TITLE
By Charles G. Finney
29/08/1792 - 16/8/1875
CHAPTER I
BIRTH AND EARLY
EDUCATION
IT has pleased God in some measure to connect my name and labors with an extensive movement of the
church of Christ, regarded by some as a new era in its progress, especially in
relation to revivals of religion. As this movement involved, to a considerable
extent, the development of views of Christian doctrine which had not been
common, and was brought about by changes in the means of carrying forward the
work of evangelization, it was very natural that some misapprehension should
prevail in regard to these modified statements of doctrine, and the use of these
measures; and consequently that, to some extent, even good men should call in
question the wisdom of these measures and the soundness of these theological
statements; and that ungodly men should be irritated, and for a time should
strenuously oppose these great movements.
I have spoken of myself as connected with these movements; but
only as one of the many ministers and other servants of Christ, who have shared
prominently in promoting them. I am aware that by a certain portion of the
church I have been considered an innovator, both in regard to doctrine and
measures; and that many have looked upon me as rather prominent, especially in
assailing some of the old forms of theological thought and expression, and in
stating the doctrines of the Gospel in many respects in new language.
I have been particularly importuned, for a number of years, by
the friends of those revivals with which my name and labors have been connected,
to write a history of them. As so much misapprehension has prevailed respecting
them, it is thought that the truth of history demands a statement from myself of
the doctrines that were preached, so far as I was concerned; of the measures
used, and of the results of preaching those doctrines and the use of those
measures.
My mind seems instinctively to recoil from saying so much of
myself as I shall be obliged to do, if I speak honestly of those revivals and of
my relation to them. For this reason I have declined, up to this time, to
undertake such a work. Of late the trustees of Oberlin College have laid the matter before me, and urged me to
undertake it. They, together with numerous other friends in this country and in
England, have urged that it was due to the cause of Christ, that a better
understanding should exist in the church than has hitherto existed, in regard
especially to the revivals that occurred in central New York and elsewhere, from
1821 and onward for several years, because those revivals have been most
misrepresented and opposed.
I approach the subject, I must say, with reluctance, for many
reasons. I have kept no diary, and consequently must depend on my memory. It is
true, that my memory is naturally very tenacious, and the events that I have
witnessed in revivals of religion have made a very deep impression on my mind;
and I remember, with great distinctness, many more than I shall have time to
communicate. Everyone who has witnessed powerful revivals of religion is aware
that many cases of conviction and conversion are daily occurring, of the
greatest interest to the people in the midst of whom they occur. Where all the
facts and circumstances are known, a thrilling effect is often produced; and
such cases are frequently so numerous that if all the highly interesting facts
of even one extended revival, in a single locality, should be narrated, it would
fill a large volume.
I do not propose to pursue this course in what I am about to
write. I shall only sketch such an outline as will, upon the whole, give a
tolerably clear idea of the type which these revivals took on; and shall only
relate a few of the particular instances of conversion which occurred in
different places.
I shall also endeavor to give such an account of the doctrines
which were preached, and of the measures which were used, and shall mention such
facts, in general, as will enable the church hereafter, partially at least, to
estimate the power and purity of those great works of God.
But I hesitate to write a narrative of those revivals, because I
have often been surprised to find how much my own remembrance of facts differs
from the recollection of other persons who were in the midst of those scenes. Of
course I must state the facts as I remember them. A great many of those events
have been often referred to by myself in preaching, as illustrative of the
truths that I was presenting to the people. I have been so often reminded of
them, and have so often referred to them in all the years of my ministry, that I
cannot but have strong confidence that I remember them substantially as they
occurred. If I shall in any case misstate the facts, or if in any case my
recollections shall differ widely from those of others, I trust that the church
will believe that my statements are in entire accordance with my present
remembrance of those facts. I am now (1867-68) seventy-five years old. Of
course, I remember things that transpired many years ago more definitely than
those of recent occurrence. In regard to the doctrines preached, so far as I was
concerned, and the means used to promote the revivals, I think I cannot be
mistaken.
To give any intelligible account of the part which I was called
to act in those scenes, it is necessary that I should give a little history of
the manner in which I came to adopt the doctrinal views which I have long held
and preached, and which have been regarded by many persons as objectionable.
I must commence by giving a very brief account of my birth, and
early circumstances and education, my conversion to Christ, my study of
theology, and my entering upon the work of the ministry. I am not about to write
an autobiography, let it be remembered; and shall enter no farther into a
relation of the events of my own private life than shall seem necessary to give
an intelligible account of the manner in which I was led, in relation to these
great movements of the church.
I was born in Warren, Litchfield county, Connecticut, August 29,
1792. When I was about two years old, my father removed to Oneida county, New
York, which was, at that time, to a great extent, a wilderness. No religious
privileges were enjoyed by the people. Very few religious books were to be had.
The new settlers, being mostly from New England, almost immediately established
common schools; but they had among them very little intelligent preaching of the
Gospel. I enjoyed the privileges of a common school, summer and winter, until I
was fifteen or sixteen years old I believe; and advanced so far as to be
supposed capable of teaching a common school myself, as common schools were then
conducted.
My parents were neither of them professors of religion, and, I
believe, among our neighbors there were very few religious people. I seldom
heard a sermon, unless it was an occasional one from some traveling minister, or
some miserable holding forth of an ignorant preacher who would sometimes be
found in that country. I recollect very well that the ignorance of the preachers
that I heard was such, that the people would return from meeting and spend a
considerable time in irrepressible laughter at the strange mistakes which had
been made and the absurdities which had been advanced.
In the neighborhood of my father's residence we had just erected
a meeting house and settled a ministry when my father was induced to remove
again into the wilderness skirting the southern shore of Lake Ontario, a little
south of Sacketts Harbor. Here again I lived for several years, enjoying no
better religious privileges then I had in Oneida county.
When about twenty years old I returned to Connecticut, and from
thence went to New Jersey, near New York city, and engaged in teaching. I taught
and studied as best I could; and twice returned to New England and attended a high school for a season. While attending the high school I meditated going to Yale College.
My preceptor was a graduate of Yale, but he advised me not to go. He
said it would be a loss of time, as I could easily accomplish the whole
curriculum of study pursued at that institution, in two years; whereas it would
cost me four years to graduate. He presented such considerations as prevailed
with me, and as it resulted, I failed to pursue my school education any farther
at that time. However, afterward I acquired some knowledge of Latin, Greek, and
Hebrew. But I was never a classical scholar, and never possessed so much
knowledge of the ancient languages as to think myself capable of independently
criticizing our English translation of the Bible.
The teacher to whom I have referred, wished me to join him in
conducting an academy in one of the Southern States. I was inclined to accept
his proposal, with the design of pursuing and completing my studies under his
instruction. But when I informed my parents, whom I had not seen for four years,
of my contemplated movement south, they both came immediately after me, and
prevailed on me to go home with them to Jefferson county, New York. After making
them a visit, I concluded to enter, as a student, the law office of Squire W, at
Adams, in that county. This was in 1818.
Up to this time I had never enjoyed what might be called
religious privileges. I had never lived in a praying community, except during
the periods when I was attending the high school in New England; and the
religion in that place was of a type not at all calculated to arrest my
attention. The preaching was by an aged clergyman, an excellent man, and greatly
beloved and venerated by his people; but he read his sermons in a manner that
left no impression whatever on my mind. He had a monotonous, humdrum way of
reading what he had probably written many years before.
To give some idea of his preaching, let me say that his
manuscript sermons were just large enough to put into a small Bible. I sat in
the gallery, and observed that he placed his manuscript in the middle of his
Bible, and inserted his fingers at the places where were to be found the
passages of Scripture to be quoted in the reading of his sermon. This made it
necessary to hold his Bible in both hands, and rendered all gesticulation with
his hands impossible. As he proceeded he would read the passages of Scripture
where his fingers were inserted, and thus liberate one finger after another
until the fingers of both hands were read out of their places. When his fingers
were all read out, he was near the close of the sermon. His reading was
altogether unimpassioned and monotonous; and although the people attended very
closely and reverentially to his reading, yet, I must confess, it was to me not
much like preaching.
When we retired from meeting, I often heard the people speak well
of his sermons; and sometimes they would wonder whether he had intended any
allusion, in what he said, to what was occurring among them. It seemed to be
always a matter of curiosity to know what he was aiming at, especially if there
was anything more in his sermon than a dry discussion of doctrine. And this was
really quite as good preaching as I had ever listened to in any place. But
anyone can judge whether such preaching was calculated to instruct or interest a
young man who neither knew nor cared anything about religion.
When I was teaching school in New Jersey, the preaching in the neighborhood was chiefly in German. I do not
think I heard half a dozen sermons in English during my whole stay in New Jersey, which was about
three years.
Thus when I went to Adams to study law, I was almost as ignorant
of religion as a heathen. I had been brought up mostly in the woods. I had very
little regard to the Sabbath, and had no definite knowledge of religious truth.
At Adams, for the first time, I sat statedly, for a length of time, under an
educated ministry. Rev. George W. Gale, from Princeton, New
Jersey, became, soon after I went there, pastor of the Presbyterian Church in
that place. His preaching was of the old school type; that is, it was thoroughly
Calvinistic; and whenever he came out with the doctrines, which he seldom did,
he would preach what has been called hyper-Calvinism. He was, of course,
regarded as highly orthodox; but I was not able to gain very much instruction
from his preaching. As I sometimes told him, he seemed to me to begin in the
middle of his discourse, and to assume many things which to my mind needed to be
proved. He seemed to take it for granted that his hearers were theologians, and
therefore that he might assume all the great and fundamental doctrines of the
Gospel. But I must say that I was rather perplexed than edified by his
preaching.
I had never, until this time, lived where I could attend a stated
prayer meeting. As one was held by the church near our office every week, I used
to attend and listen to the prayers, as often as I could be excused from
business at that hour.
In studying elementary law, I found the old authors frequently
quoting the Scriptures, and referring especially to the Mosaic Institutes, as
authority for many of the great principles of common law. This excited my
curiosity so much that I went and purchased a Bible, the first I had ever owned;
and whenever I found a reference by the law authors to the Bible, I turned to
the passage and consulted it in its connection. This soon led to my taking a new
interest in the Bible, and I read and meditated on it much more than I had ever
done before in my life. However, much of it I did not understand.
Mr. Gale was in the habit of dropping in at our office
frequently, and seemed anxious to know what impression his sermons had made on
my mind. I used to converse with him freely; and I now think that I sometimes
criticized his sermons unmercifully. I raised such objections against his
positions as forced themselves upon my attention.
In conversing with him and asking him questions, I perceived that
his own mind was, as I thought, mystified; and that he did not accurately define
to himself what he meant by many of the important terms that he used. Indeed I
found it impossible to attach any meaning to many of the terms which he used
with great formality and frequency. What did he mean by repentance? Was it a
mere feeling of sorrow for sin? Was it altogether a passive state of mind, or
did it involve a voluntary element? If it was a change of mind, in what respect
was it a change of mind? What did he mean by the term regeneration? What did
such language mean when applied to a spiritual change? What did he mean by
faith? Was it merely an intellectual state? Was it merely a conviction, or
persuasion, that the things stated in the Gospel were true? What did he mean by
sanctification? Did it involve any physical change in the subject, or any
physical influence on the part of God? I could not tell, nor did he seem to me
to know himself, in what sense he used these and similar terms.
We had a great many interesting conversations; but they seemed
rather to stimulate my own mind to inquiry, than to satisfy me in respect to the
truth.
But as I read my Bible and attended the prayer meetings, heard
Mr. Gale preach, and conversed with him, with the elders of the church, and with
others from time to time, I became very restless. A little consideration
convinced me that I was by no means in a state of mind to go to heaven if I
should die. It seemed to me that there must be something in religion that was of
infinite importance; and it was soon settled with me, that if the soul was
immortal I needed a great change in my inward state to be prepared for happiness
in heaven. But still my mind was not made up as to the truth or falsehood of the
Gospel and of the Christian religion. The question, however, was of too much
importance to allow me to rest in any uncertainty on the subject.
I was particularly struck with the fact that the prayers that I
had listened to, from week to week, were not, that I could see, answered.
Indeed, I understood from their utterances in prayer, and from other remarks in
their meetings, that those who offered them did not regard them as answered.
When I read my Bible I learned what Christ had said in regard to
prayer, and answers to prayer. He had said, "Ask, and ye shall receive, seek and
ye shall find, knock and it shall he opened unto you. For everyone that asketh
receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be
opened." I read also what Christ affirms, that God is more willing to give His
Holy Spirit to them that ask Him, than earthly parents are to give good gifts to
their children. I heard them pray continually for the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit, and not often confess that they did not receive what they asked for.
They exhorted each other to wake up and be engaged, and to pray
earnestly for a revival of religion, asserting that if they did their duty,
prayed for the outpouring of the Spirit, and were in earnest, that the Spirit of
God would be poured out, that they would have a revival of religion, and that
the impenitent would be converted. But in their prayer and conference meetings
they would continually confess, substantially, that they were making no progress
in securing a revival of religion.
This inconsistency, the fact that they prayed so much and were
not answered, was a sad stumbling block to me. I knew not what to make of it. It
was a question in my mind whether I was to understand that these persons were
not truly Christians, and therefore did not prevail with God; or did I
misunderstand the promises and teachings of the Bible on this subject, or was I
to conclude that the Bible was not true? There was something inexplicable to me;
and it seemed, at one time, that it would almost drive me into skepticism. It
seemed to me that the teachings of the Bible did not at all accord with the
facts which were before my eyes.
On one occasion, when I was in one of the prayer meetings, I was
asked if I did not desire that they should pray for me! I told them, no; because
I did not see that God answered their prayers. I said, "I suppose I need to be
prayed for, for I am conscious that I am a sinner; but I do not see that it will
do any good for you to pray for me; for you are continually asking, but you do
not receive. You have been praying for a revival of religion ever since I have
been in Adams, and yet you have it not. You have been praying for the Holy
Spirit to descend upon yourselves, and yet complaining of your leanness." I
recollect having used this expression at that time: "You have prayed enough
since I have attended these meetings to have prayed the devil out of Adams, if
there is any virtue in your prayers. But here you are praying on, and
complaining still." I was quite in earnest in what I said, and not a little
irritable, I think, in consequence of my being brought so continually face to
face with religious truth; which was a new state of things to me.
But on farther reading of my Bible, it struck me that the reason
why their prayers were not answered, was because they did not comply with the
revealed conditions upon which God had promised to answer prayer; that they did
not pray in faith, in the sense of expecting God to give them the things that
they asked for.
This thought, for some time, lay in my mind as a confused
questioning, rather than in any definite form that could be stated in words.
However, this relieved me, so far as queries about the truth of the Gospel were
concerned; and after struggling in that way for some two or three years, my mind
became quite settled that whatever mystification there might be either in my own
or in my pastor's mind, or in the mind of the church, the Bible was,
nevertheless, the true Word of God.
This being settled, I was brought face to face with the question
whether I would accept Christ as presented in the Gospel, or pursue a worldly
course of life. At this period, my mind, as I have since known, was so much
impressed by the Holy Spirit, that I could not long leave this question
unsettled nor could I long hesitate between the two courses of life presented to
me.
CHAPTER II
CONVERSION TO
CHRIST
ON a Sabbath evening
in the autumn of 1821, I made up my mind that I would settle the question of my
soul's salvation at once, that if it were possible I would make my peace with
God. But as I was very busy in the affairs of the office, I knew that without
great firmness of purpose, I should never effectually attend to the subject. I
therefore, then and there resolved, as far as possible, to avoid all business,
and everything that would divert my attention, and to give myself wholly to the
work of securing the salvation of my soul. I carried this resolution into
execution as sternly and thoroughly as I could. I was, however, obliged to be a
good deal in the office. But as the providence of God would have it, I was not
much occupied either on Monday or Tuesday; and had opportunity to read my Bible
and engage in prayer most of the time.
But I was very proud without knowing it. I had supposed that I
had not much regard for the opinions of others, whether they thought this or
that in regard to myself; and I had in fact been quite singular in attending
prayer meetings, and in the degree of attention that I had paid to religion,
while in Adams. In this respect I had not been so singular as to lead
the church at times to think that I must be an anxious inquirer. But I found,
when I came to face the question, that I was very unwilling to have anyone know
that I was seeking the salvation of my soul. When I prayed I would only whisper
my prayer, after having stopped the key hole to the door, lest someone should
discover that I was engaged in prayer. Before that time I had my Bible lying on
the table with the law books; and it never had occurred to me to be ashamed of
being found reading it, any more than I should be ashamed of being found reading
any of my other books.
But after I had addressed myself in earnest to the subject of my
own salvation, I kept my Bible, as much as I could, out of sight. If I was
reading it when anybody came in, I would throw my law books upon it, to create
the impression that I had not had it in my hand. Instead of being outspoken and
willing to talk with anybody and everybody on the subject as before, I found
myself unwilling to converse with anybody. I did not want to see my minister,
because I did not want to let him know how I felt, and I had no confidence that
he would understand my case, and give me the direction that I needed. For the
same reasons I avoided conversation with the elders of the church, or with any
of the Christian people. I was ashamed to let them know how I felt, on the one
hand; and on the other, I was afraid they would misdirect me. I felt myself shut
up to the Bible.
During Monday and Tuesday my convictions increased; but still it
seemed as if my heart grew harder. I could not shed a tear; I could not pray. I
had no opportunity to pray above my breath; and frequently I felt, that if I
could be alone where I could use my voice and let myself out, I should find
relief in prayer. I was shy, and avoided, as much as I could, speaking to
anybody on any subject. I endeavored, however, to do this in a way that would
excite no suspicion, in any mind, that I was seeking the salvation of my soul.
Tuesday night I had become very nervous; and in the night a
strange feeling came over me as if I was about to die. I knew that if I did I
should sink down to hell; but I quieted myself as best I could until morning.
At an early hour I started for the office. But just before I
arrived at the office, something seemed to confront me with questions like
these: Indeed, it seemed as if the inquiry was within myself, as if an inward
voice said to me, "What are you waiting for? Did you not promise to give your
heart to God? And what are you trying to do? Are you endeavoring to work out a
righteousness of your own?"
Just at this point the whole question of Gospel salvation opened
to my mind in a manner most marvelous to me at the time. I think I then saw, as
clearly as I ever have in my life, the reality and fullness of the atonement of
Christ. I saw that His work was a finished work; and that instead of having, or
needing, any righteousness of my own to recommend me to God, I had to submit
myself to the righteousness of God through Christ. Gospel salvation seemed to me
to be an offer of something to be accepted; and that it was full and complete;
and that all that was necessary on my part, was to get my own consent to give up
my sins, and accept Christ. Salvation, it seemed to me, instead of being a thing
to be wrought out, by my own works, was a thing to be found entirely in the Lord
Jesus Christ, who presented Himself before me as my God and my Savior.
Without being distinctly aware of it, I had stopped in the street
right where the inward voice seemed to arrest me. How long I remained in that
position I cannot say. But after this distinct revelation had stood for some
little time before my mind, the question seemed to be put, "Will you accept it
now, today?" I replied," Yes; I will accept it today, or I will die in the
attempt."
North of the village, and over a hill, lay a piece of woods, in
which I was in the almost daily habit of walking, more or less, when it was
pleasant weather. It was now October, and the time was past for my frequent
walks there. Nevertheless, instead of going to the office, I turned and bent my
course toward the woods, feeling that I must be alone, and away from all human
eyes and ears, so that I could pour out my prayer to God.
But still my pride must show itself. As I went over the hill, it
occurred to me that someone might see me and suppose that I was going away to
pray. Yet probably there was not a person on earth that would have suspected
such a thing, had he seen me going. But so great was my pride, and so much was I
possessed with the fear of man, that I recollect that I skulked along under the
fence, till I got so far out of sight that no one from the village could see me.
I then penetrated into the woods, I should think, a quarter of a mile, went over
on the other side of the hill, and found a place where some large trees had
fallen across each other, leaving an open place between. There I saw I could
make a kind of closet. I crept into this place and knelt down for prayer. As I
turned to go up into the woods, I recollect to have said, "I will give my heart
to God, or I never will come down from there." I recollect repeating this as I
went up: ;"I will give my heart to God before I ever come down again."
But when I attempted to pray I found that my heart would not
pray. I had supposed that if I could only be where I could speak aloud, without
being overheard, I could pray freely. But lo! when I came to try, I was dumb;
that is, I had nothing to say to God; or at least I could say but a few words,
and those without heart. In attempting to pray I would hear a rustling in the
leaves, as I thought, and would stop and look up to see if somebody were not
coming. This I did several times.
Finally I found myself verging fast to despair. I said to myself,
"I cannot pray. My heart is dead to God, and will not pray." I then reproached
myself for having promised to give my heart to God before I left the woods. When
I came to try, I found I could not give my heart to God. My inward soul hung
back, and there was no going out of my heart to God. I began to feel deeply that
it was too late; that it must be that I was given up of God and was past hope.
The thought was pressing me of the rashness of my promise, that I
would give my heart to God that day or die in the attempt. It seemed to me as if
that was binding upon my soul; and yet I was going to break my vow. A great
sinking and discouragement came over me, and I felt almost too weak to stand
upon my knees.
Just at this moment I again thought I heard someone approach me,
and I opened my eyes to see whether it were so. But right there the revelation
of my pride of heart, as the great difficulty that stood in the way, was
distinctly shown to me. An overwhelming sense of my wickedness in being ashamed
to have a human being see me on my knees before God, took such powerful
possession of me, that I cried at the top of my voice, and exclaimed that I
would not leave that place if all the men on earth and all the devils in hell
surrounded me. "What!" I said, "such a degraded sinner I am, on my knees
confessing my sins to the great and holy God; and ashamed to have any human
being, and a sinner like myself, find me on my knees endeavoring to make my
peace with my offended God!" The sin appeared awful, infinite. It broke me down
before the Lord.
Just at that point this passage of Scripture seemed to drop into
my mind with a flood of light: "Then shall ye go and pray unto me, and I will
hearken unto you. Then shall ye seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me
with all your heart." I instantly seized hold of this with my heart. I had
intellectually believed the Bible before; but never had the truth been in my
mind that faith was a voluntary trust instead of an intellectual state. I was as
conscious as I was of my existence, of trusting at that moment in God's
veracity. Somehow I knew that that was a passage of Scripture, though I do not
think I had ever read it. I knew that it was God's word, and God's voice, as it
were, that spoke to me. I cried to Him, "Lord, I take Thee at Thy word. Now Thou
knowest that I do search for Thee with all my heart, and that I have come here
to pray to Thee; and Thou hast promised to hear me."
That seemed to settle the question that I could then, that day,
perform my vow. The Spirit seemed to lay stress upon that idea in the text,
"When you search for me with all your heart." The question of when, that is of
the present time, seemed to fall heavily into my heart. I told the Lord that I
should take Him at his word; that He could not lie; and that therefore I was
sure that He heard my prayer, and that He would be found of me.
He then gave my many other promises, both from the Old and the
New Testament, especially some most precious promises respecting our Lord Jesus
Christ. I never can, in words, make any human being understand how precious and
true those promises appeared to me. I took them one after the other as
infallible truth, the assertions of God who could not lie. They did not seem so
much to fall into my intellect as into my heart, to be put within the grasp of
the voluntary powers of my mind; and I seized hold of them, appropriated them,
and fastened upon them with the grasp of a drowning man.
I continued thus to pray, and to receive and appropriate promises
for a long time, I know not how long. I prayed till my mind became so full that,
before I was aware of it, I was on my feet and tripping up the ascent toward the
road. The question of my being converted, had not so much as arisen to my
thought; but as I went up, brushing through the leaves and bushes, I recollect
saying with emphasis, "If I am ever converted, I will preach the Gospel."
I soon reached the road that led to the village, and began to
reflect upon what had passed; and I found that my mind had become most
wonderfully quiet and peaceful. I said to myself, "What is this? I must have
grieved the Holy Ghost entirely away. I have lost all my conviction. I have not
a particle of concern about my soul; and it must be that the Spirit has left
me." Why! thought I, I never was so far from being concerned about my own
salvation in my life.
Then I remembered what I had said to God while I was on my knees,
that I had said I would take Him at his word; and indeed I recollected a good
many things that I had said, and concluded that it was no wonder that the Spirit
had left me; that for such a sinner as I was to take hold of God's Word in that
way, was presumption if not blasphemy. I concluded that in my excitement I had
grieved the Holy Spirit, and perhaps committed the unpardonable sin.
I walked quietly toward the village; and so perfectly quiet was
my mind that it seemed as if all nature listened. It was on the 10th of October,
and a very pleasant day. I had gone into the woods immediately after an early
breakfast; and when I returned to the village I found it was dinner time. Yet I
had been wholly unconscious of the time that had passed; it appeared to me that
I had been gone from the village but a short time.
But how was I to account for the quiet of my mind? I tried to
recall my convictions, to get back again the load of sin under which I had been
laboring. But all sense of sin, all consciousness of present sin or guilt, had
departed from me. I said to myself, "What is this, that I cannot arouse any
sense of guilt in my soul, as great a sinner as I am?" I tried in vain to make
myself anxious about my present state. I was so quiet and peaceful that I tried
to feel concerned about that, lest it should be a result of my having grieved
the Spirit away. But take any view of it I would, I could not be anxious at all
about my soul, and about my spiritual state. The repose of my mind was
unspeakably great. I never can describe it in words. The thought of God was
sweet to my mind, and the most profound spiritual tranquility had taken full
possession of me. This was a great mystery; but it did not distress or perplex
me.
I went to my dinner, and found I had no appetite to eat. I then
went to the office, and found that Squire W had gone to dinner. I took down my
bass viol, and, as I was accustomed to do, began to play and sing some pieces of
sacred music. But as soon as I began to sing those sacred words, I began to
weep. It seemed as if my heart was all liquid; and my feelings were in such a
state that I could not hear my own voice in singing without causing my
sensibility to overflow. I wondered at this, and tried to suppress my tears, but
could not. After trying in vain to suppress my tears, I put up my instrument and
stopped singing.
After dinner we were engaged in removing our books and furniture
to another office. We were very busy in this, and had but little conversation
all the afternoon. My mind, however, remained in that profoundly tranquil state.
There was a great sweetness and tenderness in my thoughts and feelings.
Everything appeared to be going right, and nothing seemed to ruffle or disturb
me in the least.
Just before evening the thought took possession of my mind, that
as soon as I was left alone in the new office, I would try to pray again--that I
was not going to abandon the subject of religion and give it up, at any rate;
and therefore, although I no longer had any concern about my soul, still I would
continue to pray.
By evening we got the books and furniture adjusted; and I made
up, in an open fireplace, a good fire, hoping to spend the evening alone. Just
at dark Squire W, seeing that everything was adjusted, bade me goodnight and
went to his home. I had accompanied him to the door; and as I closed the door
and turned around, my heart seemed to be liquid within me. All my feelings
seemed to rise and flow out; and the utterance of my heart was, "I want to pour
my whole soul out to God." The rising of my soul was so great that I rushed into
the room back of the front office, to pray.
There was no fire, and no light, in the room; nevertheless it
appeared to me as if it were perfectly light. As I went in and shut the door
after me, it seemed as if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. It did not
occur to me then, nor did it for some time afterward, that it was wholly a
mental state. On the contrary it seemed to me that I saw Him as I would see any
other man. He said nothing, but looked at me in such a manner as to break me
right down at his feet. I have always since regarded this as a most remarkable
state of mind; for it seemed to me a reality, that He stood before me, and I
fell down at his feet and poured out my soul to Him. I wept aloud like a child,
and made such confessions as I could with my choked utterance. It seemed to me
that I bathed His feet with my tears; and yet I had no distinct impression that
I touched Him, that I recollect.
I must have continued in this state for a good while; but my mind
was too much absorbed with the interview to recollect anything that I said. But
I know, as soon as my mind became calm enough to break off from the interview, I
returned to the front office, and found that the fire that I had made of large
wood was nearly burned out. But as I turned and was about to take a seat by the
fire, I received a mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost. Without any expectation of
it, without ever having the thought in my mind that there was any such thing for
me, without any recollection that I had ever heard the thing mentioned by any
person in the world, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed
to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression, like a wave of
electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves and
waves of liquid love, for I could not express it in any other way. It seemed
like the very breath of God. I can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan
me, like immense wings.
No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in
my heart. I wept aloud with joy and love; and I do not know but I should say, I
literally bellowed out the unutterable gushings of my heart. These waves came
over me, and over me, and over me, one after the other, until I recollect I
cried out, "I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me." I said, "Lord,
I cannot bear any more;" yet I had no fear of death.
How long I continued in this state, with this baptism continuing
to roll over me and go through me, I do not know. But I know it was late in the
evening when a member of my choir--for I was the leader of the choir--came into
the office to see me. He was a member of the church. He found me in this state
of loud weeping, and said to me, "Mr. Finney, what ails you?" I could make him
no answer for some time. He then said, "Are you in pain?" I gathered myself up
as best I could, and replied, "No, but so happy that I cannot live."
He turned and left the office, and in a few minutes returned with
one of the elders of the church, whose shop was nearly across the way from our
office. This elder was a very serious man; and in my presence had been very
watchful, and I had scarcely ever seen him laugh. When he came in, I was very
much in the state in which I was when the young man went out to call him. He
asked me how I felt, and I began to tell him. Instead of saying anything, he
fell into a most spasmodic laughter. It seemed as if it was impossible for him
to keep from laughing from the very bottom of his heart.
There was a young man in the neighborhood who was preparing for
college, with whom I had been very intimate. Our minister, as I afterward
learned, had repeatedly talked with him on the subject of religion, and warned
him against being misled by me. He informed him that I was a very careless young
man about religion; and he thought that if he associated much with me his mind
would be diverted, and he would not be converted.
After I was converted, and this young man was converted, he told
me that he had said to Mr. Gale several times, when he had admonished him about
associating so much with me, that my conversations had often affected him more,
religiously, than his preaching. I had, indeed, let out my feelings a good deal
to this young man.
But just at the time when I was giving an account of my feelings
to this elder of the church, and to the other member who was with him, this
young man came into the office. I was sitting with my back toward the door, and
barely observed that he came in. He listened with astonishment to what I was
saying, and the first I knew he partly fell upon the floor, and cried out in the
greatest agony of mind, "Do pray for me!" The elder of the church and the other
member knelt down and began to pray for him; and when they had prayed, I prayed
for him myself. Soon after this they all retired and left me alone.
The question then arose in my mind, "Why did Elder B laugh so?
Did he not think that I was under a delusion, or crazy?" This suggestion brought
a kind of darkness over my mind; and I began to query with myself whether it was
proper for me, such a sinner as I had been, to pray for that young man. A cloud
seemed to shut in over me; I had no hold upon anything in which I could rest;
and after a little while I retired to bed, not distressed in mind, but still at
a loss to know what to make of my present state. Notwithstanding the baptism I
had received, this temptation so obscured my view that I went to bed without
feeling sure that my peace was made with God.
I soon fell asleep, but almost as soon awoke again on account of
the great flow of the love of God that was in my heart. I was so filled with
love that I could not sleep. Soon I fell asleep again, and awoke in the same
manner. When I awoke, this temptation would return upon me, and the love that
seemed to be in my heart would abate; but as soon as I was asleep, it was so
warm within me that I would immediately awake. Thus I continued till, late at
night, I obtained some sound repose.
When I awoke in the morning the sun had risen, and was pouring a
clear light into my room. Words cannot express the impression that this sunlight
made upon me. Instantly the baptism that I had received the night before,
returned upon me in the same manner. I arose upon my knees in the bed and wept
aloud with joy, and remained for some time too much overwhelmed with the baptism
of the Spirit to do anything but pour out my soul to God. It seemed as if this
morning's baptism was accompanied with a gentle reproof, and the Spirit seemed
to say to me, "Will you doubt? Will you doubt?" I cried, "No! I will not doubt;
I cannot doubt." He then cleared the subject up so much to my mind that it was
in fact impossible for me to doubt that the Spirit of God had taken possession
of my soul.
In this state I was taught the doctrine of justification by
faith, as a present experience. That doctrine had never taken any such
possession of my mind, that I had ever viewed it distinctly as a fundamental
doctrine of the Gospel. Indeed, I did not know at all what it meant in the
proper sense. But I could now see and understand what was meant by the passage,
"Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ." I could see that the moment I believed, while up in the woods, all
sense of condemnation had entirely dropped out of my mind; and that from that
moment I could not feel a sense of guilt or condemnation by any effort that I
could make. My sense of guilt was gone; my sins were gone; and I do not think I
felt any more sense of guilt than if I never had sinned.
This was just the revelation that I needed. I felt myself
justified by faith; and, so far as I could see, I was in a state in which I did
not sin. Instead of feeling that I was sinning all the time, my heart was so
full of love that it overflowed. My cup ran over with blessing and with love;
and I could not feel that I was sinning against God. Nor could I recover the
least sense of guilt for my past sins. Of this experience I said nothing that I
recollect, at the time, to anybody; that is, of this experience of
justification.
CHAPTER III
BEGINNING OF HIS
WORK
THIS morning, of which
I have just spoken, I went down into the office, and there I was having the
renewal of these mighty waves of love and salvation flowing over me, when Squire
W came into the office. I said a few words to him on the subject of his
salvation. He looked at me with astonishment, but made no reply whatever, that I
recollect. He dropped his head, and after standing a few minutes left the
office. I thought no more of it then, but afterward found that the remark I made
pierced him like a sword; and he did not recover from it till he was converted.
Soon after Mr. W had left the office, Deacon B came into the
office and said to me, "Mr. Finney, do you recollect that my cause is to be
tried at ten o'clock this morning? I suppose you are ready?" I had been retained
to attend this suit as his attorney. I replied to him, "Deacon B, I have a
retainer from the Lord Jesus Christ to plead His cause, and I cannot plead
yours." He looked at me with astonishment, and said, "What do you mean?" I told
him, in a few words, that I had enlisted in the cause of Christ; and then
repeated that I had a retainer from the Lord Jesus Christ to plead His cause,
and that he must go and get somebody else to attend his lawsuit; I could not do
it. He dropped his head, and without making any reply, went out. A few moments
later, in passing the window, I observed that Deacon B was standing in the road,
seemingly lost in deep meditation. He went away, as I afterward learned, and
immediately settled his suit. He then betook himself to prayer, and soon got
into a much higher religious state than he had ever been in before.
I soon sallied forth from the office to converse with those whom
I should meet about their souls. I had the impression, which has never left my
mind, that God wanted me to preach the Gospel, and that I must begin
immediately. I somehow seemed to know it. If you ask me how I knew it, I cannot
tell how I knew it, any more that I can tell how I knew that was the love of God
and the baptism of the Holy Ghost which I had received. I did somehow know it
with a certainty that was past all possibility of doubt. And so I seemed to know
that the Lord commissioned me to preach the Gospel.
When I was first convicted, the thought had occurred to my mind
that if I was ever converted I should be obliged to leave my profession, of
which I was very fond, and go to preaching the Gospel. This at first stumbled
me. I thought I had taken too much pains, and spent too much time and study in
my profession to think now of becoming a Christian, if by doing so I should be
obliged to preach the Gospel. However, I at last came to the conclusion that I
must submit that question to God; that I had never commenced the study of law
from any regard to God, and that I had no right to make any conditions with Him;
and I therefore had laid aside the thought of becoming a minister, until it was
sprung in my mind, as I have related, on my way from my place of prayer in the
woods.
But now after receiving these baptisms of the Spirit I was quite
willing to preach the Gospel. Nay, I found that I was unwilling to do anything
else. I had no longer any desire to practice law. Everything in that direction
was shut up, and had no longer any attractions for me at all. I had no
disposition to make money. I had no hungering and thirsting after worldly
pleasures and amusements in any direction. My whole mind was taken up with Jesus
and His salvation; and the world seemed to me of very little consequence.
Nothing, it seemed to me, could be put in competition with the worth of souls;
and no labor, I thought, could be so sweet, and no employment so exalted, as
that of holding up Christ to a dying world.
With this impression, as I said, I sallied forth to converse with
any with whom I might meet. I first dropped in at the shop of a shoemaker, who
was a pious man, and one of the most praying Christians, as I thought, in the
church. I found him in conversation with a son of one of the elders of the
church; and this young man was defending Universalism. Mr. W, the shoemaker,
turned to me and said, "Mr. Finney, what do you think of the argument of this
young man?"; and he then stated what he had been saying in defense of
Universalism. The answer appeared to me so ready that in a moment I was enabled
to blow his argument to the wind. The young man saw at once that his argument
was gone; and he rose up without making any reply, and went suddenly out. But
soon I observed, as I stood in the middle of the room, that the young man,
instead of going along the street, had passed around the shop, had climbed over
the fence, and was steering straight across the fields toward the woods. I
thought no more of it until evening, when the young man came out, and appeared
to be a bright convert, giving a relation of his experience. He went into the
woods, and there, as he said, gave his heart to God.
I spoke with many persons that day, and I believe the Spirit of
God made lasting impressions upon every one of them. I cannot remember one whom
I spoke with, who was not soon after converted. Just at evening I called at the
house of a friend, where a young man lived who was employed in distilling
whiskey. The family had heard that I had become a Christian; and as they were
about to sit down to tea, they urged me to sit down and take tea with them. The
man of the house and his wife were both professors of religion. But a sister of
the lady, who was present, was an unconverted girl; and this young man of whom I
have spoken, a distant relative of the family, was a professed Universalist. He
was rather an outspoken and talkative Universalist, and a young man of a good
deal of energy of character.
I sat down with them to tea, and they requested me to ask a
blessing. It was what I had never done; but I did not hesitate a moment, but
commenced to ask the blessing of God as we sat around the table. I had scarcely
more than begun before the state of these young people rose before my mind, and
excited so much compassion that I burst into weeping, and was unable to proceed.
Everyone around the table sat speechless for a short time, while I continued to
weep. Directly, the young man moved back from the table and rushed out of the
room. He fled to his room and locked himself in, and was not seen again till the
next morning, when he came out expressing a blessed hope in Christ. He has been
for many years an able minister of the Gospel.
In the course of the day, a good deal of excitement was created
in the village by its being reported what the Lord had done for my soul. Some
thought one thing, and some another. At evening, without any appointment having
been made that I could learn, I observed that the people were going to the place
where they usually held their conference and prayer meetings. My conversion had
created a good deal of astonishment in the village. I afterward learned that
some time before this, some members of the church had proposed, in a church
meeting, to make me a particular subject of prayer, and that Mr. Gale had
discouraged them, saying that he did not believe I would ever be converted; that
from conversing with me he had found that I was very much enlightened upon the
subject of religion, and very much hardened. And furthermore, he said he was
almost discouraged; that I led the choir, and taught the young people sacred
music; and that they were so much under my influence that he did not believe
that, while I remained in Adams, they would ever be converted.
I found after I was converted, that some of the wicked men in the
place had hid behind me. One man in particular, a Mr. C, who had a pious wife,
had repeatedly said to her, "If religion is true, why don't you convert Finney?
If you Christians can convert Finney, I will believe in religion."
An old lawyer by the name of M, living in Adams, when he heard it rumored that day that I was converted,
said that it was all a hoax; that I was simply trying to see what I could make
Christian people believe.
However, with one consent the people seemed to rush to the place
of worship. I went there myself. The minister was there, and nearly all the
principal people in the village. No one seemed ready to open the meeting; but
the house was packed to its utmost capacity. I did not wait for anybody, but
arose and began by saying that I then knew that religion was from God. I went on
and told such parts of my experience as it seemed important for me to tell. This
Mr. C, who had promised his wife that if I was converted he would believe in
religion, was present. Mr. M, the old lawyer, was also present. What the Lord
enabled me to say seemed to take a wonderful hold upon the people. Mr. C got up,
pressed through the crowd, and went home, leaving his hat. Mr. M also left and
went home, saying I was crazy. "He is in earnest," said he, "there is no
mistake; but he is deranged, that is clear."
As soon as I had done speaking, Mr. Gale, the minister, arose and
made a confession. He said he believed he had been in the way of the church; and
then confessed that he had discouraged the church when they had proposed to pray
for me. He said also that when he had heard that day that I was converted, he
had promptly said that he did not believe it. He said he had no faith. He spoke
in a very humble manner.
I had never made a prayer in public. But soon after Mr. Gale was
through speaking, he called on me to pray. I did so, and think I had a good deal
of enlargement and liberty in prayer. We had a wonderful meeting that evening;
and, from that day, we had a meeting every evening for a long time. The work
spread on every side.
As I had been a leader among the young people, I immediately
appointed a meeting for them, which they all attended--that is, all of the class
with which I was acquainted. I gave up my time to labor for their conversion;
and the Lord blessed every effort that was made, in a very wonderful manner.
They were converted one after another, with great rapidity; and the work
continued among them until but one of their number was left unconverted.
The work spread among all classes; and extended itself, not only
through the village, but out of the village in every direction. My heart was so
full that, for more than a week, I did not feel at all inclined to sleep or eat.
I seemed literally to have meat to eat that the world knew nothing of. I did not
feel the need of food, or of sleep. My mind was full of the love of God to
overflowing. I went on in this way for a good many days, until I found that I
must rest and sleep, or I should become insane. From that point I was more
cautious in my labors; and ate regularly, and slept as much as I could.
The Word of God had wonderful power; and I was every day
surprised to find that the few words, spoken to an individual, would stick in
his heart like an arrow.
After a short time I went down to Henderson,
where my father lived, and visited him. He was an unconverted man; and only one
of the family, my youngest brother, had ever made a profession of religion. My
father met me at the gate and said, "How do you do, Charles?" I replied, "I am
well, father, body and soul. But, father, you are an old man; all your children
are grown up and have left your house; and I never heard a prayer in my father's
house." Father dropped his head, and burst into tears, and replied, "I know it,
Charles; come in and pray yourself."
We went in and engaged in prayer. My father and mother were
greatly moved; and in a very short time thereafter they were both hopefully
converted. I do not know but my mother had had a secret hope before; but if so,
none of the family, I believe, ever knew it.
I remained in that neighborhood, I think, for two or three days,
and conversed more or less with such people as I could meet with. I believe it
was the next Monday night, they had a monthly concert of prayer in that town.
There were there a Baptist church that had a minister, and a small
Congregational church without a minister. The town was very much of a moral
waste, however; and at this time religion was at a very low ebb.
My youngest brother attended this monthly concert of which I have
spoken, and afterward gave me an account of it. The Baptists and
Congregationalists were in the habit of holding a union monthly concert. But few
attended, and therefore it was held at a private house. On this occasion they
met, as usual, in the parlor of a private house. A few of the members of the
Baptist church, and a few Congregationalists, were present.
The deacon of the Congregational church was a spare, feeble old
man, by the name of M. He was quiet in his ways, and had a good reputation for
piety; but seldom said much upon the subject. He was a good specimen of a New
England deacon. He was present, and they called upon him to lead the meeting. He
read a passage of Scripture according to their custom. They then sung a hymn,
and Deacon M stood up behind his chair, and led in prayer. The other persons
present, all of them professors of religion, and younger people, knelt down
around the room.
My brother said that Deacon M began as usual in his prayer, in a
low, feeble voice; but soon began to wax warm and to raise his voice, which
became tremulous with emotion. He proceeded to pray with more and more
earnestness, till soon he began to rise upon his toes and come down upon his
heels; and then to rise upon his toes and drop upon his heels again, so that
they could feel the jar in the room. He continued to raise his voice, and to
rise upon his toes, and come down upon his heels more emphatically. And as the
spirit of prayer led him onward he began to raise his chair together with his
heels, and bring that down upon the floor; and soon he raised it a little
higher, and brought it down with still more emphasis. He continued to do this,
and grew more and more engaged, till he would bring the chair down as if he
would break it to pieces.
In the meantime the brethren and sisters that were on their
knees, began to groan, and sigh, and weep, and agonize in prayer. The deacon
continued to struggle until he was about exhausted; and when he ceased, my
brother said that no one in the room could get off from his knees. They could
only weep and confess, and all melt down before the Lord. From this meeting the
work of the Lord spread forth in every direction all over the town. And thus it
spread at that time from Adams as a center, throughout nearly all the towns in
the county.
I have spoken of the conviction of Squire W in whose office I
studied law. I have also said that when I was converted, it was in a grove where
I went to pray. Very soon after my conversion, several other cases of conversion
occurred that were reported to have taken place under similar circumstances;
that is, persons went up into the grove to pray, and there made their peace with
God.
When Squire W heard them tell their experience, one after the
other, in our meetings, he thought that he had a parlor to pray in; and that he
was not going up into the woods, to have the same story to tell that had been so
often told. To this, it appeared, he strongly committed himself. Although this
was a thing entirely immaterial in itself; yet it was a point on which his pride
had become committed, and therefore he could not get into the kingdom of God.
I have found in my ministerial experience a great many cases of
this kind; where upon some question, perhaps immaterial in itself, a sinner's
pride of heart would commit him. In all such cases the dispute must be yielded,
or the sinner never will get into the kingdom of God. I
have known persons to remain for weeks in great tribulation of mind, pressed by
the Spirit; but they could make no progress till the point upon which they were
committed was yielded. Mr. W was the first case of the kind that had ever come
to my notice.
After he was converted, he said the question had frequently come
up when he was in prayer; and that he had been made to see that it was pride
that made him take that stand, and that kept him out of the kingdom of God. But
still he was not willing to admit this, even to himself. He tried in every way
to make himself believe, and to make God believe, that he was not proud. One
night, he said, he prayed all night in his parlor that God would have mercy on
him; but in the morning he felt more distressed than ever. He finally became
enraged that God did not hear his prayer, and was tempted to kill himself. He
was so tempted to use his penknife for that purpose, that he actually threw it
as far as he could, that it might be lost, so that this temptation should not
prevail. He said that, one night, on returning from meeting, he was so pressed
with a sense of his pride, and with the fact that it prevented his going up into
the woods to pray, that he was determined to make himself believe, and make God
believe, that he was not proud; and he sought around for a mud puddle in which
to kneel down, that he might demonstrate that it was not pride which kept him
from going into the woods. Thus he continued to struggle for several weeks.
But one afternoon I was sitting in our office, and two of the
elders of the church with me; when the young man that I had met at the
shoemaker's shop, came hastily into the office, and exclaimed as he came,
"Squire W is converted!" and proceeded to say: "I went up into the woods to
pray, and heard someone over in the valley shouting very loud. I went up to the
brow of the hill, where I could look down, and I saw Squire W pacing to and fro,
and singing as loud as he could sing; and every few moments he would stop and
clap his hands with his full strength, and shout, 'I will rejoice in the God of
my salvation!' Then he would march and sing again; and then stop, and shout, and
clap his hands." While the young man was telling us this, behold, Squire W
appeared in sight, coming over the hill. As he came down to the foot of the hill
we observed that he met Father T, as we all called him, an aged Methodist
brother. He rushed up to him, and took him right up in his arms. After setting
him down, and conversing a moment, he came rapidly toward the office. When he
came in, he was in a profuse perspiration--he was a heavy man, and he cried out,
"I've got it! I've got it!" clapped his hands with all his might, and fell upon
his knees and began to give thanks to God. He then gave us an account of what
had been passing in his mind, and why he had not obtained a hope before. He said
as soon as he gave up that point and went into the woods, his mind was relieved;
and when he knelt down to pray, the Spirit of God came upon him and filled him
with such unspeakable joy that it resulted in the scene which the young man
witnessed. Of course from that time Squire W took a decided stand for God.
Toward spring the older members of the church began to abate in
their zeal. I had been in the habit of rising early in the morning, and spending
a season of prayer alone in the meeting house; and I finally succeeded in
interesting a considerable number of brethren to meet me there in the morning
for a prayer meeting. This was at a very early hour; and we were generally
together long before it was light enough to see to read. I persuaded my minister
to attend these morning meetings.
But soon they began to be remiss; whereupon I would get up in
time to go around to their houses and wake them up. Many times I went round and
round, and called the brethren that I thought would be most likely to attend,
and we would have a precious season of prayer. But still the brethren, I found,
attended with more and more reluctance; which fact greatly tried me.
One morning I had been around and called the brethren up, and
when I returned to the meeting house but few of them had got there. Mr. Gale, my
minister, was standing at the door of the church, and as I came up, all at once
the glory of God shone upon and round about me, in a manner most marvelous. The
day was just beginning to dawn. But all at once a light perfectly ineffable
shone in my soul, that almost prostrated me to the ground. In this light it
seemed as if I could see that all nature praised and worshipped God except man.
This light seemed to be like the brightness of the sun in every direction. It
was too intense for the eyes. I recollect casting my eyes down and breaking into
a flood of tears, in view of the fact that mankind did not praise God. I think I
knew something then, by actual experience, of that light that prostrated Paul on
his way to Damascus. It was surely a light such as I could not have endured
long.
When I burst out into such loud weeping, Mr. Gale said, "What is
the matter, Brother Finney?" I could not tell him. I found that he had seen no
light; and that he saw no reason why I should be in such a state of mind. I
therefore said but little. I believe I merely replied, that I saw the glory of
God; and that I could not endure to think of the manner in which He was treated
by men. Indeed, it did not seem to me at the time that the vision of His glory
which I had, was to be described in words. I wept it out; and the vision, if it
may be so called, passed away and left my mind calm.
I used to have, when I was a young Christian, many seasons of
communing with God which cannot be described in words. And not unfrequently
those seasons would end in an impression by my mind like this: "Go, see that
thou tell no man." I did not understand this at the time, and several times I
paid no attention to this injunction; but tried to tell my Christian brethren
what communications the Lord had made to me, or rather what seasons of communion
I had with Him. But I soon found that it would not do to tell my brethren what
was passing between the Lord and my soul. They could not understand it. They
would look surprised, and sometimes, I thought, incredulous; and I soon learned
to keep quiet in regard to those divine manifestations, and say but little about
them.
I used to spend a great deal of time in prayer; sometimes, I
thought, literally praying without ceasing. I also found it very profitable, and
felt very much inclined to hold frequent days of private fasting. On those days
I would seek to be entirely alone with God, and would generally wander off into
the woods, or get into the meeting house, or somewhere away entirely by myself.
Sometimes I would pursue a wrong course in fasting, and attempt
to examine myself according to the ideas of self-examination then entertained by
my minister and the church. I would try to look into my own heart, in the sense
of examining my feelings; and would turn my attention particularly to my
motives, and the state of my mind. When I pursued this course, I found
invariably that the day would close without any perceptible advance being made.
Afterwards I saw clearly why this was so. Turning my attention, as I did, from
the Lord Jesus Christ, and looking into myself, examining my motives and
feelings, my feelings all subsided of course. But whenever I fasted, and let the
Spirit take His own course with me, and gave myself up to let Him lead and
instruct me, I universally found it in the highest degree useful. I found I
could not live without enjoying the presence of God; and if at any time a cloud
came over me, I could not rest, I could not study, I could not attend to
anything with the least satisfaction or benefit, until the medium was again
cleared between my soul and God.
I had been very fond of my profession. But as I have said, when I
was converted all was dark in that direction, and I had, no more, any pleasure
in attending to law business. I had many very pressing invitations to conduct
lawsuits, but I uniformly refused. I did not dare to trust myself in the
excitement of a contested lawsuit; and furthermore, the business itself of
conducting other peoples controversies, appeared odious and offensive to me.
The Lord taught me, in those early days of my Christian
experience, many very important truths in regard to the spirit of prayer. Not
long after I was converted, a woman with whom I had boarded, though I did not
board with her at this time, was taken very sick. She was not a Christian, but
her husband was a professor of religion. He came into our office one evening,
being a brother of Squire W, and said to me, "My wife cannot live through the
night." This seemed to plant an arrow, as it were, in my heart. It came upon me
in the sense of a burden that crushed me, the nature of which I could not at all
understand; but with it came an intense desire to pray for that woman. The
burden was so great that I left the office almost immediately, and went up to
the meeting house, to pray for her. There I struggled, but could not say much. I
could only groan with groanings loud and deep.
I stayed a considerable time in the church, in this state of
mind, but got no relief. I returned to the office; but could not sit still. I
could only walk the room and agonize. I returned to the meeting house again, and
went through the same process of struggling. For a long time I tried to get my
prayer before the Lord; but somehow words could not express it. I could only
groan and weep, without being able to express what I wanted in words. I returned
to the office again, and still found I was unable to rest; and I returned a
third time to the meeting house. At this time the Lord gave me power to prevail.
I was enabled to roll the burden upon Him; and I obtained the assurance in my
own mind that the woman would not die, and indeed that she would never die in
her sins.
I returned to the office. My mind was perfectly quiet; and I soon
left and retired to rest. Early the next morning the husband of this woman came
into the office. I inquired how his wife was. He, smiling said, "She's alive,
and to all appearance better this morning." I replied, "Brother W, she will not
die with this sickness; you may rely upon it. And she will never die in her
sins." I do not know how I was made sure of this; but it was in some way made
plain to me, so that I had no doubt that she would recover. She did recover, and
soon after obtained a hope in Christ.
At first I did not understand what this exercise of mind that I
had passed through, was. But shortly after in relating it to a Christian brother
he said to me, "Why, that was the travail of your soul." A few minutes
conversation, and pointing me to certain scriptures, gave me to understand what
it was.
Another experience which I had soon after this, illustrates the
same truth. I have spoken of one young woman as belonging to the class of young
people of my acquaintance, who remained unconverted. This attracted a good deal
of attention; and there was considerable conversation among Christians about her
case. She was naturally a charming girl, and very much enlightened on the
subject of religion, but she remained in her sins.
One of the elders of the church and myself agreed to make her a
daily subject of prayer, to continue to present her case at the throne of grace,
morning, noon, and evening, until she was either converted, or should die, or we
should be unable to keep our covenant. I found my mind greatly exercised about
her; and more and more, as I continued to pray for her. I soon found, however,
that the elder who had entered into this arrangement with me, was losing his
spirit of prayer for her. But this did not discourage me. I continued to hold on
with increasing importunity. I also availed myself of every opportunity to
converse plainly and searchingly with her on the subject of her salvation.
After I had continued in this way for sometime, one evening I
called to see her just as the sun was setting. As I came up to the door I heard
a shriek from a female voice, and a scuffling and confusion inside the door; and
stood and waited for the confusion to be over. The lady of the house soon came
and opened the door, and held in her hand a portion of a book, which had
evidently been torn in two. She was pale and very much agitated. She held out
that portion of the book which she had in her hand, and said, "Mr. Finney, don't
you think my sister has become a Universalist?" The book was a defense of
Universalism. Her sister had detected her reading it in a private way, and tried
to get it away from her; and it was the struggle to obtain that book which I had
heard.
I received this information at the door; whereupon I declined to
go in. It struck me very much in the same way as had the announcement that the
sick woman, already mentioned, was about to die. It loaded me down with great
agony. As I returned to my room, at some distance from that house, I felt almost
as if I should stagger under the burden that was on my mind; and I struggled,
and groaned, and agonized, but could not frame to present the case before God in
words, but only in groans and tears.
It seemed to me that the discovery that that young woman, instead
of being converted, was becoming a Universalist, so astounded me that I could
not break through with my faith, and get hold of God in reference to her case.
There seemed to be a darkness hanging over the question, as if a cloud had risen
up between me and God, in regard to prevailing for her salvation. But still the
Spirit struggled within me with groanings that could not be uttered.
However, I was obliged to retire that night without having
prevailed. But as soon as it was light I awoke; and the first thought that I had
was to beseech the God of grace again for that young woman. I immediately arose
and fell upon my knees. No sooner was I upon my knees than the darkness gave
way, and the whole subject opened to my mind; and as soon as I plead for her God
said to me, "Yes! yes!" If He had spoken with an audible voice, it would not
have been more distinctly understood than was this word spoken within my soul.
It instantly relieved all my solicitude. My mind became filled with the greatest
peace and joy; and I felt a complete certainty that her salvation was secure.
I drew a false inference, however, in regard to the time; which
indeed was not a thing particularly impressed upon my mind at the time of my
prayer. Still I expected her to be converted immediately; but she was not. She
remained in her sins for several months. In its proper place I shall have
occasion to speak of her conversion. I felt disappointed, at the time, that she
was not converted at once; and was somewhat staggered upon the question whether
I had really prevailed with God in her behalf.
Soon after I was converted, the man with whom I had been boarding
for some time, who was a magistrate, and one of the principal men in the place,
was deeply convicted of sin. He had been elected a member of the legislature of
the state. I was praying daily for him, and urging him to give his heart to God.
His conviction became very deep; but still, from day to day, he deferred
submission, and did not obtain a hope. My solicitude for him increased.
One afternoon several of his political friends had a protracted
interview with him. On the evening of the same day I attempted again to carry
his case to God; as the urgency in my mind for his conversion had become very
great. In my prayer I had drawn very near to God. I do not remember ever to have
been in more intimate communion with the Lord Jesus Christ than I was at that
time. Indeed His presence was so real that I was bathed in tears of joy, and
gratitude, and love; and in this state of mind I attempted to pray for this
friend. But the moment I did so, my mouth was shut. I found it impossible to
pray a word for him. The Lord seemed to say to me, "No; I will not hear." An
anguish seized upon me; I thought at first it was a temptation. But the door was
shut in my face. It seemed as if the Lord said to me, "Speak no more to me of
that matter." It pained me beyond expression. I did not know what to make of it.
The next morning I saw him; and as soon as I brought up the
question of submission to God, he said to me, "Mr. Finney, I shall have nothing
more to do with it until I return from the legislature. I stand committed to my
political friends to carry out certain measures in the legislature, that are
incompatible with my first becoming a Christian; and I have promised that I will
not attend to the subject until after I have returned from Albany."
From the moment of that exercise the evening before, I had no
spirit of prayer for him at all. As soon as he told me what he had done, I
understood it. I could see that his convictions were all gone, and that the
Spirit of God had left him. From that time he grew more careless and hardened
than ever.
When the time arrived
he went to the legislature; and in the Spring he returned an almost insane
Universalist. I say almost insane, because, instead of having formed his
opinions from any evidence or course of argument, he told me this: He said, "I
have come to that conclusion, not because I have found it taught in the Bible,
but because such a doctrine is so opposed to the carnal mind. It is a doctrine
so generally rejected and spoken against, as to prove that it is distasteful to
the carnal, or unconverted mind." This was astonishing to me. But everything
else that I could get out of him was as wild and absurd as this. He remained in
his sins, finally fell into decay, and died at last, as I have been told, a
dilapidated man, and in the full faith of his Universalism.
CHAPTER IV
HIS DOCTRINAL
EDUCATION AND OTHER EXPERIENCES AT ADAMS
SOON after I was
converted I called on my pastor, and had a long conversation with him on the
atonement. He was a Princeton student, and of course held the limited view of
the atonement--that it was made for the elect and available to none else. Our
conversation lasted nearly half a day. He held that Jesus suffered for the elect
the literal penalty of the divine law; that He suffered just what was due to
each of the elect on the score of retributive justice. I objected that this was
absurd; as in that case He suffered the equivalent of endless misery multiplied
by the whole number of the elect. He insisted that this was true. He affirmed
that Jesus literally paid the debt of the elect, and fully satisfied retributive
justice. On the contrary it seemed to me that Jesus only satisfied public
justice, and that that was all that the government of God could require.
I was however but a child in theology. I was but a novice in
religion and in Biblical learning; but I thought he did not sustain his views
from the Bible, and told him so. I had read nothing on the subject except my
Bible; and what I had there found upon the subject, I had interpreted as I would
have understood the same or like passage in a law book. I thought he had
evidently interpreted those texts in conformity with an established theory of
the atonement. I had never heard him preach the views he maintained in that
discussion. I was surprised in view of his positions, and withstood them as best
I could.
He was alarmed, I dare say, at what appeared to him to be my
obstinacy. I thought that my Bible clearly taught that the atonement was made
for all men. He limited it to a part. I could not accept this view, for I could
not see that he fairly proved it from the Bible. His rules of interpretation did
not meet my views. They were much less definite and intelligible than those to
which I had been accustomed in my law studies. To the objections which I urged,
he could make no satisfactory reply. I asked him if the Bible did not require
all who hear the Gospel to repent, believe the Gospel, and be saved. He admitted
that it did require all to believe, and be saved. But how could they believe and
accept a salvation which was not provided for them?
We went over the whole field of debate between the old and new
school divines, upon the subject of atonement, as my subsequent theological
studies taught me. I do not recollect to have ever read a page upon the subject
except what I had found in the Bible. I had never, to my recollection, heard a
sermon or any discussion whatever upon the question.
This discussion was often renewed, and continued through my whole
course of theological studies under him. He expressed concern lest I should not
accept the orthodox faith. I believe he had the strongest conviction that I was
truly converted; but he felt the greatest desire to keep me within the strict
lines of Princeton theology.
He had it fixed in his mind that I should be a minister; and he
took pains to inform me that if I did become a minister, the Lord would not
bless my labors, and His Spirit would not bear witness to my preaching, unless I
preached the truth. I believed this myself. But this was not to me a very strong
argument in favor of his views; for he informed me, but not in connection with
this conversation, that he did not know that he had ever been instrumental in
converting a sinner.
I had never heard him preach particularly on the subject of the
atonement; I think he feared to present his particular views to the people. His
church, I am sure, did not embrace his view of a limited atonement.
After this we had frequent conversations, not only on the
question of the atonement, but on various theological questions, of which I
shall have occasion to speak more fully hereafter.
I have said that in the spring of the year the older members of
the church began manifestly to decline in their engagedness and zeal for God.
This greatly oppressed me, as it did also the young converts generally. About
this time I read in a newspaper an article under the head of, "A Revival
Revived." The substance of it was, that in a certain place there had been a
revival during the winter; that in the spring it declined; and that upon earnest
prayer being offered for the continued outpouring of the Spirit, the revival was
powerfully revived. This article set me into a flood of weeping.
I was at that time boarding with Mr. Gale, and I took the article
to him. I was so overcome with a sense of the divine goodness in hearing and
answering prayer, and with a felt assurance that He would hear and answer prayer
for the revival of His work in Adams, that I went through the house weeping
aloud like a child. Mr. Gale seemed surprised at my feelings, and my expressed
confidence that God would revive His work. The article made no such impression
on him as it did on me.
At the next meeting of the young people, I proposed that we
should observe a closet concert of prayer for the revival of God's work; that we
should pray at sunrise, at noon, and
at sunset, in our closets, and continue this for one week; when we should come
together again and see what farther was to be done. No other means were used for
the revival of God's work. But the spirit of prayer was immediately poured out
wonderfully upon the young converts. Before the week was out I learned that some
of them, when they would attempt to observe this season of prayer, would lose
all their strength and be unable to rise to their feet, or even stand upon their
knees in their closets; and that some would lie prostrate on the floor, and pray
with unutterable groanings for the outpouring of the Spirit of God.
The Spirit was poured out, and before the week ended all the
meetings were thronged; and there was as much interest in religion, I think, as
there had been at any time during the revival.
And here, I am sorry to say, a mistake was made, or, perhaps I
should say, a sin committed, by some of the older members of the church, which
resulted in great evil. As I afterward learned, a considerable number of the
older people resisted this new movement among the young converts. They were
jealous of it. They did not know what to make of it, and felt that the young
converts were getting out of their place, in being so forward and so urgent upon
the older members of the church. This state of mind finally grieved the Spirit
of God. It was not long before alienations began to arise among these older
members of the church, which finally resulted in great evil to those who had
allowed themselves to resist this latter revival.
The young people held out well. The converts, so far as I know,
were almost universally sound, and have been thoroughly efficient Christians.
In the Spring of this year, 1822, I put myself under the care of
the Presbytery as a candidate for the Gospel ministry. Some of the ministers
urged me to go to Princeton to study theology, but I declined. When they asked me why I would not
go to Princeton, I
told them that my pecuniary circumstances forbade it. This was true; but they
said they would see that my expenses were paid. Still I refused to go; and when
urged to give them my reasons, I plainly told them that I would not put myself
under such an influence as they had been under; that I was confident they had
been wrongly educated, and they were not ministers that met my ideal of what a
minister of Christ should be. I told them this reluctantly, but I could not
honestly withhold it. They appointed my pastor to superintend my studies. He
offered me the use of his library, and said he would give what attention I
needed to my theological studies.
But my studies, so far as he was concerned as my teacher, were
little else than controversy. He held to the old school doctrine of original
sin, or that the human constitution was morally depraved. He held also, that men
were utterly unable to comply with the terms of the Gospel, to repent, to
believe, or to do anything that God required them to do; that while they were
free to all evil, in the sense of being able to commit any amount of sin, yet
they were not free to perform any good; that God had condemned men for their
sinful nature; and for this, as well as for their transgressions, they deserved
eternal death.
He held also that the influences of the Spirit of God on the
minds of men were physical, acting directly upon the substance of the soul; that
men were passive in regeneration; and in short he held all those doctrines that
logically flow from the fact of a nature sinful in itself.
These doctrines I could not receive. I could not receive his
views on the subject of atonement, regeneration, faith, repentance, the slavery
of the will, or any of the kindred doctrines. But of these views he was quite
tenacious; and he seemed sometimes not a little impatient because I did not
receive them without question.
He used to insist that if I would reason on the subject, I should
probably land in infidelity. And then he would remind me that some of the
students who had been at Princeton had gone away infidels, because they would
reason on the subject, and would not accept the Confession of Faith, and the
teaching of the doctors at that school. He furthermore warned me repeatedly, and
very feelingly, that as a minister I should never be useful unless I embraced
the truth, meaning the truth as he believed and taught it.
I am sure I was quite willing to believe what I found taught in
the Bible, and told him so. We used to have many protracted discussions; and I
would often come from his study greatly depressed and discouraged, saying to
myself, "I cannot embrace these views come what will. I cannot believe they are
taught in the Bible." And several times I was on the point of giving up the
study for the ministry altogether.
There was but one member of the church to whom I opened my mind
freely on this subject; and that was Elder H, a very godly, praying man. He had
been educated in Princeton views, and held pretty strongly the higher doctrines
of Calvinism. Nevertheless, as we had frequent and protracted conversations, he
became satisfied that I was right; and he would call on me frequently to have
seasons of prayer with me, to strengthen me in my studies, and in my discussions
with Mr. Gale, and to decide me more and more firmly that, come what would, I
would preach the Gospel.
Several times he fell in with me when I was in a state of great
depression, after coming from Mr. Gale's study. At such times he would go with
me to my room; and sometimes we would continue till a late hour at night crying
to God for light and strength, and for faith to accept and do His perfect will.
He lived more than three miles from the village; and frequently he has stayed
with me till ten or eleven o'clock at night, and then walked home. The dear old
man! I have reason to believe that he prayed for me daily as long as he lived.
After I got into the ministry and great opposition was raised to
my preaching, I met Elder H at one time, and he alluded to the opposition, and
said, "Oh! my soul is so burdened that I pray for you day and night. But I am
sure that God will help. Go on," he said, "go on, Brother Finney; the Lord will
give you deliverance."
One afternoon Mr. Gale and I had been conversing for a long time
on the subject of the atonement, and the hour arrived for us to attend the
conference meeting. We continued our conversation on that subject until we got
into the house. As we were early, and very few persons had arrived, we continued
our conversation. The people kept coming in; and they would sit down and listen
with the greatest attention to what we were saying. Our discussion was very
earnest, though I trust conducted in a Christian spirit. The people became more
and more interested in hearing our discussion, and when we proposed to stop and
commence our meeting, they earnestly begged us to proceed with our discussion
and let that be our meeting. We did so; and spent the whole evening, I think
very much to the satisfaction of those present, and I trust to their permanent
edification.
After I had been studying theology for a few months, and Mr.
Gale's health was such that he was unable to preach; a Universalist minister
came in and began to promulgate his objectionable doctrines. The impenitent part
of the community seemed very much disposed to hear him, and finally people
became so interested that there was a large number that seemed to be shaken in
their minds, in regard to the commonly received views of the Bible.
In this state of things, Mr. Gale, together with some of the
elders of his church, desired me to address the people on the subject, and see
if I could not reply to the arguments of the Universalist. The great effort of
the Universalist was of course to show that sin did not deserve endless
punishment. He inveighed against the doctrine of endless punishment as unjust,
infinitely cruel and absurd. God was love; and how could a God of love punish
men endlessly?
I arose in one of our evening meetings and said, "This
Universalist preacher holds forth doctrines that are new to me, and I do not
believe they are taught in the Bible. But I am going to examine the subject, and
if I cannot show that his views are false, I will become a Universalist myself."
I then appointed a meeting the next week, at which time I proposed to deliver a
lecture in opposition to his views. The Christian people were rather startled at
my boldness in saying that I would be a Universalist, if I could not prove that
his doctrines were false. However, I felt sure that I could.
When the evening came for my lecture, the house was crowded. I
took up the question of the justice of endless punishment, and discussed it
through that and the next evening. There was general satisfaction with the
presentation.
The Universalist himself found that the people were convinced
that he was wrong, and then he took another tack. Mr. Gale, together with his
school of theology, maintained that the atonement of Christ was the literal
payment of the debt of the elect, a suffering of just what they deserved to
suffer; so that the elect were saved upon principles of exact justice; Christ,
so far as they were concerned, having fully answered the demands of the law. The
Universalist seized upon this view, assuming that this was the real nature of
the atonement. He had only to prove that the atonement was made for all men, and
then he could show that all men would be saved; because the debt of all mankind
had been literally paid by the Lord Jesus Christ, and Universalism would follow
on the very ground of justice; for God could not justly punish those whose debt
was paid.
I saw, and the people saw, those of them who understood Mr.
Gale's position, that the Universalist had got him into a tight place. For it
was easy to prove that the atonement was made for all mankind; and if the nature
and value of the atonement were as Mr. Gale held, universal salvation was an
inevitable result.
This again carried the people away; and Mr. Gale sent for me and
requested that I should go on and reply to him further. He said he understood
that the question on the ground of law was settled; but now I must answer his
argument upon the ground of the Gospel. I said to him, "Mr. Gale, I cannot do it
without contradicting your views on that subject, and setting them all aside.
With your views of the atonement he cannot be answered. For if you have the
right view of the atonement, the people can easily see that the Bible proves
that Christ died for all men, for the whole world of sinners; and therefore
unless you will allow me to sweep your views of the atonement all away, I can
say nothing to any purpose." "Well," said Mr. Gale, "it will never do to let the
thing remain as it is. You may say what you please; only go on and answer him in
your own way. If I find it necessary to preach on the subject of the atonement,
I shall be obliged to contradict you." "Very well," said I, "let me but show my
views, and I can answer the Universalist; and you may say to the people
afterward what you please."
I then appointed to lecture on the Universalist's argument
founded on the Gospel. I delivered two lectures upon the atonement. In these I
think I fully succeeded in showing that the atonement did not consist in the
literal payment of the debt of sinners, in the sense which the Universalist
maintained; that it simply rendered the salvation of all men possible, and did
not of itself lay God under obligation to save anybody; that it was not true
that Christ suffered just what those for whom He died deserved to suffer; that
no such thing as that was taught in the Bible, and no such thing was true; that,
on the contrary, Christ died simply to remove an insurmountable obstacle out of
the way of God's forgiving sinners, so as to render it possible for Him to
proclaim a universal amnesty, inviting all men to repent, to believe in Christ,
and to accept salvation; that instead of having satisfied retributive justice,
and borne just what sinners deserve, Christ had only satisfied public justice,
by honoring the law, both in His obedience and death, thus rendering it safe for
God to pardon sin, to pardon the sins of any man and of all men who would repent
and believe in Him. I maintained that Christ, in His atonement, merely did that
which was necessary as a condition of the forgiveness of sin; and not that which
canceled sin, in the sense of literally paying the indebtedness of sinners.
This answered the Universalist, and put a stop to any further
proceedings or excitement on that subject. But what was very striking, these
lectures secured the conversion of the young woman for whom, as I have said,
such earnest and agonizing prayer had been offered. This was very astonishing to
Mr. Gale; for the evidence was that the Spirit of God had blessed my views of
the atonement. This, I think, staggered him considerably in regard to the
correctness of his view. I could see, in conversing with him, that he felt very
much surprised that this view of the atonement should be instrumental in
converting that young woman.
After many such discussions with Mr. Gale in pursuing my
theological studies, the presbytery was finally called together at Adams to examine me; and, if they could agree to do so, to
license me to preach the Gospel. This was in March 1824. I expected a severe
struggle with them in my examination; but I found them a good deal softened. The
manifest blessing that had attended my conversations, and my teaching in prayer
and conference meetings, and in these lectures of which I have spoken, rendered
them, I think, more cautious than they would otherwise have been in getting into
any controversy with me. In the course of my examination they avoided asking any
such questions as would naturally bring my views into collision with theirs.
When they had examined me, they voted unanimously to license me
to preach. Unexpectedly to myself they asked me if I received the Confession of
Faith of the Presbyterian Church. I had not examined it--that is, the large work
containing the catechism and confession. This had made no part of my study. I
replied that I received it for substance of doctrine, so far as I understood it.
But I spoke in a way that plainly implied, I think, that I did not pretend to
know much about it. However, I answered honestly, as I understood it at the
time. They heard the trial sermons which I had written, on texts which had been
given me by the presbytery; and went through with all the ordinary details of
such an examination.
At this meeting of presbytery I first saw Rev. Daniel Nash, who
is generally known as "Father Nash." He was a member of the presbytery. A large
congregation was assembled to hear my examination. I got in a little late, and
saw a man standing in the pulpit speaking to the people, as I supposed. He
looked at me, I observed, as I came in; and was looking at others as they passed
up the aisles.
As soon as I reached my seat and listened, I observed that he was
praying. I was surprised to see him looking all over the house, as if he were
talking to the people; while in fact he was praying to God. Of course it did not
sound to me much like prayer; and he was at that time indeed in a very cold and
backslidden state. I shall have occasion frequently to mention him hereafter.
The next Sabbath after I was licensed, I preached for Mr. Gale.
When I came out of the pulpit he said to me, "Mr. Finney, I shall be very much
ashamed to have it known, wherever you go, that you studied theology with me."
This was so much like him, and like what he had repeatedly said to me, that I
made little or no reply to it. I held down my head, and felt discouraged, and
went my way.
He afterwards viewed this subject very differently; and told me
that he blessed the Lord that in all our discussion, and in all he had said to
me, he had not had the least influence to change my views. He very frankly
confessed his error in the manner in which he had dealt with me; and said that
if I had listened to him I should have been ruined as a minister.
The fact is that Mr. Gale's education for the ministry had been
entirely defective. He had imbibed a set of opinions, both theological and
practical, that were a straitjacket to him. He could accomplish very little or
nothing if he carried out his own principles. I had the use of his library, and
searched it thoroughly on all the questions of theology, which came up for
examination; and the more I examined the books, the more was I dissatisfied.
I had been used to the close and logical reasonings of the
judges, as I found them reported in our law works; but when I went to Mr. Gale's
old school library, I found almost nothing proved to my satisfaction. I am sure
it was not because I was opposed to the truth, but I was dissatisfied because
the positions of these theological authors were unsound and not satisfactorily
sustained. They often seemed to me to state one thing and prove another, and
frequently fell short of logically proving anything.
I finally said to Mr. Gale, "If there is nothing better than I
find in your library to sustain the great doctrines taught by our church, I must
be an infidel." And I have always believed that had not the Lord led me to see
the fallacy of those arguments, and to see the real truth as presented in the
Scriptures; especially had He not so revealed Himself to me personally that I
could not doubt the truth of the Christian religion, I should have been forced
to be an infidel.
At first, being no theologian, my attitude in respect to his
peculiar views was rather that of negation or denial, than that of opposing any
positive view to his. I said, "Your positions are not proved." I often said,
"They are unsusceptible of proof." So I thought then, and so I think now. But
after all, he would insist upon it that I ought to defer to the opinions of the
great and good men who, after much consultation and deliberation, had come to
those conclusions; that it was unbecoming in me, a young man, bred to the
profession of law, and having no theological education, to oppose my views to
those of the great men and profound theologians, whose opinions I found in his
library. He urged that if I persisted in having my intelligence satisfied, on
those points, with argument, I should become an infidel. He believed that the
decisions of the church ought to be respected by a young man like myself, and
that I should surrender my own judgment to that of others of superior wisdom.
Now I could not deny that there was a good deal of force in this;
but still I found myself utterly unable to accept doctrine on the ground of
authority. If I tried to accept those doctrines as mere dogmas, I could not do
it. I could not be honest in doing it; I could not respect myself in doing it.
Often when I left Mr. Gale, I would go to my room and spend a long time on my
knees over my Bible. Indeed I read my Bible on my knees a great deal during
those days of conflict, beseeching the Lord to teach me His own mind on those
points. I had nowhere to go but directly to the Bible, and to the philosophy or
workings of my own mind, as revealed in consciousness.
My views took on a positive type but slowly. At first I found
myself unable to receive his peculiar views; and then gradually formed views of
my own in opposition to them, which appeared to me to be unequivocally taught in
the Bible.
But not only were Mr. Gale's theological views such as to cripple
his usefulness; his practical views were equally erroneous. Hence he prophesied,
with respect to my views, every kind of evil. He assured me, that the Spirit of
God would not approve and cooperate with my labors; that if I addressed men as I
told him I intended to, they would not hear me; that if they came for a short
time, they would soon become offended, and my congregation would all fall off;
that unless I wrote my sermons I should immediately become stale and
uninteresting, and could not satisfy the people; and that I should divide and
scatter instead of building up the congregation, wherever I preached. Indeed I
found his views to be almost the reverse of those which I entertained, on all
such practical questions relating to my duty as a minister.
I do not wonder, and did not at the time, that he was shocked at
my views and purposes in relation to preaching the Gospel. With his education it
could not be otherwise. He followed out his views with very little practical
result. I pursued mine, and by the blessing of God the results were the opposite
of those which he predicted. When this fact came out clearly, it completely
upset his theological and practical ideas as a minister. This result, as I shall
mention in its place, at first annihilated his hope as a Christian, and finally
made him quite another man as a minister.
But there was another defect in Brother Gale's education, which I
regarded as fundamental. If he had ever been converted to Christ, he had failed
to receive that divine anointing of the Holy Ghost that would make him a power
in the pulpit and in society, for the conversion of souls. He had fallen short
of receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost, which is indispensable to
ministerial success.
When Christ commissioned His apostles to go and preach, He told
them to abide at Jerusalem till they were endued with power from on high. This
power, as everyone knows, was the baptism of the Holy Ghost poured out upon them
on the day of Pentecost. This was an indispensable qualification for success in
their ministry. I did not suppose then, nor do I now, that this baptism was
simply the power to work miracles. The power to work miracles and the gift of
tongues were given as signs to attest the reality of their divine commission.
But the baptism itself was a divine purifying, an anointing, bestowing on them a
divine illumination, filling them with faith, and love, with peace and power; so
that their words were made sharp in the hearts of God's enemies, quick and
powerful, like a two-edged sword. This is an indispensable qualification of a
successful ministry; and I have often been surprised and pained that to this day
so little stress is laid upon this qualification for preaching Christ to a
sinful world. Without the direct teaching of the Holy Spirit, a man will never
make much progress in preaching the Gospel. The fact is, unless he can preach
the Gospel as an experience, present religion to mankind as a matter of
consciousness, his speculations and theories will come far short of preaching
the Gospel.
I have said that Mr. Gale afterward concluded that he had not
been converted. That he was a sincere, good man, in the sense of honestly
holding his opinions, I do not doubt. But he was sadly defective in his
education, theologically, philosophically and practically; and so far as I could
learn his spiritual state, he had not the peace of the Gospel, when I sat under
his ministry.
Let not the reader, from anything that I have said, suppose that
I did not love Mr. Gale, and highly respect him. I did both. He and I remained
the firmest friends, so far as I know, to the day of his death. I have said what
I have in relation to his views, because I think it applicable, I am afraid I
must say, to many of the ministers even of the present day. I think that their
practical views of preaching the Gospel, whatever their theological views may
be, are very defective indeed; and that their want of unction, and of the power
of the Holy Ghost, is a radical defect in their preparation for the ministry. I
say not this censoriously; but still I would record it as a fact which has long
been settled in my mind, and over which I have long had occasion to mourn. And
as I have become more and more acquainted with the ministry in this and other
countries, I am persuaded that, with all their training, and discipline, and
education, there is a lack in practical views of the best way of presenting the
Gospel to men, and in adapting means to secure the end; and especially in their
want of the power of the Holy Ghost.
I have spoken at considerable length of my protracted controversy
with my theological teacher, Mr. Gale. Upon reflection I think that I should
state a little more definitely some of the points upon which we had so much
discussion. I could not receive that theological fiction of imputation. I will
state, as nearly as I can, the exact ground that he maintained and insisted
upon. First, he maintained that the guilt of Adam's first transgression is
literally imputed to all his posterity; so that they are justly sentenced and
exposed to eternal damnation for Adam's sin. Secondly, he maintained that we
received from Adam, by natural generation, a nature wholly sinful, and morally
corrupt in every faculty of soul and body; so that we are totally unable to
perform any act acceptable to God, and are necessitated by our sinful nature to
transgress His law, in every action of our lives. And this, he insisted, is the
estate into which all men fell by the first sin of Adam. For this sinful nature,
thus received from Adam by natural generation, all mankind are also sentenced
to, and are deserving of, eternal damnation. Then, thirdly, in addition to this,
he maintained that we are all justly condemned and sentenced to eternal
damnation for our own unavoidable transgression of the law. Thus we find
ourselves justly subject to a triple eternal damnation.
Then the second branch of this wonderful imputation is as
follows: The sin of all the elect, both original and actual--that is, the guilt
of Adam's sin, together with the guilt of their sinful nature, and also the
guilt of their personal transgressions, are all literally imputed to Christ; and
therefore the divine government regarded Him as an embodiment of all the sins
and guilt of the elect, and treated Him accordingly; that is, the Father
punished the Son precisely as much as all the elect deserved. Hence their debt
being thus fully discharged by the punishment of Christ, they are saved upon
principles of exact justice.
The third branch of this wonderful theological fiction is as
follows: First, the obedience of Christ to the divine law is literally imputed
to the elect; so that in Him they are regarded as having always perfectly obeyed
the law. Secondly, His death for them is also imputed to the elect; so that in
Him they are regarded as having fully suffered all that they deserve on account
of the guilt of Adam's sin imputed to them, and on account of their sinful
nature, and also on account of all their personal transgressions. Thirdly, thus
by their Surety the elect have first perfectly obeyed the law; and then they
have by and in their Surety suffered the full penalty to which they were subject
in consequence of the guilt of Adam's sin imputed to them, and also the guilt of
their sinful nature, with all their blameworthiness for their personal
transgressions. Thus they have suffered in Christ, just as if they had not
obeyed in Him. He, first, perfectly obeys for them, which obedience is strictly
imputed to them, so that they are regarded by the government of God as having
fully obeyed in their Surety; secondly, He has suffered for them the penalty of
the law, just as if no obedience had been rendered; thirdly, after the law has
been doubly satisfied, the elect are required to repent as if no satisfaction
had been rendered; fourthly, payment in full having been rendered twice over,
the discharge of the elect is claimed to be an act of infinite grace. Thus the
elect are saved by grace on principles of justice, so that there is strictly no
grace or mercy in our forgiveness, but the whole grace of our salvation is found
in the obedience and sufferings of Christ.
It follows that the elect may demand their discharge on the score
of strict justice. They need not pray for pardon or forgiveness; it is all a
mistake to do so. This inference is my own; but it follows, as everyone can see,
irresistibly, from what the Confession of Faith itself asserts, that the elect
are saved on principles of exact and perfect justice.
I found it impossible to agree with Mr. Gale on these points. I
could not but regard and treat this whole question of imputation as a
theological fiction. Upon these points we had constant discussion, in some
shape, during the whole course of my study.
I do not recollect that Mr. Gale ever insisted that the
Confession of Faith taught these principles, as I learned that it did when I
came to study it. I was not aware that the rules of the presbytery required them
to ask a candidate if he accepted the Presbyterian Confession of Faith. As soon
as I learned what were the unambiguous teachings of the Confession of Faith upon
these points, I did not hesitate on all suitable occasions to declare my dissent
from them. I repudiated and exposed them. Wherever I found that any class of
persons were hidden behind these dogmas, I did not hesitate to demolish them, to
the best of my ability.
I have not caricatured these positions of Mr. Gale, but have
stated them, as nearly as I can, in the very language in which he would defend
them, when I presented them to him in controversy. He did not pretend that they
were rational, or that they would bear reasoning upon. Hence he insisted that my
reasoning would lead me into infidelity. But I insisted that our reason was
given us for the very purpose of enabling us to justify the ways of God; and
that no such fiction of imputation could by any possibility be true.
Of course there were many other points that were so related to
these as necessarily to come under discussion, upon which we had a good deal of
controversy, but our controversy always turned upon this as the foundation. If
man had a sinful nature, then regeneration must consist in a change of nature.
If man's nature was sinful, the influence of the Holy Spirit that must
regenerate him, must be physical and not moral. If man had a sinful nature,
there was no adaptation in the Gospel to change his nature, and consequently no
connection, in religion, between means and end.
This Brother Gale sternly held; and consequently in his preaching
he never seemed to expect, nor even to aim, at converting anybody, by any sermon
that I ever heard him preach. And yet he was an able preacher as preaching was
then estimated. The fact is, these dogmas were a perfect straitjacket to him. If
he preached repentance, he must be sure before he sat down, to leave the
impression on his people that they could not repent. If he called them to
believe he must be sure to inform them that, until their nature was changed by
the Holy Spirit, faith was impossible to them. And so his orthodoxy was a
perfect snare to himself and to his hearers. I could not receive it. I did not
so understand my Bible; nor could he make me see that it was taught in the
Bible.
When I came to read the Confession of Faith, and saw the passages
that were quoted to sustain these peculiar positions, I was absolutely ashamed
of it. I could not feel any respect for a document that would undertake to
impose on mankind such dogmas as those, sustained, for the most part, by
passages of Scripture that were totally irrelevant; and not in a single instance
sustained by passages which, in a court of law, would have been considered at
all conclusive. But the presbytery, so far as I know, were all of one way of
thinking at that time. They subsequently, however, I believe, all gave in; and
when Mr. Gale changed his views, I heard no more from any of the members of the
presbytery in defense of those views.
