The Backslider

ANDREW FULLER was in my opinion one of the greatest theologians which modern times or any times have produced and his writings are an almost inexhaustible mine of doctrinal practical and experimental truth which every Christian and especially every minister would do well to explore. No man better understood the bible or the human heart both in its un-renewed and its regenerate state. Among all his various practical treatises there are few if any of greater value than that on BACKSLIDING. Like a most skilful physician he explains with singular ability the nature of the disease lays down the symptoms of it and prescribes the method of recovery. - John Angell James Andrew Fuller (1754-1815) was an outstanding figure with qualities that make him one of the most attractive figures in Baptist history. Many in his day could echo the words of his very close friend William Carey ''I loved him.'' The Backslider: or an Inquiry into the Nature Symptoms and Effects of Religious Declension with the Means of Recovery was originally published in 1801. Fuller''s work though has stood the test of time and well merits the description by John Ryland as ''an invaluable piece of practical divinity.'' - Michael Haykin