Pride and Vanity of Mind, Sloth and Negligence, Love of the World, Causes of Apostasy - The Work of Satan, and Judgments of God in This Matter causes of Apostasy From the Gospel.

An apostasy from a traditional profession of those truths which indeed men understand not, is easy, and in a time of temptation unavoidable. In all ages, multitudes have thus perished for want of knowledge- for such persons are destitute of defense against any external cause or means of defection. They have nothing in their minds to oppose to force, nothing unto seductions or fraud, nothing to the examples of great leaders, nothing to conflict with the superstition of their own minds- and will therefore, when wind and tide suit the design, comply with any fair pretense for a revolt.

From Pictures In Pilgrim's Progress

God secretly sends his arrows into the soul, that wound and gall it, adding pain, trouble, and disquietness to its disconsolation- 'Your arrows stick fast in me, and your hand presses me sore' -Ps.-38-2-. Ever and anon in his walking, God shot a sharp piercing arrow, fixing it on his soul, that galled, wounded, and perplexed him, filling him with pain and grievous vexation. These arrows are God's rebukes- 'When with rebukes you correct man for iniquity' -Ps.-39-11-. God speaks in his word, and by his Spirit in the conscience, things sharp and bitter to the soul, fastening them so as it cannot shake them out

Pictures From Pilgrim's Progress

The preaching of any person which principally dwelleth on and argues from the things which the light of nature can of itself reach to, and the convictions which are by the law, is better accepted with, and appears more useful unto, multitudes of common professors, than the declaration of the mysteries of the gospel is- for such things are suited unto the natural conceptions of men and the working of their own reason, which gives them a sense of what efficacy they have- but being in the dark unto the mysteries of the gospel, they neither see their excellency nor experience their power.

Nature and Causes of Apostasy From the Gospel rooted in a profession without the Holy Spirit's power.

I do not hear Jesus say, -Run after these people, Peter, and tell them we will have a new kind of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with little preaching.-

Taken out of the Connecticut Evangelical Magazine Commenced in the year 1800