CHAPTER V
PREACHING AS A
MISSIONARY
HAVING had no regular
training for the ministry I did not expect or desire to labor in large towns or
cities, or minister to cultivated congregations. I intended to go into the new
settlements and preach in schoolhouses, and barns, and groves, as best I could.
Accordingly, soon after being licensed to preach, for the sake of being
introduced to the region where I proposed to labor, I took a commission, for six
months, from a female missionary society located in Oneida county. I went into
the northern part of Jefferson county, and began my labors at Evans' Mills, in
the town of Le Ray.
At this place I found two churches, a small Congregational church
without a minister, and a Baptist church with a minister. I presented my
credentials to the deacons of the church. They were very glad to see me, and I
soon began my labors. They had no meeting house; but the two churches worshipped
alternately in a large stone schoolhouse, large enough, I believe, to
accommodate all the children in the village. The Baptists occupied the house one
Sabbath, and the Congregationalists the next; so that I could have the house but
every other Sabbath, but could use it evenings as often as I pleased. I
therefore divided my Sabbaths between Evans' Mills and Antwerp, a village some
sixteen or eighteen miles still farther north.
I will relate first some facts that occurred at Evans' Mills,
during that season; and then give a brief narrative of the occurrences at
Antwerp. But as I preached alternately in these two places, these facts were
occurring from week to week in one or the other of these localities. I began, as
I said, to preach in the stone schoolhouse at Evans' Mills. The people were very
much interested, and thronged the place to hear me preach. They extolled my
preaching; and the little Congregational church became very much interested, and
hopeful that they should be built up, and that there would be a revival. More or
less convictions occurred under every sermon that I preached; but still no
general conviction appeared upon the public mind.
I was very much dissatisfied with this state of things; and at
one of my evening services, after having preached there two or three Sabbaths,
and several evenings in the week, I told the people at the close of my sermon,
that I had come there to secure the salvation of their souls; that my preaching,
I knew, was highly complimented by them; but that, after all, I did not come
there to please them but to bring them to repentance; that it mattered not to me
how well they were pleased with my preaching, if after all they rejected my
Master; that something was wrong, either in me or in them; that the kind of
interest they manifested in my preaching was doing them no good; and that I
could not spend my time with them unless they were going to receive the Gospel.
I then, quoting the words of Abraham's servant, said to them, "Now will you deal
kindly and truly with my master? If you will, tell me; and if not, tell me, that
I may turn to the right hand or to the left." I turned this question over, and
pressed it upon them, and insisted upon it that I must know what course they
proposed to pursue. If they did not purpose to become Christians, and enlist in
the service of the Savior, I wanted to know it that I might not labor with them
in vain. I said to them, "You admit that what I preach is the Gospel. You
profess to believe it. Now will you receive it? Do you mean to receive it, or do
you intend to reject it? You must have some mind about it. And now I have a
right to take it for granted, in as much as you admit that I have preached the
truth, that you acknowledge your obligation at once to become Christians. This
obligation you do not deny; but will you meet the obligation? Will you discharge
it? Will you do what you admit you ought to do? If you will not, tell me; and if
you will, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left."
After turning this over till I saw they understood it well, and
looked greatly surprised at my manner of putting it, I then said to them, "Now I
must know your minds, and I want that you who have made up your minds to become
Christians, and will give your pledge to make your peace with God immediately,
should rise up; but that, on the contrary, those of you who are resolved that
you will not become Christians, and wish me so to understand, and wish Christ so
to understand, should sit still." After making this plain, so that I knew that
they understood it, I then said: "You who are now willing to pledge to me and to
Christ, that you will immediately make your peace with God, please rise up. On
the contrary, you that mean that I should understand that you are committed to
remain in your present attitude, not to accept Christ--those of you that are of
this mind, may sit still." They looked at one another and at me, and all sat
still just as I expected.
After looking around upon them for a few moments, I said, "Then
you are committed. You have taken your stand. You have rejected Christ and His
Gospel; and ye are witnesses one against the other, and God is witness against
you all. This is explicit and you may remember as long as you live, that you
have thus publicly committed yourselves against the Savior, and said, 'We will
not have this man, Christ Jesus, to reign over us.'" This is the purport of what
I urged upon them, and as nearly in these words as I can recollect.
When I thus pressed them they began to look angry, and arose, en masse, and started for the door. When they began to move, I paused. As
soon as I stopped speaking they turned to see why I did not go on. I said, "I am
sorry for you; and will preach to you once more, the Lord willing, tomorrow
night."
They all left the house except Deacon McC who was a deacon of the
Baptist church in that place. I saw that the Congregationalists were confounded.
They were few in number and very weak in faith. I presume that every member of
both churches who was present, except Deacon McC, was taken aback, and concluded
that the matter was all over--that by my imprudence I had dashed and ruined all
hopeful appearances. Deacon McC came up and took me by the hand and smiling
said, "Brother Finney, you have got them. They cannot rest under this, rely upon
it. The brethren are all discouraged," said he; "but I am not. I believe you
have done the very thing that needed to be done, and that we shall see the
results." I thought so myself, of course. I intended to place them in a position
which, upon reflection, would make them tremble in view of what they had done.
But for that evening and the next day they were full of wrath. Deacon McC and
myself agreed upon the spot, to spend the next day in fasting and prayer
separately in the morning, and together in the afternoon. I learned in the
course of the day that the people were threatening me--to ride me on a rail, to
tar and feather me, and to give me a "walking paper," as they said. Some of them
cursed me; and said that I had put them under oath, and made them swear that
they would not serve God; that I had drawn them into a solemn and public pledge
to reject Christ and His Gospel. This was no more than I expected. In the
afternoon Deacon McC and I went into a grove together, and spent the whole
afternoon in prayer. Just at evening the Lord gave us great enlargement, and
promise of victory. Both of us felt assured that we had prevailed with God; and
that, that night, the power of God would be revealed among the people.
As the time came for meeting, we left the woods and went to the
village. The people were already thronging to the place of worship; and those
that had not already gone, seeing us go through the villages turned out of their
stores and places of business, or threw down their ball clubs where they were
playing upon the green, and packed the house to its utmost capacity.
I had not taken a thought with regard to what I should preach;
indeed, this was common with me at that time. The Holy Spirit was upon me, and I
felt confident that when the time came for action I should know what to preach.
As soon as I found the house packed, so that no more could get in, I arose, and
I think, without any formal introduction of singing, opened upon them with these
words: "Say ye to the righteous that it shall be well with him; for they shall
eat the fruit of their doings. Wo to the wicked! it shall be ill with him; for
the reward of his hands shall be given him." The Spirit of God came upon me with
such power, that it was like opening a battery upon them. For more than an hour,
and perhaps for an hour and a half, the Word of God came through me to them in a
manner that I could see was carrying all before it. It was a fire and a hammer
breaking the rock; and as the sword that was piercing to the dividing asunder of
soul and spirit. I saw that a general conviction was spreading over the whole
congregation. Many of them could not hold up their heads. I did not call that
night for any reversal of the action they had taken the night before, nor for
any committal of themselves in any way; but took it for granted, during the
whole of the sermon, that they were committed against the Lord. Then I appointed
another meeting, and dismissed the congregation.
As the people withdrew, I observed a woman in the arms of some of
her friends, who were supporting her, in one part of the house; and I went to
see what was the matter, supposing that she was in a fainting fit. But I soon
found that she was not fainting, but that she could not speak. There was a look
of the greatest anguish in her face, and she made me understand that she could
not speak. I advised the women to take her home, and pray with her, and see what
the Lord would do. They informed me that she was Miss G, sister of the
well-known missionary, and that she was a member of the church in good standing,
and had been for several years.
That evening, instead of going to my usual lodgings, I accepted
an invitation, and went home with a family where I had not before stopped over
night. Early in the morning I found that I had been sent for to the place where
I was supposed to be, several times during the night, to visit families where
there were persons under awful distress of mind. This led me to sally forth
among the people, and everywhere I found a state of wonderful conviction of sin
and alarm for their souls.
After lying in a speechless state about sixteen hours, Miss G's
mouth was opened, and a new song was given her. She was taken from the horrible
pit of miry clay, and her feet were set upon a rock; and it was true that many
saw it and feared. It occasioned a great searching among the members of the
church. She declared that she had been entirely deceived; that for eight years
she had been a member of the church, and thought she was a Christian, but,
during the sermon the night before, she saw that she had never known the true
God; and when His character arose before her mind as it was then presented, her
hope perished, as she expressed it, like a moth. She said, such a view of the
holiness of God was presented, that like a great wave it swept her away from her
standing, and annihilated her hope in a moment.
I found at this place a number of deists; some of them men of
high standing in the community. One of them was a keeper of a hotel in the
village; and others were respectable men, and of more than average intelligence.
But they seemed banded together to resist the revival. When I ascertained
exactly the ground they took, I preached a sermon to meet their wants; for on
the Sabbath they would attend my preaching. I took this for my text: "Suffer me
a little, and I will show you that I have yet to speak on God's behalf. I will
bring my knowledge from afar, and I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker." I
went over the whole ground, so far as I understood their position; and God
enabled me to sweep it clean. As soon as I had finished and dismissed the
meeting, the hotel keeper, who was the leader among them, came frankly up to me,
and taking me by the hand, said, "Mr. Finney, I am convinced. You have met and
answered all my difficulties. Now I want you to go home with me, for I want to
converse with you." I heard no more of their infidelity; and if I remember
right, that class of men were nearly, or quite, all converted.
There was one old man in this place, who was not only an infidel,
but a great railer at religion. He was very angry at the revival movement. I
heard every day of his railing and blaspheming, but took no public notice of it.
He refused altogether to attend meeting. But in the midst of his opposition, and
when his excitement was great, while sitting one morning at the table, he
suddenly fell out of his chair in a fit of apoplexy. A physician was immediately
called, who, after a brief examination, told him that he could live but a very
short time; and that if he had anything to say, he must say it at once. He had
just strength and time, as I was informed, to stammer out, "Don't let Finney
pray over my corpse." This was the last of his opposition in that place.
During that revival my attention was called to a sick woman in
the community, who had been a member of a Baptist church, and was well-known in
the place; but people had no confidence in her piety. She was fast failing with
the consumption; and they begged me to call and see her. I went, and had a long
conversation with her. She told me a dream which she had when she was a girl,
which made her think that her sins were forgiven. Upon that she had settled
down, and no argument could move her. I tried to persuade her, that there was no
evidence of her conversion, in that dream. I told her plainly that her
acquaintances affirmed that she had never lived a Christian life, and had never
evinced a Christian temper; and I had come to try to persuade her to give up her
false hope, and see if she would not now accept Jesus Christ that she might be
saved. I dealt with her as kindly as I could, but did not fail to make her
understand what I meant. But she took great offense; and after I went away
complained that I tried to get away her hope and distress her mind; that I was
cruel to try to distress a woman as sick as she was, in that way--to try to
disturb the repose of her mind. She died not long afterward. But her death has
often reminded me of Dr. Nelson's book called, "The Cause and Cure of
Infidelity." When this woman came to be actually dying, her eyes were opened;
and before she left the world she seemed to have such a glimpse of the character
of God, and of what heaven was, and of the holiness required to dwell there,
that she shrieked with agony, and exclaimed that she was going to hell. In this
state, as I was informed, she died.
While at this place, one afternoon, a Christian brother called on
me and wished me to visit his sister, who, as he informed me, was fast failing
with consumption, and was a Universalist. Her husband, he said, was a
Universalist, and had led her into Universalism. He said he had not asked me to
go and see her when her husband was at home, because he feared that he would
abuse me; as he was determined that his wife's mind should not be disturbed on
the question of universal salvation. I went, and found her not at all at rest in
her views of Universalism; and during my conversation with her, she gave up
these views entirely, and appeared to embrace the Gospel of Christ. I believe
she held fast to this hope in Christ till she died.
At evening her husband returned, and learned from herself what
had taken place. He was greatly enraged, and swore he would "kill Finney." As I
learned afterward, he armed himself with a loaded pistol, and that night went to
meeting where I was to preach. Of this, however, I knew nothing at the time. The
meeting that evening was in a schoolhouse out of the village. The house was very
much packed, almost to suffocation. I went on to preach with all my might; and
almost in the midst of my discourse I saw a powerful looking man, about in the
middle of the house, fall from his seat. As he sunk down he groaned, and then
cried or shrieked out, that he was sinking to hell. He repeated that several
times. The people knew who he was, but he was a stranger to me. I think I had
never seen him before.
Of course this created a great excitement. It broke up my
preaching; and so great was his anguish that we spent the rest of our time in
praying for him. When the meeting was dismissed his friends helped him home. The
next morning I inquired for him; and found that he had spent a sleepless night,
in great anguish of mind, and that at the early dawn he had gone forth, they
knew not whither. He was not heard from till about ten o'clock in the morning. I
was passing up the street, and saw him coming, apparently from a grove at some
distance from the village. He was on the opposite side of the street when I
first saw him, and coming toward me. When he recognized me, he came across the
street to meet me. When he came near enough, I saw that his countenance was all
in a glow. I said to him, "Good morning Mr. C." "Good morning," he replied.
"And," said I, "how do you feel in your mind this morning?" "Oh, I do not know,"
he replied; "I have had an awfully distressed night. But I could not pray there
in the house; and I thought if I could get alone, where I could pour out my
voice with my heart, I could pray. In the morning I went into the woods; but
when I got there," said he, "I found I could not pray. I thought I could give
myself to God; but I could not. I tried, and tried, till I was discouraged," he
continued. "Finally I saw that it was of no use; and I told the Lord that I
found myself condemned and lost; that I had no heart to pray to Him, and no
heart to repent; that I found I had hardened myself so much that I could not
give my heart to Him, and therefore I must leave the whole question to Him. I
was at His disposal, and could not object to His doing with me just as it seemed
good in His eyes, for I had no claim to His favor at all. I left the question of
my salvation or damnation wholly with the Lord." "Well, what followed?" I
inquired. "Why," said he, "I found I had lost all my conviction. I got up and
came away, and my mind was so still and quiet that I found the Spirit of God was
grieved away, and I had lost my conviction. But," said he, "when I saw you my
heart began to burn and grow hot within me; and instead of feeling as if I
wanted to avoid you, I felt so drawn that I came across the street to see you."
But I should have said that when he came near me, he leaped, and took me right
up in his arms, and turned around once or twice, and then set me down. This
preceded the conversation that I have just related. After a little further
conversation I left him. He soon came into a state of mind that led him to
indulge a hope. We heard no more of his opposition.
At this place I again saw Father Nash, the man who prayed with
his eyes open, at the meeting of presbytery, when I was licensed. After he was
at presbytery he was taken with inflamed eyes; and for several weeks was shut up
in a dark room. He could neither read nor write, and, as I learned, gave himself
up almost entirely to prayer. He had a terrible overhauling in his whole
Christian experience; and as soon as he was able to see, with a double black
veil before his face, he sallied forth to labor for souls.
When he came to Evans' Mills he was full of the power of prayer.
He was another man altogether from what he had been at any former period of his
Christian life. I found that he had a praying list, as he called it, of the
names of persons whom he made subjects of prayer every day, and sometimes many
times a day. And praying with him, and hearing him pray in meeting, I found that
his gift of prayer was wonderful, and his faith almost miraculous.
There was a man by the name of D, who kept a low tavern in a
corner of the village, whose house was the resort of all the opposers of the
revival. The barroom was a place of blasphemy; and he was himself a most
profane, ungodly; abusive man. He went railing about the streets respecting the
revival; and would take particular pains to swear and blaspheme whenever he saw
a Christian. One of the young converts lived almost across the way from him; and
he told me that he meant to sell and move out of that neighborhood, because
every time he was out of doors and D saw him, he would come out and swear, and
curse, and say everything he could to wound his feelings. He had not, I think,
been at any of our meetings. Of course he was ignorant of the great truths of
religion, and despised the whole Christian enterprise.
Father Nash heard us speak of this Mr. D as a hard case; and
immediately put his name upon his praying list. He remained in town a day or
two, and went on his way, having in view another field of labor.
Not many days afterward, as we were holding an evening meeting
with a very crowded house, who should come in but this notorious D? His entrance
created a considerable movement in the congregation. People feared that he had
come in to make a disturbance. The fear and abhorrence of him had become very
general among Christians, I believe; so that when he came in, some of the people
got up and retired. I knew his countenance, and kept my eye upon him; I very
soon became satisfied that he had not come in to oppose, and that he was in
great anguish of mind. He sat and writhed upon his seat, and was very uneasy. He
soon arose, and tremblingly asked me if he might say a few words. I told him
that he might. He then proceeded to make one of the most heart-broken
confessions that I almost ever heard. His confession seemed to cover the whole
ground of his treatment of God, and of his treatment of Christians, and of the
revival, and of everything good.
This thoroughly broke up the fallow ground in many hearts. It was
the most powerful means that could have been used, just then, to give an impetus
to the work. D soon came out and professed a hope, abolished all the revelry and
profanity of his barroom; and from that time, as long as I stayed there, and I
know not how much longer, a prayer meeting was held in his barroom nearly every
night.
CHAPTER VI
REVIVAL AT EVANS'
MILLS AND ITS RESULTS
A LITTLE way from the
village of Evans' Mills, was a settlement of Germans, where there was a German
church with several elders, and a considerable membership, but no minister, and
no regular religious meetings. Once each year they were in the habit of having a
minister come up from the Mohawk Valley, to administer the ordinances of baptism
and the Lord's supper. He would catechise their children, and receive such of
them as had made the required attainments in knowledge. This was the way in
which they were made Christians. They were required to commit to memory the
catechism, and to be able to answer certain doctrinal questions; whereupon they
were admitted to full communion in the church. After receiving the communion
they took it for granted that they were Christians, and that all was safe. This
is the way in which that church had been organized and continued.
But mingling, as they did more or less, in the scenes that passed
in the village, they requested me to go out there and preach. I consented; and
the first time I preached I took this text: "Without holiness no man shall see
the Lord."
The settlement turned out en masse; and the schoolhouse
where they worshipped was filled to its utmost capacity. They could understand
English well. I began by showing, what holiness is not. Under this head I took
everything that they considered to be religion, and showed that it was not
holiness at all. In the second place I showed what holiness is. I then showed,
thirdly, what is intended by seeing the Lord; and then, why those that had no
holiness could never see the Lord--why they could never be admitted to His
presence, and be accepted of Him. I then concluded with such pointed remarks as
were intended to make the subject go home. And it did go home by the power of
the Holy Ghost. The sword of the Lord slew them on the right hand and on the
left.
In a very few days it was found that the whole settlement was
under conviction; elders of the church and all were in the greatest
consternation, feeling that they had no holiness. At their request I appointed a
meeting for inquiry, to give instruction to inquirers. This was in their harvest
time. I held the meeting at one o'clock in the afternoon, and found the house
literally packed. People had thrown down the implements with which they were
gathering their harvest, and had come into the meeting. As many were assembled
as could be packed in the house.
I took a position in the center of the house, as I could not move
around among them; and asked them questions, and encouraged them to ask
questions. They became very much interested, and were very free in asking
questions, and in answering the questions which I asked them. I seldom ever
attended a more interesting or profitable meeting than that.
I recollect that one woman came in late, and sat near the door.
When I came to speak to her, I said, "You look unwell." "Yes," she replied, "I
am very sick. I have been in bed until I came to meeting. But I cannot read; and
I wanted to hear God's word so much that I got up and came to meeting." "How did
you come?" I inquired. She replied, "I came on foot." "How far is it?" was the
next inquiry. "We call it three miles," she said. On inquiry I found that she
was under conviction of sin, and had a most remarkably clear apprehension of her
character and position before God. She was soon after converted, and a
remarkable convert she was. My wife said that she was one of the most remarkable
women in prayer that she ever heard pray; and that she repeated more Scripture
in her prayers than any person she ever heard.
I addressed another, a tall dignified looking woman, and asked
her what was the state of her mind. She replied immediately that she had given
her heart to God; and went on to say that the Lord had taught her to read, since
she had learned how to pray. I asked her what she meant. She said she never
could read, and never had known her letters. But when she gave her heart to God,
she was greatly distressed that she could not read God's Word. "But I thought,"
she said, "that Jesus could teach me to read; and I asked Him if He would not
please to teach me to read His Word." Said she, "I thought when I had prayed
that I could read. The children have a Testament, and I went and got it; and I
thought I could read what I had heard them read. But," said she, "I went over to
the school madam, and asked her if I read right; and she said I did; and since
then," said she, "I can read the Word of God for myself."
I said no more; but thought there must be some mistake about
this, as the woman appeared to be quite in earnest, and quite intelligent in
what she said. I took pains, afterwards to inquire of her neighbors about her.
They gave her an excellent character; and they all affirmed that it had been
notorious that she could not read a syllable until after she was converted. I
leave this to speak for itself; there is no use in theorizing about it. Such, I
think, were the undoubted facts.
But the revival among the Germans resulted in the conversion of
the whole church, I believe, and of nearly the whole community of Germans. It
was one of the most interesting revivals that I ever witnessed.
While I was laboring at this place, the presbytery were called
together to ordain me, which they did. Both churches were so strengthened, and
their numbers so greatly increased, that they soon went forward and built each
of them a commodious stone meeting house, and I believe have had a healthy state
of religion there since that time. I have not been there for many years.
I have only narrated some of the principal facts that I remember
as connected with this revival. But I would farther say respecting it, that a
wonderful spirit of prayer prevailed among Christians, and great unity of
feeling. The little Congregational church, as soon as they saw the results of
the next evening's preaching, recovered themselves; for they had been scattered,
discouraged, and confounded the night before. They rallied and took hold of the
work as best they could; and though a feeble and inefficient band, with one or
two exceptions, still they grew in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus
Christ, during that revival.
The German woman of whom I have spoken as being sick when she
came to the meeting of inquiry, united with the Congregational church. I was
present and received her to the church. A very affecting incident, I recollect,
occurred at the time she gave a relation of her Christian experience. There was
a mother in Israel belonging to that church, by the name of S, a very godly
woman, of ripe age, and piety. We had been sitting for a long time, and, hearing
the narration of the experience of one after another who came forward as
candidates for admission to the church. At length this German woman arose and
related her experience. It was one of the most touching, childlike, interesting
Christian experiences that I ever listened to. As she was going on with her
narrative, I observed that old Mrs. S rose up from her place, and as the house
was filled, crowded her way around as best she could. At first I supposed she
was going out of doors. I was so occupied myself with the woman's narrative,
that I was barely conscious of Mrs. S's moving in that direction. As soon as she
came near to where the woman stood relating her experience, she stepped forward,
and threw her arms around her neck and burst into tears, and said, "God bless
you, my dear sister! God bless you!" The woman responded with all her heart; and
such a scene as followed, so unpremeditated, so natural, so childlike, so
overflowing with love--it melted the congregation on every side to tears. They
wept on each other's necks. It was too moving a scene to be described in words.
The Baptist minister and I seldom met each other, though
sometimes we were enabled to attend meeting together. He preached there but one
half of the time, and I the other half; consequently I was generally away when
he was there, and he was generally absent when I was there. He was a good man,
and worked as best he could to promote the revival.
The doctrines preached were those which I have always preached as
the Gospel of Christ. I insisted upon the voluntary total moral depravity of the
unregenerate; and the unalterable necessity of a radical change of heart by the
Holy Ghost, and by means of the truth.
I laid great stress upon prayer as an indispensable condition of
promoting the revival. The atonement of Jesus Christ, His divinity, His divine
mission, His perfect life, His vicarious death, His resurrection, repentance,
faith, justification by faith, and all the kindred doctrines, were discussed as
thoroughly as I was able, and pressed home, and were manifestly made efficacious
by the power of the Holy Ghost.
The means used were simply preaching, prayer and conference
meetings, much private prayer, much personal conversation, and meetings for the
instruction of earnest inquirers. These, and no other means, were used for the
promotion of that work. There was no appearance of fanaticism, no bad spirit, no
divisions, no heresies, no schisms. Neither at that time, nor certainly so long
as I was acquainted at that place, was there any result of that revival to be
lamented, nor any feature of it that was of questionable effect.
I have spoken of cases of intensified opposition to this revival.
One circumstance, I found, had prepared the people for this opposition, and had
greatly embittered it. I found that region of country what, in the western
phrase, would be called, a "burnt district." There had been, a few years
previously, a wild excitement passing through that region, which they called a
revival of religion, but which turned out to be spurious. I can give no account
of it except what I heard from Christian people and others. It was reported as
having been a very extravagant excitement; and resulted in a reaction so
extensive and profound, as to leave the impression on many minds that religion
was a mere delusion. A great many men seemed to be settled in that conviction.
Taking what they had seen as a specimen of a revival of religion, they felt
justified in opposing anything looking toward the promoting of a revival.
I found that it had left among Christian people some practices
that were offensive, and calculated rather to excite ridicule than any serious
conviction of the truth of religion. For example, in all their prayer meetings I
found a custom prevailing like this: Every professor of religion felt it a duty
to testify for Christ. They must "take up the cross," and say something in
meeting. One would rise and say in substance: "I have a duty to perform which no
one can perform for me. I arise to testify that religion is good; though I must
confess that I do not enjoy it at present. I have nothing in particular to say,
only to bear my testimony; and I hope you will all pray for me." This concluded,
that person would sit down and another would rise and say, about to the same
effect: "Religion is good; I do not enjoy it; I have nothing else to say, but I
must do my duty. I hope you will all pray for me." Thus the time would be
occupied, and the meeting would pass off with very little that was more
interesting than such remarks as these. Of course the ungodly would make sport
of this.
It was in fact ridiculous and repulsive. But the impression was
so rooted in the public mind that this was the way to hold a prayer and
conference meeting, and that it was the duty of every professor of religion,
whenever an opportunity was afforded, to give such testimony for God, that I was
obliged, for the purpose of getting rid of it, to hold no such meetings. I
appointed every meeting, consequently, for preaching. When we were assembled, I
would begin by singing, and then would pray myself. I would then call on one or
two others to pray, naming them. Then I would name a text, and talk for awhile.
Then, when I saw that an impression was made, I would stop and ask one or two to
pray that the Lord might fasten that on their minds. I would then proceed with
my talk, and after a little, stop again and ask some one or two to pray. Thus I
would proceed, not throwing the meeting open at all for remarks on the part of
the brethren and sisters. Then they would go away without being in bondage,
feeling that they had neglected their duty in not bearing testimony for God.
Thus most of our prayer meetings were not so in name. As they were appointed for
preaching, it was not expected that they would be thrown open for everyone to
speak; and in this way I was enabled to overcome that silly method of holding
meetings, that created so much mirth and ridicule on the part of the ungodly.
After the revival took thorough hold in this place, and those
things occurred that I have named, opposition entirely ceased so far as I could
learn. I spent more than six months at this place and at Antwerp, laboring
between the two places; and for the latter part of the time I heard nothing of
open opposition.
I have spoken of the doctrines preached. I should add, that I was
obliged to take much pains in giving instruction to inquirers. The practice had
been, I believe, universal, to set anxious sinners to praying for a new heart,
and to using means for their own conversion. The directions they received either
assumed or implied that they were very willing to be Christians, and were taking
much pains to persuade God to convert them. I tried to make them understand that
God was using the means with them, and not they with Him; that God was
willing, and they were unwilling; that God was ready, and they were not ready.
In short, I tried to shut them up to present faith and repentance, as the thing
which God required of them, present and instant submission to His will, present
and instant acceptance of Christ. I tried to show them that all delay was only
an evasion of present duty; that all praying for a new heart, was only trying to
throw the responsibility of their conversion upon God; and that all efforts to
do duty, while they did not give their hearts to God, were hypocritical and
delusive.
During the whole six months that I labored in that region, I rode
on horseback from town to town, and from settlement to settlement, in various
directions, and preached the Gospel as I had opportunity. When I left Adams my health had run down a good deal. I had coughed blood; and at the
time I was licensed, my friends thought that I could live but a short time. Mr.
Gale charged me, when I left Adams, not to attempt to preach more than once a week, and then
to be sure not to speak more than half an hour at a time. But instead of this, I
visited from house to house, attended prayer meetings, and preached and labored
every day, and almost every night, through the whole season. Before the six
months were completed my health was entirely restored, my lungs were sound, and
I could preach two hours, and two hours and a half, and longer, without feeling
the least fatigue. I think my sermons generally averaged nearly or quite two
hours. I preached out of doors; I preached in barns; I preached in schoolhouses;
and a glorious revival spread all over that new region of country.
All through the earlier part of my ministry especially, I used to
meet from ministers a great many rebuffs and reproofs, particularly in respect
to my manner of preaching. I have said that Mr. Gale, when I preached for him
immediately after I was licensed, told me that, he should be ashamed to have
anyone know that I was a pupil of his. The fact is, their education had been so
entirely different from mine, that they disapproved of my manner of preaching,
very much. They would reprove me for illustrating my ideas by reference to the
common affairs of men of different pursuits around me, as I was in the habit of
doing. Among farmers and mechanics, and other classes of men, I borrowed my
illustrations from their various occupations. I tried also to use such language
as they would understand. I addressed them in the language of the common people.
I sought to express all my ideas in few words, and in words that were in common
use.
Before I was converted I had a different tendency. In writing and
speaking, I had sometimes allowed myself to use ornate language. But when I came
to preach the Gospel, my mind was so anxious to be thoroughly understood, that I
studied in the most earnest manner, on the one hand to avoid what was vulgar,
and on the other to express my thoughts with the greatest simplicity of
language.
This was extremely contrary to the notions which at that time
prevailed among ministers, and even yet prevail to a very great extent. In
reference to my illustrations they would say, "Why don't you illustrate from
events of ancient history, and take a more dignified way of illustrating your
ideas?" To this, of course, I replied, that if my illustrations brought forward
anything that was new and striking, the illustration itself would rather occupy
the minds of the people, than the truth which I wished to illustrate. And in
respect to the simplicity of my language, I defended myself by saying, that my
object was not to cultivate a style of oratory that should soar above the heads
of the people, but to make myself understood; and that therefore I would use any
language adapted to this end, and that did not involve coarseness or vulgarity.
About the time that I left Evans' Mills our presbytery met, and I
attended the meeting. I left the revival work at the particular request of some
brethren, and went over to the presbytery. The brethren had heard of my manner
of preaching, those of them who had not heard me preach. The presbytery met in
the morning, and went on with the transaction of business; and after our recess
for dinner, as we assembled in the afternoon, the mass of the people came
together and filled the house. I had not the remotest thought of what was in the
minds of the brethren of the presbytery. I therefore took my seat in the crowd,
and waited for the meeting of the presbytery to be opened.
As soon as the congregation was fairly assembled, one of the
brethren arose and said: "The people have come together manifestly to hear
preaching; and I move that Mr. Finney preach a sermon." This was seconded, and
unanimously carried. I saw in a moment that it was the design of the brethren of
the presbytery to put me on trial, that they might see if I could do as they had
heard that I did--get up and preach on the spur of the moment, without any
previous preparation. I made no apology or objection to preaching; for I must
say that my heart was full of it, and that I wanted to preach. I arose and
stepped into the aisle; and looking up to the pulpit, I saw that it was a high,
small pulpit, up against the wall. I therefore stood in the aisle and named my
text: "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." The Lord helped me to
preach. I walked up and down the broad aisle; and the people were evidently
interested and much moved.
But after the meeting one of the brethren stepped up to me and
said: "Brother Finney, if you come up our way, I should like to have you preach
in some of our school districts. I should not like to have you preach in our
church. But we have got schoolhouses in some of the districts, away from the
village. I should like to have you preach in some of those." I mention this to
show what their ideas were of my method of preaching. But how completely they
were in the dark in regard to the results of that method of addressing people!
They used to complain that I let down the dignity of the pulpit; that I was a
disgrace to the ministerial profession; that I talked like a lawyer at the bar;
that I talked to the people in a colloquial manner; that I said "you," instead
of preaching about sin and sinners, and saying "they;" that I said "hell," and
with such an emphasis as often to shock the people; furthermore, that I urged
the people with such vehemence, as if they might not have a moment to live; and
sometimes they complained that I blamed the people too much. One doctor of
divinity told me that he felt a great deal more like weeping over sinners, than
blaming them. I replied to him that I did not wonder, if he believed that they
had a sinful nature, and that sin was entailed upon them, and they could not
help it.
After I had preached some time, and the Lord had everywhere added
His blessing, I used to say to ministers, whenever they contended with me about
my manner of preaching, and desired me to adopt their ideas and preach as they
did, that I dared not make the change they desired. I said, "Show me a more
excellent way. Show me the fruits of your ministry; and if they so far exceed
mine as to give me evidence that you have found a more excellent way, I will
adopt your views. But do you expect me to abandon my own views and practices,
and adopt yours, when you yourselves cannot deny that, whatever errors I may
have fallen into, or whatever imperfections there may be in my preaching, in
style, and in everything else, yet the results justify my methods?" I would say
to them: "I intend to improve all I can; but I never can adopt your manner of
preaching the Gospel, until I have higher evidence that you are right and I am
wrong."
They used to complain, oftentimes, that I was guilty of
repetition in my preaching. I would take the same thought and turn it over and
over, and illustrate it in various ways. I assured them that I thought it was
necessary to do so, to make myself understood; and that I could not be persuaded
to relinquish this practice by any of their arguments. Then they would say, you
will not interest the educated part of your congregation. But facts soon
silenced them on this point. They found that, under my preaching, judges, and
lawyers, and educated men were converted by scores; whereas, under their
methods, such a thing seldom occurred.
CHAPTER VII
REMARKS UPON
MINISTERIAL EDUCATION
IN what I say upon
this subject I hope my brethren will not impute to me any other motive than a
kind and benevolent regard for their highest usefulness. I have always taken
their criticisms kindly, and given them credit for benevolent intentions. Now I
am an old man, and many of the results of my views and methods are known to the
public. Is it out of place in me to speak freely to the ministry, upon this
subject? In reply to their objections, I have sometimes told them what a judge
of the supreme court remarked to me, upon this subject. "Ministers," said he,
"do not exercise good sense in addressing the people. They are afraid of
repetition. They use language not well understood by the common people. Their
illustrations are not taken from the common pursuits of life. They write in too
elaborated a style, and read without repetition, and are not understood by the
people. Now," said he, "if lawyers should take such a course, they would ruin
themselves and their cause. When I was at the bar," he added, "I used to take it
for granted, when I had before me a jury of respectable men, that I should have
to repeat over my main positions about as many times as there were persons in
the jury-box. I learned that unless I did so, illustrated, and repeated, and
turned the main points over, the main points of law and of evidence, I should
lose my cause. Our object," he said, "in addressing a jury, is to get their
minds settled before they leave the jury-box; not to make a speech in language
but partially understood by them; not to let ourselves out in illustrations
entirely above their apprehension; not to display our oratory, and then let them
go. We are set on getting a verdict. Hence we are set upon being understood. We
mean to convince them; and if they have doubts as to the law, we make them
understand it, and rivet it in their minds. In short, we expect to get a
verdict, and to get it upon the spot; so that when they go to their room, it
will be found that they have understood us, and that they have been convinced by
the facts and arguments. If we do not thus take pains to urge home every thought
and every word, and every point, so as to lodge it in their convictions, we are
sure to lose our cause. We must overcome their prejudices; we must overcome
their ignorance; we must try to overcome even their interest, if they have any,
against our client. Now," said he, "if ministers would do this, the effects of
their preaching would be unspeakably different from what they are. They go into
their study and write a sermon; they go into their pulpit and read it, and those
that listen to it but poorly understand it. Many words used they will not
understand, until they go home and consult their dictionaries. They do not
address the people, expecting to convince them, and to get their verdict in
favor of Christ, upon the spot. They seek no such object. They rather seem to
aim at making fine literary productions, and displaying great eloquence and an
ornate use of language." Of course I do not profess, at this distance of time,
to give the exact language used by the judge; but I have given his remarks in
substance, as made to me at the time.
I never entertained the least hard feeling toward my brethren for
the roughness with which they often treated me. I knew that they were very
anxious to have me do good; and really supposed that I should do much more good,
and much less evil, if I should adopt their views. But I was of a different
opinion.
I could mention many facts illustrative of the views of
ministers, and of the manner in which they sometimes treated me. When I was
preaching in Philadelphia, for example, Dr. -- , the celebrated temperance
lecturer from Connecticut, came there and heard me preach. He was indignant at
the manner in which I "let down the dignity of the pulpit." His principal
conversation, however, was with Mr. Patterson, with whom, at the time, I
labored. He insisted upon it that I should not be allowed to preach till I had a
ministerial education; that I should stop preaching and go to Princeton and learn theology, and get better views of the way in
which the Gospel should be preached.
Let not anything I say on this subject leave the impression on
any mind, that I thought either my views or my methods perfect, for I had no
such thought. I was aware that I was but a child. I had not enjoyed the
advantages of the higher schools of learning; and so conscious had I been all
along that I lacked those qualifications that would make me acceptable,
especially to ministers, and, I feared, to the people in large places, that I
had never had any higher ambition or purpose than to go into the new settlements
and places where they did not enjoy the Gospel. Indeed I was often surprised
myself, in the first year of my preaching, to find it so edifying and acceptable
to the most educated classes. This was more than I had expected, greatly more
than my brethren had expected, and more than I had dared to hope myself. I
always endeavored to improve in everything in which I discovered myself to be in
error. But the longer I preached, the less reason had I to think that my error
lay in the direction in which it was supposed to lie, by my brother ministers.
The more experience I had, the more I saw the results of my
method of preaching, the more I conversed with all classes, high and low,
educated and uneducated, the more was I confirmed in the fact that God had led
me, had taught me, had given me right conceptions in regard to the best manner
of winning souls. I say that God taught me; and I know it must have been so; for
surely I never had obtained these notions from man. And I have often thought
that I could say with perfect truth, as Paul said, that I was not taught the
Gospel by man, but by the Spirit of Christ Himself. And I was taught it by the
Spirit of the Lord in a manner so clear and forcible, that no argument of my
ministerial brethren, with which I was plied so often and so long, had the least
weight with me.
I mention this as a matter of duty. For I am still solemnly
impressed with the conviction, that the schools are to a great extent spoiling
the ministers. Ministers in these days have great facilities for obtaining
information on all theological questions; and are vastly more learned, so far as
theological, historical, and Biblical learning is concerned, than they perhaps
ever have been in any age of the world. Yet with all their learning, they do not
know how to use it. They are, after all, to a great extent, like David in Saul's
armor. A man can never learn to preach except by preaching.
But one great thing above all others ministers need, and that is
singleness of eye. If they have a reputation to secure and to nurse, they will
do but little good. Many years ago a beloved pastor of my acquaintance, left
home for his health, and employed a young man, just from the seminary, to fill
his pulpit while he was absent. This young man wrote and preached as splendid
sermons as he could. The pastor's wife finally ventured to say to him, "You are
preaching over the heads of our people. They do not understand your language or
your illustrations. You bring too much of your learning into the pulpit." He
replied, "I am a young man. I am cultivating a style. I am aiming to prepare
myself for occupying a pulpit and surrounding myself with a cultivated
congregation. I cannot descend to your people. I must cultivate an elevated
style." I have had my thought and my eye upon this man ever since. I am not
aware that he is yet dead; but I have never seen his name connected with any
revival, amidst all the great revivals that we have had, from year to year,
since that time; and I never expect to, unless his views are radically changed,
and unless he addresses the people from an entirely different standpoint, and
from entirely different motives.
I could name ministers who are yet alive, old men like myself,
who were greatly ashamed of me when I first began to preach because I was so
undignified in the pulpit, used such common language, addressed the people with
such directness, and because I aimed not at all at ornament, or at supporting
the dignity of the pulpit.
Dear brethren they were; and I always felt in the kindest manner
toward them, and do not know that in a single instance I was ruffled or angry at
what they said. I was from the very first aware that I should meet with this
opposition; and that there was this wide gulf in our views, and would be in
practice, between myself and other ministers. I seldom felt that I was one of
them, or that they regarded me as really belonging to their fraternity. I was
bred a lawyer. I came right forth from a law office to the pulpit, and talked to
the people as I would have talked to a jury.
It was very common, as I learned, among ministers in my earlier
years of preaching, to agree among themselves that if I were to succeed in the
ministry, it would bring the schools into disrepute; and men would come to think
it hardly worth while to support them with their funds, if a man could be
accepted as a successful preacher without them. Now I never had a thought of
undervaluing the education furnished by colleges or theological seminaries;
though I did think, and think now, that in certain respects they are greatly
mistaken in their modes of training their students. They do not encourage them
to talk to the people, and accustom themselves to extemporaneous addresses to
the people in the surrounding country, while pursuing their studies. Men cannot
learn to preach by study without practice. The students should be encouraged to
exercise, and prove, and improve, their gifts and calling of God, by going out
into any places open to them, and holding Christ up to the people in earnest
talks. They must thus learn to preach. Instead of this, the students are
required to write what they call sermons, and present them for criticism; to
preach, that is, read them to the class and the professor. Thus they play
preaching. No man can preach in this manner. These so-called sermons will of
course, under the criticism they receive, degenerate into literary essays. The
people have no respect for such sermons, as sermons. This reading of elegant
literary essays, is not to them preaching. It is gratifying to literary taste,
but not spiritually edifying. It does not meet the wants of the soul. It is not
calculated to win souls to Christ. The students are taught to cultivate a fine,
elevated style of writing. As for real eloquence, that gushing, impressive, and
persuasive oratory, that naturally flows from an educated man whose soul is on
fire with his subject, and who is free to pour out his heart to a waiting and
earnest people, they have none of it.
A reflecting mind will feel as if it were infinitely out of place
to present in the pulpit to immortal souls, hanging upon the verge of
everlasting death, such specimens of learning and rhetoric. They know that men
do not do so on any subject where they are really in earnest. The captain of a
fire company, when a city is on fire, does not read to his company an essay or
exhibit a fine specimen of rhetoric, when he shouts to them and directs their
movements. It is a question of urgency, and he intends that every word shall be
understood. He is entirely in earnest with them; and they feel that criticism
would be out of place in regard to the language he uses.
So it always is when men are entirely in earnest. Their language
is in point, direct and simple. Their sentences are short, cogent, powerful. The
appeal is made directly for action; and hence all such discourses take effect.
This is the reason why, formerly, the ignorant Methodist preachers, and the
earnest Baptist preachers produced so much more effect than our most learned
theologians and divines. They do so now. The impassioned utterance of a common
exhorter will often move a congregation far beyond anything that those splendid
exhibitions of rhetoric can effect. Great sermons lead the people to praise the
preacher. Good preaching leads the people to praise the Savior.
Our theological schools would be of much greater value than they
are, if they were much more practical. I heard a theological teacher read a
sermon on the importance of extemporaneous preaching. His views on that subject
were correct; but his practice entirely contradicted them. He seemed to have
studied the subject, and to have attained to practical views of the highest
importance. But yet I have never known one of his students, in practice, to
adopt those views. I have understood that he says that if he were to begin his
life anew as a preacher, he would practice according to his present views; and
that he laments that his education was wrong in this respect, and consequently
his practice has been wrong.
In our school at Oberlin our students have been led not by
myself, I am bound to say, to think that they must write their sermons; and very
few of them, notwithstanding all I could say to them, have the courage to launch
out, and commit themselves to extemporaneous preaching. They have been told
again and again: "You must not think to imitate Mr. Finney. You cannot be
Finneys."
Ministers do not like to get up and talk to the people as best
they can, and break themselves at once into the habit of talking to the people.
They must preach; and if they must preach in the common acceptation of the term,
they must write. Hence, according to that view, I have never preached. Indeed,
people have often said to me: "Why, you do not preach? You talk to the people."
A man in London went home from one of our meetings greatly convicted. He had
been a skeptic; and his wife seeing him greatly excited, said to him, "Husband,
have you been to hear Mr. Finney preach?" He replied: "I have been to Mr.
Finney's meeting. He don't preach; he only explains what other people preach."
This, in substance, I have heard over and over again. "Why!" they say, "anybody
could preach as you do. You just talk to the people. You talk as if you were as
much at home as if you sat in the parlor." Others have said: "Why, it don't seem
like preaching; but it seems as if Mr. Finney had taken me alone, and was
conversing with me face to face."
Ministers generally avoid preaching what the people before them
will understand as addressed particularly to them. They will preach to them
about other people, and the sins of other people, instead of addressing them and
saying, "You are guilty of these sins; and, The Lord requires this of you." They
often preach about the Gospel instead of preaching the Gospel. They often preach
about sinners instead of preaching to them. They studiously avoid being
personal, in the sense of making the impression on anyone present that he is the
man. Now I have thought it my duty to pursue a different course; and I always
have pursued a different course. I have often said, "Do not think I am talking
about anybody else; but I mean you, and you, and you."
Ministers told me at first that people would never endure this;
but would get up and go out, and never come to hear me again. But this is all a
mistake. Very much, in this as in everything else, depends on the spirit in
which it is said. If the people see that it is said in the spirit of love, with
a yearning desire to do them good; if they cannot call it an ebullition of
personal animosity, but if they see, and cannot deny, that it is telling the
truth in love; that it is coming right home to them to save them individually,
there are very few that will continue to resent it. If at the time they feel
pointed at and rebuked, nevertheless the conviction is upon them that they
needed it, and it will surely ultimately do them great good.
I have often said to people, when I saw that they looked
offended, "Now you resent this and you will go away and say that you will not
come again; but you will. Your own convictions are on my side. You know that
what I tell you is true; and that I tell it for your own good; and that you
cannot continue to resent it." And I have always found this to be true.
My experience has been, that even in respect to personal
popularity, honesty is the best policy in a minister; that if he means to
maintain his hold upon the confidence, and respect, and affection of any people,
he must be faithful to their souls. He must let them see that he is not courting
them for any purpose of popularity, but that he is trying to save their souls.
Men are not fools. They have no solid respect for a man that will go into the
pulpit and preach smooth things. They cordially despise it in their inmost
souls. And let no man think that he will gain permanent respect, that he will be
permanently honored by his people, unless as an ambassador of Christ he deals
faithfully with their souls.
The great argument in opposition to my views of preaching the
Gospel was, that I should not give nearly so much instruction to the people, as
I should if I wrote my sermons. They said I would not study; and consequently,
although I might succeed as an evangelist, when I labored but a few weeks or
months in a place, still it would never do for a pastor to preach
extemporaneously.
Now I have the best of reasons for believing that preachers of
written sermons do not give their people so much instruction as they think they
do. The people do not remember their sermons. I have in multitudes of instances
heard people complain I cannot carry home anything that I hear from the pulpit.
They have said to me in hundreds of instances: "We always remember what we have
heard you preach. We remember your text, and the manner in which you handled it;
but written sermons we cannot remember."
I have been a pastor now for many years indeed, ever since 1832;
and I have never heard any complaint that I did not instruct the people. I do
not believe it is true that my people are not as well instructed, so far as
pulpit instruction is concerned, as those people are who sit under the preaching
of written sermons. It is true that a man may write his sermons without studying
much; as it is true that he may preach extemporaneously without much study or
thought. Many written sermons, that I have heard, manifested anything but
profound, accurate thought.
My habit has always been to study the Gospel, and the best
application of it, all the time. I do not confine myself to hours and days of
writing my sermons; but my mind is always pondering the truths of the Gospel,
and the best ways of using them. I go among the people and learn their wants.
Then, in the light of the Holy Spirit, I take a subject that I think will meet
their present necessities. I think intensely on it, and pray much over the
subject on Sabbath morning, for example, and get my mind full of it, and then go
and pour it out to the people. Whereas one great difficulty with a written
sermon is, that a man after he has written it, needs to think but little of the
subject. He needs to pray but little. He perhaps reads over his manuscript
Saturday evening, or Sabbath morning; but he does not feel the necessity of
being powerfully anointed, that his mouth may be opened and filled with
arguments, and that he may be enabled to preach out of a full heart. He is quite
at ease. He has only to use his eyes and his voice, and he can preach, in his
way. It may be a sermon that has been written for years; it may be a sermon that
he has written, every word of it, within the week. But on Sabbath-day there is
no freshness in it. It does not come necessarily new and fresh, and as an
anointed message from God to his heart, and through his heart to the people.
I am prepared to say, most solemnly, that I think I have studied
all the more for not having written my sermons. I have been obliged to make the
subjects upon which I preached familiar to my thoughts, to fill my mind with
them, and then go and talk them off to the people. I simply note the heads upon
which I wish to dwell in the briefest possible manner and in language not a word
of which I use, perhaps, in preaching. I simply jot down the order of my
propositions, and the petitions which I propose to take; and in a word, sketch
an outline of the remarks and inferences with which I conclude.
But unless men will try it, unless they will begin and talk to
the people, as best they can, keeping their hearts full of truth and full of the
Holy Ghost, they will never make extemporaneous preachers. I believe that half
an hour's earnest talk to the people from week to week, if the talk be pointed,
direct, earnest, logical, will really instruct them more than the two labored
sermons that those who write, get off to their people on the Sabbath. I believe
the people would remember more of what is said, be more interested in it, and
would carry it away with them to be pondered, vastly more than they do what they
get from the labored written sermons.
I have spoken of my method of preparing for the pulpit in more
recent years. When I first began to preach, and for some twelve years of my
earliest ministry, I wrote not a word; and was most commonly obliged to preach
without any preparation whatever, except what I got in prayer. Oftentimes I went
into the pulpit without knowing upon what text I should speak, or a word that I
should say. I depended on the occasion and the Holy Spirit to suggest the text,
and to open up the whole subject to my mind; and certainly in no part of my
ministry have I preached with greater success and power. If I did not preach
from inspiration, I don't know how I did preach. It was a common experience with
me, and has been during all my ministerial life, that the subject would open up
to my mind in a manner that was surprising to myself. It seemed that I could see
with intuitive clearness just what I ought to say; and whole platoons of
thoughts, words, and illustrations, came to me as fast as I could deliver them.
When I first began to make skeletons, I made them after, and not before, I
preached. It was to preserve the outline of the thought which had been given me,
on occasions such as I have just mentioned. I found when the Spirit of God had
given me a very clear view of a subject, I could not retain it, to be used on
any other occasion, unless I jotted down an outline of the thoughts. But after
all, I have never found myself able to use old skeletons in preaching, to any
considerable extent, without remodeling them, and having a fresh and new view of
the subject given me by the Holy Spirit. I almost always get my subjects on my
knees in prayer; and it has been a common experience with me, upon receiving a
subject from the Holy Spirit, to have it make so strong an impression on my mind
as to make me tremble, so that I could with difficulty write. When subjects are
thus given me that seem to go through me, body and soul, I can in a few moments
make out a skeleton that shall enable me to retain the view presented by the
Spirit; and I find that such sermons always tell with great power upon the
people.
Some of the most telling sermons that I have ever preached in
Oberlin, I have thus received after the bell had rung for church; and I was
obliged to go and pour them off from my full heart, without jotting down more
than the briefest possible skeleton, and that sometimes not covering half the
ground that I covered in my sermon.
I tell this, not boastfully, but because it is a fact, and to
give the praise to God, and not to any talents of my own. Let no man think that
those sermons which have been called so powerful, were productions of my own
brain, or of my own heart, unassisted by the Holy Ghost. They were not mine, but
from the Holy Spirit in me.
And let no man say that this is claiming a higher inspiration
than is promised to ministers, or than ministers have a right to expect. For I
believe that all ministers, called by Christ to preach the Gospel, ought to be,
and may be, in such a sense inspired, as to preach the Gospel with the Holy
Ghost sent down from heaven. What else did Christ mean when He said, "Go and
disciple all nations;--and lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the
world?" What did He mean when He said, speaking of the Holy Spirit--"He shall
take of mine and show it unto you. He shall bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you?" What did He mean when He said,
"If any man believe in me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
This spake he of the Spirit, that they which believe on him should receive?" All
ministers may be, and ought to be, so filled with the Holy Spirit that all who
hear them shall be impressed with the conviction that God is in them of a truth.
CHAPTER VIII
REVIVAL AT ANTWERP
I MUST now give some
account of my labors, and their result, at Antwerp, a village north of Evans'
mills.
I arrived there, the first time, in April, and found that no
religious services, of any kind, were held in the town. The land in the township
belonged to a Mr. P, a rich landholder residing in Ogdensburgh. To encourage the
settlement of the township, he had built a brick meeting house. But the people
had no mind to keep up public worship and therefore the meeting house was locked
up, and the key was in the possession of a Mr. C, who kept the village hotel.
I very soon learned that there was a Presbyterian church in that
place, consisting of but few members. They had, some years before, tried to keep
up a meeting at the village, on Sabbath. But one of the elders who conducted
their Sabbath meetings, lived about five miles out of the village, and was
obliged, in approaching the village, to pass through a Universalist settlement.
The Universalists had broken up the village meeting, by rendering it impossible
for Deacon R, as they called him, to get through their settlement to meeting.
They would even take off the wheels of his carriage; and finally they carried
their opposition so far that he gave up attending meetings at the village; and
all religious services at the village, and in the township, so far as I could
learn, were relinquished.
I found Mrs. C, the landlady, a pious woman. There were two other
pious women in the village, a Mrs. H, the wife of a merchant, and a Mrs. R, the
wife of a physician. It was on Friday, if I remember right, that I arrived
there. I called on those pious women and asked them if they would like to have a
meeting. They said that they would, but they did not know that it would be
possible. Mrs. H agreed to open her parlor that evening, for a meeting, if I
could get anybody to attend. I went about and invited the people, and secured
the attendance, I think, of some thirteen in her parlor. I preached to them; and
then said, that, if I could get the use of the village school house, I would
preach on Sabbath. I got the consent of the trustees; and the next day an
appointment was circulated around among the people, for a meeting at the school
house Sabbath morning.
In passing around the village I heard a vast amount of profanity.
I thought I had never heard so much in any place that I had ever visited. It
seemed as if the men, in playing ball upon the green, and in every business
place that I stepped into, were all cursing and swearing and damning each other.
I felt as if I had arrived upon the borders of hell. I had a kind of awful
feeling, I recollect, as I passed around the village on Saturday. The very
atmosphere seemed to me to be poison; and a kind of terror took possession of
me.
I gave myself to prayer on Saturday, and finally urged my
petition till this answer came: "Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy
peace; for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee. For I have
much people in this city." This completely relieved me of all fear. I found,
however, that the Christian people there were really afraid that something
serious might happen, if religious meetings were again established in that
place. I spent Saturday very much in prayer; but passed around the village
enough to see that the appointment that had been given out for preaching at the
schoolhouse, was making quite an excitement.
Sabbath morning I arose and left my lodgings in the hotel; and in
order to get alone, where I could let out my voice as well as my heart, I went
up into the woods at some distance from the village, and continued for a
considerable time in prayer. However, I did not get relief, and went up a second
time; but the load upon my mind increased, and I did not find relief. I went up
a third time; and then the answer came. I found that it was time for meeting,
and went immediately to the schoolhouse. I found it packed to its utmost
capacity. I had my pocket Bible in my hand, and read to them this text: "God so
loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in
him might not perish but have everlasting life." I cannot remember much that I
said; but I know that the point on which my mind principally labored, was the
treatment which God received in return for His love. The subject affected my own
mind very much; and I preached and poured out my soul and my tears together.
I saw several of the men there from whom I had, the day before,
heard the most awful profanity. I pointed them out in the meeting, and told what
they said, how they called on God to damn each other. Indeed, I let loose my
whole heart upon them. I told them they seemed to howl blasphemy about the
streets like hell-hounds; and it seemed to me that I had arrived on the very
verge of hell. Everybody knew that what I said was true, and they quailed under
it. They did not appear offended; but the people wept about as much as I did
myself. I think there were scarcely any dry eyes in the house.
Mr. C, the landlord, had refused to open the meeting house in the
morning. But as soon as these first services closed, he arose and said to the
people that he would open the meeting house in the afternoon.
The people scattered, and carried the information in every
direction; and in the afternoon the meeting house was nearly as much crowded as
the schoolhouse had been in the morning. Everybody was at meeting; and the Lord
let me loose upon them in a wonderful manner. My preaching seemed to them to be
something new. Indeed it seemed to myself as if I could rain hail and love upon
them at the same time; or in other words, that I could rain upon them hail, in
love. It seemed as if my love to God, in view of the abuse which they heaped
upon Him, sharpened up my mind to the most intense agony. I felt like rebuking
them with all my heart, and yet with a compassion which they could not mistake.
I never knew that they accused me of severity; although I think I never spoke
with more severity, perhaps, in my life.
But the labors of this day were effectual to the conviction of
the great mass of the population. From that day, appoint a meeting when and
where I would, anywhere round about, and the people would throng to hear. The
work immediately commenced and went forward with great power. I preached twice
in the village church on Sabbath, attended a prayer meeting at intermission, and
generally preached somewhere, in a schoolhouse in the neighborhood, at five
o'clock in the afternoon.
On the third Sabbath that I preached there, an aged man came to
me as I was entering the pulpit, and asked me if I would not go and preach in a
schoolhouse in his neighborhood, about three miles distant; saying that they had
never had any services there. He wished me to come as soon as I could. I
appointed the next day, Monday, at five o'clock in the afternoon. It was a warm
day. I left my horse at the village, and thought I would walk down, so that I
should have no trouble in calling along on the people, in the neighborhood of
the schoolhouse. However, before I reached the place, having labored so hard on
the Sabbath, I found myself very much exhausted, and sat down by the way and
felt as if I could scarcely proceed. I blamed myself for not having taken my
horse.
But at the appointed hour I found the schoolhouse full, and I
could only get a standing-place near the open door. I read a hymn; and I cannot
call it singing, for they seemed never to have had any church music in that
place. However the people pretended to sing. But it amounted to about this: each
one bawled in his own way. My ears had been cultivated by teaching church music;
and their horrible discord distressed me so much that, at first, I thought I
must go out. I finally put both hands over my ears, and held them with my full
strength. But this did not shut out the discords. I stood it, however, until
they were through; and then I cast myself down on my knees, almost in a state of
desperation, and began to pray. The Lord opened the windows of heaven, and the
spirit of prayer was poured out, and I let my whole heart out in prayer.
I had taken no thought with regard to a text upon which to
preach; but waited to see the congregation. As soon as I had done praying, I
arose from my knees and said: "Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will
destroy this city." I told them I did not recollect where that text was; but I
told them very nearly where they would find it, and then went on to explain it.
I told them that there was such a man as Abraham, and who he was; and that there
was such a man as Lot, and who he was; their relations to each other; their
separating from each other on account of differences between their herdmen; and
that Abraham took the hill country, and Lot settled in the vale of
Sodom. I then told them how exceedingly wicked Sodom became, and what abominable
practices they fell into. I told them that the Lord decided to destroy Sodom,
and visited Abraham, and informed him what He was about to do; that Abraham
prayed to the Lord to spare Sodom, if He found so many righteous there; and the
Lord promised to do so for their sakes; that then Abraham besought Him to save
it for a certain less number, and the Lord said He would spare it for their
sakes; that he kept on reducing the number, until he reduced the number of
righteous persons to ten; and God promised him that, if He found ten righteous
persons in the city, He would spare it. Abraham made no farther request, and
Jehovah left him. But it was found that there was but one righteous person
there, and that was Lot, Abraham's nephew. And the men said to Lot, "hast thou here any besides? Son-in-law, and thy sons,
and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this
place; for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great
before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it."
While I was relating these facts I observed the people looking as
if they were angry. Many of the men were in their shirt sleeves; and they looked
at each other and at me, as if they were ready to fall upon me and chastise me
on the spot. I saw their strange and unaccountable looks, and could not
understand what I was saying, that had offended them. However it seemed to me
that their anger rose higher and higher, as I continued the narrative. As soon
as I had finished the narrative, I turned upon them and said, that I understood
that they had never had a religious meeting in that place; and that therefore I
had a right to take it for granted, and was compelled to take it for granted,
that they were an ungodly people. I pressed that home upon them with more and
more energy, with my heart full almost to bursting.
I had not spoken to them in this strain of direct application, I
should think, more than a quarter of an hour, when all at once an awful
solemnity seemed to settle down upon them; the congregation began to fall from
their seats in every direction, and cried for mercy. If I had had a sword in
each hand, I could not have cut them off their seats as fast as they fell.
Indeed nearly the whole congregation were either on their knees or prostrate, I
should think, in less than two minutes from this first shock that fell upon
them. Every one prayed for himself, who was able to speak at all.
Of course I was obliged to stop preaching; for they no longer
paid any attention. I saw the old man who had invited me there to preach,
sitting about in the middle of the house, and looking around with utter
amazement. I raised my voice almost to a scream, to make him hear, and pointing
to him said, "Can't you pray?" He instantly fell upon his knees, and with a
stentorian voice poured himself out to God; but he did not at all get the
attention of the people. I then spoke as loud as I could, and tried to make them
attend to me. I said to them, "You are not in hell yet; and now let me direct
you to Christ." For a few moments I tried to hold forth the Gospel to them; but
scarcely any of them paid any attention. My heart was so overflowing with joy at
such a scene that I could hardly contain myself. It was with much difficulty
that I refrained from shouting, and giving glory to God.
As soon as I could sufficiently control my feelings I turned to a
young man who was close to me, and was engaged in praying for himself, laid my
hand on his shoulder, thus getting his attention, and preached in his ear Jesus.
As soon as I got his attention to the cross of Christ, he believed, was calm and
quiet for a minute or two, and then broke out in praying for the others. I then
turned to another, and took the same course with him, with the same result; and
then another, and another.
In this way I kept on, until I found the time had arrived when I
must leave them, and go and fulfill an appointment in the village. I told them
this, and asked the old man who had invited me there, to remain and take charge
of the meeting, while I went to my appointment. He did so. But there was too
much interest, and there were too many wounded souls, to dismiss the meeting;
and so it was held all night. In the morning there were still those there that
could not get away; and they were carried to a private house in the
neighborhood, to make room for the school. In the afternoon they sent for me to
come down there, as they could not yet break up the meeting.
When I went down the second time, I got an explanation of the
anger manifested by the congregation during the introduction of my sermon the
day before. I learned that the place was called Sodom,
but I knew it not; and that there was but one pious man in the place, and him
they called Lot. This was the old man that invited me there. The people supposed
that I had chosen my subject, and preached to them in that manner, because they
were so wicked as to be called Sodom. This was a striking coincidence; but so
far as I was concerned, it was altogether accidental.
I have not been in that place for many years. A few years since,
I was laboring in Syracuse, in the state of New York. Two gentlemen called upon
me one day; one an elderly man; the other not quite fifty years of age. The
younger man introduced the older one to me as Deacon W, elder in his church;
saying that he had called on me to give a hundred dollars to Oberlin College.
The older man in his turn introduced the younger, saying, "This is my minister,
the Rev. Mr. Cross. He was converted under your ministry." Whereupon Mr. Cross
said to me: "Do you remember preaching at such a time in Antwerp, and in such a
part of the town, in the schoolhouse, in the afternoon, and that such a scene,
[describing it], occurred there?" I said, "I remember it very well, and can
never forget it while I remember anything." "Well," said he, "I was then but a
young man, and was converted in that meeting." He has been many years a
successful minister. Several of his children have obtained their education in
our college in Oberlin.
As nearly as I can learn, although that revival came upon them so
suddenly, and was of such a powerful type, the converts were sound, and the work
permanent and genuine. I never heard of any disastrous reaction as having taken
place.
I have spoken of the Universalists having prevented Deacon R from
attending religious meetings on Sabbath, in the village of Antwerp, by taking off the wheels of his carriage. When the
revival got its full strength, Deacon R wanted me to go and preach in that
neighborhood. Accordingly I made an appointment to preach on a certain
afternoon, in their schoolhouse. When I arrived I found the schoolhouse filled,
and Deacon R sitting near a window, by a stand with a Bible and hymn book on it.
I sat down beside him, then arose and read a hymn, and they sung after a
fashion. I then engaged in prayer, and had great access to the throne of grace.
I then arose and took this text: "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can
ye escape the damnation of hell?"
I saw that Deacon R was very uneasy; and he soon got up and went
and stood in the open door. As there were some boys near the door, I supposed,
at the time, that he had gone to keep the boys still. But I afterward learned
that it was through fear. He thought that if they set upon me, he would be where
he could escape. From my text he concluded that I was going to deal very plainly
with them; and he had been made quite nervous with the opposition which he had
met with from them, and wanted to keep out of their reach. I proceeded to pour
myself out upon them with all my might; and before I was through, there was a
complete upturning of the very foundations of Universalism, I think, in that
place. It was a scene that almost equaled that of which I have spoken, in Sodom.
Thus the revival penetrated to every part of the town, and some of the
neighboring towns shared in the blessing. The work was very precious in this
place.
When we came to receive the converts, after a great number had
been examined, and the day approached for their admission, I found that several
of them had been brought up in Baptist families, and asked them if they would
not prefer to be immersed. They said they had no choice; but their parents would
prefer to have them immersed. I told them I had no objection to immersing them,
if they thought it would please their friends better, and themselves as well.
Accordingly, when Sabbath came, I arranged to baptize by immersion, during the
intermission. We went down to a stream that runs through the place; and there I
baptized, I should think, a dozen or more.
When the hour for afternoon services arrived, we went to the
meeting house; and there I baptized a great number of persons by taking water in
my hand and applying it to the forehead. The administration of the ordinance in
the church was so manifestly owned and blessed of God, as to do much to satisfy
the people that that mode of baptism was acceptable to him.
Among the converts was also a considerable number whose friends
were Methodists. On Saturday I learned that some Methodist people were saying to
the converts, "Mr. Finney is a Presbyterian. He believes in the doctrine of
election and predestination; but he has not preached it here. He dare not preach
it, because if he should, the converts would not join his church." This
determined me to preach on the doctrine of election, the Sabbath morning
previous to their joining the church. I took my text, and went on to show,
first, what the doctrine of election is not; secondly, what it is; thirdly, that
it is a doctrine of the Bible; fourthly, that it is the doctrine of reason;
fifthly, that to deny it, is to deny the very attributes of God; sixthly, that
it opposes no obstacle in the way of the salvation of the non-elect; seventhly,
that all men may be saved if they will; and lastly, that it is the only hope
that anybody will be saved; and concluded with remarks.
The Lord made it exceedingly clear to my own mind, and so clear
to the people, that, I believe, it convinced the Methodists themselves. I never
heard a word said against it, or a word of dissatisfaction with the argument.
While I was preaching, I observed a Methodist sister with whom I had become
acquainted, and whom I regarded as an excellent Christian woman, weeping, as she
sat near the pulpit stairs. I feared that I was hurting her feelings. After the
close of the meetings she remained sitting and weeping; and I went to her and
said to her, "Sister, I hope I have not injured your feelings." "No," said she,
"you have not injured my feelings, Mr. Finney; but I have committed a sin. No
longer ago than last night, my husband, who is an impenitent man, was arguing
this very question with me; and maintaining, as best he could, the doctrine of
election." Said she, "I resisted it, and told him that it was not true. And now,
today, you have convinced me that it is true; and instead of forming any excuse
for my husband, or anybody else, it is the only hope I can have that he will be
saved, or anybody else." I heard no farther objection to the converts joining a
church that believed in the doctrine of election.
There were a great many interesting cases of conversion in this
place; and there were two very striking cases of instantaneous recovery from
insanity during this revival. As I went into meeting in the afternoon of one
Sabbath, I saw several ladies sitting in a pew, with a woman dressed in black
who seemed to be in great distress of mind; and they were partly holding her,
and preventing her from going out. As I came in, one of the ladies came to me
and told me that she was an insane woman; that she had been a Methodist, but
had, as she supposed, fallen from grace; which had led to despair, and finally
to insanity. Her husband was an intemperate man, and lived several miles from
the village; and he had brought her down and left her at meeting, and had
himself gone to the tavern. I said a few words to her; but she replied that she
must go; that she could not hear any praying, or preaching, or singing; that
hell was her portion, and she could not endure anything that made her think of
heaven.
I cautioned the ladies, privately, to keep her in her seat, if
they could, without her disturbing the meeting. I then went into the pulpit and
read a hymn. As soon as the singing began, she struggled hard to get out. But
the ladies obstructed her passage; and kindly but persistently prevented her
escape. After a few moments she became quiet; but seemed to avoid hearing or
attending at all to the singing. I then prayed. For some little time I heard her
struggling to get out; but before I had done she became quiet, and the
congregation was still. The Lord gave me a great spirit of prayer, and a text;
for I had no text settled upon before. I took my text from Hebrews: "Let us come
boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need."
My object was to encourage faith, in ourselves, and in her; and
in ourselves for her. When I began to pray, she at first made quite an effort to
get out. But the ladies kindly resisted, and she finally sat still, but held her
head very low, and seemed determined not to attend to what I said. But as I
proceeded she began gradually to raise her head, and to look at me from within
her long black bonnet. She looked up more and more until she sat upright, and
looked me in the face with intense earnestness. As I proceeded to urge the
people to be bold in their faith, to launch out, and commit themselves with the
utmost confidence to God, through the atoning sacrifice of our great High
Priest, all at once she startled the congregation by uttering a loud shriek. She
then cast herself almost from her seat, held her head very low, and I could see
that she trembled very exceedingly. The ladies in the pew with her, partly
supported her, and watched her with manifest prayerful interest and sympathy. As
I proceeded she began to look up again, and soon sat upright, with face
wonderfully changed, indicating triumphant joy and peace. There was such a glow
upon her countenance as I have seldom seen in any human face. Her joy was so
great that she could scarcely contain herself till meeting was over; and then
she soon made everybody understand around her, that she was set at liberty. She
glorified God, and rejoiced with amazing triumph. About two years after, I met
with her, and found her still full of joy and peace.
The other case of recovery was that of a woman who had also
fallen into despair and insanity. I was not present when she was restored; but
was told that it was almost or quite instantaneous, by means of a baptism of the
Holy Spirit. Revivals of religion are sometimes accused of making people mad.
The fact is, men are naturally mad on the subject of religion; and revivals
rather restore them, than make them mad.
During this revival, we heard much of opposition to it from
Gouverneur, a town about twelve miles, I believe, farther north. We heard that
the wicked threatened to come down and mob us, and break up our meetings.
However, of course, we paid no attention to that; and I mention it here only
because I shall have occasion soon to notice a revival there. Having received
the converts, and having labored in Antwerp together with Evans' Mills, until
the fall of the year, I sent and procured for them, a young man by the name of
Denning, whom they settled as pastor. I then suspended my labors at Antwerp.
CHAPTER IX
RETURN TO EVANS'
MILLS
AT this time I was
earnestly pressed to remain at Evans' Mills, and finally gave them encouragement
that I would abide with them, at least one year. Being engaged to marry, I went
from there to Whitestown, Oneida county, and was married in October, 1824. My
wife had made preparations for housekeeping; and a day or two after our marriage
I left her, and returned to Evans' Mills, to obtain conveyance to transport our
goods to that place. I told her that she might expect me back in about a week.
The fall previous to this, I had preached a few times, in the
evening, at a place called Perch River, still farther northwest from Evans'
Mills about a dozen miles. I spent one Sabbath at Evans' Mills, and intended to
return for my wife, about the middle of that week. But a messenger from Perch
River came up that Sabbath, and said there had been a revival working its way
slowly among the people ever since I preached there; and he begged me to go down
and preach there, at least once more. I finally sent an appointment to be there
Tuesday night. But I found the interest so deep that I stayed and preached
Wednesday night, and Thursday night; and I finally gave up returning that week,
for my wife, and continued to preach in that neighborhood.
The revival soon spread in the direction of Brownville, a
considerable village several miles, I think, in a southwestern direction from
that place. Finally, under the pressing invitation of the minister and church at
Brownville, I went there and spent the winter, having written to my wife, that
such were the circumstances that I must defer coming for her, until God seemed
to open the way.
At Brownville there was a very interesting work. But still the
church was in such a state that it was very difficult to get them into the work.
I could not find much that seemed to me to be sound-hearted piety; and the
policy of the minister was really such as to forbid anything like a general
sweep of a revival. I labored there that winter with great pain, and had many
serious obstacles to overcome. Sometimes I would find that the minister and his
wife were away from our meetings, and would learn afterwards that they had
stayed away to attend a party.
I was the guest at that place of a Mr. B, one of the elders of
the church, and the most intimate and influential friend of the minister. One
day as I came down from my room, and was going out to call on some inquirers, I
met Mr. B in the hall; and he said to me, "Mr. Finney, what should you think of
a man that was praying week after week for the Holy Spirit, and could get no
answer?" I replied that I should think he was praying from false motives. "But
from what motives," said he, "should a man pray? If he wants to be happy, is
that a false motive?" I replied, "Satan might pray with as good a motive as
that;" and then quoted the words of the Psalmist: "Uphold me with thy free
spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted
unto thee." "See!" said I, "the Psalmist did not pray for the Holy Spirit that
he might be happy, but that he might be useful, and that sinners might be
converted to Christ." I said this and turned and went immediately out; and he
turned very short and went back to his room.
I remained out till dinner time; and when I returned, he met me,
and immediately began to confess. "Mr. Finney," said he, "I owe you a
confession. I was angry when you said that to me; and I must confess that I
hoped I should never see you again. What you said," he continued, "forced the
conviction upon me, that I never had been converted, that I never had had any
higher motive than a mere selfish desire for my own happiness. I went away,"
said he, "after you left the house, and prayed to God to take my life. I could
not endure to have it known that I had always been deceived. I have been most
intimate with our minister. I have journeyed with him, and slept with him, and
conversed with him, and have been more intimate with him than any other member
of the church; and yet I saw that I had always been a deceived hypocrite. The
mortification was intolerable; and," said he," I wanted to die, and prayed the
Lord to take my life." However, he was all broken down then, and from that time
became a new man.
That conversion did a great deal of good. I might relate many
other interesting facts connected with this revival; but as there were so many
things that pained me, in regard to the relation of the pastor to it, and
especially of the pastor's wife, I will forbear.
Early in the spring, 1825, I left Brownville, with my horse and
cutter, to go after my wife. I had been absent six months since our marriage;
and as mails then were between us, we had seldom been able to exchange letters.
I drove on some fifteen miles, and the roads were very slippery. My horse was
smooth shod, and I found I must have his shoes reset. I stopped at Le Rayville,
a small village about three miles south of Evans' Mills. While my horse was
being shod, the people, finding that I was there, ran to me, and wanted to know
if I would not preach, at one o'clock, in the schoolhouse; for they had no
meeting house.
At one o'clock the house was packed; and while I preached, the
Spirit of God came down with great power upon the people. So great and manifest
was the outpouring of the Spirit, that in compliance with their earnest entreaty
I concluded to spend the night there, and preach again in the evening. But the
work increased more and more; and in the evening I appointed another meeting in
the morning, and in the morning I appointed another in the evening; and soon I
saw that I should not be able to go any farther after my wife. I told a brother
that if he would take my horse and cutter and go after my wife, I would remain.
He did so, and I went on preaching, from day to day, and from night to night;
and there was a powerful revival.
I should have said that, while I was at Brownville, God revealed
to me, all at once, in a most unexpected manner, the fact that he was going to
pour out His Spirit at Gouverneur, and that I must go there and preach. Of the
place I knew absolutely nothing, except that, in that town there was so much
opposition manifested to the revival in Antwerp, the year before. I can never
tell how, or why, the Spirit of God made that revelation to me. But I knew then,
and I have no doubt now, that it was a direct revelation from God to me. I had
not thought of the place, that I know of, for months; but in prayer the thing
was all shown to me, as clear as light, that I must go and preach in Gouverneur,
and that God would pour out His Spirit there.
Very soon after this, I saw one of the members of the church from
Gouverneur, who was passing through Brownville. I told him what God had revealed
to me. He stared at me as if he supposed that I was insane. But I charged him to
go home, and tell the brethren what I said, that they might prepare themselves
for my coming, and for the outpouring of the Lord's Spirit. From him I learned
that they had no minister; that there were two churches and two meeting houses,
in the town, standing near together; that the Baptists had a minister, and the
Presbyterians no minister; that an elderly minister lived there who had formerly
been their pastor, but had been dismissed; and that they were having, in the
Presbyterian church, no regular Sabbath services. From what he said, I gathered
that religion was in a very low state; and he himself was as cold as an iceberg.
But now I return to my labors in Le Rayville. After laboring
there a few weeks, the great mass of the inhabitants were converted; and among
the rest Judge C, a man in point of influence, standing head and shoulders above
all the people around him. My wife arrived, of course, a few days after I sent
for her; and we accepted the invitation of Judge C and his wife, to become their
guests. But after a few weeks, the people urged me to go and preach in a Baptist
church in the town of Rutland, where Rutland joins Le Ray. I made an appointment
to preach there one afternoon. The weather had become warm, and I walked over,
through a pine grove, about three miles to their place of worship. I arrived
early, and found the house open, but nobody there. I was warm from having walked
so far, and went in and took my seat near the broad aisle, in the center of the
house. Very soon people began to come in and take their seats here and there,
scattered over the house. Soon the number increased so that they were coming
continually. I sat still; and, being an entire stranger there, no person came in
that I knew, and I presume that no person that came in knew me.
Presently a young woman came in, who had two or three tall plumes
in her bonnet, and was rather gaily dressed. She was slender, tall, dignified,
and decidedly handsome. I observed as soon as she came in, that she waved her
head and gave a very graceful motion to her plumes. She came as it were sailing
around, and up the broad aisle toward where I sat, mincing as she came, at every
step, waving her great plumes most gracefully, looking around just enough to see
the impression she was making. For such a place the whole thing was so peculiar
that it struck me very much. She entered a slip directly behind me, in which, at
the time, nobody was sitting. Thus we were near together but each occupying a
separate slip. I turned partly around, and looked at her from head to foot. She
saw that I was observing her critically, and looked a little abashed. In a low
voice I said to her, very earnestly, "Did you come in here to divide the worship
of God's house, to make people worship you, to get their attention away from God
and His worship?" This made her writhe; and I followed her up, in a voice so low
that nobody else heard me, but I made her hear me distinctly. She quailed under
the rebuke, and could not hold up her head. She began to tremble, and when I had
said enough to fasten the thought of her insufferable vanity on her mind, I
arose and went into the pulpit. As soon as she saw me go into the pulpit, and
that I was the minister that was about to preach, her agitation began to
increase so much so as to attract the attention of those around her. The house
was soon full, and I took a text and went on to preach.
The Spirit of the Lord was evidently poured out on the
congregation; and at the close of the sermon, I did what I do not know I had
ever done before, called upon any who would give their hearts to God, to come
forward and take the front seat. The moment I made the call, this young woman
was the first to arise. She burst out into the aisle, and came forward, like a
person in a state of desperation. She seemed to have lost all sense of the
presence of anybody but God. She came rushing forward to the front seats, until
she finally fell in the aisle, and shrieked with agony. A large number arose in
different parts of the house and came forward; and a goodly number appeared to
give their hearts to God upon the spot, and among them this young woman. On
inquiry I found that she was rather the belle of the place; that she was an
agreeable girl, but was regarded by everybody as very vain and dressy.
Many years afterwards, I saw a man who called my attention to
that meeting. I inquired after this young woman. He informed me that he knew her
well; that she still resided there, was married, and was a very useful woman;
and had always, from that time, been a very earnest Christian.
I preached a few times at this place, and then the question of
Gouverneur came up again; and God seemed to say to me, "Go to Gouverneur; the
time has come." Brother Nash had come a few days before this, and was spending
some time with me. At the time of this last call to Gouverneur, I had some two
or three appointments ahead, in that part of Rutland. I said therefore to
Brother Nash, "You must go to Gouverneur and see what is there, and come back
and make your report."
He started the next morning, and after he had been gone two or
three days, returned, saying, that he had found a good many professors of
religion, under considerable exercise of mind, and that he was confident that
there was a good deal of the Spirit of the Lord among the people; but that they
were not aware what the state of things really was. I then informed the people
where I was preaching, that I was called to Gouverneur, and could make no more
appointments to preach in that place. I requested Brother Nash to return
immediately, informing the people that they might expect me on a certain day
that week.
CHAPTER X
REVIVAL AT GOUVERNEUR
Brother Nash accordingly returned the next day, and made the
appointment as I desired. I had to ride nearly thirty miles, I believe, to reach
the place. In the morning it rained very hard; but the rain abated in time for
me to ride to Antwerp. While I was getting dinner at that place, the rain came
on again, and literally poured, until quite late in the afternoon. It seemed in
the morning before I started, and at noon, that I should not be able to reach my
appointment. However, the rain abated again, in time for me to ride rapidly to
Gouverneur. I found that the people had given up expecting me that day, in
consequence of the great rain.
Before I reached the village, I met a Mr. S, one of the principal
members of the church, returning from the church meeting to his house, which I
had just passed. He stopped his carriage, and, addressing me, said, "Is this Mr.
Finney?" After my reply in the affirmative, he said, "Please to go back to my
house, for I shall insist on your being my guest. You are fatigued with the long
ride and the roads are so bad, you will not have any meeting tonight." I replied
that I must fulfill my appointment, and asked him if the church meeting had
adjourned. He said it had not, when he left; and he thought it possible I might
reach the village before they would dismiss.
I rode rapidly on, alighted at the meeting house door, and
hurried in. Brother Nash stood in front of the pulpit, having just risen up to
dismiss the meeting. On seeing me enter, he held up his hands, and waited till I
came near the pulpit, and then he took me right in his arms. After thus
embracing me, he introduced me to the congregation. In a word I informed them
that I had come to fulfill my appointment; and, the Lord willing, I would preach
at a certain hour which I named.
When the hour arrived, the house was filled. The people had heard
enough, for and against me, to have their curiosity excited, and there was a
general turning out. The Lord gave me a text, and I went into the pulpit and let
my heart out to the people. The Word took powerful effect. That was very
manifest to everybody, I think. I dismissed the meeting, and that night got some
rest.
The village hotel was at that time kept by a Dr. S, an avowed
Universalist. The next morning I went out, as usual, to call on the people, and
converse with them about their souls, and found the village excited. After
making a few calls, I dropped into a tailor's shop, where I found a number of
people discussing the subject of the sermon the night before.
Dr. S, at that time, I had never heard of; but I found him among
the number at this tailor's shop, and defending his Universalist sentiments. As
I went in, the remarks that were made immediately opened the conversation; and
Dr. S stepped forward, manifestly sustained by the whole influence of his
comrades, to dispute the positions that I had advanced, and to maintain, as
opposed to them, the doctrine of universal salvation. Somebody introduced him to
me; and I said to him, "Doctor, I should be very happy to converse with you
about your views; but if we are going to have a conversation, we must first
agree upon the method upon which we are going to discuss." I was too much used
to discussing with Universalists, to expect any good to come from it, unless
certain terms were agreed upon and adhered to, in the discussion. I proposed,
therefore, first, that we should take up one point at a time, and discuss it
till we had settled it, or had no more to say upon it, and then another, and
another; confining ourselves the point immediately in debate; secondly, that we
should not interrupt each other, but each one should be at liberty to give his
views upon the point, without interruption; and thirdly, that there should be no
cavilling or mere banter, but that we should observe candor and courtesy, and
give to every argument due weight, on whichsoever side it was presented. I knew
they were all of one way of thinking; and I could easily see that they were
banded together, and had come together that morning, for the sake of sustaining
each other in their views.
Having settled the preliminaries, we commenced the argument. It
did not take long to demolish every position that he assumed. He really knew but
little of the Bible. He had a way of disposing of the principal passages, as he
remembered them, that are generally arrayed against the doctrine of
Universalism. But, as Universalists always do, he dwelt mainly on the utter
injustice of endless punishment.
I soon showed him, and those around him, that he had but slender
ground to stand on, so far as the Bible was concerned; and he very soon took the
position, that whatever the Bible said about it, endless punishment was unjust;
and that therefore, if the Bible threatened men with endless punishment, it
could not be true. This settled the question, so far as the Bible was concerned.
In fact I could easily see that they were all skeptics, and would not at all
give in because they saw that the Bible contradicted their views. I then closed
in with him on the justice of endless punishment. I saw that his friends became
agitated, and felt as if the foundations were giving away under them. Pretty
soon one of them went out; and as I proceeded, another went out, and finally
they all forsook him, seeing, as they must have done, one after the other, that
he was utterly wrong.
He had been their leader; and God gave me thus an opportunity to
use him entirely up, in the presence of his followers. When he had nothing more
to say, I urged upon him with warmth, the question of immediate attention to
salvation, and very kindly bid him good morning, and went away, feeling sure
that I should soon hear from that conversation again.
The doctor's wife was a Christian woman, and a member of the
church. She told me a day or two after, that the Doctor came home from that
conversation apparently greatly agitated, though she did not know where he had
been. He would walk the room, and then sit down, but could not remain sitting.
He would thus walk and sit alternately; and she could see in his countenance
that he was greatly troubled. She said to him, "Doctor, what is the matter?"
"Nothing," was his reply. But his agitation increased; and she inquired again,
"Doctor, do tell me what is the matter." She suspected that he had somewhere
fallen in with me; and she said to him, "Doctor, have you seen Mr. Finney this
morning?" This brought him to a stand; and he burst into tears and exclaimed,
"Yes! and he has turned my weapons on my own head!" His agony became intense;
and as soon as the way was opened for him to speak out, he surrendered himself
up to his convictions, and soon after expressed hope in Christ. In a few days
his companions were brought in, one after the other, till I believe, the revival
made a clean sweep of them.
I have said that there was a Baptist church, and a Presbyterian,
each having a meeting house standing upon the green, not far apart; and that the
Baptist church had a pastor, but the Presbyterian had none. As soon as the
revival broke out, and attracted general attention, the Baptist brethren began
to oppose it. They spoke against it, and used very objectionable means indeed to
arrest its progress. This encouraged a set of young men to join hand in hand, to
strengthen each other in opposition to the work. The Baptist church was quite
influential; and the stand that they took greatly emboldened the opposition, and
seemed to give it a peculiar bitterness and strength, as might be expected.
Those young men seemed to stand like a bulwark in the way of the progress of the
work.
In this state of things, Brother Nash and myself, after
consultation, made up our minds that that thing must be overcome by prayer, and
that it could not be reached in any other way. We therefore retired to a grove
and gave ourselves up to prayer until we prevailed, and we felt confident that
no power which earth or hell could interpose, would be allowed permanently to
stop the revival.
