Review: The Tender Heart
The Puritan Richard Sibbes has been called ‘the heavenly doctor’ because his messages show such a deep understanding of the human soul. Believing that there is more grace in Christ than sin in us his aim was to woo sinners to Christ. He was so gently persuasive that hardened sinners deliberately avoided his sermons for fear of being converted!
This little book is a wonderful example of his style. It contains the first of 4 sermons that he preached on King Josiah’s reformation (also published by the Banner of Truth). The title of this book is taken from 2 Chronicles 34:27 where the Lord says that Josiah’s heart was tender.
Sibbes asks a series of questions to develop his theme including: What are the characteristics of a tender heart? How is a tender heart formed? How is a tender heart preserved? How can we know if we have a tender heart?
As with all Puritans the message is broken down into many points and sub points with questions and objections considered. Each page seems to have a gem of truth. For instance, answering the question about how a tender heart is formed he says: ‘A soft heart is made soft by the blood of Christ.’
The text has been lightly edited to update the language and contains helpful footnotes to explain the occasional unusual word. This book makes a wonderful introduction to the writing of Richard Sibbes. Read and enjoy!
This review was first published on GoodBookReviews.org.uk. The site has been closed as of March 2019.
Latest Articles
Developing the Hide of a Rhinoceros 21 January 2026
This article first appeared at The Australian Presbyterian and is featured in Issue 749 of the Banner of Truth Magazine (February 2026). Somewhere, Stuart Briscoe has commented that three attributes of a pastor are needed: ‘The mind of a scholar, the heart of a child, and the hide of a rhinoceros.’ The last attribute seems […]
Commentaries and the ‘Unction Test’
— Iain H. Murray
13 January 2026
In January 1996, Iain H. Murray gave an address at The Bethlehem Conference for Pastors (Minneappolis, U. S. A.) entitled ‘The Preacher and Books.’ The excerpt below is from a section in which Rev. Murray asks how a preacher is to determine which books (and particularly commentaries in this case) he should devote time to […]