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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2014 
 
 https://archive.org/details/charlesgfinneyamchar 
 
CHAS. G. FINNEY, 
 
 THE 
 
 AMERICAN REVIVALIST. 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 BY HIMSELF. 
 
 International Headquarters : 101, Queen Victoria Street, E.O. 
 International Trade Headquarters : 79 & 81, Fohtess Eoad, N.W. 
 SniPKiN, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd., E.C. 
 and by order of any bookseller. 
 
 1899. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 1XU 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 I. BlBTH AND EARLY EDUCATION ... ... 5 
 
 II. — Conversion to Christ ... ... ... 11 
 
 III. — Beginning of His Work ... ... ... 22 
 
 IV. — Starting to Preach ... ... ... ... 37 
 
 V. — Bevtval at Evans's Mills, and its Besults 52 
 
 VI. — Bemarks upon Ministerial Education ... 61 
 
 VII. — At Antwerp and "Sodom"... ... ... 66 
 
 VIII. — Beturn to Evans's Mills 78 
 
 IX. — Bevtval at Gouverneur ... ... ... 85 
 
 X. — Bevtval at De Kalb ... ... ... 102 
 
 XI. — Bevtval at Western ... ... ... 109 
 
 XII. — Bevtval at Bome ... ... ... ... 118 
 
 XIII. — Bevtval at Utica, New York ... ..; 133 
 
 XIV. — Bevtval at Auburn, in 1826 147 
 
 XV. — Bevtval at Troy and at New Lebanon ... 156 
 
 XVI. — Bevtval in Stephens own ... ... ... 160 
 
 XVII. — Bevivals at Wilmington and at Phila- 
 delphia ... ... ... ... ... 167 
 
 XVIII. — Bevtval at Beading... ... ... ... 182 
 
 XIX. — Bevivals in Columbia and New York City 194 
 XX. — Bevtval in Boohester, 1830 .. ... 205 
 
 XXI. — Bevtval in Auburn, Buffalo, Providence, 
 
 and Boston ... "... ... ... 220 
 
 XXII. — Labours in New York, in 1882 and Onward 232 
 The Conclusion ... ... ... ... 236 
 
 1272186 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In publishing the following extracts from the large 
 and costly " Life of Mr. Finney," we think we are sup- 
 plying a valuable help to all who wish to make the most 
 of their lives for the glory of God and for the salvation 
 of souls. The book is, of course, not a complete record 
 of the life, as we have purposely avoided, as much as 
 possible, passages referring to the theological controver- 
 sies in which the writer was so frequently engaged. Our 
 object has been simply to reproduce these wonderful 
 stories of victory won by spiritual power, amidst such 
 varied difficulties, in the course of an unusually long life 
 of ceaseless activity for the good of souls. What we wish 
 is not to incite anyone to spend life just as Mr. Finney 
 spent his, which would indeed, to most persons, be 
 impossible; but to arouse every reader— no matter what 
 his circumstances or talents may be — to look and labour 
 for the salvation of multitudes of people by his or her 
 instrumentality, seeing that the excellency of the power 
 by which this can be done is here so clearly shown to be 
 of God, and not of man. 
 
 We think we have to-day advantages which Mr. 
 Finney did not possess, and which lay us all under 
 obligation to expect and to attain results far beyond 
 even the wondrous ones which he describes. Instead of 
 having to labour in the face of constant opposition from 
 ministers and members of the churches in which he 
 preached, we have before us a clear ground and nothing 
 to prevent our doing anything we may wish to bring 
 sinners to the Cross. 
 
 Bear this in mind as you read the book, and then, if 
 it does not make you ashamed of the little good you 
 have as yet done, you must be dead indeed. But if you 
 do feel ashamed, do not let your shame lead to fear or 
 despair, but rather " to self-examination, to thorough- 
 going surrender, to faithful prayer, and so to the 
 boundless victory which God is just as wishful to give 
 to you as to anyone else. 
 
C. G. FINNEY, 
 
 'THE PRESBYTERIAN SALVATIONIST, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 BIRTH AND EAELT EDUCATION. 
 
 I was born in Warren, Lichfield 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 reli- 
 gious privileges were enjoyed by the people. Very few 
 religious books were to be had. The new settlers, being 
 mostly from New England, almost immediately estab- 
 lished 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, 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 reli- 
 gion, and among our neighbours there were very few 
 religious people. <• I seldom heard a sermon, unless it 
 was an occasional one from some travelling minister, av 
 some miserable holding forth of an ignorant preacher, 
 
 B 
 
6 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 The ignorance of the preachers I heard was such, that 
 the people would return from meeting and spend a con- 
 siderable time in irrepressible laughter at the strange 
 mistakes which had been made and the absurdities 
 which had been advanced. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of my father's residence we had 
 just erected a meeting-house and settled a minister,, 
 when my father was induced to remove again into the 
 wilderness skirting the southern shore of Lake Ontario, 
 a little south of Sackett's Harbour. Here again I lived 
 for several years, enjoying no better religious privileges 
 than I had in Oneida county. 
 
 When about twenty years old I returned to Connecti- 
 cut, and from thence went to New Jersey, near New 
 York city, and engaged in teaching. Afterwards I 
 
 entered as a law student the 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. When I was teaching school 
 in New Jersey, the preaching in the neighbourhood 
 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. 
 
 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. 
 
Birth and Early Education. 
 
 7 
 
 In studying elementary law, I found the old authors 
 frequently quoting the Scriptures, and referring espe- 
 cially 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. HoAvever, much I did not 
 understand. 
 
 Mr. Gale (the Presbyterian minister) Avas 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 posi- 
 tions as forced themselves upon my attention. 
 
 We had a great many interesting conversations ; but 
 they seemed rather to stimulate my OAvn mind to in- 
 quiry, 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 Avith 
 him, with the elders of the church, and Avith others from 
 time to time, I became very restless. A little consider- 
 ation convinced me that I Avas 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 oi 
 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 
 hedVen. But still my mind was not made up as to the 
 
 b 2 
 
8 
 
 G. G. Finney. 
 
 truth or falsehood of the Gospel and of the Christian 
 religion. The question, however, was of too much im- 
 portance 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 Aveek 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 be opened unto you. For every one 
 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 as 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 
 
Birth and Early Education. 
 
 9 
 
 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 really 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 ? Here was some- 
 thing inexplicable to me ; and it seemed, at one time, 
 that it would almost drive me into scepticism. It seemed 
 to me that the teachings of the Bible did not at all ac- 
 cord 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 ear- 
 nest 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 condi- 
 
10 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 tions 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 con- 
 fused 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 con- 
 cerned ; and after struggling in that way for 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 firm- 
 ness 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 Tues- 
 day ; and had opportunity to read my Bible and engage 
 in prayer most of the time. 
 
 But I was very proud without knowing it. 1 had sup- 
 posed that I had not much regard for the opinions of 
 others, and I had 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 beer? 
 80 singular as to lead the church at times to think that 
 I must be an anxious inquirer. But I found that I wag 
 very unwilling to have any one know that I was seeking 
 salvation. When I prayed I would only whisper my 
 prayer, after having stopped the key-hole to the door, 
 
12 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 lest some one should discover that I was engaged in 
 prayer. Before that I had my Bible lying on the 
 table with the law-books ; and it never had occurred to 
 me to be ashamed to be 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 any- 
 body 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 any- 
 body 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 con- 
 versation 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. 
 
 Just at this point the whole question of Gospel 
 salvation opened to my mind in a manner most mar- 
 vellous at the time. I then saw, clearly, the reality and 
 fulness 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 be 
 an offer of something to be accepted ; and that it was 
 full and complete ; and that all that was necessary on 
 
Conversion to Christ. 
 
 13 
 
 my part was to get my own consent to give up my sins, 
 and accept Christ. Salvation, 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 as my God and my Saviour. 
 
 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, to-day ?" I replied, 
 I Yes ; I will accept it to-day, or I will die in the 
 attempt." 
 
 North of the village, and over a hill, lay a piece of 
 wood, in which I was in the almost daily habit of walk- 
 ing, more or less, when it was pleasant weather. It was 
 now October, and the time was past for my frequent 
 walks. Nevertheless, instead of going to the office, I 
 turned toward the woods, feeling that I must be 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 some one might see me 
 and suppose that I was going away to pray ; 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 in the village could see 
 me. I then penetrated into the woods, 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 
 
14 
 
 0. G. Finney. 
 
 to have said, " I will give my heart to God, or I never 
 will come down from there." 
 
 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 ; at least I could say but a few words, and those 
 without heart. I would hear a rustling in the leaves, as 
 I thought, and would stop to look up to see if some- 
 body were not coming. 
 
 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. 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. 
 
 Just at this moment I again thought I heard some 
 one approach, and I opened my eyes to see whether it 
 were so. But pride of heart, as the great difficulty in 
 the Avay, was distinctly shown to me. An overwhelm- 
 ing sense of wickedness in being ashamed to have a 
 human being see me on my knees before God, took such 
 powerful possession of me that 1 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 sur- 
 rounded me. "What!" I said, " such a degraded sinner 
 as 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 en- 
 deavouring to make my peace with my offended God !" 
 The sin appeared awful, infinite. It broke me. down 
 before the Lord. 
 
Conversion to Christ. 
 
 15 
 
 Just at that point this passage of Scripture seemed to 
 arop into my mind Avith 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." 
 
 He then gave me many other promises, both from the 
 Old and New Testament, especially some most pre- 
 cious promises respecting our Lord Jesus Christ. 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 appro- 
 priate promises for a long time, till my mind became so 
 full that, before I was aware of it, I w^as on my feet and 
 tripping up the ascent toward the road. The question of 
 being converted had not so much as arisen to my thought ; 
 but brushing through the leaves and bushes, I recollect 
 saying, " If.I am ever converted, I will preach the Gospel." 
 
16 
 
 0. G. Finney. 
 
 I soon reached the road, began to reflect upon whai 
 had passed : and found that my mind had become most 
 wonderfully quiet and peaceful. I said, "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 
 rny excitement I had grieved the Holy Spirit, and per- 
 haps 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 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 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 labouring. 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 
 
Conversion to Christ. 
 
 17 
 
 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 
 tranquillity 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 Aveep. 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. 
 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 con- 
 cern 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 fire-place, a good fire, hoping 
 
18 
 
 G G. Finney 
 
 to spend the evening alone. Just at dark Squire W j 
 
 seeing that everything was adjusted, bade me good- 
 night and went home. I had accompanied him to the 
 door ; and as I closed the door and turned round, my 
 heart seemed to be liquid within me. All my feelings 
 seemed to rise and flow out ; and the utterance of nrjjj 
 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 behind the front office to pray. 
 
 There was no fire and no light in the room ; neveH 
 theless it appeared as if it were perfectly light. As ] 
 went in and shut the door it seemed as if I met the Lord 
 Jesus Christ face to face. It did not occur to me that il 
 was wholly a mental state ; it seemed that I saw Him as 
 I would see any other man. He said nothing, but lookec 
 at me in such a manner as to break me right down al 
 His feet. I have always since regarded this as a mosi 
 remarkable state of mind ; for it seemed that He 
 stood before me, and I fell down at His feet and pourec 
 out my soul to Him. I wept aloud like a child, anc 
 made such confessions as I could with my chokec 
 utterance, 
 
 I must have continued in this state for a good while 
 but my mind was too much absorbed to recollect any- 
 thing I said. But I know, as soon as my mind became 
 calm, I returned to the front office, and found that the 
 fire, that I had made of large wood, was nearly burnec 
 out. But as I turned and was about to take a seat bj 
 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 foi 
 me, without any recollection that I had ever heard th< 
 thing mentioned by any person in the world, the Holj 
 
Conversion to Christ. 
 
 19 
 
 Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to 
 go through me, body and soul. 
 
 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 I do not know. 
 But it was late in the evening when a member of my 
 choir came to see me. He was a member of the church. 
 He found me in this state of loud weeping, and said, 
 " 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 and replied, "No, but 
 so happy that I cannot live." 
 
 He left the office, and in a few minutes returned with 
 one of the elders of the church. This elder was a very 
 serious man ; and in my presence had been very watch- 
 ful, and I had scarcely ever seen him laugh. He asked 
 me how I felt, and I began to tell him. Instead of say- 
 ing 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 neighbourhood who 
 was preparing for college, with whom I had been very 
 intimate. Our minister, as I afterwards learned, had 
 repeatedly talked with him on the subject of religion, 
 and warned him against being misled by me. He in- 
 formed him that I was a very careless young man about 
 
20 
 
 G. G. Finney. 
 
 religion ; and he tnought 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 con- 
 verted, 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 this 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 my- 
 self 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 1 could rest ; and after a little while I retired to 
 bed, not distressed in mind, but at a loss to know what 
 to make of my present state. Notwithstanding the 
 baptism I had received, this temptation so obscured my 
 
Conversion to Christ. 
 
 21 
 
 view that I went to bed without feeling sure that my 
 peace was made with God. 
 
 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 be- 
 fore, returned upon me in the same manner. I arose 
 upon my knees in bed and wept aloud with joy, an r 3. 
 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 
 
 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 mora 
 sense of guilt than if I never had sinned. 
 
 experienced That doctrine had 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 BEGINNING OF HIS WOEK. 
 
 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. He dropped his head, and after standing a 
 few minutes left the office. I thought no more of it. then, 
 but afterwards 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, Deacon B — ^ came 
 
 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 
 hi?, law-suit ; I could not do it, He dropped his head, 
 and without making any reply, went out. A few 
 moment? later, in passing the window, I observed that 
 
Beginning of his Work. 
 
 23 
 
 Deacon B was standing in the road, seemingly lost 
 
 in deep meditation. He went away, 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 seemed to know that the Lord com- 
 missioned me to preach the Gospel. 
 
 When I was first convicted, the thought had occurred 
 that if I was ever converted I should be obliged to leave 
 my profession, of which I was very fond, and preach the 
 Gospel. This at first stumbled me. However, I at last 
 came to the conclusion that I must submit that question 
 to God. 
 
 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 
 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. 
 
 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 whisky. The man of 
 the house and his wife were both professors of religion. 
 Put a sister of the lady, who was present, was uncon- 
 
 c 2 
 
24 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 /erted ; and a young man, a distant relative of the 
 family, was a professed Universalist. He was rather 
 outspoken and talkative, and 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 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 excited so much 
 compassion that I burst into weeping, and was unable 
 to proceed. Every one sat speechless for a short time, 
 while I continued to weep. Directly the young man 
 moved away from the table and rushed out. He fled to 
 his room, locked himself in, and was not seen again till 
 the next morning, when he came 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. At evening, without any 
 appointment having been made, the people were going 
 to the place where they held their conference and prayer 
 meetings. 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. 
 
Beginning of his Work. 
 
 25 
 
 while I remained in Adams, they would ever be con- 
 verted. 
 
 I found after I was converted that some of the 
 wicked men in the place had hidden 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 con- 
 vert Finney, I will believe in religion." 
 
 An old lawyer of the name of M — , living in 
 
 Adams, when he heard it rumoured 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 w orship. 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 Grod. I went on and told such parts of my ex- 
 perience as it seemed important to tell. 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. 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 
 
26 
 
 G. G. Finney. 
 
 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 Mr. Gale 
 called on me to pray. 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, I imme- 
 diately appointed a meeting for them, which they all 
 attended — that is, all of the class with which I was 
 acquainted. 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 it- 
 self, 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 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 labours, 
 and ate regularly, and slept as much as I could. 
 
 The Word of God had wonderful power, and I was 
 every day surprised tv find that a few words spoken to 
 an individual would stick in his heart like an arrow. 
 
 After a short time I went down to Henderson, Avhere 
 my father lived, and visited him. He was an uncon- 
 verted 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 
 
Beginning of his Work. 
 
 27 
 
 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 
 knoAV 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 neighbourhood, I think, for two or 
 three days, and conversed more or less with such people 
 as I could meet with. They had a monthly concert of 
 prayer in that town. There was 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 
 parlour 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, of 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 sang a hymn, and Deacon M stood up behind 
 
 his chair and led in prayer. The other persons present, 
 
28 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 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 tremu- 
 lous with emotion. 
 
 In the meantime the brethren and sisters that were 
 on their knees began to groan, and sigh, and weep, and 
 agonize in prayer. 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 centre, 
 throughout nearly all the towns in the country. 
 
 I have spoken of the conviction of Squire W , in 
 
 whose office I studied law. Very soon after my con- 
 version, several other cases of conversion occurred that 
 were reported to have taken place under similar circum- 
 stances ; that is, persons went up in the grove to pray, 
 and there made their peace with God. 
 
 When Squire W heard their experience in our 
 
 meetings, he thought that he had a parlour to pray in, 
 and that he was not going into the woods. To this, it 
 appeared, he strongly committed himself. 
 
 I have found a great many cases of this kind, where 
 upon some question 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, pressed by the Spirit ; but they could 
 
 make no progress till tlie point was yielded. Mr. W 
 
 was the first case 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 
 
Beginning of his Work. 
 
 29 
 
 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 nigTit in his parlour 
 that God would have mercy on him ; but in the morning 
 he felt more distressed than ever. 
 
 On 3 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 some one 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 monents he would stop and 
 clap his hands with his full strength, and shout, " I will 
 rejoice in the God of my Salvation ! " 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, and he 
 cried out, " I've got it! I've got it ! ') 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 avoocIs, 
 his mind was relieved; and when he knelt down to pray, 
 the Spirit of God came upon him and filled him with 
 
30 
 
 0. G. Finney. 
 
 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, and spending a season of prayer alone 
 in the meeting-house, and I finally succeeded in interest- 
 ing a considerable number of brethren to meet me in 
 the morning for a prayer meeting, and we were generally 
 together long before it was light enough to see to read. 
 I persuaded my minister to attend these meetings. 
 
 But soon they began to be remiss, whereupon I would 
 get up in time to go round to their houses and wake 
 them. 
 
 One morning I had called the brethren, and when 
 I returned to the meeting-house few of them had got 
 there. Mr. Gale Avas standing at the door, and as I 
 came up, all at once the glory of God shone round and 
 about me, in a manner most marvellous. The day was 
 just beginning to dawn ; but all at once a light perfectly 
 ineffable shone in my soul, and 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. 
 It was too intense for the eyes. I recollect 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 loud weeping, Mr. Gale said, 
 " What is the matter, brother Finney ? ". I could not j 
 tell him. I found that he had seen no light, and that 1 
 he saw no reason why I should be in such a state of j 
 
Beginning of his Work. 31 
 
 mind. I therefore said but little. 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 on 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. 
 
 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. 1 would try to look iuto my own 
 heart, in the sense of examining my feelings, and would 
 
 'C 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 per- 
 ceptible 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, examin- 
 ing 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 
 
32 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 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. 
 
 The Lord taught me, in those early days of 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 tome, " 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, but with it came an intense 
 desire to pray for that Avoman. I left the office almost 
 immediately, and went up to the meeting-house ; there 
 I struggled, but could not say much. 
 
 I stayed a considerable time in the church in this 
 state of mind, but got no relief. I returned to the 
 office, but I could not sit still ; I could only walk the 
 room and agonize. I returned to the meeting-house, 
 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. I returned to the office again, and still 
 found I wa.s unable to rest, and I returned a third time to 
 the meeting-house. At this time the Lord gave me power 
 to prevail. I obtained the assurance that the woman would 
 not die, and indeed that she would never die in her sins. 
 
Beginning of Ids Work. 
 
 33 
 
 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. 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." She did 
 recover, and soon after obtained a hope in Christ. 
 
 At first I did not understand what this exercise of 
 mind that I 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 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 pre- 
 sent 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 soon found, 
 however, that the elder who had entered into this ar- 
 rangement with me was losing his spirit of prayer. 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, 
 
34 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 After I had continued in this way for some time, one 
 evening I called just as the sun was setting. As I came 
 up to the door I heard a shriek and confusion inside ; 
 and stood and waited for the confusion to be over. The 
 lady of the house soon came, and held in her hand a 
 portion of a book, which had evidently been torn in two. 
 She was pale and very much agitated, and said, " Mr. 
 Finney, don't you think my sister has become a Uni- 
 versalist ? " The book was a defence of Universalism. 
 Her sister had detected her reading it in a private 
 way. 
 
 She tried to get it away ; 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 the announcement that the sick woman was about 
 to die. 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 pre- 
 sent the case before God in words, but only in groans 
 and tears. 
 
 The discovery that that young woman, instead of be- 
 ing converted, was becoming a Universalist, so astounded 
 me that I could not break through with my faith, and 
 f get hold of God jn reference to her case. There seemed 
 v to be a darkness hanging over the question, as if a cloud 
 had risen up between me and God, in regard to prevail- 
 ing for her salvation. 
 
