Inga Bazinga

“When pride has made the sermon, it goes with us into the pulpit. It forms our tone, it animates us in the delivery, and it takes us away from that which may be displeasing, no matter how necessary it is, and sets us in pursuit of vain applause. Basically, it makes men, both in studying and preaching, to seek themselves and deny God, when they should seek God’s glory and deny themselves. When they should be asking what they should say and how they should say it to please God best and do the most good, pride makes them ask what they should say and how they should deliver it to be considered an educated, able preacher and to be applauded by all who hear them.”
― Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor: The Duties and Methods of Labors for the Souls of Men [Updated and Annotated]

“Courage, dearheart”
― C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

“It is a palpable error of some ministers, who make such a disproportion between their preaching and their living; who study hard to preach exactly, and study little or not at all to live exactly.”
― Richard Baxter, THE REFORMED PASTOR

“Prayer must carry on our work as well as preaching. He who does not pray earnestly for his people does not preach wholeheartedly to them. If we do not prevail with God to give them faith and repentance, we will never prevail with them to believe and repent. When our own hearts are so far out of order, and theirs are so far out of order, we are unlikely to be successful if we do not prevail with God to heal and help them.”
― Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor: The Duties and Methods of Labors for the Souls of Men [Updated and Annotated]