The next Sabbath, after preaching morning and afternoon
myself--for I did the preaching altogether, and Brother Nash gave himself up
almost continually to prayer--we met at five o'clock in the church, for a prayer meeting. The meeting house was filled. Near the
close of the meeting, Brother Nash arose, and addressed that company of young
men who had joined hand in hand to resist the revival. I believe they were all
there, and they sat braced up against the Spirit of God. It was too solemn for
them really to make ridicule of what they heard and saw; and yet their
brazen-facedness and stiff-neckedness were apparent to everybody.
Brother Nash addressed them very earnestly, and pointed out the
guilt and danger of the course they were taking. Toward the close of his
address, he waxed exceeding warm, and said to them, "Now, mark me, young men!
God will break your ranks in less than one week, either by converting some of
you, or by sending some of you to hell. He will do this as certainly as the Lord
is my God!" He was standing where he brought his hand down on the top of the pew
before him, so as to make it thoroughly jar. He sat immediately down, dropped
his head, and groaned with pain.
The house was as still as death, and most of the people held down
their heads. I could see that the young men were agitated. For myself, I
regretted that Brother Nash had gone so far. He had committed himself, that God
would either take the life of some of them, and send them to hell, or convert
some of them, within a week. However on Tuesday morning of the same week, the
leader of these young men came to me, in the greatest distress of mind. He was
all prepared to submit; and as soon as I came to press him he broke down like a
child, confessed, and manifestly gave himself to Christ. Then he said, "What
shall I do, Mr. Finney?" I replied "Go immediately to all your young companions,
and pray with them, and exhort them at once to turn to the Lord." He did so; and
before the week was out, nearly if not all of that class of young men, were
hoping in Christ.
There was a merchant living in the village by the name of S. He
was a very amiable man, a gentleman, but a deist. His wife was the daughter of a
Presbyterian minister. She was his second wife; and his first had also been the
daughter of a Presbyterian minister. He had thus married into two minister's
families. His fathers-in-law had taken the greatest pains to secure his
conversion to Christ. He was a reading, reflecting man. Both of his
fathers-in-law were old school Presbyterians, and had put into his hands the
class of books that presented their peculiar views. This had greatly stumbled
him; and the more he had read, the more he was fixed in his convictions that the
Bible was a fable.
His wife urgently entreated me to come and converse with her
husband. She informed me of his views, and of the pains that had been taken to
lead him to embrace the Christian religion. But she said he was so firmly
settled in his views, she did not know that any conversation could meet the
case. Nevertheless, I promised to call and see him, and did so. His store was in
the front part of the building in which they resided. She went into the store,
and requested him to come in. He declined. He said it would do no good; that he
had talked with ministers enough; that he knew just what I would say,
beforehand, and he could not spend the time; beside, it was very repulsive to
his feelings. She replied to him, "Mr. S, you have never been in the habit of
treating ministers, who called to see you, in this way. I have invited Mr.
Finney to call and see you, to have a conversation on the subject of religion;
and I shall be greatly grieved and mortified, if you decline to see him."
He greatly respected and loved his wife; and she was indeed a gem
of a woman. To oblige her, he consented to come in. Mrs. S introduced me to him,
and left the room. I then said to him, "Mr. S, I have not come in here to have
any dispute with you at all; but if you are willing to converse, it is possible
that I may suggest something that may help you over some of your difficulties,
in regard to the Christian religion, as I probably have felt them all myself."
As I addressed him in great kindness, he immediately seemed to feel at home with
me, and sat down near me and said, "Now, Mr. Finney, there is no need of our
having a long conversation on this point. We are both of us so familiar with the
arguments, on both sides, that I can state to you, in a very few minutes, just
the objections to the Christian religion on which I rest, and which I find
myself utterly unable to overcome. I suppose I know beforehand how you will
answer them, and that the answer will be utterly unsatisfactory to me. But if
you desire it, I will state them."
I begged him to do so; and he began, as nearly as I can
recollect, in this way: "You and I agree in believing in the existence of God."
"Yes." "Well, we agree that He is infinitely wise, and good, and powerful."
"Yes." "We agree that He has, in our very creation, given us certain
irresistible convictions of right and wrong, of justice and injustice." "Yes."
"Well, we agree, then, that whatever contravenes our irresistible convictions of
justice, cannot be from God." "Yes," I said. "What, according to our
irresistible convictions, is neither wise nor good, cannot be from God." "Yes,"
I said, "we agree in that." "Well now," said he, "the Bible teaches us that God
has created us with a sinful nature, or that we come into existence totally
sinful and incapable of any good, and this in accordance with certain
preestablished laws of which God is the author; that notwithstanding this sinful
nature, which is utterly incapable of any good, God commands us to obey Him, and
to be good, when to do so is utterly impossible to us; and He commands this on
pain of eternal death."
I replied, "Mr. S, have you a Bible? Will you not turn to the
passage that teaches this?" "Why, there is no need of that," he says; "you admit
that the Bible teaches it." "No," I said, "I do not believe any such
thing." "Then," he continued, "the Bible teaches that God has imputed Adam's sin
to all his posterity; that we inherit the guilt of that sin by nature, and are
exposed to eternal damnation for the guilt of Adam's sin. Now," said he, "I do
not care who says it, or what book teaches such a thing, I know that such
teaching cannot be from God. This is a direct contradiction of my irresistible
convictions of right and justice." "Yes," I replied, "and so it is directly in
contradiction of my own. But now," said I, "where is this taught in the Bible?"
He began to quote the catechism, as he had done before. "But," I
replied, "that is catechism, not Bible." "Why," said he, "you are a Presbyterian
minister, are you not? I thought the catechism was good authority for you."
"No," I said; "we are talking about the Bible now--whether the Bible is true.
Can you say that this is the doctrine of the Bible?" "Oh," he said, "if you are
going to deny that it is taught in the Bible why, that is taking such ground as
I never knew a Presbyterian minister to take." He then proceeded to say that the
Bible commanded men to repent, but at the same time taught them that they could
not repent; it commanded them to obey and believe, and yet at the same time
taught them that this was impossible. I of course closed with him again, and
asked him where these things were taught in the Bible. He quoted catechism; but
I would not receive it.
He went on to say that the Bible taught also, that Christ died
only for the elect; and yet it commanded all men everywhere, whether elect or
non-elect, to believe, on pain of eternal death. "The fact is," said he, "the
Bible, in its commands and teachings, contravenes my innate sense of justice at
every step. I cannot, I will not receive it!" He became very positive and warm.
But I said to him: "Mr. S, there is a mistake in this. These are not the
teachings of the Bible. They are the traditions of men rather than the teachings
of the Bible." "Well then," said he, "Mr. Finney, do tell me what you do
believe!" This he said with a considerable degree of impatience. I said to him,
"If you will give me a hearing for a few moments, I will tell you what I do
believe." I then began and told him what my views of both the Law and the Gospel
were. He was intelligent enough to understand me easily and quickly. In the
course of an hour, I should think, I took him over the whole ground of his
objections. He became intensely interested; and I saw that the views that I was
presenting, were new to him.
When I came to dwell upon the atonement, and showed that it was
made for all men, dwelt upon its nature, its design, its extent, and the
freeness of salvation through Christ, I saw his feelings rise, till at last he
put both hands over his face, threw his head forward upon his knees, and
trembled all over with emotion. I saw that the blood rushed to his head, and
that the tears began to flow freely. I rose quickly and left the room without
saying another word. I saw that an arrow had transfixed him, and I expected him
to be converted immediately. It turned out that he was converted before he left
the room.
Very soon after, the meeting house bell tolled for a prayer and
conference meeting. I went into the meeting and soon after the meeting
commenced, Mr. and Mrs. S came in. His countenance showed that he had been
greatly moved. The people looked around, and appeared surprised to see Mr. S
come into a prayer meeting. He had always been in the habit of attending worship
on the Sabbath, I believe; but to come into a prayer meeting, and that in the
daytime, was something new. For his sake, I took up a good deal of the time, at
that meeting, in remarks, to which he paid the utmost attention.
His wife afterward told me, that as he walked home when the
prayer meeting was over, he said, "My dear, where has all my infidelity gone? I
cannot recall it. I cannot make it look as if it had any sense in it. It appears
to me as if it always had been perfect nonsense. And how I could ever have
viewed the subject as I did, or respected my own arguments as I did, I cannot
imagine. It seems to me," said he, "as if I had been called to pass judgment on
some splendid piece of architecture, some magnificent temple; and that as soon
as I came in view of one corner of the structure, I fell into disgust, and
turned away and refused to inspect it farther. I condemned the whole, without at
all regarding its proportions. Just so I have treated the government of God."
She said he had always been particularly bitter against the doctrine of endless
punishment. But on this occasion, as they were walking home, he said that, for
the manner in which he had treated God, he deserved endless damnation.
His conversion was very clear and decided. He warmly espoused the
cause of Christ, and enlisted heartily in the promotion of the revival. He
joined the church, and soon after became a deacon; and to the day of his death,
as I have been told, was a very useful man.
After the conversion of Mr. S, and of that class of young men to
whom I have alluded, I thought it was time, if possible, to put a stop to the
opposition of the Baptist church and minister. I therefore had an interview
first with a deacon of the Baptist church, who had been very bitter in his
opposition; and said to him, "Now you have carried your opposition far enough.
You must be satisfied that this is the work of God. I have made no allusion in
public to your opposition, and I do not wish to do so, or to appear to know that
there is any such thing; but you have gone far enough; and I shall feel it my
duty, if you do not stop immediately, to take you in hand, and expose your
opposition from the pulpit." Things had got into such a state that I was sure
that both God and the public would sustain me in carrying out the measure that I
proposed.
He confessed, and said that he was sorry; and promised that he
would make confession, and that he would not oppose the work any more. He said
that he had made a great mistake, and had been deceived; but that he also had
been very wicked about it. He then went after his minister; and I had a long
conversation with them together. The minister confessed that he had been all
wrong; that he had been deceived, and had been wicked; and that his sectarian
feeling had carried him too far. He hoped that I would forgive him, and prayed
God to forgive him. I told him that I should take no notice whatever of the
opposition of his church, provided they stopped it; which they promised to do.
But I then said to him, "Now a considerable number of the young
people, whose parents belong to your church, have been converted." If I
recollect right, as many as forty of their young people had been converted in
that revival. "Now," said I, "if you go to proselyting, that will create a
sectarian feeling in both churches, and will be worse than any opposition which
you have offered." I said to him, "In spite of your opposition, the work has
gone on; because the Presbyterian brethren have kept clear of a sectarian
Spirit, and have had the spirit of prayer. But if you go to proselyting, it will
destroy the spirit of prayer, and will stop the revival immediately." He knew
it, he said; and therefore he would say nothing about receiving any of the
converts, and would not open the doors of the church for their reception, until
the revival was over; and then, without any proselyting, let the converts all
join which church they pleased.
This was on Friday. The next day, Saturday, was the day for their
monthly covenant meeting. When they had gathered, instead of keeping his word,
he threw the doors of the church open and invited the converts to come forward
and tell their experience and join the church. As many as could be persuaded to
do so, told their experience; and the next day there was a great parade in
baptizing them. The minister sent off immediately, and secured the help of one
of the most proselyting Baptist ministers that I ever knew. He came in and began
to preach and lecture on baptism.
They traversed the town for converts in every direction; and
whenever they could find anyone to join, they would get up a procession, and
march, and sing, and make a great parade in going to the water and baptizing
them. This soon so grieved the Presbyterian church, as to destroy their spirit
of prayer and faith, and the work came to a dead stand. For six weeks there was
not a single conversion. All, both saints and sinners, were discussing the
question of baptism.
There was a considerable number of men, and some of them
prominent men, in the village, that had been under strong conviction, and
appeared to be near conversion, who had been entirely diverted by this
discussion of baptism; and indeed, this seemed to be the universal effect.
Everybody could see that the revival had stopped; and that the Baptists,
although they had opposed the revival from the beginning, were bent upon having
all the converts join their church. However, I think that a majority of those
converted, could not be persuaded to be immersed, although nothing had been said
to them on the other side.
I finally said to the people on the Sabbath, "You see how it is
that the work of conversion is suspended, and we do not know that a conversion
has occurred now for six weeks; and you know the reason." I did not tell them,
at all, how the pastor of the Baptist church had violated his word, nor did I
allude to it; for I knew that it would do no good, but much hurt, to inform the
people that he had been guilty of taking such a course. But I said to them, "Now
I do not want to take up a Sabbath in preaching on this subject; but if you will
come on Wednesday afternoon at one o'clock, and bring your Bibles, and your lead
pencils to mark the passages, I will read to you all the passages in the Bible
that relate to the mode of baptism; and I will give you as nearly as I
understand them, the views of our Baptist brethren on all those passages,
together with my own; and you shall judge for yourselves where the truth lies."
When Wednesday came, the house was crowded. I saw quite a number
of the Baptist brethren present. I began and read, first in the Old Testament,
and then in the New, all the passages that had any reference to the mode of
baptism, so far as I knew. I gave the views that the Baptists had of those
texts, and the reasons for their views. I then gave my own views, and my reasons
for them. I saw that the impression was decided and good, and that no bad spirit
prevailed; and the people appeared satisfied in regard to the mode of baptism.
The Baptist brethren, so far as I know, were quite satisfied that I stated their
views fairly, and as strongly as they could state them themselves, and also
their reasons for them. Before I dismissed the meeting I said, "If you will come
tomorrow, at the same hour, at one o'clock, I will read to you all the passages
in the Bible that relate to the subjects of baptism, and pursue the same course
as I have done today."
The next day the house was crowded, if possible, more than the
day before. Quite a number of the principal Baptist brethren were present; and I
observed the old elder, the great proselyter, sitting in the congregation. After
going through with the introductory services, I arose and commenced my reading.
At this point the elder arose and said, "Mr. Finney, I have an appointment, and
cannot stay to hear your readings. But I shall wish to answer you; and how shall
I know what course you take?" I replied to him: "Elder, I have before me a
little skeleton, wherein I quote all the passages that I shall read, and note
the order in which I discuss the subject. You can have my skeleton, if you
please, and reply to it." He then went out, and, as I supposed, went away to
attend his appointment.
I then took up the covenant made with Abraham; and read
everything in the Old Testament that directly bore upon the question of the
relation of families and of children, to that covenant. I gave the Baptist view
of the passages that I read, together with my own with the reasons on both
sides, as I had done the day before. I then took up the New Testament, and went
through with all the passages in that, referring to the subject. The people
waxed very mellow; and the tears flowed very freely when I held up that
covenant, as still the covenant which God makes with parents and their
household. The congregation was much moved and melted.
Just before I was through, the deacon of the Presbyterian church
had occasion to go out, with a child that had sat with him during the long
meeting. He told me afterwards that, as he went into the vestibule of the
church, he found the old elder sitting there with the door ajar, and listening
to what I was saying, and absolutely weeping himself.
When I was done, the people thronged around me on every side, and
with tears thanked me for so full and satisfactory an exhibition of that
subject. I should have said that the meeting was attended, not only by members
of the church, but by the community generally. The question was intelligently
settled, and soon the people ceased to talk about it. In the course of a few
days the spirit of prayer returned, and the revival was revived and went on
again with great power. Not long after, the ordinances were administered, and a
large number of the converts united with the church.
I have already intimated that I was a guest of Mr. S. He had a
very interesting family. He and his wife, called by everybody, "Aunt Lucy," had
no children of their own; but they had, from time to time, through the yearnings
of their hearts, adopted one child after another, until they had ten; and they
were so nearly of an age that, at this time, his family was composed of himself,
and Aunt Lucy, his wife, and ten young people, I think about equally divided,
young men and young women. They were all soon converted, and their conversions
were very striking. They were bright converts, and very intelligent young
people; and a happier and more lovely family I never saw than they were when
they were all converted.
But Aunt Lucy had been converted under other circumstances, when
there was no revival; and she had never before seen the freshness, and strength,
and joy of converts in a powerful revival. Their faith and love, their joy and
peace, completely stumbled her. She began to think that she was never converted;
and although she had given herself, heart and soul, to the promotion of the
work, yet, right in the midst of it, she fell into despair, in spite of all that
could be said or done. She concluded that she never had been converted, and of
course that she never could be.
This introduced into the family a matter of great pain and
concern. Her husband thought she would go deranged. The young people, who all
regarded her as a mother, were filled with concern about her; and indeed the
house was thrown into mourning. Mr. S gave up his time to converse and to pray
with her, and to try to revive her hope. I had several conversations with her;
but in the great light which the experience of those young converts, to which
she was daily listening, threw around her, she could not be persuaded to
believe, either that she ever was converted, or ever could be.
This state of things continued day after day, till I began myself
to think that she would be deranged. The street on which they lived was a
thickly settled street, almost a village, for some three miles in extent. The
work had extended on that street until there was but one adult unconverted
person left. He was a young man, by the name of B H, and he was almost frantic
in his opposition to the work. Almost the whole neighborhood gave themselves to
prayer for this young man, and his case was in almost everybody's mouth.
One day I came in, and found Aunt Lucy taking on very much about
this B H. "Oh dear!" she said; "what will become of him? Why, Mr. S, he will
certainly lose his soul! What will become of him?" She seemed to be in the
greatest agony, lest that young man should lose his soul. I listened to her for
a few moments, and then looked gravely at her, and said: "Aunt Lucy, when you
and B H die, God will have to make a partition in hell, and give you a room by
yourself." She opened her large blue eyes, and looked at me with a reproving
look. "Why, Mr. Finney!" said she. "Just so," I said. "Do you think God will be
guilty of so great an impropriety, as to put you and B H in the same place? Here
he is, raving against God; and you are almost insane in feeling the abuse which
he heaps upon God, and with the fear that he is going to hell. Now can two such
persons, in two such opposite states of mind, do you think, be sent to the same
place?" I calmly met her reproving gaze, and looked her steadily in the face. In
a few moments her features relaxed, and she smiled, the first time for many
days. "It is just so, my dear," said Mr. S, "just so. How can you and B H go to
the same place?" She laughed and said, "We cannot." From that moment her despair
cleared up; and she came out clear, and as happy as any of the young converts.
This B H was afterward converted.
About three-quarters of a mile from Mr. S's lived a Mr. M, who
was a strong Universalist, and, for a considerable time, kept away from our
meetings. One morning, Father Nash, who was at the time with me at Mr. S's, rose
up, as his custom was, at a very early hour; and went back to a grove some fifty
rods, perhaps, from the road, to have a season of prayer alone. It was before
sunrise; and Brother Nash, as usual, became very much engaged in prayer. It was
one of those clear mornings, on which it is possible to hear sounds a great
distance. Mr. M had risen, and was out of doors at that early hour in the
morning, and heard the voice of prayer. He listened, and could distinctly hear
Father Nash's voice. He knew it was prayer, he afterward said; though he could
not distinguish much that was said. He, however, said that he knew what it was,
and who it was. And it lodged an arrow in his heart. He said it brought a sense
of the reality of religion over him, such as he never had experienced before.
The arrow was fastened. He found no relief, till he found it in believing in
Jesus.
I do not know the number of those converted in that revival. It
was a large farming town, settled by well-to-do inhabitants. The great majority
of them, I am confident, were, in that revival, converted to Christ.
I have not been in that place for many years. But I have often
heard from there; and have always understood that there has been a very
healthful state of religion in that place, and that they have never had anything
like a discussion on the subject of baptism since.
The doctrines preached in promoting that revival, were those that
I have preached everywhere. The total moral, voluntary depravity of unregenerate
man; the necessity of a radical change of heart, through the truth, by the
agency of the Holy Ghost; the divinity and humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ;
His vicarious atonement, equal to the wants of all mankind; the gift, divinity
and agency of the Holy Ghost: repentance, faith, justification by faith,
sanctification by faith; persistence in holiness as a condition of salvation;
indeed all the distinctive doctrines of the Gospel, were stated and set forth
with as much clearness, and point, and power, as were possible to me under the
circumstances. A great spirit of prayer prevailed; and after the discussion on
baptism, a spirit of most interesting unity, brotherly love, and Christian
fellowship prevailed. I never had occasion finally, to rebuke the opposition of
the Baptist brethren publicly. In my readings on the subject of baptism, the
Lord enabled me to maintain such a spirit that no controversy was started, and
no controversial spirit prevailed. The discussion produced no evil result, but
great good, and, so far as I could see, only good.
CHAPTER XI
REVIVAL AT DE KALB
FROM Gouverneur I went
to De Kalb, another village still farther north, some sixteen miles, I think.
Here were a Presbyterian church and minister; but the church was small, and the
minister seemed not to have a very strong hold upon the people. However, I think
he was decidedly a good man. I began to hold meetings in De Kalb, in different
parts of the town. The village was small and the people were very much
scattered. The country was new, and the roads were new and bad. But a revival
commenced immediately, and went forward with a good deal of power, for a place
where the inhabitants were so much scattered.
A few years before, there had been a revival there under the
labors of the Methodists. It had been attended with a good deal of excitement;
and many cases had occurred of, what the Methodists call, "Falling under the
power of God." This the Presbyterians had resisted, and, in consequence, a bad
state of feeling had arisen, between the Methodists and the Presbyterians; the
Methodists accusing the Presbyterians of having opposed the revival among them
because of these cases of falling. As nearly as I could learn, there was a good
deal of truth in this, and the Presbyterians had been decidedly in error.
I had not preached long, before, one evening, just at the close
of my sermon, I observed a man fall from his seat near the door; and the people
gathered around him to take care of him. From what I saw, I was satisfied that
it was a case of falling under the power of God, as the Methodists would express
it, and supposed that it was a Methodist. I must say that I had a little fear
that it might reproduce that state of division and alienation that had before
existed. But on inquiry I learned that it was one of the principal members of
the Presbyterian church, that had fallen. And it was remarkable that during this
revival, there were several cases of this kind among the Presbyterians, and none
among the Methodists. This led to such confessions and explanations among the
members of the different churches, as to secure a state of great cordiality and
good feeling among them.
While laboring at De Kalb, I first became acquainted with Mr. F,
of Ogdensburgh. He heard of the revival in De Kalb, and came from Ogdensburgh,
some sixteen miles, to see it. He was wealthy, and very benevolent. He proposed
to employ me as his missionary, to work in the towns throughout that county, and
he would pay me a salary. However, I declined to pledge myself to preach in any
particular place, or to confine my labors within any given lines.
Mr. F spent several days with me, in visiting from house to
house, and in attending our meetings. He had been educated in Philadelphia, an
old school Presbyterian, and was himself an elder in the Presbyterian church in
Ogdensburgh. On going away, he left a letter for me, containing three ten dollar bills. A few days later he came up again, and spent two or three
days, and attended our meetings, and became very much interested in the work.
When he went away he left another letter, containing, as before, three ten dollar bills. Thus I
found myself possessed of sixty dollars, with which I immediately purchased a
buggy. Before this time, though I had a horse, I had no carriage; and my young
wife and myself used to go a good deal on foot, to meeting.
The revival took a very strong hold of the church in this place;
and among others, one of the elders of the church, by the name of B, was
thoroughly broken up and broken down, and became quite another man. The
impression deepened on the public mind from day to day.
One Saturday, just before evening, a German merchant tailor, from
Ogdensburgh, by the name of F, called on me, and informed me that Squire F had
sent him from Ogdensburgh, to take my measure for a suit of clothes. I had begun
to need clothes, and had once, not long before, spoken to the Lord about it,
that my clothes were getting shabby; but it had not occurred to me again. Mr. F,
however, had observed it; and sent this man, who was a Roman Catholic, to take
my measure. I asked him if he would not stay over the Sabbath, and take my
measure Monday morning. I said, "It is too late for you to return tonight; and
if I allow you to take my measure tonight, you will go home tomorrow." He
admitted that he expected to do so. I said, "Then you shall not take it. If you
will not stay till Monday morning, I will not be measured for a suit of
clothes." He remained.
The same afternoon there were other arrivals from Ogdensburgh;
and among them was an Elder S, who was a brother elder in the same church with
Mr. F. Mr. S's son, an unconverted young man, came with him.
Elder S attended meeting in the morning, and at the intermission
was invited by Elder B to go home with him, and get some refreshment. Elder B
was full of the Holy Spirit; and on the way home he preached to Elder S, who was
at the time very cold and backward in religion. Elder S was very much penetrated
by his words.
Soon after they entered the house the table was spread, and they
were invited to sit down and take some refreshment. As they drew around the
table, Elder S said to Elder B, "How did you get this blessing?" Elder B
replied, "I stopped lying to God." Said he, "All my Christian life I have been
making pretenses, and asking God for things that I was not, on the whole,
willing to have; and I had gone on and prayed as other people prayed, and often
had been insincere, and really lied to God." He continued: "As soon as I made up
my mind that I never would say anything to God in prayer, that I did not really
mean, God answered me; and the Spirit came down, and I was filled with the Holy
Ghost."
At this moment Mr. S, who had not commenced to eat, shoved his
chair back from the table, and fell on his knees and began to confess how he had
lied to God; and how he had played the hypocrite in his prayers, as well as in
his life. The Holy Ghost fell upon him immediately, and filled him as full as he
could hold.
In the afternoon the people had assembled for worship, and I was
standing in the pulpit reading a hymn. I heard somebody talking very loud, and
approaching the house, the door and windows being open. Directly two men came
in. Elder B I knew; the other man was a stranger. As soon as he came in at the
door, he lifted his eyes to me, came straight into the desk, and took me up in
his arms: "God bless you!" said he "God bless you!" He then began and told me,
and told the congregation, what the Lord had just done for his soul.
His countenance was all in a glow; and he was so changed in his
appearance, that those that knew him were perfectly astonished at the change.
His son who had not known of this change in his father, when he saw and heard
him, rose up and was hastening out of the church. His father cried out, "Do not
leave the house, my son; for I never loved you before." He went on to speak; and
the power with which he spoke was perfectly astonishing. The people melted down
on every side; and his son broke down almost immediately.
Very soon the Roman Catholic tailor, Mr. F, rose up, and said, "I
must tell you what the Lord has done for my soul. I was brought up, a Roman
Catholic; and I never dared to read my Bible. I was told that if I did, the
devil would carry me off bodily. Sometimes when I dared to look into it, it
seemed as if the devil was peering over my shoulder, and had come to carry me
off. But," said he, "I see it is all a delusion." And he went on to tell what
the Lord had done for him, just there on the spot--what views the Lord had given
him of the way of salvation by Jesus Christ. It was evident to everybody that he
was converted.
This made a great impression on the congregation. I could not
preach. The whole course of the meeting had taken on a type which the Lord had
given it. I sat still, and saw the salvation of God. All that afternoon,
conversions were multiplied in every part of the congregation. As they arose one
after another, and told what the Lord had done, and was doing, for their souls,
the impression increased; and so spontaneous a movement by the Holy Ghost, in
convicting and converting sinners, I had scarcely ever seen.
The next day this Elder S returned to Ogdensburgh. But, as I
understand he made many calls on the way, and conversed and prayed with many
families; and thus the revival was extended to Ogdensburgh.
In the early part of October, the synod to which I belonged, met
in Utica. I took my wife, and we went down to Utica to attend the synod, and to
visit her father's family living near Utica.
Mr. Gale, my theological teacher, had left Adams not long after I
left it myself; and had removed to a farm in the town of Western Oneida county,
where he was endeavoring to regain his health, and was employed in teaching some
young men, who proposed to prepare themselves to preach the Gospel. I spent a
few days at the synod at Utica, and then set out on my return to my former field
of labor, in St. Lawrence county.
We had not gone more than a dozen miles when we met Mr. Gale in
his carriage, on his way to Utica. He leaped from his carriage and said, "God
bless you, Brother Finney! I was going down to the synod to see you. You must go
home with me; I cannot be denied. I do not believe that I ever was converted;
and I wrote the other day to Adams, to know where a letter would reach you, as I wanted to
open my mind to you on the subject." He was so importunate that I consented; and
we drove immediately to Western.
In reflecting upon what I have said of the revivals of religion,
in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties, I am not quite sure that I have laid as
much stress as I intended upon the manifest agency of the Holy Spirit, in those
revivals. I wish it to be distinctly understood, in all that I shall say, in my
narrative of the revivals that I have witnessed, that I always in my own mind,
and practically, laid the utmost stress upon this fact, underlying, directing,
and giving efficiency to the means, without which nothing would be accomplished.
I have said, more than once, that the spirit of prayer that
prevailed in those revivals was a very marked feature of them. It was common for
young converts to be greatly exercised in prayer; and in some instances, so much
so, that they were constrained to pray whole nights, and until their bodily
strength was quite exhausted, for the conversion of souls around them. There was
a great pressure of the Holy Spirit upon the minds of Christians; and they
seemed to bear about with them the burden of immortal souls. They manifested the
greatest solemnity of mind, and the greatest watchfulness in all their words and
actions. It was very common to find Christians, whenever they met in any place,
instead of engaging in conversation, to fall on their knees in prayer.
Not only were prayer meetings greatly multiplied and fully
attended, not only was there great solemnity in those meetings; but there was a
mighty spirit of secret prayer. Christians prayed a great deal, many of them
spending many hours in private prayer. It was also the case that two, or more,
would take the promise: "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything
that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven,"
and make some particular person a subject of prayer; and it was wonderful to
what an extent they prevailed. Answers to prayer were so manifestly multiplied
on every side, that no one could escape the conviction that God was daily and
hourly answering prayer.
If anything occurred that threatened to mar the work, if there
was any appearance of any root of bitterness springing up, or any tendency to
fanaticism or disorder, Christians would take the alarm, and give themselves to
prayer that God would direct and control all things; and it was surprising to
see, to what extent, and by what means, God would remove obstacles out of the
way, in answer to prayer.
In regard to my own experience, I will say that unless I had the
spirit of prayer I could do nothing. If even for a day or an hour I lost the
spirit of grace and supplication, I found myself unable to preach with power and
efficiency, or to win souls by personal conversation. In this respect my
experience was what it has always been.
For several weeks before I left De Kalb to go to the synod, I was very strongly exercised in prayer, and had an
experience that was somewhat new to me. I found myself so much exercised, and so
borne down with the weight of immortal souls, that I was constrained to pray
without ceasing. Some of my experiences, indeed, alarmed me. A spirit of
importunity sometimes came upon me so that I would say to God that He had made a
promise to answer prayer, and I could not, and would not, be denied. I felt so
certain that He would hear me, and that faithfulness to His promises, and to
Himself, rendered it impossible that He should not hear and answer, that
frequently I found myself saying to Him, "I hope Thou dost not think that I can
be denied. I come with Thy faithful promises in my hand, and I cannot be
denied." I cannot tell how absurd unbelief looked to me, and how certain it was,
in my mind, that God would answer prayer--those prayers that, from day to day,
and from hour to hour, I found myself offering in such agony and faith. I had no
idea of the shape the answer would take, the locality in which the prayers would
be answered, or the exact time of the answer. My impression was that the answer
was near, even at the door; and I felt myself strengthened in the divine life,
put on the harness for a mighty conflict with the powers of darkness, and
expected soon to see a far more powerful outpouring of the Spirit of God, in
that new country where I had been laboring.
CHAPTER XII
REVIVAL AT WESTERN
I HAVE spoken of my turning aside to Western, as I was returning
from the synod at Utica. At this place, commenced that series of revivals,
afterward called the western revivals. So far as I know these revivals first
attracted the notice, and excited the opposition of certain prominent ministers
at the East, and raised the cry of "New Measures."
The churches in that region were mostly Presbyterian. There were
in that county, however, three Congregational ministers who called themselves
"The Oneida Association," who, at the time, published a pamphlet against those
revivals. This much we knew; but as the pamphlet made no public impression that
we could learn, no public notice, so far as I am aware, was ever taken of it. We
thought it likely that that association had much to do with the opposition that
was raised in the East. Their leader, Rev. William R. Weeks, as was well known,
embraced and propagated the peculiar doctrines of Dr. Emmons, and insisted very
much upon what he called "The divine efficiency scheme." His peculiar views on
this subject naturally led him to be suspicious of whatever was not connected
with those views, in preaching, and in the means that were used to promote a
revival. He seemed to have little or no confidence in any conversions that did
not bring men to embrace his views of divine efficiency and divine sovereignty;
and as those of us who labored in those revivals had no sympathy with his views
in that respect, it was very natural for him to have but little confidence in
the genuineness of the revivals. But we never supposed that the whole of the
opposition could have originated in representations made by any of the members
of that association.
No public replies were made to the letters that found their way
into the public prints, nor to anything that was published in opposition to the
revivals. Those of us who were engaged in them, had our hands too full, and our
hearts too full, to turn aside, to reply to letters, or reports, or
publications, that so manifestly misrepresented the character of the work.
The fact that no answers were made at the time, left the public
abroad, and without the range of those revivals, and where the facts were not
known, to misapprehend their character. So much misapprehension came to exist,
that it has been common for good men, in referring to those revivals, to assume,
that although they were, upon the whole, revivals of religion; yet, that they
were so conducted that great disorders were manifest in them, and that there was
much to deplore in their results.
Now all this is an entire mistake. I shall relate as fairly as I
can, the characteristics of these revivals, the measures that were used in
promoting them, and disclose, to the best of my ability, their real character
and results; understanding well, as I do, that there are multitudes of living
witnesses, who can attest the truth of what I say, or if, in anything, I am
mistaken, can correct me.
And now I will turn to Western, where these revivals commenced,
in Oneida county. I have said, that Mr. Gale had settled upon a farm in Western;
and was employing some young men, in helping to cultivate the farm, and was
engaged in teaching them, and endeavoring to regain his health. I went directly
to his house, and for several weeks was his guest. We arrived there Thursday, I
think, and that afternoon there was a stated prayer meeting, in the schoolhouse,
near the church. The church had no settled minister, and Mr. Gale was unable to
preach; indeed, he did not go there to preach, but simply for his health. I
believe they usually had a minister, only a part of the time; and for some time
previously to my going there, I think, they had had no stated preaching at all,
in the Presbyterian church. There were three elders in the church, and a few
members; but the church was very small, and religion was at low water mark.
There seemed to be no life, or courage, or enterprise, on the part of
Christians; and nothing was doing to secure the conversion of sinners, or the
sanctification of the church.
In the afternoon Mr. Gale invited me to go to the prayer meeting,
and I went. They asked me to take the lead of the meeting; but I declined,
expecting to be there only for that afternoon, and preferring rather to hear
them pray and talk, than to take part in the meeting myself. The meeting was
opened by one of the elders, who read a chapter in the Bible, then a hymn, which
they sung. After this he made a long prayer, or perhaps I should say an
exhortation, or gave a narrative--I hardly know what to call it. He told the
Lord how many years they had been holding that prayer meeting weekly, and that
no answer had been given to their prayers. He made such statements and
confessions as greatly shocked me. After he had done, another elder took up the
same theme. He read a hymn, and, after singing, engaged in a long prayer, in
which he went over very nearly the same ground, making such statements as the
first one had omitted. Then followed the third elder, in the same strain. By
this time I could say with Paul, that my Spirit was stirred within me. They had
got through and were about to dismiss the meeting. But one of the elders asked
me if I would not make a remark, before they dismissed. I arose and took their
statements and confessions for a text; and it seemed to me, at the time, that
God inspired me to give them a terrible searching.
When I arose, I had no idea what I should say; but the Spirit of
God came upon me, and I took up their prayers, and statements and confessions,
and dissected them. I showed them up, and asked if it had been understood that
that prayer meeting was a mock prayer meeting whether they had come together
professedly to mock God, by implying that all the blame of what had been passing
all this time, was to be ascribed to His sovereignty?
At first I observed that they all looked angry. Some of them
afterward said, that they were on the point of getting up and going out. But I
followed them up on the track of their prayers and confessions, until the elder,
who was the principal man among them, and opened the meeting, bursting into
tears, exclaimed, "Brother Finney, it is all true!" He fell upon his knees and
wept aloud. This was the signal for a general breaking down. Every man and woman
went down upon their knees. There were probably not more than a dozen present;
but they were the leading members in the church. They all wept, and confessed,
and broke their hearts before God. This scene continued, I presume, for an hour;
and a more thorough breaking down and confession I have seldom witnessed.
As soon as they recovered themselves somewhat, they besought me
to remain and preach to them on the Sabbath. I regarded it as the voice of the
Lord, and consented to do so. This was Thursday, at night. On Friday, my mind
was greatly exercised. I went off frequently into the church, to engage in
secret prayer, and had a mighty hold upon God. The news was circulated, and on
Sabbath the church was full of hearers. I preached all day, and God came down
with great power upon the people. It was manifest to everybody that the work of
grace had begun. I made appointments to preach in different parts of the town,
in schoolhouses, and at the center, during the week; and the work increased from
day to day.
In the meantime, my own mind was much exercised in prayer; and I
found that the spirit of prayer was prevailing, especially among the female
members of the church. Mrs. B and Mrs. H, the wives of two of the elders of the
church, I found, were, almost immediately, greatly exercised in prayer. Each of
them had families of unconverted children; and they laid hold in prayer with an
earnestness that, to me, gave promise that their families must be converted.
Mrs. H, however, was a woman of very feeble health, and had not ventured out
much, to any meeting, for a long time. But, as the day was pleasant, she was out
at the prayer meeting to which I have alluded, and seemed to catch the
inspiration of that meeting, and took it home with her.
It was the next week, I think, that I called in at Mr. H's, and
found him pale and agitated. He said to me "Brother Finney, I think my wife will
die. She is so exercised in her mind that she cannot rest day or night, but is
given up entirely to prayer. She has been all the morning," said he, "in her
room, groaning and struggling in prayer; and I am afraid it will entirely
overcome her strength." Hearing my voice in the sitting room, she came out from
her bedroom, and upon her face was a most heavenly glow. Her countenance was
lighted up with a hope and a joy that were plainly from heaven. She exclaimed,
"Brother Finney, the Lord has come! This work will spread over all this region!
A cloud of mercy overhangs us all; and we shall see such a work of grace as we
have never yet seen." Her husband looked surprised, confounded, and knew not
what to say. It was new to him, but not to me. I had witnessed such scenes
before, and believed that prayer had prevailed; nay, I felt sure of it in my own
soul.
The work went on, spread, and prevailed, until it began to
exhibit unmistakable indications of the direction in which the Spirit of God was
leading from that place. The distance to home was nine miles, I believe. About
half way, was a small village, called Elmer's Hill. There was a large
schoolhouse, where I held a weekly lecture; and it soon became manifest that the
work was spreading in the direction of Rome and Utica. There was a settlement
northeast of Rome, about three miles, called Wright's settlement. Large numbers
of persons came down to attend the meetings at Elmer's Hill, from Rome and from
Wright's settlement; and the work soon began to take effect among them.
But I must relate a few of the incidents that occurred in the
revival at Western. Mrs. B, to whom I have already alluded, had a large family
of unconverted children. One of the sons was, I believe, a professor of
religion, and lived at Utica; the rest of the family were at home. They were a
very amiable family; and the eldest daughter, especially, had been manifestly
regarded by the family as almost perfect. I went in several times to converse
with her; but I found that the family were so tender of her feelings that I
could not strip away her self-righteousness. She had evidently been made to
believe that she was almost, if not quite, a Christian. Her life had been so
irreproachable, that it was very difficult to convict her of sin. The second
daughter was also a very amiable girl; but she did not regard herself as worthy
to be compared with the eldest, in respect to amiability and excellence of
character.
One day when I was talking with S, the eldest, and trying to make
her see herself as a great sinner, notwithstanding her morality, C, the second
daughter said to me, "Mr. Finney I think that you are too hard upon S. If you
should talk so to me, I should feel that I deserved it; but I don't think that
she does." After being defeated several times in my attempts to secure the
conviction and conversion of S, I made up my mind to bide my time, and improve
some opportunity when I should find her away from home, or alone. It was not
long before the opportunity came. I entered into conversation with her, and by
God's help stripped the covering from her heart, and she was brought under
powerful conviction for sin. The Spirit pursued her with mighty power. The
family were surprised and greatly distressed for S; but God pushed the question
home till, after a struggle of a few days, she broke thoroughly down, and came
out into the kingdom, as beautiful a convert as, perhaps, I have ever seen. Her
convictions were so thorough, that when she came out, she was strong in faith,
clear in her apprehension of duty and of truth, and immediately became a host in
her power for good among her friends and acquaintances.
In the meantime, C, the second daughter, became very much alarmed
about herself, and very anxious for the salvation of her own soul. The mother
seemed to be in real travail of soul day and night. I called in to see the
family almost daily, and sometimes, two or three times a day. One of the
children after another was converted; and we were expecting every day to see C
come out a bright convert. But for some reason she lingered. It was plain the
Spirit was resisted; and one day I called to see her, and found her in the
sitting room alone. I asked her how she was getting on, and she replied, "Mr.
Finney, I am losing my conviction. I do not feel nearly as much concerned about
myself as I have done." Just at this moment, a door was opened, and Mrs. B came
into the room, and I told her what C had said. It shocked her so that she
groaned aloud, and fell prostrate on the floor. She was unable to rise; and she
struggled and groaned out her prayers, in a manner that immediately indicated to
me that C must be converted. She was unable to say much in words, but her groans
and tears witnessed the extreme agony of her mind. As soon as this scene had
occurred, the Spirit of God manifestly came upon C afresh. She fell upon her
knees, and before she arose she broke down; and became to all appearance as
thorough a convert as S was. The B children, sons and daughters, were all
converted at that time, I believe, except the youngest, then a little child. One
of the sons has preached the Gospel for many years.
Among other incidents, I recollect the case of a young woman, in
a distant part of the town, who came to the meeting at the center almost every
day. I had conversed with her several times, and found her deeply convicted,
and, indeed, almost in despair. I was expecting to hear, from day to day, that
she had been converted; but she remained stationary, or rather despair increased
upon her. This led me to suspect that something was wrong at home. I asked her
if her parents were Christians. She said they were members of the church. I
asked her if they attended meetings. She said, "Yes, on the Sabbath. Do not your
parents attend meetings at other times?" "No," was the reply. "Do you have
family prayers at home?" "No sir," she said. "We used to have; but we have not
had family prayers for a long time." This revealed to me the stumbling block, at
once. I inquired when I could probably find her father and mother at home. She
said, "almost any time," as they were seldom away from home. Feeling that it was
infinitely dangerous to leave this case as it was, I went the next morning to
see the family.
This daughter was, I think, an only child; at any rate, she was
the only child at home. I found her bowed down, dejected, and sunken in despair.
I said to the mother, "The Spirit of the Lord is striving with your daughter."
"Yes," she said, "I don't know but He is." I asked her if she was praying for
her. She gave me an answer that led me to understand that she did not know what
it was to pray for her. I inquired for her husband. She said that he was in the
field at work. I asked her to call him in. He came, and as he came in I said to
him, "Do you see the state that your daughter is in?" He replied that he thought
she felt very bad. "And are you awake, and engaged in prayer for her?" His
answer revealed the fact that if he was ever converted he was a miserable
backslider, and had no hold upon God whatever. "And," said I, "you do not have
family prayers." "No sir." "Now," said I, "I have seen your daughter, day after
day, bowed down with conviction, and I have learned that the difficulty is here
at home. You have shut up the kingdom of heaven against your daughter. You
neither enter yourself, nor will you suffer her to enter. Your unbelief and
worldly-mindedness prevent the conversion of your daughter, and will ruin your
own soul. Now you must repent. I do not intend to leave this house until you and
your wife repent, and get out of the way of your daughter. You must establish
family prayer, and build up the altar that has fallen down. Now, my dear sir,
will you get down here on your knees, you and your wife, and engage in prayer?
And will you promise, that from this time you will do your duty, set up your
family altar, and return to God?"
I was so earnest with them, that they both began to weep. My
faith was so strong, that I did not trifle when I told them that I would not
leave the house, until they would repent, and establish their family altar. I
felt that the work must be done, and done then. I cast myself down upon my knees
and began to pray; and they knelt down and wept sorely. I confessed for them as
well as I could, and tried to lead them to God, and to prevail with God in their
behalf. It was a moving scene. They both broke down their hearts, and confessed
their sins; and before we rose from our knees the daughter got into liberty, and
was manifestly converted. She arose rejoicing in Christ. Many answers to prayer,
and many scenes of great interest were presented in this revival.
There was one passage of my own experience that, for the honor of
God, I must not omit to relate in this connection. I had preached and prayed
almost continually during the time that I had been at Mr. Gale's. As I was
accustomed to use my voice in private prayer, for convenience sake, that I might
not be heard, I had spread a buffalo robe on the hayloft; where I used to spend
much of my time, when not abroad visiting, or engaged in preaching, in secret
prayer to God. Mr. Gale had admonished me, several times, that, if I did not
take care, I should go beyond my strength and break down. But the Spirit of
prayer was upon me, and I would not resist Him; but gave Him scope, and let out
my strength freely, in pouring my soul out to God. It was November, and the
weather was becoming cold. Mr. Gale and I had been out visiting inquirers with
his horse and buggy. We came home and went into the barn, and put out the horse.
Instead of going into the house, I crept up into the hayloft to pour out my
burdened song to God in prayer. I prayed until my burden left me. I was so far
exhausted that I fell down, and lost myself in sleep. I must have fallen asleep
almost instantly, I judge, from the fact that I had no recollection of any time
elapsing, after the struggle in my soul was over. The first I knew, Mr. Gale
came climbing up into the hayloft, and said, "Brother Finney, are you dead?" I
awoke, and at first could give no account why I was there asleep, and could form
no idea how long I had been there. But this I knew, that my mind was calm and my
faith unwavering. The work would go on, of that I felt assured.
I have already said that I was ordained to the ministry by a
presbytery. This was years before the division of the Presbyterian church into
what is known as the Old and New School Assemblies. The well known doctrine of
natural and moral ability and inability, was held by the Presbyterian church,
almost universally, in the region where I commenced my ministry. I must here
repeat also that Mr. Gale, who, by direction of the presbytery, had attended
somewhat to my theological studies, held firmly to the doctrine of the sinner's
inability to obey God; and the subject as he presented it in his preaching, as
was the case with most of the Presbyterian ministers of that day, left the
impression upon the people that they must wait God's time. If they were elect,
in due time the Spirit would convert them; if they were non-elect, nothing that
they could do for themselves, or that anybody else could do for them, would ever
savingly benefit them.
They held the doctrine that moral depravity was constitutional,
and belonged to the very nature; that the will, though free to do evil, was
utterly impotent to all good; that the work of the Holy Spirit in changing the
heart, was a physical operation on the substance or essence of the soul; that
the sinner was passive in regeneration, till the Holy Spirit had implanted a new
principle in his nature, and that all efforts on his part vere utterly
unavailing; that properly speaking there were no means of regeneration, this
being a physical recreation of the soul by the direct agency of the Holy Ghost;
that the atonement was limited to the elect, and that for the non-elect to be
saved was an utter impossibility.
In my studies and controversies with Mr. Gale, I had maintained
the opposite of this. I assumed that moral depravity is, and must be, a
voluntary attitude of the mind; that it does, and must, consist in the committal
of the will to the gratification of the desires, or as the Bible expresses it,
of the lusts of the flesh, as opposed to that which the law of God requires. In
consistency with this I maintained that the influence of the Spirit of God upon
the soul of man is moral, that is persuasive; that Christ represented Him as a
teacher; that His work is to convict and convert the sinner, by divine teaching
and persuasion.
I held also that there are means of regeneration, and that the
truths of the Bible are, in their nature, calculated to lead the sinner to
abandon his wickedness and turn to God. I held also that there must be an
adaptation of means to the end to be secured; that is, that the intelligence
must be enlightened, the unreasonableness of moral depravity must be set before
the sinner, and its wickedness and ill-desert clearly revealed to him; that when
this was done the mission of Christ could be strongly presented, and could be
understood by him; that taking this course with the sinner, had a tendency to
convert him to Christ; and that when this was faithfully and prayerfully done,
we had a right to expect the Holy Spirit to cooperate with us, giving effect to
our feeble effort.
Furthermore, I held that the Holy Spirit operates in the
preacher, clearly revealing these truths in their proper order to him, and
enabling him to set them before the people, in such proportion, and in such
order as is calculated to convert them. I understood then, as I do now, the
charge and promise which Christ gave to the apostles and to the church, to be
applicable in the present day: "Go and disciple all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and lo, I am with
you always, even unto the end of the world."
This I regarded as a charge committed to me, to all ministers,
and to the church; with the express promise that when we go forth to this work,
with a single eye, and with a prayerful heart, Christ will be with us by His
Spirit, giving efficiency to our efforts to save souls. It appeared to me then,
as it ever has since, that the great failure of the ministry and of the church,
in promoting religion, consisted, in great measure, in the want of a suitable
adaptation of means to that end. I had sat under Mr. Gale's preaching for years,
and could never see any adaptation in his preaching to convert anybody. It did
not appear to me as if that could have been his design. I found the same was
true of all the sermons that I heard, anywhere. I had on one occasion spoken to
Mr. Gale on this subject, and said to him, that of all the causes that were ever
plead, the cause of religion, I thought, had the fewest able advocates; and that
if advocates at the bar should pursue the same course in pleading the cause of
their clients, that ministers do in pleading the cause of Christ with sinners,
they would not gain a single case.
But at that time, Mr. Gale could not see it; for what connection
was there between means and ends, upon his view of what regeneration consisted
in, and the manner in which the Holy Spirit changed the heart?
As an illustration, soon after I began to preach, in the midst of
a powerful revival, a young man from the theological seminary at Princeton, came into the place. The former pastor of the church,
an elderly gentlemen, lived there, and had a great curiosity to hear this young
man preach. The church had no pastor at the time; I therefore had the sole
charge of the pulpit, and was conducting things according to my own discretion.
He said he had known the young man before he went to college, and he desired
very much to see what proficiency he had made; and wanted I should let him
preach. I said I was afraid to set him to preach, lest he should mar the work,
by not preaching that which was needed at the time. "Oh," said the old
gentleman, "he will preach the truth; and there is no connection in religion,
you know, between means and ends, and therefore there is no danger of his
marring the work." I replied, "That is not my doctrine. I believe there is as
much connection between means and ends in religion as in nature; and therefore
cannot consent to let him preach."
I have often found it necessary to take substantially the same
course in revivals of religion; and sometimes, by doing so, I have found that I
gave offense; but I dared not do otherwise. In the midst of a revival of
religion, and when souls needed peculiar instruction, adapted to their present
condition and their present wants, I dared not put a stranger into the pulpit,
where I had the charge, to preach any of his great sermons, and generally too, a
sermon not at all adapted to the wants of the people. For this course I have
frequently been accused of supposing that I could preach better than others. And
I confess I did suppose that I could meet the wants of the people, better than
those that knew less about them, or than those that would preach their old
written sermons to them; and I supposed that Christ had put the work into my
hands in such a sense, that I was under obligation to adapt means to ends, and
not call upon others who knew little of the state of things, to attempt to
instruct the people. I did in these cases just as I would be done by. I would
not allow myself to go in, where another man was laboring to promote a revival,
and suffer myself to be put in his place, when I knew little or nothing about
the state of the people.
I have said that at Western I was the guest of Mr. Gale, and that
he had come to the conclusion that he was never converted. He told me the
progress of his mind; that he had firmly believed, as he had so frequently urged
upon me, that God would not bless my labors, because I would not preach what he
regarded as the truths of the Gospel. But when he found that the Spirit of God
did accompany my labors, it led him to the conclusion that he was wrong; and
this led him to such an overhauling of his whole state of mind, and of his views
as a preacher, as resulted in his coming to the conclusion that he had never
been converted, and did not understand the Gospel himself. During the revival in
Western, he attended nearly all the meetings; and before many weeks, he told me
he had come into an entirely different state of mind in regard to his own soul,
and had changed his views of the Gospel, and thought I was right. He said he
thanked God that he had had no influence with me, to lead me to adopt his views;
that I should have been ruined as a minister if he had prevailed. From this time
he became a very efficient worker, so far as his health would permit, in the
revival in that region of country.
The doctrine upon which I insisted, that the command to obey God
implied the power to do so, created in some places considerable opposition at
first. Denying also, as I did, that moral depravity is physical, or the
depravity of the nature, and maintaining, as I did, that it is altogether
voluntary, and therefore that the Spirit's influences are those of teaching,
persuading, convicting, and, of course, a moral influence, I was regarded by
many as teaching new and strange doctrines. Indeed, as late as 1832, when I was
laboring in Boston for the first time, Dr. Beecher said that he never had heard
the doctrine preached before, that the Spirit's influences are moral, as opposed
to physical. Therefore, to a considerable extent, ministers and Christians
regarded that doctrine as virtually a denial of the Spirit's influence
altogether; and hence, although I ever insisted very much, and incessantly, upon
the divine agency in conviction and regeneration, and in every Christian
exercise; yet it was a long time before the cry ceased to be heard that I denied
the agency of the Holy Ghost, in regeneration and conversion. It was said that I
taught self-conversion, self-regeneration; and not unfrequently was I rebuked
for addressing the sinner, as if the blame of his impenitence all belonged to
himself, and for urging him to immediate submission. However, I persisted in
this course, and it was seen by ministers and Christians that God owned it as
His truth, and blessed it to the salvation of thousands of souls.
I have spoken of the meetings at Elmer's Hill, and have said that
people from Rome and Wright's settlement began to come in large numbers; and
that the manifest effect of the Word upon those that came, plainly indicated
that the work was rapidly extending in that direction.
CHAPTER XIII
REVIVAL AT ROME
AT this time Rev.
Moses Gillett, pastor of the Congregational Church in Rome, hearing what the
Lord was doing in Western, came, in company with a Miss H, one of the prominent
members of his church, to see the work that was going on. They were both greatly
impressed with the work of God. I could see that the Spirit of God was stirring
them up to the deepest foundations of their minds. After a few days, Mr. Gillett
and Miss H came up again. Miss H was a very devout and earnest Christian girl.
On their second coming up, Mr. Gillett said to me, "Brother Finney, it seems to
me that I have a new Bible. I never before understood the promises as I do now;
I never got hold of them before; I cannot rest," said he; "my mind is full of
the subject, and the promises are new to me." This conversation, protracted as
it was for some time, gave me to understand that the Lord was preparing him for
a great work in his own congregation.
Soon after this, and when the revival was in its full strength at
Western, Mr. Gillett persuaded me to exchange a day with him. I consented
reluctantly.
On the Saturday before the day of our exchange, on my way to
Rome, I greatly regretted that I had consented to the exchange. I felt that it
would greatly mar the work in Western, because Mr. Gillett would preach some of
his old sermons, which I knew very well could not be adapted to the state of
things. However, the people were praying; and it would not stop the work,
although it might retard it. I went to Rome and preached three times on the
Sabbath. To me it was perfectly manifest that the Word took great effect. I
could see during the day that many heads were down, and that a great number of
them were bowed down with deep conviction for sin. I preached in the morning on
the text: "The carnal mind is enmity against God;" and followed it up with
something in the same direction, in the afternoon and evening. I waited on
Monday morning, till Mr. Gillett returned from Western. I told him what my
impressions were in respect to the state of the people. He did not seem to
realize that the work was beginning with such power as I supposed. But he wanted
to call for inquirers, if there were any in the congregation, and wished me to
be present at the meeting. I have said before, that the means that I had all
along used, thus far, in promoting revivals, were much prayer, secret and
social, public preaching, personal conversation, and visitation from house to
house; and when inquirers became multiplied, I appointed meetings for them, and
invited those that were inquiring to meet for instruction, suited to their
necessities. These were the means and the only means, that I had thus far used,
in attempting to secure the conversion of souls.
Mr. Gillett asked me to be present at the proposed meeting of
inquiry. I told him I would; and that he might circulate information through the
village, that there would be a meeting of inquiry, on Monday evening. I would go
to Western, and return just at evening; it being understood that he was not to
let the people know that he expected me to be present. The meeting was called at
the house of one of his deacons. When we arrived, we found the large sitting
room crowed to its utmost capacity. Mr. Gillett looked around with surprise, and
manifest agitation; for he found that the meeting was composed of many of the
most intelligent and influential members of his congregation; and especially was
largely composed of the prominent young men in the town. We spent a little while
in attempting to converse with them; and I soon saw that the feeling was so
deep, that there was danger of an outburst of feeling, that would be almost
uncontrollable. I therefore said to Mr. Gillett, "It will not do to continue the
meeting in this shape. I will make some remarks, such as they need, and then
dismiss them."
Nothing had been said or done to create any excitement in the
meeting. The feeling was all spontaneous. The work was with such power, that
even a few words of conversation would make the stoutest men writhe on their
seats, as if a sword had been thrust into their hearts. It would probably not be
possible for one who had never witnessed such a scene, to realize what the force
of the truth sometimes is, under the power of the Holy Ghost. It was indeed a
sword, and a two-edged sword. The pain that it produced when searchingly
presented in a few words of conversation, would create a distress that seemed
unendurable.
Mr. Gillett became very much agitated. He turned pale; and with a
good deal of excitement he said, "What shall we do? What shall we do?" I put my
hand on his shoulder, and in a whisper said, "Keep quiet, keep quiet, Brother
Gillett." I then addressed them in as gentle but plain a manner as I could;
calling their attention at once to their only remedy, and assuring them that it
was a present and all-sufficient remedy. I pointed them to Christ, as the Savior
of the world; and kept on in this strain as long as they could well endure it,
which, indeed, was but a few moments.
Mr. Gillett became so agitated that I stepped up to him, and
taking him by the arm I said, "Let us pray." We knelt down in the middle of the
room where we had been standing. I led in prayer, in a low, unimpassioned voice;
but interceded with the Savior to interpose His blood, then and there, and to
lead all these sinners to accept the salvation which He proffered, and to
believe to the saving of their souls. The agitation deepened every moment; and
as I could hear their sobs, and sighs, I closed my prayer and rose suddenly from
my knees. They all arose, and I said, "Now please go home without speaking a
word to each other. Try to keep silent, and do not break out into any boisterous
manifestation of feeling; but go without saying a word, to your rooms."
At this moment a young man by the name of W, a clerk in Mr. H's
store, being one of the first young men in the place, so nearly fainted, that he
fell upon some young men that stood near him; and they all of them partially
swooned away, and fell together. This had well-nigh produced a loud shrieking;
but I hushed them down, and said to the young men, "Please set that door wide
open, and go out, and let all retire in silence." They did as I requested. They
did not shriek; but they went out sobbing and sighing, and their sobs and sighs
could be heard till they got out into the street.
This Mr. W, to whom I have alluded, kept silence till he entered
the door where he lived; but he could contain himself any longer. He shut the
door, fell upon the floor, and burst out into a loud wailing, in view of his
awful condition: This brought the family around him, and scattered conviction
among the whole of them.
I afterwards learned that similar scenes occurred in other
families. Several, as it was afterwards ascertained, were converted at the
meeting, and went home so full of joy, that they could hardly contain
themselves.
The next morning, as soon as it was fairly day, people began to
call at Mr. Gillett's, to have us go and visit members of their families, whom
they represented as being under the greatest conviction. We took a hasty
breakfast, and started out. As soon as we were in the streets, the people ran
out from many houses, and begged us to go into their houses. As we could only
visit but one place at a time, when we went into a house, the neighbors would
rush in and fill the largest room. We would stay and give them instruction for a
short time, and then go to another house, and the people would follow us.
We found a most extraordinary state of things. Convictions were
so deep and universal, that we would sometimes go into a house, and find some in
a kneeling posture, and some prostrate on the floor. We visited, and conversed,
and prayed in this manner, from house to house, till noon. I then said to Mr. Gillett, "This will never do; we
must have a meeting of inquiry. We cannot go from house to house, and we are not
meeting the wants of the people at all." He agreed with me; but the question
arose, where shall we have the meeting?
A Mr. F, a religious man, at that time kept a hotel, on the
corner, at the center of the town. He had a large dining room; and Mr. Gitlett
said, "I will step in and see if I cannot be allowed to appoint the meeting of
inquiry in his dining room." Without difficulty he obtained consent, and then
went immediately to the public schools, and gave notice that at one o'clock
there would be a meeting of inquiry at Mr. F's dining room. We went home, and
took our dinner, and started for the meeting. We saw people hurrying, and some
of them actually running to the meeting. They were coming from every direction.
By the time we were there, the room, though a large one, was crammed to its
utmost capacity. Men, women, and children crowded the apartment.
This meeting was very much like the one we had had the night
before. The feeling was overwhelming. Some men of the strongest nerves were so
cut down by the remarks which were made, that they were unable to help
themselves, and had to be taken home by their friends. This meeting lasted till
nearly night. It resulted in a great number of hopeful conversions, and was the
means of greatly extending the work on every side.
I preached that evening, and Mr. Gillett appointed a meeting for
inquiry, the next morning, in the courthouse. This was a much larger room than
the dining hall, though it was not so central. However, at the hour, the court
house was crowded; and we spent a good part of the day in giving instruction,
and the work went on with wonderful power. I preached again in the evening, and
Mr. Gillett appointed a meeting of inquiry, the next morning, at the church; as
no other room in the village was then large enough to hold the inquirers.
At evening, if I rightly remember the order of things; we
undertook to hold a prayer and conference meeting in a large schoolhouse. But
the meeting was hardly begun before the feeling deepened so much that, to
prevent an undesirable outburst of overwhelming feeling, I proposed to Mr.
Gillett that we should dismiss the meeting, and request the people to go in
silence, and Christians to spend the evening in secret prayer, or in family
prayer, as might seem most desirable. Sinners we exhorted not to sleep, until
they gave their hearts to God. After this the work became so general that I
preached every night, I think, for twenty nights in succession, and twice on the
Sabbath. Our prayer meetings during this time were held in the church, in the
daytime. The prayer meeting was held one part of the day, and a meeting for
inquiry the other part. Every day, if I remember aright, after the work had thus
commenced, we held a prayer meeting and a meeting for inquiry, with preaching in
the evening. There was a solemnity throughout the whole place, and an awe that
made everybody feel that God was there.
Ministers came in from neighboring towns, and expressed great
astonishment at what they saw and heard, as well they might. Conversions
multiplied so rapidly, that we had no way of learning who were converted.
Therefore every evening, at the close of my sermon, I requested
all who had been converted that day, to come forward and report themselves in
front of the pulpit, that we might have a little conversation with them. We were
every night surprised by the number and the class of persons that came forward.
At one of our morning prayer meetings, the lower part of the
church was full. I arose and was making some remarks to the people, when an
unconverted man, a merchant, came into the meeting. He came along till he found
a seat in front of me, and near where I stood speaking. He had sat but a few
moments, when he fell from his seat as if he had been shot. He writhed and
groaned in a terrible manner. I stepped to the pew door, and saw that it was
altogether an agony of mind.
A skeptical physician sat near him. He stepped out of his slip,
and came and examined this man who was thus distressed. He felt his pulse, and
examined the case for a few moments. He said nothing, but turned away, and
leaned his head against a post that supported the gallery, and manifested great
agitation.
He said afterward that he saw at once that it was distress of
mind, and it took his skepticism entirely away. He was soon after hopefully
converted. We engaged in prayer for the man who fell in the pew; and before he
left the house, I believe, his anguish passed away, and he rejoiced in Christ.
Another physician, a very amiable man but a skeptic, had a little
daughter and a praying wife. Little H, a girl perhaps eight or nine years old,
was strongly convicted of sin, and her mother was greatly interested in her
state of mind. But her father was, at first, quite indignant. He said to his
wife, "The subject of religion is too high for me. I never could understand it.
And do you tell me that that little child understands it so as to be
intelligently convicted of sin? I do not believe it. I know better. I cannot
endure it. It is fanaticism; it is madness." Nevertheless the mother of the
child held fast in prayer. The doctor made these remarks, as I learned, with a
good deal of spirit. Immediately he took his horse, and went several miles to
see a patient. On his way, as he afterward remarked, that subject took
possession of his mind in such a manner, that it was all opened to his
understanding; and the whole plan of salvation by Christ was so clear to him
that he saw that a child could understand it. He wondered that it had ever
seemed so mysterious to him. He regretted exceedingly that he had said what he
had to his wife about little H, and felt in haste to get home that he might take
it back. He soon came home, another man; told his wife what had passed in his
own mind; encouraged dear little H to come to Christ; and both father and
daughter have since been earnest Christians, and have lived long and done much
good.
But in this revival, as in others that I have known, God did some
terrible things in righteousness. On one Sabbath while I was there, as we came
out of the pulpit, and were about to leave the church, a man came in haste to
Mr. Gillett and myself, and requested us to go to a certain place, saying that a
man had fallen down dead there. I was engaged in conversing with somebody, and
Mr. Gillett went alone. When I was through with the conversation, I went to Mr.
Gillett's house, and he soon returned and related this fact. Three men who had
been opposing the work, had met that Sabbath-day, and spent the day in drinking
and ridiculing the work. They went on in this way until one of them suddenly
fell dead. When Mr. Gillett arrived at the house, and the circumstances were
related to him, he said, "There--there is no doubt but that man has been
stricken down by God, and has been sent to hell." His companions were
speechless. They could say nothing; for it was evident to them that their
conduct had brought upon him this awful stroke of divine indignation.
As the work proceeded, it gathered in nearly the whole
population. Nearly every one of the lawyers, merchants, and physicians, and
almost all the principal men, and indeed, nearly all the adult population of the
village, were brought in, especially those who belonged to Mr. Gillett's
congregation. He said to me before I left, "So far as my congregation is
concerned, the millennium is come already. My people are all converted. Of all
my past labors I have not a sermon that is suited at all to my congregation, for
they are all Christians." Mr. Gillett afterward reported that, during the twenty
days that I spent at Rome, there were five hundred conversions in that town.
During the progress of this work, a good deal of excitement
sprung up in Utica, and some there, were disposed to ridicule the work at Rome.
Mr. E, who lived at Rome, was a very prominent citizen, and was regarded as
standing at the head of society there, in point of wealth and intelligence. But
he was skeptical; or, perhaps I should say, he held Unitarian views. He was a
very moral and respectable man, and held his peculiar views unobtrusively,
saying very little to anybody about them. The first Sabbath I preached there,
Mr. H was present; and he was so astonished, as he afterwards told me, at my
preaching, that he made up his mind that he would not go again. He went home and
said to his family: "That man is mad, and I should not be surprised if he set
the town on fire." He stayed away from the meeting for some two weeks. In the
meantime the work became so great as to confound his skepticism, and he was in a
state of great perplexity.
He was president of a bank in Utica,
and used to go down to attend the weekly meeting of the directors. On one of
these occasions, one of the directors began to rally him on the state of things
in Rome, as if they were all running mad there. Mr. H remarked, "Gentlemen, say
what you will, there is something very remarkable in the state of things in
Rome. Certainly no human power or eloquence has produced what we see there. I
cannot understand it. You say it will soon subside. No doubt the intensity of
feeling that is now in Rome, must soon subside, or the people will become
insane. But, gentlemen," said he, "there is no accounting for that state of
feeling by any philosophy, unless there be something divine in it."
After Mr. H had stayed away from the meeting about two weeks, a
few of us assembled one afternoon, to make him a special subject of prayer. The
Lord gave us strong faith in praying for him; and we felt the conviction that
the Lord was working in his soul. That evening he came to meeting. When he came
into the house, Mr. Gillett whispered to me as he sat in the pulpit, and said,
"Brother Finney, Mr. H has come. I hope you will not say anything that will
offend him." "No," said I, "but I shall not spare him." In those days I was
obliged to preach altogether without premeditation; for I had not an hour in a
week, which I could take to arrange my thoughts beforehand.
I chose my subject and preached. The Word took a powerful hold;
and as I hoped and intended, it took a powerful hold of Mr. H himself. I think
it was that very night, when I requested, at the close of the meeting, all those
who had been converted that day and evening to come forward and report
themselves, Mr. H was one who came deliberately, solemnly forward, and reported
himself as having given his heart to God. He appeared humble and penitent, and I
have always supposed, was truly converted to Christ.
The state of things in the village, and in the neighborhood round
about, was such that no one could come into the village, without feeling
awe-stricken with the impression that God was there, in a peculiar and wonderful
manner. As an illustration of this, I will relate an incident. The sheriff of
the county resided in Utica. There were two courthouses in the county, one at
Rome, and the other at Utica; consequently the sheriff, B by name, had much
business at Rome. He afterwards told me that he had heard of the state of things
at Rome; and he, together with others, had a good deal of laughing, in the hotel
where he boarded, about what they had heard.
But one day it was necessary for him to go. to Rome. He said that
he was glad to have business there; for he wanted to see for himself what it was
that people talked so much about, and what the state of things really was in
Rome. He drove on in his one horse sleigh, as he told me, without any particular
impression upon his mind at all, until he crossed what was called the old canal,
a place about a mile, I think, from the town. He said as soon as he crossed the
old canal, a strange impression came over him, an awe so deep that he could not
shake it off. He felt as if God pervaded the whole atmosphere. He said that this
increased the whole way, till he came to the village. He stopped at Mr. F's
hotel, and the hostler came out and took his horse. He observed, he said, that
the hostler looked just as he himself felt, as if he were afraid to speak. He
went into the house, and found the gentleman there with whom he had business. He
said they were manifestly all so much impressed, they could hardly attend to
business. He said that several times, in the course of the short time he was
there, he had to rise from the table abruptly, and go to the window and look
out, and try to divert his attention, to keep from weeping. He observed, he
said, that everybody else appeared to feel just as he did. Such an awe, such a
solemnity, such a state of things, he had never had any conception of before. He
hastened through with his business, and returned to Utica; but, as he said,
never to speak lightly of the work at Rome again. A few weeks later, at Utica,
he was hopefully converted; the circumstances of which I shall relate in the
proper place.
I have spoken of Wright's settlement, a village northeast of
Rome, some two or three miles. The revival took powerful effect there, and
converted the great mass of the inhabitants.
The means that were used at Rome,
were such as I had used before, and no others; preaching, public, social, and
private prayer, exhortations, and personal conversation. It is difficult to
conceive so deep and universal a state of religious feeling, with no instance of
disorder, or tumult, or fanaticism, or anything that was objectionable, as was
witnessed at Rome. There are many of the converts of that revival, scattered all
through the land, living to this day; and they can testify that in those
meetings the greatest order and solemnity prevailed, and the utmost pains were
taken to guard against everything that was to be deplored.
The Spirit's work was so spontaneous, so powerful and so
overwhelming, as to render it necessary to exercise the greatest caution and
wisdom, in conducting all the meetings, in order to prevent an undesirable
outburst of feeling, that soon would have exhausted the sensibility of the
people, and brought about a reaction. But no reaction followed, as everybody
knows who is acquainted with the facts. They kept up a sunrise prayer meeting
for several months, and I believe for more that a year afterwards, at all
seasons of the year, that was very fully attended, and was as full of interest
as perhaps a prayer meeting could well be. The moral state of the people was so
greatly changed, that Mr. Gillett often remarked that it did not seem like the
same place. Whatever of sin was left, was obliged to hide its head. No open
immorality could be tolerated there for a moment. I have given only a very faint
outline of what passed at Rome. A faithful description of all the moving
incidents that were crowded into that revival, would make a volume of itself.
I should say a few words in regard to the spirit of prayer which
prevailed at Rome at this time. I think it was on the Saturday that I came down
from Western to exchange with Mr. Gillett, that I met the church in the
afternoon in a prayer meeting, in their house of worship. I endeavored to make
them understand that God would immediately answer prayer, provided they
fulfilled the conditions upon which he had promised to answer prayer; and
especially if they believed, in the sense of expecting Him to answer their
requests. I observed that the church were greatly interested in my remarks, and
their countenances manifested an intense desire to see an answer to their
prayers. Near the close of the meeting I recollect making this remark: "I really
believe, if you will unite this afternoon in the prayer of faith to God, for the
immediate outpouring of His Spirit, that you will receive an answer from heaven,
sooner than you would get a message from Albany, by the quickest post that could
be sent."
I said this with great emphasis, and felt it; and I observed that
the people were startled with my expression of earnestness and faith in respect
to an immediate answer to prayer. The fact is, I had so often seen this result
in answer to prayer, that I made the remark without any misgiving. Nothing was
said by any of the members of the church at the time; but I learned after the
work had begun, that three or four members of the church called in at Mr.
Gillett's study, and felt so impressed with what had been said about speedy
answers to prayer, that they determined to take God at His word, and see whether
he would answer while they were yet speaking. One of them told me afterwards
that they had wonderful faith given them by the Spirit of God, to pray for an
immediate answer; and he added, "The answer did come quicker than we could have
got an answer from Albany, by the quickest post we could have sent."
Indeed the town was full of prayer. Go where you would, you heard
the voice of prayer. Pass along the street, and if two or three Christians
happened to be together, they were praying. Wherever they met they prayed.
Wherever there was a sinner unconverted, especially if he manifested any
opposition, you would find some two or three brethren or sisters agreeing to
make him a particular subject of prayer.
There was the wife of an officer in the United States army
residing at Rome, the daughter of a prominent citizen of that place. This lady
manifested a good deal of opposition to the work, and, as was reported, said
some strong things against it; and this led to her being made a particular
subject of prayer. This had come to my knowledge but a short time before the
event occurred, which I am about to relate. I believe, in this case, some of the
principal women made this lady a particular subject of prayer, as she was a
person of prominent influence in the place. She was an educated lady, of great
force of character, and of strong will; and of course she made her opposition
felt. But almost as soon as this was known, and the spirit of prayer was given
for her in particular, the Spirit of God took her case in hand. One evening,
almost immediately after I had heard of her case, and perhaps the evening of the
very day that the facts came to my knowledge, after the meeting was dismissed,
and the people had retired, Mr. Gillett and myself had remained to the very
last, conversing with some persons who were deeply bowed down with conviction.
As they went away, and we were about to retire, the sexton came hurriedly to us
as we were going out, and said, "There is a lady in yonder pew that cannot get
out; she is helpless. Will you not come and see her?" We returned, and lo! down
in the pew, was this lady of whom I have spoken, perfectly overwhelmed with
conviction. The pew had been full, and she had attempted to retire with the
others that went out; but as she was the last to go out, she found herself
unable to stand, and sunk down upon the floor, and did so without being noticed
by those that preceded her. We had some conversation with her, and found that
the Lord had stricken her with unutterable conviction of sin. After praying with
her, and giving her the solemn charge to give her heart immediately to Christ, I
left her; and Mr. Gillett, I believe, helped her home. It was but a few rods to
her house. We afterwards learned, that when she got home she went into a chamber
by herself and spent the night. It was a cold winter's night. She locked herself
in, and spent the night alone. The next day she expressed hope in Christ, and so
far as I have known, proved to be soundly converted.
I think I should mention also the conversion of Mrs. Gillett,
during this revival. She was a sister of the missionary Mills, who was one of
the young men whose zeal led to the organization of the American Board. She was
a beautiful woman, considerably younger than her husband, and his second wife.
She had been, before Mr. Gillett married her, under conviction for several weeks
and had become almost deranged. She had the impression, if I recollect right,
that she was not one of the elect, and that there was no salvation for her. Soon
after the revival began in Rome,
she was powerfully convicted again by the Spirit of the Lord.
She was a woman of refinement, and fond of dress; and as is very
common, wore about her head and upon her person some trifling ornaments;
nothing, however, that I should have thought of as being any stumbling block in
her way, at all. Being her guest, I conversed repeatedly with her as her
convictions increased; but it never occurred to me that her fondness for dress
could stand in the way of her being converted to God. But as the work became so
powerful, her distress became alarming; and Mr. Gillett, knowing what had
formally occurred in her case, felt quite alarmed lest she should get into that
state of despondency, in which she had been years before. She threw herself upon
me for instruction. Every time I came into the house, almost, she would come to
me and beg me to pray for her, and tell me that her distress was more than she
could bear. She was evidently going fast to despair; but I could see that she
was depending too much on me; therefore I tried to avoid her.
It went on thus, until one day I came into the house, and turned
into the study. In a few moments, as usual, she was before me, begging me to
pray for her, and complaining that there was no salvation for her. I got up
abruptly and left her, without praying with her, and saying to her that it was
of no use for me to pray for her, that she was depending upon my prayers. When I
did so, she sunk down as if she would faint. I left her alone, notwithstanding,
and went abruptly from the study to the parlor. In the course of a few moments
she came rushing across the hall into the parlor, with her face all in a glow,
exclaiming, "O Mr. Finney! I have found the Savior! I have found the Savior!
Don't you think that it was the ornaments in my hair that stood in the way of my
conversion? I have found when I prayed that they would come up before me; and I
would be tempted, as I supposed, to give them up. But," said she, "I thought
they were trifles, and that God did not care about such trifles. This was a
temptation of Satan. But the ornaments that I wore, continually kept coming up
before my mind, whenever I attempted to give my heart to God. When you abruptly
left me," she said, "I was driven to desperation. I cast myself down, and, lo!
these ornaments came up again; and I said, 'I will not have these things come up
again, I will put them away from me forever.'" Said she, "I renounced them, and
hated them as things standing in the way of my salvation. As soon as I promised
to give them up, the Lord revealed Himself to my soul; and Oh!" said she, "I
wonder I have never understood this before. This was really the great difficulty
with me before, when I was under conviction, my fondness for dress; and I did
not know it."
CHAPTER XIV
REVIVAL AT UTICA,
NEW YORK
WHEN I had been at
Rome about twenty days, one of the elders of Mr. Aiken's church in Utica, a very
prominent and a very useful man, died; and I went down to attend his funeral.
Mr. Aiken conducted the funeral exercises; and I learned from him that the
spirit of prayer was already manifest in his congregation, and in that city. He
told me that one of his principal women had been so deeply exercised in her soul
about the state of the church, and of the ungodly in that city, that she had
prayed for two days and nights, almost incessantly, until her strength was quite
overcome; that she had literal travail of soul, to such an extent that when her
own strength was exhausted, she could not endure the burden of her mind, unless
somebody was engaged in prayer with her, upon whose prayer she could
lean--someone who could express her desires to God.
I understood this, and told Mr. Aiken that the work had already
begun in her heart. He recognized it, of course; and wished me to commence labor
with him and his people immediately. I soon did so, and, be sure, the work began
at once. The Word took immediate effect, and the place became filled with the
manifested influence of the Holy Spirit. Our meetings were crowded every night
and the work spread and went on powerfully, especially in the two Presbyterian
congregations; of one of which Mr. Aiken was pastor, and Mr. Brace of the other.
I divided my labors between the two congregations.
Soon after I commenced in Utica, I observed to Mr. Aiken, that
Mr. B, the sheriff of whom I have made mention, did not attend the meetings, as
I saw. But a few evenings afterward, just as I was about to begin to preach, Mr.
Aiken whispered to me that Mr. B had come in. He pointed him out to me, as he
made his way up the aisle to his seat. I took my text, and proceeded to address
the congregation. I had spoken but a few moments, when I observed Mr. B rise up
in the slip, turn deliberately around, wrap his great coat about him, and kneel
down. I observed that it excited the attention of those that sat near, who knew
him, and produced a considerable sensation in that part of the house. The
sheriff continued on his knees during the whole service. He then retired to his
room at the hotel in which he boarded. He was a man, perhaps fifty years old,
and unmarried.
He afterwards told me that his mind was greatly burdened when he
went home, and brought up the subject to which he had been listening. I had
pressed the congregation to accept Christ, just as he was presented in the
Gospel. The question of the present acceptance of Christ, and the whole
situation in regard to the sinner's relation to him, and his relation to the
sinner, had been the subject of discourse. He said that he had treasured up in
his mind the points that had been made, and that he presented them solemnly
before himself, and said, "My soul, will you consent to this? Will you accept of
Christ, and give up sin, and give up yourself? And will you do it now?" He said
he had thrown himself, in the agony of his mind, upon his bed. He made this
point with himself, and conjured his soul, to accept now, and here. Right there,
he said, his distress left him so suddenly that he fell asleep, and did not wake
for several hours. When he did awake, he found his mind full of peace and rest
in Christ; and from this moment he became an earnest worker for Christ among his
acquaintances.
The hotel at which he boarded, was at that time kept by a Mr. S.
The Spirit took powerful hold in that house. Mr. S himself was soon made a
subject of prayer, and became converted; and a large number of his family and of
his boarders. Indeed that largest hotel in the town became a center of spiritual
influence, and many were converted there. The stages, as they passed through,
stopped at the hotel; and so powerful was the impression in the community, that
I heard of several cases of persons that just stopped for a meal, or to spend a
night, being powerfully convicted and converted before they left the town.
Indeed, both in this place and in Rome, it
was a common remark that nobody could be in the town, or pass through it,
without being aware of the presence of God; that a divine influence seemed to
pervade the place, and the whole atmosphere to be instinct with a divine life.
A merchant from Lowville came to Utica, to do some business in
his line. He stopped at the hotel where Mr. B boarded. He found the whole
conversation in the town was such as greatly to annoy him, for he was an
unconverted man. He was vexed, and said he could do no business there; it was
all religion; and he resolved to go home. He could not go into a store, but
religion was intruded upon him, and he could do no business with them. That
evening he would go home.
These remarks had been made in the presence of some of the young
converts who boarded at the hotel, and I think especially in the presence of Mr.
B. As the stage was expected to leave late at night, he was observed to go to
the bar, just before he retired, to pay his bill; saying that Mr. S would not
probably be up when the stage passed through, and he wished therefore to settle
his bill before he retired. Mr. S said that he observed, while he was settling
his bill, that his mind was very much exercised, and he suggested to several of
the gentleman boarders that they should make him a subject of prayer. They took
him, I believe, to Mr. B's room, and conversed with him, and prayed with him and
before the stage came, he was a converted man. And so concerned did he feel
immediately about the people of his own place, that when the stage came he took
passage, and went immediately home. As soon as he arrived at home, he told his
family his experience, and called them together and prayed with them. As he was
a very prominent citizen, and very outspoken, and everywhere proclaiming what
the Lord had done for his soul, it immediately produced a very solemn impression
in Lowville, and soon resulted in a great revival in that place.
It was in the midst of the revival in Utica, that we first heard
of the opposition to those revivals, that was springing up in the East. Mr.
Nettleton wrote some letters to Mr. Aiken, with whom I was laboring; in which it
was manifest that he was very much mistaken with regard to the character of
those revivals. Mr. Aiken showed me those letters; and they were handed around
among the ministers in the neighborhood, as they were intended to be. Among them
was one in which Mr. Nettleton stated fully what he regarded as objectionable in
the conduct of these revivals; but as no such thing as he complained of were
done in those revivals, or had been known at all, we took no other notice of the
letters than to read them, and let them pass. Mr. Aiken, however, replied
privately to one or two of them, assuring Mr. Nettleton that no such things were
done. I do not recollect now whether Mr. Nettleton complained of the fact, that
women would sometimes pray in the social meetings. It was true, however, that in
a few instances women, and some very prominent women, who were strongly pressed
in spirit, would lead in prayer, in the social meetings which we held daily from
house to house. No opposition, that I know of, was manifested to this, either at
Utica or at Rome. I had no agency in introducing the practice among the people,
and do not know whether it had existed there before or not. Indeed it was not a
subject of much conversation or thought, so far as I know, in the neighborhood
where it occurred.
I have already said that Mr. Weeks, who maintained the most
offensive doctrines on the subject of divine efficiency, was known to be opposed
to those revivals. For the information of those who may not know that any such
doctrines were ever held, I would say, that Mr. Weeks, and those that agreed
with him, held that both sin and holiness were produced in the mind by a direct
act of almighty power; that God made men sinners or holy, at His sovereign
discretion, but in both cases by a direct act of almighty power, an act as
irresistible as that of creation itself; that in fact God was the only proper
agent in the universe, and that all creatures acted only as they were moved and
compelled to act, by His irresistible power; that every sin in the universe,
both of men and of devils, was the result of a direct, irresistible act on the
part of God. This they attempted to prove from the Bible.
Mr. Weeks' idea of conversion, or regeneration, was that God, who
had made men sinners, brought them also, in regenerating them, to admit that He
had a right to make them sinners, for His glory, and to send them to hell for
the sins which He had directly created in them, or compelled them to commit, by
the force of omnipotence. In conversion, that did not bring sinners to accept
this view of the subject, he had no confidence. Those that have read Mr. Weeks'
nine sermons on the subject, will see that I have not misrepresented his views.
And as this view of Mr. Weeks, was embraced, to a considerable extent, by
ministers and professors of religion in that region, his known opposition,
together with that of some other ministers, greatly emboldened and increased the
opposition of others.
The work, however, went on with great power, converting all
classes, until Mr. Aiken reported the hopeful conversion of five hundred, in the
course of a few weeks, most of them, I believe, belonging to his own
congregation. Revivals were comparatively a new thing in that region; and the
great mass of the people had not become convinced that they were the work of
God. They were not awed by them, as they afterwards became. It seemed to be
extensively the impression that those revivals would soon pass away, and would
prove to have been but a mere excitement of animal feeling. I do not mean that
those that were interested in the work, had any such idea.
One circumstance occurred, in the midst of that revival, that
made a powerful impression. The Oneida presbytery met there, while the revival
was going on in its full strength. Among others there was an aged clergyman, a
stranger to me, who was very much annoyed by the heat and fervor of the revival.
He found the public mind all absorbed on the subject of religion; that there was
prayer and religious conversation everywhere, even in the stores and other
public places. He had never seen a revival, and had never heard what he heard
there. He was a Scotchman, and, I believe, had not been very long in this
country.
On Friday afternoon, before presbytery adjourned, he arose and
made a violent speech against the revival, as it was going on. What he said,
greatly shocked and grieved the Christian people who were present. They felt
like falling on their faces before God, and crying to Him to prevent what he had
said from doing any mischief.
The presbytery adjourned just at evening. Some of the members
went home, and others remained overnight. Christians gave themselves to prayer.
There was a great crying to God that night, that He would counteract any evil
influence that might result from that speech. The next morning, this man was
found dead in his bed.
In the course of these revivals, persons from a distance, in
almost every direction, hearing what the Lord was doing, or being attracted by
curiosity and wonder at what they heard, came to see for themselves; and many of
them were converted to Christ. Among these visitors, Dr. Garnet Judd, who soon
after went to the Sandwich Islands as a missionary, and has been well-known to
lovers of missions for many years, was one. He belonged to the congregation of
Mr. Weeks, to whom I have referred. His father, old Dr. Judd, was an earnest
Christian man. He came down to Utica and sympathized greatly with the revival.
