baxter, Brooks, Swinnock, Owen, Trapp, Flavel, Henry Smith, and Manton, in that order. The quotations are selected for their brevity, intrinsic value, and thought-provoking quality. Highly recommended.
April 12, 2026
This book is a collection of quotes gathered from the Puritans and divided into sections by subject. The Puritans were known for their high belief in the truth of the Scriptures. As such they clung to an honoring of God’s sovereignty, both in the world and in the salvation of His saints. I found this book to be full of clear, sin-revealing truths. I would have expected no less from the Puritans, and that is exactly what I got. The Puritans focused on several different things especially in their day: an abiding trust in the sovereignty of God, as mentioned before, a deep thankfulness for the Gospel of Christ, a dedication to personal holiness, and the fearing and honoring of God as most truly glorious and worthy of honor. Consider a few quotes.
“It may be your requests for assurance have been full of life and spirits, when your requests for grace and holiness, for communion with God, and conformity to God, have been lifeless and spiritless. If so, no wonder that assurance is denied you. Assurance makes most for your comfort, but holiness makes most for God’s honour.”
(Thomas Brooks)
“Be as holy as you can, as if there were no gospel to save you. Yet when you are as holy as you can, you must believe in Christ as if there were no law at all to condemn you.”
(Thomas Lye)
“We fear men so much, because we fear God so little. One fear cures another. When man’s terror scares you, turn your thoughts to the wrath of God.”
(William Gurnall)
“The wisdom of God is seen in this, that the sins of man shall carry on God’s work; yet that He should have no hand in their sin.”
(Thomas Watson)
Though the Puritans were scathing against sin, they believed firmly in the Doctrines of Grace, that God would bring His children safely home. “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37)
“When God calls a man, He does not repent of it…This is the blessedness of a saint; his condition admits of no alteration. God’s call is founded upon His decree, and His decree is immutable. Acts of grace cannot be reversed. God blots out His people’s sins, but not their names.”
(Thomas Watson)
“As God did not at first choose you because you were high, so He will not forsake you because you are low.”
(John Flavel)
I find the greatest comfort from reading the Puritans’ discourses on the surety of the Gospel. My favorite book after the Bible is Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund. This book expounds and draws from the Puritans, putting their old language into modern words and drawing out the sweetness of their love from and for God. I have no greater comfort than to know that Jesus will ever be tender with me and never let me go. This the Puritans knew and preached well.
“If you lay yourself at Christ’s feet He will take you into His arms.”
(William Bridge)
The part of the book that most affected me, however, was the dozen or so pages of quotes on sin. No group of authors have ever so armed me against sin than the Puritans. I was greatly convicted and felt blessed by the Lord to read such a book that turned me from sin in a sweet manner. I have gone through a lot of suffering in my short life, and I realized I have been unable to properly attend to my sins because I have been so stricken down with sorrow and suffering. Now that the Lord has sweetly revealed it to me, by God’s grace, I will do my best to pursue Him with all my might. And I know the Puritans will help me. See a few quotes below on sin. The last one especially was helpful to me as I am constantly paranoid about falling into grievous sin.
“Alas, for that capital crime of the Lord’s people – barrenness in praises! Oh, how fully I am persuaded that a line of praises is worth a leaf of prayer, and an hour of praises is worth a day of fasting and mourning.”
(John Livingstone)
“A repenting man is more angry at his own heart that consenteth to sin than he is at the devil who did tempt him to sin.”
(Samuel Rutherford)
“Make it your business to avoid known omissions, and God will keep you from feared commissions.”
(Samuel Annesley)
This book is a very good introduction to the hearts and driving direction of the Puritans. They wanted to be holy and glorify God. They let nothing stand in the way, practically or doctrinally, of making sure all glory went to God. There are definitely Puritan books that are better than this one, many of them. But for an introduction to many Puritans, this book is valuable. Plus, it’s broken up into sections and then individual quotes, so it’s easy to divide it into small bite sized readings over time. My copy is all marked up now, so I can go back and quickly reread the quotes that were most impactful to me.
