Book excerpt: Charles Spurgeon introduces his hand-picked collection of quotations from his favourite Puritan, Thomas Brooks: "As a writer, Brooks scatters stars with both his hands: he hath dust of gold; in his storehouse are all manner of precious stones. Genius is always marvelous; but when sanctified it is matchless. The ringing of the bells of the sanctuary is sweeter than the music of the house of feasting. Had Brooks been a worldly man, his writings would have been most valuable; but since he was an eminent Christian, they are doubly so. He had the eagle eye of faith, as well as the eagle wing of imagination. He saw similes, metaphors, and allegories everywhere; but they were all consecrated to his Master’s service: his heart indited the good matter, for he spake of the things which he had made touching the King. Reader, thou hast here presented to thee, in a cheap and readable form, the choice sayings of one of the King’s mighties. The great divine who wrote these precious sentences was of the race of the giants. He was head and shoulders above all the people, not in his stature (like Saul), but in mind, and soul, and grace. Treasure these gems, and adorn thyself with them, by putting them into the golden setting of holy practice, which is the end the writer always aimed at. Use these “smooth stones” as David of old, and may the Lord direct them to the very forehead of thy sins, for this is the author’s main design! One of these pithy extracts may assist our meditations for a whole day, and may open up some sweet passage of Scripture to our understandings, and perhaps some brief sentence may stick in the sinner’s conscience, like an arrow from the bow of God. So prays the servant of Christ and His Church, C. H. Spurgeon."