About the same time a young woman, Miss F T, from some part of
New England, came to Utica under the following circumstances: she was teaching a
high school, in the neighborhood of Newburgh, New
York. As much was said in the newspapers about the revival in Utica, Miss T,
among others, became filled with wonder and astonishment, and with a desire to
go and see for herself what it meant. She dismissed her school for ten days, and
took the stage for Utica. As she passed through Genesee street to the hotel, she
observed on one of the signs, the name of B T. She was an entire stranger in
Utica, and did not know that she had an acquaintance or relative there. But
after stopping a day or two at her hotel, and inquiring who B T was, she dropped
him a note, saying that the daughter of a Mr. T, naming her father, was at the
hotel, and would be pleased to see him. Mr. T waited upon her and found that she
was a distant relative of his, and invited her immediately to his house. She
accepted his invitation, and he being an earnest Christian man, immediately took
her to all the meetings, and tried to interest her in religion. She was greatly
surprised at all that she saw, and a good deal annoyed.
She was an energetic, highly cultivated, and proud young lady;
and the manner in which people conversed with her, and pressed upon her the
necessity of immediately giving her heart to God, very much disturbed her. The
preaching which she heard, from night to night, took a deep hold upon her. The
guilt of sinners was largely insisted upon; and their desert and danger of
eternal damnation, were made prominent in what she heard. This aroused her
opposition; but still the work of conviction went powerfully on in her heart.
In the meantime I had not seen her, to converse with her; but had
heard from Mr. T of her state of mind. After writhing under the truth for a few
days, she called at my lodging. She sat down upon the sofa in the parlor. I drew
up my chair in front of her, and began to press her with the claims of God. She
referred to my preaching that sinners deserved to be sent to an eternal hell;
and said that she could not receive it, that she did not believe that God was
such a being. I replied, "Nor do you yet understand what sin is, in its true
nature and ill desert; if you did, you would not complain of God for sending the
sinner to an eternal hell." I then spread out that subject before her in
conversation, as plainly as I could. Much as she hated to believe it, still the
conviction of its truth was becoming irresistible. I conversed in this strain
for some time, until I saw that she was ready to sink under the ripened
conviction; and then I turned and said a few words about the place which Jesus
holds, and what is the real situation of things, in regard to the salvation of
those who thus deserved to be damned.
Her countenance waxed pale, in a moment after she threw up her
hands and shrieked, and then fell forward upon the arm of the sofa, and let her
heart break. I think she had not wept at all before. Her eyes were dry, her
countenance haggard and pale, her sensibility all locked up; but now the flood
gates were opened, she let her whole gushing heart out before God. I had no
occasion to say anymore to her. She soon arose and went to her own lodgings. She
almost immediately gave up her school, offered herself as a foreign missionary,
was married to a Mr. Gulick, and went out to the Sandwich Islands, I think, at
the same time that Dr. Judd went out. Her history, as a missionary, is well
known. She has been a very efficient missionary, and has raised several sons,
who also are missionaries.
While making my home in Utica, I preached frequently in New
Hartford, a village four miles south of Utica. There was a precious and powerful
work of grace, a Mr. Coe being at the time pastor of the Presbyterian church. I
preached also at Whitesboro, another beautiful village, four miles west of
Utica; where also was a powerful revival. The pastor, Mr. John Frost, was a most
efficient laborer in the work.
A circumstance occurred in this neighborhood, which I must not
fail to notice. There was a cotton manufactory on the Oriskany creek, a little
above Whitesboro, a place now called New York Mills. It was owned by a Mr. W, an
unconverted man, but a gentleman of high standing and good morals. My
brother-in-law, Mr. G A, was at that time superintendent of the factory. I was
invited to go and preach at that place, and went up one evening, and preached in
the village schoolhouse, which was large, and was crowded with hearers. The
Word, I could see, took powerful effect among the people, especially among the
young people who were at work in the factory.
The next morning, after breakfast, I went into the factory, to
look through it. As I went through, I observed there was a good deal of
agitation among those who were busy at their looms, and their mules, and other
implements of work. On passing through one of the apartments, where a great
number of young women were attending to their weaving, I observed a couple of
them eyeing me, and speaking very earnestly to each other; and I could see that
they were a good deal agitated, although they both laughed. I went slowly toward
them. They saw me coming, and were evidently much excited. One of them was
trying to mend a broken thread, and I observed that her hands trembled so that
she could not mend it. I approached slowly, looking on each side at the
machinery, as I passed; but observed that this girl grew more and more agitated,
and could not proceed with her work. When I came within eight or ten feet of
her, I looked solemnly at her. She observed it, and was quite overcome, and sunk
down, and burst into tears. The impression caught almost like powder, and in a
few moments nearly all in the room were in tears. This feeling spread through
the factory. Mr. W, the owner of the establishment, was present, and seeing the
state of things, he said to the superintendent, "Stop the mill, and let the
people attend to religion; for it is more important that our souls should be
saved than that this factory run." The gate was immediately shut down, and the
factory stopped; but where should we assemble? The superintendent suggested that
the mule room was large; and, the mules being run up, we could assemble there.
We did so, and a more powerful meeting I scarcely ever attended. It went on with
great power. The building was large, and had many people in it, from the garret
to the cellar. The revival went through the mill with astonishing power, and in
the course of a few days nearly all in the mill were hopefully converted.
As much has been said about the hopeful conversion of Theodore D.
Weld, at Utica, it may be well for me to give a correct report of the facts. He
had an aunt, Mrs. C, living in Utica, who was a very praying, godly woman. He
was the son of an eminent clergyman in New England, and his aunt thought he was
a Christian. He used to lead her family in its worship. Before the commencement
of the revival, he had become a member of Hamilton College, at Clinton. The work at Utica
had attracted so much attention, that many persons from Clinton, and among the
rest some of the professors of the college, had been down to Utica, and had
reported what was doing there, and a good deal of excitement had resulted. Weld
held a very prominent place among the students of Hamilton College, and had a very great influence. Hearing what was going on at Utica, he became very much
excited, and his opposition was greatly aroused. He became quite outrageous in
his expressions of opposition to the work, as I understood.
This fact became known in Utica; and his aunt, with whom he had
boarded, became very anxious about him. To me he was an entire stranger. His
aunt wrote him, and asked him to come home and spend a Sabbath, hear the
preaching, and become interested in the work. He at first declined, but finally
got some of the students together, and told them that he had made up his mind to
go down to Utica; that he knew it must be fanaticism or enthusiasm; that he knew
it would not move him, they would see that it would not. He came full of
opposition, and his aunt soon learned that he did not intend to hear me preach.
Mr. Aiken had usually occupied the pulpit in the morning, and I, in the
afternoon and evening. His aunt learned that he intended to go to Mr. Aiken's
church in the morning, when he expected Mr. Aiken to preach; but that he would
not go in the afternoon or evening, because he was determined not to hear me.
In view of this, Mr. Aiken suggested that I should preach in the
morning. I consented, and we went to meeting. Mr. Aiken took the introductory
exercises, as usual. Mrs. C came to meeting with her family, and among them Mr.
Weld. She took pains to have him so seated in the slip that he could not well
get out, without herself, and one or two other members of the family, stepping
out before him; for she feared, as she said, that he would go out when he saw
that I was going to preach. I knew that his influence among the young men of
Utica was very great, and that his coming there would have a powerful influence
to make them band together in opposition to the work. Mr. Aiken pointed him out
to me, as he came in and took his seat.
After the introductory exercises, I arose and named this text:
"One sinner destroyeth much good." I had never preached from it, or heard it
preached from; but it came home with great power to my mind, and this fact
decided the selection of the text. I began to preach, and to show in a great
many instances, how one sinner might destroy much good, and how the influence of
one man might destroy a great many souls. I suppose that I drew a pretty vivid
picture of Weld, and of what his influence was, and what mischief he might do.
Once or twice he made an effort to get out; but his aunt perceiving it, would
throw herself forward, and lean on the slip in front, and engage in silent
prayer, and he could not get out without arousing and annoying her; and
therefore he remained in his seat till meeting was out.
The next day I called at a store in Genesee street, to converse
with some people there, as it was my custom to go from place to place for
conversation; and whom should I find there but Weld? He fell upon me very
unceremoniously, and I should think, for nearly or quite an hour, talked to me
in a most abusive manner. I had never heard anything like it. I got an
opportunity to say but very little to him myself, for his tongue ran
incessantly. He was very gifted in language. It soon attracted the attention of
all that were in the store and the news ran along the streets, and the clerks
gathered in from the neighboring stores, and stood to hear what he had to say.
All business ceased in the store, and all gave themselves up to listening to his
vituperation. But finally I appealed to him and said, "Mr. Weld, are you the son
of a minister of Christ, and is this the way for you to behave?" I said a few
words in that direction, and I saw that it stung him; and throwing out something
very severe, he immediately left the store.
I went out also, and returned to Mr. Aiken's, where for the time
I was lodging. I had been there but a few moments when somebody called at the
door, and as no servant was at hand I went to the door myself. And who should
come in but Mr. Weld? He looked as if he would sink. He began immediately to
make the most humble confession and apology for the manner in which he had
treated me; and expressed himself in the strongest terms of self-condemnation. I
took him kindly by the hand and had a little conversation with him, assured him
that I had laid up nothing against him, and exhorted him earnestly, to give his
heart to God. I believe I prayed with him before he went. He left, and I heard
no more of him that day.
That evening I preached, I think, at New Hartford, and returned
late in the evening. The next morning I heard that he went to his aunt's,
greatly impressed and subdued. She asked him to pray in the family. He said that
he was at first shocked at the idea. But his enmity arose so much, that he
thought that that was one way in which he had not yet expressed his opposition,
and therefore he would comply with her request. He knelt down, and began and
went on with what his aunt intended should be a prayer; but from his own account
of it, it was the most blasphemous strain of vituperation that could well be
uttered. He kept on in a most wonderful way, until they all became convulsed
with feeling and astonishment; and he kept on so long, that the light went out
before he closed. His aunt attempted to converse with him, and to pray with him;
but the opposition of his heart was terrible. She became frightened at the state
of mind which he manifested. After praying with him, and entreating him to give
his heart to God, she retired.
He went to his room; and walked his room by turns, and by turns
he lay upon the floor. He continued the whole night in that terrible state of
mind, angry, rebellious, and yet so convicted that he could scarcely live. Just
at daylight, while walking back and forth in his room, he said, a pressure came
upon him that crushed him down to the floor; and with it came a voice that
seemed to command him to repent, to repent now. He said it broke him down to the
floor, and there he lay, until, late in the morning, his aunt coming up, found
him upon the floor calling himself a thousand fools; and to all human
appearance, with his heart all broken to pieces.
The next night he rose in meeting, and asked if he might make
confession. I answered, yes; and he made public confession before the whole
congregation. He said it became him to remove the stumbling block which he had
cast before the whole people; and he wanted opportunity to make the most public
confession he could. He did make a very humble, earnest, broken-hearted
confession.
From that time he became a very efficient helper in the work. He
labored diligently; and being a powerful speaker, and much-gifted in prayer and
labor, he was instrumental, for several years, in doing a great deal of good,
and in the hopeful conversion of a great many souls. At length his health became
enfeebled by his great labor. He was obliged to leave college, and he went on a
fishing excursion to the coast of Labrador. He returned, the same earnest
laborer as before he went away, with health renewed. I found him, for a
considerable time, an efficient helper, where I was attempting to labor.
I have said that no public replies were made to the things that
found their way into print, in opposition to these revivals; that is, to nothing
that was written by Dr. Beecher or Mr. Nettleton. I have also said, that a
pamphlet was published by the ministers that composed the Oneida Association, in
opposition to the work. To this, I believe, no public answer was given. I
recollect that a Unitarian minister, residing at Trenton, in that county,
published an abusive pamphlet, in which he greatly misrepresented the work, and
made a personal attack upon myself. To this the Rev. Mr. Wetmore, one of the
members of the Oneida Presbytery, published a reply.
This revival occurred in the winter and spring of 1826. When the
converts had been received into the churches throughout the county, Rev. John
Frost, pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Whitesboro, published a pamphlet
giving some account of the revival, and stated, if I remember right, that within
the bounds of that presbytery, the converts numbered three thousand. I have no
copy of any of these pamphlets. I have said that the work spread from Rome and
Utica, as from a center, in every direction. Ministers came from a considerable
distance, and spent more or less time in attending the meetings, and in various
ways helping forward the work. I spread my own labors over as large a field as I
could, and labored more or less throughout the bounds of the presbytery. I
cannot now remember all the places where I spent more or less time. The pastors
of all those churches sympathized deeply with the work; and like good and true
men, laid themselves upon the altar, and did all they could to forward the great
and glorious movement; and God gave them a rich reward.
The doctrines preached in these revivals were the same that have
been already presented. Instead of telling sinners to use the means of grace and
pray for a new heart, we called on them to make themselves a new heart and a new
spirit, and pressed the duty of instant surrender to God. We told them the
Spirit was striving with them to induce them now to give Him their hearts, now
to believe, and to enter at once upon a life of devotion to Christ, of faith,
and love, and Christian obedience. We taught them that while they were praying
for the Holy Spirit, they were constantly resisting Him; and that if they would
at once yield to their own convictions of duty, they would be Christians. We
tried to show them that everything they did or said before they had submitted,
believed, given their hearts to God, was all sin, was not that which God
required them to do, but was simply deferring repentance and resisting the Holy
Ghost.
Such teaching as this was of course opposed by many; nevertheless
it was greatly blessed by the Spirit of God. Formerly it had been supposed
necessary that a sinner should remain under conviction a long time; and it was
not uncommon to hear old professors of religion, say that they were under
conviction many months, or years, before they found relief; and they evidently
had the impression that the longer they were under conviction, the greater was
the evidence that they were truly converted. We taught the opposite of this. I
insisted that if they remained long under conviction, they were in danger of
becoming self-righteous, in the sense that they would think that they had prayed
a great deal, and done a great deal to persuade God to save them; and that
finally they would settle down with a false hope. We told them that under this
protracted conviction, they were in danger of grieving the Spirit of God away,
and when their distress of mind ceased, a reaction would naturally take place;
they would feel less distress, and perhaps obtain a degree of comfort, from
which they were in danger of inferring that they were converted; that the bare
thought that they were possibly converted, might create a degree of joy, which
they might mistake for Christian joy and peace; and that this state of mind
might still farther delude them, by being taken as evidence that they were
converted.
We tried thoroughly to dispose of this false teaching. We
insisted then, as I have ever done since, on immediate submission, as the only
thing that God could accept at their hands; and that all delay, under any
pretext whatever, was rebellion against God. It became very common under this
teaching, for persons to be convicted and converted, in the course of a few
hours, and sometimes in the course of a few minutes. Such sudden conversions
were alarming to many good people; and of course they predicted that the
converts would fall away, and prove not to be soundly converted. But the event
proved, that among those sudden conversions, were some of the most influential
Christians that ever have been known in that region of country; and this has
been in accordance with my own experience, through all my ministry.
I have said that Mr. Aiken privately replied to some of Mr.
Nettleton's and Dr. Beecher's letters. Some of Dr. Beecher's letters at the
time, found their way into print; but no public notice was taken of them. Mr.
Aiken's replies, which he sent through the mail, seemed to make no difference
with the opposition of either Mr. Nettleton or Dr. Beecher. From a letter which
Dr. Beecher wrote, about this time, to Dr. Taylor of New Haven, it appeared that
someone had made the impression upon him, that the brethren engaged in promoting
those revivals were untruthful. In that letter, he asserted that the spirit of
lying was so predominant in those revivals, that the brethren engaged in
promoting them, could not be at all believed. This letter of Dr. Beecher to Dr.
Taylor, found its way into print. If it should be republished at this day, the
people of the region where those revivals prevailed, would think it very strange
that Dr. Beecher should, even in a private letter, ever have written such
things, of the ministers and Christians engaged in promoting those great and
wonderful revivals.
CHAPTER XV
REVIVAL AT AUBURN
IN 1826
DR. LANSING, pastor of
the First Presbyterian Church at Auburn, came to Utica, to witness the revival
there, and urged me to go out and labor for a time with him. In the summer of
1826, I complied with his request, and went there and labored with him for a
season. Soon after I went to Auburn, I found that some of the professors in the
theological seminary in that place, were taking an attitude hostile to the
revival. I had before known that ministers east of Utica were, a considerable
number of them, holding correspondence with reference to these revivals, and
taking an attitude of hostility to them.
However, until I arrived at Auburn, I was not fully aware of the
amount of opposition I was destined to meet, from the ministry; not the ministry
in the region where I had labored; but from ministers where I had not labored,
and who knew personally nothing of me, but were influenced by the false reports
which they heard. But soon after I arrived at Auburn, I learned from various
sources that a system of espionage was being carried on, that was destined to
result, and intended to result, in an extensive union of ministers and churches
to hedge me in, and prevent the spread of the revivals in connection with my
labors.
About this time I was informed that Mr. Nettleton had said that I
could go no farther East; that all the New England churches especially were
closed against me. Mr. Nettleton came and made a stand at Albany; and a letter
from Dr. Beecher fell into my possession, in which he exhorted Mr. Nettleton to
make a manful stand against me and the revivals in central New York; promising
that when the judicatures, as he called them, of New England met, they would all
speak out, and sustain him in his opposition.
But for the present I must return to what passed at Auburn. My
mind became, soon after I went there, very much impressed with the extensive
working of that system of espionage of which I have spoken. Mr. Frost, of
Whitesboro, had come to a knowledge of the facts to a considerable extent, and
communicated them to me. I said nothing publicly, or as I recollect privately,
to anybody on the subject; but gave myself to prayer. I looked to God with great
earnestness day after day, to be directed; asking him to show me the path of
duty, and give me grace to ride out the storm.
I shall never forget what a scene I passed through one day in my
room at Dr. Lansing's. The Lord showed me as in a vision what was before me. He
drew so near to me, while I was engaged in prayer, that my flesh literally
trembled on my bones. I shook from head to foot, under a full sense of the
presence of God. At first, and for some time, it seemed more like being on the
top of Sinai, amidst its full thundering, than in the presence of the cross of
Christ.
Never in my life, that I recollect, was I so awed and humbled
before God as then. Nevertheless, instead of feeling like fleeing, I seemed
drawn nearer and nearer to God--seemed to draw nearer and nearer to that
Presence that filled me with such unutterable awe and trembling. After a season
of great humiliation before Him, there came a great lifting up. God assured me
that He would be with me and uphold me; that no opposition should prevail
against me; that I had nothing to do, in regard to all this matter, but to keep
about my work, and wait for the salvation of God.
The sense of God's presence, and all that passed between God and
my soul at that time, I can never describe. It led me to be perfectly trustful,
perfectly calm, and to have nothing but the most perfectly kind feelings toward
all the brethren that were misled, and were arraying themselves against me. I
felt assured that all would come out right; that my true course was to leave
everything to God, and to keep about my work; and as the storm gathered and the
opposition increased, I never for one moment doubted how it would result. I was
never disturbed by it, I never spent a waking hour in thinking of it; when to
all outward appearance, it seemed as if all the churches of the land, except
where I had labored, would unite to shut me out of their pulpits. This was
indeed the avowed determination, as I understood, of the men that led in the
opposition. They were so deceived that they thought there was no effectual way
but to unite, and, as they expressed it, put him down. But God assured me that
they could not put me down.
A passage in the twentieth chapter of Jeremiah was repeatedly set
home upon me with great power. It reads thus: "O Lord, thou hast deceived me and
I was deceived. [In the margin it reads, 'enticed.'] Thou art stronger than I,
and hast prevailed. I am in derision daily, everyone mocketh me. For since I
spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was
made a reproach unto me, and a derision daily. Then I said, I will not make
mention of him nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in my heart as a
burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could
not stay. For I heard the defaming of many, and fear was on every side. Report,
say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting,
saying, peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and
we shall take our revenge on him. But the Lord is with me as a mighty, terrible
one; therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail. They
shall be greatly ashamed, for they shall not prosper; their everlasting
confusion shall never be forgotten. But O Lord of hosts that triest the
righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them;
for unto thee have I opened my cause." Jeremiah 20: 7-12.
I do not mean that this passage literally described my case, or
expressed my feelings; but there was so much similarity in the case, that this
passage was often a support to my soul. The Lord did not allow me to lay the
opposition to heart; and I can truly say, so far as I can recollect, I never had
an unkind feeling toward Mr. Nettleton or Dr. Beecher, or any leading opposer of
the work, during the whole of their opposition.
I recollect having had a peculiar feeling of horror in respect to
the pamphlet published, and the course taken by William R. Weeks, to whom I have
made allusion. Those who are acquainted with the history of Mr. Weeks, recollect
that soon after this, he began to write a book which he called "The Pilgrim's
Progress in the Nineteenth Century." This was published in members, and finally
bound up in a volume, with which many of the readers of this narrative may be
familiar. He was a man of considerable talent, and I must hope a good man; but
as I think much deluded in his philosophy, and exceedingly out of the way in his
theology. I do not mention him because I wish to say any evil of him, or of his
book; but merely to say that he never ceased, so far as I can learn, to offer
more or less opposition, direct and indirect, to revivals that did not favor his
peculiar views. He took much pains, without naming him, to defend the course
which Mr. Nettleton took, in putting himself at the head of the opposition to
those revivals. But God has disposed of all that influence. I have heard nothing
of it now for many years.
Notwithstanding the attitude that some of the professors at
Auburn were taking, in connection with so many ministers abroad, the Lord soon
revived His work in Auburn. Mr. Lansing had a large congregation, and a very
intelligent one. The revival soon took effect among the people, and became
powerful.
It was at that time that Dr. S of Auburn, who still resides
there, was so greatly blessed in his soul, as to become quite another man. Dr. S
was an elder in the Presbyterian church when I arrived there. He was a very
timid and doting kind of Christian; and had but little Christian efficiency,
because he had but little faith. He soon, however, became deeply convicted of
sin; and descended into the depths of humiliation and distress, almost to
despair. He continued in this state for weeks, until one night, in a prayer
meeting, he was quite overcome with his feelings, and sunk down helpless on the
floor. Then God opened his eyes to the reality of his salvation in Christ. This
occurred just after I had left Auburn, and gone to Troy, New
York, to labor. Dr. S soon followed me to Troy, and the first time I saw him
there he exclaimed with an emphasis peculiarly his own, "Brother Finney, they
have buried the Savior, but Christ is risen." He received such a wonderful
baptism of the Holy Ghost, that he has been ever since the rejoicing and the
wonder of God's people.
Partly in consequence of the known disapproval of my labors on
the part of many ministers, a good deal of opposition sprung up in Auburn; and a
number of the leading men, in that large village, took strong ground against the
work. But the Spirit of the Lord was among the people with great power.
I recollect that one Sabbath morning, while I was preaching, I
was describing the manner in which some men would oppose their families, and if
possible, prevent their being converted. I gave so vivid a description of a case
of this kind, that I said, "Probably if I were acquainted with you, I could call
some of you by name, who treat your families in this manner." At this instant a
man cried out in the congregation, "Name me!" and then threw his head forward on
the seat before him; and it was plain that he trembled with great emotion. It
turned out that he was treating his family in this manner; and that morning had
done the same things that I had named. He said, his crying out, "Name me!" was
so spontaneous and irresistible that he could not help it. But I fear he was
never converted to Christ.
There was a hatter, by the name of H, residing at this time in
Auburn. His wife was a Christian woman; but he was a Universalist, and an
opposer of the revival. He carried his opposition so far, as to forbid his wife
attending our meetings; and, for several successive evenings, she remained at
home. One night, as the warning bell rang for meeting, half an hour before the
assembly met, Mrs. H was so much exercised in mind about her husband, that she
retired for prayer, and spent the half hour in pouring out her soul to God. She
told Him how her husband behaved, and that he would not let her attend meeting;
and she drew very near to God.
As the bell was tolling for the people to assemble, she came out
of her closet, as I learned, and found that her husband had come in from the
shop; and, as she entered the sitting room, he asked her if she would not go to
meeting; and said that if she would go, he would accompany her. He afterwards
informed me that he had made up his mind to attend meeting that night, to see if
he could not get something to justify his opposition to his wife; or at least,
something to laugh about, and sustain him in ridiculing the whole work. When he
proposed to accompany his wife, she was very much surprised, but prepared
herself, and they came to meeting.
Of all this, I knew nothing at the time, of course. I had been
visiting and laboring with inquirers the whole day, and had had no time
whatever, to arrange my thoughts, or even settle upon a text. During the
introductory services, a text occurred to my mind. It was the words of the man
with the unclean spirit, who cried out, "Let us alone." I took those words and
went on to preach, and endeavored to show up the conduct of those sinners that
wanted to let be alone, that did not want to have anything to do with Christ.
The Lord gave me power to give a very vivid description of the
course that class of men were pursuing. In the midst of my discourse, I observed
a person fall from his seat near the broad aisle, who cried out in a most
terrific manner. The congregation were very much shocked; and the outcry of the
man was so great, that I stopped preaching and stood still. After a few moments,
I requested the congregation to sit still, while I should go down and speak with
the man. I found him to be this Mr. E, of whom I have been speaking. The Spirit
of the Lord had so powerfully convicted him, that he was unable to sit on his
seat. When I reached him, he had so far recovered his strength as to be on his
knees, with his head on his wife's lap. He was weeping aloud like a child
confessing his sins, and accusing himself in a terrible manner. I said a few
words to him, to which he seemed to pay but little attention. The Spirit of God
had his attention so thoroughly, that I soon desisted from all efforts to make
him attend to what I said. When I told the congregation who it was, they all
knew him and his character; and it produced tears and sobs in every part of the
house. I stood for some little time, to see if he would be quiet enough for me
to go on with my sermon; but his loud weeping rendered it impossible. I can
never forget the appearance of his wife, as she sat and held his face in her
hands upon her lap. There appeared in her face a holy joy and triumph that words
cannot express.
We had several prayers, and then I dismissed the meeting, and
some persons helped Mr. H to his house. He immediately wished them to send for
certain of his companions, with whom he had been in the habit of ridiculing the
work of the Lord in that place. He could not rest until he had sent for a great
number of them, and had made confession to them; which he did with a very broken
heart.
He was so overcome that for two or three days he could not get
about town, and continued to send for such men as he wished to see, that he
might confess to them, and warn them to flee from the wrath to come. As soon as
he was able to get about, he took hold of the work with the utmost humility and
simplicity of character, but with great earnestness. Soon after, he was made an
elder, or deacon, and he has ever since been a very exemplary and useful
Christian. His conversion was so marked and so powerful, and the results were so
manifest, that it did very much to silence opposition.
There were several wealthy men in the town who took offense at
Dr. Lansing and myself, and the laborers in that revival; and after I left, they
got together and formed a new congregation. Most of them were, at the time,
unconverted men. Let the reader bear this in mind; for in its proper place, I
shall have occasion to notice the results of this opposition and the formation
of a new congregation, and the subsequent conversion of nearly every one of
those opposers.
While at Auburn, I preached more or less in the neighboring
churches round about; and the revival spread in various directions, to Cayuga,
and to Skeneateles. This was in the summer and autumn of 1826.
Soon after my arrival at Auburn, a circumstance occurred, of so
striking a character, that I must give a brief relation of it. My wife and
myself were guests of Dr. Lansing, the pastor of the church. The church were
much conformed to the world, and were accused by the unconverted of being
leaders in dress, and fashion, and worldliness. As usual I directed my preaching
to secure the reformation of the church, and to get them into a revival state.
One Sabbath I had preached, as searchingly as I was able, to the church, in
regard to their attitude before the world. The Word took deep hold of the
people.
At the close of my address, I called, as usual, upon the pastor
to pray. He was much impressed with the sermon, and instead of immediately
engaging in prayer, he made a short but very earnest address to the church,
confirming what I had said to them. At this moment a man arose in the gallery,
and said in a very deliberate and distinct manner, "Mr. Lansing, I do not
believe that such remarks from you can do any good, while you wear a ruffled
shirt and a gold ring, and while your wife and the ladies of your family sit, as
they do, before the congregation, dressed as leaders in the fashions of the
day." It seemed as if this would kill Dr. Lansing outright. He made no reply,
but cast himself across the side of the pulpit, and wept like a child. The
congregation was almost as much shocked and affected as himself. They almost
universally dropped their heads upon the seat in front of them, and many of them
wept on every side. With the exception of the sobs and sighs, the house was
profoundly silent. I waited a few moments, and as Dr. Lansing did not move, I
arose and offered a short prayer and dismissed the congregation.
I went home with the dear, wounded pastor, and when all the
family were returned from church, he took the ring from his finger--it was a
slender gold ring that could hardly attract notice--and said, his first wife,
when upon her dying bed, took it from her finger, and placed it upon his, with a
request that he should wear it for her sake. He had done so, without a thought
of its being a stumbling block. Of his ruffles he said, he had worn them from
his childhood, and did not think of them as anything improper. Indeed he could
not remember when he began to wear them, and of course thought nothing about
them. "But," said he, "if these things are an occasion of offense to any, I will
not wear them." He was a precious Christian man, and an excellent pastor.
Almost immediately after this, the church were disposed to make
to the world a public confession of their backsliding, and want of a Christian
spirit. Accordingly a confession was drawn up, covering the whole ground. It was
submitted to the church for their approval, and then read before the
congregation. The church arose and stood, many of them weeping while the
confession was read. From this point the work went forward, with greatly
increased power.
The confession was evidently a heart work and no sham; and God
most graciously and manifestly accepted it, and the mouths of gainsayers were
shut. The fact is that, to a great extent, the churches and ministers were in a
low state of grace, and those powerful revivals took them by surprise. I did not
much wonder then, nor have I since, that those wonderful works of God were not
well understood and received by those who were not in a revival state.
There were a great many interesting conversions in Auburn and its
vicinity, and also in all the neighboring towns, throughout that part of the
state, as the work spread in every direction. In the Spring of 1831, I was again
in Auburn and saw another powerful revival there. The circumstances were
peculiar, and deeply interesting, and will be related in their appropriate place
in this narrative.
CHAPTER XVI
REVIVAL AT TROY
AND AT NEW LEBANON
EARLY in the autumn of
this year, 1826, I accepted an invitation from the Rev. Dr. Beman and his
session, to labor with them in Troy, for the revival of religion. At Troy, I
spent the fall and winter, and the revival was powerful in that city. I have
already said that Mr. Nettleton had been sent by Dr. Beecher, as I understood,
to Albany, to make a stand against the revivals that were spreading in central
New York. I had had the greatest confidence in Mr. Nettleton, though I had never
seen him. I had had the greatest desire to see him; so much so that I had
frequently dreamed of visiting him, and obtaining information from him in regard
to the best means of promoting a revival. I felt like sitting at his feet,
almost as I would at the feet of an apostle, from what I had heard of his
success in promoting revivals. At that time my confidence in him was so great
that I think he could have led me, almost or quite, at his discretion.
Soon after my arrival at Troy, I went down to Albany to see him.
He was the guest of a family with which I was acquainted. I spent part of an
afternoon with him, and conversed with him in regard to his doctrinal views;
especially of the views held by the Dutch and Presbyterian churches in regard to
the nature of moral depravity. I found that he entirely agreed with me, so far
as I had opportunity to converse with him, on all the points of theology upon
which we conversed. Indeed there had been no complaint, by Dr. Beecher, or Mr.
Nettleton, of our teaching in those revivals. They did not complain at all that
we did not teach what they regarded as the true Gospel. What they complained of
was something that they supposed was highly objectionable in the measures that
we used.
Our conversation was brief, upon every point upon which we
touched. I observed that he avoided the subject of promoting revivals. When I
told him that I intended to remain in Albany, and hear him preach in the
evening, he manifested uneasiness, and remarked that I must not be seen with
him. Hence Judge C, who accompanied me from Troy, and who had been in college
with Mr. Nettleton, went with me to the meeting, and we sat in the gallery
together. I saw enough to satisfy me that I could expect no advice or
instruction from him, and that he was there to take a stand against me. I soon
found I was not mistaken.
Since writing the last paragraph, my attention has been called to
a statement in the biography of Mr. Nettleton, to the effect that he tried in
vain to change my views and practices in promoting revivals of religion. I
cannot think that Mr. Nettleton ever authorized such a statement, for certainly
he never attempted to do it. As I have said, at that time he could have molded
me at discretion; but he said not a word to me about my manner of conducting
revivals, nor did he ever write a word to me upon the subject. He kept me at
arm's length; and although, as I have said, we conversed on some points of
theology then much discussed, it was plain that he was unwilling to say anything
regarding revivals, and would not allow me to accompany him to meeting. This was
the only time I saw him, until I met him in the convention at New Lebanon. At no
time did Mr. Nettleton try to correct my views in relation to revivals.
We soon began to feel, in Troy,
the influence of Dr. Beecher's letters, over some of the leading members of Dr.
Beman's church. This opposition increased, and was doubtless fomented by an
outside influence, until finally it was determined to complain of Dr. Beman, and
bring his case before the presbytery. This was done; and for several weeks the
presbytery sat, and examined the charges against him.
In the meantime, I went on in my labors in the revival. Christian
people continued praying mightily to God. I kept up preaching and praying
incessantly, and the revival went on with increasing power; Dr. Beman, in the
meantime, being under the necessity of giving almost his entire attention to his
case before the presbytery. When the presbytery had examined the charges and
specifications, I think they were nearly or quite unanimous in dismissing the
whole subject, and justifying the course which he had taken. The charge was not
for heresy nor were the specifications for heresy, I believe; but for things
conjured up by the enemies of the revival, and by those who were misled by an
outside influence.
In the midst of the revival it became necessary that I should
leave Troy for a week or two, and visit my family at Whitesboro. While I was
gone, Rev. Horatio Foote was invited by Dr. Beman to preach. I do not know how
often he preached; but this I recollect, that he gave great offense to the
already disaffected members of the church. He bore down upon them with the most
searching discourses, as I learned. A few of them finally made up their minds to
withdraw from the congregation. They did so, and established another
congregation; but this was after I had left Troy, I do not recollect how long.
The failure of this effort to break Dr. Beman down, considerably
discomfited the outside movement, in opposition to the revival. A great many
very interesting incidents occurred during this revival, that I must pass in
silence, lest they should appear to reflect too severely on the opposers of the
work.
In this revival, as in those that had preceded, there was a very
earnest spirit of prayer. We had a prayer meeting from house to house, daily, at
eleven o'clock. At one of those meetings I recollect that a Mr. S, cashier of a
bank in that city, was so pressed by the spirit of prayer, that when the meeting
was dismissed he was unable to rise from his knees, as we had all just been
kneeling in prayer. He remained upon his knees, and writhed and groaned in
agony. He said, "Pray for Mr. --, president of the bank of which he was cashier.
This president was a wealthy, unconverted man. When it was seen that his soul
was in travail for that man, the praying people knelt down, and wrestled in
prayer for his conversion. As soon as the mind of Mr. S was so relieved that he
could go home, we all retired; and soon after the president of the bank, for
whom we prayed, expressed hope in Christ. He had not before this, I believe,
attended any of the meetings; and it was not known that he was concerned about
his salvation. But prayer prevailed, and God soon took his case in hand.
The father of Judge C who was at Albany with me, was living with
his son whose guest I was at the time. The old gentleman had been a judge in
Vermont. He was remarkably correct in his outward life, a venerable man, whose
house, in Vermont, had been the home of ministers who visited the place; and he
was to all appearance quite satisfied with his amiable and self- righteous life.
His wife had told me of her anxiety for his conversion, and his son had
repeatedly expressed fear that his father's self-righteousness would never be
overcome, and that his natural amiability would ruin his soul.
One Sabbath morning, the Holy Spirit opened the case to my
apprehension, and showed me how to reach it. In a few moments I had the whole
subject in my mind. I went down stairs, and told the old lady and her son what I
was about to do, and exhorted them to pray earnestly for him. I followed out the
divine showing, and the Word took such powerful hold of him that he spent a
sleepless night. His wife informed me that he had spent a night of anguish, that
his self-righteousness was thoroughly annihilated, and that he was almost in
despair. His son had told me that he had long prided himself, as being better
than members of the church. He soon became clearly converted, and lived a
Christian life to the end.
Before I left Troy, a young lady, a Miss S, from New Lebanon, in
Columbia county, who was an only daughter of one of the deacons or elders of the
church in New Lebanon, came to Troy, as I understood, to purchase a dress for a
ball which she wished to attend. She had a young lady relative in Troy, who was
numbered among the young converts, and was a zealous Christian. She invited Miss
S to attend with her all the meetings. This aroused the enmity of her heart. She
was very restive; but her cousin plead with her to stay from day to day, and to
attend the meetings, until, before she left, she was thoroughly converted to
Christ.
As soon as her eyes were opened, and her peace was made with God,
she went immediately home, and began her labors for a revival in that place.
Religion in New Lebanon was, at that time, in a very low state. The young people
were nearly all unconverted; and the old members of the church were in a very
cold and inefficient state. Miss S's father had become very formal; and for a
long time religious matters had been in a great measure neglected in the place.
They had an aged minister, a good man, I trust, but a man that did not seem to
know how to perform revival work.
Miss S first began at home, and besought her father to give up
his old prayer, as she expressed it, and wake up, and be engaged in religion. As
she was a great favorite in the family, and especially with her father, her
conversion and conversation greatly affected him. He was very soon aroused, and
became quite another man, and felt deeply that they must have a revival of
religion. The daughter went also to the house of her pastor, and began with a
daughter of his who was in her sins. She was soon converted; and they two united
in prayer for a revival of religion, and went to work, from house to house, in
stirring up the people.
In the course of a week or two, there was so much interest
excited that Miss S came out herself to Troy, to beg me to go there to preach.
She was requested to do so by the pastor and by members of the church. I went
out and preached. The Spirit of the Lord was poured out, and the revival soon
went forward with great power. Very interesting incidents occurred almost every
day. Striking conversions were multiplied, and a great and blessed change came
over the religious aspect of the whole place.
Here we were out of the region poisoned by the influence of the
opposition raised by Dr. Beecher and Mr. Nettleton; consequently we heard but
little of opposition at this place during the revival, especially from
professors of religion. Everything seemed to go on harmoniously, so far as I
know, in the church. They were soon led to feel that they greatly needed a
revival, and seemed to be very thankful that God had visited them. Most of the
prominent men in the community were converted.
Among these was a Dr. W, who was said to be an infidel. He at
first manifested a good deal of hostility to the revival, and declared that the
people were mad. But he was made a particular subject of prayer by Miss S, and
some others who laid hold upon his case, and who had great faith that,
notwithstanding his fiery opposition, he would soon be converted. One Sunday
morning he came to meeting, and I could see that those who felt for him were
burdened. Their heads were down, and they were in a prayerful state during
nearly the whole sermon. It was plain, however, before night, that the doctor's
opposition began to give way. He listened through the day, and that night he
spent in a deeply exercised state of mind. The next morning he called on me,
subdued like a little child, and confessed that he had been all wrong. He was
very frank in opening his heart, and declaring the change that had come over
him. It was plain that he was another man; and from that day he took hold of the
work and went forward with all his might.
There was also a Mr. T, a merchant, probably the most prominent
and wealthy citizen of the town at that time, but a skeptic. I recollect one
evening I preached on the text, "The carnal mind is enmity against God." He was
present. He had been a very moral man, in the common acceptation of that term;
and it had been very difficult to fasten anything upon his mind that would
convict him of sin. His wife was a Christian woman, and the Lord had converted
his daughter. The state of things in the town and in his family, had so far
interested him, that he would come to meeting and hear what was said. The next
day after this sermon on moral depravity, he confessed himself convinced. He
told me it came home to him with resistless power. He saw it was all true, and
assured me his mind was made up to serve the Lord the rest of his life.
I recollect also that John T. Avery, a noted evangelist, who has
labored in many places for many years, was present at that meeting. His family
lived in New Lebanon. He was born and brought up there; and was at this time a
lad, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years of age. The next morning after that sermon
was preached, he came to me, one of the most interesting youthful converts that
I have ever seen. He began and told me what had been passing in his mind for
several days; and then he added, "I was completely rolled up in the sermon, and
it carried me right along. I could understand it. I gave up; I gave all to
Christ." This he said in a manner not to be forgotten. But why should I multiply
cases? I might spend hours in relating incidents, and the conversion of
particular individuals. But I must not enter too much into particulars.
But I must mention a little incident, connected somewhat with the
opposition that had been manifested at Troy.
The presbytery of Columbia had a meeting, somewhere within its bounds, while I
was at New Lebanon; and being informed that I was laboring in one of their
churches, they appointed a committee to visit the place, and inquire into the
state of things; for they had been led to believe, from Troy and other places,
and from the opposition of Mr. Nettleton and the letters of Dr. Beecher, that my
method of conducting revivals was so very objectionable, that it was the duty of
presbytery to inquire into it. They appointed two of their number, as I
afterward understood, to visit the place; and they attempted to do so. As I
afterward learned, though I do not recollect to have heard it at the time, the
news reached New Lebanon, of this action of the presbytery, and it was feared
that it might create some division, and make some disturbance, if this committee
came. Some of the most engaged Christians made this a particular subject of
prayer; and for a day or two before the time when they were expected, they
prayed much that the Lord would overrule this thing, and not suffer it to divide
the church, or introduce any element of discord. The committee were expected to
be there on the Sabbath, and attend the meetings. But the day before, a violent
snowstorm set in; and the snow fell so deep that they found it impossible to get
through, were detained over the Sabbath, and on Monday, found their way back to
their own congregations. Those brethren were the Rev. J B and the Rev. Mr. C.
Mr. C was pastor of the Presbyterian church at Hudson, New York; and Mr. B was
pastor of the Presbyterian church in Chatham, a village some fifteen or sixteen
miles below Albany.
Soon after this, I received a letter from Mr. B, informing me
that the presbytery had appointed him one of a committee to visit me, and make
some inquiry in regard to my mode of conducting revivals, and inviting me to
come and spend a Sabbath with him, and preach for him. I did so. As I understood
afterward, his report to the presbytery was, that it was unnecessary and useless
for them to take any farther action in the case; that the Lord was in the work,
and they should take heed lest they be found fighting against God. I heard no
more of opposition from that source. I have never doubted that the presbytery of
Columbia were honestly alarmed at what they had heard. I have never called in
question the propriety of the course which they took; and I ever admired their
manifest honesty, in receiving testimony from proper sources. So far as I know,
they thereafter sympathized with the work that was going on.
About this time, a proposition was made by somebody, I know not
who, to hold a convention or consultation on the subject of conducting revivals.
Correspondence was entered into between the Western brethren who
had been engaged in those revivals, and the Eastern brethren who had been
opposing them. It was finally agreed to hold the convention on a certain day, I
think in July, 1827, in New Lebanon, where I had been laboring. I had left New
Lebanon, and had been spending a short time at the village of Little Falls,
on the Mohawk, near Utica. Some very interesting incidents occurred there during
my short stay; but nothing so marked as naturally to find a place in this
narrative, as I was obliged to leave after a very short stay in that place, and
return to New Lebanon to attend the convention.
It would seem that the design of this meeting has since been, by
many, very much misunderstood. I find there is an impression in the public mind,
that some complaint had been alleged against myself; and that this meeting was
for the trial of myself, as complained of, before a council. But this was by no
means the case. I had nothing to do with getting up the convention. Nor was I
any more particularly concerned in its results, than any of the members that
attended. The design was to get at the facts of those revivals that had been so
much opposed, to consult in reference to them, compare views, and see if we
could not come to a better understanding than had existed, between the Eastern
opposers of the revivals, and the brethren who had been instrumental in
promoting them.
I arrived in New Lebanon a day or two before the convention met.
On the appointed day, the invited members arrived. They were not men that had
been appointed by any ecclesiastical bodies; but they had been invited by the
brethren most concerned, East and West, to come together for consultation. None
of us were men representing any churches or ecclesiastical bodies whatever. We
came together with no authority to act for the church, or any branch of it; but
simply, as I have said, to consult, to compare views, to see if anything was
wrong in fact; and if so, to agree to correct what was wrong, on either side.
For myself, I supposed that as soon as the brethren came together, and exchanged
views, and the facts were understood, that the brethren from the East who had
opposed the revivals, especially Dr. Beecher and Mr. Nettleton, would see their
error, and that they had been misled; and that the thing would be disposed of;
for I was certain that the things of which they complained in their letters, had
no foundation in fact.
Of the brethren that composed this convention I can remember the
following: from the East there were Dr. Beecher and Mr. Nettleton, Dr. Joel
Hawes from Hartford, Dr. Dutton from New Haven, Dr. Humphrey, president of
Amherst College, Rev. Justin Edwards of Andover, and a considerable number of other brethren whose names
I do not recollect. From the West, that is from central New York where those
revivals had been in progress, there were, Dr. Beman of Troy, Dr. Lansing of
Auburn, Mr. Aiken of Utica, Mr. Frost of Whitesboro, Mr. Gillett of Rome, Mr.
Coe of New Hartford, Mr. Gale of Western, Mr. Weeks of Paris Hill, and perhaps
some others whose names I do not now recollect, and myself.
We soon discovered that some policy was on foot in organizing the
convention, on the part of Dr. Beecher. However we regarded it not. The
convention was organized, and I believe Dr. Humphrey presided as moderator.
There was not the least unkindness of feeling, that I know of, existing among
the members of the convention toward each other. It is true that the members
from the West regarded with suspicion Mr. Weeks, as I have already intimated, as
being the man who was responsible, in a considerable degree, for the
misapprehension of the Eastern brethren. As soon as the convention was duly
organized, and the business before us was stated and understood, the inquiry was
raised by the brethren from the West in regard to the source whence Dr. Beecher
and Mr. Nettleton had received their information. We had been particularly
solicitous to find out who it was that was misleading those brethren, and giving
them such a view of the revivals, as to make them feel justified in the course
they were taking. We wanted to know whence all this mysterious opposition had
proceeded. We therefore raised the inquiry at once; and wished to know of those
brethren from what source they had received their information, as touching those
revivals. It was discovered at once that this was an embarrassing question.
I should have observed before, and now wish to be distinctly
understood to say, that no opposition had been manifested by any of the
ministers from the East, who attended the convention, except Dr. Beecher and Mr.
Nettleton. It was not difficult to see from the outset that Dr. Beecher felt
himself committed, and that his reputation was at stake; that as his letters,
some of them, had found their way into the public prints, he would be held
responsible for them, should they not prove to have been called for. It was very
plain that he and Mr. Nettleton were both very sensitive. It was also very
apparent, that Dr. Beecher had secured the attendance of these most influential
of the New England ministers, in order to sustain himself before the public, and
justify himself in the course he had taken. As for Mr. Nettleton, Dr. Beecher
had assured him that he would be sustained by New England; and that all the New
England church judicatories would seek out in his favor, and sustain him.
When the question was raised as to the sources of the
information, Dr. Beecher replied: "We have not come here to be catechised; and
our spiritual dignity forbids us to answer any such questions." For myself I
thought this was strange, that when such letters had been written and published
as had appeared in opposition to those revivals; when such things had been
affirmed as facts, which were no facts at all; and when such a storm of
opposition had been raised throughout the length and breadth of the land; and we
had come together to consider the whole question, that we were not allowed to
know the source from which their information had been obtained. But we found
ourselves utterly unable to learn anything about it.
The convention sat several days; but as the facts came out in
regard to the revivals, Mr. Nettleton became so very nervous that he was unable
to attend several of our sessions. He plainly saw that he was losing ground, and
that nothing could be ascertained that could justify the course that he was
taking. This must have been very visible also to Dr. Beecher.
I should have said before, that when the question came up, how
the facts were to be learned about those revivals, Dr. Beecher took the ground
that the testimony of those brethren from the West, who had been engaged in
promoting them, should not be received; that as we were, in a sense, parties to
the question, and had been ourselves, the objects of his censure, it was like
testifying in our own case; that we were therefore not admissible as witnesses,
and the facts should not be received from us. But to this, the Brethren from the
East would not listen for a moment. Dr. Humphrey very firmly remarked, that we
were the best witnesses that could be produced; that we knew what we had done,
and what had been done, in those revivals of religion; that we were therefore
the most competent and the most credible witnesses; and that our statements were
to be received without hesitation, by the convention. To this, so far as I know,
there was a universal agreement, with the exception of Dr. Beecher and Mr.
Nettleton.
This decision, however, it was very plain at the time, greatly
affected both Dr. Beecher and Mr. Nettleton. They saw that if the facts came
out, from the brethren who had witnessed the revivals, who had been on the
ground, and knew all about them, they might entirely overrule all the
misapprehensions and all the misstatements that had been made and entertained
upon the subject. Our meeting was very fraternal throughout; there was no
sparring or bitterness manifested; but, with the exception of the two brethren
whom I have named, Dr. Beecher and Mr. Nettleton, the brethren from the East
appeared candid, and desirous to know the truth, and glad to learn the
particulars of the Western revivals.
There were several points of discussion during the convention,
especially one on the propriety of women taking any part in social meetings. Dr.
Beecher brought up that objection, and argued it at length, insisting upon it,
that the practice was unscriptural and inadmissible. To this Dr. Beman replied
in a very short address, showing conclusively, that this practice was familiar
to the apostles; and that in the eleventh chapter of Corinthians, the apostle
called the attention of the church to the fact that Christian women had given a
shock to Eastern ideas, by their practice of taking part, and praying in their
religious meetings, without their veils. He showed clearly that the apostle did
not complain of their taking part in the meeting, but of the fact that they did
so, laying aside their veils; which had given a shock to the prevalent
sentiment, and occasion of reproach to heathen opposers. The apostle did not
reprove the practice of their praying, but simply admonished them to wear their
veils when they did so. To this reply of Dr. Beman, no answer was made or
attempted. It was manifestly too conclusive to admit of any refutation.
Near the close of the convention, Mr. Nettleton came in,
manifestly very much agitated; and said that he would now give the convention to
understand the reasons he had for the course he had taken. He had what he called
a historical letter, in which he professed to give the reasons, and state the
facts, upon which he had founded his opposition. I was glad to hear the
announcement that he wished to read this letter to the convention. A copy of it
had been sent to Mr. Aiken, when I was laboring with him in Utica, and Mr. Aiken
had given it to me. I had it in my possession at the convention, and should have
called it up in due time, had not Mr. Nettleton done so.
He went on to read the letter. It was a statement, under distinct
heads, of the things of which he complained; and which he had been informed,
were practiced in those revivals, and especially by myself. It is evident that
the letter was aimed at me particularly, though, perhaps, I was seldom mentioned
in it, by name. Yet the things complained of were so presented, that there was
no mistaking the design. The convention listened attentively to the whole
letter, which was as long as a sermon. Mr. Nettleton then observed, that the
convention had before them the facts upon which he had acted, and which he
supposed had called for and justified his proceedings.
When he sat down I arose, and expressed my satisfaction that that
letter had been read; and remarked that I had a copy of it, and should have read
it in due time, if Mr. Nettleton had not done so. I then affirmed that so far as
I was personally concerned, not one of those facts mentioned there, and
complained of, was true. And I added, "All the brethren are here, with whom I
have performed all these labors and they know whether I am chargeable with any
of these things, in any of their congregations. If they know or believe that any
of these things are true of me, let them say so now and here."
They all at once affirmed, either by expressly saying so, or by
their manifest acquiescence, that they knew of no such thing. Mr. Weeks was
present; and I expected, therefore, that if anything was said in reply to my
explicit denial of all the facts charged in Mr. Nettleton's letter, with respect
to myself, that it would come from Mr. Weeks. I supposed that if he had written
to Dr. Beecher or Mr. Nettleton, affirming those facts, that he would feel
called upon, then and there, to speak out, and justify what he had written. But
he said not a word. No one there pretended to justify a single sentence in Mr.
Nettleton's historical letter, that related to myself. This of course was
astounding to Mr. Nettleton and Dr. Beecher. If any of their supposed facts had
been received from Mr. Weeks, no doubt they expected him to speak out, and
justify what he had written. But he said nothing intimating that he had any
knowledge of any of the facts that Mr. Nettleton had presented in his letter.
The reading of this letter, and what immediately followed, prepared the way for
closing up the convention.
And now follow some things that I am sorry to be obliged to
mention. Mr. Justin Edwards had been present during all the discussions; and had
attended, I believe, all the sessions of the convention. He was a very intimate
friend of Dr. Beecher and Mr. Nettleton, and he must have seen clearly how the
whole thing stood. At whose suggestion, I do not know, near the close of the
convention, he brought in a string of resolutions, in which, from step to step,
he resolved to disapprove of such, and such, and such measures in the promotion
of revivals. He went over, in his resolutions, nearly, if not quite, every
specification contained in Mr. Nettleton's historical letter, disapproving of
all the things of which Mr. Nettleton had complained.
When he had read his resolutions, it was said immediately by
several of the brethren from the West, "We approve of these resolutions, but
what is their design? It is manifest that their design is to make the public
impression that such things have been practiced; and that this convention,
condemning those practices, condemns the brethren that have been engaged in
those revivals; and that this convention justifies, therefore, the opposition
that has been made." Dr. Beecher insisted that the deign of the resolutions was
entirely prospective; that nothing was asserted or implied with respect to the
past, but that they were merely to serve as landmarks, and to let it be known
that the convention disapproved of such things, if they ever should exist, with
no implication whatever that any such things had been done.
It was immediately replied, that from the fact that such
complaints had gone abroad, and it was publicly known that such charges had been
made, it was evident that these resolutions were designed to sustain the
brethren who had made the opposition, and to make the impression that such
things had been done in those revivals, as were condemned in the resolutions. It
was indeed perfectly plain that such was the meaning of those resolutions on the
part of Mr. Beecher and Mr. Nettleton.
The brethren from the West said, "Of course we shall vote for
these resolutions. We believe in these things as much as you do; and we as much
disapprove of the practices condemned in these resolutions as you do yourselves;
therefore we cannot help voting for them. But we believe that they are intended
to justify this opposition, to have a retrospective rather than a prospective
application." However we passed the resolutions, I believe unanimously; and I
recollect saying that, for my part, I was willing that these resolutions should
go forth, and that all the facts should be left to the publication and
adjudication of the solemn judgment. I then proposed that, before we dismissed,
we should pass a resolution against lukewarmness in religion, and condemning it
as strongly as any of the practices mentioned in the resolutions. Dr. Beecher
declared that there was no danger of lukewarmness at all; whereupon the
convention adjourned sine die.
How the publication of the whole proceedings was received by the
public, I need not say. In the second volume of the biography of Dr. Beecher,
page 101, I find the following note by the editor. He says, "A careful perusal
of the minutes of this convention has satisfied us, that there was no radical
difference of views between the Western brethren and those from New England, and
that but for the influence of one individual, the same settlement might have
been made there, which was afterward effected at Philadelphia." This is no doubt
true. The fact is that had not Mr. Nettleton listened to false reports, and got
committed against those revivals, no convention would have been held upon this
subject, or thought of. It was all the more wonderful that he should have
credited such reports since he had so often been made the subject of manifold
misrepresentations. But he was nearly worn out, had become exceedingly nervous,
and was of course fearful, and easily excited, and withal had the infirmity,
attributed to him by Dr. Beecher in his biography, of never giving up his own
will. I am sure that I say this with entirely kind feelings toward Mr.
Nettleton. I never entertained or had any other.
After this convention, the reaction of public feeling was
overwhelming. Late in the fall of the same year I met Mr. Nettleton in the city
of New York. He told me he was there, to give his letters against the Western
revivals to the public, in pamphlet form. I asked him if he would publish his
historical letter which he read before the convention. He said he must publish
his letters, to justify what he had done. I told him if he published that letter
it would react against himself, as all who were acquainted with those revivals
would see that he was acting without a valid reason. He replied that he should
publish his letters, and would risk the reaction. He published several other
letters, but that one he did not publish, so far as I could learn. If it had
been true, the publication of it would have made the impression that his
opposition had been called for. But as it was not true, it was well for him that
he did not publish it.
Here I must take a slight notice of some things I find in Dr.
Beecher's biography, about which I think there must have been some
misunderstanding. The biography represents him as having justified his
opposition to those revivals--that is, to the manner in which they were
conducted--until the day of his death; and as having maintained that the evils
complained of were real and were corrected by the opposition. If this was his
opinion after that convention, he must still have believed that the brethren who
testified that no such things had been done, were a set of liars; and he must
have wholly rejected our united testimony. But as he and Mr. Nettleton were
exceedingly anxious to justify their opposition, if they still believed those
statements in the historical letter to be true, why did they not publish it, and
appeal to those who were on the ground and witnessed the revivals? Had the
letter been true, its publication would have been their justification. If they
still believed it true, why was it not published with Mr. Nettleton's other
letters? That the developments made at that convention, had shaken the
confidence of Dr. Beecher in the wisdom and justice of Mr. Nettleton's
opposition, I had inferred from the fact that during my labors in Boston, a year
and a half after the convention, and after Mr. Nettleton's letters were
published, Dr. Beecher, speaking of that convention, remarked, that after that,
he would not have had Mr. Nettleton come to Boston for a thousand dollars. Is it
possible that, until his death, Dr. Beecher continued to believe that the
pastors of those churches where those revivals occurred, were liars, and not to
be believed in regard to facts which must have been within their personal
knowledge?
I find in the biographies of Dr. Beecher and Mr. Nettleton, much
complaint of the bad spirit that prevailed in those revivals. Their mistake lies
in their attributing a spirit of denunciation to the wrong side. I never heard
the name of Dr. Beecher or Mr. Nettleton mentioned, during those revivals, in
public, that I recollect, and certainly not censoriously. They were never, even
in private conversation, spoken of, to my knowledge, with the least bitterness.
The friends and promoters of those revivals were in a sweet, Christian spirit,
and as far as possible from being denunciatory. If they had been in a
denunciatory spirit, those blessed revivals could never have been promoted by
them, and the revivals could never have turned out as gloriously as they did.
No, the denunciation was on the side of the opposition. A quotation from Dr.
Beecher's biography will illustrate the animus of the opposition. In the second
volume, page 101, Dr. Beecher is represented as saying to me, at the convention
at New Lebanon, "Finney, I know your plan, and you know I do; you mean to come
to Connecticut, and carry a streak of fire to Boston. But if you attempt it, as
the Lord liveth, I'll meet you at the state line, and call out all the
artillerymen, and fight every inch of the way to Boston, and then I'll fight you
there." I do not remember this; but, as Dr. Beecher does, let it illustrate the
spirit of his opposition. The fact is, he was grossly deceived at every step. I
had no design nor desire to go to Connecticut, nor to Boston. The above, and
many other things which I find in his biography, show how completely he was
deceived, and how utterly ignorant he was of the character, and motives, and
doings, of those who had labored in those glorious revivals. I write these
things with no pleasure. I find much in this biography that surprises me, and
leads me to the conclusion that, by some mistake, Dr. Beecher has been
misunderstood and misrepresented. But I pass by other matters.
After this convention I heard no more of the opposition of Dr.
Beecher and Mr. Nettleton. Opposition in that form had spent itself. The results
of the revivals were such as to shut the mouths of gainsayers, and convince
everybody that they were indeed pure and glorious revivals of religion, and as
far from anything objectionable as any revivals that ever were witnessed in this
world. Let any one read the Acts of the Apostles, and the record of the revivals
of their day; and then read what they say, in their epistles, of the reaction,
backsliding, and apostacies that followed. Then let them find out the truth
respecting the glorious revivals of which I have been writing, their
commencement, progress, and results, which have been more and more manifest for
nearly forty years, and they cannot fail to see that these revivals were as
truly from God as those.
Revivals should increase in purity and power, as intelligence
increases. The converts in apostolic times were either Jews, with all their
prejudice and ignorance, or degraded heathen. The art of printing had not been
discovered. Copies of the Old Testament, and of the written word of God, were
not to be had, except by the rich who were able to purchase manuscript copies.
Christianity had no literature that was accessible to the masses. The means of
instruction were not at hand. With so much darkness and ignorance, with so many
false notions of religion, with so much to mislead and debase, and so few
facilities for sustaining a religious reformation, it was not to be expected
that revivals of religion should be pure and free from errors.
We have, and preach, the same Gospel that the apostles preached.
We have every facility for guarding against error in doctrine and practice, and
for securing a sound Gospel religion. The people among whom these great revivals
prevailed, were an intelligent, cultivated people. They had not only the means
of secular, but also of religious education, abounding in their midst. Nearly
every church had an educated, able, and faithful pastor. These pastors were well
able to judge of the soundness, and discretion of an evangelist, whose labors
they wished to enjoy. They were well able to judge of the propriety of the
measures employed. God set His seal to the doctrines that were preached, and to
the means that were used to carry forward that great work, in a most striking
and remarkable manner. The results are now found in all parts of the land. The
converts of those revivals are still living, and laboring for Christ and for
souls, in almost or quite every state in this Union. It is but just to say that they are among the most
intelligent and useful Christians in this, or any other country.
As I have since labored extensively in this country, and in Great
Britain, and no exceptions have been taken to my measures, it has been assumed
and asserted that since the opposition made by Mr. Nettleton and Dr. Beecher, I
have been reformed, and have given up the measures they complained of. This is
an entire mistake. I have always and everywhere, used all the measures I used in
those revivals and have often added other measures, whenever I have deemed it
expedient. I have never seen the necessity of reformation in this respect. Were
I to live my life over again, I think that, with the experience of more than
forty years in revival labors, I should, under the same circumstances, use
substantially the same measures that I did then.
And let me not be understood to take credit to myself. No indeed.
It was no wisdom of my own that directed me. I was made to feel my ignorance and
dependence, and led to look to God continually for His guidance. I had no doubt
then, nor have I ever had, that God led me by His Spirit, to take the course I
did. So clearly did He lead me from day to day, that I never did or could doubt
that I was divinely directed.
That the brethren who opposed those revivals were good men, I do
not doubt. That they were misled, and grossly and most injuriously deceived, I
have just as little doubt. If they died under the belief that they had just
reasons for what they did, and wrote, and said, and that they corrected the
evils of which they complained, they died grossly deceived in this respect. It
is not for the safety of the church, the honor of revivals, or the glory of
Christ, that posterity should believe that those evils existed, and were
corrected, by such a spirit, and in such a manner as has been represented. I
should have remained silent had not so marked an effort been made to perpetuate
and confirm the delusion, that the opposition to those revivals was justifiable
and successful. The fact is, it was neither.
I have no doubt that Dr. Beecher was led, by somebody, to believe
that his opposition was called for. From his biography, it appears that at
Philadelphia, the next spring after the convention, it was agreed by himself,
Dr. Beman and others, to drop the subject and publish no more in regard to those
revivals. The truth is, that all the controversy and all the publishing had been
on the side of the opposition. Previously to the meeting at Philadelphia, Mr.
Nettleton had published his letters, and I saw nothing farther in print upon the
subject.
I was not a party to the agreement entered into at Philadelphia;
nevertheless, had not Dr. Beecher's biography reopened this subject, with the
manifest design to justify the course that he took, and rivet the impression
upon the public mind, that in making that opposition to those revivals he
performed a great and good work, I should not feel called upon to say, what I
cannot now be justified in withholding. I write from personal knowledge, and to
me it matters not who may have given to Dr. Beecher the supposed facts upon
which he acted. Those asserted facts were no facts, as I stated before the
convention; to which statement every brother with whom I had labored assented.
This was proof, if anything can be proven by human testimony. This testimony, it
would seem, Dr. Beecher did not believe, if his biographer has not
misrepresented him. And what will the churches in Oneida county say to this?
Will they, can they believe, that such men as Rev. Dr. Aiken, Rev. John Frost,
Rev. Moses Gillett, Rev. Mr. Coe, and the other men from that county, who
attended that convention, deliberately falsified upon a subject which was within
their own personal knowledge? It matters not who Dr. Beecher's informants were;
certainly none of the pastors where those revivals prevailed, ever gave him any
information that justified his course; and no other men understood the matter as
well as they did. I submit that, as the convention decided; they were the best
possible witnesses of what was said and done in their own congregations; and
their testimony was unanimous that no such things were done as were charged.
I had read the strong, and even terrible charges against the
brethren who labored in those revivals, contained in Dr. Beecher's letter to Dr.
Taylor, in which he states that his correspondence will justify what he was
doing and writing against those brethren. When I learned that this matter was to
be spread before the public in Dr. Beecher's biography, I hoped that, at last,
we should get at the authors of those reports, through the publication of his
correspondence. But I see nothing in his correspondence to justify his course.
Are these charges to be virtually repeated and stereotyped, and the
correspondence, by which they are said to be justified, concealed? If, as it
seems, Dr. Beecher, until the day of his death, continued to reject our united
testimony, may we not know by whose counter testimony ours is impeached?
On page 103, of the second volume of Dr. Beecher's autobiography,
we have the following: "In the spring of 1828, said Dr. Beecher in conversation
on the subject, I found out that Mr. Finney's friends were laying their plans to
make in impression on the general assembly, that held its session at
Philadelphia, and to get one of their men into Mr. Skinner's place. Skinner's
church had just asked me to preach for them; and I wrote back that I would
supply, if they wished, while the assembly was in session. That blocked
somebody's wheels. I stayed till the close, when Beman preached half a day. That
defeated their plans. They failed." What this means I cannot say. In reading the
above, and what follows to the end of the chapter, together with what I find
elsewhere on this subject, in this biography, I stand amazed in view of the
suspicions and delusions under which Dr. Beecher's mind was laboring. If any of
my friends were trying to get into Dr. Skinner's pulpit which he had vacated, I
have no recollection of ever having heard of it. I was, at that time, a minister
in the Presbyterian church, and was preaching in Philadelphia when the assembly
was in session and while Dr. Beecher was there. I was as ignorant as a child of
all this management revealed in the biography. I shared none of the terrors and
distractions, that seem to have so much distressed Dr. Beecher and Mr.
Nettleton. If any of my friends were sharing in the state of mind in which these
brethren were, I knew it not.
The truthful record of my labors up to the time of the
convention, and from that time onward, will show how little I knew or cared what
Dr. Beecher and Mr. Nettleton were saying or doing about me. I bless the Lord
that I was kept from being diverted from my work by their opposition, and that I
never gave myself any uneasiness about it. When at Auburn, as I have related,
God had given me the assurance that He would overrule all opposition, without my
turning aside to answer my opposers. This I never forgot. Under this divine
assurance I went forward with a single eye, and a trustful spirit; and now when
I read what agitations, suspicions, and misapprehensions possessed the minds of
these brethren, I stand amazed at their delusion and consequent anxiety,
respecting myself and my labors. At the very time that Dr. Beecher was in
Philadelphia, managing with members of the general assembly, as related in his
biography, I was laboring in that city, and had been for several months, in
different churches, in the midst of a powerful revival of religion, perfectly
ignorant of Dr. Beecher's errand there. I cannot be too thankful that God kept
me from being agitated, and changed in my spirit, or views of labor, by all the
opposition of those days.
CHAPTER XVII
REVIVAL IN
STEPHENTOWN
AFTER this convention,
I remained a short time in New Lebanon. I do not think the convention injured
the religious state of the people in that place. It would have done so, had any
facts come out to justify the opposition which they knew had been made to the
revivals that had been the subject of discussion. But, as it resulted, the
church in New Lebanon were, I believe, edified and strengthened by what they
knew of the convention. Indeed, everything had been conducted in a spirit
tending to edify rather than stumble the people.
Soon after the adjournment of the convention, on the Sabbath, as
I came out of the pulpit, a young lady by the name of S, from Stephentown, was
introduced to me. She asked me if I could not go up to their town and preach. I
replied, that my hands were full, and that I did not see that I could. I saw her
utterance was choked with deep feeling; but as I had not time to converse with
her then, I went to my lodging.
Afterward I made inquiry about Stephentown, a place north of, and
adjoining New Lebanon. Many years before, a wealthy individual had died, and
given to the Presbyterian church in that place, a fund, the interest of which
was sufficient to support a pastor. Soon after this, a Mr. B, who had been a
chaplain in the Revolutionary army, was settled there as pastor of the church.
He remained until the church ran down, and he finally became an open infidel.
This had produced a most disastrous influence in that town. He remained among
them, openly hostile to the Christian religion.
After he had ceased to be pastor of the church, they had had one
or two ministers settled. Nevertheless, the church declined, and the state of
religion grew worse and worse; until, finally, they had left their meeting
house, as so few attended meeting, and held their services on the Sabbath, in a
small schoolhouse, which stood near the church.
The last minister they had had, affirmed that he stayed until not
more than half-a-dozen people in the town would attend on the Sabbath; and
although there was a fund for his support, and his salary was regularly paid,
yet he could not think it his duty to spend his time in laboring in such a
field. He had, therefore, been dismissed. No other denomination had taken
possession of the field, so as to excite any public interest, and the whole town
was a complete moral waste. Three elders of the Presbyterian church remained,
and about twenty members. The only unmarried person in the church, was this Miss
S, of whom I have spoken. Nearly the whole town was in a state of impenitence.
It was a large, rich, farming town, with no considerable village in it.
On the next Sabbath, Miss S met me again, as I came out of the
pulpit, and begged me to go up there and preach; and asked me if I knew anything
of the state of things there. I informed her that I did; but I told her I did
not know how I could go. She appeared greatly affected, too much so to converse,
for she could not control her feelings. These facts, with what I had heard,
began to take hold of me; and my mind began to be profoundly stirred in respect
to the state of things in Stephentown. I finally told her that if the elders of
the church desired me to come, she might have a notice given out that I would
come up, the Lord willing, and preach in their church, the next Sabbath at five
o'clock in the afternoon. This would allow me to preach twice in New Lebanon,
after which I could ride up to Stephentown and preach at five o'clock. This
seemed to light up her countenance and lift the load from her heart. She went
home and had the notice given.
Accordingly the next Sabbath, after preaching the second time,
one of the young converts at New Lebanon offered to take me up to Stephentown in
his carriage. When he came in his buggy to take me, I asked him, "Have you a
steady horse?" Oh yes!" he replied, "perfectly so;" and smiling, asked, "What
made you ask the question?" "Because," I replied, "if the Lord wants me to go to
Stephentown, the devil will prevent it if he can; and if you have not a steady
horse, he will try to make him kill me." He smiled, and we rode on; and, strange
to tell, before we got there, that horse ran away twice, and came near killing
us. His owner expressed the greatest astonishment, and said he had never known
such a thing before.
However, in due time we arrived in safety at Mr. S's, the father
of Miss S whom I have mentioned. He lived about half a mile from the church, in
the direction of New Lebanon. As we went in, we met Maria--for that was her
name--who tearfully, yet joyfully received us, and showed me to a room where I
could be alone, as it was not quite time for meeting. Soon after I heard her
praying in a room over my head. When it was time for meeting, we all went, and
found a very large gathering. The congregation was solemn and attentive, but
nothing very particular occurred that evening. I spent the night at Mr. S's, and
this Maria seemed to be praying over my room nearly all night. I could hear her
low, trembling voice, interrupted often by sobs and manifest weeping. I had made
no appointment to come again; but before I left in the morning, she plead so
hard, that I consented to have an appointment made for me for five o'clock the
next Sabbath.
When I came up on the next Sabbath, nearly the same things
occurred as before; but the congregation was more crowded; and as the house was
old, for fear the galleries would break down, they had been strongly propped
during the week. I could see a manifest increase of solemnity and interest, the
second time I preached there. I then left an appointment to preach again. At the
third service the Spirit of God was poured out on the congregation.
There was a Judge P, that lived in a small village in one part of
the town, who had a large family of unconverted children. At the close of the
service as I came out of the pulpit, Miss S stepped up to me, and pointed me to
a pew--the house had then the old square pews--in which sat a young woman
greatly overcome with her feelings. I went in to speak to her, and found her to
be one of the daughters of this Judge P. Her convictions were very deep. I sat
down by her and gave her instructions; and I think, before she left the house
she was converted. She was a very intelligent, earnest young woman, and became a
very useful Christian. She was afterwards the wife of the evangelist Underwood,
who has been so well known in many of the churches, in New Jersey especially,
and in New England. She and Miss S seemed immediately to unite their prayers.
But I could not see as yet, much movement among the older members of the church.
They stood in such relations to each other, that a good deal of repentance and
confession had to pass among them, as a condition of their getting into the
work.
The state of things in Stephentown, now demanded that I should
leave New Lebanon, and take up my quarters there. I did so. The spirit of prayer
in the meantime had come powerfully upon me, as had been the case for some time
with Miss S. The praying power so manifestly spreading and increasing, the work
soon took on a very powerful type; so much so that the Word of the Lord would
cut the strongest men down, and render them entirely helpless. I could name many
cases of this kind.
One of the first that I recollect was on Sabbath, when I was
preaching on the text, "God is love." There was a man by the name of J, a man of
strong nerves, and of considerable prominence as a farmer, in the town. He sat
almost immediately before me, near the pulpit. The first that I observed was
that he fell, and writhed in agony for a few moments; but afterwards became
still, and nearly motionless, but entirely helpless. He remained in this state
until the meeting was out, when he was taken home. He was very soon converted,
and became an effective worker, in bringing his friends to Christ.
In the course of this revival, Zebulon R. Shipherd, a celebrated
lawyer from Washington county, New York, being in attendance upon the court at
Albany, and hearing of the revival at Stephentown, so disposed of his business
as to come out and labor with me in the revival. He was an earnest Christian
man, attended all the meetings, and enjoyed them greatly. He was there when the
November elections occurred through the State. I looked forward to the election
day with considerable solicitude, fearing that the excitement of that day would
greatly retard the work. I exhorted Christians to watch and pray greatly, that
the work might not be arrested by any excitement that should occur on that day.
On the evening of election day I preached. When I came out of the
pulpit after preaching, Mr. Shipherd--who, by the way, was the father of Rev. J.
J. Shipherd who afterward established Oberlin--beckoned to me from a pew where
he sat, to come to him. It was a pew in the corner of the house, at the left
hand of the pulpit. I went to him, and found one of the gentlemen who had sat at
the table to receive votes during the day, so overcome with conviction of sin as
to be unable to leave his seat. I went in and had some conversation with him,
and prayed with him, and he was manifestly converted. A considerable portion of
the congregation had, in the meantime, sat down. As I came out of the pew, and
was about to retire, my attention was called to another pew, at the right hand
side of the pulpit, where was another of those men that had been prominent at
the election, and had been receiving votes, precisely in the same condition of
mind. He was too much overpowered by the state of his feelings to leave the
house. I went and conversed with him also; and, if I recollect, he was converted
before he left the house. I mention these cases as specimens of the type of the
work in that place.
I have mentioned the family of Mr. P as being large. I recollect
there were sixteen members of that family, children and grandchildren, hopefully
converted; all of whom I think, united with the church before I left. There was
another family in the town by the name of M; which was also a large and very
influential family, one of the most so of any in town. Most of the people lived
scattered along on a street which, if I recollect right, was about five miles in
length. On inquiry I found there was not a religious family on that whole
street, and not a single house in which family prayer was maintained.
I made an appointment to preach in a schoolhouse, on that street,
and when I arrived the house was very much crowded. I took for my text: "The
curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked." The Lord gave me a very clear
view of the subject, and I was enabled to bring out the truth effectively. I
told them that I understood that there was not a praying family in that whole
district. The fact is, the town was in an awful state. The influence of Mr. B,
their former minister, now an infidel, had borne its legitimate fruit; and there
was but very little conviction of the truth and reality of religion left, among
the impenitent in that town. This meeting that I have spoken of, resulted in the
conviction of nearly all that were present, I believe, at the meeting. The
revival spread in that neighborhood; and I recollect that in this M family,
there were seventeen hopeful conversions.
But there were several families in the town who were quite
prominent in influence, who did not attend the meetings. It seemed that they
were so much under the influence of Mr. B, that they were determined not to
attend. However, in the midst of the revival, this Mr. B died a horrible death;
and this put an end to his opposition.
I have said there were several families in town that did not
attend meeting; and I could devise no means by which they could be induced to
attend. The Miss S of New Lebanon, who was converted at Troy, heard that these
families did not attend, and came up to Stephentown; and as her father was a man
very well known and very much respected, she was received with respect and
deference in any family that she wished to visit. She went and called on one of
these families. I believe she was acquainted with their daughters, and induced
them to accompany her to meeting. They soon became so interested that they
needed no influence to persuade them to attend. She then went to another, with
the same result, and to another; and finally, I believe, secured the attendance
of all those families that had stayed away. These families were nearly or quite
all converted before I left the town. Indeed nearly all the principal
inhabitants of the town were gathered into the church, and the town was morally
renovated. I have never been there since that time, which was in the fall of
1827. But I have often heard from there, and the revival produced permanent
results. The converts turned out to be sound; and the church has maintained a
good degree of spiritual vigor.
As elsewhere, the striking characteristics of this revival, were
a mighty spirit of prevailing prayer; overwhelming conviction of sin; sudden and
powerful conversions to Christ; great love and abounding joy of the converts,
and their great earnestness, activity, and usefulness in their prayers and
labors for others. This revival occurred in the town adjoining New Lebanon, and
immediately after the Convention. The opposition had, at that convention,
received its death-blow. I have seldom labored in a revival with greater comfort
to myself, or with less opposition, than in Stephentown. At first the people
chafed a little under the preaching, but with such power was it set home by the
Holy Spirit, that I soon heard no more complaint.
CHAPTER XVIII
REVIVALS AT
WILMINGTON AND AT PHILADELPHIA
WHILE I was laboring
at New Lebanon, the preceding summer, Rev. Mr. Gilbert of Wilmington, Delaware,
whose father resided in New Lebanon, came there on a visit. Mr. Gilbert was very
old-school in his theological views, but a good and earnest man. His love of
souls overruled all difficulty on nice questions of theological difference,
between him and myself. He heard me preach in New Lebanon, and saw the results;
and he was very earnest that I should come, and aid him in Wilmington.
As soon as I could see my way clear to leave Stephentown,
therefore, I went to Wilmington, and engaged in labors with Mr. Gilbert. I soon
found that his teaching had placed the church in a position that rendered it
impossible to promote a revival among them, till their views could be corrected.
They seemed to be afraid to make any effort, lest they should take the work out
of the hands of God. They had the oldest of the old-school views of doctrine;
and consequently their theory was that God would convert sinners in His own
time; and that therefore to urge them to immediate repentance, and in short to
attempt to promote a revival, was to attempt to make men Christians by human
agency, and human strength, and thus to dishonor God by taking the work out of
His hands. I observed also, that in their prayers there was no urgency for an
immediate outpouring of the Spirit, and that this was all in accordance with the
views in which they had been educated.
It was plain that nothing could be done, unless Mr. Gilbert's
view could be changed upon this subject. I therefore spent hours each day in
conversing with him on his peculiar views. We talked the subject all over in a
brotherly manner; and after laboring with him in this way for two or three
weeks, I saw that his mind was prepared to have my own views brought before his
people. The next Sabbath, I took for my text: "Make to yourselves a new heart
and a new spirit; for why will ye die?" I went thoroughly into the subject of
the sinner's responsibility; and showed what a new heart is not, and what it is.
I preached about two hours; and did not sit down till I had gone as thoroughly
over the whole subject, as very rapid speaking would enable me to do, in that
length of time.
The congregation became intensely interested, and great numbers
rose and stood on their feet, in every part of the house. The house was
completely filled, and there were strange looks in the assembly. Some looked
distressed and offended, others intensely interested. Not unfrequently, when I
brought out strongly the contrast between my own views, and the views in which
they had been instructed, some laughed, some wept, some were manifestly angry;
but I do not recollect that anyone left the house. It was a strange excitement.
In the meantime, Mr. Gilbert moved himself from one end of the
sofa to the other, in the pulpit behind me. I could hear him breathe and sigh,
and could not help observing that he was himself in the greatest anxiety.
However, I knew I had him, in his convictions, fast; but whether he would make
up his mind to withstand what would be said by his people, I did not know. But I
was preaching to please the Lord, and not man. I thought that it might be the
last time I should ever preach there; but purposed, at all events, to tell them
the truth, and the whole truth, on that subject, whatever the result might be.
I endeavored to show that if man were as helpless as their views
represented him to be, he was not to blame for his sins. If he had lost in Adam
all power of obedience, so that obedience had become impossible to him, and that
not by his own act or consent, but by the act of Adam, it was mere nonsense to
say that he could be blamed for what he could not help. I had endeavored also to
show that, in that case, the atonement was no grace, but really a debt due to
mankind, on the part of God, for having placed them in a condition so deplorable
and so unfortunate. Indeed, the Lord helped me to show up I think, with
irresistible clearness the peculiar dogmas of old schoolism and their inevitable
results.
When I was through, I did not call upon Mr. Gilbert to pray, for
I dared not; but prayed myself that the Lord would set home the Word, make it
understood, and give a candid mind to weigh what had been said, and to receive
the truth, and to reject what might be erroneous. I then dismissed the assembly,
and went down the pulpit stairs, Mr. Gilbert following me. The congregation
withdrew very slowly, and many seemed to be standing and waiting for something,
in almost every part of the house. The aisles were cleared pretty nearly; and
the rest of the congregation seemed to remain in a waiting position, as if they
supposed they should hear from Mr. Gilbert, upon what had been said. Mrs.
Gilbert, however, went immediately out.
As I came down the pulpit stairs, I observed two ladies sitting
on the left hand of the aisle through which we must pass, to whom I had been
introduced, and who, I knew, were particular friends and supporters of Mr.
Gilbert. I saw that they looked partly grieved, and partly offended, and greatly
astonished. The first we reached, who was near the pulpit stairs, took hold of
Mr. Gilbert as he was following behind me, and said to him, "Mr. Gilbert, what
do you think of that?" She spoke in a loud whisper. He replied in the same
manner, "It is worth five hundred dollars." That greatly gratified me, and
affected me very much. She replied, "Then you have never preached the Gosepl."
"Well," said he, "I am sorry to say I never have." We passed along, and then the
other lady said to him about the same things, and received a similar reply. That
was enough for me; I made my way to the door and went out. Those that had gone
out were standing, many of them, in front of the house, discussing vehemently
the things that had been said. As I passed along the streets going to Mr.
Gilbert's, where I lodged, I found the streets full of excitement and
discussion. The people were comparing views; and from the few words that escaped
from those that did not observe me as I passed along, I saw that the impression
was decidedly in favor of what had been said.
When I arrived at Mr. Gilbert's, his wife accosted me as soon as
I entered, by saying, "Mr. Finney, how dared you preach any such thing in our
pulpit?" I replied, "Mrs. Gilbert, I did not dare to preach anything else; it is
the truth of God." She replied, "Well, it is true that God was in justice bound
to make an atonement for mankind. I have always felt it, though I never dared
say it. I believed that if the doctrine preached by Mr. Gilbert was true, God
was under obligation, as a matter of justice, to make an atonement, and to save
me from those circumstances in which it was impossible for me to help myself,
and from a condemnation which I did not deserve."
Just at this moment Mr. Gilbert entered. "There," said I,
"Brother Gilbert, you see the results of your preaching, here in your own
family;" and then repeated to him what his wife had just said. He replied, "I
have sometimes thought that my wife was one of the most pious women that I ever
knew; and at other times I have thought that she had no religion at all." "Why!"
I exclaimed, "she has always thought that God owed her, as a matter of justice,
the salvation provided in Christ; how can she be a Christian?" This was all
said, by each of us, with the greatest solemnity and earnestness. Upon my making
the last remark, she got up and left the room. The house was very solemn; and
for two days, I believe, I did not see her. She then came out clear, not only in
the truth, but in the state of her own mind; having passed through a complete
revolution of views and experience.
From this point the work went forward. The truth was worked out
admirably by the Holy Spirit. Mr. Gilbert's views became greatly changed; and
also his style of preaching, and manner of presenting the Gospel. So far as I
know, until the day of his death, his views remained corrected, new school as
opposed to the old school views which he had before maintained.
The effect of this sermon upon many of Mr. Gilbert's church
members was very peculiar. I have spoken of the lady who asked him what he
thought of it. She afterwards told me that she was so offended, to think that
all her views of religion were so overthrown, that she promised herself she
never would pray again. She had been in the habit of so far justifying herself
because of her sinful nature, and had taken, in her own mind, such a opposition
as Mrs. Gilbert had held, that my preaching on that subject had completely
subverted her views, her religion, and all. She remained in this state of
rebellion, if I recollect right, for some six weeks, before she would pray
again. She then broke down, and became thoroughly changed in her views and
religious experience. And this, I believe, was the case with a large number of
that church.
In the meantime I had been induced to go up and preach for Mr.
Patterson, at Philadelphia, twice each week. I went up on the steamboat and
preached in the evening, and returned the next day and preached at Wilmington;
thus alternating my evening services between Wilmington and Philadelphia. The
distance was about forty miles. The Word took so much effect in Philadelphia as
to convince me that it was my duty to leave Mr. Gilbert to carry on the work in
Wilmington, while I gave my whole time to labor in Philadelphia.
Rev. James Patterson, with whom I first labored in Philadelphia,
held the views of theology then held at Princeton, since known as the theology of the old school Presbyterians. But he
was a godly man, and cared a great deal more for the salvation of souls, than
for nice questions about ability and inability, or any of those points of
doctrine upon which the old and new school Presbyterians differ. His wife held
the New England views of theology; that
is, she believed in a general, as opposed to a restricted atonement, and agreed
with what was called New England orthodoxy, as distinguished from Princeton orthodoxy.
It will be remembered that at this time I belonged to the
Presbyterian church myself. I had been licensed and ordained by a presbytery,
composed mostly of men educated at Princeton. I have also said that when I was
licensed to preach the Gospel, I was asked whether I received the Presbyterian
Confession of Faith, as containing the substance of Christian doctrine. I
replied that I did, so far as I understood it. But not expecting to be asked any
such question, I had never examined it with any attention, and I think I had
never read it through. But when I came to read the Confession of Faith and
ponder it, I saw that although I could receive it, as I now know multitudes of
Presbyterians do, as containing the substance of Christian doctrine, yet there
were several points upon which I could not put the same construction that was
put on them at Princeton; and I accordingly, everywhere, gave the people to
understand that I did not accept that construction; or if that was the true
construction, then I entirely differed from the Confession of Faith. I suppose
that Mr. Patterson understood this before I went to labor with him; as when I
took that course in his pulpit he expressed no surprise. Indeed, he did not at
all object to it.
The revival took such hold in his congregation as greatly to
interest him; and as he saw that God was blessing the Word as I presented it, he
stood firmly by me, and never, in any case, objected to anything that I
advanced. Sometimes when we returned from meeting, Mrs. Patterson would
smilingly remark, "Now you see Mr. Patterson, that Mr. Finney does not agree
with you on those points upon which we have so often conversed." He would
always, in the greatness of his Christian faith and love, reply, "Well, the Lord
blesses it."
The interest became so great that our congregations were packed
at every meeting. One day Mr. Patterson said to me, "Brother Finney, if the
Presbyterian ministers in this city find out your views, and what you are
preaching to the people, they will hunt you out of the city as they would a
wolf." I replied, "I cannot help it. I can preach no other doctrine; and if they
must drive me out of the city, let them do it, and take the responsibility. But
I do not believe that they can get me out."
However, the ministers did not take the course that he predicted,
by any means; but nearly all received me to their pulpits. When they learned
what was going on at Mr. Patterson's church and that many of their own church
members were greatly interested, they invited me to preach for them; and if I
recollect right, I preached in all of the Presbyterian churches except that of
Arch street.
Philadelphia was at that time a unit, almost, in regard to the
views of theology held at Princeton. Dr. Skinner held to some extent, what have
since been known as new school views; and differed enough from the tone of
theology round about him, to be suspected as not altogether sound, according to
the prevailing orthodoxy. I have ever regarded it as a most remarkable thing,
that, so far as I know, my doctrinal views did not prove a stumbling block in
that city; so was my orthodoxy openly called in question, by any of the
ministers or churches. I preached in the Dutch church to Dr. Livingston's
congregation; and I found that he sympathized with my views, and encouraged me,
with all his influence, to go on and preach the preaching that the Lord had
bidden me. I did not hesitate everywhere, and on all occasions, to present my
own views of theology, and those which I had everywhere presented, to the
churches.
Mr. Patterson was himself, I believe, greatly surprised that I
met no open opposition from the ministers or churches, on account of my
theological views. Indeed, I did not present them at all in a controversial way;
but simply employed them in my instructions to saints; and sinners, in a way so
natural as not, perhaps, to excite very much attention, except with
discriminating theologians. But many things that I said were new to the people.
For example, one night I preached on this text: "There is one God, and one
Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom
for all, to be testified in due time." This was a sermon on the atonement, in
which I took the view that I have always held, of its nature and of its
universality; and stated, as strongly as I could, those points of difference
between my own views and those that were held by limited atonement theologians.
This sermon attracted so much attention, and excited so much interest, that I
was urged to preach on the same subject in other churches. The more I preached
upon it, the more desirous people were to hear; and the excitement became so
general, that I preached on that subject seven different evenings in succession,
in as many different churches.
It would seem that the people had heard much said against what
was called Hopkinsianism; the two great points of which were understood to be,
that man ought to be willing to be damned for the glory of God, and that God was
the author of sin. In preaching, I sometimes noticed these points, and took
occasion to denounce Hopkinsianism; and said that they appeared to have too much
of it in Philadelphia; that their great neglect in attending to the salvation of
their souls looked very much as if they were willing to be damned; and that they
must hold that God was the author of sin, for they maintained that their nature
was sinful. This I turned over and over, and these two points I dwelt upon. I
heard again and again that the people said, "Well, he is no Hopkinsian." Indeed,
I felt it my duty to expose all the hiding places of sinners, and to hunt them
out from under those peculiar views of orthodoxy, in which I found them
entrenched.
The revival spread, and took a powerful hold. All our meetings
for preaching, for prayer, and for inquiry, were crowded. There were a great
many more inquirers than we could well attend to. It was late in the fall when I
took my lodgings in Philadelphia, and I continued to labor there without any
intermission until the following August, 1828.
As in other places, there were some cases of very bitter
opposition on the part of individuals. In one case, a man whose wife was very
deeply convicted, was so enraged that he came in, and took his wife out of
meeting by force. Another case I recollect as a very striking one, of a German
whose name I cannot now recall. He was a tobacconist. He had a very amiable and
intelligent wife; and was himself, as I afterwards found, when I became
acquainted with him, an intelligent man. He was, however, a skeptic, and had no
confidence in religion at all. His wife, however, came to our meetings, and
became very much concerned about her soul; and after a severe struggle of many
days, she was thoroughly converted. As she attended meetings frequently, and
became very much interested, it soon attracted the attention of her husband, and
he began to oppose her being a Christian. He had, as I learned, a hasty temper,
and was a man of athletic frame, and of great resolution and fixedness of
purpose. As his wife became more and more interested, his opposition increased,
till finally he forbade her attending meetings any more.
She then called to see me, and asked my advice with regard to
what course she should take. I told her that her first obligation was to God;
that she was undoubtedly under obligation to obey His commands, even if they
conflicted with the commands of her husband; and that, while I advised her to
avoid giving him offense if she could, and do her duty to God, still in no case
to omit, what she regarded as her duty to God, for the sake of complying with
his wishes. I told her that, as he was an infidel, his opinions on religious
subjects were not to be respected, and that she could not safely follow his
advice. She was well aware of this. He was a man that paid no attention to
religion at all, except to oppose it.
In accordance with my advice; she attended the meetings as she
had opportunity, and received instructions; and she soon came into the liberty
of the Gospel, had great faith and peace of mind, and enjoyed much of the
presence of God. This highly displeased her husband; and he finally went so far
as to threaten her life, if she went to meeting again. She had so frequently
seen him angry, that she had no confidence that he would fulfill his threat. She
told him calmly that whatever it cost her, her mind was made up to do her duty
to God; that she felt it her duty to avail herself of the opportunity to get the
instruction she needed; and that she must attend those meetings, whenever she
could do it without neglecting her duty to her family.
One Sabbath evening, when he found she was going to meeting, he
renewed his threat that if she went he would take her life. She told me
afterward that she had no thought that it was anything but a vain threat. She
calmly replied to him that her duty was plain; that there was no reason why she
should remain at home at that time, but simply to comply with his unreasonable
wishes; and that to stay at home, under such circumstances; would be entirely
inconsistent with her duty to God and to herself. She therefore went to meeting.
When she returned from meeting, she found him in a great rage. As soon as she
entered the door he locked it after her, and took out the key, and then drew a
dagger and swore he would take her life. She ran upstairs. He caught a light to
follow her. The servant girl blew out the light as he passed by her. This left
them both in the dark. She ran up and through the rooms in the second story,
found her way down into the kitchen, and then to the cellar. He could not follow
her in the dark; and she got out of the cellar window, and went to a friend's
house and spent the night.
Taking it for granted that he would be ashamed of his rage before
morning, she went home early, and entered the house, and found things in the
greatest disorder. He had broken some of the furniture, and acted like a man
distracted. He again locked the door, as soon as she was fairly in the house;
and drawing a dagger, he threw himself upon his knees and held up his hands, and
took the most horrible oath that he would there take her life. She looked at him
with astonishment and fled. She ran up stairs, but it was light, and he followed
her. She ran from room to room, till finally, she entered the last, from which
there was no escape. She turned around and faced him. She threw herself upon her
knees, as he was about to strike her with his dagger, and lifted up her hands to
heaven, and cried for mercy upon herself and upon him. At this point God
arrested him. She said he looked at her for a moment, dropped his dagger, and
fell upon the floor and cried for mercy himself. He then and there broke down
confessed his sins to God and to her; and begged God, and begged her, to forgive
him.
From that moment he was a wonderfully changed man. He became one
of the most earnest Christian converts. He was greatly attached to myself; and
some year or two after this, as he heard that I was to come to Philadelphia, in
a certain steamboat, he was the first man in Philadelphia that met and greeted
me. I received him and his wife into the church, before I left Philadelphia, and
baptized their children. I have not seen or heard from them for many years.
But while there were individual cases of singular bitterness and
opposition to religion, still I was not annoyed or hindered by anything like
public opposition. The ministers received me kindly; and in no instance that I
recollect, did they speak publicly, if indeed they did privately, against the
work that was going on.
After preaching in Mr. Patterson's church for several months,
and, more or less, in nearly all the Presbyterian churches in the city, it was
thought best that I should take up a central position, and preach steadily in
one place. In Race street there was a large German church, the pastor of which
was a Mr. Helfenstein. The elders of the congregation, together with their
pastor, requested me to occupy their pulpit. Their house was then, I think, the
largest house of worship in the city. It was always crowded; and it was said, it
seated three thousand people, when the house was packed and the aisles were
filled. There I preached statedly for many months. I had an opportunity to
preach to a great many Sabbath-school teachers. Indeed it was said that the
Sabbath-school teachers throughout the city generally attended my ministry.
About midsummer of 1829, I left for a short time, and visited my
wife's parents in Oneida county, and then returned to Philadelphia, and labored
there until about midwinter. I do not recollect exact dates, but think that in
all, I labored in Philadelphia about a year and a half. In all this time there
was no abatement of the revival, that I could see. The converts became numerous
in every part of the city; but I never had any knowledge, nor could I form any
estimate of their exact number. I never had labored anywhere where I was
received more cordially; and where Christians, and especially converts, appeared
better than they did there. There was no jar or schism among them, that I ever
knew of; and I never heard of any disastrous influence resulting from that
revival.
There were a great many interesting facts connected with this
revival. I recollect that a young woman who was the daughter of a minister of
the old school stamp, attended my ministry at Mr. Patterson's church, and became
awfully convicted. Her convictions were so deep, that she finally fell into a
most distressing despair. She told me she had been taught from her childhood by
her father, that if she was one of the elect, she would be converted in due
time; and that until she was converted, and her nature changed by the Spirit of
God, she could do nothing for herself, but to read her Bible, and pray for a new
heart.
When she was quite young she had been greatly convicted of sin,
but had followed her father's instruction, had read her Bible, and prayed for a
new heart, and thought that was all that was required of her. She waited to be
converted, and thus for evidence that she was one of the elect. In the midst of
her great struggle of soul on the subject of her salvation, something had come
up relative to the question of marriage; and she promised God that she never
would give her hand to any man till she was a Christian. When she made the
promise, she said that she expected God would very soon convert her. But her
convictions passed away. She was not converted; and still that promise to God
was upon her soul, and she dared not break it.
When she was about eighteen years of age, a young man proposed to
make her his wife. She approved, but as that vow was upon her, she could not
consent to be married until she was a Christian. She said they greatly loved
each other, and he urged her to be married without delay. But without telling
him her real reason, she kept deferring it from time to time, for some five
years, if I recollect right, waiting for God to convert her. Finally in riding
one day, the young man was thrown from the carriage, and instantly killed. This
aroused the enmity of her heart against God. She accused God of dealing hardly
with her. She said that she had been waiting for Him to convert her, and had
been faithful to her promise, not to get married until she was converted; that
she had kept her lover for years waiting for her to get ready; and now, behold!
God had cut him off, and she was still unconverted.
She had learned that the young man was a Universalist; and now
she was greatly interested to believe that Universalism was true, and would not
believe that God had sent him to hell; and if He had sent him to hell, she could
not be reconciled to it at all. Thus she had been warring with God, for a
considerable time, before she came to our meetings, supposing that the blame of
her not being converted, was chargeable upon God, and not upon herself.
When she heard my preaching, and found that all her refuges of
lies were torn away, and saw that she should have given her heart to God long
before, and all would have been well; she saw that she herself had been entirely
to blame, and that the instructions of her father on all those points had been
entirely wrong; and remembering, as she did, how she had blamed God, and what a
blasphemous attitude she had maintained before Him, she very naturally despaired
of mercy. I reasoned with her, and tried to show her the long suffering of God,
and encouraged her to hope, to believe, and to lay hold upon eternal life. But
her sense of sin was so great, that she seemed unable to grasp the promise, and
sunk down deeper and deeper into despair, from day to day.
After laboring with her a great deal, I became greatly distressed
about her case. At the close of every meeting she would follow me home, with her
despairing complaints, and would exhaust me by appeals to my sympathy and
Christian compassion for her soul. After this state of things had continued for
many weeks, one morning she called upon me in company with an aunt of hers, who
had become greatly concerned about her, and who thought her on the very verge of
a desperate insanity. I was myself of the opinion that it would result in that,
if she would not believe. Catharine--for that was her name--came into my room in
her usually despairing way; but with a look of wildness in her face that
indicated a state of mind that was unendurable; and at the moment, I think it
was the Spirit of God that suggested to my mind, to take an entirely different
course with her from what I had ever taken.
I said to her, "Catharine, you profess to believe that God is
good." "Oh yes!" she said, I believe that." "Well, you have often told me that
His goodness forbids Him to have mercy on you--that your sins have been so great
that it would be a dishonor to Him to forgive you and save you. You have often
confessed to me that you believed that God would forgive you if He wisely could;
but that your forgiveness would be an injury to Him, to His government, and to
His universe, and therefore He cannot forgive you." "Yes," she said, "I believe
that." I replied, "Then your difficulty is that you want God to sin, to act
unwisely and injure Himself and the universe for the sake of saving you." She
opened and set her large blue eyes upon me, and looked partly surprised and
partly indignant. But I proceeded: "Yes! you are in great trouble and anguish of
mind, because God will not do wrong, because He will persist in being good,
whatever may become of you. You go about in the greatest distress of mind,
because God will not be persuaded to violate His own sense of propriety and
duty, and save you to His own injury, and that of the entire universe. You think
yourself of more consequence than God and all the universe; and cannot be happy
unless God makes Himself and everybody else unhappy, in making you happy."
I pressed this upon her. She looked with the utmost astonishment
at me, and after a few moments she submitted. She seemed to be almost instantly
subdued, like a little child. She said, "I accept it. Let God send me to hell,
if He thinks that is the best thing to be done. I do not want Him to save me at
His own expense, and at the expense of the universe. Let Him do what seemeth Him
good." I got up instantly and left the room; and to get entirely away from her,
I went out and got into a carriage and rode away. When I returned she had gone
of course; but in the afternoon she and her aunt returned, to declare what God
had done for her soul. She was filled with joy and peace, and became one of the
most submissive, humble, beautiful converts that I have known.
Another young woman, I recollect, a very beautiful girl, perhaps
twenty years old, called to see me under great conviction of sin. I asked her,
among other things, if she was convinced that she had been so wicked, that God
might in justice send her to hell. She replied in the strongest language, "Yes!
I deserve a thousand hells." She was gaily, and I think, richly dressed. I had a
very thorough conversation with her, and she broke down in heart, and gave
herself to Christ. She was a very humble, broken-hearted convert. I learned that
she went home and gathered up a great many of her artificial flowers and
ornaments, with which she had decked herself, and of which she was very vain,
and passed through the room with them in her hands. They asked her what she was
going to do with them. She said she was going to burn them up. Said she, "I will
never wear them again." "Well," they said to her, "if you will not wear them,
you can sell them; don't burn them." But she said, "If I sell them, somebody
else will be as vain of them, as I have been myself; I will burn them up." And
she actually put them into the fire.
A few days after this she called on me, and said that she had, in
passing through the market, I think that morning, observed a very richly dressed
lady, in the market. Her compassions were so stirred, that she went up to her
and asked if she might speak to her. The lady replied that she might. She said
to her, "My dear madam, are you not proud of your dress, and are you not vain,
and neglecting the salvation of your soul?" She said that she herself burst into
tears as she said it, and told the lady a little of her own experience, how she
had been attached to dress, and how it had well-nigh ruined her soul. "Now,"
said she, "you are a beautiful lady, and are finely dressed; are you not in the
same state of mind that I was in myself?" She said the lady wept, and confessed
that that had been her snare; and she was afraid that her love of dress and
society would ruin her soul. She confessed that she had been neglecting the
salvation of her soul, because she did not know how to break away from the
circle in which she moved. The young lady wanted to know if I thought she had
done wrong, in what she said to the lady. I told her, no! that I wished all
Christians were as faithful as she; and that I hoped she would never cease to
warn her own sex, against that which had so nearly ruined her own soul.
In the spring of 1829, when the Delaware was high, the lumber men
came down with their rafts from the region of the high land, where they had been
getting the lumber out, during the winter. At that time there was a large tract
of country, along the northern region of Pennsylvania, called by many the lumber
region, that extended up toward the head waters of the Delaware river. Many
persons were engaged in getting out lumber there, summer and winter. Much of
this lumber was floated down in the spring of the year, when the water was high,
to Philadelphia. They would get out their lumber when the river was low; and
when the snow went off, and the spring rains came on, they would throw it into
the river and float it down to where they could build rafts, or otherwise embark
it for the Philadelphia market.
Many of the lumber men were raising families in that region, and
there was a large tract of country there unsettled and unoccupied, except by
these lumber men. They had no schools, and at that time, had no churches or
religious privileges at all. I knew a minister who told me he was born in that
lumber region; and that when he was twenty years old, he had never attended a
religious meeting, and did not know his alphabet.
These men that came down with lumber, attended our meetings, and
quite a number of them were hopefully converted. They went back into the
wilderness, and began to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and to tell
the people around them what they had seen in Philadelphia, and to exhort them to attend to their salvation. Their
efforts were immediately blessed, and the revival began to take hold, and to
spread among those lumber men. It went on in a most powerful and remarkable
manner. It spread to such an extent that in many cases persons would be
convicted and converted, who had not attended any meetings, and who were almost
as ignorant as heathen. Men who were getting out lumber, and were living in
little shanties alone, or where two or three or more were together, would be
seized with such conviction that it would lead them to wander off and inquire
what they should do; and they would be converted, and thus the revival spread.
There was the greatest simplicity manifested by the converts.
An aged minister who had been somewhat acquainted with the state
of things, related to me as an instance of what was going on there, the
following fact. He said one man in a certain place, had a little shanty by
himself where he slept nights, and was getting out his shingles during the day.
He began to feel that he was a sinner, and his convictions increased upon him
until he broke down, confessed his sins, and repented; and the Spirit of God
revealed to him so much of the way of salvation, that he evidently knew the
Savior. But he had never attended a prayer meeting, or heard a prayer, that he
recollected, in his life. His feelings became such, that he finally felt
constrained to go and tell some of his acquaintances, that were getting out
lumber in another place, how he felt. But when he arrived, he found that they
felt, a good many of them, just as he did; and that they were holding prayer
meetings. He attended their prayer meetings, and heard them pray, and finally
prayed himself; and this was the form of his prayer: "Lord you have got me down
and I hope You will keep me down. And since You have had so good luck with me, I
hope You will try other sinners."
I have said that this work began in the spring of 1829. In the
spring of 1831, I was at Auburn again. Two or three men from this lumber region,
came there to see me, and to inquire how they could get some ministers to go in
there. They said that not less than five thousand people had been converted in
that lumber region; that the revival had extended itself along for eighty miles,
and there was not a single minister of the Gospel there.
I have never been in that region; but from all I have ever heard
about it, I have regarded that as one of the most remarkable revivals that have
occurred in this country. It was carried on almost independently of the
ministry, among a class of people very ignorant, in regard to all ordinary
instruction; and yet so clear and wonderful were the teachings of God, that I
have always understood the revival was remarkably free from fanaticism, or
wildness, or anything that was objectionable. I may have been misinformed in
some respects, but report the matter as I have understood it. Behold how great a
matter a little fire kindleth! The spark that was struck into the hearts of
those few lumber men that came to Philadelphia, spread over that forest, and
resulted in the salvation of a multitude of souls.
I found Mr. Patterson to be one of the truest and holiest men
that I have ever labored with. His preaching was quite remarkable. He preached
with great earnestness; but there was often no connection in what he said, and
very little relation to his text. He has often said to me, "When I preach, I
preach from Genesis to Revelation." He would take a text, and after making a few
remarks upon it, or perhaps none at all, some other text would be suggested to
him, upon which he would make some very pertinent and striking remarks, and then
another text; and thus his sermons were made up of pithy and striking remarks
upon a great number of texts, as they arose in his mind.
He was a tall man, of striking figure and powerful voice. He
would preach with the tears rolling down his cheeks, and with an earnestness and
pathos that were very striking. It was impossible to hear him preach without
being impressed with a sense of his intense earnestness and his great honesty. I
only heard him preach occasionally; and when I first did so, was pained,
thinking that such was the rambling nature of his preaching that it could not
take effect. However, I found myself mistaken. I found that notwithstanding the
rambling nature of his preaching, his great earnestness and unction fastened the
truth on the hearts of his hearers; and I think I never heard him preach without
finding that some persons were deeply convicted by what he said.
He always used to have a revival of religion every winter; and at
the time when I labored with him, I think he told me he had had a revival for
fourteen winters in succession. He had a praying people. When I was laboring
with him I recollect that for two or three days, at one time, there seemed to be
something in the way. The work seemed to be in a measure suspended; and I began
to feel alarmed lest something had grieved the Holy Spirit. One evening at
prayer meeting, while this state of things was becoming manifest, one of his
elders arose and made a confession. He said, "Brethren, the Spirit of God has
been grieved, and I have grieved Him. I have been in the habit," said he, "of
praying for Brother Patterson, and for the preaching, on Saturday night, until
midnight. This has been my habit for many years, to spend Saturday night, till
midnight, in imploring the blessing of God upon the labors of the
Sabbath. Last Saturday night," he continued, "I was fatigued, and omitted it. I
thought the work was going on so pleasantly and so powerfully, that I might
indulge myself, and go to bed without looking to God for a blessing on the
labors of the Sabbath. On the Sabbath," said he, "I was impressed with the
conviction that I had grieved the Spirit; and I saw that there was not the usual
manifestation of the influence of the Spirit upon the congregation. I have felt
convicted ever since; and have felt that it was my duty to make this public
confession. I do not know," said he, "who beside myself has grieved the Spirit
of God; but I am sure that I have done so."
I have spoken of Mr. Patterson's orthodoxy. When I first began to
labor with him, I felt considerably tried, in some instances, with what he would
say to convicted sinners. For example: the first meeting for inquirers that we
had, the number in attendance was very large. We spent some time in conversing
with different persons, and moving around from place to place, giving
instructions. The first I knew Mr. Patterson arose, and in a very excited
manner, said, "My friends, you have turned your faces onward, and now I exhort
you to press forward." He went on in an exhortation of a few moments, in which
he made, distinctly, the impression that they were now in the right way; and
that they had only to press forward as they were doing then and they would be
saved. His remarks pained me exceedingly; for they seemed to me to tend to
self-righteousness--to make the impression that they were doing very well, and
that if they continued to do their duty, as they were then doing it, they would
be saved.
This was not my view of their condition at all; and I felt pained
to hear such instructions given, and perplexed with the question how I should
counteract it. However, at the close of the meeting, when, according to my
custom, I summed up the results of our conversation, and made an address to
them, I alluded to what Mr. Patterson had said, and remarked that they must not
misunderstand what he had said; that what he had said was true of those that had
really turned to God, and set their faces Zionward, by giving their hearts to
God. But they must not think of applying this to those of them who were
convicted, but had not yet repented, believed, and given their hearts to God;
that instead of their faces being turned Zionward, they were really turning
their backs upon Christ; that they were still resisting the Holy Spirit; that
they were still in the way to hell; that every moment they resisted they were
waxing worse; and that every moment they remained impenitent, without
submission, repentance, and faith, they were increasing their condemnation. The
Lord gave me a very clear view of the subject. Mr. Patterson listened with the
greatest possible attention. I never shall forget with what earnestness he
looked at me, and with what interest he saw the discriminations that I made.
I kept on in my address until I could see, and until I felt, that
the impression made by what had been said, had not only been corrected, but that
a great pressure was bearing upon them to submit immediately. I then called upon
them to kneel down, and then and there commit themselves forever to the Lord,
renouncing all their sins, and giving themselves up to the disposal of sovereign
goodness, with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I explained to them, as plainly
as I could, the nature of the atonement, and the salvation presented in the
Gospel. I then prayed with them, and have reason to believe that a great number
of them were converted on the spot.
After this I never heard anything from Mr. Patterson that was at
all objectionable, in giving instruction to inquiring sinners. Indeed, I found
him remarkably teachable, and his mind open to just discriminations. He seemed
particularly quick to get hold of those truths that needed to be presented to
inquiring sinners; and I presume to the day of his death, he never again
presented such a view of the subject as the one to which I have alluded. I
respect and reverence his very name. He was a lovely Christian man, and a
faithful minister of Jesus Christ.
CHAPTER XIX
REVIVAL AT READING
AS I found myself in
Philadelphia, in the heart of the Presbyterian church, and where Princeton views
were almost universally embraced, I must say still more emphatically than I have
done, if possible, that the greatest difficulty I met with in promoting revivals
of religion, was the false instruction given to the people, and especially to
inquiring sinners. Indeed, in all my ministerial life, in every place and
country where I have labored, I have found this difficulty to a greater or less
extent; and I am satisfied that multitudes are living in sin, who would
immediately be converted if they were truly instructed. The foundation of the
error of which I speak, is the dogma that human nature is sinful in itself; and
that, therefore, sinners are entirely unable to become Christians. It is
admitted, either expressly or virtually, that sinners may want to be Christians,
and that they really do want to be Christians, and often try to be Christians,
and yet somehow fail.
It had been the practice, and still is to some extent, when
ministers were preaching repentance, and urging the people to repent, to save
their orthodoxy by telling them that they could not repent, any more than they
could make a world. But the sinner must be set to do something; and with all
their orthodoxy, they could not bear to tell him that he had nothing to do. They
must therefore, set him self-righteously to pray for a new heart. They would
sometimes tell him to do his duty, to press forward in duty, to read his Bible,
to use the means of grace; in short, they would tell him to do anything and
everything, but the very thing which God commands him to do. God commands him to
repent now, to believe now, to make to him a new heart now. But they were afraid
to urge God's claims in this form, because they were continually telling the
sinner that he had no ability whatever to do these things.
As an illustration of what I have found in this and other
countries, more or less, ever since I have been in the ministry, I will refer to
a sermon that I heard from the Rev. Baptist Noel, in England, a good man, and
orthodox in the common acceptation of the term. His text was: "Repent and be
converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall
come from the presence of the Lord." In the first place he represented
repentance not as a voluntary, but as an involuntary change, as consisting in
sorrow for sin, a mere state of the sensibility. He then insisted upon its being
the sinner's duty to repent, and urged the claims of God upon him. But he was
preaching to an orthodox congregation; and he must not, and did not, fail to
remind them that they could not repent; that although God required it of them,
still He knew that it was impossible for them to repent, only as He gave them
repentance. "You ask, then," he said, "what you shall do. Go home," said he, in
reply," and pray for repentance; and if it does not come, pray again for
repentance; and still if it does not come, keep praying till it does come." Here
he left them. The congregation was large, and the people very attentive; and I
actually found it difficult to keep from screaming to the people, to repent, and
not to think that they were doing their duty in merely praying for repentance.
Such instructions always pained me exceedingly; and much of my
labor in the ministry has consisted in correcting these views, and in pressing
the sinner immediately to do just what God commands him to do. When he has
inquired of me, if the Spirit of God has nothing to do with it, I have said,
"Yes; as a matter of fact you will not do it of yourself. But the Spirit of God
is now striving with you to lead you to do just what He would have you do. He is
striving to lead you to repentance, to lead you to believe; and is striving with
you, not to secure the performance of mere outward acts, but to change your
heart." The church, to a very great extent, have instructed sinners to begin on
the outside in religion; and by what they have called an outward performance of
duty, to secure an inward change of their will and affections.
But I have ever treated this as totally wrong, unorthodox, and in
the highest degree dangerous. Almost innumerable instances have occurred, in
which I have found the results of this teaching, of which I have complained, to
be a misapprehension of duty on the part of sinners; and I think I may say I
have found thousands of sinners, of all ages, who are living under this
delusion, and would never think themselves called upon to do anything more than
merely to pray for a new heart, live a moral life, read their Bibles, attend
meeting, use the means of grace, and leave all the responsibility of their
conversion and salvation with God.
From Philadelphia in the winter of 1829-30, I went to Reading, a
city about forty miles west of Philadelphia. At this place an incident occurred,
which I shall mention in its place, that was a striking illustration of the kind
of teaching to which I have alluded, and of its natural results. In Reading
there were several German churches, and one Presbyterian church. The pastor of
the latter was the Rev. Dr. Greer. At his request, and that of the elders of the
church, I went out to labor there for a time.
I soon found, however, that neither Dr. Greer, nor any of his
people, had any just idea of what they needed, or what a revival really was.
None of them had ever seen a revival, so far as I could learn. Besides, all
revival efforts, for that winter, had been forestalled, by an arrangement to
have a ball every alternate week, which was attended by many of the members of
the church, one of the leading elders in Dr. Greer's church being one of the
managers. I could not learn that Dr. Greer had ever said anything against this.
They had no preaching during the week, and I believe no religious meetings of
any kind.
When I found what the state of things was, I thought it my duty
to tell Dr. Greer that those balls would very soon be given up, or I should not
be allowed to occupy his pulpit; that those balls, attended by his church
members, and headed by one of his elders, would not long consist with my
preaching. But he said, "Go on; take your own course." I did so; and preached
three times on the Sabbath, and four times, I think, during the week, for about
three weeks, before I said anything about any other meetings. We had no prayer
meetings, I believe, for the reason that the lay members had never been in the
habit of taking part in such meetings.
However, on the third Sabbath, I think, I gave notice that a
meeting for inquiry would be held in the lecture room, in the basement of the
church, on Monday evening. I stated as clearly as possible the object of the
meeting, and mentioned the class of persons that I desired to attend; inviting
those, and those only, that were seriously impressed with the state of their
souls, and had made up their minds to attend immediately to the subject, and
desired to receive instruction on the particular question of what they should do
to be saved. Dr. Greer made no objection to this, as he had left everything to
my judgment. But I do not think he had an idea that many, if any, would attend
such a meeting, under such an invitation; as to do so would be, to make an open
acknowledgment that they were anxious for the salvation of their souls, and had
made up their minds to attend to the subject at once.
Monday was rather a snowy, cold day. I think I observed that
conviction was taking hold of the congregation; yet I felt doubtful how many
would attend a meeting of inquirers. However, when evening came, I went to the
meeting. Dr. Greer came in, and behold! the lecture room, a large one I think
nearly as large as the body of the church above, was full; and on looking around
Dr. Greer observed that most of the impenitent persons in his congregation were
present; and among them, those who were regarded as the most respectable and
influential.
He said nothing publicly. But he said to me, "I know nothing
about such a meeting as this; take it into your own hands, and manage it in your
own way." I opened the meeting by a short address, in which I explained to them
what I wished; that is to have a few moments conversation with each of them, and
to have them state to me frankly how they felt on the subject, what their
convictions were, what their determinations were, what their difficulties were.
I told them that if they were sick and called a physician, he
would wish to know their symptoms, and that they should tell him how they were,
and how they had been. I said to them, "I cannot adapt instruction to your
present state of mind, unless you reveal it to me. The thing, therefore, that I
want, is that you reveal, in as few words as you can, your exact state of mind
at the present time. I will now pass around among you, and give each of you an
opportunity to say in the fewest words, what your state of mind is." Dr. Greer
said not a word, but followed me around, and stood or sat by me and heard all
that I had to say. He kept near me, for I spoke to each one in a low voice, so
as not to be heard by others than those in the immediate vicinity. I found a
great deal of conviction and feeling in the meeting. They were greatly pressed
with conviction. Conviction had taken hold of all classes, the high and the low,
the rich and the poor.
Dr. Greer was greatly moved. Though he said nothing, still it was
evident to me that his interest was intense. To see his congregation in such a
state as that, was what he had never had any conception of. I saw that with
difficulty, at times, he controlled his emotions.
When I had spent as much time as was allowed me in personal
conversation, I then went back to the desk, and gave them an address; in which,
according to my custom, I summed up the results of what I had found that was
interesting, in the communications that they had made to me. Avoiding all
personalities, I took up the representative cases, and dissected, and corrected,
and taught them. I tried to strip away their misapprehensions and mistakes, to
correct the impression that they had, that they must simply use means and wait
for God to convert them; and in an address of perhaps a half or three-quarters
of an hour, I set before them the whole situation, as clearly as I possibly
could. After praying with them I called on those that felt prepared to submit,
and who were willing then and there to pledge themselves to live wholly to God,
who were willing to commit themselves to the sovereign mercy of God in Christ
Jesus, who were willing to give up all sin, and to renounce it forever, to kneel
down, and while I prayed, to commit themselves to Christ, and inwardly to do
what I exhorted them to do. I called on those only to kneel down, who were
willing to do what God required of them, and what I presented before them. Dr.
Greer looked very much surprised at the test I put, and the manner in which I
pressed them to instant submission.
As soon as I saw that they thoroughly understood me, I called on
them to kneel, and knelt myself. Dr. Greer knelt by my side, but said nothing. I
presented the case in prayer to God, and held right to the point of now
submitting, believing, and consecrating themselves to God. There was an awful
solemnity pervading the congregation, and the stillness of death, with the
exception of my own voice in prayer, and the sobs, and sighs, and weeping that
were heard more or less throughout the congregation.
After spreading the case before God we rose from our knees, and
without saying anything farther I pronounced the blessing and dismissed them.
Dr. Greer took me cordially by the hand, and smiling said, "I will see you in
the morning." He went his way, and I went to my lodgings. At about eleven
o'clock, I should judge, a messenger came running over to my lodgings, and
called me, and said that Dr. Greer was dead. I inquired what it meant. He said
he had just retired, and was taken with a fit of apoplexy, and died immediately.
He was greatly respected and beloved by his people, and I am persuaded he
deserved to be. He was a man of thorough education, and I trust of earnest
piety. But his theological education had not at all fitted him for the work of
the ministry, that is to win souls to Christ. He was besides rather a timid man.
He did not like to face his people, and resist the encroachments of sin as he
needed to do. His sudden death was a great shock, and became the subject of
constant conversation throughout the town.
Although I found a goodly number had, to all human appearance,
submitted at the meeting on Monday evening, still the death of Dr. Greer, under
such extraordinary circumstances, proved a great diversion of the public mind
for a week or more. But after his funeral was over, and the usual evening
services got into their proper channel, the work took on a powerful type, and
went forward in a most encouraging manner.
Many very interesting incidents occurred in this revival. I
recollect on one very snowy night, when the snow had already fallen deep, and
was drifting in a terrible manner under a fierce gale of wind, I was called up
about midnight, to go and visit a man who, they informed me, was under such
awful conviction that he could not live, unless something could be done for him.
The man's name was B. He was a stalwart man, very muscular, a man of great force
of will and strength of nerve, physically a fine specimen of humanity. His wife
was a professor of religion; but he had cared for none of these things.
He had been at the meeting that evening, and the sermon had torn
him to pieces. He went home in a terrible state of mind, his convictions and
distress increasing till it overcame his bodily strength; and his family feared
he would die. Although it was in the midst of such a terrific storm, they
dispatched a messenger for me. We had to face the storm, and walked perhaps
fifty or sixty rods. I heard his moanings, or rather howlings, before I got near
the house. When I entered I found him sitting on the floor, his wife, I believe,
supporting his head and what a look in his face! It was indescribable.
Accustomed as I was to seeing persons under great convictions, I must confess
that his appearance gave me a tremendous shock. He was writhing in agony,
grinding his teeth, and literally gnawing his tongue for pain. He cried out to
me, "Oh, Mr. Finney! I am lost! I am a lost soul!" I was greatly shocked and
exclaimed, "If this is conviction, what is hell?" However, I recovered myself as
soon as I could, and sat down by his side. At first he found it difficult to
attend; but I soon led his thoughts to the way of salvation through Christ. I
pressed the Savior upon his attention and upon his acceptance. His burden was
soon removed. He was persuaded to trust the Savior, and he came out free and
joyful in hope.
Of course, from day to day, I had my hands, my head, and my heart
entirely full. There was no pastor to help me, and the work spread on every
hand. The elder of the church to whom I have alluded as being one of the
managers of their stated balls soon broke down his heart before the Lord, and
entered into the work; and, as a consequence, his family were soon converted.
The revival made a thorough sweep in the families of those members of the church
that entered into the work.
I said that in this place a circumstance occurred, that
illustrated the influence of that old school teaching of which I have
complained. Very early one morning a lawyer, belonging to one of the most
respectable families in the town, called at my room, in the greatest agitation
of mind. I saw he was a man of first-rate intelligence, and a gentleman; but I
had nowhere seen him, to know him. He came in and introduced himself, and said
he was a lost sinner--that he had made up his mind that there was no hope for
him. He then informed me that when he was in Princeton College, he and two of his classmates became very anxious about
their souls. They went together to Dr. Ashbel Green, who was then president of
the college, and asked him what they should do to be saved. He said the doctor
told them he was very glad to have them come and make the inquiry; and then told
them to keep out of all bad company, to read their Bible statedly, and to pray
God to give them a new heart. "Continue this," he said, "and press forward in
duty; and the Spirit of God will convert you; or else He will leave you, and you
will return back to your sins again." "Well, I inquired, how did it terminate?"
"Oh," said he, "we did just as he told us to do. We kept out of bad company, and
prayed that God would make us a new heart. But after a little while our
convictions wore away, and we did not care to pray any longer. We lost all
interest in the subject;" and then bursting into tears he said, "My two
companions are in drunkard's graves, and if I cannot repent I shall soon be in
one myself." This remark led me to observe that he had indications of being a
man that made too free use of ardent spirits. However, this was early in the
morning; and he was entirely free from drink, and in terrible anxiety about his
soul.
I tried to instruct him, and to show him the error that he had
fallen into, under such instructions as he had received, and that he had
resisted and grieved the Spirit, by waiting for God to do what He had commanded
him to do. I tried to show him that, in the very nature of the case, God could
not do for him what He required him to do. God required him to repent, and God
could not repent for him; required him to believe, but God could not believe for
him; God required him to submit, but could not submit for him. I then tried to
make him understand the agency that the Spirit of God has in giving the sinner
repentance and a new heart; that it is a divine persuasion; that the Spirit
leads him to see his sins, urges him to give them up and to flee from the wrath
to come. He presents to him the Savior, the atonement, the plan of salvation,
and urges him to accept it.
I asked him if he did not feel this urgency upon himself, in
these truths revealed in his own mind; and a call, now to submit, to believe, to
make himself a new heart. "Oh yes!" he said, "Oh yes! I see and feel all this.
But am I not given up of God? Is not my day of grace past?" I said to him, "No!
It is plain the Spirit of God is still calling you, still urging you to
repentance; you acknowledge that you feel this urgency in your own mind." He
inquired, "Is this, then, what the Spirit of God is doing, to show me all this?"
I assured him that it was; and that he was to understand this as a divine call,
and as evidence conclusive that he was not abandoned, and had not sinned away
the day of grace, but that God was striving to save him still. I then asked him
if he would respond to the call, if he would come to Jesus, if he would lay hold
upon eternal life then and there.
He was an intelligent man, and the Spirit of God was upon and
teaching him, and making him understand every word that I said. When I saw that
the way was fully prepared, I called on him to kneel down and submit; and he did
so, and to all human appearance, became a thorough convert right upon the spot.
"Oh!" he afterwards said, "if Dr. Green had only told us this that you have told
me, we should all have been converted immediately. But my friends and companions
are lost; and what a wonder of mercy it is that I am saved!"
I recollect a very interesting incident in the case of a merchant
in Reading, one branch of whose business was the making of whiskey. He had just
been fitting up a very large distillery at a good deal of expense. He had
constructed it with all the latest improvements, on a large scale, and was going
deeply into the business. But as soon as he was converted, he gave up all
thought of going any farther with that business. It was a spontaneous conclusion
of his own mind. He said at once, "I shall have nothing to do with that. I shall
tear my distillery down. I will neither work it, nor sell it to be worked."
His wife was a good woman, and a sister to Mr. B, whose
conversion I have mentioned as occurring on that stormy night. The merchant's
name was OB. The revival took a powerful hold in his family, and
several of them were converted. I do not recollect now how many there were; but
I think every impenitent person in his household was converted. His brother
also, and his brother's wife, and, I know not how many, but quite a large circle
of relatives were among the converts. But Mr. OB himself was in feeble health,
and was rapidly passing away with the consumption. I visited him frequently, and
found him full of joy.
We had been examining candidates for admission to the church, and
a large number were to be admitted on a certain Sabbath. Among them were those
members of his own family, and those relatives of his that had been converted.
Sabbath morning came. It was soon found Mr. OB could not live through the day.
He called his wife to his bedside and said to her, "My dear, I am going to spend
the Sabbath in heaven. Let all the family go, and all the friends, and unite
with the church below; and I will join the church above." Before meeting time he
was dead. Friends were called in to lay him in his shroud; his family and
relatives gathered around his corpse, and then turned away and came to meeting;
and, as he had desired, united with the church militant, while he went to unite
with the church triumphant.
Their pastor had but just gone before; and I think it was that
morning, I had said to Mr. OB, "Give my love to Brother Greer, when you get to
heaven." He smiled with holy joy and said to me, "Do you think I shall know
him?" I said, "Yes, undoubtedly you will know him. Give him my love, and tell
him the work is going on gloriously." "I will, I will," said he. His wife and
family sat at the communion table, showing in their countenance mingled joy and
sorrow. There was a kind of holy triumph manifested, as their attention was
called to the fact that the husband, and father; and brother, and friend, was
sitting that day at the table of Jesus on high, while they were gathered around
His table on earth.
There was much that was moving and interesting in that revival,
in a great many respects. It was among a population that had had no conception
of revivals of religion. The German population supposed themselves to have been
made Christians by baptism, and especially by receiving the communion. Nearly
every one of them, if asked when they became Christians, would reply that they
took their communion at such a time of Dr. M, or some other German divine. And
when I asked them if they thought that was religion, they would say, yes, they
supposed it was. Indeed that was the idea of Dr. M himself. In walking with him
to the grave of Dr. Greer, on the occasion of his funeral, he told me he had
made sixteen hundred Christians by baptism, and giving them the communion, since
he had been pastor of that church. He seemed himself to have no other idea of
becoming a Christian than simply to learn the catechism, and to be baptized and
partake of the communion.
The revival had to encounter that view of things; and the
influence was at first, almost altogether in that direction. It was held, as I
was informed, and I have no doubt of it, that for them to begin to think of
being religious, by being converted, and to establish family prayer, or to give
themselves to secret prayer, was not only fanaticism, but was virtually saying
that their ancestors had all gone to hell; for they had done no such thing. The
German ministers would preach against all those things, as I was informed by
those that heard them, and speak severely of those that forsook the ways of
their fathers, and thought necessary to be converted, and to maintain family and
secret prayer.
The great majorities, I think, of Dr. Greer's congregation were
converted in this revival. At first I had considerable difficulty in getting rid
of the influence of the daily press. I think there were two or more daily
newspapers published there at the time. I learned that the editors were drinking
men; and were not infrequently carried home, on public occasions, in a state of
intoxication. The people were a good deal under the influence of the daily
press. I mean the German population particularly. These editors began to give
the people religious advice, and to speak against the revival, and the
preaching. This threw the people into a state of perplexity. It went on from day
to day, and from week to week, till finally the state of things became such that
I thought it my duty to notice it. I therefore went into the pulpit when the
house was crowded, and took for my text: "Ye are of your father the devil, and
the lusts of your father ye will do." I then went on to show in what way sinners
would fulfill the desires of the devil, pointing out a great many ways in which
they would perform his dirty work, and do for him what he could not do for
himself.
After I had got the subject well before the people, I applied it
to the course pursued by the editors of those daily papers. I asked the people
if they did not think that those editors were fulfilling the desires of the
devil; if they did not believe the devil desired them to do just what they did?
I then asked them if it was suitable and decent, for men of their character, to
attempt to give religious instruction to the people? I told the people what I
understood their character to be, and turned my hand upon them pretty heavily,
that such men should attempt to instruct the people, in regard to their duties
to God and their neighbors. I said, "If I had a family in the place I would not
have such a paper in the house; I should fear to have it under my roof; I should
consider it too filthy to be touched with my fingers, and would take the tongs
and throw it into the street." In some way the papers got into the street the
next morning, pretty plentifully, and I neither saw nor heard any more of their
opposition.
I continued in Reading until late in the spring. There were many
very striking conversions; and so far as I know, Dr. Greer's congregation was
left entirely united, greatly encouraged and strengthened, and with large
additions made to their number. I have never been in that place since.
From Reading I went to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at that time and until his death, the home of the late President
Buchanan. The Presbyterian church at Lancaster had no pastor, and I found
religion in a very low state. They had never had a revival of religion, and
manifestly had no just conception of what it was, or of the appropriate means of
securing it. I remained at Lancaster but a very short time. However the work of
God was immediately revived, the Spirit of God being poured out almost at once
upon the people. I was the guest of an aged gentleman by the name of K, who was
one of the elders of the church, and indeed the leading man in the church.
A fact occurred in relation to him, while I was in his family,
that revealed the real state of things in a religious point of view, in that
church. A former pastor of the church had invited Mr. K to join the church and
hold the office of elder. I should say that the facts I am about to communicate
respecting this event, were related to me by himself. One Sabbath evening after
hearing a couple of very searching sermons, the old gentleman could not sleep.
He was so greatly exercised in his mind, that he could not endure it until
morning. He called me up in the middle of the night, stated what his convictions
were, and then said that he knew he had never been converted. He said that when
he was requested to join the church and become an elder, he knew that he was not
a converted man. But the subject was pressed upon him till he finally consulted
Rev. Dr. C, an aged minister of a Presbyterian church not far from Lancaster. He
stated to him the fact that he had never been converted, and yet that he was
desired to join the church that he might become an elder. Dr. C, in view of all
the circumstances, advised him to join and accept the office, which he did.
His convictions at the time I speak of, were very deep. I gave
him such instructions as I thought he needed, pressed him to accept the Savior;
and dealt with him just as I would with any other inquiring sinner. It was a
very solemn time. He professed at the time to submit and accept the Savior. Of
his subsequent history I know nothing. He was certainly a gentleman of high
character, and never to my knowledge did anything outwardly, to disgrace the
position which he held. Those who are acquainted with the state of the church of
which Dr. C was pastor, in regard to the eldership at that time, will not wonder
at the advice which he gave to Mr. K.
Among the incidents that occurred, during my short stay at
Lancaster, I recall the following. One evening I preached on a subject that led
me to insist upon the immediate acceptance of Christ. The house was very much
crowded, literally packed. At the close of my sermon I made a strong appeal to
the people to decide at once; and I think I called on those whose minds were
made up, and who would then accept the Savior, to rise up, that we might know
who they were, and that we might make them subjects of prayer. As I learned the
next day; there were two men sitting near one of the doors of the church, one of
whom was very much affected under the appeal that was made, and could not avoid
manifesting very strong emotion, which was observed by his neighbor. However,
the man did not rise up, nor give his heart to God. I had pressed the thought
upon them, that might be the last opportunity that some of them would ever have,
to meet and decide this question; that in so large a congregation it was not
unlikely that there were those there who would then decide their everlasting
destiny, one way or the other. It was not unlikely that God would hold some of
them to the decision that they then made.
After the meeting was dismissed, as I learned the next day, these
two men went out together, and one said to the other, "I saw you felt very
deeply under the appeals Mr. Finney made." "I did," he replied. "I never felt so
before in my life; and especially when he reminded us that might be the last
time we should ever have an opportunity to accept the offer of mercy." They went
on conversing in this way, for some distance, and then separated, each one going
to his own home. It was a dark night, and the one who had felt so deeply, and
was so pressed with the conviction that he might then be rejecting his last
offer, fell over the curbstone, and broke his neck. This was reported to me the
next day.
I established prayer meetings in Lancaster, and insisted upon the
elders of the church taking part in them. This they did at my earnest request,
although, as I learned, they had never been accustomed to do it before. The
interest seemed to increase from day to day, and hopeful conversions multiplied.
I do not recollect now why I did not remain longer than I did; but I left at so
early a period as not to be able to give anything like a detailed account of the
work there.
CHAPTER XX
REVIVALS IN
COLUMBIA, AND IN NEW YORK CITY
FROM Lancaster, about
mid-summer, 1830, I returned to Oneida county, New York, and spent a short time
at my father-in-law's. I think it was at that time, during my stay in
Whitestown, that a circumstance occurred of great interest, and which I will
relate. A messenger came from the town of Columbia, in Herkimer county,
requesting me to go down and assist in a work of grace there, which was already
commenced. Such representations were made to me as induced me to go. However, I
did not expect to remain there, as I had other more pressing calls for labor. I
went down, however, to see; and to lend such aid as I was able for a short time.
At Columbia was a large German church, the membership of which
had been received, according to their custom, upon examination of their
doctrinal knowledge, instead of their Christian experience. Consequently the
church had been composed mostly, as I was informed, of unconverted persons. Both
the church and congregation were large. Their pastor was a young man by the name
of H. He was of German descent, and from Pennsylvania.
He gave me the following account of himself, and of the state of
things in Columbia. He said he studied theology with a German doctor of
divinity, at the place where he lived, who did not encourage experimental
religion at all. He said that one of his fellow students was religiously
inclined, and used to pray in his closet. Their teacher suspected this, and in
some way came to a knowledge of the fact. He warned the young man against it, as
a very dangerous practice, and said he would become insane if he persisted in
it, and he should be blamed himself for allowing a student to take such a
course. Mr. H said that he himself had no religion. He had joined the church in
the common way, and had no thought that anything else was requisite, so far as
piety was concerned, to become a minister. But his mother was a pious woman. She
knew better, and was greatly distressed that a son of her's should enter the
sacred ministry, who had never been converted. When he had received a call to
the church in Columbia, and was about to leave home, his mother had a very
serious talk with him, impressed upon him the fact of his responsibility, and
said some things that bore powerfully upon his conscience. He said that this
conversation of his mother he could not get rid of; that it bore upon his mind
heavily, and his convictions of sin deepened until he was nearly in despair.
This continued for many months. He had no one to consult, and did
not open his mind to anybody. But after a severe and protracted struggle he was
converted, came into the light, saw where he was, and where he had been, and saw
the condition of his church, and of all those churches which had admitted their
members in the way in which he had been admitted. His wife was unconverted. He
immediately gave himself to labor for her conversion, and, under God, he soon
secured it. His soul was full of the subject; and he read his Bible, and prayed
and preached with all his might. But he was a young convert, and had had no
instruction such as he needed, and he felt at a loss what to do. He rode about
the town, and conversed with the elders of the church, and with the principal
members, and satisfied himself that one or two of his leading elders, and
several of his female members, knew what it was to be converted.
After much prayer and consideration, he made up his mind what to
do. On the Sabbath he gave them notice that there would be a meeting of the
church, on a certain day during the week, for the transaction of business, and
wished all the church, especially, to be present. His own conversion, and
preaching, and visiting, and conversing around the town had already created a
good deal of excitement, so that religion came to be the common topic of
conversation; and his call for a church meeting was responded to, so that, on
the day appointed, the church were nearly all present.
He then addressed them in regard to the real state of the church,
and the error they had fallen into in regard to the conditions on which members
had been received. He made a speech to them, partly in German, and partly in
English, so as to have all classes understand as far as he could; and after
talking until they were a good deal moved, he proposed to disband the church and
form a new one, insisting upon it that this was essential to the prosperity of
religion. He had an understanding with those members of the church that he was
satisfied were truly converted, that they should lead in voting for the
disbanding of the church. The motion was put; whereupon the converted members
arose as requested. They were very influential members, and the people looking
around and seeing these on their feet, rose up, and finally they kept rising
till the vote was nearly or quite unanimous. The pastor then said, There is now
no church in Columbia; and we propose to form one of Christians, of people who
have been converted.
He then, before the congregation, related his own experience, and
called on his wife, and she did the same. Then the converted elders and members
followed, one after another, as long as any could come forward, and relate a
Christian experience. These, they proceeded to form into a church. He then said
to the others, "Your church relations are dissolved. You are out in the world;
and until you are converted, and in the church, you cannot have your children
baptized, and you cannot partake of the ordinances of the church." This created
a great panic; for according to their views, it was an awful thing not to
partake of the sacrament, and not to have their children baptized; for this was
the way in which they themselves had been made Christians.
Mr. H then labored with all his might. He visited, and preached,
and prayed, and held meetings, and the interest increased. Thus the work had
been going on for sometime, when he heard that I was in Oneida county, and sent
the messenger for me. I found him a warm-hearted young convert. He listened to
my preaching with almost irrepressible joy. I found the congregation large and
interested; and so far as I could judge, the work was in a very prosperous,
healthful state. That revival continued to spread until it reached and converted
nearly all the inhabitants of the town. Galesburg, in Illinois, was settled by a
colony from Columbia, who were nearly all converts, I believe, of the revival.
The founder of the colony and of Knox College, located there, was
Mr. Gale, my former pastor at Adams.
I have told facts, as I remember them, as related to me by Mr. H.
I found his views evangelical, and his heart warm; and he was surrounded by a
congregation as thoroughly interested in religion as could well be desired.
They would hang on my lips, as I held forth to them the Gospel of
Christ, with an interest, an attention, and a patience, that was in the highest
degree interesting and affecting. Mr. H himself, was like a little child,
teachable, and humble, and earnest. That work continued for over a year, as I
understood, spreading throughout that large and interesting population of
farmers.
After I returned to Whitestown, I was invited to visit the city
of New York. Anson G. Phelps, since well-known as a great contributor, by will,
to the leading benevolent institutions of our country, hearing that I had not
been invited to the pulpits of that city, hired a vacant church in Vandewater
street, and sent me an urgent request to come there and preach. I did so, and
there we had a powerful revival. I found Dr. Phelps very much engaged in the
work, and not hesitating at any expense that was necessary to promote it. The
church which he hired, could be had only for three months. Accordingly Mr.
Phelps, before the three months were out, purchased a church in Prince street,
near Broadway. This church had been built by the Universalists, and was sold to
Mr. Phelps, who bought and paid for it himself. From Vandewater street, we went
therefore, to Prince street,
and there formed a church, mostly of persons that had been converted during our
meetings in Vandewater street. I continued my labors in Prince street for some
months, I think until quite the latter part of summer.
I was very much struck, during my labors there, with the piety of
Mr. Phelps. While we continued at Vandewater street,
myself and wife, with our only child, were guests in his family. I had observed
that, while Mr. Phelps was a man literally loaded with business, somehow he
preserved a highly spiritual frame of mind; and that he would come directly from
his business to our prayer meetings, and enter into them with such spirit, as to
show clearly that his mind was not absorbed in business, to the exclusion of
spiritual things. As I watched him from day to day, I became more and more
interested in his interior life, as it was manifested in his outward life. One
night I had occasion to go downstairs, I should think about twelve or one
o'clock at night, to get something for our little child. I supposed the family
were all asleep, but to my surprise I found Mr. Phelps sitting by his fire, in
his nightdress, and saw that I had broken in upon his secret devotions. I
apologized by saying that I supposed he was in bed. He replied, "Brother Finney,
I have a great deal of business pressing me during the day, and have but little
time for secret devotion; and my custom is, after having a nap at night, to
arise and have a season of communion with God." After his death, which occurred
not many years ago, it was found that he had kept a journal during these hours
in the night, comprising several transcript volumes. This journal revealed the
secret workings of his mind, and the real progress of his interior life.
I never knew the number converted while I was in Prince and
Vandewater streets; but it must have been large. There was one case of
conversion that I must not omit to mention. A young woman visited me one day,
under great conviction of sin. On conversing with her, I found that she had many
things upon her conscience. She had been in the habit of pilfering, as she told
me, from her very childhood. She was the daughter, and the only child, I think,
of a widow lady; and she had been in the habit of taking from her schoolmates
and others, handkerchiefs, and breastpins, and pencils, and whatever she had an
opportunity to steal. She made confession respecting some of these things to me,
and asked me what she should do about it. I told her she must go and return
them, and make confession to those from whom she had taken them.
This of course greatly tried her; yet her convictions were so
deep that she dare not keep them, and she began the work of making confession
and restitution. But as she went forward with it, she continued to recall more
and more instances of the kind, and kept visiting me frequently, and confessing
to me her thefts of almost every kind of articles that a young woman could use.
I asked her if her mother knew that she had these things. She said, yes; but
that she had always told her mother that they were given her. She said to me on
one occasion, "Mr. Finney, I suppose I have stolen a million of times. I find I
have many things that I know I stole, but I cannot recollect from whom." I
refused altogether to compromise with her, and insisted on her making
restitution in every case, in which she could, by any means, recall the facts.
From time to time she would come to me, and report what she had done. I asked
her, what the people said when she returned the articles. She replied, "Some of
them say that I am crazy; some of them say that I am a fool; and some of them
are very much affected."
"Do they all forgive you?" I asked. "Oh yes!" said she, "they all
forgive me; but some of them think that I had better not do as I am doing."
One day she informed me that she had a shawl which she had stolen
from a daughter of Bishop Hobart, then Bishop of New York, whose residence was
on St. John's square, and near St. John's church. As usual, I told her she must
restore it. A few days after, she called and related to me the result. She said
she folded up the shawl in a paper, and went with it, and rung the bell at the
Bishop's door; and when the servant can, she handed him the bundle, directed to
the Bishop. She made no explanation, but turned immediately away, and ran around
the corner into another street, lest someone should look out and see which way
she went, and find out who she was. But after she got around the corner, her
conscience smote her, and she said to herself, "I have not done this thing
right. Somebody else may be suspected of having stolen the shawl, unless I make
known to the Bishop who did it."
She turned around, went immediately back, and inquired if she
could see the Bishop. Being informed that she could, she was conducted to his
study. She then confessed to him, told him about the shawl, and all that had
passed. "Well," said I, "and how did the Bishop receive you?" "Oh," said she,
"when I told him, he wept, laid his hand on my head, and said he forgave me, and
prayed God to forgive me." "And have you been at peace in your mind," said I,
"about that transaction since?" "Oh yes!" said she. This process continued for
weeks, and I think for months. This girl was going from place to place in all
parts of the city, restoring things that she had stolen, and making confession.
Sometimes her convictions would be so awful, that it seemed as if she would be
deranged.
One morning she sent for me to come to her mother's residence. I
did so, and when I arrived I was introduced to her room, and found her with her
hair hanging over her shoulders, and her clothes in disorder, walking the room
in an agony of despair, and with a look that was frightful, because it indicated
that she was well-nigh deranged. Said I, "My dear child, what is the matter?"
She held in her hand, as she was walking, a little Testament. She turned to me
and said, "Mr. Finney, I stole this Testament." I have stolen God's word; and
will God ever forgive me? I cannot recollect which of the girls it was that I
stole it from. I stole it from one of my schoolmates, and it was so long ago
that I had really forgotten that I had stolen it. It occurred to me this
morning; and it seems to me that God can never forgive me for stealing His
word." I assured her that there was no reason for her despair. "But," said she,
"what shall I do? I cannot remember where I got it." I told her, "Keep it as a
constant remembrance of your former sins, and use it for the good you may now
get from it."
"Oh," said she, "if I could only remember where I got it, I would
instantly restore it." "Well," said I, "if you can ever recollect where you got
it, make an instant restitution, either by restoring that, or giving another as
good." "I will," said she.
All this process was exceedingly affecting to me; but as it
proceeded, the state of mind that resulted from these transactions was truly
wonderful. A depth of humility, a deep knowledge of herself and her own
depravity, a brokenness of heart, and contrition of spirit, and finally, a
faith, and joy, and love, and peace, like a river, succeeded; and she became one
of the most delightful young Christians that I have known.
When the time drew near that I expected to leave New York, I
thought that someone in the church ought to be acquainted with her, who could
watch over her. Up to this time, whatever had passed between us had been a
secret, secretly kept to myself. But as I was about to leave, I narrated the
fact to Mr. Phelps and the narration affected him greatly. He said, "Brother
Finney, introduce me to her. I will be her friend; I will watch over her for her
good." He did so, as I afterwards learned. I have not seen the young woman for
many years, and I think not since I related the fact to Mr. Phelps. But when I
returned from England the last time, in visiting one of Mr. Phelps' daughters,
in the coupe of the conversation, this case was alluded to. I then inquired,
"Did your father introduce you to that young woman?" "Oh yes!" she replied, "we
all knew her;" meaning, as I supposed, all the daughters of the family. "Well,
what do you know of her?" said I. "Oh," said she, "she is a very earnest
Christian woman. She is married, and her husband is in business in this city.
She is a member of the church, and lives in street," pointing to the place, not
far from where we then were. I inquired, "Has she always maintained a consistent
Christian character?" "Oh yes!" was the reply; "she is an excellent, praying
woman." In some way, I have been informed, and I cannot recollect now the source
of the information, that the woman said that she never had had a temptation to
pilfer, from the time of her conversion; that she had never known what it was to
have the desire to do so.
This revival prepared the way, in New York, for the organization
of the Free Presbyterian churches in the city. Those churches were composed
afterward, largely, of the converts of that revival. Many of them had belonged
to the church in Prince street.
At this point of my narrative, in order to render intelligible
many things that I shall have to say hereafter, I must give a little account of
the circumstances connected with the conversion of Mr. Lewis Tappan, and his
connection afterward with my own labors. This account I received from himself.
His conversion occurred before I was personally acquainted with him, under the
following circumstances: He was a Unitarian, and lived in Boston. His brother
Arthur, then a very extensive dry goods merchant in New York, was orthodox, and
an earnest Christian man. The revivals through central New York had created a
good deal of excitement among the Unitarians; and their newspapers had a good
deal to say against them. Especially were there strange stories in circulation
about myself, representing me as a half-crazed fanatic. These stories had been
related to Lewis Tappan by Mr. W, a leading Unitarian minister of Boston, and he
believed them. They were credited by many of the Unitarians in New England, and
throughout the State of New York.
While these stories were in circulation, Lewis Tappan visited his
brother Arthur in New York, and they fell into conversation in regard to those
revivals. Lewis called Arthur's attention to the strange fanaticism connected
with these revivals, especially to what was said of myself. He asserted that I
gave out publicly that I was the Brigadier General of Jesus Christ. This, and
like reports were in circulation, and Lewis insisted upon their truth. Arthur
utterly discredited them and told Lewis that they were all nonsense and false,
and that he ought not to believe any of them. Lewis, relying upon the statements
of Mr. W, proposed to bet five hundred dollars that he could prove these reports
to be true; especially the one already referred to. Arthur replied, "Lewis, you
know that I do not bet; but I will tell you what I will do. If you can prove by
credible testimony, that that is true, and that the reports about Mr. Finney are
true, I will give you five hundred dollars. I make this offer to lead you to
investigate. I want you to know that these stories are false, and that the
source whence they come is utterly unreliable." Lewis, not doubting that he
could bring the proof, inasmuch as these things had been so confidently asserted
by the Unitarians, wrote to Rev. Mr. P, Unitarian ministry in Trenton Falls, New
York, to whom Mr. W had referred him, and authorized him to expend five hundred
dollars, if need be, in procuring sufficient testimony that the story was true;
such testimony as would lead to the conviction of a party in a court of justice.
Mr. P, accordingly, undertook to procure the testimony, but after great
painstaking, was unable to furnish any, except what was contained in a small
Universalist newspaper, printed in Buffalo, in which it had been asserted that
Mr. Finney claimed that he was a Brigadier General of Jesus Christ. Nowhere
could he get the least proof that the report was true. Many persons had heard,
and believed, that I had said these things somewhere; but as he followed up the
reports from town to town, by his correspondence, he could not learn that these
things had been said, anywhere.
This in connection with other matters, he said, led him to
reflect seriously upon the nature of the opposition, and upon the source whence
it had come. Knowing as he did what stress had been laid upon these stories by
the Unitarians, and the use they had made of them to oppose the revivals in New
York and other places, his confidence in them was greatly shaken. Thus his
prejudices against the revivals and orthodox people became softened. He was led
to review the theological writings of the Orthodox and the Unitarians with great
seriousness, and the result was that he embraced orthodox views. The mother of
the Tappans was a very godly, praying woman. She had never had any sympathy with
Unitarianism. She had lived a very praying life, and had left a strong
impression upon her children.
As soon as Lewis Tappan was converted, he became as firm and
zealous in his support of orthodox views and revivals of religion, as he had
been in his opposition to them. About the time that I left New York, after my
first labors there in Vandewater and Prince streets, Mr. Tappan and some other
good brethren, became dissatisfied with the state of things in New York, and
after much prayer and consideration, concluded to organize a new congregation,
and introduce new measures for the conversion of men. They obtained a place to
hold worship, and called the Rev. Joel Parker, who was then pastor of the Third
Presbyterian church in Rochester, to come to their
aid. Mr. Parker arrived in New York, and began his labors, I think about the
time that I closed my labors in Prince street.
The First Free Presbyterian church was formed in New York, about this time, and
Mr. Parker became its pastor. They labored especially among that class of the
population that had not been in the habit of attending meeting anywhere, and
were very successful. They finally fitted up the upper story of some warehouses
in Dey street, that would hold a good congregation, and there they continued
their labors.
CHAPTER XXI
REVIVAL IN
ROCHESTER, 1830
LEAVING New York I
spent a few weeks in Whitestown; and, as was common, being pressed to go in many
directions, I was greatly at a loss what was my duty. But among others, an
urgent invitation was received from the Third Presbyterian church in Rochester,
of which Mr. Parker had been pastor, to go there and supply them for a season.
I inquired into the circumstances, and found that on several
accounts it was a very unpromising field of labor. There were but three
Presbyterian churches in Rochester. The Third church, that extended the
invitation, had no minister, and religion was in a low state. The Second church,
or the Brick Church, as it was called, had a pastor, an excellent man; but in
regard to his preaching there was considerable division in the church, and he
was restive and about to leave. There was a controversy existing between an
elder of the Third church and the pastor of the First church, that was about to
be tried before the presbytery. This and other matters had aroused unchristian
feeling, to some extent, in both churches; and altogether it seemed a forbidding
field of labor at that time. The friends at Rochester were exceedingly anxious
to have me go there--I mean the members of the Third church. Being left without
a pastor, they felt as if there was great danger that they would be scattered,
and perhaps annihilated as a church, unless something could be done to revive
religion among them.
With these pressing invitations before me, I felt, as I have
often done, greatly perplexed. I remained at my father-in-law's, and considered
the subject, until I felt that I must take hold and work somewhere. Accordingly
we packed our trunks and went down to Utica,
about seven miles distant, where I had many praying friends. We arrived there in
the afternoon, and in the evening quite a number of the leading brethren, in
whose prayers and wisdom I had a great deal of confidence, at my request met for
consultation and prayer, in regard to my next field of labor. I laid all the
facts before them in regard to Rochester; and so far as I was acquainted with
them, the leading facts in respect to the other fields to which I was invited at
that time. Rochester seemed to be the least inviting of them all.
After talking the matter all over, and having several seasons of
prayer, interspersed with conversation, the brethren gave their opinions one
after another, in relation to what they thought it wise for me to do. They were
unanimous in the opinion that Rochester was too uninviting a field of labor, to
be put at all in competition with New York, or Philadelphia, and some other
fields to which I was then invited. They were firm in the conviction that I
should go east from Utica, and not west. At the time, this was my own impression
and conviction; and I retired from this meeting, as I supposed, settled not to
go to Rochester, but to New York or Philadelphia. This was before railroads
existed; and when we parted that evening I expected to take the canal boat,
which was the most convenient way for a family to travel, and start in the
morning for New York.
But after I retired to my lodging the question was presented to
my mind under a different aspect. Something seemed to question me: "What are the
reasons that deter you from going to Rochester?" I could readily enumerate them,
but then the question returned: "Ah! but are these good reasons? Certainly you
are needed at Rochester all the more because of these difficulties. Do you shun
the field because there are so many things that need to be corrected, because
there is so much that is wrong? But if all was right, you would not be needed."
I soon came to the conclusion that we were all wrong; and that the reasons that
had determined us against my going to Rochester, were the most cogent reasons
for my going. I felt ashamed to shrink from undertaking the work because of its
difficulties; and it was strongly impressed upon me, that the Lord would be with
me, and that was my field. My mind became entirely decided, before I retired to
rest, that Rochester was the place to which the Lord would have me go. I
informed my wife of my decision; and accordingly, early in the morning, before
the people were generally moving in the city, the packet boat came along, and we
embarked and went westward instead of eastward.
The brethren in Utica were greatly surprised when they learned of
this change in our destination, and awaited the result with a good deal of
solicitude.
We arrived in Rochester early in the morning, and were invited to
take up our lodgings for the time with Mr. Josiah Bissell, who was the leading
elder in the Third church, and who was the person that had complained to the
presbytery respecting Dr. Penny. On my arrival I met my cousin, Mr. S, in the
street, who invited me to his house. He was an elder in the First church, and
hearing that I was expected at Rochester, was very anxious to have his pastor,
Dr. Penny, meet and converse with me, and be prepared to cooperate with me in my
labors. I declined his kind invitation, informing him that I was to be the guest
of Mr. Bissell. But he called on me again after breakfast, and informed me that
he had arranged an interview between myself and Dr. Penny, at his house. I
hastened to meet the doctor, and we had a cheering Christian interview. When I
commenced my labors, Dr. Penny attended our meetings, and soon invited me to his
pulpit. Mr. S exerted himself to bring about a good understanding between the
pastors and churches and a great change soon manifested itself in the attitude
and spiritual state of the churches.
There were very soon some very marked conversions. The wife of a
prominent lawyer in that city, was one of the first converts. She was a woman of
high standing, a lady of culture and extensive influence. Her conversion was a
very marked one. The first that I saw her, a friend of her's came with her to my
room, and introduced her. The lady who introduced her was a Christian woman, who
had found that she was very much exercised in her mind, and persuaded her to
come and see me.
Mrs. M had been a gay worldly woman, and very fond of society.
She afterward told me that when I first came there, she greatly regretted it,
and feared there would be a revival; and a revival would greatly interfere with
the pleasures and amusements that she had promised herself that winter. On
conversing with her I found that the Spirit of the Lord was indeed dealing with
her, in an unsparing manner. She was bowed down with great conviction of sin.
After considerable conversation with her, I pressed her earnestly to renounce
sin, and the world, and self, and everything for Christ. I saw that she was a
very proud woman, and this struck me as rather the most marked feature of her
character. At the conclusion of our conversation we knelt down to pray; and my
mind being full of the subject of the pride of her heart, as it was manifested,
I very soon introduced the text: "Except ye be converted and become as little
children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven." I turned this
subject over in prayer; and almost immediately I heard Mrs. M, as she was
kneeling by my side, repeating that text: "Except ye be converted and become as
little children as little children Except ye be converted and become as little
children." I observed that her mind was taken with that, and the Spirit of God
was pressing it upon her heart. I therefore continued to pray, holding that
subject before her mind, and holding her up before God as needing that very
thing, to be converted--to become as a little child.
I felt that the Lord was answering prayer. I felt sure that He
was doing the very work that I asked Him to do. Her heart broke down, her
sensibility gushed forth, and before we rose from our knees, she was indeed a
little child. When I stopped praying, and opened my eyes and looked at her, her
face was turned up toward heaven, and the tears streaming down; and she was in
the attitude of praying that she might be made a little child. She rose up,
became peaceful, settled into a joyous faith, and retired. From that moment she
was outspoken in her religious convictions, and zealous for the conversion of
her friends. Her conversion, of course, produced much excitement among that
class of people to which she belonged.
I had never, I believe, except in rare instances, until I went to
Rochester, used as a means of promoting revivals, what has since been called the
anxious seat. I had sometimes asked persons in the congregation to stand up; but
this I had not frequently done. However, in studying upon the subject, I had
often felt the necessity of some measure that would bring sinners to a stand.
From my own experience and observation I had found, that with the higher classes
especially, the greatest obstacle to be overcome was their fear of being known
as anxious inquirers. They were too proud to take any position that would reveal
them to others as anxious for their souls.
I had found also that something was needed, to make the
impression on them that they were expected at once to give up their hearts;
something that would call them to act, and act as publicly before the world, as
they had in their sins; something that would commit them publicly to the service
of Christ. When I had called them simply to stand up in the public congregations
I found that this had a very good effect; and so far as it went, it answered the
purpose for which it was intended. But after all, I had felt for some time, that
something more was necessary to bring them out from among the mass of the
ungodly, to a public renunciation of their sinful ways, and a public committal
of themselves to God.
At Rochester, if I recollect right, I first introduced this
measure; This was years after the cry had been raised of new measures. A few
days after the conversion of Mrs. M, I made a call, I think for the first time,
upon all that class of persons whose convictions were so ripe that they were
willing to renounce their sins and give themselves to God, to come forward to
certain seats which I requested to be vacated, and offer themselves up to God,
while we made them subjects of prayer. A much larger number came forward than I
expected, and among them was another prominent lady; and several others of her
acquaintance, and belonging to the same circle of society, came forward. This
increased the interest among that class of people; and it was soon seen that the
Lord was aiming at the conversion of the highest classes of society. My meetings
soon became thronged with that class. The lawyers, physicians, merchants, and
indeed all the most intelligent people, became more and more interested, and
more and more easily influenced.
Very soon the work took effect, extensively, among the lawyers in
that city. There has always been a large number of the leading lawyers of the
state, resident at Rochester. The work soon got hold of numbers of these. They
became very anxious, and came freely to our meetings of inquiry; and numbers of
them came forward to the anxious seat, as it has since been called, and publicly
gave their hearts to God. I recollect one evening after preaching, three of them
followed me to my room, all of them deeply convicted; and all of them had been,
I believe, on the anxious seat, but were not clear in their minds, and felt that
they could not go home until they were convinced their peace was made with God.
I conversed with them, and prayed with them; and I believe, before they left,
they all found peace in believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
I should have said that very soon after the work commenced, the
difficulties between Mr. Bissell and Dr. Penny were healed; and all the
distractions and collisions that had existed there were adjusted; so that a
spirit of universal kindness and fellowship pervaded all the churches.
On one occasion I had an appointment in the First church. There
had been a military parade in the city that day. The militia had been called
out, and I had feared that the excitement of the parade, might divert the
attention of the people, and mar the work of the Lord. The house was filled in
every part. Dr. Penny had introduced the services, and was engaged in the first
prayer, when I heard something which I supposed to be the report of a gun, and
the jingling of glass, as if a window had been broken. My thought was that some
careless person from the military parade on the outside, had fired so near the
window as to break a pane of glass. But before I had time to think again, Dr.
Penny leaped from the pulpit almost over me, for I was kneeling by the sofa
behind him. The pulpit was in the front of the church, between the two doors.
The rear wall of the church stood upon the brink of the canal. The congregation,
in a moment, fell into a perfect panic, and rushed for the doors and the
windows, as if they were all distracted. One elderly woman held up a window in
the rear of the church, where several, as I was informed, leaped out into the
canal. The rush was terrific. Some jumped over the galleries into the aisles
below; they ran over each other in the aisles.
I stood up in the pulpit, and not knowing what had happened, put
up my hands, and cried at the top of my voice, "Be quiet! Be quiet!" Directly a
couple of women rushing up into the pulpit, one on the one side, and the other
on the other side, caught hold of me, in a state of distraction. Dr. Penny ran
out into the streets, and they were getting out in every direction, as fast as
possible. As I did not know that there was any danger, the scene looked so
ludicrous to me, that I could scarcely refrain from laughing. They rushed over
each other in the aisles, so that in several instances I observed men that had
been crushed down, rising up and throwing off others that had rushed upon them.
All at length got out.
Several were considerably hurt, but no one killed. But the house
was strewn with all sorts of womens apparel. Bonnets, shawls, gloves,
handkerchiefs, and parts of dresses, were scattered in every direction. The men
had very generally gone out without their hats, I believe; and many persons had
been seriously bruised in the awful rush.
I afterwards learned that the walls of the church had been
settling for some time, the ground being very damp from its proximity to the
canal. It had been spoken of, in the congregation, as not in a satisfactory
state; and some were afraid that either the tower would fall, or the roof, or
the walls of the building would come down. Of this I had heard nothing myself.
The original alarm was created by a timber from the roof, falling end downwards,
and breaking through the ceiling, above the lamp in front of the organ.
On examining the house, it was found that the walls had spread in
such a manner, that there was indeed danger of the roof falling in. The pressure
that night in the gallery was so great as to spread the walls on each side,
until there was real danger. At the time this occurred, I greatly feared, as I
suppose others did, that the public attention would be diverted, and the work
greatly hindered. But the Spirit of the Lord had taken hold of the work in
earnest, and nothing seemed to stay it.
The Brick church was thrown open to us, and from that time our
meetings alternated between the Second and Third churches, the people of the
First church and congregation attending as far as they could get into the house.
The three churches, and indeed Christians of every denomination generally,
seemed to make common cause, and went to work with a will, to pull sinners out
of the fire. We were obliged to hold meetings almost continually. I preached
nearly every night, and three times on the Sabbath. We held our meetings of
inquiry, after the work took on such a powerful type, very frequently in the
morning.
One morning I recollect we had been holding a meeting of inquiry,
and a gentleman was present and was converted there, who was the son-in-law of a
very praying, godly woman belonging to the Third church. She had been very
anxious about him, and had been spending much time in prayer for him. When he
returned from the meeting of inquiry, he was full of joy and peace and hope. She
had been spending the time in earnest prayer that God would convert him at that
meeting. As soon as she met him and he declared his conversion to her, and from
his countenance she saw that it was really so, it overcame her, and she swooned
away and fell dead.
There was at that time a high school in Rochester, presided over
by a Mr. B, the son of A B, then pastor of the church at Brighton, near
Rochester. Mr. B was a skeptic, but was at the head of a very large and
flourishing school. As the school was made up of both sexes, a Miss A was his
assistant and associate in the school, at that time. Miss A was a Christian
woman. The students attended the religious services, and many of them soon
became deeply anxious about their souls. One morning Mr. B found that his
classes could not recite. When he came to have them before him, they were so
anxious about their souls that they wept, and he saw that they were in such a
state, that it very much confounded him. He called his associate, Miss A, and
told her that the young people were so exercised about their souls that they
could not recite; and asked if they had not better send for Mr. Finney to give
them instruction. She afterwards informed me of this, and said that she was very
glad to have him make the inquiry, and most cordially advised him to send for
me. He did so, and the revival took tremendous hold of that school. Mr. B
himself was soon hopefully converted, and nearly every person in the school. A
few years since, Miss A informed me that more than forty persons, that were then
converted in that school, had become ministers. That was a fact that I had not
known before. She named many of them to me at the time. A large number of them
had become foreign missionaries.
After remaining a few weeks at Josiah Bissell's, we took lodgings
in a more central position, at the house of Mr. B, a lawyer of the city, who was
a professedly Christian man. His wife's sister was with them, and was an
impenitent girl. She was a young woman of fine appearance, an exquisite singer,
and a cultivated lady; and, as we soon learned, was engaged in marriage to a
man, who was then judge of the supreme court of the state. He was a very proud
man, and resisted the anxious seat, and spoke against it. He was absent a good
deal from the city, in holding court, and was not that winter converted. A large
number of the lawyers, however, were converted; and the young lady to whom he
was engaged was converted. I mention this because the Judge afterwards married
her; which no doubt led to his own conversion in a revival which occurred some
ten years later, the leading particulars of which I shall mention in another
part of my narrative.
This revival made a great change in the moral state and
subsequent history of Rochester. The great majority of the leading men and women
in the city, were converted. A great number of very striking incidents occurred,
that I shall not soon forget. One day the lady who first visited me and whose
conversion I have mentioned, called on me in company with a friend of hers with
whom she wished me to converse. I did so, but found her to all appearance very
much hardened, and rather disposed to trifle with the subject. Her husband was a
merchant, and they were persons of high standing in the community. When I
pressed her to attend to the subject, she said she would not do it, because her
husband would not attend to it, and she was not going to leave him. I asked her
if she was willing to be lost because her husband would not attend to it; and if
it was not folly to neglect her soul because he did his. She replied very
promptly, "If he goes to hell, I want to go. I want to go where he does. I do
not want to be separated from him, at any rate." It seemed that I could make
very little, if any, impression upon her. But from night to night I had been
making appeals to the congregation, and calling forward those that were prepared
to give their hearts to God; and large numbers were converted every evening.
As I learned afterwards, when this woman went home, her husband
said to her, "My dear, I mean to go forward tonight, and give my heart to God."
"What!" said she; "I have today told Mr. Finney that I would not become a
Christian, or have anything to do with it; that you did not become a Christian,
and I would not; and that if you went to hell, I should go with you." "Well,"
said he, "I do not mean to go to hell. I have made up my mind to go forward
tonight, and give my heart to Christ." "Well," said she, "then I will not go to
meeting, I do not want to see it. And if you have a mind after all, to become a
Christian, you may; I won't." When the time came, he went to meeting alone. The
pulpit was between the doors, in the front of the church. The house was a good
deal crowded; but he finally got a seat near one of the aisles, in quite the
back path of the church. At the close of the meeting, as I had done at other
times, I called for those that were anxious and whose minds were made up, to
come forward, and take certain seats and occupy a certain space about the
pulpit, where we could commend them to God in prayer. It afterward appeared that
the wife herself had come to the meeting, had passed up the other aisle, and
taken a seat almost opposite him, in the extreme part of the house. When I made
the call, he started immediately. She was watching, and as soon as she saw him
on his feet, and making his way along the crowded aisle, she also started down
the other aisle, and they met in front of the pulpit, and knelt down together as
subjects of prayer.
A large number obtained hope on the spot; but this husband and
wife did not. They went home, too proud to say much to each other about what
they had done, and spent a very restless night. The next day, about ten o'clock,
he called to see me, and was shown into my room. My wife occupied a front room
on the second floor; and I a room in the rear on the same floor. While I was
conversing with him, the servant informed me that a lady was waiting in Mrs.
Finney's room to see me. I excused myself for a few moments, and requested him
to wait, while I went in to see her. I found that it was the woman who but the
day before had been so stubborn, and the wife of the man who was then in my
room. Neither of them knew that the other had called to see me. I conversed with
her, and found that she was on the very verge of submitting to Christ. I had
learned that he was also, to all appearance, in the same state. I then returned
to him and said, "I am going to pray with a lady in Mrs. Finney's room, and we
will go in there, if you please, and all join in prayer, together." He followed
me, and found his own wife. They looked at each other with surprise, but we were
both greatly affected, each to find the other there. We knelt down to pray. I
had not proceeded far in prayer before she began to weep, and to pray audibly
for her husband. I stopped and listened, and found that she had lost all concern
for herself, and was struggling in an agony of prayer for his conversion. His
heart seemed to break and give way, and just at this time the bell rang for our
dinner. I thought it would be well to leave them together alone. I therefore
touched my wife, and we rose silently and went down to dinner, leaving them in
prayer. We took a hasty dinner and returned, and found them as mellow, and as
humble, and as loving as could be desired.
I have not said much, as yet, of the spirit of prayer that
prevailed in this revival, which I must not omit to mention. When I was on my
way to Rochester, as we passed through a village, some thirty miles east of
Rochester, a brother minister whom I knew, seeing me on the canalboat, jumped
aboard to have a little conversation with me, intending to ride but a little way
and return. He, however, became interested in conversation, and upon finding
where I was going, he made up his mind to keep on and go with me to Rochester.
We had been there but a few days when this minister became so convicted that he
could not help weeping aloud, at one time, as he passed along the street. The
Lord gave him a powerful spirit of prayer, and his heart was broken. As he and I
prayed much together, I was struck with his faith in regard to what the Lord was
going to do there. I recollect he would say, "Lord, I do not know how it is; but
I seem to know that Thou art going to do a great work in this city." The spirit
of prayer was poured out powerfully, so much so, that some persons stayed away
from the public services to pray, being unable to restrain their feelings under
preaching.
And here I must introduce the name of a man, whom I shall have
occasion to mention frequently, Mr. Abel Clary. He was the son of a very
excellent man, and an elder of the church where I was converted. He was
converted in the same revival in which I was. He had been licensed to preach;
but his spirit of prayer was such, he was so burdened with the souls of men,
that he was not able to preach much, his whole time and strength being given to
prayer. The burden of his soul would frequently be so great that he was unable
to stand, and he would writhe and groan in agony. I was well acquainted with
him, and knew something of the wonderful spirit of prayer that was upon him. He
was a very silent man, as almost all are who have that powerful spirit of
prayer.
The first I knew of his being at Rochester, a gentleman who lived
about a mile west of the city, called on me one day, and asked me if I knew a
Mr. Abel Clary, a minister. I told him that I knew him well. "Well," said he,
"he is at my house, and has been there for some time, and I don't know what to
think of him." I said, "I have not seen him at any of our meetings." "No," he
replied, "he cannot go to meeting," he said. "He prays nearly all the time, day
and night, and in such an agony of mind that I do not know what to make of it.
Sometimes he cannot even stand on his knees, but will lie prostrate on the
floor, and groan and pray in a manner that quite astonishes me." I said to the
brother, "I understand it; please keep still. It will all come out right; he
will surely prevail."
I knew at the time a considerable number of men who were
exercised in the same way. A Deacon P, of Camden, Oneida county; a Deacon T, of
Rodman, Jefferson county; a Deacon B, of Adams, in
the same country; this Mr. Clary, and many others among the men, and a large
number of women, partook of the same spirit, and spent a great part of their
time in prayer. Father Nash, as we called him, who in several of my fields of
labor came to me and aided me, was another of those men that had such a powerful
spirit of prevailing prayer. This Mr. Clary continued in Rochester as long as I
did, and did not leave it until after I had left. He never, that I could learn,
appeared in public, but gave himself wholly to prayer.
I have said that the moral aspect of things was greatly changed
by this revival. It was a young city, full of thrift and enterprise, and full of
sin. The inhabitants were intelligent and enterprising, in the highest degree;
but as the revival swept through the town, and converted the great mass of the
most influential people, both men and women, the change in the order, sobriety,
and morality of the city was wonderful.
At a subsequent period, which I shall mention in its place, I was
conversing with a lawyer, who was converted at this revival of who I have been
speaking, and who soon after had been made district attorney of the city. His
business was to superintend the prosecution of criminals. From his position he
was made thoroughly acquainted with the history of crime in that city. In
speaking of the revival in which he was converted, he said to me, many years
afterward: "I have been examining the records of the criminal courts, and I find
this striking fact, that whereas our city has increased since that revival,
threefold, there are not one-third as many prosecutions for crime, as there had
been up to that time. This is, "he said," the wonderful influence that revival
had upon the community. Indeed by the power of that revival, public sentiment
has been molded. The public affairs of the city have been, in a great measure in
the hands of Christian men; and the controlling influences in the community have
been on the side of Christ."
Among other conversions I must not forget to mention that of Mr.
