Kevin, wonderful post. This issue of entire sanctification's importance lessening in successive generations sure isn't new. In the early American Holiness movement, Timothy Merritt (a Methodist Episcopal minister) was part of a vigorous outcry to reclaim entire sanctification's vital necessity. He compared the way in which Christians drew back from becoming entirely sanctified to the children of Israel drawing back when they were at the very border of Canaan.

“The distance between justification to sanctification is not great, and it is soon passed over, if we be obedient to our spiritual guide, and do not fall into idolatry, nor turn back in our hearts to spiritual Egypt. The children of Israel came to the borders of Canaan within a year and a half from their leaving Egypt …But those who could not trust the Lord were easily discouraged by the difficulties which lay in their way … God was displeased and ordered them to turn again to the wilderness, where they were doomed to wander forty years. This was not in the original design of God concerning them. Had they been obedient to his command, they might have been in their possession of the promised land forty years sooner."

Merritt viewed God as Savior, both as Justifier and Sanctifier. He drew on the analogy of the Exodus to put forth that many Christians allow God to justify them, but draw back before they can be sanctified, observing,

“Thus it is with many Christians: they are brought from the bondage of sin and Satan, and like the Israelites when they had passed the Red Sea … While they are obedient they are sustained by bread from heaven … They follow their leader till they come to the very borders of perfect love; and when he would lead them on to the charge upon their inbred sin; – when he requires them to make the grand assault to dislodge the enemy from his strong hold in their hearts, – they become cowards and give back … They admit that entire sanctification is a good land, and the fruit of it delicious to the taste; but then they are not able to go up and possess it.”