Popular Preachers itch the ears of those who do not love the truth

"If I should say, that our modern demagogues have done more hurt to the souls of men, than all those stigmatized with the name of infidel writers have done together, the reflection would be thought odious. I would be referred to many passages in their treatises, asserting almost every branch of the Christian doctrine, in words not easily to be contradicted; and though I might fairly show a complete system of self-dependence to be contained in these same treatises, yea, to be the leading scope and design of them, yet it is easy to see that such a discovery, or any attempt toward it, behooved to meet with the greatest opposition from all who feed on this compound doctrine, especially from those have the largest share of religious pride. For men do not choose to be scared away by arguments from the food which they love best.
If you should throw some handfuls of barley among ever so great a quantity of pearls, the poultry will indeed resort to the pearls; but it is their natural food that draws them: they sometimes do gravel, for the better digestion of their food; for it is the barley that fattens them. And well do the pastors, I speak of, know how to season and mix up the Christian truth with proper ingredients to suit the taste of the people, or, to express myself in more obsolete style, 'They are of the world, therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.' That I may not seem to have disjointed this ancient saying from its context, I would have it noticed, that the chief thing aimed at there is, to make us cautious of hearkening to every spirit or doctrine, by which men pretend to assure themselves of the favour of God, or that Christ abideth in them. The sacred writer, after showing us by what spirit he and his fellows were assured of this, adds, 'Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God.' Then giving us several rules to judge by, he sums them up in these words,'We (the apostles) are of God: he that knoweth God, heareth us: he that is not of God, heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.' Keeping then this rule in our view, let us return to the examining of Aspasio." - Robert Sandeman, Letters on Theron and Aspasio