P, a prominent citizen of that place, a bookseller. Mr. P was an infidel; not an
atheist, but a disbeliever in the divine authority of the Bible. He was a reader
and a thinker, a man of keen, shrewd mind, strong will, and most decided
character. He was, I believe, a man of good outward morals, and a gentleman
highly respected. He came to my room early one morning, and said to me, "Mr.
Finney, there is a great movement here on the subject of religion, but I am a
skeptic, and I want you to prove to me that the Bible is true." The Lord enabled
me at once to discern his state of mind, so far as to decide the course I should
take with him. I said to him, "Do you believe in the existence of God?" "O yes!"
he said, I am not an atheist. "Well, do you believe that you have treated God as
you ought? Have you respected His authority? Have you loved Him? Have you done
that which you thought would please Him, and with the design to please Him?
Don't you admit that you ought to love Him, and ought to worship Him, and ought
to obey Him, according to the best light you have?" "O yes!" he said, I admit
all this. "But have you done so?" I asked. "Why, no," he answered, "I cannot say
that I have." "Well then," I replied, "why should I give you farther
information, and farther light, if you will not do your duty and obey the light
you already have? Now," said I, "when you will make up your mind to live up to
your convictions, to obey God according to the best light you have; when you
will make up your mind to repent of your neglect thus far, and to please God
just as well as you know how, the rest of your life, I will try to show you that
the Bible is from God. Until then it is of no use for me to do any such thing."
I did not sit down, and I think had not asked him to sit down. He replied, "I do
not know but that is fair;" and retired.
I heard no more of him until the next morning. Soon after I
arose, he came to my room again; and as soon as he entered, he clapped his hands
and said, "Mr. Finney, God has wrought a miracle! I went down to the store," he
continued, "after I left your room, thinking of what you had said; and I made up
my mind that I would repent of what I knew was wrong in my relations to God, and
that hereafter I would live according to the best light I had. And when I made
up my mind to this," said he, "my feelings so overcame me that I fell; and I do
not know but I should have died, if it had not been for Mr. -- , who was with me
in the store." From this time he has been, as all who know him are aware, a
praying, earnest Christian man. For many years he has been one of the trustees
of Oberlin College, has stood by us through all our trials, and has aided
us with his means and his whole influence.
During this great revival, persons wrote letters from Rochester,
to their friends abroad, giving an account of the work, which were read in
different churches throughout several states, and were instrumental in producing
great revivals of religion. Many persons came in from abroad to witness the
great work of God, and were converted. I recollect that a physician was so
attracted by what he heard of the work that he came from Newark, New
Jersey, to Rochester, to see what the Lord was doing, and was himself converted
there. He was a man of talents and high culture, and has been for years an
ardent Christian laborer for immortal souls.
One evening, I recollect, when I made a call for the anxious to
come forward and submit, a man of influence in a neighboring town came forward
himself, and several members of his family, and gave themselves to God. Indeed,
the work spread like waves in every direction. I preached in as many places
round about, as I had time and strength to do, while my main labors were in
Rochester. I went to Canandaigua and preached several times. There the Word took
effect, and many were converted. The pastor, Rev. Ansel Eddy, entered heartily
into the work. A former pastor, an elderly man, an Englishmen by birth, also did
what he could to forward the work. Wherever I went, the Word of God took
immediate effect; and it seemed only necessary to present the law of God, and
the claims of Christ, in such relations and proportions as were calculated to
secure the conversion of men, and they would be converted by scores.
The greatness of the work at Rochester, at that time, attracted
so much of the attention of ministers and Christians throughout the State of New
York, throughout New England, and in many parts of the United States, that the
very fame of it was an efficient instrument in the hands of the Spirit of God in
promoting the greatest revival of religion throughout the land, that this
country had then ever witnessed. Years after this, in conversing with Dr.
Beecher about this powerful revival and its results, he remarked: "That was the
greatest work of God, and the greatest revival of religion, that the world has
ever seen, in so short a time. One hundred thousand," he remarked, "were
reported as having connected themselves with churches, as the results of that
great revival. This," he said, "is unparalleled in the history of the church,
and of the progress of religion." He spoke of this having been done in one year;
and said that in no year during the Christian era, had we any account of so
great a revival of religion.
From the time of the New Lebanon convention, of which I have
spoken, open and public opposition to revivals of religion was less and less
manifested, and especially did I meet with much less personal opposition than I
had met with before. It gradually but greatly subsided. At Rochester I felt
nothing of it. Indeed the waters of salvation had risen so high, revivals had
become so powerful and extensive, and people had time to become acquainted with
them and their results, in such measure, that men were afraid to oppose them as
they had done. Ministers had come to understand them better, and the most
ungodly sinners had been convinced that they were indeed the work of God. So
manifestly were the great mass of the conversions sound, the converts really
regenerated and made new creatures, so thoroughly were individuals and whole
communities reformed, and so permanent and unquestionable were the results, that
the conviction became nearly universal, that they were the work of God.
CHAPTER XXII
REVIVAL IN AUBURN,
BUFFALO, PROVIDENCE AND BOSTON
DURING the latter part
of the time that I was at Rochester, my health was poor. I was overdone; and
some of the leading physicians, I learned, had made up their minds that I never
would preach any more. My labors in Rochester at that time, had continued
through six months; and near their close, Rev. Dr. Wisner, of Ithaca, came down
and spent some time, witnessing and helping forward the work. In the meantime, I
was invited to many fields; and among others I was urged by Dr. Nott, president
of Union College, at Schenectady, to go and labor with him, and if possible
secure the conversion of his numerous students. I made up my mind to comply with
his request.
In company with Dr. Wisner and Josiah Bissell, I started in the
stage, in the spring of the year 1831, when the going was exceedingly bad. I
left my wife and children for the time at Rochester;
as the traveling was too dangerous, and the journey too fatiguing for them. When
we arrived at Geneva, Dr. Wisner insisted on my going home with him, to rest
awhile. I declined, and said I must keep about my work. He pressed me very hard
to go; and finally told me that the physicians in Rochester had told him to take
me home with him, for I was going to die; that I would never labor anymore in
revivals, for I had the consumption, and could live but a little while. I
replied that I had been told this before, but that it was a mistake; that the
doctors did not understand my case; that I was only fatigued, and a little rest
would bring me up.
Dr. Wisner finally gave up his importunity, and I passed on in
the stage to Auburn. The going was so very bad, that sometimes we could not get
on more than two miles an hour, and we had been two or three days in going from
Rochester to Auburn. As I had many dear friends in Auburn, and was very much
fatigued, I made up my mind to stop there, and rest till the next stage. I had
paid my fare quite through to Schenectady; but could stop over, if I chose, for
one or more days. I stopped at the house of Mr. T S, a son of Chief-Justice S.
He was an earnest Christian man, and a very dear friend of mine; consequently I
went to his house, instead of stopping at the hotel, and concluded to rest there
till the next stage.
In the morning, after sleeping quietly at Mr. S's, I had risen,
and was preparing to take the stage, which was to arrive in the early part of
the day, when a gentleman came in with the request for me to remain--a request
in writing, signed by that large number of influential men, of whom I have
spoken before, as resisting the revival in that place in 1826. These men had set
themselves against the revival, on the former occasion, and carried their
opposition so far as to break from Dr. Lansing's congregation, and form a new
one. In the meantime, Dr. Lansing had been called to another field of labor; and
Rev. Josiah Hopkins, of Vermont, was settled as pastor of the First church. The
paper to which I have alluded, contained an earnest appeal to me to stop and
labor for their salvation, signed by a long list of unconverted men, most of
them among the most prominent citizens in the city. This was very striking to
me. In this paper they alluded to the opposition they had formerly made to my
labors, and besought me to overlook it, and stop and preach the Gospel to them.
This request did not come from the pastor, nor from his church,
but from those who had formerly led in the opposition to the work. But the
pastor and the members of his church pressed me with all their influence, to
remain and preach, and comply with the request of these men. They appeared as
much surprised as I was myself, at the change in the attitude of those men. I
went to my room, and spread the subject before God, and soon made up my mind
what to do. I told the pastor and his elders that I was very much fatigued, and
nearly worn out; but that upon certain conditions I would remain. I would preach
twice upon the Sabbath, and two evenings during the week; but that they should
take all the rest of the labor upon their own hands; that they must not expect
me to attend any other meetings than those at which I preached; and that they
must take upon themselves the labor of instructing inquirers, and conducting the
prayer and other meetings. I knew that they understood how to labor with
sinners, and could well trust them to perform that part of the work. I
furthermore stipulated that neither they nor their people should visit me,
except in extreme cases, at my lodgings; for that I must have my days, Sundays
excepted, that I might rest, and also my evenings, except those when I preached.
There were three preaching services on the Sabbath, one of which was filled by
Mr. Hopkins. I preached in the morning and evening, I think, of each Sabbath,
and he in the afternoon.
The Word took immediate effect. On the first or second Sabbath
evening that I preached, I saw that the Word was taking such powerful hold that
at the close I called for those whose minds were made up, to come forward,
publicly renounce their sins, and give themselves to Christ. Much to my own
surprise, and very much to the surprise of the pastor and many members of the
church, the first man that I observed as coming forward and leading the way, was
the man that had led, and exerted more influence than any other one man, in the
opposition to the former revival. He came forward promptly, followed by a large
number of the persons who had signed that paper; and that evening there was such
a demonstration made, as to produce a general interest throughout the place.
I have spoken of Mr. Clary as the praying man, who was at
Rochester. He had a brother, a physician, living in Auburn. I think it was the
second Sabbath that I was at Auburn at this time, I observed in the congregation
the solemn face of this Mr. Clary. He looked as if he was borne down with an
agony of prayer. Being well acquainted with him, and knowing the great gift of
God that was upon him, the spirit of prayer, I was very glad to see him there.
He sat in the pew with his brother, the Doctor, who was also a professor of
religion, but who knew nothing by experience, I should think, of his Brother
Abel's great power with God.
At intermission, as soon as I came down from the pulpit, Mr.
Clary, with his brother, met me at the pulpit stairs, and the Doctor invited me
to go home with him and spend the intermission and get some refreshments. I did
so.
After arriving at his house we were soon summoned to the dinner
table. We gathered about the table, and Dr. Clary turned to his brother and
said, "Brother Abel, will you ask a blessing?" Brother Abel bowed his head and
began, audibly, to ask a blessing. He had uttered but a sentence or two when he
broke instantly down, moved suddenly back from the table, and fled to his
chamber. The Doctor supposed he had been taken suddenly ill, and rose up and
followed him. In a few moments he came down and said, "Mr. Finney, Brother Abel
wants to see you." Said I, "What ails him?" Said he, "I do not know; but he says
you know. He appears in great distress, but I think it is the state of his
mind." I understood it in a moment, and went to his room. He lay groaning upon
the bed, the Spirit making intercession for him, and in him, with groanings that
could not be uttered. I had hardly entered the room, when he made out to say;
"Pray, Brother Finney." I knelt down and helped him in prayer, by leading his
soul out for the conversion of sinners. I continued to pray until his distress
passed away, and then I returned to the dinner table.
I understood that this was the voice of God. I saw the Spirit of
prayer was upon him, and I felt His influence upon myself, and took it for
granted that the work would move on powerfully. It did so. I believe, but am not
quite sure, that every one of those men that signed that paper, making a long
list of names, was converted during that revival. But a few years since, Dr. S,
of Auburn, wrote to me to know if I had preserved that paper, wishing, as he
said, to ascertain whether every one of the men that signed it, was not at that
time converted. The paper has been mislaid; and although it is probably among my
numerous papers and letters, and may sometime be found, yet I could not, at the
time, answer his inquiry.
I stayed, at this time, at Auburn, six Sabbaths,
preaching, as I have said, twice on the Sabbath, and twice during the week, and
leaving all the rest of the labor for the pastor and members of the church.
Here, as at Rochester,
there was, at this time, little or no open opposition. Ministers and Christians
took hold of the work, and everybody that had a mind to work found enough to do,
and good success in labor.
The pastor told me afterward, that he found that in the six weeks
that I was there, five hundred souls had been converted. The means that were
used, were the same that had been used at Rochester.
This revival seemed to be only a wave of divine power, reaching Auburn from the
center at Rochester, whence such a mighty influence had gone out over the length
and breadth of the land.
Near the close of my labor here, a messenger arrived from
Buffalo, with an earnest request that I should visit that city. The revival in
Rochester had prepared the way in Auburn, as in every other place round about,
and had also prepared the way in Buffalo. At Buffalo, the messenger informed me,
the work had begun, and a few souls had been hopefully converted; but they felt
that other means needed to be used, and they urged me so hard, that from Auburn
I turned back through Rochester to Buffalo. I spent but about one month, I
think, at Buffalo; during which time a large number of persons were hopefully
converted.
The work at Buffalo, as at Auburn and Rochester, took effect very
generally among the more influential classes. Rev. Dr. Lord, then a lawyer, was
converted at that time, I think; also Mr. H, the father of Rev. Dr. H, of
Buffalo. There were many circumstances connected with his conversion, that I
have never forgotten. He was one of the most wealthy and influential men in
Buffalo, and a man of outwardly good morals, fair character, and high standing
as a citizen, but an impenitent sinner. His wife was a Christian woman, and had
long been praying for him, and hoping that he would be converted. But when I
began to preach there, and insisted that the sinner's "cannot" is his "will
not", that the difficulty to be overcome was the voluntary wickedness of
sinners, and that they were wholly unwilling to be Christians, Mr. H rebelled
very decidedly against such teaching. He insisted upon it that it was false in
his case; for he was conscious of being willing to be a Christian, and that he
had long been willing.
As his wife informed me of the position that he occupied, I did
not spare him; but from day to day, I hunted him from his refuges, and answered
all his objections, and met all his excuses. He became more and more excited. He
was a man of strong will; and he declared that he did not, and would not,
believe such teaching. He said so much in opposition to the teaching, as to draw
around him some men with whom he had no sympathy at all, except in their
opposition to the work. But I did not hesitate to press him in every sermon, in
one shape or another, with his unwillingness to be a Christian.
After his conversion, he told me that he was shocked and ashamed,
when he found that some scoffers had taken refuge behind him. One evening, he
said, he sat directly across the aisle from a notorious scoffer. He said that
repeatedly while I was preaching, this man, with whom he had no sympathy at all
on other subjects, would look toward him and smile, and give great indications
of his fellowship with Mr. H's opposition to the revival. He said that on
discovering this, his heart rose up with indignation; and he said to himself, "I
am not going to be in sympathy with that class of men; I will have nothing to do
with them."
However, that very night, at the close of my sermon, I pressed
the consciences of sinners so hard, and made so strong an appeal to them to give
up their voluntary opposition and come to Christ, that he could not contain
himself. As soon as meeting was out, altogether contrary to his custom, he began
to resist, and to speak against what had been said, before he got out of the
house. The aisles were full, and people were crowding around him on every side.
Indeed he made some profane expression, as his wife informed me, which very much
disturbed her, as she felt that by his opposition he was very likely to grieve
the Spirit of God away, and lose his soul.
That night he could not sleep. His mind was so exercised that he
rose as soon as there was any light, left his house and went off to a
considerable distance, where there was then a grove, near a place where he had
some waterworks which he called the hydraulics. There in the grove he knelt down
to pray. He said he had felt, during the night, as if he must get away by
himself, so that he could speak aloud and let out his voice and his heart, as he
was pressed beyond endurance with the sense of his sins, and with the necessity
of immediately making his peace with God. But to his surprise and mortification,
when he knelt down and attempted to pray, he found that his heart would not
pray. He had no words; he had no desires that he could express in words. He said
that it appeared to him that his heart was as hard as marble, and that he had
not the least feeling on the subject. He stood upon his knees disappointed and
confounded, and found that if he opened his mouth to pray, he had nothing in the
form of prayer that he could sincerely utter.
In this state it occurred to him that he could say the Lord's
prayer. So he began, "Our Father which art in heaven." He said as soon as he
uttered the words, he was convicted of his hypocrisy in calling God his Father.
When he added the petition, "Hallowed be thy name," he said it almost shocked
him. He saw that he was not sincere, that his words did not at all express the
state of his mind. He did not care to have God's name hallowed. Then he uttered
the next petition, "Thy kingdom come." Upon this, he said, he almost choked. He
saw that he did not want the kingdom of God to
come; that it was hypocritical in him to say so, and that he could not say it,
as really expressing the sincere desire of his heart. And then came the
petition, "Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven." He said his heart
rose up against that, and he could not say it. Here he was brought face to face
with the will of God. He had been told from day to day that he was opposed to
this will; that he was not willing to accept it; that it was his voluntary
opposition to God, to His law, and His will, that was the only obstacle in the
way of his conversion. This consideration he had resisted and fought with
desperation. But here on his knees, with the Lord's prayer in his mouth, he was
brought face to face with that question; and he saw with perfect clearness that
what he had been told, was true: that he was not willing that God's will should
be done; and that he did not do it himself, because he would not.
Here the whole question of his rebellion, in its nature and its
extent, was brought so strongly before him, that he saw it would cost him a
mighty struggle, to give up that voluntary opposition to God. And then, he said,
he gathered up all the strength of his will and cried aloud, "Thy will be done
on earth as it is done in heaven." He said he was perfectly conscious that his
will went with his words; that he accepted the will of God, and the whole will
of God; that he made a full surrender to God, and accepted Christ just as He was
offered in the Gospel. He gave up his sins, and embraced the will of God as his
universal rule of life. The language of his heart was, "Lord, do with me as
seemeth thee good. Let thy will be done with me, and with all creatures on
earth, as it is done in heaven." He said he prayed freely, as soon as his will
surrendered; and his heart poured itself out like a flood. His rebellion all
passed away, his feelings subsided into a great calm, and a sweet peace seemed
to fill all his soul.
He rose from his knees and went to his house, and told his
anxious wife, who had been praying for him so earnestly, what the Lord had done
for his soul; and confessed that he had been all wrong in his opposition, and
entirely deceived as it respected his willingness to be a Christian. From that
time he became an earnest laborer for the promotion of the work of God. His
subsequent life attested the reality of the change, and he lived and died a
useful, Christian man. From Buffalo I went, in June, I think, to my
father-in-law's, in Whitestown. I spent a part of the summer in journeying for
recreation, and for the restoration of my health and strength.
Early in the autumn of 1831, I accepted an invitation to hold
what was then called a protracted meeting, or a series of meetings, in
Providence. I labored mostly in the church of which Rev. Dr. Wilson was at that
time pastor. I think I remained there about three weeks, holding meetings every
evening, and preaching three times on the Sabbath. The Lord poured out His
Spirit immediately upon the people, and the work of grace commenced and went
forward in a most interesting manner. However, my stay was too short to secure
so general a work of grace in that place, as occurred afterwards in 1842, when I
spent some two months there; the particulars of which I shall relate in its
proper connection.
There were many interesting conversions at that time; and several
of the men who have had a leading Christian influence in that city, from that
time to the present day, were converted. This was also true of the women; many
very interesting cases of conversion among them occurred. I remember with great
distinctness the conversion of one young lady, which I will in brief relate. I
had observed in the congregation, on the Sabbath, a young woman of great
personal beauty, sitting in a pew with a young man who I afterwards learned was
her brother. She had a very intellectual, and a very earnest look, and seemed to
listen to every word I said, with the utmost attention and seriousness.
I was the guest of Mr. Josiah Chapin; and in going from the
church with him to his own house, I observed this young brother and sister going
up the same street. I pointed them out to Mr. Chapin, and asked him who they
were. He informed me that they were a Mr. and a Miss A, brother and sister, and
remarked that she was considered the most beautiful girl in Providence. I asked
him if she was a professor of religion; and he said, no. I told him I thought
her very seriously impressed, and asked him if he did not think it would be well
for me to call and see her. He spoke discouragingly in regard to that, and
thought it would be a waste of time, and that possibly I might not be cordially
received. He thought that she was a girl so much caressed and flattered, and
that her surroundings were such, that she probably entertained but little
serious thought in regard to the salvation of her soul. But he was mistaken; and
I was right in supposing that the Spirit of the Lord was striving with her.
I did not call upon her; but a few days after this, she called to
see me. I knew her at once, and inquired of her in regard to the state of her
soul. She was very thoroughly awakened; but her real convictions of sin, were
not ripened into that state that I wished to see and which I thought was
necessary, before she could be really brought intelligently to accept the
righteousness of Christ. I therefore spent an hour or two, for her call was
considerably protracted, in trying to show her the depravity of her heart. She
at first recoiled from my searching questions. But her convictions seemed to
ripen as I conversed with her; and she became more and more profoundly serious.
When I had said to her what I thought was necessary to secure a
ripened and thorough conviction, under the influence of the Spirit of God, she
got up with a manifest feeling of dissatisfaction, and left me. I was confident
the Spirit of God had so thoroughly taken hold of her case, that what I had said
to her would not be shaken off, but on the contrary that it would work the
conviction that I sought to produce.
Two or three days afterwards she called on me again. I could see
at once that she was greatly bowed down in her spirit. As soon as she came in
she sat down, and threw her heart open to me. With the utmost candor she said to
me, "Mr. Finney, I thought when I was here before, that your questions and
treatment of me were pretty severe. But," said she, "I see now that I am all
that you represented me to be. Indeed," said she, "had it not been for my pride
and regard for my reputation, I should have been as wicked a girl as there is in
Providence. I can see," said she, "clearly that my life has been restrained by
pride, and a regard to my reputation, and not from any regard to God, or His law
or Gospel. I can see that God has made use of my pride and ambition, to restrain
me from disgraceful iniquities. I have been petted and flattered, and have stood
upon my dignity; and have maintained my reputation, from purely selfish
motives." She went on spontaneously, and owned up, and showed that her
convictions were thorough and permanent. She did not appear to be excited, but
calm, and in the highest degree rational, in everything that she said. It was
evident, however, that she had a fervent nature, a strong will, and an
uncommonly well-balanced and cultivated intellect.
After conversing with her for some time, and giving her as
thorough instruction as I could, we bowed before the Lord in prayer; and she, to
all human appearance, gave herself unreservedly to Christ. She was in a state of
mind, at this time, that seemed to render it easy for her to renounce the world.
She has always been a very interesting Christian. Not many years after her
conversion, she was married to a wealthy gentleman in the city of New York. For
several years I had no direct correspondence with her. Her husband took her into
a circle of society with which I had no particular acquaintance; and, until
after he died, I did not renew my acquaintance with her. Since then I have had
much Christian correspondence with her, and have never ceased to be greatly
interested in her religious life. I mention this case, because I have ever
regarded it as a wonderful triumph of the grace of God over the fascinations of
the world. The grace of God was too strong for the world, even in a case like
this, in which every worldly fascination was surrounding her.
While I was at Providence, the question of my going to Boston was
agitated by the ministers and deacons of the several Congregational churches of
that city. I was not myself aware of what they were doing there; but Dr. Wisner,
then pastor of the Old South church, came over to Providence and attended our
meetings. I afterward learned that he was sent over by the ministers, to spy out
the land and bring back a report. I had several conversations with him, and he
manifested an almost enthusiastic interest in what he saw and heard in
Providence. About the time he was there, some very striking conversions took
place.
The work at Providence was of a peculiarly searching character,
as it respected professors of religion. Old hopes were terribly shaken, and
there was a great shaking among the dry bones in the different churches. So
terribly was a deacon of one of the churches searched on one occasion, that he
said to me, as I came out of the pulpit, "Mr. Finney, I do not believe there are
ten real Christians in Providence. We are all wrong," said he; "we have been
deceived." Dr. Wisner, I believe, was thoroughly convinced that the work was
genuine, and for the time, extensive; and that there was no indication of
influences or results that were to be deplored.
After Dr. Wisner returned to Boston, I soon received a
request from the Congregational ministers and churches, to go to that city and
labor. Dr. Lyman Beecher was at that time pastor of the Bowdoin street church;
his son, Edward Beecher, was either pastor or stated supply at Park street; a Mr. Green was pastor of the Essex street church, but had gone to Europe for his health, and that church was without any stated supply at the
time. Dr. Fay was pastor of the Congregational church in Charlestown; and Dr. Jenks was
pastor of the Congregational church in Green street. I do not recollect who were
the pastors of the other churches at the time.
I began my labors by preaching around in the different churches
on the Sabbath, and on week evenings I preached in Park street. I soon saw that
the Word of God was taking effect, and that the interest was increasing from day
to day. But I perceived also that there needed to be a great searching among
professed Christians. I could not learn that there was among them anything like
the spirit of prayer that had prevailed in the revivals at the West and in New
York City. There seemed to be a peculiar type of religion there, not exhibiting
that freedom and strength of faith which I had been in the habit of seeing in New York.
I therefore began to preach some searching sermons to Christians.
Indeed I gave out on the Sabbath, that I would preach a series of sermons to
Christians, in Park street, on certain evenings of the week. But I soon found
that these sermons were not at all palatable to the Christians of Boston. It was
something they never had been used to, and the attendance at Park street became
less and less, especially on those evenings when I preached to professed
Christians. This was new to me. I had never before seen professed Christians
shrink back, as they did at that time in Boston, from searching sermons. But I
heard, again and again, of speeches like these: "What will the Unitarians say,
if such things are true of us who are orthodox? If Mr. Finney preaches to us in
this way, the Unitarians will triumph over us, and say, that at least the
orthodox are no better Christians than Unitarians." It was evident that they
somewhat resented my plain dealing, and that my searching sermons astonished,
and even offended, very many of them. However, as the work went forward, this
state of things changed greatly; and after a few weeks they would listen to
searching preaching, and came to appreciate it.
I found in Boston, as I had everywhere else, that there was a
method of dealing with inquiring sinners, that was very trying to me. I used
sometimes to hold meetings of inquiry with Dr. Beecher, in the basement of his
church. One evening when there was a large attendance, and a feeling of great
searching and solemnity among the inquirers, at the close, as was my custom, I
made an address in which I tried to point out to them exactly what the Lord
required of them. My object was to bring them to renounce themselves and their
all, and give themselves and all they possessed to Christ. I tried to show them
that they were not their own, but were bought with a price; and pointed out to
them the sense in which they were expected to forsake all that they had, and
deliver everything to Christ as belonging to Him.
I made this point as clear as I possibly could, and saw that the
impression upon the inquirers seemed to be very deep. I was about to call on
them to kneel down, while we presented them to God in prayer; when Dr. Beecher
arose, and said to them, "You need not be afraid to give up all to Christ, your
property and all, for He will give it right back to you." Without making any
just discriminations at all, as to the sense in which they were to give up their
possessions, and the sense in which the Lord would allow them to retain them, he
simply exhorted them not to be afraid to give up all, as they had been urged to
do, as the Lord would give it right back to them. I saw that he was making a
false impression, and I felt in an agony. I saw that his language was calculated
to make an impression, the direct opposite of the truth.
After he had finished his remarks, as wisely and carefully as I
could, I led them to see that, in the sense of which God required them to give
up their possessions, he would never give them back, and they must not entertain
such a thought. I tried to say what I said, in such a way as not to appear to
contradict Dr. Beecher, but yet thoroughly to correct the impression that I saw
he had made. I told them that the Lord did not require them to relinquish all
their possessions, to quit their business, and houses, and possessions, and
never to have possession of them again; but He did require them to renounce the
ownership of them, to understand and realize that these things were not their's,
but the Lord's; that His claim was absolute, and His property in themselves and
in everything else, so entirely above the right of every other being in the
universe, that what He required of them was to use themselves and everything
else as belonging to Him; and never to think that they had a right to use their
time, their strength, their substance, their influence, or anything else which
they possessed, as if it were their own, and not the Lord's.
Dr. Beecher made no objection to what I said, either at the time,
or ever, so far as I know; and it is not probable that he intended anything
inconsistent with this, in what he said. Yet his language was calculated to make
the impression that God would restore their possessions to them, in the sense in
which they had relinquished them, and given them up to Him.
The members of the orthodox churches of Boston, at this time,
generally, I believe, received my views of doctrine without question. I know
that Dr. Beecher did; for he told me that he had never seen a man with whose
theological views he so entirely accorded, as he did with mine. There was one
point of my orthodoxy, however, to which many of them at the time objected.
There was a Mr. Rand, who published, I think, a periodical in Boston at that time, who wrote an earnest article against my views on the subject of
the divine agency in regeneration. I preached that the divine agency was that of
teaching and persuasion, that the influence was a moral, and not a physical one.
President Edwards had held the contrary; and Mr. Rand held with President
Edwards, that the divine agency exercised in regeneration, was a physical one;
that it produced a change of nature, instead of a change in the voluntary
attitude and preference of the soul. Mr. Rand regarded my views on this subject
as quite out of the way.
There were some other points of doctrine upon which he dwelt in a
critical manner; such, for example, as my views of the voluntary nature of moral
depravity, and the sinner's activity in regeneration.
Dr. Wisner wrote a reply, and justified my views, with the
exception of those that I maintained on the persuasive or moral influence of the
Holy Spirit. He was not then prepared to take the ground, against President
Edwards, and the general orthodox view of New England, that the Spirit's agency
was not physical, but only moral. Dr. Woods, of Andover, also published an
article in one of the periodicals, I believe the one published at Andover, under
this title: "The Holy Ghost the author of regeneration." This was, I think, the
title; at any rate the design was to prove that regeneration was the work of
God. He quoted of course, that class of scriptures that assert the divine
agency, in the work of changing the heart.
To this, I made no reply in writing; but in my preaching I said
that was only a half truth; that the Bible just as plainly asserts that
regeneration is the work of man; and I quoted those passages that affirm it.
Paul said to one of the churches, that he had begotten them, that is regenerated
them; for the same word is used as in other passages, where regeneration is
ascribed to God. It is easy, therefore, to show that God has an agency in
regeneration, and that His agency is that of teaching or persuasion. It is also
easy to show that the subject has an agency; that the acts of repentance, faith,
and love are his own; and that the Spirit persuades him to put forth these acts,
by presenting to him the truth. As the truth is the instrument, the Holy Spirit
must be one of the agents; and a preacher, or some human, intelligent agent,
generally, also cooperates in the work. There was nothing at all unchristian,
that I recollect, in any of the discussions that we had, at that time; nothing
that grieved the Spirit or produced any unkind feelings among the brethren.
After I had spent some weeks, in preaching about in the different
congregations, I consented to supply Mr. Green's church in Essex street
statedly, for a time. I therefore concentrated my labors upon that field. We had
a blessed work of grace; and a large number of persons were converted in
different parts of the city.
I had become fatigued, as I had labored about ten years as an
evangelist, without anything more than a few days or weeks of rest, during the
whole period. The ministerial brethren were true men, had taken hold of the work
as well as they knew how, and labored faithfully and efficiently in securing
good results.
By this time, a second free church had been formed in New York
City. Mr. Joel Parker's church, the first free church, had grown so large, that
a colony had gone off, and formed a second church; to which Rev. Mr. Barrows, of
late years professor at Andover, had been preaching. Some earnest brethren wrote
to me from New York, proposing to lease a theater, and fit it up for a church,
upon condition that I would come there and preach. They proposed to get what was
called the Chatham street theater, in the heart of the most irreligious population of New York. It was
owned by men who were very willing to have it transformed into a church. At this
time we had three children, and I could not well take my family with me, while
laboring as an evangelist. My strength, too, had become a good deal exhausted;
and on praying and looking the matter over, I concluded that I would accept the
call from the Second Free church, and labor, for a time at least, in New York.
CHAPTER XXIII
LABORS IN NEW YORK
CITY IN 1832, AND ONWARD
MR. LEWIS TAPPAN, with
other Christian brethren, leased the Chatham street theatre, and fitted it up
for a church, and as a suitable place to accommodate the various charitable
societies, in holding their anniversaries. They called me, and I accepted the
pastorate of the second Free Presbyterian church. I left Boston in April, 1832,
and commenced labors in that theatre, at that time. The Spirit of the Lord was
immediately poured out upon us, and we had an extensive revival that spring and
summer.
About midsummer the cholera appeared in New York, for the first
time. The panic became great, and a great many Christian people fled into the
country. The cholera was very severe in the city that summer, more so than it
ever has been since; and it was especially fatal in the part of the city where I
resided. I recollect counting, from the door of our house, five hearses drawn up
at the same time, at different doors within sight. I remained in New York until
quite the latter part of summer, not being willing to leave the city while the
mortality was so great. But I found that the influence was undermining my
health, and in the latter part of summer I went into the country, for two or
three weeks. On my return, I was installed as pastor of the church. During the
installation services, I was taken ill; and soon after I got home, it was plain
that I was seized with the cholera. The gentleman at the next door, was seized
about the same time, and before morning he was dead. The means used for my
recovery, gave my system a terrible shock from which it took me long to recover.
However, toward spring I was able to preach again. I invited two ministerial
brethren to help me in holding a series of meetings. We preached in turn for two
or three weeks, but very little was accomplished. I saw that it was not the way
to promote a revival there, and I drew the meeting, in that form, to a close.
On the next Sabbath, I made appointments to preach every evening
during the week and a revival immediately commenced, and became very powerful. I
continued to preach for twenty evenings in succession, beside preaching on the
Sabbath. My health was not yet vigorous, and after preaching twenty evenings, I
suspended that form of my labors. The converts known to us numbered five
hundred, and our church became so large, that very soon a colony was sent off to
form another church; and a suitable building was erected for that purpose, on
the corner of Madison and Catharine streets.
The work continued to go forward, in a very interesting manner.
We held meetings of inquiry once or twice a week, and sometimes oftener, and
found that every week, a goodly number of conversions was reported. The church
were a praying, working people. They were thoroughly united, were well trained
in regard to labors for the conversion of sinners, and were a most devoted and
efficient church of Christ. They would go out into the highways and hedges, and
bring people to hear preaching, whenever they were called upon to do so. Both
men and women would undertake this work. When we wished to give notice of any
extra meetings, little slips of paper, on which was printed an invitation to
attend the services, would be carried from house to house, in every direction,
by the members of the church; especially in that part of the city in which
Chatham street chapel, as we called it, was located. By the distribution of
these slips, and by oral invitations, the house could be filled, any evening in
the week. Our ladies were not afraid to go and gather in all classes, from the
neighborhood round about. It was something new to have religious services in
that theatre, instead of such scenes as had formerly been enacted there.
There were three rooms, connected with the front part of the
theatre, long, large rooms, which were fitted up for prayer meetings, and for a
lecture room. These rooms had been used for very different purposes, while the
main building was occupied as a theatre. But, when fitted up for our purpose,
they were exceedingly convenient. There were three tiers of galleries; and those
rooms were connected with the galleries respectively, one above the other.
I instructed my church members to scatter themselves over the
whole house, and to keep their eyes open, in regard to any that were seriously
affected under preaching, and if possible, to detain them after preaching, for
conversation and prayer. They were true to their teaching, and were on the
lookout at every meeting to see, with whom the Word of God was taking effect;
and they had faith enough to dismiss their fears, and to speak to any whom they
saw to be affected by the Word. In this way the conversion of a great many souls
was secured. They would invite them into those rooms, and there we could
converse and pray with them, and thus gather up the results of every sermon.
A case which I this moment recollect, will illustrate the manner
in which the members would work. The firm of Naylor and Company, who were at
that time the great cutlery manufacturers in Sheffield, England, had a house in New York, and a partner by the name of H. Mr. H was a
worldly man, had traveled a great deal, and had resided in several of the
principal cities of Europe. One of the clerks of that establishment had come to
our meetings and been converted, and felt very anxious for the conversion of Mr.
H. The young man, for some time, hesitated about asking him to attend our
meetings, but he finally ventured to do so; and in compliance with his earnest
entreaty, Mr. H came one evening to meeting.
As it happened, he sat near the broad aisle, over against where
Mr. Tappan sat. Mr. Tappan saw that, during the sermon, he manifested a good
deal of emotion; and seemed uneasy at times, as if he were on the point of going
out. Mr. H afterwards acknowledged to me, that he was several times on the point
of leaving, because he was so affected by the sermon. But he remained till the
blessing was pronounced. Mr. Tappan kept his eye upon him, and as soon as the
blessing was pronounced, introduced himself as Mr. Tappan, a partner of Arthur
Tappan and Company, a firm well known to everybody in New York.
I have heard Mr. H himself relate the facts, with great emotion.
He said that Mr. Tappan stepped up to him, and took him gently by the button of
his coat, and spoke very kindly to him, and asked him if he would not remain for
prayer and conversation. He tried to excuse himself and to get away; but Mr.
Tappan was so gentlemanly and so kind, that he could not even get away from him.
He was importunate, and, as Mr. H expressed it, "He held fast to my button, so
that," said he, "an ounce weight at my button was the means of saving my soul."
The people retired, and Mr. H among others, was persuaded to remain. According
to our custom we had a thorough conversation; and Mr. H was either then, or very
soon after, hopefully converted.
When I first went to Chatham street chapel, I informed the
brethren that I did not wish to fill up the house with Christians from other
churches as my object was to gather from the world. I wanted to secure the
conversion of the ungodly, to the utmost possible extent. We therefore gave
ourselves to labor for that class of persons, and by the blessing of God, with
good success. Conversions were multiplied so much, that our church would soon
become so large, that we would send off a colony; and when I left New York, I
think, we had seven free churches, whose members were laboring with all their
might to secure the salvation of souls. They were supported mostly by
collections, that were taken up from Sabbath to Sabbath. If at any time there
was a deficiency in the treasury, there were a number of brethren of property,
who would at once supply the deficiency from their own purses; so that we never
had the least difficulty in meeting the pecuniary demands.
A more harmonious, prayerful, and efficient people, I never knew,
than were the members of those free churches. They were not among the rich,
although there were several men of property belonging to them. In general they
were gathered from the middle and lower classes of the people. This was what we
aimed to accomplish, to preach the Gospel especially to the poor.
When I first went to New York, I had made up my mind on the
question of slavery, and was exceedingly anxious to arouse public attention to
the subject. I did not, however, turn aside to make it a hobby, or divert the
attention of the people from the work of converting souls. Nevertheless, in my
prayers and preaching, I so often alluded to slavery, and denounced it, that a
considerable excitement came to exist among the people.
While I was laboring at Chatham street chapel, some events occurred connected with the presbytery, that led to the
formation of a Congregational church, and to my becoming its pastor. A member
came to us from one of the old churches; and we were soon informed that, before
he came, he had committed an offense for which he needed to be disciplined. I
supposed that, since he had been recommended to us as a member of another church
in good standing, and since the offense had been committed before he left that
church, that it belonged to them to discipline him. The question was brought
before the Third Presbytery of New York, to which I then belonged, and they
decided that he was under our jurisdiction, and that it belonged to us to take
the case in hand, and discipline him. We did so.
But soon another case occurred, in which a woman came from one of
the churches, and united with us, and we found that she had been guilty of an
offense, before she came to us, which called for discipline. In accordance with
the ruling of the presbytery in the other case, we went forward and
excommunicated her. She appealed from the decision of the session, to the
presbytery; and they decided that the offense was not committed under our
jurisdiction, and ruled in a manner directly opposite to their former ruling. I
expostulated, and told them that I did not know how to act; that the two cases
were precisely similar, and that their rulings in the two cases were entirely
inconsistent, and opposed to each other. Dr. Cox replied that they would not be
governed by their own precedent, or by any other precedent; and talked so
warmly, and pressed the case so hard, that the presbytery went with him.
Soon after this, the question came up of building the Tabernacle
in Broadway. The men that built it, and the leading members who formed the
church there, built it with the understanding that I should be its pastor, and
they formed a Congregational church. I then took my dismission from the
presbytery, and became pastor of that Congregational church.
But I should have said that in January, 1834, I was obliged to
leave on account of my health, and take a sea voyage. I went up the
Mediterranean, therefore, in a small brig, in the midst of winter. We had a very
stormy passage. My stateroom was small, and I was on the whole, very
uncomfortable; and the voyage did not much improve my health. I spent some weeks
at Malta, and also in Sicily. I was gone about six months. On my return, I found
that there was a great excitement in New York. The members of my church,
together with other abolitionists in New York, had held a meeting on the fourth
of July, and had an address on the subject of slaveholding. A mob was stirred
up, and this was the beginning of that series of mobs that spread in many
directions, whenever and wherever there was an anti-slavery gathering, or a
voice lifted up against the abominable institution of slavery.
However, I went forward in my labors in Chatham street. The work
of God immediately revived and went forward with great interest, numbers being
converted at almost or quite every meeting. I continued to labor thus in Chatham
street, and the church continued to flourish, and to extend its influence and
its labors, in every direction, until the Tabernacle in Broadway was completed.
The plan of the interior of that house was my own. I had observed
the defects of churches in regard to sound; and was sure that I could give the
plan of a church, in which I could easily speak to a much larger congregation
than any house would hold, that I had ever seen. An architect was consulted, and
I gave him my plan. But he objected to it, that it would not appear well, and
feared that it would injure his reputation, to build a church with such an
interior as that. I told him that if he would not build it on that plan, he was
not the man to superintend its construction at all. It was finally built in
accordance with my ideas; and it was a most commodious, and comfortable place to
speak in.
In this connection I must relate the origin of the New York
Evangelist. When I first went to the city of New York,
and before I went there, the New York Observer, in the hands of Mr. Morse, had
gone into the controversy originating in Mr. Nettleton's opposition to the
revivals in central New York. The Observer had sustained Mr. Nettleton's course,
and refused to publish anything on the other side. The writings of Mr. Nettleton
and his friends, Mr. Morse would publish in the Observer; but if any reply was
made, by any of the friends of those revivals, he would not publish it. In this
state of things, our friends had no organ through which they could communicate
with the public to correct misapprehensions.
Judge Jonas Platt, of the supreme court, was then living in New
York, and was a friend of mine. His son and daughter had been hopefully
converted in the revival at Utica. Considerable effort was made, by the friends
of those revivals, to get a hearing on the question in debate, but all in vain.
Judge Platt found one day, pasted on the inside of the cover of one of his old
law books, a letter written by one of the pastors in New York, against
Whitefield, at the time he was in this country. That letter of the New York
pastor struck Judge Platt, as so strongly resembling the opposition made by Mr.
Nettleton, that he sent it to the New York Observer, and wished it to be
published as a literary curiosity, it having been written nearly a hundred years
before. Mr. Morse refused to publish it, assigning as a reason, that the people
would regard it as applying to the opposition of Mr. Nettleton.
At length, some of the friends of the revivals in New York,
assembled and talked the matter over, of establishing a new paper that should
deal fairly with those questions. They finally commenced the enterprise. I
assisted them in getting out the first number, in which I invited ministers and
laymen to consider, and discuss several questions in theology, and also
questions relating to the best means of promoting revivals of religion.
The first editor of the paper was a Mr. Saxton, a young man who
had formerly labored a good deal with Mr. Nettleton, but who strongly
disapproved of the course he had been taking, in opposing what he then called
the western revivals. This young man continued in the editorial chair about a
year, and discussed, with considerable ability, many of the questions that had
been proposed for discussion. The paper changed editors two or three times,
perhaps, in the course of as many years; and finally Rev. Joshua Leavitt was
called, and accepted the editorial chair. He, as everybody knows, was an able
editor. The paper soon went into extensive circulation, and proved itself a
medium through which the friends of revivals, as they then existed, could
communicate their thoughts to the public.
I have spoken of the building of the Tabernacle, and of the
excitement in New York on the subject of slavery. When the Tabernacle was in the
process of completion, its walls being up, and the roof on, a story was set in
circulation that it was going to be an amalgamation church, in which colored and
white people were to be compelled to sit promiscuously, over the house. Such was
the state of the public mind in New York, at that time, that this report created
a great excitement, and somebody set the building on fire. The firemen were in
such a state of mind that they refused to put it out, and left the interior and
roof to be consumed. However the gentlemen who had undertaken to build it, went
forward and completed it.
As the excitement increased on the subject of slavery, Mr.
Leavitt espoused the cause of the slave, and advocated it in the New York
Evangelist. I watched the discussion with a good deal of attention and anxiety,
and when I was about to leave, on the sea voyage to which I have referred, I
admonished Mr. Leavitt to be careful and not go too fast, in the discussion of
the anti-slavery question, lest he should destroy his paper. On my homeward
passage my mind became exceedingly exercised on the question of revivals. I
feared that they would decline throughout the country. I feared that the
opposition that had been made to them, had grieved the Holy Spirit. My own
health, it appeared to me, had nearly or quite broken down; and I knew of no
other evangelist that would take the field, and aid pastors in revival work.
This view of the subject distressed me so much that one day I found myself
unable to rest. My soul was in an utter agony. I spent almost the entire day in
prayer in my stateroom, or walking the deck in intense agony, in view of the
state of things. In fact I felt crushed with the burden that was on my soul.
There was no one on board to whom I could open my mind, or say a word.
It was the spirit of prayer that was upon me; that which I had
often before experienced in kind, but perhaps never before to such a degree, for
so long a time. I besought the Lord to go on with His work, and to provide
Himself with such instrumentalities as were necessary. It was a long summer day,
in the early part of July. After a day of unspeakable wrestling and agony in my
soul, just at night, the subject cleared up to my mind. The Spirit led me to
believe that all would come out right, and that God had yet a work for me to do;
that I might be at rest; that the Lord would go forward with His work and give
me strength to take any part in it that He desired. But I had not the least idea
what the course of His providence would be.
On arriving at New York I found, as I have said, the mob
excitement, on the subject of slavery, very intense. I remained but a day or two
in New York, and went into the country, to the place where my family were
spending the summer. On my return to New York, in the fall, Mr. Leavitt came to
me and said, "Brother Finney, I have ruined the Evangelist. I have not been as
prudent as you cautioned me to be, and I have gone so far ahead of public
intelligence and feeling on the subject, that my subscription list is rapidly
failing; and we shall not be able to continue its publication beyond the first
of January, unless you can do something to bring the paper back to public favor
again." I told him my health was such that I did not know what I could do; but I
would make it a subject of prayer. He said if I could write a series of articles
on revivals, he had no doubt it would restore the paper immediately to public
favor. After considering it a day or two, I proposed to preach a course of
lectures to my people, on revivals of religion, which he might report for his
paper. He caught at this at once. Said he, "That is the very thing;" and in the
next number of his paper he advertised the course of lectures. This had the
effect he desired, and he soon after told me that the subscription list was very
rapidly increasing; and, stretching out his long arms, he said, "I have as many
new subscribers every day, as would fill my arms with papers, to supply them
each a single number." He had told me before, that his subscription list had
fallen off at the rate of sixty a day. But now he said it was increasing more
rapidly than it ever had decreased.
I began the course of lectures immediately, and continued them
through the winter, preaching one each week. Mr. Leavitt could not write
shorthand, but would sit and take notes, abridging what he wrote, in such a way
that he could understand it himself; and then the next day he would sit down and
fill out his notes, and send them to the press. I did not see what he had
reported, until I saw it published in his paper. I did not myself write the
lectures, of course; they were wholly extemporaneous. I did not make up my mind,
from time to time, what the next lecture should be, until I saw his report of my
last. Then I could see what was the next question that would naturally need
discussion. Brother Leavitt's reports were meager, as it respects the matter
contained in the lectures. The lectures averaged, if I remember right, not less
than an hour and three quarters, in their delivery. But all that he could catch
and report, could be read, probably in thirty minutes.
These lectures were afterward published in a book, and called,
"Finney's Lectures on Revivals." Twelve thousand copies of them were sold, as
fast as they could be printed. And here, for the glory of Christ, I would say,
that they have been reprinted in England and France; they were translated into
Welsh; and on the continent were translated into French and, I believe, into
German; and were very extensively circulated throughout Europe, and the colonies of Great Britain. They were, I presume, to be found wherever the
English language is spoken. After they had been printed in Welsh, the
Congregational ministers of the Principality of Wales, at one of their public
meetings, appointed a committee to inform me of the great revival that had
resulted from the translation of those lectures into the Welsh language. This
they did by letter. One publisher in London informed me, that his father had
published eighty thousand volumes of them. These revival lectures, meager as was
the report of them, and feeble as they were in themselves, have been
instrumental, as I have learned, in promoting revivals in England, and Scotland,
and Wales, on the continent in various places, in Canada East and West, in Nova
Scotia, and in some of the islands of the sea.
In England and Scotland, I have often been refreshed by meeting
with ministers and laymen, in great numbers, that had been converted, directly
or indirectly, through the instrumentality of those lectures. I recollect the
last time that I was abroad, one evening, three very prominent ministers of the
Gospel introduced themselves to me, after the sermon, and said that when they
were in college they got hold of my revival lectures, which had resulted in
their becoming ministers. I found persons in England, in all the different
denominations, who had not only read those revival lectures, but had been
greatly blessed in reading them. When they were first published in the New York
Evangelist, the reading of them resulted in revivals of religion, in multitudes
of places throughout this country.
But this was not of man's wisdom. Let the reader remember that
long day of agony and prayer at sea, that God would do something to forward the
work of revivals, and enable me, if He desired to do it, to take such a course
as to help forward the work. I felt certain then that my prayers would be
answered; and I have regarded all that I have since been able to accomplish, as,
in a very important sense, an answer to the prayers of that day. The spirit of
prayer came upon me as a sovereign grace, bestowed upon me without the least
merit, and in despite of all my sinfulness. He pressed my soul in prayer, until
I was enabled to prevail; and through infinite riches of grace in Christ Jesus,
I have been many years witnessing the wonderful results of that day of wrestling
with God. In answer to that day's agony, He has continued to give me the spirit
of prayer.
Soon after I returned to New York, I commenced my labors in the
Tabernacle. The Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon us, and we had a precious
revival, as long as I continued to be pastor of that church. While in New York,
I had many applications from young men, to take them as students in theology. I,
however, had too much on my hands, to undertake such a work. But the brethren
who built the Tabernacle had this in view; and prepared a room under the choir,
which we expected to use for prayer meetings, but more especially for a
theological lecture room. The number of applications had been so large, that I
had made up my mind to deliver a course of theological lectures in that room
each year, and let such students as chose, attend them gratuitously.
But about this time, and before I had opened my lectures in New
York, the breaking up at Lane Seminary took place, on account of the prohibition
by the trustees, of the discussion of the question of slavery among the
students. When this occurred, Mr. Arthur Tappan proposed to me, that if I would
go to some point in Ohio, and take rooms where I could gather those young men,
and give them my views in theology, and prepare them for the work of preaching
throughout the West, he would be at the entire expense of the undertaking. He
was very earnest in this proposal. But I did not know how to leave New York; and
I did not see how I could accomplish the wishes of Mr. Tappan, although I
strongly sympathized with him in regard to helping those young men. They were
most of them converts in those great revivals, in which I had taken more or less
part.
While this subject was under consideration, I think, in January,
1835, Rev. John Jay Shipherd, of Oberlin, and Rev. Asa Mahan, of Cincinnati,
arrived in New York, to persuade me to go to Oberlin, as professor of theology.
Mr. Mahan had been one of the trustees of Lane Seminary--the only one, I think,
that had resisted the prohibition of free discussion. Mr. Shipherd had founded a
colony, and organized a school at Oberlin, about a year before this time, and
had obtained a charter broad enough for a university. Mr. Mahan had never been
in Oberlin. The trees had been removed from the college square, some
dwelling-houses and one college building had been erected, and about a hundred
pupils had been gathered, in the preparatory or academic department of the
institution.
The proposal they laid before me was, to come on, and take those
students that had left Lane Seminary, and teach them theology. These students
had themselves proposed to go to Oberlin, in case I would accept the call. This
proposal met the views of Arthur and Lewis Tappan, and many of the friends of
the slave, who sympathized with Mr. Tappan, in his wish to have those young men
instructed, and brought into the ministry. We had several consultations on the
subject. The brethren in New York who were interested in the question, offered,
if I would go and spend half of each year in Oberlin, to endow the institution,
so far as the professorships were concerned, and to do it immediately.
I had understood that the trustees of Lane Seminary had acted
over the heads of the faculty; and, in the absence of several of them, had
passed the obnoxious resolution that had caused the students to leave. I said,
therefore, to Mr. Shipherd, that I would not go at any rate, unless two points
were conceded by the trustees. One was, that they should never interfere with
the internal regulation of the school, but should leave that entirely to the
discretion of the faculty. The other was, that we should be allowed to receive
colored people on the same conditions that we did white people; that there
should be no discrimination made on account of color.
When these conditions were forwarded to Oberlin, the trustees
were called together, and after a great struggle to overcome their own
prejudices, and the prejudices of the community, they passed resolutions
complying with the conditions proposed. This difficulty being removed, the
friends in New York were called together, to see what they could do about
endowing the institution. In the course of an hour or two, they had a
subscription filled for the endowment of eight professorships; as many, it was
supposed, as the institution would need for several years.
But after this endowment fund was subscribed, I felt a great
difficulty in giving up that admirable place for preaching the Gospel, where
such crowds were gathered within the sound of my voice. I felt, too, assured
that in this new enterprise, we should have great opposition from many sources.
I therefore told Arthur Tappan that my mind did not feel at rest upon the
subject; that we should meet with great opposition because of our anti-slavery
principles; and that we could expect to get but very scanty funds to put up our
buildings, and to procure all the requisite apparatus of a college; that
therefore I did not see my way clear, after all, to commit myself, unless
something could be done that should guarantee us the funds that were
indispensable.
Arthur Tappan's heart was as large as all New York, and I might
say, as large as the world. When I laid the case thus before him, he said,
"Brother Finney, my own income averages about a hundred thousand dollars a year.
Now if you will go to Oberlin, take hold of that work, and go on, and see that
the buildings are put up, and a library and everything provided, I will pledge
you my entire income, except what I need to provide for my family, till you are
beyond pecuniary want." Having perfect confidence in brother Tappan I said,
"That will do. Thus far the difficulties are out of the way."
But still there was a great difficulty in leaving my church in
New York. I had never thought of having my labors at Oberlin interfere with my
revival labors and preaching. It was therefore agreed between myself and the
church, that I should spend my winters in New York, and my summers at Oberlin;
and that the church would be at the expense of my going and coming.
When this was arranged, I took my family, and arrived in Oberlin
at the beginning of summer, 1835.
CHAPTER XXIV
EARLY LABORS IN
OBERLIN
THE students from Lane
Seminary came to Oberlin, and the trustees put up barracks, in which they were
lodged, and other students thronged to us from every direction. After I was
engaged to come, the brethren at Oberlin wrote, requesting me to bring a large
tent, to hold meetings in; as there was no room in the place, large enough to
accommodate the people. I made this request known to some of my brethren, who
told me to go and get a tent made, and they would furnish the money. I went and
engaged the tent, and they handed me the money to pay for it. It was a circular
tent, a hundred feet in diameter, furnished with all the equipment for putting
it up. At the top of the center pole which supported the tent, was a streamer,
upon which was written in very large characters, "Holiness to the Lord." This
tent was of great service to us. When the weather would permit, we spread it
upon the square every Sabbath, and held public services in it; and several of
our earliest commencements were held in it. It was used, to some extent also,
for holding protracted meetings in the region round about, where there were no
churches large enough to meet the necessities.
I have spoken of the promise of Arthur Tappan to supply us with
funds, to the extent of his whole income, till we were beyond pecuniary want.
Upon this understanding with him, I entered upon the work. But it was farther
understood between us, that his pledge should not be known to the trustees, lest
they should fail to make due efforts, as he desired, not merely to collect
funds, but to make the wants and objects of the institution known throughout the
land. In accordance with this understanding, the work here was pushed as fast as
it could well be, considering that we were in the heart of a great forest, and
in a location, at that time in many respects undesirable.
We had only fairly entered upon the work of putting up our
buildings, and had arranged to need a large amount of money, when the great
commercial crash prostrated Mr. Tappan, and nearly all the men who had
subscribed for the fund for the support of the faculty. The commercial crash
went over the country, and prostrated the great mass of wealthy men. It left us,
not only without funds for the support of the faculty, but thirty thousand
dollars in debt; without any prospect, that we could see, of obtaining funds
from the friends of the college in this country. Mr. Tappan wrote me at this
time, acknowledging expressly the promise he had made me, and expressing the
deepest regret that he was prostrated, and wholly unable to fulfill his pledge.
Our necessities were then great, and to human view it would seem that the
college must be a failure.
The great mass of the people of Ohio were utterly opposed to our
enterprise, because of its abolition character. The towns around us were hostile
to our movement, and in some places threats were made to come and tear down our
buildings. A democratic legislature was, in the meantime, endeavoring to get
some hold of us, that would enable them to abrogate our charter. In this state
of things there was, of course, a great crying to God among the people here.
In the meantime, my revival lectures had been very extensively
circulated in England; and we were aware that the British public would strongly
sympathize with us, if they knew our objects, our prospects, and our condition.
We therefore sent an agency to England, composed of Rev. John Keep and Mr.
William Dawes, having obtained for them letters of recommendation, and
expressions of confidence in our enterprise, from some of the leading
anti-slavery men of the country. They went to England, and laid our objects and
our wants before the British public. They generously responded, and gave us six
thousand pounds sterling. This very nearly canceled our indebtedness.
Our friends, scattered throughout the northern states, who were
abolitionists and friends of revivals, generously aided us to the extent of
their ability. But we had to struggle with poverty and many trials, for a course
of years. Sometimes we did not know, from day to day, how we were to be provided
for. But with the blessing of God we helped ourselves, as best we could.
At one time, I saw no means of providing for my family through
the winter. Thanksgiving day came, and found us so poor that I had been obliged
to sell my traveling trunk, which I had used in my evangelistic labors, to
supply the place of a cow which I had lost. I rose on the morning of
Thanksgiving, and spread our necessities before the Lord. I finally concluded by
saying that, if help did not come, I should assume that it was best that it
should not; and would be entirely satisfied with any course that the Lord would
see it wise to take. I went and preached, and enjoyed my own preaching as well,
I think, as I ever did. I had a blessed day to my own soul; and I could see that
the people enjoyed it exceedingly.
After the meeting, I was detained a little while in conversation
with some brethren, and my wife returned home. When I reached the gate, she was
standing in the open door, with a letter in her hand. As I approached she
smilingly said, "The answer has come, my dear;" and handed me the letter
containing a check from Mr. Josiah Chapin of Providence, for two hundred
dollars. He had been here the previous summer, with his wife. I had said nothing
about my wants at all, as I never was in the habit of mentioning them to
anybody. But in the letter containing the check, he said he had learned that the
endowment fund had failed, and that I was in want of help. He intimated that I
might expect more, from time to time. He continued to send me six hundred
dollars a year, for several years; and on this I managed to live.
I should have said that, agreeably to my arrangement in New York,
I spent my summers at Oberlin, and my winters at New York, for two or three
years. We had a blessed reviving, whenever I returned to preach there. We also
had a revival here continually. Very few students came here then without being
converted. But my health soon became such that I found, I must relinquish one of
these fields of labor. But the interests connected with the college, seemed to
forbid utterly that I should leave it. I therefore took a dismission from my
church in New York, and the winter months which I was to have spent in New York,
I spent in laboring, in various places, to promote revivals of religion.
The lectures on revivals of religion were preached while I was
still pastor of the Presbyterian church in Chatham street chapel. The two
following winters, I gave lectures to Christians in the Broadway Tabernacle
which were also reported by Mr. Leavitt, and published in the New York
Evangelist. These also have been printed in a volume in this country and in Europe.
Those sermons to Christians were very much the result of a searching that was
going on in my own mind. I mean that the Spirit of God was showing me many
things, in regard to the question of sanctification, that led me to preach those
sermons to Christians.
Many Christians regarded those lectures as rather an exhibition
of the Law, than of the Gospel. But I did not, and do not, so regard them. For
me the Law and Gospel have but one rule of life; and every violation of the
spirit of the Law, is also a violation of the spirit of the Gospel. But I have
long been satisfied that the higher forms of Christian experience are attained
only as a result of a terribly searching application of God's Law to the human
conscience and heart. The result of my labors up to that time had shown me more
clearly than I had known before, the great weakness of Christians, and that the
older members of the church, as a general thing, were making very little
progress in grace. I found that they would fall back from a revival state, even
sooner than young converts. It had been so in the revival in which I myself was
converted. I saw clearly that this was owing to their early teaching; that is,
to the views which they had been led to entertain, when they were young
converts.
I was also led into a state of great dissatisfaction with my own
want of stability in faith and love. To be candid, and tell the truth, I must
say, to the praise of God's grace, He did not suffer me to backslide, to
anything like the same extent, to which manifestly many Christians did
backslide. But I often felt myself weak in the presence of temptation; and
needed frequently to hold days of fasting and prayer, and to spend much time in
overhauling my own religious life, in order to retain that communion with God,
and that hold upon the divine strength, that would enable me efficiently to
labor for the promotion of revivals of religion.
In looking at the state of the Christian church, as it had been
revealed to me in my revival labors, I was led earnestly to inquire whether
there was not something higher and more enduring than the Christian church was
aware of; whether there were not promises, and means provided in the Gospel, for
the establishment of Christians in altogether a higher form of Christian life. I
had known somewhat of the view of sanctification entertained by our Methodist
brethren. But as their idea of sanctification seemed to me to relate almost
altogether to states of the sensibility, I could not receive their teaching.
However, I gave myself earnestly to search the Scriptures, and to read whatever
came to hand upon the subject, until my mind was satisfied that an altogether
higher and more stable form of Christian life was attainable, and was the
privilege of all Christians.
This led me to preach in the Broadway Tabernacle, two sermons on
Christian perfection. Those sermons are now included in the volume of lectures
preached to Christians. In those sermons I defined what Christian perfection is,
and endeavored to show that it is attainable in this life, and the sense in
which it is attainable. But about this time, the question of Christian
perfection, in the antinomian sense of the term, came to be agitated a good deal
at New Haven, at Albany, and somewhat in New York City. I examined these views,
as published in the periodical entitled "The Perfectionist." But I could not
accept them. Yet I was satisfied that the doctrine of sanctification in this
life, and entire sanctification, in the sense that it was the privilege of
Christians to live without known sin, was a doctrine taught in the Bible, and
that abundant means were provided for the securing of that attainment.
The last winter that I spent in New York, the Lord was pleased to
visit my soul with a great refreshing. After a season of great searching of
heart, He brought me, as He has often done, into a large place, and gave me much
of that divine sweetness in my soul, of which President Edwards speaks as
attained in his own experience. That winter I had a thorough breaking up; so
much so that sometimes, for a considerable period, I could not refrain from loud
weeping in view of my own sins, and of the love of God in Christ. Such seasons
were frequent that winter, and resulted in the great renewal of my spiritual
strength, and enlargement of my views in regard to the privileges of Christians,
and the abundance of the grace of God.
It is well known that my views on the question of sanctification
have been the subject of a good deal of criticism. To be faithful to history, I
must say some things that I would otherwise pass by in silence. Oberlin College was established by Mr. Shipherd, very much against the feelings and
wishes of the men most concerned in building up Western Reserve College, at Hudson. Mr. Shipherd once informed me that the principal financial agent of that
college, asserted to him that he would do all he could to put this college down.
As soon as they heard, at Hudson, that I had received a call to Oberlin, as
professor of theology, the trustees elected me as professor of pastoral theology
and sacred eloquence, at Western Reserve College; so that I held the two
invitations at the same time. I did not, in writing, commit myself to either,
but came on to survey the ground, and then decide upon the path of duty.
That spring, the general assembly of the Presbyterian church held
their meeting at Pittsburgh. When I arrived at Cleveland, I was informed that
two of the professors from Hudson, had been waiting at Cleveland for my arrival,
designing to have me go first, at any rate, to Hudson. But I had been delayed on
Lake Erie by adverse winds; and the brethren who had been waiting for me at
Cleveland, had gone to be at the opening of the general assembly; and had left
word with a brother, to see me immediately on my arrival, and by all means to
get me to go to Hudson. But in Cleveland I found a letter awaiting me, from
Arthur Tappan, of New York. He had in some way become acquainted with the fact,
that strong efforts were making to induce me to go to Hudson, rather than to
Oberlin.
The college at Hudson, at that time, had its buildings and
apparatus, reputation and influence, and was already an established college.
Oberlin had nothing. It had no permanent buildings, and was composed of a little
colony settled in the woods; and just beginning to put up their own houses, and
clear away the immense forest, and make a place for a college. It had, to be
sure, its charter, and perhaps a hundred students on the ground; but everything
was still to be done. This letter of brother Tappan was written to put me on my
guard against supposing that I could be instrumental in securing, at Hudson,
what we desired to secure at Oberlin.
I left my family at Cleveland, hired a horse and buggy, and came
out to Oberlin, without going to Hudson. I thought at least that I would see
Oberlin first. When I arrived at Elyria, I found some old acquaintances there,
whom I had known in central New York. They informed me that the trustees of
Western Reserve College thought that, if they could secure my presence at Hudson, it would, at least in a
great measure, defeat Oberlin; and that at Hudson there was an old school
influence, of sufficient power to compel me to fall in with their views and
course of action. This was in precise accordance with the information which I
had received from Mr. Tappan.
I came to Oberlin, and saw that there was nothing to prevent the
building up of a college, on the principles that seemed to me, not only to lie
at the foundation of all success in establishing a college here at the West; but
on principles of reform, such as I knew were dear to the hearts of those who had
undertaken the support and building up of Oberlin College. The brethren that
were here on the ground, were heartily in favor of building up a school on
radical principles of reform. I therefore wrote to the trustees of Hudson,
declining to accept their invitation, and took up my abode at Oberlin. I had
nothing ill to say of Hudson, and I knew no ill of it.
After a year or two, the cry of antinomian perfectionism was
heard, and this charge brought against us. Letters were written, and
ecclesiastical bodies were visited, and much pains taken to represent our views
here, as entirely heretical. Such representations were made to ecclesiastical
bodies, throughout the length and breadth of the land, as to lead many of them
to pass resolutions, warning the churches against the influence of Oberlin
theology. There seemed to be a general union of ministerial influence against
us. We understood very well here, what had set this on foot, and by what means
all this excitement was raised. But we said nothing. We had no controversy with
those Brethren that, we were aware, were taking pains to raise such a powerful
public sentiment against us. I may not enter into particulars; but suffice it to
say, that the weapons that were thus formed against us, reacted most
disastrously upon those who used them, until at length there was a change of
nearly all the members of the board of trustees and the faculty, at Hudson, and
the general management of the college fell into other hands.
I scarcely ever heard anything said at Oberlin, at that time,
against Hudson, or at any time. We kept about our own business, and felt that in
respect to opposition from that quarter, our strength was to sit still; and we
were not mistaken. We felt confident that it was not God's plan to suffer such
opposition to prevail. I wish to be distinctly understood, that I am not at all
aware that any of the present leaders and managers of that college, have
sympathized with what was at that time done, or that they so much as know the
course that was then taken.
The ministers, far and near, carried their opposition to a great
extreme. At that time a convention was called to meet at Cleveland, to consider
the subject of Western education, and the support of Western colleges. The call
had been so worded that we went out from Oberlin, expecting to take part in the
proceedings of the convention. When we arrived there, we found Dr. Beecher on
the ground; and soon saw that a course of proceedings was on foot, to shut out
Oberlin brethren, and those that sympathized with Oberlin, from the convention.
I was therefore not allowed a seat in the convention as a member; yet I attended
several of its sessions. I recollect hearing it distinctly said, by one of the
ministers from the neighborhood, who was there, that he regarded Oberlin
doctrines and influence as worse than those of Roman Catholicism.
That speech was a representative one, and seemed to be about the
view that was entertained by that body. I do not mean by all of them, by any
means. Some who had been educated in theology at Oberlin, were so related to the
churches and the convention, that they were admitted to seats, having come there
from different parts of the country. These were very outspoken upon the
principles and practices of Oberlin, so far as they were called in question. The
object of the convention evidently was, to hedge in Oberlin on every side, and
crush us, by a public sentiment that would refuse us all support. But let me be
distinctly understood to say, that I do not in the least degree blame the
members of that convention, or but very few of them; for I knew that they had
been misled, and were acting under an entire misapprehension of the facts. Dr.
Lyman Beecher was the leading spirit in that convention.
The policy that we pursued was to let opposition alone. We kept
about our own business, and always had as many students as we knew what to do
with. Our hands were always full of labor, and we were always greatly encouraged
in our efforts.
A few years after the meeting of this convention, one of the
leading ministers who was there, came and spent a day or two at our house. He
said to me among other things: "Brother Finney, Oberlin is to us a great
wonder." Said he, "I have, for many years been connected with a college as one
of its professors. College life and principles, and the conditions upon which
colleges are built up, are very familiar to me. We have always thought," said
he, "that colleges could not exist unless they were patronized by the ministry.
We knew that young men who were about to go to college, would generally consult
their pastors, in regard to what colleges they should select, and be guided by
their judgment. Now," said he, "the ministers almost universally arrayed
themselves against Oberlin. They were deceived by the cry of antinomian
perfectionism, and in respect to your views of reform; and ecclesiastical bodies
united, far and near, Congregational, and Presbyterian, and of all
denominations. They warned their churches against you, they discouraged young
men universally from coming to Oberlin, and still the Lord has built you up. You
have been supported with funds, better than almost any college in the West; you
have had by far more students, and the blessing of God has been upon you, so
that your success has been wonderful. Now," said he, "this is a perfect anomaly
in the history of colleges. The opposers of Oberlin have been unfounded, and God
has stood by you, and sustained you, through all this opposition, so that you
have hardly felt it."
It is difficult now for people to realize the opposition that we
met with, when we first established this college. As an illustration of it, and
as a representative case, I will relate a laughable fact that occurred about the
time of which I am speaking. I had occasion to go to Akron, to preach on the
Sabbath. I went with a horse and buggy. On my way, beyond the village of Medina, I observed, in the road before me, a woman walking with
a little bundle in her hand. As I drew near her, I observed she was an elderly
woman, nicely dressed, but walking, as I thought, with some difficulty, on
account of her age. As I came up to her I reined up my horse, and asked her, how
far she was going on that road. She told me; and I then asked if she would
accept a seat in my buggy, and ride. "Oh," she replied, "I should be very
thankful for a ride, for I find I have undertaken too long a walk." I helped her
into my buggy, and drove on. I found her a very intelligent lady, and very free
and homelike in her conversation.
After riding for some distance, she said, "May I ask to whom I am
indebted for this ride?" I told her who I was. She then inquired from whence I
came. I told her I was from Oberlin. This announcement startled her. She made a
motion as if she would sit as far from me as she could; and turning and looking
earnestly at me, she said, "From Oberlin! why," said she, "our minister said he
would just as soon send a son to state prison as to Oberlin!" Of course I smiled
and soothed the old lady's fears, if she had any; and made her understand she
was in no danger from me. I relate this simply as an illustration of the spirit
that prevailed very extensively when this college was first established.
Misrepresentations and misapprehensions abounded on every side; and these
misapprehensions extended into almost every corner of the United States.
However there was a great number of laymen, and no inconsiderable
number of ministers, on the whole, in different parts of the country, who had no
confidence in this opposition; who sympathized with our aims, our views, our
efforts, and who stood firmly by us through thick and thin; and knowing, as they
did, the straitness to which, for the time, we were reduced because of this
opposition, they gave their money and their influence freely to help us forward.
I have spoken of Mr. Chapin, of Providence, as having for several
years, sent me six hundred dollars a year, on which to support my family. When
he had done it as long as he thought it his duty, which he did, indeed, until
financial difficulties rendered it inconvenient for him longer to do so; Mr.
Willard Sears of Boston took his place, and for several years suffered me to
draw on him for the same amount, annually, that Mr. Chapin had paid. In the
meantime, efforts were constantly made to sustain the other members of the
faculty; and by the grace of God we rode out the gale. After a few years the
panic, in a measure, subsided.
President Mahan, Professor Cowles, Professor Morgan, and myself,
published on the subject of sanctification. We established a periodical, The
Oberlin Evangelist, and afterwards, The Oberlin Quarterly, in which we disabused
the public, in a great measure, in regard to what our real views were. In 1846,
I published two volumes on Systematic Theology; and in this work I discussed the
subject of entire sanctification, more at large. After this work was published,
it was reviewed by a committee of the Presbytery of Troy, New York. Then Dr.
Hodge of Princeton, published, in the Biblical Repertory, a lengthy
criticism upon my theology. This was from the old school standpoint. Then Dr.
Duffield, of the New School Presbyterian church, living at Detroit, reviewed me,
professedly from the new school standpoint, though his review was far enough
from consistent new- schoolism. To these different reviews, as they appeared, I
published replies; and for many years past, so far as I am aware, no disposition
has been shown to impugn our orthodoxy.
I have thus far narrated the principal facts connected with the
establishment and struggles of the school at Oberlin, so far as I have been
concerned with them. And being the professor of theology, the theological
opposition was directed, of course, principally toward myself; which has led me,
of necessity, to speak more freely of my relations to it all, than I otherwise
should have done. But let me not be misunderstood. I am not contending that the
brethren who thus opposed, were wicked in their opposition. No doubt the great
mass of them were really misled, and acted according to their views of right, as
they then understood it.
I must say, for the honor of the grace of God, that none of the
opposition that we met with, ruffled our spirits here, or disturbed us, in such
a sense as to provoke us into a spirit of controversy or ill feeling. We were
well aware of the pains that had been taken to lead to these misapprehensions,
and could easily understand how it was, that we were opposed in the spirit and
manner in which we were assailed.
During these years of smoke and dust, of misapprehension and
opposition from without, the Lord was blessing us richly within. We not only
prospered in our own souls here, as a church, but we had a continuous revival,
or were, in what might properly be regarded as a revival state. Our students
were converted by scores; and the Lord overshadowed us continually with the
cloud of His mercy. Gales of divine influence swept over us from year to year,
producing abundantly the fruits of the Spirit love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
I have always attributed our success in this good work entirely
to the grace of God. It was no wisdom or goodness of our own that has achieved
this success. Nothing but continued divine influence, pervading the community,
sustained us under our trials, and kept us in an attitude of mind in which we
could be efficient in the work we had undertaken. We have always felt that if
the Lord withheld His Spirit, no outward circumstances could make us truly
prosperous.
We have had trials among ourselves. Frequent subjects of public
discussion have come up; and we have sometimes spent days, and even weeks, in
discussing great questions of duty and expediency, on which we have not thought
alike. But these questions have none of them permanently divided us. Our
principle has been to accord to each other the right of private judgment. We
have generally come to a substantial agreement on subjects upon which we had
differed; and when we have found ourselves unable to see alike, the minority
have submitted themselves to the judgment of the majority, and the idea of
rending the church to pieces, because in some things we could not see alike, has
never been entertained by us. We have to a very great extent preserved the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace; and perhaps no community has existed for
such a length of time, and passed through such trials and changes as we have,
that has on the whole maintained a greater spirit of harmony, Christian
forbearance, and brotherly love.
When the question of entire sanctification first came up here for
public discussion, and when the subject first attracted the general attention of
the church, we were in the midst of a powerful revival. When the revival was
going on hopefully, one day President Mahan had been preaching a searching
discourse. I observed in the course of his preaching that he had left one point
untouched, that appeared to me of great importance in that connection. He would
often ask me, when he closed his sermon, if I had any remarks to make, and thus
he did on this occasion. I arose and pressed the point that he had omitted. It
was the distinction between desire and will. From the course of thought he had
presented, and from the attitude in which I saw that the congregation was at the
time, I saw, or thought I saw, that the pressing of that distinction, just at
that point, upon the people, would throw much light upon the question whether
they were really Christians or not, whether they were really consecrated
persons, or whether they merely had desires without being in fact willing to
obey God.
When this distinction was made clear, just in that connection, I
recollect the Holy Spirit fell upon the congregation in a most remarkable
manner. A large number of persons dropped down their heads, and some groaned so
that they could be heard throughout the house. It cut up the false hopes of
deceived professors on every side. Several arose on the spot, and said that they
had been deceived, and that they could see wherein; and this was carried to such
an extent as greatly astonished me, and indeed produced a general feeling of
astonishment, I think, in the congregation.
The work went on with power; and old professors obtained new
hopes, or were reconverted, in such numbers, that a very great and important
change came over the whole community. President Mahan had been greatly blessed,
among others, with some of our professors. He came manifestly into an entirely
new form of Christian experience, at that time.
In a meeting a few days after this, one of our theological
students arose, and put the inquiry, whether the Gospel did not provide for
Christians, all the conditions of an established faith, and hope, and love;
whether there was not something better and higher than Christians had generally
experienced; in short, whether sanctification was not attainable in this life;
that is, sanctification in such a sense that Christians could have unbroken
peace, and not come into condemnation, or have the feeling of condemnation or a
consciousness of sin. Brother Mahan immediately answered, "Yes." What occurred
at this meeting, brought the question of sanctification prominently before us,
as a practical question. We had no theories on the subject, no philosophy to
maintain, but simply took it up as a Bible question.
In this form it existed among us, as an experimental truth, which
we did not attempt to reduce to a theological formula; nor did we attempt to
explain its philosophy, until years afterwards. But the discussion of this
question was a great blessing to us, and to a great number of our students, who
are now scattered in various parts of the country, or have gone abroad as
missionaries to different parts of the world.
CHAPTER XXV
LABORS IN BOSTON
AND PROVIDENCE
BEFORE I return to my
revival record, in order to give some idea of the relation of things, I must
dwell a little more upon the progress of the anti-slavery, or abolition
movement, not only at Oberlin, but elsewhere, as connected with my own labors. I
have spoken of the state of public feeling, on this subject, all around us, and
have mentioned that even the legislature of the state, at that time democratic,
endeavored to find some pretext for repealing our charter, because of our
anti-slavery sentiments and action. It was at first reported on every side of
us, that we intended to encourage marriage between colored and white students,
and even to compel them to intermarry; and that our object was to introduce a
universal system of miscegenation. A little fact will illustrate the feeling
that existed among many people in the neighborhood. I had occasion to ride out a
few miles, soon after we came, and called upon a farmer on some errand. He
looked very sullen and suspicious, when he found who I was, and from whence I
came; and intimated to me that he did not want to have anything to do with the
people of Oberlin; that our object was to introduce amalgamation of the races,
and compel the white and colored students to intermarry; that we also intended
to bring about the union of church and state, and that our ideas and projects
were altogether revolutionary and abominable. He was quite in earnest about
this. But the thing was so ridiculous, that I knew that if I attempted a serious
answer, I should laugh him in the face.
We had reason, at an early day, for apprehension that a mob from
a neighboring town would come and destroy our buildings. But we had not been
here long, before circumstances occurred that created a reaction in the public
mind. This place became one of the points on the underground railroad, as it has
since been called, where escaped slaves, on their way to Canada, would take
refuge for a day or two, until the way was open for them to proceed. Several
cases occurred in which these fugitives were pursued by slave holders; and a hue
and cry was raised, not only in this neighborhood, but in the neighboring towns,
by their attempting to carry the slaves back into slavery. Slave catchers found
no practical sympathy among the people; and scenes like these soon aroused
public feeling in the towns around about, and began to produce a reaction. It
set the farmers and people around us, to study more particularly into our aims
and views, and our school soon became known and appreciated; and it has resulted
in a state of universal confidence and good feeling, between Oberlin and the
surrounding region.
In the meantime, the excitement on the subject of slavery was
greatly agitating the Eastern cities, as well as the West and the South. Our
friend, Mr. Willard Sears, of Boston, was braving a tempest of opposition there.
And in order to open the way for a free discussion on that subject in Boston,
and for the establishment of religious worship, where a pulpit should be open to
the free discussion of all great questions of reform, he had purchased the
Marlborough hotel on Washington street, and had connected with it a large chapel
for public worship, and for reform meetings, that could not find an entrance
anywhere else. This he had done at great expense. In 1842, I was strongly urged
to go and occupy the Marlborough chapel, and preach for a few months. I went and
began my labors, and preached with all my might for two months. The Spirit of
the Lord was immediately poured out, and there was a general agitation among the
dry bones. I was visited at my room almost constantly, during every day of the
week, by inquirers from all parts of the city, and many were obtaining hopes
from day to day.
At this time Elder Knapp, the well known Baptist revivalist, was
laboring in Providence, but under much opposition. He was invited by the Baptist
brethren at Boston to come and labor there. He therefore left Providence and
came to Boston. At the same time, Mr. Josiah Chapin and many others, were
insisting very strongly upon my coming and holding meetings in Providence. I
felt very much indebted to Mr. Chapin for what he had done for Oberlin, and for
myself personally. It was a great trial for me to leave Boston, at this time.
However, after seeing brother Knapp and informing him of the state of things, I
left and went to Providence. This was the time of the great revival in Boston.
It prevailed wonderfully, especially among the Baptists, and more or less
throughout the city. The Baptist ministers took hold with Brother Knapp, and
many Congregational brethren were greatly blessed, and the work was very
extensive.
In the meantime, I commenced my labors in Providence. The work
began almost immediately, and the interest visibly increased from day to day.
There were many striking cases of conversion; among them was an elderly
gentleman whose name I do not recollect. His father had been a Judge of the
supreme court in Massachusetts, if I mistake not, many years before. This old
gentleman lived not far from the church where I was holding my meetings, in High
street. After the work had gone on for some time, I observed a very venerable
looking gentleman come into meeting, who paid very strict attention to the
preaching. My friend, Mr. Chapin, immediately noticed him; and informed me who
he was, and what his religious views were. He said he had never been in the
habit of attending religious meetings; and he expressed a very great interest in
the man, and in the fact that he had been drawn out to meeting. I observed that
he continued, night after night, to come; and could easily perceive, as I
thought, that his mind was very much agitated, and deeply interested on the
question of religion.
One evening as I came to the close of my sermon, this venerable
looking man rose up, and asked if he might address a few words to the people. I
replied in the affirmative. He then spoke in substance as follows: "My friends
and neighbors, you are probably surprised to see me attend these meetings. You
have known my skeptical views, and that I have not been in the habit of
attending religious meetings, for a long time. But hearing of the state of
things in this congregation, I came in here; and I wish to have my friends and
neighbors know that I believe that the preaching we are hearing, from night to
night, is the Gospel. I have altered my mind," said he. "I believe this is the
truth, and the true way of salvation. I say this," he added, "that you may
understand my real motive for coming here; that it is not to criticize and find
fault, but to attend to the great question of salvation, and to encourage others
to attend to it." He said this with much emotion, and sat down.
There was a very large Sabbath school room in the basement of the
church. The number of inquirers had become too large, and the congregation too
much crowded, to call the inquirers forward, as I had done in some places; and I
therefore requested them to go down, after the blessing was pronounced, to the
lecture room below. The room was nearly as large as the whole audience room of
the church, and would seat nearly as many, aside from the gallery. The work
increased, and spread in every part of the city, until the number of inquirers
became so great, together with the young converts, who were always ready to go
below with them, as nearly or quite to fill that large room. From night to
night, after preaching, that room would be filled with rejoicing young converts,
and trembling, inquiring sinners. This state of things continued for two months.
I was then, as I thought, completely tired out; having labored incessantly for
four months, two in Boston, and two in Providence. Beside, the time of year had
come, or nearly come, for opening of our spring term in Oberlin. I therefore
took my leave of Providence, and started for home.
There was one circumstance which occurred in Boston, that I think
it my duty to relate. A Unitarian woman had been converted in Boston,
who was an acquaintance of the Rev. Dr. C. Hearing of her conversion, Dr. C, as
she informed me, sent for her to visit him, as he was in feeble health, and
could not well call on her. She complied with his request, and he wished her to
tell him the exercises of her mind, and her Christian experience, and the
circumstances of her conversion. She did so, and the doctor manifested a great
interest in her change of mind; and inquired of her if she had anything that I
had written and published, that he could read. She told him that she had a
little work of mine, which had been published, on the subject of sanctification.
He borrowed it, and told her that he would read it; and if she would call again
in a week, he should be happy to have farther conversation with her. At the
close of the week, she returned for her book, and the doctor said, "I am very
much interested in this book, and in the views that are here set forth. I
understand," said he, "that the orthodox object to this view of sanctification,
as it is presented by Mr. Finney; but I cannot see, if Christ is divine and
truly God, why this view should be objected to; nor can I see any inconsistency,
in holding this as a part of the orthodox faith. Yet I should like to see Mr.
Finney. Cannot you persuade him to call on me? for I cannot go and see him." She
called at my lodgings; but I had left Boston for Providence. After an absence of
two months, I was again in Boston, and this lady called immediately to see me,
and gave me the information which I have related. But he had then gone into the
country, on account of his health. I greatly regretted not having an opportunity
to see him. But he died shortly after, and of his subsequent religious history I
know nothing. Nor can I vouch for the truth of what this lady said. She was
manifestly honest in her communication; and I had no doubt that every word she
told me was true. But she was a stranger to me, and I cannot recollect her name
at this distance of time. The next time I met Dr. Beecher, Dr. C's name was
mentioned, and I related to him this fact. The tears started in his eyes, in a
moment, and he said with much emotion, "I guess he has gone to heaven!"
CHAPTER XXVI
THE REVIVAL IN
ROCHESTER IN 1842
AFTER resting a day or
two in Boston, I left for home. Being very weary with labor and travel, I called
on a friend at Rochester, to take a day's rest before proceeding farther. As
soon as it was known that I was in Rochester, Judge G called on me, and with
much earnestness, requested me to stop and preach. Some of the ministers also,
insisted upon my stopping, and preaching for them. I informed them that I was
worn out, and the time had come for me to be at home. However, they were very
urgent, and especially one of the ministers, whose wife was one of my spiritual
daughters, the Sarah B, of whom I have spoken, as having been converted in
Western. I finally consented to stop, and preach a sermon or two, and did so.
But this brought upon me a more importunate invitation, to remain and hold a
series of meetings. I decided to remain and, though wearied, went on with the
work.
Mr. George S. Boardman was pastor of what was then called, the
Bethel, or Washington street church; and Mr. Shaw, of the Second or Brick
church. Mr. Shaw was very anxious to unite with Mr. Boardman, and have the
meetings at their churches alternately. Mr. Boardman was indisposed to take this
course, saying that his congregation was weak, and needed the concentration of
my labors at that point. I regretted this; but still I could not overrule it,
and went on with my labors at the Bethel, or Washington street church. Soon
after, Dr. Shaw secured the labors of Rev. Jedediah Burchard in his church, and
undertook a protracted effort there.