 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 
 *\t' grace again for that young woman. No sooner was 
 
Beginning of his Work. 
 
 35 
 
 I upon my knees than the darkness gave way, and the 
 whole subject opened to my mind ; and as soon as I 
 pleaded 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 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. 
 
 Soon after I was converted, the man with whom I had 
 been boarding, a magistrate, and one of the principal 
 men in the place, was deeply convicted of sin. He had 
 been elected 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. 
 I do not remember ever to have been in more intimate 
 communion with the "Lord Jesus than I was at that time. 
 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. 
 The Lord seemed to say unto me, "No; I will not 
 hear." An anguish seized upon me: I thought at first 
 it Avas a temptation. 
 
 The next morning I saw him ; and as soon as I brought 
 up the question of submission to God, he said: "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 
 
m 
 
 (7. G. Finney. 
 
 Legislature, chat 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 wero all gone, and that the Spirit 
 of God had left him. 
 
 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 own opinions from any evidence or course of argu- 
 ment, he said, " I have come to that conclusion, not be- 
 cause 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, unconverted 
 mind." This was astonishing. 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 \\\ 
 the full faith of his Universalism.o ■ 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 STAKTTNG TO PKEACH. 
 
 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, "A revival revived." 
 The substance 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 out-pouring of the Spirit, the revival was 
 powerfully revived. 
 
 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 con- 
 fidence that God would revive His work. The article 
 made no such impression on him. 
 
 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 
 tor one week, when we should come together again, and 
 see what further was to be done. No other means were 
 used ; but the spirit of prayer was poured out wonder- 
 
 D 
 
C. G Finney. 
 
 fully upon the young converts. Before the week was 
 out I learned that some of them, when they would at- 
 tempt to observe this season of prayer, would lose aU 
 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 for the out- 
 pouring of the Spirit of God. 
 
 The Spirit was poured out, and before the week ended 
 tall the meetings were thronged ; and there was as much 
 interest in religion as there hadbBBn at anytime during 
 the revival. 
 
 And here a mistake was made, or, perhaps, a sin com- 
 mitted, by some of the older members of the church, 
 which resulted in great evil. As I afterwards learnt, a 
 considerable number of the older people resisted this 
 new movement among the young converts. They were 
 jealous of it ; and felt that the young were getting 
 out of their place in being so forward and so urgent 
 upon the older members. This state of mind finally 
 grieved the Spirit of God. It was not long before alien- 
 ations began to arise among these older members, which 
 finally resulted in great evil to those who had allowed 
 themselves to resist this revival. 
 
 In the spring of 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. I told them that my 
 pecuniary circumstances forbade it ; but they said they 
 would see that my expenses were paid. Still I refused 
 to go ; and when urged to give reasons, I plainly told 
 them that I would not put myself under such an in- 
 fluerrce as they had been under ; that I was confident 
 fchey had been wrongly educated, and they were not 
 
Starting to Preach, 
 
 39 
 
 ministers that met my ideal of what a minister of Christ 
 should be. 
 
 There was but one member of the church to whom I 
 
 opened my mind freely, and that was Elder H , a 
 
 very godly man. He held pretty strongly the higher 
 doctrines of Calvinism. Nevertheless, he became satis- 
 fied that I was right, and he would call on me frequently 
 to have seasons of prayer with me, to strengthen me in 
 my studies. 
 
 Several times he fell in with me when I was in a state 
 of great depression. He would go with me to my room, 
 and sometimes we would continue till a late hour crying 
 to God for light, strength, and faith, to accept and do 
 His perfect will. He lived more than three miles from 
 the village, and frequently he has stayed till ten or 
 eleven o'clock at night, and then walked home. 
 
 After I got into the ministry, and great opposition 
 
 was raised to my preaching, I met Elder H , and he 
 
 alluded to the opposition, and said, ''0 ! my soul is so 
 burdened that I pray for you day and night. But I am 
 sure that God will help. Go on, go on, brother Finney ; 
 the Lord will give you deliverance." 
 
 At a meeting of the Presbytery, about this time, I 
 first saw the Rev. Daniel Nash, who is generally known 
 as Father Nash, 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 pul- 
 pit 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 ; 
 
 p 2 
 
40 O. G. Finney. 
 
 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. 
 
 Having had no regular training for the ministry, I did 
 not expect or desire to labour in large towns or cities, 
 or minister to cultivated congregations. I intended to go 
 into the new settlements and preach in school-houses, 
 and barns, and groves. Accordingly, soon after being 
 licensed to preach, for the sake of being introduced to 
 the region where I proposed to labour, I took a commis- 
 sion for six months, from a Female Missionary Society 
 located in Oneida. I went into the northern part of 
 Jefferson county, and began my labours at Evans's Mills, 
 in the town of Le Ray. 
 
 I found two churches, a small Congregational Church, 
 without, and a Baptist Church with a minister. I pre- 
 sented my credentials ; they were very glad to see me, 
 and I soon began my labours. They had no meeting- 
 house ; but the two churches worshipped alternately in 
 a school-house, large enough 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 every other Sabbath, but 
 could use it on any evening as often as I pleased. I 
 therefore divided my Sabbaths between Evans's Mills 
 and Antwerp, a village some sixteen or eighteen miles 
 still further north. 
 
 I will relate first some facts that occurred at Evans's 
 Mills during that season ; and then give a brief narra- 
 tive 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- 
 
Starling to Preach. 
 
 41 
 
 I began to preach in the stone school-house at Evans's 
 Mills; the people were very much interested, and thronged 
 the place; They extolled my preaching ; and the Con- 
 gregational Church became hopeful that they should be 
 built up, and that there would be a revival. More or less 
 convictions occurred under every sermon ; but still no 
 general conviction appeared upon the public mind. 
 
 I was very 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 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 was 
 doing them no good ; and that I could not spend time 
 with them unless they were going to receive the Gospel. 
 I then, quoting the words of Abraham's servant, said, 
 " Now, will you deal kindly and truly Avith 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 Saviour, I wanted to know, that 1 might 
 not labour with them in vain. I said, " You admit that 
 what I preach is the Gospel. You profess to believe. 
 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, 
 
12 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 inasmuch that 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 well, 
 and looked greatly surprised at my manner, I then said, 
 "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 ; 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, I said : 
 ' ' You who are now willing to pledge to me and to 
 Christ that you will immediately make your peace with 
 God, please rise. 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 for a few moments, I said, 
 "Then you are committed. You have iaken your 
 stand. You have rejected Christ and His Gospel ; and 
 ye are witnesses one against the other, and God is wit- 
 ness against you all. This is explicit, and you may re- 
 member, as long as you live, that you have thus publicly 
 committed yourselves against the Saviour, and said, 
 4 We will not have this man, Christ Jesus, to reign over 
 
Starting to Preach. 
 
 43 
 
 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, "lam sorry for you ; and will preach to you once 
 more, the Lord willing, to-morrow night." 
 
 They all left the house except Deacon McC , who 
 
 was a deacon of the Baptist Church. I saw that the 
 Congregationalists were confounded. They were few in 
 number and weak in faith. I presume that every mem- 
 ber of both churches who were 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 can- 
 not 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 
 
44 
 
 G. G. Finney. 
 
 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 village, 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. The Holy Spirit was upon me, and I felt 
 confident that when the time came for action I should 
 know. As soon as I found the house packed I arose 
 and, 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. Woe 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 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 
 asu/iuer of soul and spirit. I saw that a general con- 
 viction was spreading over the whole congregation. 
 
Starting to Preach. 
 
 45 
 
 (Being then afraid of excitement Mr. F dismissed 
 
 meeting ! ! ! ) 
 
 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. I advised the women to take her home, and 
 pray with her, and see what the Lord would do. They 
 
 informed me that this Miss G was a member of the 
 
 church in good standing, and had been for several years. 
 
 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, 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 like a moth." 
 
46 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 She said, such a view of the holiness of God was pre- 
 sented, that like a great wave it swept her away from her 
 standing, and annihilated her hope in a moment. 
 
 I found a number of deists ; some of them men of 
 high standing in the community. One of them was a 
 keeper of an hotel in the village ; and others were respect- 
 able men, and of more than average intelligence. But j 
 they seemed banded together to resist the revival. When 
 ^1 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 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 
 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, that class of men were 
 nearly, or quite, all converted. 
 
 There was one old man who was not only an infidel, 
 but a great railer at religion. He was very angry at the 
 revival. I heard every day of his blaspheming, but took 
 no public notice of it. He refused altogether to attend 
 meeting, but in the midst of his opposition he suddenly 
 fell out of his chair in a fit of apoplexy. A physician 
 was immediately called, who 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 
 
Starting to Preach. 
 
 47 
 
 time to stammer out, "Don't let Finney pray over my 
 corpse." This was the last of his opposition. 
 
 During the 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 ; but people had no 
 confidence in her piety, She was fast failing, 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 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 offence ; and after I went away complained 
 that I tried to get away her hope, and distress her mind ; 
 that I Avas 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 afterwards. 
 
 While at this place, one afternoon, a Christian brother 
 called and wished me to visit his sister, who was fast 
 failing with consumption, and was a Universalis t. Her 
 husband, he said, 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 
 
48 
 
 C. G Finney. 
 
 her views of Universalism ; and during conversation she 
 gave up those views entirely, and appeared to embrace 
 the Gospel. I believe she held fast to hope in Christ 
 till she died. 
 
 At evening her husband returned, and learned from 
 herself what had taken place. Greatly enraged, he 
 swore he would " kill Finney." As I learned afterwards, 
 he armed himself with a pistol, and that night went to 
 meeting, where I was to preach. Of this, however, I 
 knew nothing at the time. The meeting was in a schools 
 house of the village. The house was packed. I 
 went on to preach with all my might ; and in the midst 
 of my discourse saw a powerful-looking man, in the 
 middle of the house, fall from his seat. As he sunk he 
 groaned, and then cried 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 sleeplees night, 
 in great anguish of mind, and that at early dawn he 
 had gone forth, they knew not whither. He was not 
 heard of 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, and coming 
 toward me. When he recognised me, he came across 
 to meet me, when I saw that his countenance was all 
 
 in a glow. I said, " Good morning, Mr. C ." "Good 
 
 morning/' he replied. "And," said I, " how do you feel 
 
Starting to Preach. 49 
 
 in your mind this morning ?" " Oh, I do not know," he 
 replied ; "I have had an awfully distressed night. Bat 
 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 hearlTTcould pray. In the morning I went into the 
 woods ; but when I got there I found I could not pray, 
 f thought I could give myself to God, but I could not. 
 I tried, and tried, till I was discouraged. 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 favour 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, lie leaped, and took me right up in his 
 arms, and turned round 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. 
 
 I: 
 
50 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 At this place I again saw Father Nash, the man who 
 prayed with his eyes opened 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 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 labour for souls. 
 
 When he came to Evans's Mills he was full of the 
 power of prayer. He was another man from what he 
 had been at any former period. I found that he had 
 "a praying list" of the names of persons whom he had 
 made subjects of prayer every day, and sometimes 
 many times a day. 
 
 There was a man of the name of D , who kept 
 
 a low tavern in the village, the resort of all the opposers 
 of the revival. The bar-room was a place of blasphemy, 
 and he was himself a most profane, 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 con- 
 verts lived almost across the way, and he told me that 
 he meant to sell and move out of that neighbourhood, 
 
 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. 
 
 Father Nash heard us speak of this Mr. D as " a 
 
 hard case," and immediately put his name upon his 
 prayer list. He remained in town a day or two, and 
 went on his way, having in view another field of 
 labour, 
 
Starting to Preach. 
 
 51 
 
 Not many days afterwards, as we were holding an 
 evening meeting, 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 disturb- 
 ance. The fear and abhorrence of him had become very 
 general ; so that when he came in, some got up and 
 retired. I knew his countenance, and kept my eye upon 
 him. I very soon became satisfied that he had not come 
 to oppose, and that he was in great anguish of mind. 
 He sat and writhed upon his seat. 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 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 bar-room ; 
 and from that time, as long as I stayed there, and I know 
 not how much longer, a prayer-meeting was held in his 
 bar-room nearly every night. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 . KE 7IVAL AT EVANS'S MILLS, AND ITS RESULTS. 
 
 A little way from the village of Evans's Mills was 
 a settlement of Germans, where there was a German 
 church, with several elders and a considerable member- 
 ship, but no minister, and no regular religious meetings. 
 Once each year they were in the habit of having a 
 minister come from the Mohawk Valley, to administer the 
 ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper. He would 
 catechize 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 ; where- 
 upon 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. 
 
 Bat 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 
 took this text : " Without holiness no man shall see the 
 Lord." 
 
 The settlement turned out en masse ; and the school- 
 house 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 
 
lievival at Evans s Mills. 
 
 53 
 
 holiness is I then showed, thirdly, what is intended by 
 seeing the Lord ; and then, why those that had no holi- 
 ness 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 in- 
 tended 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 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 instructions to inquirers. This was in their harvest 
 time. I held the meeting at one o'clock in the after- 
 noon, 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. 
 
 I took a position in the centre of the house, as I could 
 not move round among them ; and asked them ques- 
 tions, and encouraged them to ask questions. They 
 became interested, and were free in asking questions, 
 and in answering questions which I asked. 
 
 One woman came in late, and sat near the door. 
 When I came to speak to her, I said, "You look un- 
 well." "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." 
 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. 
 
54 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 and a remarkable convert she was. My wife said that 
 she was one of the most remarkable women in prayer 
 that she ever heard. 
 
 I addressed a tall, dignified-looking woman, and asked 
 what Avas the state of her mind. She replied im- 
 mediately that she had given her heart to God ; and 
 went on to say that the Lord had taught her to read 
 since she had learnt to pray. I asked 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. I thought when I had 
 prayed that I could read. The children have a Testa- 
 ment, and I went and got it ; and I thought I could read 
 what I had heard them read. But I went over to the 
 school ma'am, and asked her if I read right, and she said I 
 did, and since then I can read the word of God for myself." 
 
 I said no more, but thought that 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 neighbours 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. 
 Such, I think, were the undoubted facts. 
 
 But the revival among the Germans resulted in the 
 conversion of the whole church, and of nearly the whole 
 community of Germans. 
 
 While I was labouring at this place, the presbytery 
 . were called together to ordain me, which they did. Both 
 
Revival at Evans s Mills. 
 
 55 
 
 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 only narrated some of the principal facts con- 
 nected with this revival ; but I would further say that a 
 Avonderful spirit of prayer prevailed among Christians, 
 and a great unity of feeling. The Congregational 
 Church, as soon as they saw the results of the next even- 
 ing's preaching, recovered themselves ; for they had been 
 scattered, discouraged, and confounded the night before. 
 Though a feeble and inefficient band, with one or two 
 exceptions, still they grew in grace, and in the know- 
 ledge 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, united with the Con- 
 gregational Church. A very affecting incident occurred 
 at the time she gave a relation of her Christian experi- 
 ence. There was a mother in Israel of the name of 
 
 S , a very godly woman, of ripe age, and piety. We 
 
 had been sitting for a long time, and hearing the narra- 
 tion of the experience of one after another who came 
 forward as candidates for admission. At length this 
 German woman arose and related her experience, one of 
 the most touching, childlike, interesting Christian ex- 
 periences that I ever listened to. I observed that old 
 
 Mrs. S rose up, and as the house was filled, crowded 
 
 her way round as best she could. I was so occupied 
 with the woman's narrative that I was scarcely conscious 
 
 of Mrs. S 's moving. As soon as she came near to 
 
 where the woman stood relating her experience, she 
 stepped forward, and threw her arms round her neck 
 
 e 2 
 
C. G. Finney. 
 
 and burst into tears, and said, "God bless you, my dear 
 sister! God bless you!" They wept on each other's 
 necks. It was too moving a scene to be described in 
 words. 
 
 The means used were simply preaching, prayer, and 
 conference meetings, much private prayer, much personal 
 conversation, and meetings for the instruction ©f earnest 
 inquirers. These, and no other means, were used for the 
 promotion of that work. 
 
 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 Western phrase, 
 would be called " a burnt district." There had been, a 
 few years previously, a wild excitement which they 
 called a revival, but which turned out to be spurious. 
 It was reported as having been a very extravagant excite- 
 ment; and resulted in a reaction so extensive and pro- 
 found as to leave the impression on many minds that 
 religion was a mere delusion. 
 
 After the revival took thorough hold, opposition 
 entirely ceased. I spent more than six months at this 
 place and at Antwerp, labouring between the two places, 
 and for the latter part of the time I heard nothing of 
 open opposition. 
 
 I was obliged to take much pains in giving instruction 
 to inquirers. The practice had been, I believe, universal 
 to set anxious sinners to prajing 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 
 
Revived at Evans's Mills. 57 
 
 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 laboured in that 
 region, I rode on horseback from town to town and from 
 settlement to settlement, 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 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, attended prayer meetings, 
 and preached and laboured every day, and almost every 
 night through the whole season. Before the six months 
 were completed my health was entirely restored, and I 
 could preach two hours, 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 school-houses, and a 
 glorious revival spread all over that new region of 
 country. 
 
 All through the earlier part of my ministry especially. 
 
.58 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 I used to meet from ministers a great many rebuffs and 
 reproofs, particularly in respect to my manner of preach- 
 ing. The fact is, their education had been so entirely 
 different from mine, that they disapproved of my man- 
 ner very much. They would reprove me for illustrating 
 my ideas by reference to the common affairs of men, 
 as I was in the habit of doing. Among farmers and 
 mechanics, and other classes, I borrowed 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. 
 
 Before I was converted I had a different tendency. 
 En writing and speaking I had sometimes allowed my- 
 self 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 sim- 
 plicity. 
 
 About the time that I left Evans's Mills our presby- 
 tery 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 presbytery. I therefore took my seat 
 in the crowd, and waited for the meeting to be opened. 
 
 As soon as the congregation was fairly assembled, ODe 
 
Mevival at Evans s Mills. 
 
 59 
 
 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 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 objec 
 tion 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 high 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 school-houses 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 
 
60 
 
 0. G. Finney. 
 
 as often to shock people ; furthermore, that I urged 
 people with such vehemence as if they might not have a 
 moment to live ; and sometimes they complained that I 
 blamed 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, ancLthey 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, 
 and desired me to adopt their ideas and preach as they 
 did, that I dared not make the change. 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 
 evidence that you have found a more excellent way, I 
 will adopt your views. But do you expect me to aban- 
 don my own views and practices, when you yourselves 
 cannot deny that, whatever errors I may have fallen 
 into, yet the results justify my methods ? " 
 
 They used to complain, oftentimes, that I was guilty 
 of repetition. 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 per- 
 suaded to relinquish this practice. Then they would say, 
 "You will not interest the educated part of your congre- 
 gation." 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 VI. 
 
 EEMAEKS 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 to speak freely 
 upon this subject ? In reply to objections, I have some- 
 times told them what a judge of the supreme court 
 remarked to me. • ' Ministers 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 pur- 
 suits of life. They write in too elevated a style, and 
 read without repetition, and are not understood. Now, 
 if lawyers should take such a course, they would ruin 
 themselves and their cause. When I was at the bar 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 in addressing a jury is to 
 get their minds settled before they leave the jury-box ; 
 
(32 
 
 0. G. Finney. 
 
 not to make a speech in language but partially under- 
 stood 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." 
 
 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. 
 
 The more experience I had, the moi?e 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 in 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. 
 
 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. 
 
Remarks upon Ministerial Education. 63 
 
 This young man wrote and preached as splendid sermons 
 as he could. The pastor's wife 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 con- 
 gregation. 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 stand-point, 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. 
 
 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, 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 
 
0. G. Finney. 
 
 their movements. It is a question of urgency, and he 
 intends that every word shall be understood. He is en- 
 tirely 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 igno- 
 rant 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 ser- 
 mons lead the people to praise the preacher. Good 
 preaching leads the people to praise the Saviour. 
 
 Ministers do not like to get up and talk as best they 
 can, and break themselves at once into the habit of talk- 
 ing 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 sceptic, and his wife, seeing 
 him greatly excited, said to him, ' ' Husband, have you 
 been to hear Mr. Finney preach V He replied : " I have 
 been to Mr. Finney's meeting. He don't preach ; he 
 only explains what other people preach." This, in sub- 
 stance, I have heard over and over again. " Why ! " they 
 say, " anybody can preach as you do. You just talk 
 
Mcmarhs upon Ministerial Education. 65 
 
 tc the people. You talk as if you were as much at home 
 as if you sat in the parlour." Others have said : "Why, 
 it don't seem like preaching/ but it seems as if Mr. 
 Finney had taken me alone, aird was conversing with 
 me face to face."} 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 AT ANTWERP AND " SODOM." 
 I must now give some account of my labours, and their 
 result at Antwerp, a village north of Evans's Mills. 
 
