The Foolishness of Preaching

Now men's hearts are very hard to affect. If you want to get at them for any worldly object, you can do it. A cheating world can win man's heart; a little gold can win man's heart; a trump of fame and a little clamor of applause can win man's heart. But there is not a minister breathing that can win man's heart himself. He can win his ears and make him listen; he can win his eyes, and fix those upon him; he can win the attention, but the heart is very slippery. Yes! the heart is a fish that troubles all Gospel fisherman to hold. You may sometimes pull it almost all out of the water; but, slimy as an eel, it slippeth between your fingers and you have not captured it at all.

Spurgeon