In the meantime, Judge G had united with other members of the
bar, in a written request to me, to preach a course of sermons to lawyers,
adapted to their ways of thinking. Judge G was then one of the judges of the
court of appeals in the state, and held a very high place in the estimation of
the whole profession. I consented to deliver the course of lectures. I was aware
of the half-skeptical state of mind in which those members of the bar were, many
of them at least, who were still unconverted. There was still left in the city,
a goodly number of pious lawyers, who had been converted in the revival of 1830
and 31.
I began my course of lectures to lawyers, by asking this
question: Do we know anything? and followed up the inquiry by lecturing, evening
after evening. My congregation became very select. Brother Burchard's meetings
opened an interesting place for one class of the community, and made more room
for the lawyers, and those especially attracted by my course of lectures, in the
house where I was preaching. It was completely filled, every night. As I
proceeded in my lectures, from night to night, I observed the interest
constantly deepening.
As Judge G's wife was a particular friend of mine, I had occasion
to see him not unfrequently, and was very sure that the Word was getting a
strong hold of him. He remarked to me after I had delivered several lectures,
"Mr. Finney, you have cleared the ground to my satisfaction, thus far; but when
you come to the question of the endless punishment of the wicked, you will slip
up; you will fail to convince us on that question." I replied, "Wait and see,
Judge." This hint made me the more careful, when I came to that point, to
discuss it with all thoroughness. The next day I met him, and he volunteered the
remark at once, "Mr. Finney, I am convinced. Your dealing with that subject was
a success; nothing can be said against it." The manner in which he said this,
indicated that the subject had not merely convinced his intellect, but had
deeply impressed him.
I was going on from night to night, but had not thought my
somewhat new and select audience yet prepared for me to call for any decision,
on the part of inquirers. But I had arrived at a point where I thought it was
time to draw the net ashore. I had been carefully laying it around the whole
mass of lawyers, and hedging them in, as I supposed, by a train of reasoning
that they could not resist. I was aware that lawyers are accustomed to listen to
argument, to feel the weight of a logically presented truth; and had no doubt
that the great majority of them were thoroughly convinced, as far as I had gone;
consequently I had prepared a discourse, which I intended should bring them to
the point, and if it appeared to take effect, I intended to call on them to
commit themselves.
Judge G, at the time I was there before, when his wife was
converted, had opposed the anxious seat. I expected he would do so again, as I
knew he had strongly committed himself, in what he had said, against the use of
the anxious seat. When I came to preach the sermon of which I have spoken, I
observed that Judge G was not in the seat he had usually occupied; and on
looking around I could not see him anywhere among the members of the bar or the
judges. I felt concerned about this, for I had prepared myself with reference to
his case. I knew his influence was great, and that if he would take a decided
stand, it would have a very great influence upon all the legal profession in the
city. However I soon observed that he had come into the gallery, and had found a
seat just at the head of the gallery stairs, where he sat wrapped in his cloak.
I went on with my discourse; but near the close of what I designed to say, I
observed that Judge G had gone from his seat. I felt distressed, for I concluded
that, as it was cold where he sat, and perhaps there was some confusion, it
being near the head of the stairs, he had gone home; and hence that the sermon
which I had prepared with my eye upon him, had failed of its effect.
From the basement room of the church, there was a narrow stairway
into the audience room above, coming up just by the side of, and partly behind,
the pulpit. Just as I was drawing my sermon to a close, and with my heart almost
sinking with the fear that I was to fail, in what I had hoped to secure that
night, I felt someone pulling at the skirt of my coat. I looked around, and
there was Judge G. He had gone down through the basement room, and up those
narrow stairs, and crept up the pulpit steps, far enough to reach me, and pull
me by the coat. When I turned around to him, and beheld him with great surprise,
he said to me, "Mr. Finney, won't you pray for me by name and I will take the
anxious seat." I had said nothing about an anxious seat at all. The congregation
had observed this movement on the part of Judge G, as he came up on the pulpit
stairs; and when I announced to them what he said, it produced a wonderful
shock. There was a great gush of feeling, in every part of the house. Many held
down their heads and wept; others seemed to be engaged in earnest prayer. He
crowded around in front of the pulpit, and knelt immediately down. The lawyers
arose almost en masse, and crowded into the aisles, and filled the open
space in front, wherever they could get a place to kneel. The movement had begun
without my requesting it; but I then publicly invited any, who were prepared to
renounce their sins, and give their hearts to God, and to accept Christ and His
salvation, to come forward, into the aisles, or wherever they could, and kneel
down. There was a mighty movement. We prayed, and then I dismissed the meeting.
As I had been preaching every night, and could not give up an
evening to a meeting of inquiry, I appointed a meeting for the instruction of
inquirers, the next day at two o'clock, in the basement of the church. When I
went, I was surprised to find the room nearly full, and that the audience was
composed almost exclusively of the more prominent citizens. This meeting I
continued from day to day, having an opportunity to converse freely, with great
numbers; and they were as teachable as children. I never attended a more
interesting and affecting meeting of inquiry, I think, than that. A large number
of the lawyers were converted, Judge G, I might say, at their head; as he had
taken the lead in coming out on the side of Christ.
I remained there, at that time, two months. The revival became
wonderfully interesting and powerful, and resulted in the conversion of great
numbers. It took a powerful hold in one of the Episcopal churches, St. Luke's,
of which Dr. Whitehouse, the present bishop of Illinois, was pastor. When I was
in Reading, Pa., several years before, Dr. Whitehouse was preaching to an
Episcopal congregation in that city; and, as one of his most intelligent ladies
informed me, was greatly blessed in his soul, in that revival. When I came to
Rochester, in 1830, he was the pastor of St. Luke's; and, as I was informed,
encouraged his people to attend our meetings, and I was told that many of them,
were at that time, converted. So also in this revival, in 1842, I was informed
that he encouraged his people, and advised them to attend the meetings. He was
himself a very successful pastor, and had great influence in Rochester. I have
been informed that in this revival, in 1842, not less than seventy, and those
almost all among the principal people of his congregation, were converted, and
confirmed in his church.
One striking incident I must mention. I had insisted much, in my
instructions, upon entire consecration to God, giving up all to him, body, and
soul, and possessions, and everything, to be forever thereafter used for his
glory, as a condition of acceptance with God. As was my custom in revivals, I
made this as prominent as I well could. One day as I went into meeting, one of
the lawyers with whom I had formed some acquaintance and who had been in deep
anxiety of mind, I found waiting at the door of the church. As I went in, he
took out of his pocket a paper, and handed me, remarking, "I deliver this to you
as the servant of the Lord Jesus Christ." I put it in my pocket until after
meeting. On examining it, I found it to be a quit-claim deed, made out in
regular order, and executed ready for delivery, in which he quit-claimed to the
Lord Jesus Christ, all ownership of himself, and of everything he possessed. The
deed was in due form, with all the peculiarities and formalities of such
conveyances. I think I have it still among my papers. He appeared to be in
solemn earnest, and so far as I could see, was entirely intelligent in what he
did. But I must not go farther into particulars.
As it regards the means used in this revival, I would say, that
the doctrines preached were those that I always preached, everywhere. The moral
government of God was made prominent; and the necessity of an unqualified and
universal acceptance of God's will, as a rule of life; the acceptance by faith,
of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, and in all His official
relations and work; and the sanctification of the soul through or by the truth,
these and kindred doctrines were dwelt upon as time would permit, and as the
necessities of the people seemed to require.
The measures were simply preaching the Gospel, and abundant
prayer, in private, in social circles, and in public prayer meetings; much
stress being always laid upon prayer as an essential means of promoting the
revival. Sinners were not encouraged to expect the Holy Ghost to convert them,
while they were passive; and never told to wait God's time, but were taught,
unequivocally, that their first and immediate duty was, to submit themselves to
God, to renounce their own will, their own way, and themselves, and instantly to
deliver up all that they were, and all that they had, to their rightful owner,
the Lord Jesus Christ. They were taught here, as everywhere in those revivals,
that the only obstacle in the way was their own stubborn will; that God was
trying to gain their unqualified consent to give up their sins, and accept the
Lord Jesus Christ as their righteousness and salvation. The point was frequently
urged upon them to give their consent; and they were told that the only
difficulty was, to get their own honest and earnest consent to the terms upon
which Christ would save them, and the lowest terms upon which they possibly
could be saved.
Meetings of inquiry were held, for the purpose of adapting
instruction to those who were in different stages of conviction; and after
conversing with them, as long as I had time and strength, I was in the habit of
summing up at last, and taking up representative cases, and meeting all their
objections, answering all their questions, correcting their errors, and pursuing
such a course of remark, as was calculated to strip them of every excuse, and
bring them face to face with the great question of present, unqualified,
universal acceptance of the will of God in Christ Jesus. Faith in God, and God
in Christ, was ever made prominent. They were informed that this faith is not a
mere intellectual assent, but is the consent or trust of the heart, a voluntary,
intelligent trust in God, as He is revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The doctrine of the justice of endless punishment was fully
insisted upon; and not only its justice, but the certainty that sinners will be
endlessly punished, if they die in their sins, was strongly held forth. On all
these points the Gospel was so presented as to give forth no uncertain sound.
This was at least my constant aim, and the aim of all who gave instructions. The
nature of the sinner's dependence upon divine influence, was explained, and
enforced, and made prominent. Sinners were taught that, without the divine
teaching and influence, it is certain, from their depraved state, that they
never would be reconciled to God; and yet that their want of reconciliation was
simply their own hardness of heart, or the stubbornness of their own wills, so
that their dependence upon the Spirit of God is no excuse for their not being
Christians at once. These points that I have noticed, and others which logically
flow from them, were held forth in every aspect, so far as time would permit.
Sinners were never taught, in those revivals, that they needed to
expect conversion, in answer to their own prayers. They were told that if they
regarded iniquity in their hearts, the Lord would not hear them; and that while
they remained impenitent, they did regard iniquity in their hearts. I do not
mean that they were exhorted not to pray. They were informed that God required
them to pray, but to pray in faith, to pray in the spirit of repentance; and
that when they asked God to forgive them, they were to commit themselves
unalterably to His will. They were taught, expressly, that mere impenitent and
unbelieving prayer, is an abomination to God; but that if they were truly
disposed to offer acceptable prayer to God, they could do it; for that there was
nothing but their own obstinacy in the way of their offering acceptable prayer
at once. They were never left to think that they could do their duty in any
respect, could perform any duty whatever, unless they gave their hearts to God.
To repent, to believe, to submit, as inward acts of the mind, were the first
duties to be performed; and until these were performed, no outward act whatever
was doing their duty. That for them to pray for a new heart, while they did not
give themselves up to God, was to tempt God; that to pray for forgiveness until
they truly repented, was to insult God, and to ask Him to do what He had no
right to do; that to pray in unbelief, was to charge God with lying, instead of
doing their duty; and that all their unbelief was nothing but a blasphemous
charging of God with lying. In short, pains were taken to shut the sinner up to
accepting Christ, His whole will, atonement, official work and official
relations, cordially, and with fixed purpose of heart, renouncing all sin, all
excuse-making, all unbelief, all hardness of heart, and every wicked thing, in
heart, and life, here, and now, and forever.
I have always been particularly interested in the salvation of
lawyers, and of all men of the legal profession. To that profession I was myself
educated. I understood pretty well their habits of reading and thinking, and
knew that they were more certainly controlled by argument, by evidence, and by
logical statements, than any other class of men. I have always found, wherever I
have labored, that when the Gospel was properly presented, they were the most
accessible class of men; and I believe it is true that, in proportion to their
relative number, in any community, more have been converted, than of any other
class. I have been particularly struck with this, in the manner in which a clear
presentation of the Law and of the Gospel of God, will carry the intelligence of
judges, men who are in the habit of sitting and hearing testimony, and weighing
arguments on both sides. I have never, to my recollection, seen a case, in which
judges were not convinced of the truth of the Gospel, where they have attended
meetings, in the revivals which I have witnessed. I have often been very much
affected, in conversing with members of the legal profession, by the manner in
which they would consent to propositions, to which persons of ill-disciplined
minds would have objected.
There was one of the judges of the court of appeals, living in
Rochester, who seemed to be possessed of a chronic skepticism. He was a reader
and a thinker, a man of great refinement, and of great intellectual honesty. His
wife, having experienced religion under my ministry, was a particular friend of
mine. I have had very thorough conversation with that man. He always freely
confessed to me that the arguments were conclusive, and that his intellect was
worried, by the preaching and the conversation. He said to me, "Mr. Finney, you
always in your public discourses carry me right along with you; but while I
assent to the truth of all that you say, I do not feel right; somehow my heart
does not respond." He was one of the loveliest of unconverted men, and it was
both a grief and a pleasure to converse with him. His candor and intelligence
made conversation with him, on religious subjects, a great pleasure; but his
chronic unbelief rendered it exceedingly painful. I have conversed with him more
than once, when his whole mind seemed to be agitated to its lowest depths. And
yet, so far as I know, he has never been converted. His praying and idolized
wife has gone to her grave. His only child, a son, was drowned before his eyes.
After these calamities had befallen him, I wrote him a letter, referring to some
conversations I had with him, and trying to win him to a source from which he
could get consolation. He replied in all kindness; but dwelling upon his loss,
he said, there could be no consolation that could meet a case like that. He was
truly blind to all the consolation he could find in Christ. He could not
conceive how he could ever accept this dispensation, and be happy. He has lived
in Rochester, through one great revival after another; and although his mouth
was shut, so that he had no excuse to make, and no refuge to which he could
betake himself, still so far as I know, he has mysteriously remained in
unbelief. I have mentioned his case, as an illustration of the manner in which
the intelligence of the legal profession can be carried, by the force of truth.
When I come to speak of the next revival in Rochester, in which I had a share, I
shall have occasion to mention other instances that will illustrate the same
point.
Several of the lawyers that were at this time converted in
Rochester, gave up their profession and went into the ministry. Among these was
one of Chancellor W's sons, at that time a young lawyer in Rochester, and who
appeared at the time to be soundly converted. For some reason, with which I am
not acquainted, he went to Europe and to Rome, and finally became a Roman Catholic priest. He has been for years laboring
zealously to promote revivals of religion among them, holding protracted
meetings; and, as he told me himself, when I met him in England, trying to
accomplish in the Roman Catholic church what I was endeavoring to accomplish in
the Protestant church. Mr. W seems to be an earnest minister of Christ, given
up, heart and soul, to the salvation of Roman Catholics. How far he agrees with
all their views, I cannot say. When I was in England, he was there, and sought
me out, and came very affectionately to see me; and we had just as pleasant an
interview, so far as I know, as we should have had, if we had both been
Protestants. He said nothing of his peculiar views, but only that he was
laboring among the Roman Catholics, to promote revivals of religion. Many
ministers have been the fruits of the great revivals in Rochester.
It was a fact that often greatly interested me, when laboring in
that city, that lawyers would come to my room, when they were pressed hard, and
were on the point of submission, for conversation and light, on some point which
they did not clearly apprehend; and I observed, again and again, that when those
points were cleared up, they were ready at once to submit. Indeed, as a general
thing, they take a more intelligent view of the whole plan of salvation, than
any other class of men to whom I have ever preached, or with whom I have ever
conversed.
Very many physicians have also been converted, in the great
revivals which I have witnessed. I think their studies incline them to
skepticism, or to a form of materialism. Yet they are intelligent; and if the
Gospel is thoroughly set before them, stripped of those peculiar features which
are embodied in hyper-Calvinism, they are easily convinced, and as readily
converted, as any other class of the people. Their studies, as a general thing,
have not prepared them so readily to apprehend the moral government of God, as
those of the legal profession. But still I have found them open to conviction,
and by no means a difficult class of persons to deal with, upon the great
question of salvation.
I have everywhere found, that the peculiarities of
hyper-Calvinism have been a great stumbling block, both of the church and of the
world. A nature sinful in itself, a total inability to accept Christ, and to
obey God, condemnation to eternal death for the sin of Adam, and for a sinful
nature, and all the kindred and resultant dogmas of that peculiar school, have
been the stumbling block of believers and the ruin of sinners.
Universalism, Unitarianism, and indeed all forms of fundamental
error, have given way and fallen out of sight in the presence of great revivals.
I have learned, again and again, that a man needs only to be thoroughly
convicted of sin by the Holy Ghost, to give up at once and forever, and gladly
give up, Universalism and Unitarianism. When I speak of the next great revival
in Rochester, I shall have occasion to speak more fully of the manner in which
skeptics, if a right course is taken with them, are sometimes shut up to
condemnation, by their own irresistible convictions; so that they will rejoice
to find a door of mercy opened through the revelations that are made in the
Scriptures. But this I leave to be introduced in the proper order.
CHAPTER XXVII
ANOTHER WINTER IN
BOSTON
IN the fall of 1843, I
was called again to Boston. At my last visit there, it was the time of the
greatest excitement in Boston, on the subject of the second advent of Christ.
Mr. Miller, who was at the head of the movement, was there lecturing, and was
holding daily Bible classes, in which he was giving instruction, and inculcating
his peculiar views; and his teaching led to intense excitement, involving much
that was wild and irrational. I attended Mr. Miller's Bible class once or twice;
after which I invited him to my room, and tried to convince him that he was in
error. I called his attention to the construction which he put on the
prophecies; and, as I thought, showed him that he was entirely mistaken, in some
of his fundamental views. He replied, that I had adopted a course of
investigation that would detect his errors, if he had any. I tried to show him
that his fundamental error was already detected.
The last time that I had attended his Bible class, he was
inculcating the doctrine that Christ would come personally, and destroy his
enemies, in 1843. He gave what he called an exposition of the prophecy of
Daniel, on the subject. He said, the stone cut out of the mountain without
hands, that rolled down and destroyed the image there spoken of, was Christ.
When he came to my room I called his attention to the fact, that the prophet
affirmed expressly that the stone was not Christ, but the kingdom of God; and that the prophet
there represented the church, or the kingdom of God, as demolishing the image.
This was so plain, that Mr. Miller was obliged to acknowledge that was indeed a
fact; and that it was not Christ that was going to destroy those nations, but
the kingdom of God. I then asked him if he
supposed that the kingdom of God would destroy those
nations, in the sense in which he taught that they would be destroyed, with the
sword, or with making war upon them? He said, no, he could not believe that. I
then inquired, "Is it not the overthrow of the governments that is intended,
instead of the destruction of the people? And is not this to be done, by the
influence of the church of God, in
enlightening their minds by the Gospel? And if this is the meaning, where is the
foundation for your teaching, that, at a certain time, Christ is coming in
person to destroy all the peoples of the earth?" I said to him, "Now this is
fundamental to your teaching. This is the great point to which you call
attention in your classes; and here is a manifest error, the very words of the
prophet teaching the direct opposite to what you teach." But it was vain to
reason with him, and his followers, at that time. Believing, as they most
certainly did, that the advent of Christ was at hand, it was no wonder that they
were too wild with excitement, to be reasoned with to any purpose.
When I arrived there, in the fall of 1843, I found that
particular form of excitement had blown over; but many forms of error prevailed
among the people. Indeed I have found that to be true of Boston, of which Dr.
Beecher assured me, the first winter that I labored there. He said to me, "Mr.
Finney, you cannot labor here as you do anywhere else. You have got to pursue a
different course of instruction, and begin at the foundation; for Unitarianism
is a system of denials, and under its teaching, the foundations of Christianity
are fallen away. You cannot take anything for granted; for the Unitarians and
the Universalists have destroyed the foundations, and the people are all afloat.
The masses have no settled opinions, and every 'lo here,' or 'lo there,' finds a
hearing; and almost any conceivable form of error may get a footing."
I have since found this to be true, to a greater extent than in
any other field, in which I have ever labored. The mass of the people in Boston,
are more unsettled in their religious convictions, than in any other place that
I have ever labored in, notwithstanding their intelligence; for they are surely
a very intelligent people, on all questions but that of religion. It is
extremely difficult to make religious truths lodge in their minds, because the
influence of Unitarian teaching has been, to lead them to call in question all
the principal doctrines of the Bible. Their system is one of denials. Their
theology is negative. They deny almost everything, and affirm almost nothing. In
such a field, error finds the ears of the people open; and the most irrational
views, on religious subjects, come to be held by a great many people.
I began my labors in the Marlborough chapel at this time, and found there a very singular state of things. A
church had been formed, composed greatly of radicals; and most of the members
held extreme views, on various subjects. They had come out from other orthodox
churches, and united in a church of their own, at Marlborough chapel. They were
staunch, and many of them consistent, reformers, They were good people; but I
cannot say that they were a united people. Their extreme views seemed to be an
element of mutual repellence among them. Some of them were extreme
non-resistance, and held it to be wrong to use any physical force, or any
physical means whatever, even in controlling their own children. Everything must
be done by moral suasion. Upon the whole, however, they were a praying, earnest,
Christian people. I found no particular difficulty in getting along with them;
but at that time the Miller excitement, and various other causes, had been
operating to beget a good deal of confusion among them. They were not at all in
a prosperous state, as a church.
A young man by the name of S had risen up among them, who
professed to be a prophet. I had many conversations with him, and tried to
convince him that he was all wrong; and I labored with his followers, to try to
make them see that he was wrong. However, I found it impossible to do anything
with him, or with them, until he finally committed himself on several points,
and predicted that certain things would happen, at certain dates. One was that
his father would die on a certain day. I then said to him: "Now we shall prove
you. Now the truthfulness of your pretensions will be tested. If these things
that you predict come to pass, and come to pass, as you say they will, at
certain times, then we shall have reason to believe that you are a prophet. But
if they do not come to pass, it will prove that you are deceived." This he could
not deny. As the good providence of God would have it, these predictions related
to events, but a few weeks from the time the predictions were uttered. He had
staked his reputation as a prophet, upon the truth of these predictions, and
awaited their fulfillment. Of course they every one of them failed, and he
failed with them; I never heard anything more of his predictions. But he had
confused a good many minds, and really neutralized their efforts; and I am not
aware that those who were his followers, ever regained their former influence as
Christians.
During this winter, the Lord gave my own soul a very thorough
overhauling, and a fresh baptism of His Spirit. I boarded at the Marlborough
hotel, and my study and bedroom were in one corner of the chapel building. My
mind was greatly drawn out in prayer, for a long time; as indeed it always has
been, when I have labored in Boston. I have been favored there, uniformly, with
a great deal of the spirit of prayer. But this winter, in particular, my mind
was exceedingly exercised on the question of personal holiness; and in respect
to the state of the church, their want of power with God; the weakness of the
orthodox churches in Boston, the weakness of their faith, and their want of
power in the midst of such a community. The fact that they were making little or
no progress in overcoming the errors of the city, greatly affected my mind.
I gave myself to a great deal of prayer. After my evening
services, I would retire as early as I well could; but rose at four o'clock in
the morning, because I could sleep no longer, and immediately went to the study,
and engaged in prayer. And so deeply was my mind exercised, and so absorbed in
prayer, that I frequently continued from the time I arose, at four o'clock, till
the gong called to breakfast, at eight o'clock. My days were spent, so far as I
could get time, in searching the Scriptures. I read nothing else, all that
winter, but my Bible; and a great deal of it seemed new to me. Again the Lord
took me, as it were, from Genesis to Revelation. He led me to see the connection
of things, the promises, threatenings, the prophecies and their fulfillment; and
indeed, the whole Scripture seemed to me all ablaze with light, and not only
light, but it seemed as if God's Word was instinct with the very life of God.
After praying in this way for weeks and months, one morning while
I was engaged in prayer, the thought occurred to me, what if, after all this
divine teaching, my will is not carried, and this teaching takes effect only in
my sensibility? May it not be that my sensibility is affected, by these
revelations from reading the Bible, and that my heart is not really subdued by
them? At this point several passages of scripture occurred to me, much as this:
"Line must be upon line, line upon line, precept upon precept, precept upon
precept, here a little, and there a little, that they might go and fall
backward, and be snared and taken." The thought that I might be deceiving
myself, when it first occurred to me, stung me almost like an adder. It created
a pang that I cannot describe. The passages of Scripture that occurred to me, in
that direction, for a few moments greatly increased my distress. But directly I
was enabled to fall back upon the perfect will of God. I said to the Lord, that
if He saw it was wise and best, and that His honor demanded that I should be
left to be deluded, and go down to hell, I accepted His will, and I said to Him,
"Do with me as seemeth Thee good."
Just before this occurrence, I had a great struggle to consecrate
myself to God, in a higher sense than I had ever before seen to be my duty, or
conceived as possible. I had often before, laid my family all upon the altar of
God, and left them to be disposed of at His discretion. But at this time that I
now speak of, I had had a great struggle about giving up my wife to the will of
God. She was in very feeble health, and it was very evident that she could not
live long. I had never before seen so clearly, what was implied in laying her,
and all that I possessed, upon the altar of God; and for hours I struggled upon
my knees, to give her up unqualifiedly to the will of God. But I found myself
unable to do it. I was so shocked and surprised at this, that I perspired
profusely with agony. I struggled and prayed until I was exhausted, and found
myself entirely unable to give her altogether up to God's will, in such a way as
to make no objection to His disposing of her just as He pleased.
This troubled me much. I wrote to my wife, telling her what a
struggle I had, and the concern that I had felt at not being willing to commit
her, without reserve, to the perfect will of God. This was but a very short time
before I had this temptation, as it now seems to me to have been, of which I
have spoken, when those passages of Scripture came up distressingly to my mind,
and when the bitterness, almost of death seemed, for a few moments, to possess
me, at the thought that my religion might be of the sensibility only, and that
God's teaching might have taken effect only in my feeling. But as I said, I was
enabled, after struggling for a few moments with this discouragement and
bitterness, which I have since attributed to a fiery dart of Satan, to fall
back, in a deeper sense than I had ever done before upon the infinitely blessed
and perfect will of God. I then told the Lord that I had such confidence in Him,
that I felt perfectly willing, to give myself, my wife and my family, all to be
disposed of according to His own wisdom.
I then had a deeper view of what was implied in consecration to
God, than ever before. I spent a long time upon my knees, in considering the
matter all over, and giving up everything to the will of God; the interests of
the church, the progress of religion, the conversion of the world, and the
salvation or damnation of my own soul, as the will of God might decide. Indeed I
recollect, that I went so far as to say to the Lord, with all my heart, that He
might do anything with me or mine, to which His blessed will could consent; that
I had such perfect confidence in His goodness and love, as to believe that He
could consent to do nothing, to which I could object. I felt a kind of holy
boldness, in telling Him to do with me just as seemed to Him good; that He could
not do anything that was not perfectly wise and good; and therefore, I had the
best of grounds for accepting whatever He could consel it to, in respect to me
and mine. So deep and perfect a resting in the will of God, I had never before
known.
What has appeared strange to me is this, that I could not get
hold of my former hope; nor could I recollect, with any freshness, any of the
former seasons of communion and divine assurance that I had experienced. I may
say that I gave up my hope, and rested everything upon a new foundation. I mean,
I gave up my hope from any past experience, and recollect telling the Lord, that
I did not know whether He intended to save me or not. Nor did I feel concerned
to know. I was willing to abide the event. I said that if I found that He kept
me, and worked in me by His Spirit, and was preparing me for heaven, working
holiness and eternal life in my soul, I should take it for granted that He
intended to save me; that if, on the other hand, I found myself empty of divine
strength and light and love, I should conclude that He saw it wise and expedient
to send me to hell; and that in either event I would accept His will. My mind
settled into a perfect stillness.
This was early in the morning; and through the whole of that day,
I seemed to be in a state of perfect rest, body and soul. The question
frequently arose in my mind, during the day, "Do you still adhere to your
consecration, and abide in the will of God?" I said without hesitation, "Yes, I
take nothing back. I have no reason for taking anything back; I went no farther
in pledges and professions than was reasonable. I have no reason for taking
anything back; I do not want to take anything back." The thought that I might be
lost, did not distress me. Indeed, think as I might, during that whole day, I
could not find in my mind the least fear, the least disturbing emotion. Nothing
troubled me. I was neither elated nor depressed; I was neither, as I could see,
joyful or sorrowful. My confidence in God was perfect, my acceptance of His will
was perfect, and my mind was as calm as heaven.
Just at evening, the question arose in my mind, "What if God
should send me to hell, what then?" "Why, I would not object to it." "But can He
send a person to hell," was the next inquiry, "who accepts His will, in the
sense in which you do?" This inquiry was no sooner raised in my mind than
settled. I said, "No, it is impossible. Hell could be no hell to me, if I
accepted God's perfect will." This sprung a vein of joy in my mind, that kept
developing more and more, for weeks and months, and indeed I may say, for years.
For years my mind was too fall of joy to feel much exercised with anxiety on any
subject. My prayer that had been so fervent, and protracted during so long a
period, seemed all to run out into, "Thy will be done." It seemed as if my
desires were all met. What I had been praying for, for myself, I had received in
a way that I least expected. "Holiness to the Lord" seemed to be inscribed on
all the exercises of my mind. I had such strong faith that God would accomplish
all His perfect will, that I could not be careful about anything. The great
anxieties about which my mind had been exercised, during my seasons of agonizing
prayer, seemed to be set aside; so that for a long time, when I went to God, to
commune with Him as I did very, very frequently I would fall on my knees, and
find it impossible to ask for anything, with any earnestness, except that His
will might be done in earth as it is done in heaven. My prayers were swallowed
up in that; and I often found myself smiling, as it were, in the face of God,
and saying that I did not want anything. I was very sure that He would
accomplish all His wise and good pleasure; and with that my soul was entirely
satisfied.
Here I lost that great struggle in which I had been engaged, for
so long a time, and began to preach to the congregation, in accordance with
this, my new and enlarged experience. There was a considerable number in the
church, and that attended my preaching, who understood me; and they saw from my
preaching what had been, and what was, passing in my mind. I presume the people
were more sensible than I was myself, of the great change in my manner of
preaching. Of course, my mind was too full of the subject to preach anything
except a full and present salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.
At this time it seemed as if my soul was wedded to Christ, in a
sense in which I had never had any thought or conception of before. The language
of the Song of Solomon, was as natural to me as my breath. I thought I could
understand well the state of mind he was in, when he wrote that song; and
concluded then, as I have ever thought since, that song was unwritten by him,
after he had been reclaimed from his great backsliding. I not only had all the
freshness of my first love, but a vast accession to it. Indeed the Lord lifted
me so much above anything that I had experienced before, and taught me so much
of the meaning of the Bible, of Christ's relations, and power, and willingness,
that I often found myself saying to Him, "I had not known or conceived that any
such thing was true." I then realized what is meant by the saying, "that he is
able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." He did at that
time teach me, indefinitely above all that I had ever asked or thought. I had no
conception of the length and breadth, and height and depth, and efficiency of
his grace.
It seemed then to me that that passage, "My grace is sufficient
for thee," meant so much, that it was wonderful I had never understood it
before. I found myself exclaiming, "Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!" as these
revelations were made to me. I could understand then what was meant by the
prophet when he said, "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty
God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace." I spent nearly all the
remaining part of the winter, till I was obliged to return home, in instructing
the people in regard to the fullness there is in Christ. But I found that I
preached over the heads of the majority of the people. They did not understand
me. There was, indeed, a goodly number that did; and they were wonderfully
blessed in their souls, and made more progress in the divine life, as I have
reason to believe, than in all their lives before.
But the little church that was formed there was not composed of
materials that could, to any considerable extent, work healthfully and
efficiently together. The outside opposition to them was great. The mass even of
professors of religion in the city, did not sympathize with them at all. The
people of the churches generally were in no state to receive my views of
sanctification; and although there were individuals in nearly all the churches,
who were deeply interested and greatly blessed, yet as a general thing, the
testimony that I bore was unintelligible to them.
Some of them could see where I was. One evening I recollect that
Deacon P and Deacon S, after hearing my preaching, and seeing the effect upon
the congregation, came up to me, after I came out of the pulpit, and said, "Why,
you are a great way ahead of us in this city, and a great way ahead of our
ministers. How can we get our ministers to come and hear these truths?" I
replied, "I do not know. But I wish they could see things as I do; for it does
seem to me infinitely important that there should be a higher standard of
holiness in Boston." They seemed exceedingly anxious to have those truths laid
before the people in general. They were good men, as the Boston people well
know; but what pains they really took, to get their ministers and people to
attend, I cannot say.
I labored that winter mostly for a revival of religion among
Christians. The Lord prepared me to do so, by the great work He wrought in my
own soul. Although I had much of the divine life working within me; yet, as I
said, so far did what I experienced that winter, exceed all that I had before
experienced, that at times I could not realize that I had ever before been truly
in communion with God.
To be sure I had been, often and for a long time; and this I knew
when I reflected upon it, and remembered through what I had so often passed. It
appeared to me, that winter, that probably when we get to heaven, our views and
joys, and holy exercises, will so far surpass anything that we have ever
experienced in this life, that we shall be hardly able to recognize the fact
that we had any religion, while in this world. I had in fact oftentimes
experienced inexpressible joys, and very deep communion with God; but all this
had fallen so into the shade, under my enlarged experience, that frequently I
would tell the Lord that I had never before had any conception of the wonderful
things revealed in His blessed Gospel, and the wonderful grace there is in
Christ Jesus. This language, I knew when I reflected upon it, was comparative;
but still all my former experiences, for the time, seemed to be sealed up, and
almost lost sight of.
As the great excitement of that season subsided, and my mind
became more calm, I saw more clearly the different steps of my Christian
experience, and came to recognize the connection of things, as all wrought by
God from beginning to end. But since then I have never had those great
struggles, and long protracted seasons of agonizing prayer, that I had often
experienced. It is quite another thing to prevail with God, in my own
experience, from what it was before. I can come to God with more calmness,
because with more perfect confidence. He enables me now to rest in Him, and let
everything sink into His perfect will, with much more readiness, than ever
before the experience of that winter.
I have felt since then a religious freedom, a religious buoyancy
and delight in God, and in His Word, a steadiness of faith, a Christian liberty
and overflowing love; this I had only experienced, I may say, occasionally
before. I do not mean that such exercises had been rare to me before; for they
had been frequent and often repeated, but never abiding as they have been since.
My bondage seemed to be, at that time, entirely broken; and since then, I have
had the freedom of a child with a loving parent. It seems to me that I can find
God within me, in such a sense, that I can rest upon Him and be quiet, lay my
heart in his Hand, and nestle down in His perfect will, and have no carefulness
or anxiety.
I speak of these exercises as habitual, since that period, but I
cannot affirm that they have been altogether unbroken; for in 1860, during a
period of sickness, I had a season of great depression, and wonderful
humiliation. But the Lord brought me out of it, into an established peace and
rest.
A few years after this season of refreshing, that beloved wife,
of whom I have spoken, died. This was to me a great affliction. However, I did
not feel any murmuring, or the least resistance to the will of God. I gave her
up to God, without any resistance whatever, that I can recollect. But it was to
me a great sorrow. The night after she died, I was lying in my room alone, and
some Christian friends were sitting up in the parlor, and watching out the
night. I had been asleep for a little while, and as I awoke, the thought of my
bereavement flashed over my mind with such power! My wife was gone! I should
never hear her speak again, nor see her face! Her children were motherless! What
should I do? My brain seemed to reel, as if my mind would swing from its pivot.
I rose instantly from my bed, exclaiming, I shall be deranged if I cannot rest
in God The Lord soon calmed my mind, for that night; but still, at times,
seasons of sorrow would come over me, that were almost overwhelming.
One day I was upon my knees, communing with God upon the subject,
and all at once he seemed to say to me, "You loved your wife?" "Yes," I said.
"Well, did you love her for her own sake, or for your sake? Did you love her, or
yourself? If you loved her for her own sake, why do you sorrow that she is with
Me? Should not her happiness with Me, make you rejoice instead of mourn, if you
loved her for her own sake? Did you love her," He seemed to say to me, "for My
sake? If you loved her for My sake, surely you would not grieve that she is with
Me. Why do you think of your loss, and lay so much stress upon that, instead of
thinking of her gain? Can you be sorrowful, when she is so joyful and happy? If
you loved her for her own sake, would you not rejoice in her joy, and be happy
in her happiness?"
I can never describe the feelings that came over me, when I
seemed to be thus addressed. It produced an instantaneous change in the whole
state of my mind. From that moment, sorrow, on account of my loss, was gone
forever. I no longer thought of my wife as dead, but as alive, and in the midst
of the glories of heaven. My faith was, at this time, so strong and my mind so
enlightened, that it seemed as if I could enter into the very state of mind in
which she was, in heaven; and if there is any such thing as communing with an
absent spirit, or with one who is in heaven, I seemed to commune with her. Not
that I ever supposed she was present in such a sense that I communed personally
with her. But it seemed as if I knew what her state of mind was there, what
profound, unbroken rest, in the perfect will of God. I could see that was
heaven; and I experienced it in my own soul. I have never to this day, lost the
blessing of these views. They frequently recur to me, as the very state of mind
in which the inhabitants of heaven are, and I can see why they are in such a
state of blessedness.
My wife had died in a heavenly frame of mind. Her rest in God was
so perfect, that it seemed to me that, in leaving this world, she only entered
into a fuller apprehension of the love and faithfulness of God, so as to confirm
and perfect forever, her trust in God, and her union with His will. These are
experiences in which I have lived, a great deal, since that time. But in
preaching, I have found that nowhere can I preach those truths, on which my own
soul delights to live, and be understood, except it be by a very small number. I
have never found that more than a very few, even of my own people, appreciate
and receive those views of God and Christ, and the fullness of His free
salvation, upon which my own soul still delights to feed. Everywhere, I am
obliged to come down to where the people are, in order to make them understand
me; and in every place where I have preached, for many years, I have found the
churches in so low a state, as to be utterly incapable of apprehending and
appreciating, what I regard as the most precious truths of the whole Gospel.
When preaching to impenitent sinners, I am obliged, of course, to
go back to first principles. In my own experience, I have so long passed these
outposts and first principles, that I cannot live upon those truths. I, however,
have to preach them to the impenitent, to secure their conversion. When I preach
the Gospel, I can preach the atonement, conversion, and many of the prominent
views of the Gospel, that are appreciated and accepted, by those who are young
in the religious life; and by those also, who have been long in the church of
God, and have made very little advancement in the knowledge of Christ. But it is
only now and then, that I find it really profitable to the people of God, to
pour out to them the fullness that my own soul sees in Christ. In this place,
there is a larger number of persons, by far, that understand me, and devour that
class of truths, than I have found elsewhere; but even here, the majority of
professors of religion, do not understandingly embrace those truths. They do not
object, they do not oppose; and so far as they understand, they are convinced.
But as a matter of experience, they are ignorant of the power of the highest and
most precious truths of the Gospel of salvation, in Christ Jesus.
I said that this winter in Boston,
was spent mostly in preaching to professed Christians, and that many of them
were greatly blessed in their souls. I felt very confident that, unless the
foundations could be relayed in some sense, and that unless the Christians in
Boston took on a higher type of Christian living, they never could prevail
against Unitarianism. I knew that the orthodox ministers had been preaching
orthodoxy, as opposed to Unitarianism, for many years; and that all that could
be accomplished by discussion, had been accomplished. But I felt that what
Unitarians needed, was to see Christians live out the pure Gospel of Christ.
They needed to hear them say, and prove what they said by their lives, that
Jesus Christ was a divine Savior, and able to save them from all sin. Their
professions of faith in Christ, did not accord with their experiences. They
could not say that they found Christ in their experience, what they preached Him
to be. There is needed the testimony of God's living witnesses, the testimony of
experience, to convince the Unitarians; and mere reasonings and arguments,
however conclusive, will never overcome their errors and their prejudices.
The orthodox churches there, are too formal; they are in bondage
to certain ways; they are afraid of measures, afraid to launch forth in all
freedom, in the use of means to save souls. They have always seemed to me, to be
in bondage in their prayers, in so much that what I call the spirit of prayer, I
have seldom witnessed in Boston. The ministers and deacons of the churches,
though good men, are afraid of what the Unitarians will say, if, in their
measures to promote religion, they launch out in such a way as to wake the
people up. Everything must be done in a certain way. The Holy Spirit is grieved
by their yielding to such a bondage.
I have labored in Boston in five powerful revivals of religion;
and I must express it as my sincere conviction, that the greatest difficulty in
the way of overcoming Unitarianism, and all the forms of error there, is the
timidity of Christians and churches. Knowing, as they do, that they are
constantly exposed to the criticisms of the Unitarians, they have become
over-cautious. Their faith has been depressed. And I do fear that the prevalence
of Unitarianism and Universalism there, has kept them back from preaching, and
holding forth the danger of the impenitent, as President Edwards presented it.
The doctrine of endless punishment, the necessity of entire sanctification, or
the giving up of all sin, as a condition of salvation; indeed the doctrines that
are calculated to arouse men, are not, I fear, held forth with that frequency
and power, that are indispensable to the salvation of that city.
The little church at the Marlborough chapel, were very desirous
that I should become their pastor; and I left Boston,
and came home, with this question before my mind. Afterward Brother Sears came
on, with a formal call in his pocket, to persuade me to go and take up my abode
there. But when he arrived in Oberlin, and consulted the brethren here, about
the propriety of my going, they so much discouraged him, that he did not lay the
question before me at all.
CHAPTER XXVIII
FIRST VISIT TO
ENGLAND
HAVING had repeated
and urgent invitations to visit England, and labor for the promotion of revivals
in that country, I embarked with my wife [Mr. Finney had married, as his second
wife, Mrs. Elizabeth F. Atkinson, of Rochester], in the autumn of 1849, and
after a stormy passage, we arrived at Southampton, early in November. There we
met the pastor of the church in Houghton, a village situated midway between the
market towns of Huntington and Saint Ives. A Mr. Potto Brown, a very benevolent
man, of whom I shall have occasion to speak frequently, had sent Mr. James
Harcourt, his pastor, to meet us at Southhampton.
Mr. Potto Brown was, by parentage and education, a Quaker. He and
a partner were engaged in the milling business, and belonged to a congregation
of Independents, in Saint Ives. They became greatly affected in view of the
state of things in their neighborhood. The Church, as it is called in England,
seemed to them to be effecting very little for the salvation of souls. There
were no schools, outside of the church schools, for the education of the poor;
and the mass of the people were greatly neglected. After much prayer and
consultation with each other, they agreed to adopt measures for the education of
the children, in the village where they lived, and in the villages around them,
and to extend this influence as far as they could. They also agreed to apply
their means, to the best advantage, in establishing worship, and in building up
churches independent of the Establishment.
Not long after this enterprise was commenced, Mr. Brown's partner
died. His wife, I believe, had died before him; and his partner committed his
family, consisting of several sons and daughters, to the fraternal care of Mr.
Brown, who committed them to the training of a judicious widow lady, in a
neighboring village. Mr. Brown's partner, at his death, begged him not to
neglect the work which they had projected; but to pursue it with vigor and
singleness of eye. Mr. Brown's heart was in the work. His partner left a large
property to his children. Mr. Brown himself had but two children, sons. He was a
man of simple habits, and expended but little money upon himself, or his family.
He employed a school teacher, in the village where he resided, and built a
chapel there for public worship. They called a man to labor there as a minister,
who held hyper-Calvinistic views; and consequently he labored year after year,
with no results, such as met the expectations of Mr. Brown.
Mr. Brown had frequent conversations with his minister, about the
want of good results. He was paying his salary, and laying out his money in
various ways, to promote religion, by means of Sabbath schools, and teachers,
and laborers; but few or none were converted. He laid this matter before his
minister so frequently, that he finally replied, "Mr. Brown, am I God, that I
can convert souls? I preach to them the Gospel, and God does not convert them;
am I to blame?" Mr. Brown replied, "Whether you are God or no God, we must have
conversions. The people must be converted." So this minister was dismissed. Rev.
James Harcourt was employed. Mr. Harcourt was an open-communion Baptist, a
talented man, a rousing preacher, and an earnest laborer for souls. Under his
preaching, conversions began to appear, and the world went on hopefully. Their
little church increased in numbers and in faith; and the heaven was extending
gradually, but perceptibly, on every side.
They soon extended their operations to neighboring villages, with
good results. But still they did not know how to promote revivals of religion.
The children of his partner, who had been left under his charge, had grown up to
be young men and women, and were not converted. There were three daughters and
three sons, a fine family, with abundance of property; but they were
unconverted. Mr. Brown had a large number of very interesting and influential
friends, in that country, for whose salvation he felt a very deep interest. He
was also very anxious about the children of his deceased partner, that they
might be converted. For the education of his sons he had employed a teacher in
his family; and a considerable number of young men, of respectable families,
from neighboring towns, had studied with his sons. This little family school, to
which the young men who were sons of his friends, in various parts of the
county, had been invited, had created a strong bond of interest between Mr.
Brown and these families. Mr. Harcourt's labors, for some reason, did not reach
these families. He was successful among the poorer and lower classes, was
zealous and devoted, and preached the Gospel. As Mr. Brown said, he was a
powerful minister of Jesus Christ. But still he wanted experience, to reach the
class of persons that Mr. Brown had more particularly on his own heart. These
brethren frequently talked the matter over, and inquired how they could reach
that class of persons, and draw them to Christ. Mr. Harcourt said that he had
done all that he could, and that something else must be done, or he did not see
that this class of persons would be reached at all.
He had read my revival lectures, and he finally suggested to Mr.
Brown, the propriety of writing to me, to see if I could not come and labor with
them. This led to my receiving a very earnest request from Mr. Brown, to visit
them. He conversed also with many other people, and with some ministers; which
lead to my receiving divers letters, of pressing invitations to visit England.
At first, these letters made but little impression upon me, for I
did not see how I could go to England.
At length the way seemed to open for me to leave home, at least for a season;
and as I have said, in the autumn of 1849, my wife and myself went to England.
When we arrived there, and had rested a few days, I began my labors in the
village chapel. I soon found that Mr. Brown was altogether a remarkable man.
Although brought up a Quaker, he was entirely catholic in his views, and was
laboring, in an independent way, directly for the salvation of the people around
him. He had wealth, and his property was constantly and rapidly increasing. His
history has reminded me many times of the proverb: "There is that scattereth and
yet increaseth; there is that withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth to
poverty." For religious purposes, he would spend his money like a prince, and
the more he spent, the more he had to spend.
While we were there, he threw his house open morning, noon, and
evening, and invited his friends, far and near, to come and pay him a visit.
They came in great numbers, so that his table was surrounded, at nearly every
meal, with divers persons who had been invited in, that I might have
conversation with them, and that they might attend our meetings.
A revival immediately commenced, and spread among the people. The
children of his partner were soon interested in religion, and converted to
Christ. The work spread among those that came from the neighboring villages.
They heard and gladly received the Word. And so extensive and thorough was the
work, among Mr. Brown's particular friends, whose conversion he had been longing
and praying for, that before I left, he said that every one of them was
converted, that the Lord had not left one of them out, for whom he had felt
anxiety, and for whose conversion he had been praying.
The conversion of this large number of persons, scattered over
the country, made a very favorable impression where they were known. The house
of worship at Houghton was small, but it was packed at every meeting; and the
devotedness and engagedness of Mr. Brown and his wife, were most interesting and
affecting. There seemed to be no bounds to their hospitality. Their schoolmaster
was a religious man, and would run in every day, and almost every meal, and sit
down with us, to enjoy the conversation. Gentlemen would come in, from
neighboring towns, from a distance of many miles, early enough to be there at
breakfast. The young men who had been educated with his sons, were invited, and
came; and I believe every one of them was converted. Thus his largest desires in
regard to them, were fulfilled; and very much more among the masses was done,
than he had expected. Mr. Harcourt, had at that time several preaching places,
beside Houghton, in the neighboring villages. The savor of this work at
Houghton, continued for years. Mr. Harcourt informed me, that he preached in a
praying atmosphere, and with a meeting state of feeling around him, as long as
he remained in Houghton.
I did not remain long in Houghton at this time--several weeks,
however. Among the brethren who had written, urging me to come to England, was a
Mr. Roe, a Baptist minister of Birmingham. As soon as he was informed that I was
in England, he came to Houghton, and spent several days, attending the meetings
and witnessing the results.
About the middle of December we left Houghton, and went to
Birmingham, to labor in the congregation of Mr. Roe. Here, soon after our
arrival, we were introduced to Rev. John Angell James, who was the principal
dissenting minister in Birmingham. He was a good, and a great man, and wielded a
very extensive influence in that city, and indeed throughout England.
When my revival lectures were first published in England, Mr.
James wrote an introduction to them, highly commending them. But when I arrived
in Birmingham, I was informed that, after Mr. James had publicly recommended
them, in meetings of ministers, and by his pen, he had been informed, by men
belonging to certain circles on this side of the Atlantic, that those revivals
that had occurred, under my ministry especially, had turned out very
disastrously; and that to such an extent had these representations been made to
him, that he had taken back what he had said publicly, in favor of those revival
lectures.
However, when he saw me in Birmingham, he called the Independent
ministers to a breakfast at his house, and requested me to attend. This is the
common way of doing things in England. When we assembled at his house, after
breakfast was concluded, he said to his ministerial brethren, that he had been
impressed that they were falling greatly short of accomplishing the end of their
ministry; that they were too well satisfied to have the people attend meeting,
pay the minister's salary, keep up the Sabbath school, and move on with an
outward prosperity; while the conversions, in most of the churches, were very
few, and after all, the people were going to destruction. I was told by Mr. Roe,
with whom I was at that time commencing my labors, that there were, in Mr. James
own congregation, not less than fifteen hundred impenitent sinners. At the
breakfast at Mr. James, he expressed himself very warmly, and said that
something must be done.
Finally the ministers agreed upon holding meetings, as soon as I
could comply with their request, in the different Independent churches, in
succession. But for some weeks, I confined my labors to Mr. Roe's congregation,
and there was a powerful revival, such a movement as they had never seen. The
revival swept through the congregation with great power, and a very large
proportion of the impenitent were turned to Christ. Mr. Roe entered heart and
soul into the work. I found him a good and true man. He was not at all
sectarian, or prejudiced in his views; but he opened his heart to divine
influence, and poured out himself in labors for souls, like a man in earnest.
Day after day he would sit in the vestry of his church, and converse with
inquirers, as they came to visit him, and direct them to Christ. His time was
almost entirely taken up with this work, for many days. His church was, at that
time, one of the few close-communion churches in England,
as nearly all the Baptists in England were open-communionists.
After the number of conversions had become large, the church
began to examine converts for admission. They examined a large number, and were
about to hold a communion. I preached in the morning, and they were to hold
their communion in the afternoon. When the morning service was closed, Mr. Roe
requested the church to remain for a few moments. My wife and myself retired
after the morning service, and went to our lodgings at Mr. Roe's, where we were
guests. After a little time, Mr. Roe came home, and entered our room with a
smile upon his face, saying, "What do you think our church have done?" I could
not tell; for really it had not occurred to me to raise the inquiry, what they
were going to do, when they were requested to stay. He replied, "They have voted
unanimously to invite you and Mrs. Finney to our communion, this afternoon."
Their close communion was more than they could sustain, on such an occasion as
that. However, on reflection, we concluded that we had better not accept their
invitation, lest they had taken the vote under a pressure, that might create
some reaction and regret among them afterwards; and as we were really fatigued,
we excused ourselves, and remained at home.
As I had to preach again in the evening, I was glad to have the
rest. I soon accepted the invitations of the ministers, to labor in their
several pulpits. The congregations were everywhere crowded; a great interest was
excited; and the numbers that would gather into the vestries after preaching,
under an invitation for inquirers, was large. Their largest vestries would be
packed with inquirers, whenever a call was made to resort thither for
instruction. As to mean, I used the same there that I had done in this country.
Preaching, prayer, conversation, and meetings of inquiry, were the means used.
But I soon found that Mr. James was receiving letters from
various quarters, warning him against the influence of my labors. He had
acquaintances on this side of the Atlantic; and some of them, as I understood
him, had written him letters, warning him against my influence. Besides, from
various parts of his own county, the same pressure was made upon him. He was
very frank with me, and told me how the matter stood; and I was as frank with
him. I said to him, "Brother James, your responsibility is great. I am aware
that your influence is great; and these letters show both your influence and
your responsibility, in regard to these labors. You are led to think that I am
heretical in my views. You hear my preaching, whenever I preach; and you know
whether I preach the Gospel or not."
I had taken with me my two published volumes of Systematic
Theology. I said to him, "Have you heard me preach anything that is not Gospel?"
He said, "No, not anything at all." "Well," said I, "Now I have my Systematic
Theology, which I teach to my classes at home, and which I everywhere preach;
and I want you to read it." He was very earnest to do so. I soon saw that there
was a very venerable looking gentleman with him, from evening to evening, at our
meetings. They would attend meeting together; and when I called for inquirers,
they would go in, and stand where they could get a place, and hear all that was
said. Who this venerable gentleman was, I was not aware. For several nights in
succession, they came in this way; but Mr. James did not introduce me to the
person that was with him, nor come near, to speak with me, at those meetings.
After things had gone on in this way, for a week or two, Mr.
James and his venerable friend called at our lodgings. He introduced me to Dr.
Redford, informing me, at the same time, that he was one of their most prominent
theologians; that he had more confidence in Dr. Redford's theological acumen,
than he had in his own; and that he had requested him to visit Birmingham,
attend the meetings, and especially to unite with him in reading my Theology. He
said they had been reading it, from day to day; and Dr. Redford would like to
have some conversation with me, on certain points of theology. We conversed very
freely on all the questions to which Dr. Redford wished to call my attention;
and Dr. Redford said, very frankly, "Brother James, I see no reason for
regarding Mr. Finney, in any respect, as unsound. He has his own way of stating
theological propositions; but I cannot see that he differs, on any essential
point, from us."
They had with them a little manual, prepared by the
Congregational Union of England and Wales, in which was found a brief statement
of their theological views. They read to me certain portions of this manual; and
in my turn, I questioned them. I heard their explanations, and was satisfied
there was a substantial agreement between us.
Dr. Redford remained some time longer at Birmingham. He then went
home, and, with my consent, took with him my Systematic Theology; and said he
would read it carefully through, and then write to me his views respecting it. I
observed that he was indeed at home in theology, was a scholar and a Christian,
and a thoroughly educated theologian. I was, therefore, more than willing to
have him criticize my theology, that if there was anything that needed to be
retracted or amended, he might point it out. I requested him to do so,
thoroughly and frankly. He took it home, gave himself up to a thorough
examination of it, and read the volumes patiently and critically through. I then
received a letter from him, expressing his strong approbation of my theological
views, saying there were a few points upon which he would like to make some
inquiries; and he wished me, as soon as I could get away from Birmingham, to
come and preach for him.
I continued in Birmingham, I think, about three months. There
were a great many interesting conversions in that city; and yet the ministers
were not then prepared to commit themselves heartily to the use of the necessary
means, to spread the revival universally over the city.
There was one case of so interesting a character, that I will
call attention to it. I suppose it is generally known in this country, that
Unitarianism in England, was first developed and promulgated in Birmingham. That
was the home of old Dr. Priestley, who was one of the principal, if not one of
the first Unitarian ministers in England. His congregation I found still in
existence, in Birmingham. One evening before I left Birmingham, I preached on
this text: "Ye stiff- necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always
resist the Holy Ghost." I dwelt first upon the divinity and personality of the
Holy Ghost. I then endeavored to show in how many ways, and on how many points,
men resist the divine teaching; that when convinced by the Holy Spirit, they
still persist in taking their own course; and that in all such cases they are
resisting the Holy Spirit. The Lord gave me liberty that night, to preach a very
searching discourse. My object was to show, that while men are pleading their
dependence on the Holy Spirit, they are constantly resisting Him.
I found in Birmingham, as I did everywhere in England, that the
greatest stress was laid upon the influence of the Holy Spirit. But I nowhere
found any clear discrimination between a physical influence of the Spirit,
exerted directly upon the soul itself, and that moral, persuasive influence,
which He in fact exerts over the minds of men. Consequently I found it
frequently necessary, to call the attention of the people to the work in which
the Holy Spirit is really engaged, to explain to them the express teachings of
Christ upon this subject: and thus to lead them to see that they were not to
wait for a physical influence, but to give themselves up to His persuasive
influence, and obey his teachings. This was the object of my discourse that
evening.
After I arrived at our quarters, a lady who was present at the
meeting, and who came into the family where we were guests, remarked that she
observed a Unitarian minister present in the congregation. I remarked that that
must have sounded strangely in the ears of a Unitarian. She replied, she hoped
it would do him good. Not long after this, and when I was laboring in London, I
received a letter from this minister, giving an account of the great change
wrought in his religious experience, by means of that sermon. This letter I
give, as follows:
"August 16, 1850. Rev. and dear Sir: Learning, from the Banner,
that you are about to take your departure from England, I feel it would be
somewhat ungrateful, if I allow you to go, without expressing the obligation I
am conscious of being under to you, for the benefit I received from a sermon of
yours, preached in Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham. I think it was the last sermon
you preached, and was on resisting the Holy Spirit; but I have never been able
to find the text. Indeed, in the interest of the points that most concerned me,
I thought no more about the text, for two or three days after. In order that you
may understand the benefit I received from the sermon, it is necessary that I
should recount, briefly, my peculiar position at the time.
I was educated at one of our dissenting colleges, for the
ministry among the Independents. I entered upon the ministry, and continued to
exercise it about seven years. During that time, I gradually underwent a great
change in my theological views. The change was produced, I think, partly by
philosophical speculations, and partly in the deterioration that had taken place
in my spiritual condition. I would say with deepest sorrow, my piety never
recovered the tone it lost in my passage through college. I attribute all my
sorrows principally to this. My speculations led me, without ever having read
Dr. William's book on divine sovereignty and equity, to adopt fundamentally his
views. The reading of his book, fully perfected my system. Sin is a defect,
rising out of the necessary defectibility of a creature, when unsupplied with
the grace of God. The fall of man, therefore, expresses nothing but the
inevitable original imperfection of the human race. The great end of God's moral
government, is to correct this imperfection by education, and revelation, and to
ultimately perfect man's condition. I had already, and long previously, adopted
Dr. Jenkyn's views of spiritual influence.
Under the guidance of such principles, you will understand,
without my explaining how, sin became a mere misfortune, temporarily permitted;
or rather a necessary evil, to be remedied by infinite wisdom and goodness; how
eternal punishment became a cruelty, not for one moment to be thought of, in the
dispensation of a good being, and how the atonement became a perfect absurdity,
founded upon unphilosophical views of sin. I became thoroughly Unitarian, and in
the beginning of the year 1848, I professed my Unitarianism, and became minister
of a church. The tendencies of my mind, however, were fortunately too logical,
for me long to be able to rest in Unitarianism. I pushed my conclusions to
simple deism, and then found they must go still farther. For this I was not
prepared. My whole soul started back in horror. I reviewed my principles. A
revolution took place in my whole system of philosophy. The doctrine of
responsibility was restored to me, in its most strict and literal sense, and
with it a deep consciousness of sin. I need not enter into minute details, with
reference to my struggles and mental sufferings.
About two weeks before I heard you, I saw clearly I must some day
or the other, readopt the evangelical system. I never had doubted it was the
system of the Bible. I became Unitarian, upon purely rationalistic grounds. But
now I found I must accept the Bible, or perish in darkness. You may imagine the
agonies of spirit I had to endure. On the one hand were convictions, becoming
stronger every day, the sense of sin, and the need of Christ, obtaining a firmer
hold over my heart, and the miserable condition of withholding the truth I knew,
from the people looking up to me for instruction. On the other hand, if I
professed myself, I instantly, in the sight of all parties, especially with that
great majority having no sympathy with such struggles, ruined my character, by
my apparent fickleness, and threw myself, my wife and children upon the world. I
could not make up my mind to this alternative. I had resolved to wait, gradually
to prepare the peoples' minds for the change, and by exercising a more rigid
economy, for some months, to make provision for our temporal wants, during the
period of transition. In this state of mind I heard your sermon. You will
recollect it, and easily comprehend the effect it produced. I felt the truth of
your arguments. Your appeals came home irresistibly to my heart, and that night,
on my way home, I vowed before God, come what would, I would at once consecrate
myself afresh to that Savior, whose blood I had so recently learned to value,
and whose value I had done so much to dishonor.
The result is, through the kind influence of Mr. --- , I have
lately become the minister of the church in this town. The peace of mind I now
enjoy, does indeed surpass all understanding. I never before found such an
absorbing pleasure, in the work of the ministry. I enter fully into the
significance of what Paul says, "If any man be in Christ he is a new creature."
I cannot tell you therefore, with how many feelings of gratitude, your name will
be associated in my soul. I bless God for the kind providence that brought me to
hear you. It seems to me now, more than probable, had I not heard you, my newly
awakened religious life would soon have been destroyed, by continued resistance
to my deep convictions. My conscience would again have become hardened, and I
should have died in my sins. Through the grace of God, I shall trace up to you,
any usefulness God may hereafter crown my labors with, and I feel it would be
unjust to withhold from you, the knowledge of this fruit of your labors. May
God, of his infinite mercy and grace, grant you a long life of even greater
usefulness, than He has yet blessed you with, will be the constant prayer of
Dear Sir, Yours very truly, ---"
When I received this letter, I was laboring with Rev. John
Campbell in the old Tabernacle of Whitefield in London.
I handed it to him to read. He read it over with manifestly deep emotion, and
then exclaimed "There, that is worth coming to England for!"
From Birmingham I went to Worcester, I think about the middle of
March, to labor with Dr. Redford. I have said that he had read my Systematic
Theology, and had written to me that he wished to have some conversation with
me, on certain points. I had with me, my replies to the various criticisms which
had been published, and these I handed to Dr. Redford. He read them through, and
then called on me and said, "Those replies have cleared up all the questions on
which I wished to converse; therefore I am fully satisfied that you are right."
After that, in no instance, that I recollect, did he make a criticism upon any
part of my Theology. Those who have seen the English edition of that work, are
aware that he wrote a preface to it, in which he commended it to the Christian
public.
At the time I refer to, when he had read through my replies to
those revenues, he expressed a strong desire that the work should be immediately
published in England; and said that he thought the work was greatly needed
there, and would do great good. His opinion had great weight in England, upon
theological questions. Dr. Campbell, I remember, affirmed in his newspaper, that
Dr. Redford was the greatest theologian in Europe. I remained in Worcester
several weeks, and preached for Dr. Redford, and also for a Baptist congregation
in that city. There were many very striking conversions; and the work was
interesting indeed.
Some wealthy gentlemen in Worcester, laid before me a proposition
to this effect. They proposed to erect a movable tabernacle, or house of
worship; one that could be taken down and transported from place to place upon
the railway, and, at slight expense, set up again, with all its seats, and all
the furniture of a house of worship. They proposed to build it, one hundred and
fifty feet square, with seats so constructed as to provide for five or six
thousand people. They said if I would consent to use it, and preach in it from
place to place, as circumstances might demand, for six months, they would be at
the expense of building it. But on consulting the ministers at that place, they
advised me not to do it. They thought it would be more useful for me to occupy
the pulpits, in the already established congregations, in different parts of
England, than to go through England preaching in an independent way, such as was
proposed by those gentlemen.
As I had reason to believe the ministers generally would
disapprove of a course then so novel, I declined to pledge myself to occupy it.
I have since thought that I probably made a mistake; for when I came to be
acquainted with the congregations, and places of public worship, of the
Independent churches, I found them generally so small, so badly ventilated, so
situated, so hedged in and circumscribed by the Church--I mean, of course, the
Establishment--that it has since appeared to me doubtful whether I was right; as
I have been of opinion that I could, upon the whole, have accomplished much
greater good in England, by carrying as it were, my own place of worship with
me, going where I pleased, and providing for the gathering of the masses,
irrespective of denominations. If my strength were now as it was then, I should
be strongly inclined to visit England again, and try an experiment of that kind. Dr. Redford was greatly affected by
the work in Worcester; and at the May anniversaries in London, he addressed the
Congregational union of England and Wales, and gave a very interesting account
of this work. I attended those May meetings, being about to commence labor with
Dr. John Campbell, in London.
Dr. Campbell was a successor of Whitefield, and was pastor of the
church at the Tabernacle in Finsbury, London,
and also of the Tottenham Court Road chapel. These chapels are both in London,
and about three miles apart. They were built for Mr. Whitefield, and occupied by
him for years.
Dr. Campbell was also at that time editor of the British Banner,
the Christian Witness, and of one or two other periodicals. His voice was such
that he did not preach, but gave his time to the editing of those papers. He
lived in the parsonage in which Whitefield resided, and used the same library, I
believe, that Whitefield had used. Whitefield's portrait hung in his study in
the Tabernacle. The savor of his name was still there; yet I must say that the
spirit that had been upon him, was not very apparent in the church, at the time
I went there. I said that Dr. Campbell did not preach. He still held the
pastorate, resided in the parsonage, and drew the salary; but he supplied his
pulpit by employing, for a few weeks at a time, the most popular ministers that
could be employed, to preach to his people. I began my labors there early in
May. Those who are acquainted with the workings of such a constant change in the
ministry, as they had at the Tabernacle, would not expect religion in the
church, to be in a flourishing condition.
Dr. Campbell's house of worship was large. It was compactly
seated, and could accommodate full three thousand persons. A friend of mine took
particular pains to ascertain which would hold the greatest number of people,
the Tabernacle in Moorfields or Finsbury, or the great Dexter Hall, of which
everybody has heard. It was ascertained that the Tabernacle would seat some
hundreds more than Exeter Hall.
CHAPTER XXIX
LABORS IN THE
TABERNACLE, MOORFIELDS, LONDON
I HAD accepted Dr.
Campbell's cordial invitation to supply his pulpit for a time, and accordingly,
after the May meetings I put in, in earnest, for a revival; though I said no
such thing to Dr. Campbell, or anybody else, for some weeks. I preached a course
of sermons designed to convict the people of sin, as deeply and as universally
as possible. I saw from Sabbath to Sabbath, and from evening to evening, that
the Word was taking great effect. On Sabbath day, I preached morning and
evening; and I also preached on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
evenings. On Monday evening, we had a general prayer meeting in the Tabernacle.
At each of those meetings I addressed the people on the subject of prayer. Our
congregations were very large; and always on Sabbath, and Sabbath evenings, the
house was crowded.
Religion had so declined throughout London,
at that time, that very few weekly sermons were preached; and I recollect that
Dr. Campbell said to me once, that he believed I preached to more people, during
the week evenings, than all the rest of the ministers in London together. I have
said that Dr. Campbell had the salary belonging to the pastor, in his
congregation. But this salary, he did not use for himself, at least more than a
part of it; because he supplied the pulpit at his own expense, while he
performed such parochial duties, as it was possible for him to perform, under
such a pressure of editorial labors. I found Dr. Campbell to be an earnest, but
a very belligerent, man. He was always given to controversy. To use an American
expression, he was given to pitching into everybody and everything that did not
correspond with his views. In this way he did a great deal of good; and
occasionally, I fear, some harm.
After preaching for several weeks, in the manner that I have
described, I knew that it was time to call for inquirers. But Dr. Campbell, I
perceived, had no such idea in his mind. Indeed he had not sat where he could
witness what was going on in the congregation, as I could from the pulpit; and
if he had done, he probably would not have understood it. The practice in that
church, was to hold a communion service, every alternate Sabbath evening. On
these occasions they would have a short sermon, then dismiss the congregation;
and all would retire, except those that had tickets for the communion service,
who would remain while that ordinance was celebrated.
On the Sabbath morning to which I have referred, I said to Dr.
Campbell, "You have a communion service tonight, and I must have a meeting of
inquiry at the same time. Have you any room, anywhere on the premises, to which
I can invite inquirers after preaching?" He hesitated, and expressed doubts
whether there were any that would attend such a meeting as that. However, as I
pressed the matter upon him, he replied, "Yes, there is the infant school room,
to which you might invite them." I inquired how many persons it could
accommodate. He replied, "From twenty to thirty, or perhaps forty." "Oh," I
said, "that is not half large enough. Have you not a larger room?" At this he
expressed astonishment; and inquired if I thought that there was interest enough
in the congregation, to warrant any such invitation as I had intended to give. I
told him there were hundreds of inquirers in the congregation. But at this he
laughed, and said it was impossible. I asked him if he had not a larger room.
"Why yes," he said, "there is the British schoolroom. But that will hold fifteen
or sixteen hundred; of course you don't want that." "Yes," said I, "that is the
very room. Where is it?" "Oh," said he, "surely you will not venture to appoint
a meeting there. Not half as many would attend, I presume, as could get into the
infant schoolroom." Said he, "Mr. Finney, remember you are in England, and in
London; and that you are not acquainted with our people. You might get people to
attend such a meeting, under such a call as you propose to make, in America;
but you will not get people to attend here. Remember that our evening service is
out, before the sun is down, at this time of year. And do you suppose that in
the midst of London, under an invitation to those that are seeking the salvation
of their souls, and are anxious on that subject, that they will single
themselves out, right in the daytime, and under such a call as that, publicly
given, to attend such a meeting as that?" I replied to him, "Dr. Campbell, I
know what the state of the people is, better than you do. The Gospel is as well
adapted to the English people as to the American people; and I have no fears at
all, that the pride of the people will prevent their responding to such a call,
any more than it would the people in America."
I asked him to tell me where that room was; and so to specify it,
that I could point it out to the people, and make the appeal that I intended to
make. After a good deal of discussion, the doctor reluctantly consented; but
told me expressly, that I must take the responsibility on myself, that he would
not share it. I replied that I expected to take the responsibility, and was
prepared to do so. He then gave me particular directions about the place, which
was but a little distance from the Tabernacle. The people had to pass up Cowper
street toward City road, a few rods, and turn through a narrow passage, to the
British schoolroom building. We then went to meeting; and I preached in the
morning, and again at evening; that is, at six o'clock, if I recollect the hour.
I preached a short sermon, and then informed the people what I desired. I called
upon all who were anxious for their souls, and who were then disposed,
immediately, to make their peace with God, to attend a meeting for instruction,
adapted to their state of mind. I was very particular, in regard to the class of
persons invited. I said, "Professors of religion are not invited to attend this
meeting. There is to be a communion service here; let them remain here. Careless
sinners are not invited to this meeting. Those, and those only, are expected to
attend, who are not Christians, but who are anxious for the salvation of their
souls, and wish instruction given them directly, upon the question of their
present duty to God." This I repeated, so as not to be misunderstood. Dr.
Campbell listened with great attention; and I presume he expected, since I had
restricted my appeal to such a class, that very few, if any, would attend. I was
determined not to have the mass of the people go into that room; and
furthermore, that those who did go, should go with the express understanding,
that they were inquiring sinners. I was particular on this point; not only for
the sake of the results of the meeting, but to convince Dr. Campbell that his
view of the subject was a mistaken one. I felt entirely confident, that there
was a great amount of conviction in the congregation, and that hundreds were
prepared to respond to such a call, at once. I was perfectly confident that I
was not premature, in making such a call. I therefore proceeded very
particularly to point out the class of persons whom I wished to attend, and the
manner in which they would find the place. I then dismissed the meeting, and the
congregation retired.
Dr. Campbell nervously and anxiously looked out of the window, to
see which way the congregation went; and to his great astonishment, Cowper
street was perfectly crowded with people, pressing up to get into the British
schoolroom. I passed out, and went up with the crowd and waited at the entrance,
till the multitude went in. When I entered, I found the room packed. Dr.
Campbell's impression was, that there were not less than fifteen or sixteen
hundred present. It was a large room, seated with forms or benches, such as are
often used in schoolrooms.
There was near the entrance a platform, on which the speakers
stood, whenever they had public meetings, which was of frequent occurrence. I
soon discovered that the congregation were pressed with conviction, in such a
manner that great care needed to be taken, to prevent an explosion of
irrepressible feeling. It was but a very short time before Dr. Campbell came in
himself. Observing such a crowd gather, he was full of anxiety to be present;
and consequently hastened through with his communion services, and came into the
meeting of inquiry. He looked amazed at the crowd present, and especially at the
amount of feeling manifested. I addressed them for a short time, on the question
of immediate duty; and endeavored, as I always do, to make them understand that
God required of them then to yield themselves entirely to His will, to ground
their weapons of rebellion, make their submission to Him as their rightful
sovereign, and accept Jesus as their only Redeemer.
I had been in England long enough to feel the necessity of being
very particular, in giving them such instructions as would do away their idea of
waiting God's time. London is, and long has been, cursed with hyper-Calvinistic
preaching. I therefore aimed my remarks at the subversion of those ideas, in
which I supposed many of them had been educated; for but few persons present, I
supposed, belonged properly to Dr. Campbell's congregation. Indeed, he had
himself told me that the congregation which he saw from day to day, was new to
him; that the masses who were thronging there were as much unknown to him as
they were to me. I tried therefore in my instructions, to guard them on the one
hand against hyper-Calvinism, and on the other against that low Arminianism in
which I supposed many of them had been educated.
I then, after I had laid the Gospel net thoroughly around them,
prepared to draw it ashore. As I was about to ask them to kneel down, and commit
themselves entirely and forever to Christ, a man cried out in the midst of the
congregation, in the greatest distress of mind, that he had sinned away his day
of grace. I saw that there was danger of an uproar, and I hushed it down as best
I could, and called on the people to kneel down; but to keep so quiet, if
possible, that they could hear every word of the prayer that I was about to
offer. They did, by a manifest effort, keep so still as to hear what was said,
although there was a great sobbing and weeping in every part of the house.
I then dismissed the meeting. After this I held similar meetings,
with similar results, frequently on Sabbath evening, while I remained with that
congregation, which was in all nine months. The interest rose and extended so
far, that the inquirers could not be accommodated in that large British
schoolroom; and frequently when I saw that the impression on the congregation
was very general and deep, after giving them suitable instructions, and bringing
them face to face with the question of unqualified and present surrender of all
to Christ, I would call on those that were prepared in mind to do this, to stand
up in their places, while we offered them to God in prayer. The aisles in that
house were so narrow and so packed, that it was impossible to use what is called
the anxious seat, or for people to move about at all in the congregation.
Frequently when I made these calls, for people to arise and offer
themselves while we offered them in prayer, many hundreds would arise; and on
some occasions, if the house seated as many as was supposed, not less than two
thousand people sometimes arose, when an appeal was made. Indeed it would appear
from the pulpit as if nearly the whole congregation arose. And yet I did not
call upon church members, but simply upon inquirers to stand up and commit
themselves to God.
In the midst of the work, a circumstance occurred which will
illustrate the extent of the religious interest connected with that congregation
at that time. The circumstance to which I allude was this: The dissenters in
England had been for a good while endeavoring to persuade the government to have
more respect in their action, than they were wont to do, to the dissenting
interest in that country. But they had always been answered in a way that
implied that the dissenting interest was small, as compared with that of the
established church. So much had been said on this subject that the government
determined to take measures to ascertain the relative strength of the two
parties, that is, of the dissenters and the church of England. On a certain
Saturday night, without any previous warning or notice whatever, that should
lead the people anywhere to understand or even suspect the movement, a message
was secretly sent to every place of worship in the kingdom, requesting that
individuals should be selected to stand at the doors of all the churches, and
chapels, and places of worship in the whole kingdom, on the next Sabbath
morning, to take the census of all that entered houses of worship of every
denomination. Such a notice was sent to Dr. Campbell; but I did not know it till
afterward. In obedience to directions, he placed men at every door of the
Tabernacle, with instructions to count every person that went in, during the
morning service. This was done, as I understood, throughout the whole of Great
Britain. In this way they ascertained the relative strength of the two parties;
in other words, which had the most worshippers on Sabbath, the dissenters or the
established church. I believe this census proved that the dissenters were in a
majority. But however this may be, Dr. Campbell told me that the men stationed
at the doors of the Tabernacle, reported several thousands more than could at
any one time get into the house. This arose from the fact that multitudes
entered the doors, and finding no place to sit or stand, would give place to
others. The interest was so great, that a place of worship that would hold many
thousands, would have been just as full as the Tabernacle.
Whence they all came, Dr. Campbell did not know, and no one could
tell; but that hundreds and thousands of them were converted, there is no reason
to doubt. Indeed, I saw and conversed with vast numbers, and labored in this way
to the full limit of my strength.
On Saturday evening, inquirers and converts would come to the
study for conversation. Great numbers came every week, and conversions
multiplied. People came, as I learned, from every part of the city. Many people
walked several miles every Sabbath to attend the meetings. Soon I began to be
accosted in the streets, in different parts of the city, by people who knew me,
and had been greatly blessed in attending our meetings. Indeed, the Word of God
was blessed, greatly blessed in London at that time.
One day Dr. Campbell requested me to go in, and make a few
remarks to the scholars in the British schoolroom. I did so, and began by asking
them what they proposed to do with their education, and dwelt upon their
responsibility in that respect. I tried to show them how much good they might
do, and how great a blessing their education would be to them and to the world,
if they used it aright, and what a great curse it would be to them and to the
world, if they used it selfishly. The address was short; but that point was
strongly urged upon them. Dr. Campbell afterward remarked to me, that a goodly
number, I forget now how many, had been received to the church, who were at that
time awakened, and led to seek the salvation of their souls. He mentioned it as
a remarkable fact, because, he said, he had no expectation that such a result
would follow.
The fact is, that the ministers in England, as well as in this
country, had lost sight, in a great measure, of the necessity of pressing
present obligations home upon the consciences of the people. "Why," said Dr.
Campbell, when he told me of this, "I don't understand it. You did not say
anything but what anybody else might have said just as well." "Yes," I replied,
"they might have said it; but would they have said it? Would they have made as
direct and pointed an appeal to the consciences of those young people, as I
did?" This is the difficulty. Ministers talk about sinners; and do not make the
impression that God commands them, now to repent; and thus they throw their
ministry away.
Indeed I seldom hear a sermon that seems to be constructed with
the intention of bringing sinners at once, face to face with their present duty
to God. You would scarcely get the idea from the sermons that are heard, either
in this country or in England,
that ministers expect or intend, to be instrumental in converting, at the time,
anybody in the house.
A fact was related to me some time ago, that will illustrate what
I have just said. Two young men who were acquaintances, but had very different
views of preaching the Gospel, were settled over congregations, at no great
distance from each other. One of them had a powerful revival in his
congregation, and the other had none. One was having continual accessions to his
church, and the other none. They met one day, and he who had no accession to his
church, inquired of his brother the cause of the difference between them; and
asked if he might take one of his sermons and preach it to his people, and see
if it had any different effect from his own. The arrangement was made; and he
preached the borrowed sermon to his people. It was a sermon, though written, yet
constructed for the purpose of bringing sinners face to face with their duty to
God. At the close of the service he saw that many were very much affected, and
remained in their seats weeping. He therefore made a profound apology, saying he
hoped he had not hurt their feelings, for he did not intend it.
My own mind was greatly exercised, in view of the moral
desolation of that vast city of London. The places of worship in the city, as I
learned, were sufficient to accommodate only a small part of the inhabitants.
But I was greatly interested in a movement that sprang up among the
Episcopalians. Numbers of their ministers came in, and attended our meetings.
One of the rectors, a Mr. Allen, became very much engaged, and made up his mind
that he would try to promote a revival in his own great parish. As he afterward
informed me, he went around and established twenty prayer meetings in his
parish, at different points. He went to preaching with all his might, directly
to the people. The Lord greatly blessed his labors, and before I left, he
informed me that not less than fifteen hundred persons had been hopefully
converted in his parish. Several other Episcopal ministers were greatly stirred
up, and quickened in their souls, and went to holding protracted or continuous
services. When I left London, there were four or five different Episcopal
churches that were holding daily meetings, and making efforts to promote a
revival. In every instance, I believe, they were greatly blessed and refreshed.
It was ten years before I visited London again to labor; and I was told that the
work had never ceased; that it had been going on, and enlarging its borders, and
spreading in different directions. I found many of the converts, the second time
I visited there, laboring in different parts of London in various ways, and with
great success.
I have said my mind was greatly exercised about the state of
London. I was scarcely ever more drawn out in prayer for any city or place than
I was for London. Sometimes, when I prayed, in public especially, it seemed,
with the multitudes before me, as if I could not stop praying; and that the
spirit of prayer would almost draw me out of myself, in pleadings for the
people, and for the city at large. I had hardly more than arrived in England,
before I began to receive multitudes of invitations to preach, for the purpose
of taking up collections for different objects: to pay the pastor's salary, to
help pay for a chapel, or to raise money for the Sabbath school, or for some
such object. And had I complied with their requests, I could have done nothing
else. But I declined to go, in answer to any such call. I told them I had not
come to England, to get money for myself or for them. My object was to win souls
to Christ.
After I had preached for Dr. Campbell about four months and a
half, I became very hoarse; and my wife's health also became much affected by
the climate, and by our intense labors. And here I must commence more
particularly, a recital of what God did by her.
Up to this time she had attended and taken part only in meetings
for women; and those were so new a thing in England that she had done but little
thus far in that way. But while we were at Dr. Campbell's, a request was made
that she would attend a tea-meeting of poor women, without education and without
religion. Tea-meetings, as they are called, are held in England, to bring
together people for any special object. Such a meeting was called by some of the
benevolent Christian gentlemen and ladies, and my wife was urgently requested to
attend it. She consented, having no thought that gentlemen would remain in the
meeting, while she made her address. However, when she got there, she found the
place crowded; and, in addition to the women, a considerable number of
gentlemen, who were greatly interested in the results of the meeting. She waited
a little, expecting that they would retire. But as they remained, and expected
her to take charge of the meeting, she arose, and, I believe, apologized for
being called to speak in public, informing them that she had never been in the
habit of doing so. She had then been my wife but a little more than a year, and
had never been abroad with me to labor in revivals, until we went to England.
She made an address at this meeting, as she informed me after she came to our
lodgings, of about three-quarters of an hour in length, and with very manifest
good results. The poor women present seemed to be greatly moved and interested;
and when she had done speaking, some of the gentlemen present arose, and
expressed their great satisfaction at what they had heard. They said they had
had prejudices against women speaking in public; but they could see no objection
to it under such circumstances, and they saw that it was manifestly calculated
to do great good. They therefore requested her to attend other similar meetings,
which she did. When she returned, she told me what she had done, and said that
she did not know but it would excite the prejudices of the people of England,
and perhaps do more harm than good. I feared this myself, and so expressed
myself to her. Yet I believe I did not advise her to keep still, and not attend
any more such meetings; but after more consideration I encouraged it. From that
time she became more and more accustomed, while we remained in England,
to that kind of labor; and after we returned home, she continued to labor with
her own sex wherever we went. Upon this I shall have occasion to enlarge, when I
speak of the revivals in which she bore a very prominent part.
There were a great number of most interesting cases of conversion
in London at that time, from almost all classes of society. I preached a great
deal on confession and restitution; the results of which were truly wonderful.
Almost every form of crime was thus searched out and confessed. Hundreds, and I
believe thousands of pounds sterling were paid over to make restitution.
Everyone acquainted with London is aware that from early in
November till the next March, the city is very gloomy, and has a miserable
atmosphere either to breathe or to speak in. We went there early in May. In
September my friend Brown, of Houghton, called on us, and seeing the state of
health that we were both in, he said, "This will never do. You must go to
France, or somewhere on the continent where they cannot understand your
language; for there is no rest for you in England as long as you are able to
speak at all." After talking the matter over, we concluded to take his advice,
and go for a little while to France. He handed me fifty pounds sterling, to meet our expenses. We went to Paris, and various other places in
France. We sedulously avoided making any acquaintances, and kept ourselves as
quiet as possible. The influence of the change of climate upon my wife's health,
was very marked. She recovered her full tone of strength very rapidly. I
gradually got over my hoarseness; and after an absence of about six weeks, we
returned to our labors in the Tabernacle, where we continued to labor till early
in the next April, when we left for home. I left England with great reluctance.
But the prosperity of our college seemed to require that I should return. We had
become greatly interested in the people of England, and desired very much to
remain there, and protract our labors. We sailed in a large packet ship, the Southampton,
from London. On the day that we sailed, a multitude of people who had been
interested in our labors, gathered upon the wharf. A great majority of them were
young converts. The ship had to wait for the tide, and for several hours there
was a vast crowd of people in the open space around the ship, waiting to see us
off. Tearing away from such a multitude of loving hearts, completely overcame
the strength of my wife. As soon as the ship was clear of the dock, she retired
to our stateroom. I remained upon the deck and watched the waving of
handkerchiefs, until we were swept down the river, out of sight. Thus closed our
labors in England, on our first visit there.
CHAPTER XXX
LABORS IN HARTFORD
AND IN SYRACUSE
WE arrived at Oberlin
in May, 1851, and after the usual labors of the summer, we left in the autumn
for New York City, expecting to spend the winter, as I had been invited to do,
in labor in Rev. Dr. Thompson's church, in the old Broadway Tabernacle. But
after preaching there a short time, I found so many hindrances in the way of our
work, especially the liability to the interruption of our evening services, by
the practice of letting the Tabernacle for public lectures, that I despaired of
success in the effort to promote a general revival. I therefore left, and
accepted an invitation to go to Hartford, and hold a series of meetings. I was
invited by Rev. William W. Patton, who was then pastor of one of the
Congregational churches of that city.
Very soon after I began my labors there, a powerful revival
influence was manifested among the people. But there was at this time an unhappy
state of disagreement existing between Dr. Hawes and Dr. Bushnell. The orthodoxy
of Dr. Bushnell, as is well-known, had been called in question. Dr. Hawes was
himself of the opinion that Dr. Bushnell's views were highly objectionable.
However, both Dr. Hawes and Dr. Bushnell attended our meetings, and manifested a
great interest in the work, which they saw had fairly begun. They invited me to
preach in their churches, which I did. Still the lay brethren through the city
felt as if the disagreement among the ministers was a stumbling block in the way;
and there was a considerable urgency expressed to have the ministers come more
fraternally together, and take a united stand before the people, to promote the
work. The people generally did not sympathize with Dr. Hawes strong views, in
regard to the orthodoxy of Dr. Bushnell. Being informed of this, I had a
fraternal conversation with Dr. Hawes and told him that he was in a false
position, and that the people felt tried with his laying so great stress upon
what he called the errors of Dr. Bushnell, and that they very generally, I
believed, did not justify him in the position that he occupied. Dr. Hawes was a
good man, and manifestly felt his responsibility in this matter very deeply.