 I arrived there, the first time, in April, and found that 
 no religious services were held in the town. The land 
 in the township belonged to a Mr. P — - — , a rich land- 
 holder residing in Ogdensburgh. To encourage the set- 
 tlement of the township, he had built a brick meeting- 
 house; but the people had no mind to keep up public 
 worship, the meeting-house wa,s locked up, and the key 
 was in the possession of Mr. C— — , who kept tm village 
 hotel. 
 
 I soon learned that there was a Presbyterian Church 
 consisting of but few members. They had, some years 
 before, tried to keep up a meeting at the village on 
 the Sabbath; but one of the elders, who conducted their 
 Sabbath meetings, lived about five miles out, 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 E , 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 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 
 
At Antwerp and "Sodom.'" b7 
 
 wife cf a physician. It was on Friday, if I remember, 
 that I arrived. 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 
 
 parlour if I could get anybody to attend. I went about 
 and invited the people, and secured the attendance, I 
 think, of some thirteen. I preached to them, and then 
 said that if I could get the use of the village school - 
 house, I would preach on the 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-hnuse on Sabbath morning. 
 
 In 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 
 at ball upon the green, and in every business place, were 
 all cursing and swearing, and I felt as if I had arrived 
 upon the borders of hell. The very atmosphere seemed 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 school-house was making quite an excitement, 
 
G. O. Finney. 
 
 On 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 ; but the load upon my mind increased. I went 
 up a third time, and then the answer came. I found 
 that it was time for the meeting, and went immediately 
 to the school-house. I found it packed to its utmost 
 capacity. I had my pocket Bible in my hand, and read 
 to them : <c God so loved the world that He gave His 
 only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him 
 might not perish but have everlasting life." The point 
 on which my mind principally laboured was the treat- 
 ment which God received in return for His love. 
 
 I saw several 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. 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. 
 
 In the afternoon the meeting-house was nearly as 
 much crowded as the school-house had been in the 
 morning. Everybody was out 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 
 
At Anhoerp and "Sodom" 69 
 
 them at the same time ; or, in other words, that I could 
 rain upon them hail, in love. 
 
 The labours of the day were effectual to the convic- 
 tion of the great mass of the population. From that 
 day, appoint a meeting when and where I would, 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 
 in a school -house at five o'clock in the afternoon. 
 
 On the third Sabbath, an aged man came to me as 
 I was entering the pulpit, and asked if I would preach 
 in a school-house in his neighbourhood, about three miles 
 distant ; saying that they had never had any services 
 there. I appointed the next day, 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 on the people in the 
 neighbourhood. However, before I reached the place, 
 having laboured so hard on the Sabbath, I found myself 
 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 school-house 
 full, and I could only get a standing-place near the 
 open door. I read a hymn; and I cannot call it sing- 
 ing : — each one bawled in his own way. My ears had 
 been cultivated by teaching 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 
 until they were through, and then I cast myself down 
 on my knees, almost in a state of desperation, and began. 
 
70 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 to pray. The Lord opened the windows of heaven, 
 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 ; but 
 waited to see the congregation. I arose from my knees 
 and said : " Up, get you out of this place ; for the Lord 
 will destroy this city." 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 that there was 
 such a man as Lot : their relations to each other ; their 
 separating from each other on account of differences ; 
 and that Abraham took the hill country, and Lot settled 
 in the vale of Sodom. I then told them how exceed- 
 ingly 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 that if He found ten 
 righteous persons in the city He would spare it. 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 
 &Ht?ov this place, because the cry of them is waxen 
 
At Antwerp and "Sodom."* 71 
 
 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, in 
 their shirt sleeves, looked at each other and at me, as if 
 they were ready to chastise me on the spot. I could 
 not understand what had offended them. However, it 
 seemed that their anger rose higher and higher as I 
 continued. As soon as I had finished, I turned and said 
 that I had understood that they had never had a re- 
 ligious meeting in that place ; and that therefore I had 
 a right to take it for granted that they were an ungodly 
 people. I pressed that home upon them with energy, 
 with my heart full almost to bursting. 
 
 I had not spoken in this strain more than a quarter of 
 an hour when an awful solemnity seemed to settle 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 down as 
 fast as they fell. Nearly the whole congregation were 
 either on their knees or prostrate, I should think, in less, 
 than two minutes from the first shock that fell upon 
 them. Every one prayed who was able to speak at all. 
 
 I was obliged to stop preaching ; for they no longer 
 paid attention. I saw the old man who had invited me, 
 sitting in the middle of the house, and looking around 
 with amazement. I raised my voice to make him hear, 
 and 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 spake as loud as I could, and tried 
 to make them attend. I said, " You are not in hell yet, 
 
 f 2 
 
C. G. Finney. 
 
 and now let me direct you to Christ." For a few 
 moments I tried to hold forth the Gospel ; but scarcely 
 any of them paid any attention. My heart was so over- 
 flowing with joy that I could scarcely contain myself. It 
 was with much difficulty that I refrained from shouting, 
 and giving glory to God. 
 
 As soon as I could control my feelings I turned to a 
 young man close to me, engaged in praying for himself, 
 laid my hand on his shoulder, 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 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 ar- 
 rived when I must leave and fulfil an appointment in the 
 village. I told them this, and asked the old man who 
 invited me to take charge of the meeting. 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 that could 
 not get away; and they were carried to a private house 
 to make room for the school. In the afternoon they 
 sent for me to come, as they could not break up. 
 
 When I went down the second time, I heard an ex- 
 planation of the anger manifested during my sermon the 
 day before. The place was called Sodom, but I knew it 
 not; there was but one pious man in the place, and him 
 they called Lot — the old man that invited me. The 
 people supposed I had chosen my subject, and preached 
 in that manner because they were so wicked. This was 
 a striking coincidence, but it was altogether accidental. 
 
At Antwerp and "Sodom!'' 
 
 73 
 
 i have not been in that place for many years, A few 
 years since I was labouring in Syracuse, in the State of 
 New York. Two gentlemen called upon me — one an 
 elderly man, the other not quite fifty. The younger 
 
 introduced the elder as Deacon W , elder i. his 
 
 church: saying he had called to give a hundred dollars 
 to Oberlin College. ' The elder in turn introduced the 
 younger, saying: "This is my minister, the Eev. Mr. 
 Gross. He was converted under your ministry." Where- 
 upon Mr. Cross said, "Do you remember preaching in 
 Antwerp, in the school-house, 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 
 at Oberlin. 
 
 Although that revival came upon them suddenly, and 
 was of such a powerful type, the converts were sound, 
 and the work genuine. I never heard of any disastrous 
 reaction. 
 
 I have spoken of the Universalists having prevented 
 
 Deacon R from attending meetings on'Sabbath, in 
 
 Antwerp, by taking off the wheels of his carriage. When 
 
 the revival was in full strength, Deacon R wanted 
 
 me to preach in that neighbourhood. Accordingly I 
 made an appointment. When I arrived I found the 
 school-house filled. I engaged in prayer, and then arose 
 and took this text : " Ye serpents, ye generation of 
 vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell ? ' ' 
 
 I saw that Deacon II was very uneasy ; and he 
 
C. G. Finney. 
 
 soon went and stood in the open door. As there were 
 some boys near, I supposed that he had gone to keep 
 the boys still ; but I afterwards learnt it was through 
 fear. He thought that if they set upon me, he would be 
 where he could escape. I proceeded out, and before I 
 could get through, there was a complete upturning of 
 the very foundations of Universalism. It was a scene 
 that almost equalled that in Sodom. Thus the revival 
 penetrated to every part of the town, and some of the 
 neighbouring towns shared the blessing. 
 
 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 had no 
 choice ; but their parents would prefer to have them im- 
 mersed. I told them I had no objection to immersing 
 them, and accordingly I arranged to baptize by immer- 
 sion. We went down to a stream that runs through the 
 place ; and there I baptized a dozen or more. 
 
 When the hour for afternoon service arrived, we went 
 to the meeting-house ; and there I baptized a great 
 number of persons by taking water in my hand and ap- 
 plying it to the forehead. The administration of the 
 ordinance was so manifestly owned and blessed of God, 
 as to do much to satisfy the people that the 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 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. 
 
At Antwerp and "Sodom" 75 
 
 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. 
 
 While I was preaching I observed a Methodist sister, 
 with whom I had become acquainted, weeping, I feared 
 that I was hurting her feelings. After the close of the 
 meeting, she remained weeping ; and I said, " 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 ; and maintaining the doctrine of election. 
 I resisted it, and told him that it was not true. And 
 now, to-day, you have convinced me that it is true ; and 
 instead of forming any excuse for my husband, or any- 
 body else, it is the only hope that I can have that he 
 will be saved, or anybody else." I heard no further ob- 
 jection to the converts joining a church that believed in 
 the doctrine of election. 
 
 There were many interesting cases of conversion ; 
 and two very striking cases of instantaneous recovery 
 from insanity. As I went into meeting in the afternoon 
 of one Sabbath, I saAv several ladies in a pew, with a 
 woman dressed in black, who seemed to be in great dis- 
 tress ; and they were partly holding her, and preventing 
 her from going out. As I came in, one of the ladies 
 came and told me that the one in black was an insane 
 woman ; that she had been a Methodist, but had, as 
 she supposed, fallen from grace ; which led to despair, 
 and finally to insanity. Her husband was intemperate, 
 and lived several miles from the village; and had 
 
76 
 
 G. G. Finney. 
 
 brought her down and left her at the meeting, and had 
 himself gone to a 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 the 
 seat if they could, without 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 prevented her escape. After a few moments 
 she became quiet ; but seemed to avoid hearing or at- 
 tending at all to the singing. I then prayed. I heard 
 her struggling to get out ; but before I had done she be- 
 came quiet, and the congregation was still. 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 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 until she sat upright, and looked 
 me in the face with intense earnestness. As I.proceeded 
 to urge the people to be bold in faith, 1o launch out, and 
 commit themselves with confidence to God, through the 
 atoning sacrifice of our great High Priest, all at once she 
 uttered a loud shriek. She then cast herself almost en- 
 tirely from her seat, held her head very low, and I could 
 
At Antwerp and "Sodom. 1 ' 77 
 
 see that she " trembled very exceedingly." The ladies 
 in the pew partly supported her, and watched her with 
 manifest prayerful sympathy. As I proceeded she be- 
 gan 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 never seen in any human face. Her joy was so 
 great that she scarcely could contain herself until meet- 
 ing was over ; and then she soon made everybody un- 
 derstand around her that she was set at liberty. She 
 glorified God, and rejoiced with amazing triumph. 
 About two years after I met 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.) 
 
 During this revival we heard much of opposition from 
 Gouverneur, a town about twelve miles further north. 
 The wicked threatened to come and mob us. However, 
 we paid no attention. Having received the converts, 
 and having laboured in Antwerp, together with Evans's 
 Mills, until the fall of the year, I sent and procured for 
 them a young man of the name of Denning, whom they 
 settled as pastor. I then suspended my labours sA 
 Antwerp. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 EETUEN TO EVANS'S MILLS. 
 
 At this time I was earnestly pressed to remain at 
 Evans's Mills, and finally gave encouragement that I 
 ■would abide with them, at least one year. Being 
 engaged to marry, I went to Whitestown, Oneida 
 county, and was married in October, 1824. My wife 
 had made preparations for housekeeping ; and a day ur 
 two after our marriage I left her, and returned to 
 Evans's Mills, to obtain conveyance to transport our 
 goods to that place. 
 
 Previous to this, I had preached at Perch River, still 
 further north-west about a dozen miles. I spent one 
 Sabbath at Evans's Mills, and intended to return for my 
 wife about the middle of that week ; but a messenger 
 from Perch River came and said there had been a revival 
 among the people ever since I preached ; and begged 
 me to go and preach at least once more. I finally sent 
 an appointment to be there on Tuesday night ; but 
 found the interest so deep that I stayed and preached 
 on Wednesday, and Thursday night. 
 
 The revival soon spread in the direction of Brownville, 
 a considerable village several miles in a south-western 
 direction. 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. 
 
Return to Evans's Mills. 
 
 79 
 
 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, 
 
 " 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 
 should a man pray ? If he wants to be happy, is that 
 a false motive 1 " 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 remained out till dinner time ; and when I returned 
 he met me, and said, " Mr. Finney, I owe you a confes- 
 sion. 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 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, 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 slep f j 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 
 
80 
 
 G. G. Finney. 
 
 always been a deceived hypocrite. The mortification 
 was intolerable ; and I wanted to die, and prayed the 
 Lord to take my life." However, from that time he 
 became a new man. 
 
 Early in 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, we 
 had seldom been able to exchange letters. I drove some 
 fifteen miles, and the roads were very slippery. My 
 horse was smooth-shod, and I found I must have his 
 shoes re-set. ~I stopped at Le Eayville, a small village 
 about three miles south of Evans's Mills. While my 
 horse was being shod, the people ran to me to know if 
 I would preach, at one o'clock, in the school-house. 
 
 At one o'clock the house was packed ; and while I 
 preached, the Spirit of God came down with great power. 
 So great and manifest was the out-pouring 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 I appointed 
 another meeting in the morning, and I appointed another 
 in the evening ; and soon I saw that I should not be 
 able to go any further 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 ; I went on preach- 
 ing, and there was a powerful revival. 
 
 While I was at Brownville, God revealed to me that 
 He was going to pour out His Spirit at Gouverneur, 
 and that I must go and preach. Of the place I knew 
 nothing, except that there was so much opposition 
 manifested to the revival in Antwerp the year before. 
 I" can never tell why the Spirit of God made that revela- 
 
Return to Evans's Mills. 
 
 81 
 
 tion. But I knew then, and I have no doubt now, that 
 it was a direct revelation to me. I had not thought of 
 the place for months ; but in prayer the thing was all 
 shown to me, as clear as light, that I must go and preach 
 in Gfouverneur, and that God would pour out His Spirit 
 there. 
 
 Very soon after, I saw one of the members from 
 Gouverneur, who was passing through Brownville. I 
 told him what God had revealed to me ; he stared as if 
 I was insane. But ". charged him to go home and tell 
 the brethren that they might prepare themselves for my 
 coming, and for the out-pouring of the Lord's Spirit. 
 From him I learned that they had no minister ; that 
 there were two churches and two meeting-houses stand- 
 ing near together ; that the Baptists had a minister, that 
 an elderly man lived there who had formerly been pastor, 
 but had been dismissed ; and that they were having, in 
 the Presbyterian church, no regular Sabbath services. 
 
 But now I return to Le Rayville. After labouring 
 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 the people. My wife arrived ; and we accepted 
 
 the invitation of Judge and Mrs. C to become their 
 
 guests. But after a few weeks, the people urged me to 
 go and preach in a Baptist church at Rutland, where 
 Rutland joins Le Ray. I made an appointment to 
 preach there. The weather had become warm, and I 
 walked through a pine-grove, about three miles, arrived 
 early, and found the house open, but nobody there. I 
 was warm, and took my seat near the broad aisle, in the 
 centre of the bouse, Very soon people began to coir.© 
 
82 
 
 0. G. Finney. 
 
 and take their seats here and there. Soon the miniDer 
 increased so that they were coming continually. 
 
 Presently a young woman came in, who had two or 
 three tall plumes in her bonnet. She was slender, tall, 
 dignified, and decidedly handsome. I observed that she 
 waved her head and gave a very graceful motion to her 
 plumes. She came as it were sailing along, 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 
 pew in which nobody was sitting. Thus we were near 
 together, but each occupying a separate pew. I turned 
 partly round, 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 very earnestly, 
 "Did you come 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, but I made her hear 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 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 increased so as to 
 attract the attention of those around. The house was 
 soon full, and I took a text and went on to preach. 
 
 The Spirit of the Lord was evidently poured out ; 
 and at the close of the sermon I called upon any who 
 
Return to Evans'? Mills. 
 
 would give their hearts to God to come and take the 
 front seat. 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, until she finally fell in the aisle, 
 and shrieked with agony. A large number arose m 
 different parts 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 vain. 
 
 Many years afterwards, I saw a man who called my 
 attention to that meeting. I inquired after the young 
 woman. He informed me that he knew her ; that 
 she still resided there, was married, was very useful ; 
 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, "Go to Gouverneur again ; the time has come." 
 Brother Nash had come a few days before, 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 two or three 
 days he returned, saying that he had found many 
 professors of religion under considerable exercise of 
 
84 
 
 C. G Finney. 
 
 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 
 Kras. I then informed the people that I was called to 
 Eouverneur, and could make no more appointments to 
 preach in that place. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 EEVIVAL AT GOUVEBNEUK. 
 irtsoTHEB Nash returned the next day, and made the 
 appointment I desired. I had to ride nearly thirty 
 miles. In the morning it rained hard ; but abated in 
 time for me to ride to Antwerp. While I was getting 
 dinner the rain came on again until late in the after- 
 noon. 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 Mr. S , one of 
 
 the principal members, returning from the church 
 meeting to his house, which I had just passed. He 
 stopped his carriage, and said, "Is this Mr. Finney ? " 
 After my reply in the affirmative, he asked, " 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 
 to-night." I replied that I must fulfil 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 to dismiss the meeting, 
 xa a word I informed them that I had come to fulfil my 
 
60 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 appointment ; and, the Lord willing, I would preach. 
 
 When the hour arrived, the liouse was filled. The 
 people had heard enough for and against me to haye 
 curiosity excited. The Lord gave me a text, and the 
 word took powerful effect. 
 
 The village hotel was at that time kept by Dr. S , 
 
 an avowed Universalis t. The next morning I went 
 out 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 discussing the sermon of the night before. 
 
 Dr. S I had never heard of ; but I found him at 
 
 this tailor's shop defending Universalist sentiments. As 
 I went in, the remarks made immediately opened the 
 
 conversation ; and Dr. S stepped forward to dispute 
 
 the positions I had advanced. Somebody introduced 
 him to me; and I said, "Doctor, I should be very 
 happy to converse with you, but if we are to have a 
 conversation, we must first agree upon the method." I 
 was too much used to Universalists to expect any good 
 to come of it, unless certain terms were agreed upon 
 r and adhered to. I proposed, therefore, first that we 
 should take up one point at a time, and settle it, and 
 then another, and another, confining ourselves to the 
 point immediately in debate ; secondly, that we should 
 not interrupt, but each one should be at liberty to give 
 his views ; and thirdly that there should be no cavilling, 
 -but that we should observe candour and courtesy, a,n^ 
 give to every argument due weight. I knew they wer.-r 
 all of one way of thinking; that they were banded together 
 and had come for the sake of sustaining each other. 
 
 Having settled the preliminaries, we commenced ; and 
 
Revival az Gouvprneur. 
 
 87 
 
 it did not take long to demolish every position assumed. 
 He really knew but little of the Bible. He had a way 
 of disposing of the principal passages that are generally 
 arrayed against Universalism ; but he dwelt mainly on 
 the injustice of endless punishment. 
 
 I showed that he had but slender ground to stand on ; 
 and he soon took the position, that, whatever the Bible 
 said, 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. I could easily see that they 
 . were all sceptics, and would not give in because 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 founda- 
 tions were giving away. 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, that he 
 was utterly wrong. 
 
 He had been their leader ; and God gave me an oppor- 
 tunity to use him up in the presence of followers. When 
 he had nothing more to say, I urged the question of 
 immediate attention to salvation, and very kindly bid 
 him good morning, and went away, feeling sure that I 
 should soon hear of that conversation again. 
 
 The doctor's wife was a member of the church. She 
 told me a day or two after that her husband 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 not remain sitting. 
 She said — ' ' Doctor, what is the matter ? " " Nothing, ' ' 
 was his reply ; but his agitation increased ; and she in- 
 
 g2 
 
88 
 
 0. G. Finney. 
 
 quired again, " Doctor, do tell me what is the matter %V 
 She suspected that he had somewhere fallen in with me, 
 and she said, "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 in- 
 tense ; and as soon as the way was opened he surrendered 
 himself to conviction, and soon after expressed hope in 
 Christ. In a few days his companions were brought in, 
 one after the other, till the revival made a clean sweep 
 of them. 
 
 As soon as the revival broke out, and attracted atten- • 
 tion, the Baptist brethren began to oppose. A set of 
 young men joined hand-in-hancl to strengthen each other 
 in opposition. Those young men seemed to stand like a 
 bulwark in the way of the progress of the work. 
 