“It may be your requests for assurance have been full of life and spirits, when your requests for grace and holiness, for communion with God, and conformity to God, have been lifeless and spiritless. If so, no wonder that assurance is denied you. Assurance makes most for your comfort, but holiness makes most for God’s honour.”
(Thomas Brooks)
“Be as holy as you can, as if there were no gospel to save you. Yet when you are as holy as you can, you must believe in Christ as if there were no law at all to condemn you.”
(Thomas Lye)
“We fear men so much, because we fear God so little. One fear cures another. When man’s terror scares you, turn your thoughts to the wrath of God.”
(William Gurnall)
“The wisdom of God is seen in this, that the sins of man shall carry on God’s work; yet that He should have no hand in their sin.”
(Thomas Watson)
Though the Puritans were scathing against sin, they believed firmly in the Doctrines of Grace, that God would bring His children safely home. “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37)
“When God calls a man, He does not repent of it…This is the blessedness of a saint; his condition admits of no alteration. God’s call is founded upon His decree, and His decree is immutable. Acts of grace cannot be reversed. God blots out His people’s sins, but not their names.”
(Thomas Watson)
“As God did not at first choose you because you were high, so He will not forsake you because you are low.”
(John Flavel)
I find the greatest comfort from reading the Puritans’ discourses on the surety of the Gospel. My favorite book after the Bible is Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund. This book expounds and draws from the Puritans, putting their old language into modern words and drawing out the sweetness of their love from and for God. I have no greater comfort than to know that Jesus will ever be tender with me and never let me go. This the Puritans knew and preached well.
“If you lay yourself at Christ’s feet He will take you into His arms.”
(William Bridge)
The part of the book that most affected me, however, was the dozen or so pages of quotes on sin. No group of authors have ever so armed me against sin than the Puritans. I was greatly convicted and felt blessed by the Lord to read such a book that turned me from sin in a sweet manner. I have gone through a lot of suffering in my short life, and I realized I have been unable to properly attend to my sins because I have been so stricken down with sorrow and suffering. Now that the Lord has sweetly revealed it to me, by God’s grace, I will do my best to pursue Him with all my might. And I know the Puritans will help me. See a few quotes below on sin. The last one especially was helpful to me as I am constantly paranoid about falling into grievous sin.
“Alas, for that capital crime of the Lord’s people – barrenness in praises! Oh, how fully I am persuaded that a line of praises is worth a leaf of prayer, and an hour of praises is worth a day of fasting and mourning.”
(John Livingstone)
“A repenting man is more angry at his own heart that consenteth to sin than he is at the devil who did tempt him to sin.”
(Samuel Rutherford)
“Make it your business to avoid known omissions, and God will keep you from feared commissions.”
(Samuel Annesley)
This book is a very good introduction to the hearts and driving direction of the Puritans. They wanted to be holy and glorify God. They let nothing stand in the way, practically or doctrinally, of making sure all glory went to God. There are definitely Puritan books that are better than this one, many of them. But for an introduction to many Puritans, this book is valuable. Plus, it’s broken up into sections and then individual quotes, so it’s easy to divide it into small bite sized readings over time. My copy is all marked up now, so I can go back and quickly reread the quotes that were most impactful to me.
March 8, 2024
I love the puritans. They were able to do and say more in one sentence than I could in a whole page. They understood man and his plight so well, and as a result they understood Christ and His redeeming work intimately. I run a semi-popular Facebook page called “Daily Puritan Quotes” where I post a quote from a Puritan approximately whenever I feel like it, but usually on a daily basis. This book was a treasure trove of excellent quotes and snippets for that purpose. Many are familiar quotes in this book and many more I had never come across yet. This would be a good place to start to familiarize yourself with how the Puritans write and how they think about, well, everything.
June 11, 2012
An outstanding collection of texts. Ideal for the pastor looking for a perfect illustration or quotation for a doctrinal sermon. This is arguably one of the best volumes in the Puritan Paperback series.
April 22, 2016
Great book to have on hand for some devotional thoughts and comments for history's great puritan minds.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews