The importance of giving a good teaching

Generally, the character of the Christian will be molded and molded according to the manner in which it was dealt with at the moment of its conversion.

Many Christians, poorly educated at first, were forced to go through a conversion. By treating them properly then we can still do something. But the favorable time for forming a Christian is one in which the heart is still supple and sensitive and easily submits to the truth. At that moment, the new convert can be led as by a hair, if he thinks that it is the truth of God that one teaches him ; and whatever notions of piety he acquires then he is able to attach to it forever.

It is almost impossible to erase from the heart of a man the notions he acquired when he was a new convert. You can confuse him on these points, but he remains attached to them. How often it has happened that when new doctrines have been taught to new converts, if a new pastor comes into their church and instructs them a little differently, these people will rise up against him, as if he wanted to overthrow the faith, drive the church into error and throw confusion everywhere. Thus you see that the new converts are entrusted to the hands of the church, and that it is up to the church to mold them and shape them to form Christians of the right kind. Their future happiness and usefulness depend largely on the way they are educated from the beginning.

The future character of the Church, the progress of the revivals, the coming of the reign of God will result from the good instructions, and the good directions of thought and life that we will give to the new converts.

Jeremy Sourdril