 Brother Nash and myself, after consultation, made up 
 our minds that that thing must be overcome by prayer. 
 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 after- 
 noon myself — for I did the preaching, 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. 
 
 Brother Nash addressed them very earnestly, and 
 pointed out the guilt and clanger of the course they were 
 
Revival at Gouverneur. 
 
 89 
 
 taking. Towards the close of his address he waxed 
 exceedingly warm, and said, ' ' 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 
 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, the leader came to me 
 in the greatest distress, prepared to submit; and as soon 
 as I came to press him he broke down, confessed, and 
 manifestly gave himself to Christ. Then he said, 
 "What shall I do, Mr. Finney?" I replied, "Go 
 immediately to all your 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 of the 
 name of S — — a very amiable man, a gentleman, but 
 a Deist. His wife was 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 ministers' 
 families. He was a reading, reflecting man. Boca of 
 
O. G. Finney. 
 
 his fathers-in-law were olcl-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 religion. But she said he was so firmly 
 settled, she did not know that any conversation could 
 meet the case. 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. He said it would do no 
 good ; that he had talked with ministers enough ; 
 that he knew just what I should say, and he could 
 not spend the time ; besides, it was very repulsive to 
 
 his feelings. She replied, "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 I shall be greatly 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. Mrs. S introduced me, and left the 
 
 room. I then said, "Mr. S— — , I have not come 
 in here to have any dispute ; but if you are willing 
 to converse, it is possible that I may suggest something 
 that may help you over some difficulties in regard to 
 religion, as I probably have felt them all myself/' As 
 I addressed him in great kindness, he immediately 
 seemed to feel at home, and sat down and said, 
 
Revival at Gouvtrneur. 
 
 91 
 
 "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 that I can state to 
 you, in a very few minutes, just the objections 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. 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 believ- 
 ing 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, Ave 
 agree, then, that whatever contravenes our irresistible 
 convictions of justice cannot come from God." " Yes." 
 "What, according to our irresistible convictions, is 
 neither wise nor good, cannot be from God." "Yes, 
 we agree in that." "Well, now," said he, "the Bible 
 teaches 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 pre- 
 established laws of which God is the author ; that not- 
 withstanding 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 ; and 
 He commands this on pain of eternal death." 
 
 I replied, " Mr. S , have you a Bible ? Will you 
 
 aot turn to the passage that teaches this?" "Why, 
 there is no need of that," ho .said; "you adroit that 
 
92 
 
 C. 6r. Finney. 
 
 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 his posterity ; 
 that we inherit the guilt of that sin by nature, and are 
 exposed to eternal damnation. Now, 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 with my own. But now, where is this 
 taught?" 
 
 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." "No," I said, " avc are talking 
 about the Bible. 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 ; 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 Avere 
 taught. 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, cs the Bible, in its commands and teachings, contra- 
 
Revival at Gouvernetir. 
 
 93 
 
 vcnes my innate sense of justice. 1 cannot, I will not 
 receive it ! " He became very positive and warm ; but 
 
 I said : "Mr, S , there is a mistake. These arc 
 
 not the teachings of the Bible. They are the traditions 
 of men." "Well, then," said he, " Mr. Finney, tell me 
 what you do believe ! " This he said with considerable 
 impatience. I said, "If you will give me a hearing, I 
 will tell you what I believe." I then told him my views 
 of both the law and the Gospel. He was intelligent 
 enough to understand easily and quickly. In the course 
 of an hour I took him over the whole ground of his 
 objections. He became Intensely interested ; and I saw 
 that the views were new to him. 
 
 When I came to 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 with emotion. I saw that the blood rushed 
 to his head, and that tears began to flow. I rose 
 quickly and left the room without saying another word. 
 I saw that an arrow transfixed him, and I expected 
 him to be converted immediately. It turned 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, and soon Mr. 
 
 and Mrs. S came in. His countenance showed that 
 
 he had been greatly moved. The people looked round, 
 
 and appeared surprised to see Mr. S , He had been 
 
 in the habit of attending worship on the Sabbath ; but 
 to come to a prayer-meeting, and that in the day- 
 time, was something new. For his sake I took up a 
 
94 
 
 C. G Finney. 
 
 good deal of the time in remarks to which he paid the 
 utmost attention. 
 
 His wife afterwards told me that as he walked home 
 he said, " My dear, where has all my infidelity gone 1 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 OAvn arguments as I 
 did, I cannot imagine. It seems to me as if I had been 
 called to pass judgment on some splendid piece of archi- 
 tecture, some magnificent temple ; and that as soon as 
 I came in view of one corner of the structure I fell into 
 disgust, and turned awar>' and refused to inspect it 
 further. I condemned the whole, without at all regarding 
 its proportions. Just so I have treated the government 
 of God." He had always been bitter against the doctrine 
 of endless punishment ; but on this occasion he said 
 that, for the manner in which he had treated God, he 
 deserved endless damnation. 
 
 He warmly espoused the cause of Christ, enlisted 
 heartily in the promotion of the revival, joined the 
 church, soon after became a deacon ; and to the dav of 
 his death was a very useful man. 
 
 After the conversion of Mr. S , I though it was 
 
 time to put a stop to the opposition of the Baptist Church. 
 I therefore had an interview first with a deacon, who 
 had been bitter in his opposition ; and said, " Now, you 
 have carried your opposition far enough. You must be 
 satisfied that this is the work of God." 
 
 He confessed that he was sorry ; and promised that 
 he would not oppose any more. He said he had made 
 a mistake, and had been deceived. He then went after 
 
Revival at Gouverneur. 
 
 95 
 
 his minister ; and I had a long conversation with tnem 
 together. 
 
 I then said, " A considerable number of young people, 
 whose parents belong to your churcL, have been 
 converted." If I recollect, as many as forty of their 
 young people had been converted in that revival. "Now. 
 if you go to proselytizing, that will create sectarian 
 feeling, and will be worse than any opposition which 
 you have offered. 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 proselytizing will stop the revival 
 immediareiy." 
 
 This was on Friday. The next day, Saturday, was 
 the day for their monthly covenant meeting. When 
 they had gathered, he threw the doors of the church 
 open and invited the converts to come forward, 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 heir, 
 of one of the most proselytizing 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 any one to join, 
 they would get up a procession, march, sing, and make 
 a great parade in going to the water. This soon so grieved 
 the Presbyterian Church ac 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 
 
96 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 '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 con- 
 version, who had been entirely diverted by this 
 discussion ; and, indeed, this seemed to be the universal 
 effect. Everybody could see that the revival had 
 stopped. 
 
 I 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 for six weeks. 
 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 bap- 
 tism; and I will give you, as nearly as I understand 
 them, the views of 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 Baptists present. I read, 
 first in the Old Testament, then in the New, all the 
 passages that had any reference to the mode of baptism. 
 I gave the views that the Baptists had of those texts, 
 and the reasons. I then gave my own views, and my 
 reasons. I saw that the impression was good, and that 
 no bad spirit prevailed ; and the people appeared 
 satisfied. The Baptists were quite satisfied that I stated 
 their views fairly, and as strongly as they could state 
 them themselves, and also their reasons. Before I 
 dismissed the meeting I said, "If you will come 
 tG-morrow ; at the same hour, at one o'clock, I will read 
 
Revival at Gouverneur. 
 
 97 
 
 to you all the passages in the Bible that relate to the 
 subjects of baptism, and pursue the same course as I 
 have done to-day. 
 
 The next day the house was crowded more than the 
 day before. Quite a number of the principal Baptists 
 were present. After going through the introductory 
 services, I arose and commenced reading. At this point 
 an elder arose and said, ' ' Mr. Finney, I have an 
 appointment, and cannot stay ; but I shall wish to 
 answer you ; and how shall I know what course you 
 take ?" I replied, "Elder, I have a skeleton, wherein 
 I quote passages that I read, and note the order in 
 which I discuss the subject. You can have my skeleton, 
 if you please, and reply." He then went out, and went 
 away. 
 
 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, together with my own, with the reasons 
 on both sides. I then took up the New Testament, 
 and went through with all the passages referring to the 
 subject. The tears flowed very freely when I held up 
 that covenant which God makes with parents and their 
 household. 
 
 Just before I was through, the deacon of the Presby- 
 terian Church had occasion to go out with a child. He 
 told me afterwards that, as he went into the vestibule, 
 he found the old elder sitting there with the door ajar, 
 listening and weeping. 
 
 When I was done, the people thronged around, and 
 with tears thanked rue for so full an exhibition of thai 
 
0. 6r. Finney. 
 
 subject. The meeting was attended by the community 
 generally. The question was intelligently settled, ancl 
 people ceased to talk about it. In a few days the spirit 
 of prayer returned, and the revival went on again with 
 great power, the ordinances were administered, and a 
 large number of converts united with the church. 
 
 Mr. S had a very interesting family ; and his 
 
 wife — called Aunt Lucy — had no children, but they 
 had adopted one child after another, until they had ten; 
 and these were so nearly of an age that the family was 
 composed of himself, and his wife, and ten young people, 
 about equally divided, young men and young women. 
 They were all converted, and their conversions were 
 very striking. They were bright converts, and very 
 intelligent ; and a happier and more lovely family I 
 never saw. 
 
 But Aunt Lucy had been converted under other 
 circumstances ; and she had never before seen the 
 freshness, strength, and joy of converts in a powerful 
 revival. Their faith, love, 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 regarded her as a 
 mother, were filled with concern ; and the house was 
 thrown into mourning. Mr. 8 gave his time to con- 
 
Revival at Gouvemeur. 
 
 verse and to pray with her, to try to revive hope. I 
 had several conversations with her ; but in the great 
 light which the experience of those young converts 
 threw around her, she could not be persuaded to believe 
 that she was converted, or ever could be. 
 
 This state of things continued till I began to think 
 that she would become deranged. The street where 
 they lived was thickly settled, almost a village, for 
 three miles in extent. The work had extended in 
 that street until there was but one adult unconverted 
 person left. He was a young man, and was almost 
 frantic in his opposition to the work. Almost the 
 whole neighbourhood gave themselves to prayer for this 
 young man, and his case was in almost everybody's 
 mouth. 
 
 One day I found Aunt Lucy taking on 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 agony. I listened for a few 
 moments, and then looked gravely, 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 
 with a reproving look. " Why, Mr. Finney ? " said 
 she. 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 ? He is raving ; and you ! 
 
 are almost insane in feeling the abuse which he 
 heaps upon God, and with fear that he is going to 
 hell. Now, can two persons in two such opposite 
 spates of mind be sent to the same place ? " I calmi¥ 
 
100 
 
 (7- O. Finney. 
 
 met her reproving gaze. In a few moments her 
 features relaxed, 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 despair cleared up ; and she came out 
 clear, and as happy as any of the young converts. 
 B H was afterwards converted. 
 
 About three-quarters of a mile from Mr. S 's lived 
 
 Mr. M a strong Universalist. One morning, Father 
 
 Nash, who was with me, rose at a very early hour, and 
 went back to a grove some fifty rods from the road, 
 to have a season of prayer. It was one of those clear 
 mornings on which it is possible to hear sounds at a 
 
 great distance. Mr. M was out of doors, and heard 
 
 the voice of prayer ; he could distinctly hear Father 
 Nash's voice. It lodged an arrow in his heart. He 
 said it brought a sense of the reality of religion over 
 him such as he had never experienced. He found no 
 relief till he found it in believing in Jesus. 
 
 I do not know the number converted in that revival. 
 It was a large fanning town, settled by well-to-do 
 inhabitants. The great majority, I am confident, were 
 converted. 
 
 I have not been in that place for many years ; but I 
 have often heard from there ; and have always under- 
 stood that there has been a very healthful state of religion 
 in that place, and that they have never had a discussion 
 on baptism since. 
 
 The doctrines preached were those that I have 
 y>reacned everywhere. The total moral, voluntary 
 depravity of imregenerate man ; the necessity of a 
 
Revival at Gouverneur. 101 
 
 jvtctical change of heart through the truth, by the agency 
 of the Holy Ghost ; the divinity and humanity of our 
 Xord 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 ab 
 d. condition of salvation : indeed, all the distinctive 
 doctrines of the Gospel were stated and set forth with 
 .as much clearness as was possible. A great spirit of 
 prayer prevailed ; and after the discussion on baptism, 
 ,a spirit of unity and brotherly love prevailed also. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 REVIVAL AT DE KALB. 
 
 F$qm. 6fouverneur I went to De Kalb, a village further 
 nest*} sixteen miles. Here were a Presbyterian Church 
 and minister, and the minister was decidedly a good 
 mail • but the church was small. I began to hold 
 meetings in De Kalb. The village was small, the 
 people scattered, the country was new, and the roads 
 bad ; but a revival commenced, and went forward with 
 power. 
 
 A few years before there had been a revival there- 
 under the Methodists, attended with a good deal of 
 excitement ; and many cases had occurred of what 
 Methodists call "Falling under the power of God." 
 This the Presbyterians had resisted, and a bad feeling- 
 had arisen, the Methodists accusing the Presbyterians 
 of having opposed the revivalbecause of these cases of 
 falling. 
 
 I had not preached long before, one evening, just at 
 the close of my sermon, I observed a man fall from his 
 seat, and the people gathered round to take care of him. 
 From what I saw I was satisfied that it was a case of 
 falling under the power of Grod, as the Methodists would 
 express it. I had a 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. It 
 was remarkable that daring this revival there were 
 
Revival at Be Kalb. 
 
 103 
 
 several cases of this kind among the Presbyterians, and 
 none among the Methodists. This led to such confes- 
 sions and explanations among the different churches as 
 to secure a state of great cordiality and good feeling. 
 
 While labouring at D i Kalb I first became acquainted 
 
 with Mr. F , of Ogdensburgh. He heard of the 
 
 revival in De Kalb, and came from Ogdensburgh, 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 labours 
 within any given lines. 
 
 Mr. F — ■ — spent several days with me in visiting, and 
 in attending oar meetings. He had been educated in 
 Philadelphia, an old-school Presbyterian, and was him- 
 self an elder in the church in Ogdensburgh. On going 
 away he left a letter for me, containing three ten-dollar 
 bills. A few days later he came again, and spent two 
 or three days, attended our meetings, and became very 
 much interested. 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.. 
 
 The revival took a very strong hold in this place, and 
 among others, one of the elders of the church, of the 
 
 name of B , was thoroughly broken down, and 
 
 became quite another man. 
 
 One Saturday, just before evening, a German merchant 
 
 tailor from Ogdensburgh, of the name of F , called 
 
 h 2 
 
104 
 
 0. G. Finney. 
 
 and informed me that Squire F had sent Mm from 
 
 Ogdensburgh to take my measure for a suit of clothes. 
 
 I asked him if he would stay over the Sabbath, and 
 take my measure on Monday morning. I said, "It is 
 too late for you to return to-night, and if I allow you to 
 take my measure to-night you will go home to-morrow." 
 He admitted that he expected to do so. I said, "Then 
 you shall not take it. If you will not stay till Monday, 
 I will not be measured." He remained. 
 
 The same afternoon there were among other arrivals 
 
 from Ogdensburgh, Elder S , who was 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 that time very cold and 
 
 backward. Elder S was very much penetrated by 
 
 his words. 
 
 Soon after they entered the house the table was spread, 
 and they were invited to take some refreshment. As 
 
 they drew round the table S said to B , " How 
 
 did you get this blessing ? " B replied, "I stopped 
 
 lying to God. All my Christian life I have been making 
 pretences, and asking God for things that I was not, on 
 the whole, willing to have, and I had gone on and 
 prayed, and often had been insincere. As soon as I 
 made up my mind that I never would say anything in 
 prayer that I did not really mean, God answered me, 
 and I was filled with the Holy Ghost." 
 
 At this moment Mr. S , who had not commenced 
 
litvioal at De Kalb, 
 
 105 
 
 to eat, pushed his chair back, and fell on his knees and 
 began to confess how he had lied to God, and how he 
 had played the hyprocrite in prayer, as well as in life. 
 The Holy Ghost fell upon him immediately. 
 
 In the afternoon the people assembled for worship; 
 and as I was in the pulpit reading a hymn I heard some- 
 body talking very loud, and approaching the house. 
 
 Directly two men came in. Elder B I knew, the 
 
 other was a stranger. As soon as he came in, he came 
 straight into the desk. "God bless you ! " said he, "God 
 bless you ! " He then told me and the congregation 
 what the Lord had just done for his soul. 
 
 His countenance was all aglow, and he was so changed 
 that those who knew him were perfectly astonished. His 
 son, who had not known of this change, rose up and was 
 hastening out of the church. His father cried, "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 
 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. Sometimes, when I dared 
 to look into it, it seemed as if the devil was peering over 
 my shoulder. But I see it is all a delusion." He went 
 on to tell what the Lord had done for him, just there on 
 the spot — what views the Lord had giver him of the 
 way of salvation by Jesus Christ. 
 
 This made a great impression ; I could not preach. 
 The whole course of the meeting had taken on a type 
 
i06 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 which the Lord had given it. I sat still, and saw the 
 salvation of God. All that afternoon conversions were 
 multiplied. 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 move- 
 ment by the Holy Ghost in convicting and converting 
 sinners I had scarcely ever seen. 
 
 The next day Elder S returned to Ogdensburgh; 
 
 but, as I understand, he made many calls, conversed 
 and prayed with many families, and thus the revival 
 was extended to Ogdensburgh. 
 
 It was the early part of October, the synod to which 
 I belonged met in Utica. I took my wife, and went 
 down to Utica to visit her father's family living near. 
 
 Mr. Gale had left Adams not long after I left, and 
 had removed to a farm in the town of Western, Oneida 
 county, where he was endeavouring to regain his health, 
 and was employed in teaching some young men, who 
 proposed to preach the Gospel. I spent a few days at 
 the synod, and then set out on my return to my former 
 field of labour in St. Lawrence county. 
 
 We had not gone more than a dozen miles when we 
 met Mr. Gale 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 1 wrote the other day to Adams 
 to know where a letter would reach you, as I wanted to 
 open my mind to you." He was so importunate that I 
 consented, and we drove immediately to Western. i 
 
 In reflecting upon what I had said of the revivals of 
 religion in Jefferson and St. Lawrencr counties, 1 am 
 
Revival at De Kalb. 
 
 107 
 
 not quite sure that I have laid as much stress as I 
 intended upon the manifest agency of the Holy Spirit. 
 I wish it to be distinctly understood in all my narrative 
 "that I always 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 was a very marked feature. It was com- 
 mon for young converts to be greatly exercised, and in 
 some instances so much so that they were constrained 
 to pray whole nights, and until their bodily strength was 
 exhausted, for the conversion of souls. There was a 
 great pressure of the Holy Spirit upon 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 common to find Christians, when 
 they met, instead of engaging in conversation to fall on 
 their knees in prayer. 
 
 Not only were prayer-meetings 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. 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 were so multipled that no one 
 could escape the conviction that God was daily and 
 hourly answering. 
 
108 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 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, 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 regard to my own experience, 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. 
 
 For several weeks before I left De Kalb to go to the 
 synod, I was very strongly exercised. I found myself 
 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 impor- 
 tunity 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 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 strength- 
 ened 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 out-jDouring of the Spirit in 
 that new country. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 EEVIVAL AT WESTEEN. 
 
 I have spoken of my turning aside to Western as I was 
 returning from the synod. At this place commenced 
 that series of revivals afterwards called the Western 
 Revivals. 
 
 Mr. Gale had settled upon a farm in Western; and 
 was employing some young men, and was teaching them, 
 and endeavouring to repair his health. For several 
 weeks I was his guest. We arrived on Thursday after- 
 noon, and there was a stated prayer-meeting in the 
 school-house. The church had no settled minister, and 
 Mr. Gale was unable to preach. I believe they usually 
 had a minister only a part of the time; and for some time 
 previous to my going, had no stated preaching in the 
 Presbyterian Church. There were three elders, and a 
 few members; but the church was very small, and 
 religion at low-water mark. There seemed to be no 
 life, courage, or enterprise. 
 
 In the afternoon, Mr. Gale invited me to go to the 
 prayer-meeting. They asked me to take the lead; but 
 I declined, expecting to be there only for that afternoon, 
 and preferring rather to hear them pray and talk. The 
 meeting was opened by one of the elders, wiio read a 
 chapter, then a hymn. After this he made a long prayer, 
 or an exhortation, or a narrative — I hardly know what 
 to call it. He told the Lord how many years they had 
 
110 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 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 omit- 
 ted. 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 were about to dismiss the 
 meeting; but one of the elders asked if I would make a 
 remark. I took their statements and confessions for a 
 text; and it seemed 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 
 I took their prayers, statements, and confessions, and 
 dissected them. I asked if it had been understood that 
 that 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 they all looked angry. Some afterwards said 
 that they were on the point of going out. I followed on 
 the track until the elder who was the principal man, 
 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 wept, con- 
 fessed, and broke their hearts before God. This scene 
 continued for an hour. 
 
Revival at Western, 
 
 As soon as they recovered, they besought me to re- 
 main and preach on the Sabbath I consented to do so; 
 my mind was greatly exercised. I went off frequently 
 into the church to engage in prayer. On Sabbath 
 the church was full. I preached all day, and God 
 came down with great power. It was manifest that the 
 work of grace had begun. I made appointments to 
 preach in different parts of the town, in school-houses, 
 and at the centre, during the week ; and the work in- 
 creased. 
 
 In the meantime my own mind was much exercised; 
 and I found that the spirit of prayer was prevailing, 
 
 especially among the female members. Mrs. B and 
 
 Mrs. H , the wives of two of the elders, were greatly 
 
 exercised in prayer. Each had families of unconverted 
 children; and they laid hold in prayer with an earnest- 
 ness that gave promise that their families must be con- 
 verted. Mrs. H , however, was a woman of feeble 
 
 health, and had not ventured out to meeting for a long 
 time; but, as the day was pleasant, she was at the 
 prayer-meeting, and seemed to catch the inspiration. 
 
 It was the next week that I called at Mr. H 's, 
 
 and found him pale and agitated. He said, "Brother 
 Finney, I think my wife will die. She is so exercised 
 that she cannot rest, but is given up entirely to prayer. 
 She has been all the morning in her room, groaning and 
 struggling; and I am afraid it will entirely overcome 
 her strength." Hearing my voice, she came from her 
 room, and upon her face was a heavenly glow. Her 
 countenance was lighted \vith hope and joy that were 
 plainly from heaven. She exclaimed, " Brother Finney, 
 the Lord has come ! This work will spread over all 
 
112 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 this region ! A cloud of mercy overhangs us ail; and 
 we shall see such a work of grace as we have never yet 
 seen." Her husband looked surprised. It was new to 
 him, but not to me. I had witnessed such scenes before, 
 and believed that prayer had prevailed. 
 
 The work spread, until it began to exhibit unmistak- 
 able indications of the direction in which the Spirit of 
 God was leading. The distance to Rome was nine 
 miles. About half way was a small village called 
 Elmer's Hill. There was a large school-house, 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 north-east of Rome, 
 about three miles, called Wright's Settlement. Large 
 numbers of persons came 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. 
 
 I must relate a few incidents that occurred at Western. 
 
 Mrs. B had a large family of unconverted children. 
 
 One of the sons Avas a professor of religion at Utica; 
 the rest were at home. They were a very amiable 
 family; and the eldest daughter, especially, had been 
 regarded as almost perfect. I went several times to 
 converse with her; but found that Lhe family were so 
 tender of her that I could not strip away her self-right- 
 eousness. 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 con- 
 vict her of sin. The second daughter was also very 
 amiable; but she did not regard herself as worthy to be 
 compared with the eldest. 
 
 When I was talking with the eldest, trying to make 
 
Revival at Western. 
 
 113 
 
 her see herself as a great sinner, notwithstanding her 
 
 morality, C , the second daughter, said, "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 she does." After being defeated several 
 times in attempts to secure the conviction and conver- 
 sion 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 oppor- 
 tunity came. I entered into conversation with her, and 
 by Gfod's help stripped the covering from her heart, and 
 she was brought under powerful conviction. The Spirit 
 pursued her with mighty power. The family were sur- 
 prised and greatly distressed; but God pushed the ques- 
 tion homo till, after a struggle, she broke down, and came 
 into the kingdom. Her convictions were so thorough 
 that she was strong in faith, clear in apprehension of 
 duty and of truth, and immediately became a power for 
 good among friends and acquaintances. 
 
 The second daughter became very much alarmed, and 
 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 child after another was 
 
 converted; and we were expecting to see C come 
 
 out a bright convert; but she lingered. It was plain 
 the Spirit was resisted; and one day I found her 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 in, and I told her what C had said. 
 
114 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 It shocked her so that she groaned aloud, and fell pros- 
 trate on the floor. Unable to rise, she struggled and 
 groaned out her prayers in a manner that immediately 
 
 indicated that C must be converted. She was unable 
 
 to say much in words, but her groans and tears witnessed 
 extreme agony. As soon as this scene had occurred, 
 
 the Spirit of God manifestly came upon C afresh. 
 
 She fell upon her knees, and broke down ; and became 
 
 to all appearance as thorough a convert as S . The 
 
 B— children, sons and daughters, were all converted 
 at that time, 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 centre almost every day. I had con- 
 versed with her, and found her deeply convicted. I was 
 expecting to hear that she had been converted ; but she 
 remained stationary, or rather despair increased. This 
 led me to suspect that something was wrong. I asked 
 if her parents were Christians. She said they were 
 members of the church. I asked if they attended meet- 
 ings. She said, '• Yes, on the Sabbath." " Do not your 
 parents attend meetings at other times \ " "No." "Do 
 you have family prayers at home ? " 1 ' No, sir, we used 
 to have; but we have not had family prayers for a long 
 time." This revealed the stumbling-block at once. I 
 inquired when I could probably find her father and 
 mother at home. She said they were seldom away. 
 Feeling that it was infinitely dangerous to leave this, 
 case, I went to see the family. 
 
 This daughter was the only child at home. I found 
 
Revival at Western 
 
 115 
 
 her bowed down, and 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 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. 
 I inquired for her husband. She said that he was in 
 the field. I asked her to call him 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 backslider, and had no hold upon God. 
 ' ' And, ' ' said I, ' 'you do not have family prayers.' ' ' 6 No,, 
 sir." "Now," said I, " I have seen your daughter bowed- 
 down, and I have learned that the difficulty is at home. 
 You have shut up the kingdom of heaven against your 
 daughter. You neither enter yourself, nor will you suffer 
 her to enter. Now you must repent. I do not intend 
 to leave until you and your wife repent. You must 
 establish family prayers, and build up the altar that 
 has fallen down." 
 
 1 was so earnest 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 until they repented. I felt that 
 the work must be done, and done then. I cast myself 
 down upon my knees ; and they knelt down and wept 
 sorely. I confessed for them, and tried to lead them to. 
 God, and to prevail in their behalf. They both broke 
 down, confessed their sins ; and the daughter arose, 
 rejoicing in Christ. Many answers to prayer, and 
 many scenes of great interest Avere presented in this, 
 revival. 
 
116 
 
 (J. G Finney. 
 
 One passage of my experience, for the honour 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 
 hay-loft; where I used to spend much of my time. Mr. 
 Oale had admonished me, several times, that, if I did 
 not take care, I should go beyond my strength and 
 break down. It was November, the weather was becom- 
 ing cold, and Mr. Gale and I had been out visiting 
 inquirers. We came home and went into the barn, and 
 put out the horse. Instead of going into the house, I 
 crept up into the hay-loffc to pour out my burdened soul 
 to God. 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. The first I 
 knew, Mr. Gale came climbing up into the hay-loft, and 
 said, " Brother Finney, are you dead ? " I awoke, and 
 at first could give no account of why I was there, and 
 could form no idea how long I had been there. 
 
 Mr. Gale 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 labours, because 1 
 would not preach what he regarded as the truths of the 
 Gospel. But when he found that the Spirit did accom- 
 pany my labours, it led to the conclusion that he was 
 wrong; and this led to such an overhauling of his whole 
 state of mind, and of his views as a preacher, as resulted 
 in 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 ; 
 
Revival at Western. 
 
 117 
 
 and before many weeks he had come into an entirely- 
 different state of mind, 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 hud prevailed. From 
 this time he became a very efficient worker, so far as his 
 health would permit, in that region. 
 
 1 
 
CHAPTER XII, 
 
 REVIVAL AT ROME. 
 
 At this time Moses Gillett, pastor of the Congregational 
 
 Church in Rome, 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 im- 
 pressed. Miss H was a very devout and earnest 
 
 Christian. On their second coming, Mr. Gillett said, 
 "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, 
 my mind is full of the subject, and the promises are 
 new." This conversation 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 ex- 
 change a day with him. 
 
 On the Saturday before the day of our exchange, on 
 my way to Rome, I greatly regretted that I had con- 
 sented. I felt that it would greatly mar the work in 
 Western, because Mr. Gillett would preach his old 
 sermons, which 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. To me it was 
 manifest that the word took great effect. I preached in 
 
Revival at Rome. 
 
 119 
 
 the morning on "The carnal mind is enmity against 
 God;" and followed with something in the same direc- 
 tion in the afternoon and evening. I waited on Monday- 
 till Mr. Gillett returned. I told him what my impres- 
 sions were in respect to the state of the people. He did 
 not seem to realize that the work was beginning with 
 such power; but he wanted to call for inquirers, if 
 there were any, and wished me to be present at the 
 meeting. 
 
 Mr. Gillett asked me to be present at the proposed 
 meeting. I told him I would; and that he might circulate 
 information that there would be a meeting of inquiry 
 on Monday evening. The meeting was at the house of 
 one of his deacons. We found the large sitting-room 
 crowded. Mr. Gillett looked around with surprise and 
 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 com- 
 posed of the prominent young men in the town. We 
 spent a while in attempting to converse with them; and 
 I soon saw that there was danger of an outburst of feel- 
 ing that would be almost uncontrollable. 1 said to Mr. 
 Gillett, " It will not do to continue the meeting in this 
 shape. I will make some remarks and then dismiss 
 them." 
 
 Nothing had been said or done to create excitement; 
 the feeling was all spontaneous. 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 pro- 
 duced when searchingly presented in a few words of 
 
 I 2 
 
120 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 conversation would create a distress that seemed un- 
 endurable. 
 
 Mr. Gillett became much agitated. He turned pale: 
 and with a good deal of excitement said, "What shall 
 we do ? " I put my hand on his shoulder, and in a 
 whisper said, "Keep quiet, Brother Gillett." I then 
 addressed them in as gentle but plain a manner as I 
 could; calling attention at once to their only remedy, 
 and assuring them that it was present and all-sufficient. 
 I pointed them to Christ, as the Saviour of the world; 
 and kept on in this strain as long as they could* 1 well 
 endure it, which was but a few minutes. 
 
 Mr. Gillett became so agitated that I stepped up to 
 him, and taking him by the arm said, "Let us pray." 
 We knelt down in the middle of the room. I led in 
 a low, unimpassioned voice; but interceded with the 
 Saviour 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 ; and as I could hear their sobs 
 and sighs, I closed my prayer and rose from my knees. 
 They all arose ; and I said, "Now please go home with- 
 out speaking a word to each other. Try to keep silent, 
 and do not break out into any boisterous manifestation 
 of feeling." 
 
 At this moment a young man, a clerk in Mr. H 's 
 
 store, so nearly fainted that he fell upon some that stood 
 near; and they all partially swooned and fell together. 
 This had well-nigh produced a loud shrieking; but I 
 hashed them, and said, " Please set that door wide open, 
 and go out, and let all retire in silence." They did not 
 shriek; but went out sobbing and sighing. 
 
Revival at Rome. 
 
 121 
 
 This Mr. W kept silence till he entered the door 
 
 where he lived ; but he could contain himself no longer. 
 He shut the door, fell upon the floor, and burst out into 
 a loud wailing. This brought the family around him, 
 and scattered conviction among the whole of them. 
 
 Similar scenes occurred in other families. Several 
 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 as soon as we were in the streets 
 the people ran out from many houses, and begged us 
 to go in. When we went into a house, the neighbours 
 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. Con- 
 victions were so deep and universal that we would some- 
 times go into a house and find some kneeling and some 
 prostrate. We visited, conversed, and prayed in this 
 manner till noon. I then said to Mr. Gillett, " This will 
 never do; we must have a meeting of inquiry. We can- 
 not go from house to house ; we are not meeting the 
 wants of the people." He agreed with me; but the 
 question arose, where shall we have the meeting ? 
 
 Mr. F , a religious man, kept an hotel at the centre 
 
 of the town. He had a large dining-room; and Mr. 
 Gillett said, " I will step in and see if I can be allowed 
 to appoint the meeting in his dining-room." Without 
 
122 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 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. We went home, 
 took our dinner, and started for the meeting. We saw 
 people hurrying, and some of them actually running; 
 they were coming from every direction. By the time 
 we were there, the room, a large one, was crammed. 
 
 This meeting was very much like the one we had the 
 night before. Some men of the strongest nerves were 
 so cut down by the remarks made that they were unable 
 to help themselves, and had to be taken home by 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 court- 
 house. This was a much larger room than the dining- 
 hall, though not so central. 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 we undertook to hold a prayer and 
 conference meeting in a large school-hous°; but the 
 meeting was hardly begun before the feeling deepened 
 so that, to prevent an undesirable outburst of over- 
 whelming 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 
 
Revival at Home. 
 
 123 
 
 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 for twenty nights in succes- 
 sion, 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. 
 
 Ministers came in from neighbouring towns, and 
 expressed astonishment at what they saw and heard. 
 Conversions multiplied so rapidly that we had no way 
 of learning who were converted. Therefore every even- 
 ing, at the close of my sermon, I requested all who had 
 been converted that day to come forward and report 
 themselves, that we might have a little conversation. 
 We were every night surprised by the number and the 
 class who came forward. 
 
 At one of our morning prayer-meetings the lower part 
 of the church was full. I arose, and was making some 
 remarks, when an unconverted man, a merchant, came 
 in. He came along till he found a seat near where I 
 stood, lie had sat but a few moments, when he fell as 
 if he had been shot. He writhed and groaned in a ter- 
 rible manner. I stepped to the pew door, and saw that 
 it was agony of mind. 
 
 A sceptical physician sat near. He stepped out of 
 his pew, and came and examined the 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 dis- 
 tress of mind, it took his scepticism entirely -away; he 
 
124 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 was soon after converted. We engaged in prayer for 
 the man who fell ; and before he left the house, I believe, 
 his anguish passed away, and he rejoiced in Christ. 
 Another physician, very amiable, but a sceptic, had a 
 
 little daughter and a praying wife. Little H -, a girl 
 
 eight or nine years old, was strongly convicted of sin, 
 and her mother was greatly interested in her state; but 
 her father was, at first, indignant. He said, "The 
 subject of religion is too high for me; I never could 
 understand it; and do you tell me that that little child 
 understands so as to be intelligently convicted ? 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 with a good deal of spirit. Immediately he 
 took his horse, and went several miles to see a patient. 
 On his way, that subject took possession of his mind in 
 such a manner that it was opened to his understanding; 
 and the plan of salvation by Christ was so clear that he 
 saw how a child could understand it. He wondered that 
 it had ever seemed so mysterious. He regretted exceed- 
 ingly that he had said what he had about little H . 
 
 and felt in haste to get home that he might take it back. 
 He came home another man; told what had passed in 
 
 his own mind; encouraged little H to come to 
 
 Christ; and both father and daughter have since been 
 earnest Christians, and have lived long and done much 
 
 In this revival God did some terrible things in right- 
 eousness. 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, 
 
Revival at Borne. 
 
 125 
 
 and requested us to go to a certain place, saying that a 
 man had just fallen down dead. I was engaged in con- 
 versing with somebody, and Mr. Gillett Avent 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 had been opposing the work, had met 
 that Sabbath and spent the day in drinking and ridi- 
 culing the work. They went on in this way until one 
 suddenly fell dead. When Mr. Gillett arrived and the 
 circumstances were related, he said, " There ! there is no 
 doubt that 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 
 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, 
 physicians, and the principal men, and nearly all the 
 adult population, were brought in, especially those who 
 belonged to Mr. Gillett's congregation. He said to me, 
 "So far as my congregation is concerned, the millennium 
 is come already ; my people are all converted. Of all 
 my past labours I have not a sermon that is suited at all 
 to my congregation, for they are all Christians." During 
 the twenty days that I spent at Rome there were five 
 hundred conversions. 
 
 —During this progress a good deal of excitement sprung 
 up in Utica, and some were disposed to ridicule the work 
 at Rome. Mr.H , who lived at Rome, was a promi- 
 nent citizen, and was regarded as standing at the head 
 of society. But he was sceptical ; or he held Unitarian 
 views. He was very moral and respectable, and held 
 
126 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 his peculiar views unobtrusively, saying very little about 
 
 them. The first Sabbath I preached, Mr. H was 
 
 present, and was so astonished at my preaching that 
 he made up his mind that he would not go again. He 
 went home and said : "That man is mad, and I should 
 not be surprised if lie set the town on fire." He stayed 
 away from the meeting for some two weeks. In the 
 meantime the work became so groat as to confound his 
 scepticism, 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 directors. On 
 one of these occasions one director began to rally him 
 upon 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. I can- 
 not understand it. You say it will soon subside. No 
 doubt the intensity of feeling must soon subside, or the 
 people will become insane. But, gentlemen, there is no 
 accounting for that state of feeling by any philosophy 
 unless there be something Divine in it." 
 
 After Mr. II had stayed away from the meeting 
 
 about two weeks, a few assembled one afternoon to 
 make him a special subject of prayer. When he came 
 into the house, Mr. Gillett whispered as we sat in the 
 
 pulpit, "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. 
 
Revival at Rome 
 
 127 
 
 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 . I think it was that very 
 
 night, when I requested all who had been converted that 
 
 day to come and report themselves, Mr. H was one 
 
 who came solemnly forward, and reported himself as 
 having given his heart to God. He appeared humble 
 and penitent, and I have always supposed Avas truly 
 converted. 
 
 The state of things in the neighbourhood was such 
 that no one could come into the village without feeling 
 awe- stricken with the impression that God was there. 
 As an illustration I will relate an incident. The sheriff 
 of the county resided in Utica. There were two court- 
 houses — one at Rome, and the other at Utica ; conse- 
 quently Sheriff B had much business at Rome. He 
 
 heard of the state of things at Rome ; and, 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. 
 He drove on in his one-horse sledge without any par- 
 ticular impression upon his mind, until he crossed the 
 old canal about a mile from the town. He said, as soon 
 as he crossed, 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 till he came to the village. He stopped 
 
 at Mr. F 's hotel, and he observed taat the hostler 
 
 looked just as he himself felt, as if he were afraid to 
 
128 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 speak. He went into the house, and found the gentle- 
 men there with whom he had business. He said they 
 were manifestly 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 table abruptly and go to the window and look 
 out, and try to divert his attention, to keep from weep- 
 ing. He observed, he said, that everybody else appeared 
 to feel just as he did. Such an awe, such a s< lemnity, 
 such a state of things, he had never had any conception 
 of before. He hastened, and returned to Utica ; but 
 never to speak lightly of the work at Rome again. A 
 few weeks latter, at Utica, he was hopefully converted. 
 
 The means used at Rome were such as I had used 
 before ; 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, tumult, fanaticism, 
 or anything objectionable, as was witnessed at Rome. 
 There are many converts of that revival, scattered 
 through the land, living to this day ; and they can 
 testify that the utmost pains were taken to guard against 
 everything to be deplored. 
 
 The Spirit's work was so spontaneous, so powerful, 
 and so overwhelming, as to render it necessary to exer- 
 cise the greatest caution and wisdom in conducting the 
 meetings, in order to prevent an undesirable outburst 
 of feeling, that soon would have exhausted the sensi- 
 bility of the people, and brought about a reaction. 
 They kept up a sunrise prayer-meeting for several 
 months ; and for more than a year afterwards, at all 
 seasons of the j'ear, that was very fully attended, and 
 
Revival at Rome. 
 
 129 
 
 was as full of interest as perhaps a prayer-meeting could 
 be. The moral state of the people was so greatly 
 changed that it did not seem like the same place. Sin 
 was obliged to hide its head ; no open immorality could 
 be tolerated for a moment. 
 
 It was on a Saturday that I came from Western to 
 exchange with Mr. Gillett, that I met the church in a 
 prayer-meeting, in their house of worship. I en- 
 deavoured to make them understand that God would 
 immediately answer prayer, provided they fulfilled the 
 conditions ; and especially if they believed, in the sense 
 of expecting Him to answer their requests. 
 
 I observed that the people were startled with my ex- 
 pression of earnestness and faith in respect to an imme- 
 diate answer to pyayer. I had so often seen this result 
 in prayer that I made the remark without any mis- 
 giving. Nothing was said by any of the members of 
 the church ; but I learned after the work had begun 
 that three or four members called at Mr. Gillett's study, 
 and felt so impressed with what had been said 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." 
 
 The town was full of prayer. Go whither you would, 
 you heard the voice of prayer. Wherever there was a 
 sinner unconverted, especially if he manifested opposition, 
 you would find some two or three brethren or sisters 
 agreeing to make him a particular subject of prayer. 
 
130 
 
 G. G. Finney. 
 
 There was the wife of an officer in the United States 
 army residing at .Rome, the daughter of a prominent 
 citizen. This lady manifested opposition to the work, 
 said some strong things ; and this led to her being made 
 a particular subject of prayer. This lady was educated, 
 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 m hand. One evening, perhaps the evening of the 
 very day that the facts came to my knowledge, Mr. 
 Gillett and myself had remained to the very last, con- 
 versing with some persons who were deeply bowed down 
 with conviction. As they went away, and we were about 
 to retire, the sexton came hurriedly as we were going 
 out, and said, "There is a lady in yonder pew that can- 
 not get out ; she is helpless." We returned, and lo ! 
 down in the pew was this lady, perfectly overwhelmed 
 with conviction. The pew had been full, and she had 
 attempted to retire with the others ; but as she was the 
 last she found herself unable to stand, and sunk down, 
 and did so without being noticed by those who preceded 
 her. We had some conversation, and found that the 
 Lord had stricken her with unutterable conviction of 
 sin. After praying, and giving her the solemn charge 
 to give her heart immediately to Christ, I left ; and 
 Mr. Gillett helped her home. When she got home she 
 went into a chamber by herself and spent the night — a 
 cold winter night. The next day she expressed hope in 
 Christ, and proved to be soundly converted. 
 
 Mrs. Gillett was a sister of the missionary Mills, one 
 of the young men whose zeal led to the organization 
 
Revival at Rome. 
 
 131 
 
 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, and had become almost deranged. 
 She had the impression that she was not one of the 
 elect, and that there was no salvation for her. Soon 
 after the revival began in Eome she was powerfully 
 convicted again by the Spirit. 
 
 She was a woman of refinement, and fond of dress ; 
 and wore upon her person some trifling ornaments ; 
 nothing, however, that I should have thought of as being 
 any stumbling-block. Being her guest, I conversed 
 repeatedly with her as convictions increased ; but it 
 never occurred to me that her fondness for dress could 
 stand in the way of her being converted. But as the 
 work became so powerful, her distress became alarming • 
 and Mr, Gillett, knowing what had formerly occurred, 
 felt quite alarmed lest she should get into that state 
 in which she had been before. She threw herself upon 
 me for instruction. 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 p'< ay 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 u^e for me to pray for 
 her, that she was depending upon my prayers. "When 
 > \ did so, she sunk down as if she would faint, I left 
 
132 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 her alone, notwithstanding, and went abruptly from the- 
 study. In a few moments she came rushing into the 
 parlour, with her face all aglow, exclaiming, ' ' Oh, Mr. 
 Finney ! I have found the Saviour ! Don't you think 
 that it was the ornaments in my hair that stood in the 
 way of my conversion ? As soon as I promised to give 
 them up, the Lord revealed Himself to my soul ; and 
 oh ! 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 XTII. 
 
 EEVIVAL AT UTICA, NEW YORK. 
 When I had been at Rome about twenty days, one ox 
 the elders of Mr. Aiken's church in Utica, a prominent 
 and useful man, died ; and I went to attend his funeral. 
 Mr. Aiken conducted the funeral ; and I learned that 
 the spirit of prayer was already in that city. He told 
 me that one of his principal women had been so deeply 
 exercised about the state of the church and the ungodly 
 that she prayed for two days and nights, almost inces- 
 santly, until her strength was quite overcome ; that she 
 had 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 — some one 
 who could express her desires to God. 
 
 I understood this, and told Mr. Aiken that the work 
 had already begun in her heart. He recognised it ; and 
 wished me to commence labour with him and his people 
 immediately. I did so, and the word took immediate 
 effect, and the place became filled with the influence of 
 the Holy Spirit. Our meetings were crowded, and the 
 work went on powerfully in the two Presbyterian con- 
 gregations ; of one of which Mr. Aiken was pastor, ana 
 Mr. Brace of the other. 
 
 Soon after, I observed to Mr. Aiken that Mr. B , 
 
 tile sheriff, did not attend the meetings. But a few 
 
 K 
 
134 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 evenings afterward, Mr. Aiken whispered that Mr. 
 
 B had come. He pointed him out to me, as he 
 
 made his way up the aisle. I had spoken but a few 
 moments, when I observed Mr. B rise, turn delibe- 
 rately round, wrap his great coat about him, and kneel 
 down. I observed that it excited attention in that part 
 of the house. The sheriff continued on his knees during 
 the service ; he then retired to the hotel at which he 
 boarded. 
 
 He 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. 
 He said that he had treasured up in his mind the points 
 made, and that he presented them solemnly before him- 
 self. He said he had thrown himself in agony of mind 
 upon his bed. He made this point with himself, and 
 conjured his soul to accept " now, and here." Bight, 
 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 he 
 became an earnest worker for Christ. 
 
 The hotel at which he boarded was at that time kept 
 
 by Mr. S . The Spirit took powerful hold in that 
 
 house. Mr. S was soon made a subject of prayer, 
 
 and became converted ; and a large number of his 
 family and of his boarders. That largest hotel in the 
 town became a centre of spiritual influence. The stages, 
 as they passed, 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 con- 
 
Revival at Utica, Neio York. 
 
 135 
 
 verted before they left. 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 busi- 
 ness. 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 unconverted. He 
 said he could do no business ; it was all religion ; he 
 could not go into a store but religion was intruded upon 
 him. That evening he would go home. 
 
 These remarks had been made in the presence of some 
 young converts who boarded at the hotel, and especially 
 in the presence of Mr. B . As the stage was ex- 
 pected to leave late, 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, that his mind was very much exercised, 
 and he suggested to several of the gentlemen boarders 
 that they should make him a subject of prayer. They 
 
 took him to Mr. B 's room, and conversed with him, 
 
 and prayed with him, and before the stage came he was 
 converted ; and so concerned did he feel immediately 
 about the people of his own place, that when the stage 
 came he went 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 
 
 K 2 
 
136 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 for his soul, it produced a solemn impression in LowvilJe 
 and resulted in a great revival. 
 
 It was in the midst of the revival in TJtica that we 
 first heard of opposition that was springing up in the 
 East. Mr. Nettleton wrote some letters to Mr. Aiken, 
 with whom I was labouring ; in which it was manifest 
 that he was much mistaken with regard to the character 
 of these revivals. Mr. Aiken showed me those letters ; 
 and they were handed around among the ministers, as 
 they were intended to be. Among them was one in 
 which Mr. Nettleton stated fully what he regarded as 
 objectionable ; but as no such things as he complained 
 of were done, or had been known, we took no other 
 notice of the letters than let them pass. Mr. Aiken, 
 however, replied privately, assuring Mr. Nettleton that 
 no such things were done. I do not recollect now whether 
 Mr. Nettleton complained that women would sometimes 
 pray in the social meeting. It was true, however, that 
 in a few cases some very prominent women would lead 
 in prayer in the social meetings which we held daily. 
 No opposition was manifested to this, either at Utica or 
 at Rome. I had no agency in introducing the practice, 
 and do not know whether it had existed there before 
 or not. It was not a subject of much conversation or 
 thought in the neighbourhood. 
 
 Mr. Weeks was known to be opposed to those revivals. 
 Mr. Weeks held that both sin and holiness were pro- 
 duced 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 God was the only proper agent in the universe, 
 
Revival at Utica, New York. 
 
 137 
 
 and that all creatures acted as they were compelled to 
 act, by irresistible power. 
 
 The work, however, went on with great power, con- 
 verting all classes, until Mr. Aiken reported the hopeful 
 conversion of five hundred in the course of a few weeks. 
 Revivals were comparatively new in that region ; and 
 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 revivals would soon pass away, and 
 would prove to have been but mere excitement. 
 
 One circumstance occurred that made a powerful 
 impression. The Oneida presbytery met there. Among 
 others, there was an aged clergyman who was very 
 much annoyed by the heat and fervour of the revival. 
 He found the public mind absorbed on the subject of 
 religion ; that there were prayer and religious conversa- 
 tion everywhere, even in stores and public houses. He 
 had never seen a revival, and had never heard what he 
 heard there. 
 
 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 Christian 
 people. They felt like falling on their faces before God ; 
 crying to Him to prevent what had been said from doing 
 mischief. 
 
 The presbytery adjourned. Some of the members 
 went home, others remained over night. Christians gave 
 themselves to prayer. The next morning this man was 
 found dead. 
 
 In the course of these revivals, persons from a dis- 
 tance, in almost every direction, hearing what the Lord 
 
138 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 was doing, or being attracted by curiosity and wonder 
 at what they heard, came to see for themselves ; and 
 many were converted. Among these visitors was 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. He belonged to the 
 congregation of Mr. Weeks. His father, Dr. Judd, was 
 an earnest Christian, and sympathized greatly with the 
 revival. 
 
 About the same time Miss F T , from New 
 
 England, came to Utica. She was teaching a high 
 school in the neighbourhood of Newburgh, New York. 
 As much was said in newspapers about revival in Utica, 
 Miss T — — , among others, became filled with astonish- 
 ment, and with a desire to 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, and in- 
 quiring who C T ■ was, she sent a note, saying 
 
 that the daughter of Mr. T 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, immedi- 
 ately took her to 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, cultivated, and proud young 
 lady ; and the manner in which people conversed with 
 
Mevival at Utica, New York 
 
 139 
 
 her, and pressed upon her the necessity of giving her 
 heart to God, very much disturbed her. The preaching 
 which she heard took a deep hold upon her. 
 
 I had not seen her, to converse with her ; but had 
 heard of her state of mind. After writhing under the 
 truth for a few days, she called at my lodging. I began 
 to press her with the claims of God. She referred to 
 my preaching that sinners deserved to be sent to hell ; 
 and said that she could not receive it, thfit 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 
 desert ; if you did, you would not complain of God for 
 sending the sinner to hell." I conversed in this strain 
 for some time ; and then I 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, she threw up her hands 
 and shrieked, and fell forward upon the sofa, and let her 
 heart break. I think she had not wept at all before ; 
 but now the flood-gates were opened, she let her whole 
 gushing heart out before God. She soon arose, and 
 went to her own lodgings. She gave up her school, 
 offered herself as a foreign missionary, was married to 
 Mr. Gulick, and went out to the Sandwich Islands. Her 
 history as a missionary is well known. She has been 
 very efficient, and has raised several sons, who also are 
 missionaries. 
 
 I preached frequently in New Hartford, four miles 
 south of Utica. There was a precious and powerful 
 work of grace, a Mr. Coe being pastor of the Presby- 
 terian Church. I preached also at Whitesborough, 
 
140 
 
 0. G. Finney. 
 
 another beautiful village, four miles west of Utica ; 
 where also was a powerful revival. The pastor, Mr. 
 John Frost, was a most efficient labourer. 
 
 There was a cotton manufactory on the Oriskany 
 Creek, a little above Whitesborough, a place now called 
 New York Mills. It was owned by Mr. W , uncon- 
 verted, but a gentleman of high standing and good 
 
 morals. My brother-in-law, Mr. G A , was 
 
 superintendent oi the factory. I was invited to go, and 
 went up one evening, and preached in the village school- 
 house, which was large, and crowded with hearers. The 
 word took powerful effect among the people, especially 
 among the young, who were at work in the factory. 
 
 The next morning I went into the factory to look 
 through it. I observed there was a good deal of agita- 
 tion among those who were busy at their looms and 
 their mules and other implements. On passing through 
 one of the apartments, where a great number of young 
 women were attending to weaving, I observed a couple 
 of them eyeing me, and speaking very earnestly ; and 
 I could see that they were a good deal agitated, although 
 they laughed. I went slowly towards them. They saw 
 me coming, and were evidently much excited. One of 
 them was trying to mend a broken thread, and her hands 
 trembled so that she could not mend it. 1 approached 
 slowly, looking at the machinery as I passed ; but 
 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 was quite 
 overcome, sunk down, and burst into tears. The im- 
 pression caught almost like powder, and in & few 
 moments nearly all in the room were in tears. This 
 
Revival at IJtica, New Y<wk. 
 
 141 
 
 feeling spread through the factory. Mr. "W , the 
 
 owner, was present, and seeing the state ol 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 shut down, and the factory stopped ; but 
 where should we assemble ? The superintendent sug- 
 gested 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 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 praying, godly woman. 
 
 He was the son of an eminent clergyman in New Eng- 
 land, and his aunt thought he was a Christian. He used 
 to lead her family in worship. Before the commence- 
 ment of the revival he had become a member of Hamil- 
 ton 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 ; 
 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 verv much excited, 
 and his opposition was greatly aroused. 
 
 This fact became known in Utica ; and his aunt became 
 very anxious. His aunt wrote to him, and asked 
 
142 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 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 it would not move him. He came, 
 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 he expected Mr. Aiken to preach ; 
 but he was determined not to hear me. 
 
 Mr. Aiken suggested that I should preach in the 
 morning. Mr. Aiken took the introductory exercises, 
 
 as usual. Mrs. C came with her family, and among 
 
 them Mr. Weld. She took pains to have him so seated 
 than he could not well get out, without herself and one 
 or two others stepping out before him ; for she feared 
 that he would go out when he saw that I was to preach. 
 I knew that his influence among the young men of Utica 
 was very great, and that his coining there would have a 
 powerful influence to make them band together in oppo- 
 sition. Mr. Aiken pointed him out to me as he came 
 in and took his seat. 
 
 After the introductory exercises, I 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. I began to show 
 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 would throw herself forward, and lean 
 
Revival at Utica, New York. 
 
 143 
 
 in front, and engage in silent prayer, and he could not 
 get out without arousing and annoying her ; and there- 
 fore 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, 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 uncere- 
 moniously, and I should think, for nearly or quite an 
 hour, talked to me in a most abusive manner. I got an 
 opportunity to say but very little. He was very gifted 
 in language. It soon attracted the attention of all in the 
 store, the news ran along the streets, the clerks gathered 
 in from the neighbouring 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 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. 
 
 I went out also, and returned to Mr. Aiken's. I had 
 been there but a few moments when somebody called, 
 and I went to the door myself ; and who should come 
 in but Mr. Weld ! He look as if he would sink. He 
 began immediately to make apology for the manner in 
 which he had treated me ; and expressed himself in 
 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 ex- 
 horted him earnestly to give his heart to God. 
 
 That evening I preached at New Hartford. The next 
 morning I heard that he went to his aunt's, greatly 
 
144 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 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 opposi- 
 tion, and therefore he would comply. He knelt down, 
 and kept on in a most wonderful way, until they all be- 
 came convulsed with astonishment. His aunt attempted 
 to converse with him, and to pray with him ; but the 
 opposition of his heart was terrible. 
 
 He walked his room by turns, and by turns he lay 
 upon the floor. He continued the whole night in that 
 terrible state, 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. 
 
 The next night he rose in meeting, and asked if he 
 might make confession. I answered, Yes ; and he made 
 public confession. 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. 
 
 From that time he became a very efficient helper; and 
 being a powerful speaker, and gifted in prayer, he was 
 instrumental in doing a great deal of good. At length 
 his health became enfeebled by labour. He went on a 
 fishing excursion to the coast of Labrador. He returned 
 with health renewed. 
 
 This revival occurred in the winter and summer of 
 1826. When the converts had been received into the 
 churches throughout the country, Rev. John Frost, 
 
Revival at Utica, Neiv York. 
 
 145 
 
 pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Whitesborough, 
 published a pamphlet giving some account of the revival, 
 and stated that within the bounds of that presbytery 
 the converts numbered three thousand. The work spread 
 from Rome to Utica, as from a centre. Ministers 
 came from a considerable distance, and spent more or 
 less time in attending meetings, and in various ways 
 helping forward the work. I spread my own labours 
 over as large a field as I could, and laboured more or 
 less throughout the bounds of the presbytery. The 
 pastors of all these churches sympathised deeply with 
 the work. 
 
 The doctrines preached in these revivals were the 
 same that have been already presented. Instead of 
 telling sinners to use the means of grace, pressed the 
 duty of instant surrender. 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. We taught them that while 
 they were praying for the Holy Spirit, they were con- 
 stantly 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 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 opposed by many. It had 
 formerly been supposed necessary that a sinner should 
 remain under conviction; and it was not uncommon to 
 hear old professors say that they were ander conviction 
 many months, or years, before they found relief. We 
 
146 
 
 C. O. Finney. 
 
 taught the opposite of this. We told them that under 
 long conviction, they were in clanger of grieving the 
 Spirit away, and when their distress of mind ceased, a 
 reaction would naturally take place. 
 
 We insisted on immediate submission as the only 
 thing that God could accept; and that all delay was 
 rebellion. 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 they predicted that the converts 
 would fall away. But the event proved that among 
 those sudden conversions were some of the most influ- 
 ential Christians that ever have been known in that 
 region; and this has been in accordance with my ex- 
 perience through all my ministry. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 EEVIVAL AT AUBURN IN 1826. 
 Dr. Lansing, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church 
 at Auburn, came to Utica to witness the revival, and 
 urged me to go and labour for a time with him. In the 
 summer of 1826 I went and laboured with him for a 
 season. I found that some of the professors in the 
 theological seminary were taking an attitude hostile 
 to the revival. I had before known that ministers east 
 of Utica were holding correspondence with reference to 
 these revivals, and taking an attitude of hostility. 
 
 However, until I arrived at Auburn, I was not fully 
 aware of the amount of opposition I was destined to 
 meet, from ministers where I had not laboured, and 
 knew personally nothing of me, but were influenced by 
 false reports. I learned from various sources that a 
 system of espionage was carried on that was intended 
 to result in an extensive union of ministers and 
 churches to hedge me in, and" prevent the spread of 
 revivals. 
 
 I return to what passed at Auburn. My mind decame 
 very much impressed with the extensive working of that 
 system of espionage of which I have spoken. Mr. Frost, 
 of Whitesborough, had a knowledge of the facts, and 
 communicated them to me. I said nothing, publicly 
 or privately, to anybody, but gave myself to prayer. 1 
 looked to God, with great earnestness, to be directed, 
 
148 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 asking Him to show me the path of duty, and give me 
 grace to ride out the storm. 
 
 One day, at Dr. Lansing's, the Lord showed me, as in 
 a vision, what was before me. Pie 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 thunderings, than in the presence of the 
 cross of Christ. 
 
 Never in my life 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 lift- 
 ing up. God assured me that He would be with me and 
 uphold me; that no opposition should prevail; that 1 
 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 
 feeling toward all brethren that' were misled, and were 
 arraying themselves against me. I felt assured that all 
 would come right; that my true course was to leave 
 everything to God; and as the storm gathered and the 
 opposition increased, I never for one moment doubted 
 how it would result. I was never disturbed, T never 
 spent a waking hour in thinking of it; when to all out- 
 
Revival at Auburn in 1826. 
 
 149 
 
 ward appearance it seemed as if all the churches, except 
 where I had laboured, would unite to shut me out of 
 their pulpits. 
 
 A passage in the twentieth of Jeremiah was repeatedly 
 set home upon me with great power. It reads thus: " 
 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, every 
 one 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, 
 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." — 
 Jer. xx. 7-12. 
 
 I do not mean that this literally described my case 
 or expressed my feelings; but there was so much simi- 
 larity that this passage was often a support to my soul. 
 
 Those who are acquainted with the history of Mr. 
 
 L 
 
150 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 Weeks, recollect that he began to write a book which he 
 called "The Pilgrim's Progress in the Nineteenth 
 Century." He was a man of considerable talent, and I 
 hope a good man ; but, as I think, much deluded in his 
 philosophy, and exceedingly out of the way in 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 
 favour his peculiar views. 
 
 Notwithstanding the attitude that some of the pro- 
 fessors 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. 
 
 At that time 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. He was a very timid and doubt- 
 ing 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, almost to despair. He continued 
 in this state for weeks, until one night, in a prayer - 
 meeting, he was quite overcome, and sunk helpless on 
 the floor. Then God opened his eyes to the reality of 
 
 salvation in Christ. Dr. S 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 Saviour, but Christ is risen." He 
 received such a wonderful baptism of the Holy Ghost 
 
Revival at Auburn in 1826. 
 
 151 
 
 that he has been ever since the rejoicing and the wonder 
 of God's people. 
 
 Partly in consequence of the known disapproval of 
 my labours on the part of many ministers, a good deal 
 of opposition sprung up in Auburn; and a number of 
 the leading men took strong ground against the work; 
 but the Spirit of the Lord was among the people with 
 great power. 
 
