_PREVENTIVE AGAINST BACKSLIDING._
It is most instructive to note how exceedingly anxious the early
Christians were, that, as soon as a man was converted, he should be
"filled with the Holy Ghost." They knew no reason why weary wastes of
disappointing years should stretch between Bethel and Peniel, between the
Cross and Pentecost. They knew it was not God's will that forty years of
wilderness wanderings should lie between Egypt and the Promised Land
(Deut. i. 2). When Peter and John came to the Samaritans, and found that
they were really turned to God, their _first_ concern was to get them
filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts viii. 15). When Ananias came to the
newly-converted Saul of Tarsus, his _first_ word was, "Jesus ... hath
sent me, that thou mayest ... be filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts ix.
17). When Paul found certain disciples at Ephesus, his first business
with them was to find out if they had "received the Holy Ghost" (Acts
xix. 2). These early teachers did not wait for a few months or years till
the young converts had become thoroughly disheartened because of the
disappointments of the way, thoroughly demoralized by encountering defeats
where they had been led to expect that they would come off "more than
conquerors;" neither did they wait until the novices had become more
established or more fully instructed in the things of God; but
straightway, at once, they introduced them to Fullness of blessing, taught
them the open secret of the overcoming, ever-victorious life, and they
did not leave them until the secret was their very own. Has modern
practice been in accord with apostolic practice in this respect? The only
possible answer is in the negative. Have we improved then on the
apostolic method? Scarcely. But our modern method is very largely
responsible for the large percentage of backsliding that one meets with
in the Church to-day. Many of these backsliders were soundly converted to
God, but unfortunately for them, no Peter or John, no Ananias or Paul,
met them in the beginning of their Pilgrimage to compel their attention
to the "one thing needful" for the people of the Pilgrimage; so they
started out but ill provided, and after a longer or shorter time they
became thoroughly dispirited; and then asking, "Is this all that is in
it?" they threw their profession overboard; and one can scarcely wonder
at it. Prevention is better than cure. Let our young converts be fully
instructed and fully equipped with the glorious Fullness provided for
them by the gracious Father, and we will hear less about backsliding. Do
you know why Peter and John, Ananias and Paul, spake of the Fullness of
the Spirit? Because _they_ possessed and enjoyed the blessing themselves,
and they could not _but_ speak of the blessing that had done so much for
them. Do you know why we have not spoken of it to our converts and young
Christians? Because _we_ did not know of it ourselves! If we "receive"
the Spirit we will "minister" the Spirit; and if we do not "minister,"
why is it?--but because we have not "received."