One evening I had been preaching, I think, for Brother Patton,
and the three congregational ministers were present. After meeting they followed
me to my lodgings, and Dr. Hawes said, "Brother Finney, we are satisfied that
the Spirit of the Lord is poured out here; and now, what can we as ministers do
to promote this work?" I told them freely what I thought; that a great
responsibility rested upon them, and it seemed to me that it was for them to say,
whether the work should become general throughout the city or not; that if they
could reconcile their differences, and come out before the churches, and be
united and take hold of the work, a great obstacle would be removed; and that I
thought we might expect the work to spread rapidly on every hand. They saw their
position; Dr. Hawes and Dr. Bushnell came to an understanding to lay aside their
difficulties, and go on and promote the work. I should say here, that I believe
Brother Patton had never sympathized with the strong views held by Dr. Hawes;
and I should also say, that Dr. Bushnell himself did not seem to have any
controversy with Dr. Hawes; and the obstacle to be removed from before the
public seemed to be, mostly, in the unwillingness of Dr. Hawes, cordially to
cooperate with the other ministers, in the work.
Dr. Hawes was too good a man to persist in anything that would
prevent his doing whatever he could consistently do, to promote the work.
Therefore from that time we seemed to work together, with a good measure of
cordiality. The work spread into all the congregations, and went on very
hopefully, for a number of weeks. But there was one peculiarity about that work
that I have never forgotten. I believe every Sabbath that I was in that city, it
stormed furiously. Such a succession of stormy Sabbaths I almost never
witnessed. However, our meetings were fully attended; and for a place like
Hartford the work became powerful and extensive.
Those who are acquainted with Hartford know how fastidious and precise the people are in regard to all they do. They
were afraid of any measures other than prayer meetings, and preaching meetings,
and meetings for inquiry. In other words it was out of the question to call on
sinners to come forward, and break away from the fear of man, and give
themselves publicly to God. Dr. Hawes was especially very much afraid of any
such measures. Consequently I could do no such thing there. Indeed, Dr. Hawes
was so much afraid of measures, that I recollect, one night, in attending a
meeting of inquiry in his vestry, the number of inquirers present was large; and
at the close I called on those that were willing to give themselves up to God,
to kneel down. This startled Dr. Hawes; and he remarked before they knelt down
that none were requested to do so unless they did it cheerfully, of their own
accord. They did kneel down, and we prayed with them. Dr. Hawes remarked to me,
as the inquirers rose and were dismissed: "I have always felt the necessity of
some such measure, but have been afraid to use it. I have always seen," said he,
"that something was needed to bring persons to a stand, and to induce them to
act on their present convictions; but I have not had courage to propose anything
of the kind." I said to him that I had found some such measure indispensable, to
bring sinners to the point of submission.
In this revival there was a great deal of praying. The young
converts especially, gave themselves to very much prayer. One evening, as I
learned, one of the young converts after the evening services, invited another
to go home with him, and they would hold a season of prayer together. The Lord
was with them, and the next evening they invited others, and the next evening
more still, until the meeting became so large that they were obliged to divide
it. These meetings were held after the preaching service. The second meeting
soon became too large for the room, and that again was divided. And I understood
that these meetings multiplied, until the young converts were almost universally
in the habit of holding meetings for prayer, in different places, after the
preaching service. Finally to these meetings they invited inquirers, and such as
wished to be prayed for. This led to quite an organized effort, among the
converts, for the salvation of souls.
A very interesting state of things sprung up at this time in the
public schools. As I was informed, ministers had agreed that they would not
visit the public schools, and make any religious efforts there, because it
excited jealousy on the part of different denominations. One morning a large
number of lads, as I was told, when they came together, were so affected that
they could not study, and asked their teacher to pray for them. He was not a
professor of religion, and sent for one of the pastors, informing him of the
state of things, and requesting him to come and hold some religious service with
them. But he declined, saying that there was an understanding among the pastors
that they would not go to the public schools, to hold any religious services. He
sent for another, and another, as I was informed; but they told him he must pray
for the scholars himself. This brought a severe pressure upon him. But it
resulted, I believe, in his giving his own heart to God, and in his taking
measures for the conversion of the school. I understood there was a goodly
number of the scholars, in the various common schools, that were converted at
that time.
Everyone acquainted with the city of Hartford knows that its inhabitants are a very intelligent people, that all classes are
educated, and that there is, perhaps, no city in the world where education of so
high an order is so general as it is in Hartford. When the converts came to be
received, some six hundred, I believe, united with their churches. Dr. Hawes
said to me before I left, "What shall we do with these young converts? If we
should form them into a church by themselves, they would make admirable workers
for the salvation of souls. If, however, we receive them to our churches, where
we have so many elderly men and women, who are always expected to take the lead
in everything, their modesty will make them fall in behind these staid Christian
men and women; and they will live as they have lived, and be inefficient as they
have been." However, as I understood, the young converts, of both sexes, formed
themselves into a kind of city missionary society, and organized for the purpose
of making direct efforts to convert souls throughout the city. Such efforts as
this, for instance, were made by numbers of them. One of the principal young
ladies, perhaps as well-known and as much respected as any lady in the city,
undertook to reclaim, and if possible save, a class of young men who belonged to
prominent and wealthy families, but had fallen into bad habits, and into moral
delay, and had lost the respect of the people.
The position and character of this young lady rendered it
possible and proper for her to make such an effort, without creating a suspicion
of any impropriety on her part. She sought an opportunity to converse with this
class of young men; and, as I understood, brought them together for religious
conversation and prayer, and was very successful in reclaiming numbers of them.
If I have been rightly informed, the converts of that revival were a great power
in that city for good; and many of them remain there still, and are very active
in promoting religion.
Mrs. Finney established prayer meetings for ladies, which were
held in the vestry of the churches. These meetings were largely attended, and
became very interesting. The ladies were entirely united, and very much in
earnest, and became a principal power, under God, in promoting his work there.
We left there about the first of April, and went to the city of
New York on our way home. There I preached a few times for Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher, in Brooklyn; and there was a growing and deepening religious influence
among the people, when I arrived, and when I left. But I preached but a few
times, because my health gave way, and I was obliged to desist. We came home,
and went on with our labors here as usual, with the almost uniform result of a
great degree of religious influence among our students, and extending more or
less generally to the inhabitants.
The next winter we left Oberlin at the usual season, and started
East to occupy a field of labor to which we had been invited. While we were in
Hartford, the previous winter, we had a very pressing invitation to go to the
city of Syracuse to labor. The minister of the Congregational church came down
to Hartford, to persuade me, if possible, to return with him. I could not see it
my duty to go at that time, and thought no more about it. But on our way East at
this time, we met this minister at Rochester. He was not then the pastor of the
Congregational church in the city of Syracuse.
But he felt so much interest for them, that he finally induced me to promise him
that I would stop there, and spend at least one Sabbath. We did so, and found
the little church very much discouraged. Their number was small. The church was
mostly composed of persons of very radical views, in regard to all the great
questions of reform. The Presbyterian churches, and the other churches
generally, did not sympathize at all with them, and it seemed as if the
Congregational church must become extinct.
I preached one Sabbath, and learned so much about the state of
things as to be induced to remain another Sabbath. Soon I began to perceive a
movement among the dry bones. Some of the leading members of the Congregational
church began to make confession to each other, and public confession of their
wanderings from God, and of other things that had created prejudice against them
in the city. This conciliated the people around them, and they began to come in,
and soon their house of worship was too narrow to hold the people; and although
I had not expected to stay more than one Sabbath, I could not see my way clear
to leave, and I kept on from Sabbath to Sabbath. The interest continued to
increase and to spread. The Lord removed the obstacles, and brought Christian
people nearer together.
The Presbyterian churches were thrown open to our meetings, and
conversions were multiplied on every side. However, as in some other cases, I
directed my preaching very much to the Christian people. There had been very
little sympathy existing between them; and a great work was needed among
professors of religion, before the way could be prepared outside of the
churches. Thus I continued to labor in the different churches, until the Second
Presbyterian church was left without a pastor; after which we concentrated our
meetings there in a great measure, and held on throughout the winter.
Here again Mrs. Finney established her ladies' meetings with
great success. She generally held them in the lecture room of the first
Presbyterian church, I think, a commodious and convenient room for such
meetings. A great many very interesting facts occurred in her meetings that
winter. Christians of different denominations seemed to flow together, after
awhile, and all the difficulties that had existed among them seemed to be done
away. The Presbyterian and the Congregational churches were all without pastors
while I was there, and hence none of them opened their doors to receive the
converts. I was very willing that this should be so, as I knew that there was
great danger, if they began to receive the converts, that jealousies would
spring up and mar the work.
As we were about to leave in the spring, I gave out notice from
the pulpit, on my own responsibility, that on the next Sabbath we should hold a
communion service, to which all Christians, who truly loved the Lord Jesus
Christ, and gave evidence of it in their lives, were invited. That was one of
the most interesting communion seasons I ever witnessed. The church was filled
with communicants. Two very aged ministers, Fathers Waldo and Brainard, attended
and helped at the communion service. There was a great melting in the
congregation; and a more loving and joyful communion of the people of God, I
think I never saw anywhere.
After I left, the churches all secured pastors. I have been
informed that that revival resulted in great and permanent good. The
Congregational church built them a larger house of worship; and have been, I
believe, ever since a healthy church and congregation. The Presbyterian
churches, and I believe the Baptist churches, were much strengthened in faith
and increased in numbers.
The work was very deep there among a great many professors of
religion. One very striking fact occurred which I will mention. There was a lady
by the name of C, the Christian wife of an unconverted husband. She was a lady
of great refinement, and beauty of character and person. Her husband was a
merchant, a man of good moral character. She attended our meetings, and became
very much convicted for a deeper work of grace in her soul. She called on me one
day, in a state of very anxious inquiry. I had a few moments conversation with
her, and directed her attention especially to the necessity of a thorough and
universal consecration of herself and of her all to Christ. I told her that when
she had done this, she must believe for the sealing of the Holy Spirit. She had
heard the doctrine of sanctification preached, and it had greatly interested
her; and her inquiry was how she should obtain it. I gave her the brief
direction which I have mentioned, and she got up hastily and left me. Such a
pressure was upon her mind, that she seemed in haste to lay hold of the fullness
there was in Christ. I do not think she was in my room more than five or ten
minutes, and she left me like a person who has some pressing business on hand.
In the afternoon she returned as full of the Holy Spirit, to all human
appearance, as she could be. She said she hurried home from my room in the
morning, and went immediately to her chamber, and cast herself down before God,
and made a thorough consecration of herself and of her all to Him. She said she
had clearer apprehensions by far of what was meant by that, than she had ever
had before; and she made a full and complete resignation of herself and
everything into the hands of Christ. Her mind became at once entirely calm, and
she felt that she began to receive of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. In a very
short time she seemed to be lifted up above herself, and her joy was so great
that she could hardly refrain from shouting.
I had some conversation with her, and saw that she was in danger
of being over excited. I said as much as I dared to say, to put her on her guard
against this, and she went home.
A few days afterwards her husband called on me one morning with
his sleigh, and asked me to take a ride with him. I did so, and found that his
object was to talk with me about his wife. He said that she was brought up among
the Friends, and when he married her, he thought she was one of the most perfect
women that he ever knew. But finally, he said, she became converted and then he
observed a greater change in her than he thought was possible; for he thought
her as perfectly moral in her outward life before as she could be. Nevertheless,
the change in her spirit and bearing, at the time of her conversion, was so
manifest, he said, that no one could doubt it. "Since then," he said, "I have
thought her almost or quite perfect." But, said he, "now she has manifestly
passed through a greater change than ever. I see it in everything," said he.
"There is such a spirit in her, such a change, such an energy in her religion,
and such a fullness of joy and peace and love!" He inquired, "What shall I make
of it? How am I to understand this? Do such changes really take place in
Christian people?"
I explained it to him as best I could. I tried to make him
understand what she was by her education as a Quaker, and what her conversion
had done for her; and then told him that this was a fresh baptism of the Holy
Spirit, that had so greatly changed her at that time. She has since passed away
to heaven; but the savor of that anointing of the Holy Spirit remained with her,
as I have been informed, to the day of her death.
There is one circumstance that I have often heard Mrs. Finney
relate, that occurred in her meetings, that is worth notice here. Her ladies'
meetings were composed of the more intelligent ladies in the different churches.
Many of them were probably fastidious. But there was an elderly and uneducated
old woman that attended their meetings, and that used to speak, sometimes,
apparently to the annoyance of the ladies. Somehow she had the impression that
it was her duty to speak at every meeting; and sometimes she would get up and
complain of the Lord, that He laid it upon her to speak in meeting, while so
many ladies of education were allowed to attend and take no part. She wondered
why it was that God made it her duty to speak; while these fine ladies, who
could speak so much to edification, were allowed to attend and "have no cross,"
as she expressed it, "to take up." She seemed always to speak in a whining and
complaining manner. The part that she felt it her duty to take in every meeting,
a good deal annoyed and discouraged my wife. She saw that it did not interest
the ladies; and it seemed to her rather an element of disturbance.
But after things had gone on in this way for some time, one day
this same old woman arose in meeting, and a new spirit was upon her. As soon as
she opened her mouth it was apparent to everybody that a great change had come
over her. She had come to the meeting full of the Holy Ghost, and she poured out
her fresh experience, to the astonishment of all. The ladies were greatly
interested in what the old woman said: and she went forward with an earnestness
in relating what the Lord had done for her, that carried conviction to every
mind. All turned and leaned toward her, to hear every word that she said, the
tears began to flow, and a great movement of the Spirit seemed to be visible at
once throughout the meeting. Such a remarkable change wrought immense good, and
the old woman became a favorite. After that they expected to hear from her; and
were greatly delighted from meeting to meeting to hear her tell what the Lord
had done, and was doing for her soul.
I found in Syracuse a Christian woman whom they called Mother
Austin, a woman of most remarkable faith. She was poor, and entirely dependent
upon the charity of the people for subsistence. She was an uneducated woman, and
had been brought up manifestly in a family of very little cultivation. But she
had such faith as to secure the confidence of all who knew her. The conviction
seemed to be universal among both Christians and unbelievers, that mother Austin
was a saint. I do not think I ever witnessed greater faith in its simplicity
than was manifested by that woman. A great many facts were related to me
respecting her, that showed her trust in God, and in what a remarkable manner
God provided for her wants from day to day. She said to me on one occasion,
"Brother Finney, it is impossible for me to suffer for any of the necessaries of
life, because God has said to me, 'Trust in the Lord and do good: so shalt thou
dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.'" She related to me many facts
in her history, and many facts were related to me by others, illustrative of the
power of her faith.
She said, one Saturday evening a friend of hers, but an
impenitent man, called to see her; and after conversing awhile he offered her,
as he went away, a five dollar bill. She said that she felt an inward admonition
not to take it. She felt that it would be an act of self-righteousness on the
part of that man, and might do him more harm than it would do her good. She
therefore declined to take it, and he went away. She said she had just wood and
food enough in the house to last over the Sabbath, and that was all; and she had
no means whatever of obtaining any more. But still she was not at all afraid to
trust God, in such circumstances, as she had done for so many years.
On the Sabbath day there came a violent snowstorm. On Monday
morning the snow was several feet deep, and the streets were blocked up so that
there was no getting out without clearing the way. She had a young son that
lived with her, the two composing the whole family. They arose in the morning
and found themselves snowed in, on every side. They made out to muster fuel
enough for a little fire, and soon the boy began to inquire what they should
have for breakfast. She said, "I do not know, my son; but the Lord will
provide." She looked out, and nobody could pass the streets. The lad began to
weep bitterly, and concluded that they should freeze and starve to death.
However, she said she went on and made such preparations as she could, to
provide for breakfast, if any should come. I think she said she set her table,
and made arrangements for her breakfast, believing that some would come in due
season. Very soon she heard a loud talking in the streets, and went to the
window to see what it was, and beheld a man in a single sleigh, and some men
with him shoveling the snow so that the horse could get through. Up they came to
her door, and behold! they had brought her a plenty of fuel and provision,
everything to make her comfortable for several days. But time would fail me to
tell the instances in which she was helped in a manner as striking as this.
Indeed, it was notorious through the city, so far as I could learn, that Mother
Austin's faith was like a bank; and that she never suffered for want of the
necessaries of life, because she drew on God.
I never knew the number of converts at that time in Syracuse.
Indeed I was never in the habit of ascertaining the number of hopeful converts.
CHAPTER XXXI
LABORS IN WESTERN
AND IN ROME, 1854-5
THE next winter, at
Christmas time, we went again to Western, Oneida county, where as I have already
related, I commenced my labors in the autumn of 1825. The people were at this
time again without a minister; and we spent several weeks there in very
interesting labor, and with very marked results.
Among the striking things that occurred in the revival this time,
I will mention the case of one young man. He was the son of pious parents, and
had long been made the subject of prayer. His parents were prominent members of
the church. Indeed, his father was one of the elders of the church; and his
mother was a godly, praying woman. When I commenced my labors there, to the
great surprise and grief of his parents, and of the Christian people generally,
he became exceedingly bitter against the preaching, and the meetings generally,
and all that was done for the promotion of the revival. He committed himself
with all the strength of his will against it; and affirmed, as I was told, that
neither Finney nor hell could convert him. He said many very hateful and profane
things, until his parents were deeply grieved; but I am not aware that he had
ever been suspected of any outward immorality.
But the Word of God pressed him from day to day, till he could
stand it no longer. He came one morning to my room. His appearance was truly
startling. I cannot describe it. I seldom ever saw a person whose mind had made
such an impression upon his countenance. He appeared to be almost insane; and he
trembled in such a manner that when he was seated, the furniture of the room was
sensibly jarred by his trembling. I observed, when I took his hand, that it was
very cold. His lips were blue; and his whole appearance was quite alarming. The
fact is, he had stood out against his convictions as long as he could endure it.
When he sat down, I said to him, "My dear young man, what is the matter with
you?" "Oh," said he, "I have committed the unpardonable sin." I replied, "What
makes you say so?" "Oh, said he, "I know that I have; and I did it on purpose."
He then related this fact of himself. Said he, "Several years ago
a book was put into my hands called, "The pirates own book." I read it, and it
produced a most extraordinary effect upon my mind. It inspired me with a kind of
terrible and infernal ambition to be the greatest pirate that ever lived. I made
up my mind to be at the head of all the highway robbers, and bandits, and
pirates whose history was ever written. But," said he, "my religious education
was in my way. The teaching and prayers of my parents seemed to rise up before
me, so that I could not go forward. But I had heard that it was possible to give
the Spirit of God away, and to quench His influence so that one would feel it no
more. I had read also that it was possible to sear my conscience, so that would
not trouble me; and after my resolution was taken, my first business was to get
rid of my religious convictions, so as to be able to go on and perpetrate all
manner of robberies and murders, without any compunction of conscience. I
therefore set myself deliberately to blaspheme the Holy Ghost." He then told me
in what manner he did this, and what he said to the Holy Ghost; but it was too
blasphemous to repeat.
He continued: "I then felt that it must be that the Spirit of God
would leave me, and that my conscience would no more trouble me. After a little
while I made up my mind that I would commit some crime, and see how it would
affect me. There was a schoolhouse across the way from our house; and one
evening I went and set it on fire. I then went to my room, and to bed. Soon,
however, the fire was discovered. I arose, and mingled with the crowd that
gathered to put it out; but all efforts were in vain, and it burnt to the
ground." To burn a building in that way, was a state-prison offense. He was
aware of this. I asked him if he had gone farther in the commission of crime. He
replied, "No." And I think he added, that he did not find his conscience at rest
about it, as he had expected. I asked him if he had ever been suspected of
having burnt it. He replied that he did not know that he had; but that other
young men had been suspected, and talked about. I asked him what he proposed to
do about it. He replied that he was going to the trustees to confess it; and he
asked me if I would not accompany him.
I went with him to one of the trustees, who lived near; and the
young man asked me if I would not tell him the facts. I did so. The trustee was
a good man, and a great friend of the parents of this young man. The
announcement affected him deeply. The young man stood speechless before him.
After conversing with the trustee for a little while, I said, "We will go and
see the other trustees." The gentleman replied, "No, you need not go; I will see
them myself, and tell them the whole story." He assured the young man that he
himself would freely forgive him; and he presumed that the other trustees, and
the people in the town, would forgive him, and not subject him or his parents to
any expense about it.
I then returned to my room, and the young man went home. Still he
was not at rest. As I was going to meeting in the evening, he met me at the door
and said, "I must make a public confession. Several young men have been
suspected of this thing; and I want the people to know that I did it, and that I
had no accomplice, that nobody but God and myself knew it." And he added: "Mr.
Finney, won't you tell the people? I will be present, and say anything that may
be necessary to say, if anybody should ask any questions; but I do not feel as
it I could open my mouth. You can tell them all about it."
When the people were assembled, I arose and related to them the
facts. The family was so well known, and so much beloved in the community, that
the statement made a great impression. The people sobbed and wept all over the
congregation. After he had made this full confession he obtained peace. Of his
religious history since I know not much. I have recently learned, however, that
he retained his hold upon Christ, and did not seem to backslide. He went into
the army during the rebellion, and was slain at the battle of Fort Fisher.
In giving my narrative of revivals thus far, I have passed over a
great number of cases of crime, committed by persons who came to me for advice,
and told me the facts. In many instances in these revivals, restitution,
sometimes to the amount of many thousands of dollars, was made by those whose
consciences troubled them, either because they had obtained the money directly
by fraud, or by some selfish overreaching in their business relations.
The winter that I first spent in Boston, resulted in making a
great many such revelations. I had preached there one Sabbath in the morning
upon this text: "Whoso covereth his sins shall not prosper;" and in the
afternoon on the remainder of the verse: "But who so confesseth and forsaketh
them, shall find mercy." I recollect that the results of those two sermons were
most extraordinary. For weeks afterwards, persons of almost all ages, and of
both sexes, came to me for spiritual advice, disclosing to me the fact that they
had committed various frauds, and sins of almost every description. Some young
men had defrauded their employers in business; and some women had stolen
watches, and almost every article of female apparel. Indeed, it seemed as if the
Word of the Lord was sent home with such power at that time in that city, as to
uncover a very den of wickedness. It would certainly take me hours to mention
the crimes that came to my personal knowledge through the confessions of those
that had perpetrated them. But in every instance the persons seemed to be
thoroughly penitent, and were willing to make restitution to the utmost of their
ability.
But to return from this digression, to Western. The revival was
of a very interesting character; and there was a goodly number of souls born to
God. The conversion of one young lady there I remember with a good deal of
interest. She was teaching the village school. Her father was, I believe, a
skeptic; and as I understood, she was an only daughter, and a great favorite
with her father. He was a man, if I was rightly informed, of considerable
influence in the town, but did not at all attend our meetings. He lived on a
farm away from the village. Indeed the village is very small, and the
inhabitants are scattered through the valley of the Mohawk, and over the hills
on each side; so that the great mass of inhabitants have to come a considerable
distance to meeting.
I had heard that this young woman did not attend our meetings
much, and that she manifested considerable opposition to the work. In passing
the schoolhouse one day I stepped in to speak with her. At first she appeared
surprised to see me come in. I had never been introduced to her, and should not
have known her, if I had not found her in that place. She knew me, however, and
at first appeared as if she recoiled from my presence. I took her very kindly by
the hand, and told her that I had dropped in to speak with her about her soul.
"My child," I said, "how is it with you? Have you given your heart to God?" This
I said while I held her hand. Her head fell, and she made no effort to withdraw
her hand. I saw in a moment that a subduing influence came over her, and so deep
and remarkable an influence, that I felt almost assured that she would submit to
God right on the spot.
The most that I expected when I went in, was to have a few words
with her that I hoped might set her to thinking, and to appoint a time to
converse with her more at large. But the impression was at once so manifest, and
she seemed to break down in her heart so readily, that with a few sentences
quietly and softly spoken to her, she seemed to give up her opposition, and to
be in readiness to lay hold on the Lord Jesus Christ. I then asked her if I
should say a few words to the scholars; and she said, yes, she wished I would. I
did so, and then asked her if I should present herself and her scholars to God
in prayer. She said she wished I would, and became very deeply affected in the
presence of the school. We engaged in prayer, and it was a very solemn, melting
time. The young lady from that time seemed to be subdued, and to have passed
from death unto life. She did not live long before she passed, I trust, to
heaven.
These two seasons of my being in Western were about thirty years
apart. Another generation had come to live in that place from that which lived
there in the first revival in which I labored there. I found, however, a few of
the old members there. But the congregation was mostly new, and composed
principally of younger people who had grown up after the first revival.
As in the case of the first revival, so in this, the people in
Rome heard what was passing in Western, and came up in considerable numbers to
attend our meetings. This led after a few weeks, to my going down and spending
some time in Rome.
The state of religion in Western has, I believe, been very much
improved since this last revival. The ordinances of the Gospel have been
maintained, and I believe considerable progress has been made in the right
direction.
The B's have all gone from Western, with the exception of one son
and his family. That large and interesting family have melted away; but one of
them being left in Western, one in Utica, and one son who was converted in the
first revival there, and who has for many years been a minister, and pastor of
the first Presbyterian church in Watertown, New York.
When I was at Rome the first time, and for many years after, the
church was Congregational. But a few years before I was there the last time,
they had settled a Presbyterian minister, a young man, and he felt that the
church ought to be Presbyterian instead of Congregational. He proposed and
recommended this to the church, and succeeded in bringing it about; but to the
great dissatisfaction of a large number of influential persons in the church.
This created a very undesirable state of things in Rome; and when I arrived
there from Western I was, for the first time, made acquainted with that very
serious division of feeling in the church. Their pastor had lost the confidence
and affection of a considerable number of very influential members of his
church.
When I learned the state of things, I felt confident that but
little could be done to promote a general revival, unless that difficulty could
be healed. But it had been talked over so much, and the persons first concerned
in it had so committed themselves, that I labored in vain to bring about a
reconciliation. It was not a thing to preach about; but in private conversation
I tried to pluck up that root of bitterness. I found the parties did not view
the facts alike. I kept preaching, however; and the Spirit of the Lord was
poured out, conversions were occurring very frequently, and I trust great good
was done.
But after endeavoring in vain to secure a union of feeling and
effort such as God would approve, I made up my mind to leave them. I have heard
since that some of the disaffected members of the church went and joined the
church in Western, leaving the church in Rome altogether. I presume the pastor did what he deemed to be his duty in that
controversy, but the consequent divisions were exceedingly painful to me, as I
felt a peculiar interest in that church.
CHAPTER XXXII
REVIVAL IN
ROCHESTER IN 1855
IN the autumn of 1855,
we were called again to the city of Rochester to labor for souls. At first I had
no mind to go, but a messenger arrived with a pressing request, bearing the
signatures of a large number of persons, both professors of religion and
non-professors. After much deliberation and prayer I consented. We commenced our
labors there, and it was very soon apparent that the Spirit of God was working
among the people. Some Christians in that place, and especially the brother who
came after me, had been praying most earnestly all summer for the outpouring of
the Spirit there. A few souls had been wrestling with God until they felt that
they were on the eve of a great revival.
When I stated my objections to going to labor in Rochester again,
the brother who came after me set that all aside by saying, "The Lord is going
to send you to Rochester, and you will go to Rochester this winter, and we shall
have a great revival." I made up my mind with much hesitancy after all. But when
I arrived there, I was soon convinced that it was of God. I began preaching in
the different churches. The first Presbyterian church in that city was Old
School, and they did not open their doors to our meeting. But the Congregational
church, and the two other Presbyterian churches with their pastors, took hold of
the work and entered into it with spirit and success. The Baptist churches also
entered into the work at this time; and the Methodist churches labored in their
own way, to extend the work. We held daily noon prayer meetings, which were
largely attended, and in which a most excellent spirit prevailed.
Soon after I commenced my labors there, a request was sent to me,
signed by the members of the bar and several judges--two judges of the court of
appeals, and I believe one or two judges of the supreme court who resided
there--asking me to preach again a course of lectures to lawyers, on the moral
government of God. I complied with their request. I began my course to lawyers
this time by preaching first on the text: "Commending ourselves to every man's
conscience in the sight of God." I began by remarking that the text assumed that
every man has a conscience. I then gave a definition of conscience, and
proceeded to show what every man's conscience does truly affirm; that every man
knows himself to be a sinner against God; that therefore he knows that God must
condemn him as a sinner; and that every man knows that his own conscience
condemns him as a sinner. I was aware that among the lawyers were some skeptics.
Indeed one of them had a few months before declared that he would never again
attend a Christian meeting, that he did not believe in the Christian religion,
and he would not appear to do so; that it placed him in a false position, and
his mind was made up to pay no more respect to the institutions of Christianity.
I shaped my lectures from evening to evening, with the design to
convince the lawyers that, if the Bible was not true, there was no hope for
them. I endeavored to show that they could not infer that God would forgive them
because He was good, for His goodness might prevent His forgiving them. It might
not on the whole be wise and good to pardon such a world of sinners as we know
ourselves to be; that left without the Bible to throw light upon that question,
it was impossible for human reason to come to the conclusion that sinners could
be saved. Admitting that God was infinitely benevolent, we could not infer from
that, that any sinner could be forgiven; but must infer from it, on the
contrary, that impenitent sinners could not be forgiven. I endeavored to clear
the way so as to shut them up to the Bible as revealing the only rational way in
which they could expect salvation.
At the close of my first lecture, I heard that the lawyer to whom
I have referred, who had said he would never attend another Christian meeting,
remarked to a friend as he went home, that he had been mistaken, that he was
satisfied there was more in Christianity than he had supposed, and he did not
see any way to escape the argument to which he had listened; and furthermore
that he should attend all those lectures, and make up his mind in view of the
facts and arguments that should be presented.
I continued to press this point upon their attention, until I
felt that they were effectually shut up to Christ, and the revelations made in
the Gospel, as their only hope. But as yet, I had not presented Christ, but left
them shut up under the law, condemned by their own consciences, and sentenced to
eternal death. This, as I expected, effectually prepared the way for a cordial
reception of the blessed Gospel. When I came to bring out the Gospel as
revealing the only possible or conceivable way of salvation for sinners, they
gave way, as they had done under a former course of lectures, in former years.
They began to break down, and a large proportion of them were hopefully
converted.
What was quite remarkable in the three revivals that I have
witnessed in Rochester, they all commenced and made their first progress among
the higher classes of society. This was very favorable to the general spread of
the work, and to the overcoming of opposition.
There were many very striking cases of conversion in this
revival, as in the revival that preceded it. The work spread and excited so much
interest, that it became the general topic of conversation throughout the city
and the surrounding region of country. Merchants arranged to have their clerks
attend, a part of them one day, and a part the next day. The work became so
general throughout the city that in all places of public resort, in stores and
public houses, in banks, in the street and in public conveyances, and
everywhere, the work of salvation that was going on was the absorbing topic.
Men that had stood out in the former revivals, many of them bowed
to Christ in this. Some men who had been open Sabbath-breakers, others that had
been openly profane, indeed, all classes of persons, from the highest to the
lowest, from the richest to the poorest, were visited by the power of this
revival and brought to Christ. I continued there throughout the winter, the
revival increasing continually, to the last. Rev. Dr. Anderson, president of the
University, engaged in the work with great cordiality, and, as I understood, a
large number of the students in the University were converted at that time. The
pastors of the two Baptist churches took hold of the effort, and I preached
several times in their churches.
Mrs. Finney was well acquainted in Rochester, having lived there
for many years, and having witnessed the two great revivals in which I had
labored, that preceded this. She took an absorbing interest in this revival, and
labored, as usual, with great zeal and success. As on former occasions, I found
the people of Rochester, like the noble Bereans, ready to hear the Word with all
readiness of mind, and to search the Scriptures daily, whether these things were
so. Many of the ladies in Rochester exerted their utmost influence to bring all
classes to meeting and to Christ. Some of them would visit the stores and places
of business, and use all their influence to secure the attendance, at our
meetings, of the persons engaged in these establishments. Many men connected
with the operations of the railroad were converted, and finally, much of the
Sabbath business of the roads was suspended, because of the great religious
movement in the city and among those employed upon the roads.
The blessed work of grace extended and increased until it seemed
as if the whole city would be converted. As in the former revivals, the work
spread from this center to the surrounding towns and villages. It has been quite
remarkable that revivals in Rochester have had so great an influence upon other
cities and villages far and near.
The means used to promote this revival were the same as had been
used in each of the preceding great revivals. The same doctrines were preached.
The same measures were used, with results in all respects similar to what had
been realized in the former revivals. There was manifested, as there had
previously been, an earnest and candid attention to the Word preached; a most
intelligent inquiry after the truth as it really is taught in the Bible. I never
preached anywhere with more pleasure that in Rochester. They are a highly
intelligent people, and have ever manifested a candor, an earnestness, and an
appreciation of the truth excelling anything I have seen, on so large a scale,
in any other place. I have labored in other cities where the people were even
more highly educated than in Rochester. But in those cities the views and habits
of the people were more stereotyped; the people were more fastidious, more
afraid of measures than in Rochester. In New England I have found a high degree of general education, but a timidity, a stiffness, a
formality, and a stereotyped way of doing things, that has rendered it
impossible for the Holy Spirit to work with freedom and power.
When I was laboring in Hartford I was visited by a minister from
central New York who had witnessed the glorious revivals in that region. He
attended our meetings and observed the type and progress of the work there. I
said nothing to him of the formality of our prayer meetings, or of the timidity
of the people in the use of measures, but he remarked to me, "Why, Brother
Finney, your hands are tied, you are hedged in by their fears and by the
stereotyped way of doing everything. They have even put the Holy Ghost into a
strait jacket." This was strong, and to some may appear irreverent and profane,
but he intended no such thing. He was a godly, earnest, humble minister of Jesus
Christ, and expressed just what he saw and felt, and just what I saw and felt,
that the Holy Spirit was restrained greatly in His work by the fears and the
self-wisdom of the people. Indeed I must say, I do not think the people of New
England can at all appreciate the restraints which they impose on the Holy
Spirit, in working out the salvation of souls. Nor can they appreciate the power
and purity of the revivals in those places where these fears, prejudices,
restraints, and self-wisdom do not exist.
In an intelligent, educated community, great freedom may be given
in the use of means, without danger of disorder.
Indeed wrong ideas of what constitutes disorder, are very
prevalent. Most churches call anything disorder to which they have not been
accustomed. Their stereotyped ways are God's order in their view, and whatever
differs from these is disorder and shocks their ideas of propriety. But in fact
nothing is disorder that simply meets the necessities of the people. In religion
as in everything else, good sense and a sound discretion will, from time to
time, judiciously adapt means to ends. The measures needed will be naturally
suggested to those who witness the state of things, and if prayerfully and
cautiously used, let great freedom be given to the influences of the Holy Spirit
in all hearts.
CHAPTER XXXIII
REVIVALS IN BOSTON
IN 1856-57-58
THE next autumn we
accepted an invitation to labor again in Boston. We began our labors at Park
street, and the Spirit of God immediately manifested His willingness to save
souls. The first sermon that I preached was directed to the searching of the
church; for I always began by trying to stir up a thorough and pervading
interest among professors of religion; to secure the reclaiming of those that
were backslidden, and search out those that were self-deceived, and if possible
bring them to Christ.
After the congregation was dismissed, and the pastor was standing
with me in the pulpit, he said to me, "Brother Finney, I wish to have you
understand that I need to have this preaching as much as any member of this
church. I have been very much dissatisfied with my religious state for a long
time; and have sent for you on my own account, and for the sake of my own soul,
as well as for the sake of the souls of the people." We had at different times
protracted and very interesting conversations. He seemed thoroughly to give his
heart to God. And one evening at a prayer and conference meeting, as I
understood, he related to the people his experience, and told them that he had
been that day converted.
This of course produced a very deep impression upon the church
and congregation, and upon the city quite extensively. Some of the pastors
thought that it was injudicious for him to make a thing of that kind so public.
But I did not regard it in that light. It manifestly was the best means he could
use for the salvation of his people, and highly calculated to produce among
professors of religion generally a very great searching of heart.
The work was quite extensive that winter in Boston, and many very
striking cases of conversion occurred. We labored there until spring, and then
thought it necessary to return to our labors at home. But it was very manifest
that the work in that city was by no means done; and we left with the promise
that, the Lord willing, we would return and labor there the next winter.
Accordingly the next autumn we returned to Boston.
In the meantime one of the pastors of the city, who had been in
Europe the previous winter, had been writing some articles,
which were published in the Congregationalist, opposing our return there. He
regarded my theology, especially on the subject of sanctification, as unsound.
This opposition produced an effect, and we felt at once that there was a jar
among the Christian people. Some of the leading members of his church, who the
winter before had entered heart and soul into the work, stood aloof and did not
come near our meetings; and it was evident that his whole influence, which was
considerable at that time in the city, was against the work. This made some of
his good people very sad.
This winter of 1857-58 will be remembered as the time when a
great revival prevailed throughout all the Northern states. It swept over the
land with such power, that for a time it was estimated that not less than fifty
thousand conversions occurred in a single week. This revival had some very
peculiarly interesting features. It was carried on to a large extent through lay
influence, so much so as almost to throw the ministers into the shade. There had
been a daily prayer meeting observed in Boston for several years; and in the
autumn previous to the great outburst, the daily prayer meeting had been
established in Fulton street, New York, which has been continued to this day.
Indeed, daily prayer meetings were established throughout the length and breadth
of the Northern states. I recollect in one of our prayer meetings in Boston that
winter, a gentleman arose and said, "I am from Omaha, in Nebraska. On my journey
east I have found a continuous prayer meeting all the way. We call it," said he,
"about two thousand miles from Omaha to Boston; and here was a prayer meeting
about two thousand miles in extent."
In Boston we had to struggle, as I have intimated, against this
divisive influence, which set the religious interest a good deal back from where
we had left it the spring before. However, the work continued steadily to
increase, in the midst of these unfavorable conditions. It was evident that the
Lord intended to make a general sweep in Boston. Finally it was suggested that a
businessmen's prayer meeting should be established, at twelve o'clock, in the
chapel of the Old South church, which was very central for business men. The
Christian friend, whose guests we were, secured the use of the room, and
advertised the meeting. But whether such a meeting would succeed in Boston at that time, was considered doubtful. However, this brother called the meeting;
and to the surprise of almost everybody the place was not only crowded, but
multitudes could not get in at all. This meeting was continued, day after day,
with wonderful results. The place was, from the first, too strait for them, and
other daily meetings were established in other parts of the city.
Mrs. Finney held ladies' meetings daily at the large vestry of
Park street. These meetings became so crowded, that the ladies would fill the
room, and then stand about the door on the outside, as far as they could hear on
every side.
One of our daily prayer meetings was held at Park street church,
which would be full whenever it was open for prayer; and this was the case with
many other meetings in different parts of the city. The population, large as it
was, seemed to be moved throughout. The revival became too general to keep any
account at all of the number of conversions, or to allow of any estimate being
made that would approximate the truth. All classes of people were inquiring
everywhere. Many of the Unitarians became greatly interested, and attended our
meetings in large numbers.
This revival is of so recent date that I need not enlarge upon
it, because it became almost universal throughout the Northern states. A divine
influence seemed to pervade the whole land. Slavery seemed to shut it out from
the South. The people there were in such a state of irritation, of vexation, and
of committal to their peculiar institution, which had come to be assailed on
every side, that the Spirit of God seemed to be grieved away from them. There
seemed to be no place found for Him in the hearts of the Southern people at that
time. It was estimated that during this revival not less than five hundred
thousand souls were converted in this country.
As I have said, it was carried on very much through the
instrumentality of prayer meetings, personal visitation and conversation, by the
distribution of tracts, and by the energetic efforts of the laity, men and
women. Ministers nowhere opposed it that I am aware of. I believe they
universally sympathized with it. But there was such a general confidence in the
prevalence of prayer, that the people very extensively seemed to prefer meetings
for prayer to meetings for preaching. The general impression seemed to be, "We
have had instruction until we are hardened; it is time for us to pray." The
answers to prayer were constant, and so striking as to arrest the attention of
the people generally throughout the land. It was evident that in answer to
prayer the windows of heaven were opened and the Spirit of God poured out like a
flood. The New York Tribune at that time published several extras, filled with
accounts of the progress of the revival in different parts of the United States.
I have said there were some very striking instances of conversion
in this revival in Boston. One day I received an anonymous letter, from a lady,
asking my advice in regard to the state of her soul. Usually I took no notice
whatever of anonymous letters. But the handwriting, the manifest talent
displayed in the letter, together with the unmistakable earnestness of the
writer, led me to give it unwonted attention. She concluded by requesting me to
answer it, and direct it to Mrs. M, and leave it with the sexton of the church
where I was to preach that night, and she should get it. I was at this time
preaching around from evening to evening in different churches. I replied to
this anonymous letter, that I could not give her the advice which she sought,
because I was not well enough acquainted with her history, or with the real
state of her mind. But I would venture to call her attention to one fact, which
was very apparent, not only in her letter but also in the fact of her not
putting her name to it, that she was a very proud woman; and that fact she
needed thoroughly to consider.
I left my reply with the sexton, as she requested, and the next
morning a lady called to see me. As soon as she came in, she informed me that
she was the lady that wrote that anonymous letter; and she had called to tell me
that I was mistaken in thinking that she was proud. She said that she was far
enough from that; but she was a member of the Episcopal church, and did not want
to disgrace her church by revealing the fact that she was not converted. I
replied, "It is church pride, then, that kept you from revealing your name."
This touched her so deeply that she arose, and in a manifest excitement left the
room. I expected to see her no more; but that evening I found her, after
preaching, among the inquirers in the vestry. In passing around I observed this
lady. She was manifestly a woman of intelligence and education, and I could
perceive that she belonged to cultivated society. But as yet I did not know her
name; for our conversation that morning had not lasted more than a minute or
two, before she left the room as I have related. As I observed her in passing
around, I remarked to her quietly, "And you here?" "Yes," she replied, and
dropped her head as if she felt deeply. I had a few words of kind conversation
with her, and it passed for that evening.
In these inquiry meetings I always urged the necessity of
immediate submission to Christ, and brought them face to face with that duty;
and I then called on such as were prepared to commit themselves unalterably to
Christ, to kneel down. I observed when I made this call, that she was among the
first that made a movement to kneel. The next morning she called on me again at
an early hour. As soon as we were alone, she opened her mind to me and said, "I
see, Mr. Finney, that I have been very proud. I have come to tell you who I am,
and to give you such facts in regard to my history, that you may know what to
say to me." She was, as I had supposed, a women in high life, the wife of a
wealthy gentleman, who was himself a skeptic. She has made a profession of
religion, but was unconverted. She was very frank in this interview, and threw
her mind open to instruction very cordially; and either at that time or
immediately after, she expressed hope in Christ, and became a very earnest
Christian. She is a remarkable writer, and could more nearly report my sermons,
without shorthand, than any person I ever knew. She used to come and sit and
write my sermons with a rapidity and an accuracy that were quite astonishing.
She sent copies of her notes to a great many of her friends, and exerted herself
to the utmost to secure the conversion of her friends in Boston and elsewhere.
With this lady I have had much correspondence. She has always manifested that
same earnestness in religion, that she did at that time. She has always some
good work in hand; and is an earnest laborer for the poor, and for all classes
that need her instruction, her sympathy, and her help. She has passed through
many mental struggles, surrounded as she is by such temptations to worldliness.
But I trust that she has been, and will be, an ornament to the church of Christ.
The revival extended from Boston to Charlestown and Chelsea. In short it spread on every side. I preached in East
Boston and Charlestown; and for a considerable time in Chelsea, where the
revival became very general and precious. We continued to labor in Boston that
winter, until it was time for us to return to our labors at home in the spring.
When we left, the work was in its full strength without any apparent abatement
at all.
The church and ministry in this country had become so extensively
engaged in promoting the revival, and such was the blessing of God attending the
exertions of laymen as well as of ministers, that I made up my mind to return
and spend another season in England,
and see if the same influence would not pervade that country.
CHAPTER XXXIV
SECOND VISIT TO
ENGLAND
WE sailed for
Liverpool in the steamer Persia, in December, 1858. Our friend Brown came
to Liverpool to meet us, to induce us to labor in Houghton for a season, before
we committed ourselves to any other field. Immediately on our arrival, I
received a great number of letters from different parts of England, expressing
great joy at our return and inviting us to come and labor in many different
fields. However I spent several weeks laboring in Houghton and Saint Ives, where
we saw precious revivals. In Saint Ives they had never had a revival before. In
Houghton we had labored during our first visit to England, and saw a very
interesting work of grace.
At this time we found at Saint Ives a very singular state of
things. There was but one Independent church, the pastor of which had been there
a good many years, but had not succeeded in doing much as a minister. He was a
mysterious sort of man. He was very fond of wine and a great opposer of total
abstinence. We held our meetings in a hall which would accommodate more people,
by far, than the Congregational church. I sometimes preached, however, in the
church; but it was a less desirable place to preach in than the hall, as it was
a very small and incommodious house.
The revival took powerful effect there, notwithstanding the
position of the minister. He stood firmly against it until the interest became
so great that he left the town, and was absent, I know not where, for several
weeks. Since that time the converts of the revival, together with my friend
Brown, and some of the older members of the church, have put up a fine chapel,
and the religious condition of the place has been exceedingly different from
what it ever had been before.
Mr. Harcourt, the former pastor at Houghton, had proved himself a
very successful minister, and had been called to London, to Borough Road chapel.
Here I found him on my second visit to England. He had been awaiting, with
anxiety, our return to England; and as soon as he heard we were there, he used
most strenuous efforts to secure our labors with him in London. The church over
which he presided in London, had been torn to pieces by most ultra and fanatical
views on the subject of temperance. They had a lovely pastor, whose heart had
been almost broken by their feuds upon that subject, and he had finally left the
church in utter discouragement. Their deacons had been compelled to resign, and
the church was in a sad state of disorganization. Brother Harcourt informed me
that unless the church could be converted, he was satisfied he never could
succeed in doing much in that field.
As soon as we could leave Saint Ives we went to London, to see
what could be done in his church and congregation. We found them, as he had
represented, in so demoralized a state that it seemed questionable whether the
church could ever be resuscitated and built up. However we went to work, my wife
among the ladies of the congregation, and I went to preaching, and searching
them, to the utmost of my strength. It was very soon perceptible that the Spirit
of God was poured out, and that the church were very generally in a state of
great conviction. The work deepened and spread till it reached, I believe, every
household belonging to that congregation. All the old members of the church were
so searched that they made confession one to another, and settled their
difficulties; and Mr. Harcourt told me, before I left, that his church was
entirely a new church; that the blessing of God had been universal among them so
that all their old animosities were healed; and that he had the greatest comfort
in them. Indeed the work in that church was really most wonderful. I directed my
labors, for several weeks, to the church itself. Mr. Harcourt had been praying
for them, and laboring with them, till he was almost discouraged; but the
blessing at last came, in such fullness, as to meet the longings of his heart.
His people were reconverted and cemented together in love, and they learned to
take hold of the work themselves.
Some years after my return to this country, Mr. Harcourt came
over and made us a visit. This was a little while after the death of my dear
wife. He then told me that the work had continued in his church up to that time,
that his people felt that if there were not more or less conversions every week,
something was entirely wrong. They were frightened if the work was not
perceptibly and constantly going forward. He said they stood by him, and he felt
every Sabbath as if he was in the midst of a praying atmosphere. Indeed his
report of the results of that revival up to the time of his leaving, was deeply
interesting. Considering what the church had been, and what it was after the
revival, it is no wonder that Mr. Harcourt's heart was as full as it could hold,
of thanksgiving to God, for such a blessing.
In this place, as had been the case before at Dr. Campbell's,
there were great revelations made of iniquity that had been covered up for a
long time, among professors of religion. These cases were frequently brought to
my notice by persons coming to me to ask for advice. Not only did professors of
religion come, but numbers that had never made a profession of religion, who
became terribly convicted of sin.
Soon after I began my labors at this time in London, a Dr.
Tregelles, a distinguished literary man and professed theologian, wrote to Dr.
Campbell, calling his attention to what he regarded as a great error in my
theology. In treating upon the conditions of salvation, I had said in my
Systematic Theology, that the atonement of Christ was one of the conditions. I
said that God's infinite love was the foundation or source from which the whole
movement sprung, but that the conditions upon which we could be saved, were the
atonement of Christ, faith, and repentance. To this statement Dr. Tregelles took
great exceptions.
Strange to tell, instead of going to my theology, and seeing just
what I did say, Dr. Campbell took it up in his paper and agreed with Dr.
Tregelles, and wrote several articles in opposition to what he supposed to be my
views. They, both of them, strangely misunderstood my position, and got up in
England, at this time, a good deal of opposition to my labors. Dr. Campbell, it
appeared, after all, had no doubt of my orthodoxy. Dr. Redford insisted that my
statement of the matter was right, and that any other statement was far from
being right. However, I paid no attention, publicly, to Dr. Campbell's
strictures on the subject. He afterwards wrote me a letter, which I have now in
my possession, subscribing fully to my orthodoxy and to my views; but saying
that, unfortunately, I made discriminations in my theology that common people
did not understand. The fact is, a great many people understood them better than
the Doctor did himself.
He had been educated in Scotland, and was, after the straitest
sect, a Scotch theologian; consequently my new school statements of doctrine
puzzled him, and it took him some time to understand them. I found when I first
arrived in England that their theology was to a very great extent dogmatic, in
the sense that it rested on authority. They had their Thirty-nine Articles in
the Established church, and their Westminster Confession of faith; and these
they regarded as authority. They were not at all in the habit of trying to prove
the positions taken in these standards, as they were called; but dealt them out
as dogmas. When I began to preach they were surprised that I reasoned with the
people. Dr. Campbell did not approve it, and insisted that it would do no good.
But the people felt otherwise; and it was not uncommon for me to receive such
intelligence as this, that my reasonings had convinced them of what they had
always doubted; and that my preaching was logical instead of dogmatic, and
therefore met the wants of the people.
I had myself, before I was converted, felt greatly the want of
instruction and logical preaching from the pulpit. This experience always had a
great influence upon my own preaching. I knew how thinking men felt when a
minister took for granted the very things that needed proof. I therefore used to
take great pains to meet the wants of persons who were in this state of mind. I
knew what my difficulties had been, and therefore I endeavored to meet the
intellectual wants of my hearers.
I told Dr. Campbell this; but at first he had no faith that the
people would understand me and appreciate my reasonings. But when he came to
receive the converts, and to converse personally with them, he confessed to me
again and again his surprise that they had so well understood my reasonings.
"Why," he would say, "they are theologians." He was very frank, and confessed to
me how erroneous his views had been upon that subject.
After I had finished my labors at Borough Road chapel, we left
London and rested a few weeks at Houghton. Such was the state of my health that
I thought I must return home. But Dr. F, an excellent Christian man living in
Huntington, urged us very much to go to his house and finish our rest, and let
him do what he could for me as a physician. We accepted his invitation and went
to his house. He had a family of eight children, all unconverted. The oldest son
was also a physician. He was a young man of remarkable talents, but a thorough
skeptic. He had embraced Comte's philosophy, and had settled down in extreme
views of atheism, or I should say of nihilism. He seemed not to believe
anything. He was a very affectionate son; but his skepticism had deeply wounded
his father, and for his conversion he had come to feel an unutterable longing.
After remaining at the Doctor's two or three weeks, without
medicine, my health became such that I began to preach. There never had been a
revival in Huntington, and they really had no conception of what a revival would
be. I occupied what they called Temperance Hall, the only large hall in the
town. It was immediately filled, and the Spirit of the Lord was soon poured out
upon the people. I soon found opportunity to converse with young Dr. F. I drew
him out into some long walks, and entered fully into an investigation of his
views; and finally, under God, succeeded in bringing him to a perfect
standstill. He saw that all his philosophy was vain. At this time I preached one
Sabbath evening on the text: "The hail shall sweep away the refuges of lies, and
the waters shall overflow the hiding places. Your covenant with death shall be
disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand." I spent my strength
in searching out the refuges of lies, and exposing them; and concluded with a
picture of the hailstorm, and the descending torrent of rain that swept away
what the hail had not demolished. The impression on the congregation was at the
time very deep. That night young Dr. F could not sleep. His father went to his
room, and found him in the greatest consternation and agony of mind. At length
he became calm, and to all appearance passed from death unto life. The prayers
of the father and the mother for their children were heard. The revival went
through their family, and converted every one of them. It was a joyful house,
and one of the most lovely families that I ever had the privilege of residing
in. We remained at their house while we continued our labors in Huntington.
The revival took a very general hold of the church, and of
professors of religion in that town, and spread extensively among the
unconverted; and greatly changed the religious aspect of the town. There was
then no Congregational church there. There were two or three churches of the
Establishment, one Methodist, and one Baptist, at that time in Huntington. Since
then the converts of that revival, together with Mr. Brown and his son, and
those Christians that were blest in the revival, have united and built, as I
understand, a commodious chapel at Huntington, as they did at St. Ives.
Mr. Brown had pushed his work of evangelization with such energy,
that when I arrived in England the second time, I found that he had seven
churches in as many different villages in his neighborhood, and was employing
preachers, and teachers, and laborers, to the number of twenty. His means of
doing good have fully kept pace with his princely outlays for souls. When I
first arrived in England, he was running a hired flouring mill, with ten pairs
of stones; the second time I was there, in addition to this, he was running a
mill which he had built at Saint Ives, at an expense of twenty thousand pounds
sterling, with sixteen pairs of stones. He afterward built, at Huntington,
another mill of the same capacity. Thus God poured into his coffers as fast as
he poured out into the treasury of the Lord.
From Huntington we returned to London, and labored for several
weeks in the northeastern part of the city, in several chapels occupied by a
branch of the Methodist church. One of the places of worship was in
Spitalsfield, the house having been originally built, I think, by the Huguenots.
It was a commodious place of worship, and we had a glorious work of grace there,
which continued till late in the summer.
CHAPTER XXXV
LABORS IN SCOTLAND
AND IN ENGLAND
WHILE I was at this
time in London, I was invited very urgently to visit Edinburgh in Scotland; and
about the middle of August we left London and took passage by steam up the
coast, through the German ocean, to Edinburgh. I had been urged to go there by
the Rev. Dr. Kirk, of Edinburgh, who belonged to that portion of the church in
Scotland called the Evangelical Union church. Their leading theologian was a Mr.
Morrison, who presided over a theological school at Glasgow. I found Mr. Kirk an
earnest man, and a great lover of revival work. This Evangelical Union, or E. U.
church, as they called it, had grown out of a revival effort made in Scotland at
the time of the first publication of my revival lectures in that country. A
considerable number of Scotch ministers, and a much larger number of laymen, had
been greatly stirred up, and had made many successful revival efforts; but had
expended their strength very much in controversy upon the hyper-Calvinistic
views maintained by the Scotch Presbyterians.
I remained three months in Edinburgh,
preaching mostly in Mr. Kirk's church, which was one of the largest places of
worship in Edinburgh. We had a very interesting revival in that place, and many
souls were converted. Church members were greatly blessed, and Mr. Kirk's hands
were full, day and night, of labors among inquirers. But I soon found that he
was surrounded by a wall of prejudice. The Presbyterian churches were strongly
opposed to this E. U. branch of the church; and I found myself hedged in, as it
respected openings for labor in other churches.
Mr. Kirk was at that time not only pastor, but also professor in
a theological school in Glasgow, and in addition, was editor of the Christian
News, which was published at Glasgow.
In that paper, from time to time, he represented my theological views, as
identical with the views of their theological seminary and of their church. But
on some points I found that I very considerably differed from them. Their views
of faith as a mere intellectual state I could not receive. They explained away,
in a manner to me utterly unintelligible, the doctrine of election; and on
sundry points I found I did not agree with them. However Mr. Kirk insisted that
he entirely accepted my views as he heard me preach them, and that they were the
views of the E. U. church. Thus insisting that my views were identical with
theirs, without intending it, he shut the doors of the other pulpits against me,
and doubtless kept multitudes of persons who otherwise would have come and heard
me, from our meetings.
Mrs. Finney's labors in this place were greatly blessed. Mrs.
Kirk, the wife of the pastor, was a very earnest Christian lady; and she took
hold with my wife, with all her might. They established a ladies' prayer
meeting, which is continued to this day, reports of which have been made from
year to year in the Christian News; and Mrs. Kirk has published a small volume,
giving an account of the establishment and progress of that meeting. The answers
to prayer that were vouchsafed there were wonderful. Requests have been sent
from various parts of Scotland to them, to pray for various places, and persons,
and objects. The history of that meeting has been one of uncommon encouragement.
From that sprung up similar meetings in various parts of Scotland; and these
have put the women of Scotland very much in a new position, in regard to
personal efforts in revivals of religion.
After remaining in Edinburgh three months, and seeing there a
blessed work of grace, we accepted an invitation to go to Aberdeen; and in
November we found ourselves in that city, which is near the northern extremity
of Scotland. We were invited there by a Mr. Ferguson, also a minister of the E.
U. church, and an intimate friend of Mr. Kirk. He had been very much irritated,
and was at the time we arrived there, with the opposition that he met from the
Presbyterian and Congregational churches. His congregation was still more
closely hedged in by prejudice than Mr. Kirk's. He was an earnest Christian man,
but had been chafed exceedingly by the opposition which had enclosed him like a
wall. At first I could not get a hearing except with his own people; and I
became a good deal discouraged, and so did Brother Ferguson himself.
At the time of this discouragement, Mr. Davison, a Congregational
minister of Bolton, in Lancashire, wrote me a very
pressing letter to come and labor with him. The state of things was so
discouraging at Aberdeen that I gave him encouragement that I would go. But, in
the meantime, the interest greatly increased in Aberdeen, and other ministers
and churches began to feel the influence of what was going on there. The
Congregational minister invited me to preach in his church for a Sabbath, which
I did. A Mr. Brown, in one of the Presbyterian churches, also invited me to
preach; but, at the time, my hands were too full to accept his invitation,
though I intended to preach for him at another time. Before this, I should have
said, that the work in Mr. Ferguson's congregation had begun, and was getting
into a very interesting state. Numbers had been converted, and a very
interesting change was manifestly coming over his congregation and over that
city. But in the meantime, I had so committed myself to go to Bolton that I
found I must go; and we left Aberdeen just before the Christmas holidays and
went to Bolton.
While I was with Mr. Ferguson at Aberdeen, I was urged by his
son, who was settled over one of the E. U. churches in Glasgow, to labor with
him for a season. This had been urged upon me before I left Edinburgh.
But I was unwilling to continue my labors longer with that denomination. Not
that they were not good men, and earnest workers for God; but their
controversies had brought them into such relations to the surrounding churches,
as to shut me out from all sympathy and cooperation, except with those of their
peculiar views. I had been accustomed, in this country, to labor freely with
Presbyterians and Congregationalists; and I desired greatly to get a hearing
among the Presbyterians and Congregationalists of Scotland. But in laboring with
the E. U. churches, I found myself in a false position. What had been said in
the Christian News, and the fact that I was laboring in that denomination, led
to the inference that I agreed with them in their peculiar views, while in fact
I did not.
I thought it not my duty to continue any longer in this false
position. I declined, therefore, to go to Glasgow. Although I regarded the
brother who invited me, as one of the best of men, and his church as a godly,
praying people; yet there were other godly, praying people in Glasgow, and a
great many more of them than could be found in the E. U. church. I felt uneasy,
as being in a position to misrepresent myself. Although I had the strongest
affection for those brethren, so far as I became acquainted with them; yet I
felt that in confining my labors to that denomination I was greatly restricting
my own usefulness. We therefore left Aberdeen and went by rail to Bolton, where we arrived on Christmas Eve, 1859.
Bolton is a city of about thirty thousand inhabitants, lying a few miles from
Manchester. It is in the heart of the great manufacturing district of England.
It lies within the circle of that immense population, that spreads itself out
from Manchester, as a center, in every direction. It is estimated that at least three
millions of people live within a compass of sixty miles around about Manchester.
In this place the work of the Lord commenced immediately. We were
received as guests by Mr. J B. He belonged to the Methodist denomination; was a
man of sterling piety, very uncertain in his views and feelings. The next
evening after we arrived, he invited in a few friends for religious conversation
and prayer; and among them a lady, who had been for some time in an inquiring
state of mind. After we had had a little conversation we concluded to have a
season of prayer. My wife knelt near this lady of whom I have spoken, and during
prayer she observed that she was much asserted. As we rose from our knees, Mrs.
Finney took her by the hand, and then beckoned to me across the room to come and
speak with her. The lady had been brought up, as I afterwards learned, a
Quakeress; but had married a man who was a Methodist. She had been for a long
time uneasy about the state of her soul; but had never been brought face to face
with the question of present, instantaneous submission.
I responded to the call of my wife, and went across the room and
spoke with her. I saw in a moment that her distress of mind was profound. I
therefore asked her if she would see me a little time, for personal
conversation. She readily complied, and we crossed the hall into another room;
and then I brought her face to face, at once, with the question of instant
submission, and acceptance of Christ. I asked her if she would then and there
renounce herself, and everything else, and give her heart to Christ. She
replied, "I must do it sometime; and I may as well do it now." We knelt
immediately down; and so far as human knowledge can go, she did truly submit to
God. After she had submitted we returned to the parlor; and the scene between
herself and her husband was very affecting. As soon as she came into the room he
saw such a change manifested in her countenance, that they seemed spontaneously
to clasp each other in their arms, and knelt down before the Lord.
We were scarcely seated before the son of Mr. B came into the
parlor, announcing that one of the servants was deeply moved. In a very short
time, that one also gave evidence of submission to Christ. Then I learned that
another was weeping in the kitchen, and went immediately to her; and after a
little conversation and instruction, she too appeared to give her heart to God.
Thus the work had begun. Mrs. B herself had been in a doubting and discouraged
state of mind for years; and she, too, appeared to melt down, and get into a
different state of mind almost immediately. The report of what the Lord was
doing, was soon spread abroad; and people came in daily, and almost hourly, for
conversation. The first week of January had been appointed to be observed as a
week of prayer, as it has been since from year to year; and the different
denominations agreed to hold Union meetings during the week.
Our first meeting was in the chapel occupied by Mr. Davison, who
had sent for me to come to Bolton. He was an Independent, what we in this
country call a Congregationalist. His chapel was filled the first night. The
meeting was opened by a Methodist minister, who prayed with great fervency, and
with a liberty that plainly indicated to me that the Spirit of God was upon the
congregation, and that we should have a powerful meeting. I was invited to
follow him with some remarks. I did so, and occupied a little space in speaking
upon the subject of prayer. I tried to impress upon them as a fact, that prayer
would be immediately answered, if they took the stumbling blocks out of the way,
and offered the prayer of faith. The word seemed to thrill through the hearts of
Christians. Indeed I have seldom addressed congregations upon any subject that
seemed to produce a more powerful and salutary effect, than the subject of
prayer. I find it so everywhere. Praying people are immediately stirred up by
it, to lay hold of God for a blessing. They were in this place. That was a
powerful meeting.
Through the whole of that week the spirit of prayer seemed to be
increasing, and our meetings had greater and greater power. About the third or
fourth day of our meetings, I should think, it fell to the turn of a Mr. Best,
also a Congregational minister at Bolton, to have the meeting in his chapel.
There, for the first time, I called for inquirers. After addressing the
congregation for some time, in a strain calculated to lead to that point, I
called for inquirers, and his vestry was thronged with them. We had an
impressive meeting with them; and many of them, I trust, submitted to God.
There was a temperance hall in the city, which would accommodate
more people than any of the chapels. After this week of prayer, the brethren
secured the hall for preaching; and I began to preach there twice on the
Sabbath, and four evenings in the week. Soon the interest became very general.
The hall would be crowded every night, so that not another person could get so
much as within the door. The Spirit of God was poured out copiously.
I then recommended to the brethren to canvass the whole city; to
go two and two, and visit every house; and if permitted, to pray in every house
in the city. They immediately and courageously rallied to perform this work.
They got great numbers of bills, and tracts, and posters, and all sorts of
invitations printed, and began the work of canvassing. The Congregationalists
and Methodists took hold of the work with great earnestness.
The Methodists are very strong in Bolton, and always have been
since the day of Wesley. It was one of Wesley's favorite fields of labor; and
they have always had there an able ministry, and strong churches. Their
influence was far in the ascendancy there, over all other religious
denominations. I found among them both ministers and laymen, who were most
excellent and earnest laborers for Christ. But the Congregationalists too
entered into the work, with great spirit and energy; and, while I remained
there, at least, all sectarianism seemed to be buried. They gave the town a
thorough canvassing; and the canvassers met once or twice a week to make their
reports, and to consider farther arrangements for pushing the work. It was very
common to see a Methodist and a Congregationalist, hand in hand, and heart in
heart, going from house to house, with tracts, and praying wherever they were
permitted, in every house, and warning men to flee from the wrath to come, and
urging them to come to Christ.
Of course in such a state of things as this, the work would
spread rapidly among the unconverted. All classes of persons, high and low, rich
and poor, male and female, became interested. I was in the habit, every evening
I preached, of calling upon inquirers to come forward and take seats in front of
the stand. Great numbers would come forward, crowding as best they could through
the dense masses that filled every nook and corner of the house. The hall was
not only large on its ground floor, but had a gallery, which was always
thronged. After the inquirers had come forward, we engaged in a prayer meeting,
having several prayers in succession while the inquirers knelt before the Lord.
The Methodist brethren were very much engaged, and for some time
were quite noisy and demonstrative in their prayers, when sinners came forward.
For some time I said nothing about this, lest I should throw them off and lead
them to grieve the Spirit. I saw that their impression was, that the greater the
excitement, the more rapidly would the work go forward. They therefore would
pound the benches, pray exceedingly loud, and sometimes more than one at a time.
I was aware that this distracted the inquirers, and prevented their becoming
truly converted; and although the number of inquirers was great and constantly
increasing, yet conversions did not multiply as fast as I had been in the habit
of seeing them, even where the number of inquirers was much less.
After letting things pass on so for two or three weeks, until the
Methodist brethren had become acquainted with me, and I with them, one evening
upon calling the inquirers forward, I suggested that we should take a different
course. I told them that I thought the inquirers needed more opportunity to
think than they had when there was so much noise; that they needed instruction,
and needed to be led by one voice in prayer, and that there should not be any
confusion, or anything bordering on it, if we expected them to listen and become
intelligently converted. I asked them if they would not try for a short time to
follow my advice in that respect, and see what the result would be. They did so;
and at first I could see that they were a little in bondage when they attempted
to pray, and a little discouraged, because it so crossed their ideas of what
constituted powerful meetings. However they soon seemed to recover from this,
because I think they were convinced that although there was less apparent
excitement in our prayer meetings, yet there were many more converted from
evening to evening.
The fame of this work spread abroad, and soon persons began to
come in large members from Manchester to Bolton to attend our meetings; and
this, as was always the case, created a considerable excitement in that city,
and a desire to have me come thither as soon as I could. However I remained in
Bolton I think about three months, perhaps more. The work
became so powerful that it broke in upon all classes, and every description of
persons.
Brother B had an extensive cotton mill in Bolton,
and employed a great many hands, men and women. I went with him down to his mill
once or twice, and held meetings with his operatives. The first time we went we
had a powerful meeting. I remained with them till I was much fatigued, and then
returned home, leaving Brother B still to pray with, and instruct them. When he
came home he reported that not less than sixty appeared clearly to be converted
that evening, among his own hands. These meetings were continued till nearly all
his hands expressed hope in Christ.
There were a great many very striking cases of conviction and
conversion at the time. Although I kept cool myself, and endeavored to keep the
people in an attitude in which they would listen to instruction, and would act
understandingly in everything they did; still in some instances, persons for a
few days were too much excited for the healthy action of their minds, though I
do not recollect any case of real insanity.
One night as I was standing on the platform and preaching, a man
in the congregation rose up and crowded his way up to the platform, and said to
the congregation, "I have committed a robbery." He began to make a confession,
interrupting me as I was preaching. I saw that he was overexcited; and brother
Davison who sat on the platform stepped up and whispered to him, and took him
down into a sideroom and conversed with him. He found that he had committed a
crime for which he was liable to be transported. He gave him advice, and I heard
no more of it that evening. Afterwards the facts came more fully to my
knowledge. But in a few days the man obtained a hope.
One evening I preached on confession and restitution, and it
created a most tremendous movement among business men. One man told me the next
day that he had been and made restitution, I think, of fifteen hundred pounds,
in a case where he thought he had not acted upon the principle of loving his
neighbor as himself. The consciences of men under such circumstances are
exceedingly tender. The gentleman to whom I have just referred, told me that a
dear friend of his had died and left him to settle his estate. He had done so,
and simply received what the law gave him for his labor and expense. But he said
that in hearing that sermon, it occurred to him that as a friend and a Christian
brother, he could better afford to settle that estate without charging anything,
than the family could afford to allow him the legal fees. The Spirit of God that
was upon him led him to feel it so keenly, that he immediately went and refunded
the money.
There was a case in Rochester, in New York, that I have forgotten
to mention, but that may just as well be mentioned in this place, of the same
kind. An extremely tender conscience led a man to see and feel keenly on the
subject of acting on the principle of loving our neighbor as ourselves, and
doing to others as we would that they should do to so. A man of considerable
property was converted in one of the revivals in Rochester, in which I labored,
who had been transacting some business for a widow lady in a village not far
distant from Rochester. The business consisted in the transfer of some real
estate, for which he had been paid for his services some fifteen or sixteen
hundred dollars. As soon as he was converted he thought of this case; and upon
reflection he thought he had not done by that widow lady and those fatherless
children, as he would wish another to do by his widow and fatherless children,
should he die. He therefore went over to see her, and stated to her his view of
the subject as it lay before his mind. She replied that she did not see it in
that light at all; that she had considered herself very much obliged to him
indeed, that he had transacted her business in such a way as to make for her all
she could ask or expect. She declined, therefore, to receive the money which he
offered to refund.
After thinking of it a little he told her that he was
dissatisfied, and wished that she would call in some of her most trustworthy
neighbors, and they would state the question to them. She did so, called in some
Christian friends, men of business; and they laid the whole matter before them.
They said that the affair was a business transaction, and it was evident that he
had transacted the business to the acceptance of the family and to their
advantage; and they saw no reason why he should refund the money. He heard what
they had to say; but before he left the town he called on the lady again and
said, "My mind is not at ease. If I should die and leave my wife a widow and
children fatherless, and a friend of mine should transact such a piece of
business for them, I should feel as if he might do it gratuitously, inasmuch as
it was for a widow and fatherless children." Said he, "I cannot take any other
view of it than this. Whereupon he laid the money upon her table, and left."
Another case occurs to me now, which illustrates the manner in
which the Spirit of God will work in the minds of men, when their hearts are
open to His influence. In preaching in one of the large cities on a certain
occasion, I was dwelling upon the dishonesties of business, and the overreaching
plans of men; and how they justify themselves in violations of the Golden Rule.
Before I was through with my discourse, a gentleman arose in the middle of the
house and asked me if he might propose a question. He then supposed a case; and
after he had stated it, asked me if that case would come under the rule that I
had propounded. I said, "Yes, I think that it clearly would." He sat down and
said no more; but I afterwards learned that he went away and made restitution to
the amount of thirty thousand dollars. I could relate great numbers of instances
in which persons have been led to act in the same manner, under the powerfully
searching influences of the Spirit of God.
But to return from this digression; the work went on and spread
in Bolton until one of the ministers who had been engaged in directing the
movement of canvassing the town, said publicly that they found that the revival
had reached every family in the city; and that every family had been visited.
If we had any place of worship large enough, we should probably
have had ten thousand persons in the congregations from evening to evening. All
we could do was to fill the hall as full as it could be crowded, and then use
such other means as we could to reach the multitudes in other places of worship.
I recollect a striking case of conversion among the great
millowners there. I had been told of one of them that was a very miserly man. He
had a great thirst for riches, and had been spoken of as being a very hopeless
case. The revival had reached a large number of that class of men; but this man
had seemed to stand out, and his worldly-mindedness and his miserly spirit had
seemed to eat him up. But contrary to my expectations, and to the expectations
of others, he in his turn called on me. I invited him to my room, and had a very
serious conversation with him. He acknowledged to me that he had been a great
miser; and that he had once said to God, that if He would give him another
hundred thousand pounds, he would be willing to be eternally damned. I was very
much shocked at this; but could see clearly that he was terribly convicted of
the sinfulness of that state of mind.
I then repeated to him a part of the sixth chapter of Matthew,
where Christ warns men against laying up treasure on earth, and recommends them
to lay up treasure in heaven. I finally came to that verse: "But seek first the
kingdom of God and
his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." He leaned
toward me, and appeared to be as much interested as if it were all new to him.
When I repeated to him this verse, he said to me, with the utmost earnestness,
"Do you believe that?" I said, "Be sure I believe it. It is the Word of God."
"Well then," said he, "I'll go it;" and sprang upon his feet in the utmost
excitement. "If that is true," said he, "I will give up all to Christ at once."
We knelt immediately down, and I presented his case to God in prayer; and he
seemed to break down like a child. From that time he appeared to be a very
different man. His miserly feelings all seemed to melt away. He took hold of
that work like a man in earnest, and went and hired, at his own cost, a city
missionary, and set him to work to win souls to Christ.
At this place, also, Mrs. Finney's meetings were very largely
attended. She held them, as she always did, in the daytime; and sometimes I was
informed that at her meeting of ladies, Temperance Hall would be nearly full.
The Christian ladies of different denominations took hold with her and
encouraged her; and great good, I trust, was done through the instrumentality of
those ladies' meetings.
My wife and myself were both of us a good deal exhausted by these
labors. But in April we went to Manchester. In Manchester the Congregational
interest, as I was informed, rather predominates over that of other
denominations. As is well-known, the manufacturing districts have a stronger
democratic element than other parts of England. Congregationalism, therefore, is
more prevalent in Manchester than in any other city that I visited. I had not
been long there, however, before I saw that there was a great lack of mutual
confidence among the brethren. I could see that there was a jar among the
leaders; and frequently, to my grief, I heard expressions that indicated a want
of real heart-union in the work. This I was soon convinced was a great
difficulty to be overcome; and that if it could not be overcome, the work could
never be as general there as it had been in Bolton. There soon was manifest a dissatisfaction with some of
the men who had been selected to engineer the work, and provide for carrying on
the general movement.
This grieved the Spirit and crippled the work. And although from
the very first the Spirit of God attended the Word; yet the work never so
thoroughly overcame the sectarian feeling and disagreements of the brethren
generally, that it could spread over the city in the way it had done at Bolton.
When I went to that city I expected that the Methodist and Congregational
brethren would work harmoniously together, as they had at Bolton; but in this I found
myself mistaken. Not only was there a want of cordiality and sympathy between
the Methodists and Congregationalists; but also a great lack of confidence and
sympathy among the Congregationalists themselves. However, our meetings were
very interesting, and great numbers of inquirers were found on every side; and
whenever a meeting was appointed for inquirers, large numbers would attend.
Still what I longed to see was a general overflowing of the Spirit's influences
in Manchester, as we had witnessed in Bolton.
The difficulty was, there was not a good spirit manifested at that time, by the
leading men in the movement. I did not learn the cause--perhaps it was something
in myself. But although I am sure that large numbers of persons were converted,
for I saw and conversed with a great number myself that were powerfully
convicted, and to all appearance converted; yet the barriers did not break down
so as to give the Word of the Lord, and the Spirit of the Lord, free course
among the people.
When we came away, a meeting was called for those who had been
particularly blessed during those meetings; and the number in attendance was, I
believe, very much larger than was expected by the ministers themselves. I am
confident that they were surprised at the numbers present, and at the spirit of
the meeting. Indeed I do not think that any of the ministers there were aware of
the extent of the work, for they did not generally attend our meetings. They did
not follow them from place to place, and were seldom seen in the meetings of
inquiry. We continued in Manchester till about the first of August; and the
revival continued to increase and spread up to that time.
But the strength of both myself and my wife had become exhausted,
and some of the leading brethren proposed to us to suspend our labors, and go
down into Wales and rest a few weeks, and then return to Manchester and resume
our labors. What they proposed was, to secure a large hall, and thus to go on
with our meetings in an independent way. They thought, and I thought myself,
that we should secure a greater amount of good in that way than by laboring with
any particular congregation. Denominational lines are much more strongly marked
in that country than they are in this. It is very difficult to get people of the
church of England to attend a dissenting place of worship. The Methodists will
not generally and freely attend worship with other denominations. Indeed, the
same is true of all denominations in England,
and in Scotland. Sectarian lines are much more distinctly drawn, and the members
of the different churches keep more closely within their lines, than in this
country. I am persuaded that the true way to labor for a revival movement there,
is to have no particular connection with any distinct denomination; but to
preach the true Gospel, and make a stand in halls, or even in streets when the
weather is favorable, where no denominational feelings and peculiarities can
straiten the influences of the Spirit of God.
On the second of August, 1860, we left Manchester and went down
to Liverpool. A goodly number of our friends went down with us, and remained
overnight. On the morning of the third, we left in the Persia for New York. We found that
large numbers of our friends had assembled from different parts of England, to
bid us goodbye. We took an affectionate and an affecting leave of them, and the
glorious old steamer rushed out to sea, and we were on our way home.
CHAPTER XXXVI
WORK AT HOME
WE had had very little
rest in England for a year and a half; and those who are used to sea voyages
will not wonder that I did not rest much during our voyage home. Indeed we
arrived a good deal exhausted. I was myself hardly able to preach at all.
However the state of things was such, and the time of year such, that I could
not, as I supposed, afford to rest. There were many new students here, and
strangers had been moving into the place; so that there was a large number of
impenitent persons residing here at that time. The brethren were of opinion that
an effort must be made immediately to revive religion in the churches, and to
secure the conversion of the unconverted students. During my absence in England
the congregation had become so large that the house could not, with any comfort,
contain them; and after considering the matter, the church concluded to divide
and form a second Congregational church. They did so; the new church worshipping
in the College chapel, and the First church continuing to occupy their usual
place of worship. The Second church invited me to preach a part of the time to
them, in the College chapel. But that would hold scarcely more than half as many
as the church; and I could not think it my duty to divide my labors, and preach
part of the time to one congregation and part of the time to the other; and
therefore took measures immediately to secure a revival of religion, holding our
meetings at the large church. The Second church people came in, and labored as
best they could; but the preaching devolved almost altogether upon myself.
We held daily prayer meetings in the church, which were largely
attended. The body of the church would generally be full. At these meetings I
labored hard, to secure the legitimate results of a prayer meeting judiciously
managed. Besides preaching twice on Sabbath, and holding a meeting of inquiry in
the evening of every Sabbath, I preached several evenings during the week. In
addition to these labors I was obliged to use up my strength in conversing with
inquirers, who were almost constantly visiting me when I was out of meeting.
These labors increased in intensity and pressure, from week to week. The revival
became very general throughout the place, and seemed to bid fair to make a clean
sweep of the unconverted in the place. But after continuing these labors for
four months, until I had very little rest day or night, I came home one Sabbath
afternoon, from one of the most powerful and interesting meetings I ever
witnessed, and was taken with a severe chill; and from that time I was confined
to my bed between two and three months.
It was found in this case, as it always has been so far as my
experience has gone, that the change of preaching soon let down the tone of the
revival; and not suddenly, but gradually it ceased. There was not, that I am
aware of, any reaction. But the conversions grew less frequent, and from week to
week, the weekday meetings gradually fell off in their attendance; so that by
the time I was able to preach again, I found the state of religion interesting,
but not what we here call a revival of religion. However, the next summer, as
has been almost universally the case, a goodly number of our students were
converted, and there was a very interesting state of religion during the season.
During the summer months there is a great pressure upon the
people here. The students are engaged in preparing for the anniversaries of
their various college societies, for their examinations, and for commencement;
and of course during the summer term there is a great deal of excitement
unfavorable to the progress of a revival of religion. We have much more of this
excitement in later years than we had when we first commenced here. College
societies have increased in number, and the class exhibitions and other
interesting occasions have been multiplied; so that it has become more and more
difficult to secure a powerful revival during the summer term. This ought not to
be.
Before I went to England the last time, I saw that an impression
seemed to be growing in Oberlin, that during term time we could not expect to
have a revival; and that our revivals must be expected to occur during the long
vacations in the winter. This was not deliberately avowed by anyone; and yet it
was plain that that was coming to be the impression. But I had come to Oberlin,
and resided here, for the sake of the students, to secure their conversion and
sanctification; and it was only because there was so great a number of them
here, which gave me so good an opportunity to work upon so many young minds in
the process of education, that I had remained here from year to year. I had,
frequently, almost made up my mind to leave, and give myself wholly to the work
of an evangelist. But the plea always used with me had been, that we could not
do so much in this country in promoting revivals anywhere, except at that season
of the year when we have our long vacation; furthermore, that my health would
not enable me to sustain revival labor the year round; and that, therefore, I
could do more good here during the term time that is, in the spring, summer, and
early autumn than I could anywhere else. This I myself believed to be true; and
therefore had continued to labor here during term time, for many years after my
heart strongly urged me to give up my whole time in laboring as an evangelist.
While I was last in England, and was receiving urgent letters to
return, I spoke of the impression to which I have alluded, that we could not
expect revivals in term time; and said, that if that was going to be the
prevalent idea, it was not the place for me; for during our long vacation our
students were gone, of course, and it was for their salvation principally that I
remained. I had been greatly afflicted too, by finding, when an effort was made
to secure the conversion of the students during term time, that the first I
would know some excursion would be planned, some amusement or entertainment that
would counteract all that we could do to secure the conversion of the students.
I never supposed that was the design; but such was the result, in so much that
previous to going to England the last time, I had become almost discouraged in
making efforts to secure revivals of religion during term time. In my replies to
letters received while I was in England, I was very free and full upon this
point, in saying that, unless there could be a change, Oberlin was not my field
of labor any longer.
Our fall term is properly our harvest here. It begins about the
first of September, when we have a large number of new students, and many of
these unconverted ones. I have always felt, as a good many others have, and I
believe the faculty generally, that during that term was the time to secure the
conversion of our new students. This was secured to a very great extent, the
year that we returned. The idea that during term time we could not expect a
revival of religion, seemed to be exploded, the people took hold of the work and
we had a powerful revival.
Since then we have been much less hindered in our revival efforts
in term time, by counteracting influences, than we had been for a few years
before. Our revival efforts have taken effect among the students from year to
year, because they were aimed to secure the conversion especially of the
students. Our general population is a changing one, and we very frequently need
a sweeping revival through the whole town, among the householders as well as the
students, to keep up a healthy tone of piety. A goodly number of our students
learn to work themselves in promoting revivals, and are very efficient in
laboring for the conversion of their fellow students. The young men's prayer
meetings have been greatly blessed. The young peoples meetings, where all meet
for a general prayer meeting, have also been blessed. The efforts of brethren
and sisters in the church, have been increasingly blessed from year to year. We
have had more or less of a revival continually, summer and winter.
Since 1860, although continually pressed by churches, East and
West, to come and labor as an evangelist, I have not dared to comply with their
request. I have been able, by the blessing of God, to perform a good deal of
labor here; but I have felt inadequate to the exposure and labor of attempting
to secure revivals abroad.
Last winter, 1866 and 67, the revival was more powerful among the
inhabitants than it had been since 1860. However, as heretofore, I broke down in
the midst, and was unable to attend any more meetings. The brethren, however,
went forward with the work, and it continued with great interest until spring.
Thus I have brought my revival narrative down to this time, the 13th of January,
1868. Yesterday, Sabbath, we had a very solemn day in the First church. I
preached all day upon resisting the Holy Ghost. At the close of the afternoon
service I called first, upon all professors of religion who were willing to
commit themselves against all resistance offered to the teachings of the Holy
Spirit, to rise up and unite with us in prayer, under the solemnity of this
promise. Nearly all the professors of religion rose up without hesitation. I
then called upon those that were not converted to rise up, and take the same
stand. I had been endeavoring to show that they were stiff-necked and
uncircumcised in heart and ears, and had always resisted the Holy Ghost. I asked
those of them who were willing to pledge themselves to do this no more, and to
accept the teachings of the Holy Spirit and give themselves to Christ, also to
rise up, and we would make them subjects of prayer. So far as I could see from
the pulpit, nearly every person in the house stood up under these calls. We then
had a very solemn season of prayer, and dismissed the meeting.
CONCLUSION.
THOSE who have read the preceding pages, will naturally inquire
in reference to the closing years of a life so full of labor and of usefulness.
The narrative, completed with the beginning of 1868, leaves Mr. Finney still
pastor of the First church in Oberlin, and lecturer in the seminary. The
responsibilities of pastor he continued to sustain, with the help of his
associate, some four or five years longer, preaching, as his health would admit,
usually once each Sabbath. At the same time, as professor of Pastoral Theology,
he gave a course of lectures each summer term, on the pastoral work, on
Christian experience, or on revivals. He resigned the pastorate in 1872, but
still retained his connection with the seminary, and completed his last course
of lectures in July 1875, only a few days before his death. He preached, from
time to time, as his strength permitted; and during the last month of his life,
he preached one Sabbath morning in the First church, and another in the Second.
Notwithstanding the abundant and exhausting labors of his long
public life, the burden of years seemed to rest lightly upon him. He still stood
erect, as a young man, retained his faculties to a remarkable degree, and
exhibited to the end the quickness of thought, and feeling, and imagination,
which always characterized him. His life and character perhaps never seemed
richer in the traits and the beauty of goodness, than in these closing years and
months. His public labors were of course very limited, but the quiet power of
his life was felt as a benediction upon the community, which, during forty
years, he had done so much to guide and mold and bless.
His last day on earth was a quiet Sabbath, which he enjoyed in
the midst of his family, walking out with his wife at sunset, to listen to the
music, at the opening of the evening service in the church near by. Upon
retiring he was seized with pains which seemed to indicate some affection of the
heart; and after a few hours of suffering, as the morning dawned, he died,
August 16th, 1875, lacking two weeks of having completed his eighty-third year.
The foregoing narrative gives him chiefly in one line of his
work, and one view of his character. It presents him in the ruling purpose, and
even passion of his life, as an evangelist, a preacher of righteousness. His
work as a theologian, a leader of thought, in the development and expression of
a true Christian philosophy, and as an instructor, in quickening and forming the
thought of others, has been less conspicuous, and in his own view doubtless
entirely subordinate; but in the view of many, scarcely less fruitful of good to
the church and the world. To set forth the results of his life in these
respects, would require another volume, which will probably never be written;
but other generations will reap the benefits, without knowing the source whence
they have sprung.
THE END