His throne is the pulpit; he stands in Christ’s stead; his message is the Word of God; around him are immortal souls; the Savior, unseen, is beside him; the Holy Spirit broods over the congregation; angels gaze upon the scene, and heaven and hell await the issue. What associations and what vast responsibility! – Matthew Simpson

Quoted in Haddon Robinson, Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages, 12.