 One Sabbath morning, while preaching, I was de- 
 scribing the manner in which some would oppose their 
 families, and, if possible, prevent their being converted. 
 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, 
 "Name me!" and then threw his head forward; and he 
 trembled with emotion. It turned out that that morn- 
 ing he had done the same things I had named. His 
 crying out, "Name me!" was so spontaneous and 
 irresistible that he could not help it; but I fear he was 
 never converted. 
 
 There was a hatter, of the name of H , in Auburn. 
 
 His wife was a Christian; but he was a Universalist. 
 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 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. 
 
 l 2 
 
152 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 As the bell was tolling she came out of her closet and 
 found that her husband had come in; and, as he entered 
 the room, he asked if she would go to meeting; and said 
 that if she would, he would accompany her. He had 
 made up his mind to attend meeting that night, to see 
 if he could not get something to justify his opposition; 
 or at least something to laugh about, and sustain him 
 in ridiculing the work. When he proposed to accom- 
 pany his wife, she was much surprised, but they came to 
 meeting. 
 
 Of all this, I knew nothing at the time. I had been 
 visiting and labouring with inquirers the whole day, and 
 had had no time to even settle upon a text. During the 
 introductory services a text occurred — the words of 
 the man with the unclean spirit, " Let us alone." I took 
 those words and went on to preach, and endeavoured 
 to show up the conduct of those that wanted to be let 
 alone, that did not want to have anything to do with 
 Christ. 
 
 In the midst of my discourse I observed a person fall 
 from his seat, who cried out in a most terrific manner. 
 The congregation were 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 con- 
 gregation to sit still while I should go down and speak 
 
 with the man. I found him to be Mr. H . The 
 
 Spirit of the Lord had powerfully convicted him. When 
 I reached him he had so far recovered strength as to be 
 on his knees, with his head on his wife's lap. He was 
 weeping aloud, confessing his sins, and accusing himself 
 in a terrible manner. When I told the congregation 
 who it was, they knew him and his character; and it 
 
Revival at Auburn in 1826. 153 
 
 produced tears and sobs in every part of the house* I 
 stood for some time, to see if he would be quiet enough 
 for me to go on ; but his loud weeping rendered it im- 
 possible. I can never forget the appearance of his wife 
 as she sat and held his face in her hands. There 
 appeared in her face a holy joy and triumph that word& 
 cannot express. 
 
 We had several prayers, and then I dismissed the 
 
 meeting, and some persons helped Mr. H to his 
 
 house. He wished them to send for certain companions 
 with whom he had been in the habit of ridiculing the 
 work of the Lord. He could not rest until he had sent 
 for a great number, and had made confession, 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 
 as he wished to see, that he might confess, 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, but with great earnestness. Soon after 
 he was made an elder, and he has ever since been very 
 exemplary and useful. His conversation was so marked 
 and powerful, and the results were so manifest, that it 
 did very much to silence opposition. 
 
 While at Auburn, I preached more or less in the 
 neighbouring churches; and the revival spread to Cayuga, 
 and to Skeneateles. This was in the summer and autumn 
 of 1826. 
 
 At Auburn my wife and myself were the guests of Dr. 
 Lansing, the pastor of the church. The church was 
 much conformed to the world, and was accused by the 
 unconverted of leading in dress, fashion,, and worldliness. 
 
154 
 
 0. G. Finney. 
 
 I directed my preaching to secure reformation, 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 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. At this moment a man in the gallery 
 said in a deliberate 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. The congre- 
 gation was almost as much shocked and affected as him- 
 self. They almost universally dropped their heads 
 upon the seat in front of them, and many of them wept. 
 I offered a short prayer and dismissed the congregation. 
 
 I went home with the dear, wounded pastor, and 
 when all the family were returned, 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 childhood, and did not think of them as 
 anything improper. Indeed, he could not remember 
 
Revival at Auburn in 1826. 
 
 155 
 
 when he began to wear them, and of course thought 
 nothing about them. "But," said he, "if these things 
 are an occasion of offence to any, I will not wear 
 them." He was a precious Christian, and an excellent 
 pastor. 
 
 Almost immediately after this, the church was disposed 
 to make to the world a public confession of backsliding, 
 and want of Christian spirit. Accordingly a confession 
 was drawn up, covering the whole ground. It was sub- 
 mitted for approval, and then read before the congrega- 
 tion. The church members stood, many of them weep- 
 ing, while the confession was read. From this point the 
 work went forward with increased power. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 REVIVAL AT TROY AND AT NEW LEBANON. 
 
 Early in the autumn of 1826, I accepted an invitation 
 from Dr. Beman and his session to labour in Troy; and 
 the revival was powerful in that city. 
 
 In this revival 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 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. He remained upon his knees, writhed and 
 
 groaned in agony, and 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 salvation. 
 
 The father of Judge C , who was at Albany with 
 
 me, was living with his son, whose guest I was. The 
 old gentleman had been a judge in Vermont, He was 
 remarkably correct in his life, a venerable man, whose 
 
Revival at Troy and at New Lebanon 157 
 
 house in Vermont had been the home of ministers who 
 visited the place. His wife had told me of her anxiety, 
 and his son repeatedly expressed fear that his father's 
 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 and told the lady and her son what 
 I was about to do, and exhorted them to pray earnestly. 
 I followed out the divine showing, and the word took 
 such powerful hold that he spent a sleepless night of 
 anguish. He soon became clearly converted, and lived 
 a Christian to the end. 
 
 Before I left Troy, Miss S , from New Lebanon, 
 
 in Columbia county, came to purchase a dress for a 
 ball which she wished to attend. She had a young 
 relative in Troy, who was numbered among the converts, 
 
 and was a zealous Christian. She invited Miss S 
 
 to attend the meetings. This aroused the enmity of 
 her heart; but before she left she was thoroughly 
 converted. 
 
 As soon as her eyes were opened, she went home and 
 began her labours for a revival. Religion in New 
 Lebanon was in a very low state. The young people were 
 nearly all unconverted; and the old members were in a 
 
 cold, inefficient state. Miss S 's father had become 
 
 formal; and for a long time religious matters had been 
 neglected. They had an aged minister, a good man, 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, 
 
158 
 
 0. G. Finney. 
 
 and wake up, and be engaged in religion. As she was 
 a great favourite, her conversion and conversation 
 greatly affected him. He was soon aroused, and became 
 another man, and felt deeply that they must have a 
 revival. 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, and went 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, requested to do so by the pastor 
 and members of the church. I went and preached. 
 The Spirit of the Lord was poured out, and the revival 
 soon went forward with power. Striking conversions 
 were multiplied, and a great and blessed change came 
 over the whole place. 
 
 We heard but little of opposition at this place during 
 the revival, especially from professors of religion. 
 Everything seemed to go on harmoniously in the church. 
 They were soon led to feel that they greatly needed 
 revival, and seemed to be very thankful that God had 
 visited them. Most of the prominent men in the com- 
 munity were converted. 
 
 Among these was Dr. W , who was said to be 
 
 an infidel. He at first manifested hostility, and declared 
 that the people were mad; but he was made a particular 
 subject of prayer by some who laid hold upon his case, 
 and who had faith that he would soon be converted. 
 One Sunday 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 
 
Revival at Troy and New Lebanon. 159 
 
 the sermon. It was plain, however, before night, that 
 the doctor's opposition began to give way. He listened, 
 and that night he spent in a deeply exercised state of 
 mind. The next morning he called on me, subdued like 
 a child, and confessed that he had been wrong. From 
 that day he took hold of the work and went forward 
 with all his might. 
 
 There was also Mr. T , a merchant, probably the 
 
 most prominent and wealthy citizen of the town, but a 
 sceptic. One evening I preached on ' ' The carnal mind 
 is enmity against God." He had been a very moral 
 man; and it had been very difficult to fasten anything 
 upon his mind that would convict him of sin. His wife 
 was a Christian, 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 him- 
 self convinced. He saw it was all true, and assured me 
 his mind was made up to serve the Lord the rest of 
 his life. 
 
 John T. Avery, a noted evangelist, who has laboured 
 in many places for many years, was present at that 
 meeting. His family lived in New Lebanon. He was 
 at this time a lad, fifteen or sixteen years of age. The 
 morning after that sermon was preached, he came to 
 me, one of the most interesting youthful converts that I 
 have ever seen. He told me what had been passing 
 in his mind for days; and 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," 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 REVIVAL IN STEPHENTOWN. 
 
 After remaining a short time in New Lebanon- soon 
 after this, on the Sabbath, as I came out of the pulpit, 
 a young lady from Stephentown was introduced to me. 
 She asked me if I could not go to their town and 
 preach. I replied 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 a fund, the interest of which was 
 
 sufficient to support a pastor. Soon after, Mr. B , 
 
 who had been a chaplain in the Revolutionary army, 
 was settled as pastor. He remained until the church 
 ran down, and finally became an open infidel. This 
 had produced a most disastrous influence in that town. 
 He remained among them, openly hostile to the Chris- 
 tian religion. 
 
 After he had ceased to be pastor, one or two ministers 
 settled. Nevertheless, the church declined, and grew 
 worse and worse; until, finally, they left their meeting- 
 house and held services in a small school-house, which 
 stood near. 
 
 The last minister affirmed that he stayed until not 
 
Revival in Stephentown. 
 
 161 
 
 more than half-a-dozen people would attend; and 
 although his salary was regularly paid, yet he could not 
 think it his duty to spend time in such a field. He 
 had therefore been dismissed. No other denomination 
 had taken possession, so as to excite public interest, 
 and the 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 Miss S , of whom I have spoken. It 
 
 was a large, rich, farming town, with no considerable 
 village in it. 
 
 On the next Sabbath Miss S met me again, begged 
 
 me to go and preach, and asked if I knew anything 
 of the state of things there. I informed her that I did; 
 but told her I did not know how I could go. She seemed 
 greatly affected — too much to converse. My mind be- 
 gan 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, the Lord willing, preach 
 the next Sabbath at five o'clock in the afternoon. She 
 went home and had the notice given. 
 
 The next Sabbath, one of the young converts at New 
 Lebanon offered to take me to Stephentown. When he 
 came in his buggy, I asked, "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 
 
162 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 near killing us. His owner expressed the greatest 
 astonishment, and said he had never known such a thing 
 before. 
 
 In due time we arrived at Mr. S 's, about half a 
 
 mile from the church, in the direction of New Lebanon. 
 As we went in, Maria tearfully, yet joyfully, received 
 us, and showed me to a room where I could be alone. 
 Soon after I heard her praying in a room overhead. 
 The congregation was solemn and attentive, but nothing 
 very particular occurred that evening. I spent the 
 
 night at Mr. S 's, and Maria seemed to be praying 
 
 over my room nearly all night. I could hear her low, 
 trembling voice, interrupted by sobs and weeping. I 
 had made no appointment to come again; but before I 
 left in the morning, she pleaded so hard that I consented 
 to have an appointment made for the next Sabbath. 
 
 When I came" on the next Sabbath, nearly the same 
 things occurred; 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 an increase of solemnity and interest. 
 At the third service the Spirit of God was poured out 
 on the congregation. 
 
 Judge P lived in one part of the town, who had 
 
 a large family unconverted. At the close of the service 
 
 Miss S stepped up and pointed to a pew in which 
 
 sat a young woman greatly overcome. I went in to 
 speak to her, and found her to be one of the daughters 
 
 of 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 very 
 
Revival in Stephentown. 133 
 
 useful. She was afterwards the wife of the evangelist 
 underwood, well known in New Jersey and New Eng- 
 land. She and Miss S seemed immediately to unite 
 
 their prayers; but I could not see, as yet, much move- 
 ment among the older members. They stood in such 
 reiations 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 demanded that I 
 should take up my quarters there. The spirit of prayer 
 in the meantime had come powerfully upon me, as had 
 
 been the case with Miss S . The praying power 
 
 spreading and increasing, the work took on a very 
 powerful type; so that the word of the Lord would cut 
 the. strongest men down, and render them entirely 
 helpless. 
 
 I was preaching on the text, " God is love." There 
 
 was a man of 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; he 
 fell, and writhed in agony for a few moments; but after- 
 wards 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 the course of this revival, Zebulon R. Shipherd, "a 
 celdorated 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 and labour with me. He was an 
 earnest Christian, attended all the meetings, and enjoyed 
 them greatly. He was there when the November elec- 
 
164 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 tions occurred through the State. I looked forward tc 
 the election day with considerable solicitude, fearing 
 that the excitement of the day would greatly retard the 
 work. 
 
 On the evening of election day, when I came out of 
 the pulpit, Mr Shipherd — who was the father of Rev. 
 J. J. Shipherd, who afterwards established Oberlin— 
 beckoned to me from a pew to come to him. I went, and 
 found one of the gentlemen who had sat at the table to 
 receive votes during the day so overcome with convic- 
 tion of sin as to be unable to leave his seat. I had some 
 conversation with him, prayed with him, and he was 
 manifestly converted. A considerable portion of the 
 congregation had, in the meantime, sat down. As I was 
 about to retire, my attention was called to another pew, 
 where was another of those men who had been prominent 
 at the election, precisely in the same condition of mind. 
 He was too much overpowered by feeling to leave the 
 house. I conversed with him also; and he was converted 
 before he left. 
 
 I mentioned the family of Mr. P as large; there 
 
 were sixteen members, children and grandchildren, 
 hopefully converted; all of whom, I think, united with 
 the church before I left. There was another family in 
 
 the town, of the name of M , also large and very 
 
 influential. Most of the people lived scattered alon£ 
 a street which was about five miles in length. There 
 was not a religious family on that whole street, and 
 not a single house in which family prayer was main- 
 tained. 
 
 1 made an appointment to preach in a school-house 
 in that street, and the house was much crowded. I 
 
Revival at Stephentoivn. 165 
 
 took for my text: "The curse of the Lord is in the 
 house of the wicked." The Lord gave me a clear view 
 of the subject, and I was enabled to bring out the truth 
 effectively. The town was in an awful state. The in- 
 fluence 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. This meeting resulted in the conviction 
 of nearly all that were present. The revival spread ; 
 
 and in this M family there were seventeen hopeful 
 
 conversions. 
 
 But there were several families who were quite 
 prominent in influence who did not attend the meet- 
 ings ; they were so much under the influence of Mr. 
 B— — . However, in the midst of this revival, Mr. 
 
 B died a horrible death ; and this put an end to 
 
 his opposition. 
 
 There were several families that did not attend the 
 meeting ; and I could devise no means by which they 
 
 could be induced to attend. Miss S 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 called on one of these families ; she was 
 acquainted with their daughters, and induced them to 
 accompany her to meeting. They soon became so 
 interested that thev needed no influence to persuade 
 them to attend. She then went to another, with the 
 same result ; and finally secured the attendance of all 
 that had stayed away. These were nearly, or quite, 
 all converted before I left. Indeed, nearly all the 
 principal inhabitants were gathered into the church, 
 
1G6 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 and the town was morally renovated. I have never 
 been there since 1827 ; but the revival produced per- 
 manent results. 
 
 The striking characteristics of this revival were a 
 mighty spirit of prevailing prayer ; overwhelming con- 
 viction of sin ; sudden and powerful conversions to 
 Christ ; great love and abounding joy of the converts, 
 and their great earnestness, activity, and usefulness 
 in prayers and labours for others. I have seldom 
 laboured 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 XVII. 
 
 REVIVALS AT WILMINGTON AND AT PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 While I was labouring at New Lebanon, the Rev. Mr. 
 Gilbert, of Wilmington, Delaware, came on a visit. Mr. 
 Gilbert was very old -school in theological views, but love 
 of souls overruled all difficulty on Dice questions of dif- 
 ference between himself and myself. He heard me 
 preach, saw the results ; and was very earnest that I 
 should aid him at Wilmington. 
 
 I went to Wilmington, and engaged in labours with 
 Mr. Gilbert. I found that his teaching had placed the 
 church in a position that rendered it impossible to 
 promote a revival till their views could be corrected. 
 They seemed afraid to make any effort, lest they should 
 take the work out of the hands of God. Their theory 
 was that God would convert sinners in His own time ; 
 and that to urge them to immediate repentance was 
 to attempt to make men Christians by human agency, 
 and thus to dishonour God. In their prayers there was 
 no urgency for an immediate outpouring of the Spirit. 
 
 It was plain that nothing could be done unless Mr. 
 Gilbert's views could be changed. I therefore spent 
 hours each day in conversing with him ; and after two 
 or three weeks 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 
 
 m 2 
 
168 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 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. 
 
 The congregation became interested, numbers rose, 
 and the house was completely filled. Some looked dis- 
 tressed and offended, others interested. When I brought 
 out strongly the contrast between my views and the 
 views in which they had been instructed, some laughed, 
 some wept, some were manifestly angry ; but I do not 
 recollect that any left. It was a strange excitement. 
 
 In the meantime, Mr. Gilbert moved from one end of 
 the sofa to the other in the pulpit. 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. I was preaching to 
 please the Lord, and not man. 
 
 I did not call upon Mr. Gilbert to pray ; but prayed 
 myself that the Lord would set home the Word, and 
 make it understood. The congregation withdrew very 
 slowly, and many seemed to be standing and waiting, as 
 if they supposed they should hear from Mr. Gilbert upon 
 what had been said. 
 
 I observed two ladies sitting on the left hand of the 
 aisle to whom I had been introduced, and who I knew 
 were friends and supporters of Mr. Gilbert. I saw that 
 they looked grieved and offended and astonished. The 
 first, who was near, took hold of Mr. Gilbert, and said, 
 "Mr. Gilbert, what do you think of that ?" in a loud 
 whisper. He replied, "It is worth five hundred 
 dollars," That gratified and affected me. She replied, 
 
Revivals at Wilmington and at Philadelphia. 169 
 
 "Then you have never preached the Gospel." " Well," 
 said he, "I am sorry to say I never have." We passed 
 along, and then the other lady said about the same 
 things, and received a similar reply. That was enough. 
 Those who 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 I 
 found excitement and discussion. People were com- 
 paring views ; and from the few words that escaped as I 
 passed, I saw the impression was in favour of what had 
 been said. 
 
 When I arrived at Mr. Gilbert's, his wife accosted me 
 as soon as I entered, "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 injustice bound to make an atonement for 
 mankind. I have always felt it, though I never dared 
 to 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 ; and at other times I have thought 
 that she had no religion." "Why!" I exclaimed, 
 "she has always thought that God owed her, as a matter 
 
170 
 
 G. (Jr. Finney, 
 
 of justice, the salvation provided in Christ ; how can 
 she be a Christian ? " This was all said, by each, with 
 the greatest solemnity. Upon my making the last 
 remark, she got up and left the room. The house was 
 very solemn ; and for two days I did not see her. She 
 then came out clear, having passed through a complete 
 revolution. 
 
 From this point the work went forward ; the truth 
 was worked out admirably by the Holy Spirit. Mr. 
 Gilbert's vieAvs remained corrected. 
 
 The effect on many of Mr. Gilbert's church members 
 was peculiar. I have spoken of the lady who asked 
 him what he thought of it. She told me that she was 
 so offended, to think that her views of religion were so 
 overthrown, that she promised she would never pray 
 again. She had been in the habit of so far justifying 
 herself because of her sinful nature, and had taken such 
 a position 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 
 for some six weeks. She then broke down and became 
 thoroughly changed ; and this, I believe, was the case 
 with a large number. 
 
 I had been induced to go up and preach for Mr. 
 Patterson, at Philadelphia, twice each week. I went 
 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 Philadelphia. , 
 
Revivals at Wilmington and at Philadelphia. 171 
 
 Eev. James Patterson, with whom I first laboured in 
 Philadelphia, held the views of the old-school Presby- 
 terians ; but he was a godly man, and cared more for the 
 salvation of souls than for nice questions, or any points 
 of doctrine upon which the old and new school differ. 
 His wife believed in a general, as opposed to a restricted, 
 atonement, and agreed with what was called New 
 England orthodoxy, as distinguished from Princeton 
 orthodoxy. 
 
 There were some cases of bitter opposition. One man, 
 whose wife was deeply convicted, was so enraged that 
 he came and took his wife out of meeting by force. 
 Another case, a very striking one, was of a German 
 tobacconist. He had a very amiable and intelligent wife, 
 and was himself intelligent. He was, however, a sceptic. 
 His wife came to our meetings, and became concerned 
 about her soul ; and after a struggle of many days, was 
 thoroughly converted. As she attended frequently, it 
 attracted the attention of her husband, and he began to 
 oppose. He had a hasty temper, and was a man of 
 athletic frame, and of great resolution and fixedness of 
 purpose. As his wife became more interested, his oppo- 
 sition increased, till finally he forbade her attending 
 meetings any more. 
 
