“Preach first to thyself” by John Owen

"A man who preacheth that sermon only well unto others which preacheth itself in his own soul. And he that doth not feed on and thrive in the digestion of the food which he provides for others will scarce make it savoury unto them; yea, he knows not but the food he hath provided may be bad poison, unless he have really tasted of it himself. If the word do not dwell with power in us, it will not pass with power from us."

–John Owen, The Works of John Owen, ed. William Goold, (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1965), vol. XVI, p. 76.