 She then called to see me, and asked advice. 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 hus- 
 band ; and that, while I advised her to avoid giving 
 offence, and do her duty to God, still in no case to omit 
 what she regarded as duty to God. I told her that as her 
 husband was an infidel, his opinions were not to be 
 
172 
 
 G. G. Finney. 
 
 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, except to oppose it. 
 
 In accordance with my advice, she attended the 
 meetings and received instruction, and soon came 
 into the liberty of the Gospel, had great faith and 
 peace, 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 fulfil 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 needed ; and that she must attend those 
 meetings, whenever she could do it without neglecting 
 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 afterwards 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, but 
 simply to comply with his unreasonable wishes; and that 
 to stay under such circumstances would be entirely 
 inconsistent with her duty to God and to herself. When 
 she returned from meeting she found him in a great rage. 
 As soon as she entered the door he locked it, took out 
 the key, and then drew a dagger and swore he would 
 take her life. She ran up-stairs; he caught a light to 
 follow. The servant girl blew out the light as he passed 
 by her. She ran up and through the rooms in the second 
 
Revivals at Wilmington and at Philadelphia. 173 
 
 Story, found her way down into the kitchen, and then to 
 the cellar. He could not follow 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 found 
 things in the greatest disorder. He had broken the 
 furniture, and acted like a man distracted. He again 
 locked the door, and drawing a dagger, he threw himselt 
 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 ran up-stairs, 
 but he followed her. She ran from room to room, till 
 finally she entered the last, from which there was no 
 escape. She turned round 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 Ghjd arrested him. She said he looked at her for a 
 moment, dropped his dagger, and fell upon the floor and 
 cried for mercy for 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 converts. He 
 was greatly attached to myself ; and some year or two 
 after, he was the first in Philadelphia that met and 
 greeted me. I received him and his wife into the church 
 before I left, and baptised their children. I have not 
 seen or heard from them for many years. 
 
 While there were individual cases of singular bitterness 
 and opposition, still I was not annoyed or hindered by 
 
174 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 public opposition. The ministers received me kindly; 
 and in no instance did they speak publicly, if indeed they 
 did privately, against the work. 
 
 After preaching- in Mr. Patterson's church for several 
 months, and in nearly all the Presbyterian churches, it 
 was thought best that I should take up a central position 
 and preach in one place. In Race Street there was a 
 large German Church, the pastor of which was Mr. 
 Helfenstein. The elders, together with their pastor, 
 requested me to occupy the pulpit. Their house was 
 then the largest house of worship in the city : it was 
 always crowded, and it seated three thousand people 
 when packed and the aisles were filled. 1 had an oppor- 
 tunity to preach to many Sabbath-school teachers ; it 
 was said that the Sabbath-school teachers throughout the 
 city generally attended my ministry. 
 
 About midsummer, 1829, I left for a short time, and 
 visited my wife's parents in Oneida county, and then 
 returned, and laboured until about mid-winter. I think 
 I laboured 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; but I never 
 had any knowledge of their exact number. I never 
 laboured 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; 
 and I never heard of any disastrous influence resulting 
 from that revival. 
 
 A young woman, who was the daughter of a minister 
 of the old school, attended my ministry, and became 
 awfully convicted. Her convictions were so deep that 
 she finally fell into despair. She told me she had been 
 
Revivals at Wilmington anal at Philadelphia. 175 
 
 taught from childhood that if she was one of the elect 
 she would be converted ; 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 quite young she had been convicted of sin, but 
 had followed her father's instruction, and thought that 
 was all that was required of her. She waited for evi- 
 dence that she was one of the elect. In the midst of 
 her struggle of soul on the subject of her salvation, 
 something had come up relative to the question of mar- 
 riage : and she promised God that she would never give 
 her hand to any man until she was a Christian. When 
 she. made the promise, she said that she expected God 
 would very soon convert her ; but convictions passed 
 away : she was not converted ; and that promise to God 
 she dared not break. 
 
 When she was about eighteen years old, a young man 
 proposed to make her his wife. She approved, but could 
 not consent until she was a Christian. They loved each 
 other, and he urged her to be married without delay ; 
 but without telling him her reason, she kept deferring it 
 for five years, 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 ; that she kept her lover 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; 
 
176 
 
 0. G. Finney, 
 
 and now she was much interested to believe that Univer- 
 salism 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. Thus she had been warring with 
 God, 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 her refuges 
 of lies 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 had been 
 wrong ; and remembering how she had blamed God, and 
 what a blasphemous attitude she had maintained before 
 Him, she naturally despaired. I reasoned with her, 
 and tried to show her the long-suffering of God, and 
 encouraged her to hope, to believe, to lay hold upon 
 eternal life ; but her sense of sin was so great that she 
 seemed unable to grasp the promise, and sunk deeper 
 into despair. 
 
 I became distressed about her case. At the close 
 of every meeting she would follow me home with 
 complaints, and would exhaust me by appeals to my 
 sympathy and Christian compassion. After this had 
 continued for weeks, one morning she called upon me 
 in company with her aunt, who had become concerned, 
 and who thought her on the verge of insanity. I was 
 myself of the opinion that it would result in that if 
 she would not believe. Catherine came into my room 
 in her usual despairing way, but with a look of 
 wildness that indicated a state unendurable ; and at the 
 moment, I think it was the Spirit of God that sug- 
 
Revivals at Wilmington and at Philadelphia. 177 
 
 gested to ray mind to take a different course from what 
 I had taken. 
 
 I said, " Catherine, you profess to believe that God 
 is good." "Oh, yes! 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 dishonour to forgive and save you. 
 You have often confessed that you believe God would 
 forgive 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, 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 surprised and indignant. I proceeded : "Yes! 
 you are in great trouble and anguish 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 because God will not be per- 
 suaded to violate His own sense of 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 astonish- 
 ment at me, and after a few moments submitted. She 
 seemed to be almost instantly subdued. She said, "I 
 accept it. Let God send me to hell, if He thinks 
 that best. I do not want Him to save me at the ex- 
 pense of the universe. Let Him do what seemeth 
 
178 
 
 G. G. Finney. 
 
 Him good." I got up instantly and left, and to get 
 entirely away I got into a carriage and rode away. 
 When 1 returned she had gone ; 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, beauti- 
 ful converts. 
 
 Another very beautiful girl called to see me under 
 great conviction of sin. I asked, 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 
 strongest language, "Yes ! I deserve a thousand hells." 
 She was richly dressed. I had a very thorough conver- 
 sation with her ; she broke down and gave herself to 
 Christ. She was a very humble, broken-hearted convert. 
 1 learned that she went home and gathered up a great 
 many of her artificial flowers and ornaments, of which 
 she was very vain, and passed through the room with 
 them in her hands. They asked what she was going to 
 do. She said she was going to burn them up. Said she, 
 " I will never wear them again." " Well," they said, 
 "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 ; I will burn 
 them." She actually put them into the fire. 
 
 A few days after, she called on me, and said that she 
 had, in passing through the market, observed a richly 
 dressed lady. Her compassions were so stirred that 
 she asked if she might speak to her. The lady replied 
 that she might. She said, "My dear madam, are you 
 not proud of your dress, and are you not vain, and 
 neglecting salvation ?" She said that she herself burst 
 
Revivals at Wilmington and at Philadelphia. 179 
 
 into tears as she said it, and told the lady a little of 
 her own experience, how she had been attracted 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?" The lady wept, and confessed that 
 that had been her snare ; and she was afraid that love 
 of dress and society would ruin her. She confessed that 
 she had been neglecting salvation, because she did not 
 know how to break away from the circle in which she 
 movecj. The young lady wanted to know if I thought 
 she had done wrong in what she said to the lady. I 
 told her that I wished all Christians were as faithful ; 
 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 lumbermen came down with their rafts from the 
 region of the high land, where they had been getting the 
 lumber out during winter. At that time there was a 
 large tract of country along the northern region of 
 Pennsylvania, called the lumber region, that extended 
 toward the head waters of the river. Man}' were engaged 
 in getting out lumber summer and winter. Much of this 
 was floated down in the spring, 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 
 spring rains came on, they would float it down to where 
 they could build rafts, or otherwise embark it for the 
 Philadelphia market. 
 
 Many of the lumbermen were raising families, and 
 (ihere was a large tract unsettled and unoccupied, except 
 
180 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 by these men. They had no schools, and no churches or 
 religious privileges. I knew a minister who was born in 
 that lumber region; and when he was twenty years old 
 he had never attended a religious meeting, and did not 
 know his alphabet. 
 
 These men 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 salvation. Their efforts were blessed the 
 revival began to take hold, and to spread. It went o-n in 
 a 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. There was the greatest simplicity manifested 
 by the converts. 
 
 An aged minister who had been acquainted with the 
 state of things related the following fact. One man 
 had a shanty by himself. He began to feel that he was 
 a sinner, convictions increased until he broke down, con- 
 fessed his sins, repented, and the Spirit of God revealed 
 to him so much of the way of salvation that he evidently 
 knew the Saviour. 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 con- 
 strained to go and tell his acquaintances how he felt, 
 
Revivals at Wilmington and at Philadelphia. 181 
 
 but he found that they felt, a good many of them, just 
 as he did; and that they were holding prayer-meetings. 
 He 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." 
 
 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 to see me, and to inquire 
 how they could get some ministers to go there. They 
 said that not less than five thousand people had been 
 converted in that region; that the revival had extended 
 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, I have regarded that as one of tho nost re- 
 markable revivals that have occurred. It was carried on 
 almost independently of the ministry, among a class of 
 people very ignorant; and yet so clear and wonderful 
 were the teachings of Grod that I have always understood 
 the revival was remarkably free from fanaticism, or 
 wildness, or anything 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 lumbermen that came to Phila- 
 delphia spread over that forest, and resulted in the sal- 
 vation of a multitude. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 REVIVAL AT READING. 
 
 From Philadelphia, in the winter of 1829-30, I went to 
 Reading, a city about forty miles west. In Reading 
 there were several German and one Presbyterian Church. 
 The pastor of the latter was the Rev. Dr. Greer. At bis 
 request, and that of the elders, I went out there for a 
 time. 
 
 I soon found that neither Dr. Greer nor any of his 
 people had any just idea of what they needed, or what a 
 revival was. 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 being 
 one of the managers. They had no preaching during 
 the week, and I believe no religious meetings. 
 
 I thought it was 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 balls attended by 
 church members, and headed by one of his elders, would 
 not consist with my preaching. He said, " Go on; take 
 your own course." I preached three times on the Sab- 
 bath, and four times during the week, for three weeks., 
 before I said anything about any other meetings. 
 
 On the third Sabbath I gave notice that a meeting 
 for inquiry would be held in the lecture-room, on Mon- 
 day evening, I stated the object, and mentioned the 
 
Revival at Reading. 
 
 183 
 
 class of persons that I desired to attend; inviting those 
 only who were seriously impressed, and had made up 
 their minds to receive instruction on the question of 
 what they should do to be saved. Mr. Greer made no 
 objection; but I do not think he had an idea that many 
 would attend such a meeting; as to do so would be to 
 make an acknowledgment that they were anxious for 
 salvation. 
 
 Monday was a snowy day. I observed that convic- 
 tion was taking hold of the congregation; yet I felt 
 doubtful how many would attend a meeting of inquirers. 
 When evening came, Dr. Greer came in, and behold ! 
 the lecture room, 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 
 by a short address, in which 1 explained what I wished; 
 that is, to have conversation with each, and to have them 
 state frankly what their convictions, determations, and 
 difficulties were. 
 
 I told them that if they were sick and called a physi- 
 cian, he would wish to know their symptoms. I said, 
 " I cannot adapt instruction to your present state unless 
 you reveal it. The thing, therefore, that I want is that 
 you reveal your exact state at the present time. I will 
 now pass round among you, and give each an oppor- 
 tunity to say, in the fewest words, what your state is.' 
 
 n 2 
 
184 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 Dr. Greer said not a word, but followed. He kept near 
 me, for I spoke to each so as not to be heard by others. 
 I found a great deal of conviction and feeling. Convic- 
 tion had taken hold of all classes — the high, the low, the 
 rich, and the poor. 
 
 Dr. Greer was moved. Though he said nothing, still 
 it was evident that his interest was intense. To see his 
 congregation in such a state was what he had never had 
 any conception of. I saw that with difficulty he con- 
 trolled his emotions. 
 
 When I had spent as much time as was allowed in 
 conversation, I went back to the desk, and gave an 
 address, in which I summed up the results of what was 
 interesting in the communications made. Avoiding 
 personalities, I took up representative cases, dissected, 
 corrected, and taught them. I tried to strip away mis- 
 apprehensions, to correct the impression that they must 
 simply use means and wait for God to convert them; 
 and I set before them the whole situation. After pray- 
 ing, I called on those that felt prepared to submit, and 
 who were willing then and there to pledge themselves to 
 live to God, to kneel down, and while I prayed to com- 
 mit themselves to Christ, and inwardly to do what I ex- 
 horted them. I called on those only to kneel who were 
 willing to do what God required, and what I presented 
 before them. 
 
 As soon as I saw that they thoroughly understood, I 
 called on them to kneel, and knelt myself. Dr. Greer 
 knelt by my side. I presented the case in prayer, and 
 held to the point of now submitting, believing, and 
 consecrating themselves to God. There was an awful 
 solemnity pervading the congregation, and the stillness 
 
Revival at Reading. 
 
 1S5 
 
 of death, with the exception of my own voice, the sobs, 
 sighs, and weeping. 
 
 After spreading the case before God, 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." At about eleven o'clock a messenger 
 came to my lodgings, and said that Dr. Greer was dead. 
 I in quired' what it meant. He said he had retired, was 
 taken with a fit of apoplexy, and died. 
 
 Although I found a goodly number had, to all human 
 appearance, submitted at the meeting, still the death 
 of Dr. Greer, under such extraordinary circumstances, 
 proved a great diversion 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. On one 
 very snowy night, when the snow was drifting under a 
 fierce gale, I was called up about midnight to visit a 
 man who was under such awful conviction that he could 
 not live, unless something could be done. He was a 
 stalwart man, very muscular, 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, and the sermon had torn 
 him to pieces. He went home in a terrible state, his 
 convictions and distress increasing till it overcame bodily 
 strength; and his family feared he would die. I heard 
 his moanings, or rather howlings, before I got near. I 
 found him sitting on the floor ; his wife supporting his 
 head — and a look in his face which was indescribable. 
 
186 
 
 G. G. Finney. 
 
 Accustomed as I was to seeing persons under convictions, 
 his appearance gave me a shock. He was writhing in 
 agony, grinding his teeth, and literally gnawing his 
 tongue for pain. He cried out, " Oh, Mr. Finney ! I am 
 lost ! I am a lost soul ! " I was greatly shocked, and 
 exclaimed, " If this is conviction, what is hell ? " How- 
 ever, I recovered myself, and sat down. At first he 
 found it difficult to attend; but I soon led his thoughts 
 to the way of salvation through Christ. His burden was 
 soon removed. He was persuaded to trust, and he came 
 out free and joyful in hope. 
 
 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. The elder of the church, to whom 
 I have alluded as being one of the managers of their balls, 
 broke down before the Lord, and entered into the work; 
 and his family were soon converted. 
 
 Very early one morning a lawyer, belonging to one of 
 the most respectable families of the town, called, in the 
 greatest agitation. I saw he was a man of first-rate 
 intelligence, and a gentleman ; but I had nowhere seen 
 him to know him. He 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 presi- 
 dent, and asked what they should do to be saved. 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," 
 
Revival at Reading. 
 
 187 
 
 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." "Well," I inquired, 
 ' ' how did it terminate ? " " Oh, " said he, 6 ' 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 convictions wore away, and we did not care 
 to pray any longer. We lost interest in the subject! " 
 and then, bursting into tears, he said, " My two com- 
 panions are in drunkards' graves, and if I cannot 
 repent I shall soon be in one myself." 
 
 I tried to instruct him, and to show the error that he 
 had fallen into, and that he hatl resisted and grieved the 
 Spirit. I tried to show that God required him to repent, 
 but 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 
 Saviour, the atonement, the plan of salvation, and urges 
 him to accept it. 
 
 I asked if he did not feel this urgency upon himself, 
 in these truths revealed in his mind; and a call now to 
 submit, to believe, to make himself a new heart. " Oh, 
 yes ! " he said, "I see and feel all this; but am I not 
 given up of God \ Is not my day of grace past ? " I said 
 ' 5 No ! It is plain the Spirit of God is still calling, still 
 urging you to repentance; you acknowledge that you 
 feel this in your mind." He inquired, "Is this, then, 
 
188 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 what the Spirit of God is doing, to show me all this ? " 
 I assured him that it was ; and that he was to under- 
 stand 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 if he would respond to the call. 
 
 When I saw that the way was fully prepared, I called 
 on him to kneel and submit; and he did so, and, to all 
 human appearance, became a thorough convert. "Oh !" 
 he afterwards said, ' ' if Dr. Green had only told us this 
 that you have told me, we should all have been con- 
 verted immediately. But my friends and companions 
 are lost; and what a wonder of mercy it is that I am 
 saved ! " 
 
 There was a merchant in Reading, one branch of 
 whose business was the making of whisky; he had just 
 been fitting up a very large distillery. He had con- 
 structed it with all the latest improvements, on a 
 large scale; but as soon as he was converted he gave 
 up all thought of going any further with that business. 
 He said, "I shall have nothing to do with that; I 
 shall tear my distillery down; I will neither work it nor 
 sell it." 
 
 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 
 
 O'B . The revival took a powerful hold in his 
 
 family, and several were converted. I do not recollect 
 now how many there were; but I think that every im- 
 penitent person in his household was converted. His 
 brother also, and his brother's wife, and quite a large 
 circle of relatives were among the converts. Mr. 
 
Revival at Reading. 
 
 189 
 
 O'B himself was in feeble health, and was rapidly 
 
 passing away. 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. 
 Among them were those members of his family and 
 those relatives that had been converted. Sabbath 
 
 morning came. It was soon found Mr. O'B could 
 
 not live through the day. He called his wife and said, 
 " 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, 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 had 
 
 said to Mr. O'B , ' ' Give my love to Brother Greer 
 
 when you get to heaven." He smiled and said, "Do 
 you think I shall know him V I said. " Yes, un- 
 doubtedly you will. 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 countenances mingled joy and 
 sorrow. 
 
 There was much that was moving and interesting in 
 that revival. It was among a population that had had 
 no conception of revivals. The German population 
 supposed themselves to have been made Christians by 
 baptism, and by receiving the Communion. Nearly 
 
190 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 every one, if asked when they became Christians, would 
 
 reply that they took their Communion of Dr. M , or 
 
 some other divine. When I asked if they thought that 
 was religion, they would say, Yes, they supposed it 
 was. 
 
 The revival had to encounter that view of things; aad 
 the influence was, at first, almost altogether in tliat 
 direction. It was held that for them to think of being 
 religious by being converted, and to establish family 
 prayer, or to give themselves to 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 those 
 things, and speak severely of those that forsook the 
 ways of their fathers, and thought it necessary to 
 be converted, and to maintain family and secret prayer. 
 
 The great majority of Dr. Greer's congregation were 
 converted in this revival. At first I had considerable 
 difficulty of getting rid of the influence of the press, 
 The people were a good deal under the influence of the 
 daily press; I mean the German population particularly. 
 Editors began to give people religious advice and to 
 speak against the revival. 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 took 
 for my text: "Ye are of your father the devil, and 
 the lusts of your father ye will do." I went on to show 
 in what way sinners would fulfil the desires of the 
 devil, pointing out many ways in which they would per- 
 form his dirty work, and do for him what he could not 
 do for himself. 
 
Revival at Reading. 
 
 191 
 
 After I had got the subject before the people, I 
 applied it to the course pursued by the editors. I asked 
 people if they did not think that those editors were ful- 
 filling the desires of the devil; if they did not believe 
 the devil desired them to do just what they did ? I 
 asked if it was suitable and decent for men of their 
 character to attempt to give religious instruction to 
 people? 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, 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 Beading until late in the spring. 
 There were many very striking conversions ; and Dr. 
 Greer's congregation was left united, encouraged, and 
 strengthened, with large additions made to their 
 number. 
 
 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 low 
 state. They had never had a revival, and manifestly 
 had no just conception of what it was, or of the means of 
 securing it. I remained at Lancaster a short time. 
 However, the work of God was revived, the Spirit of 
 God being poured out almost at once upon the people. 
 I was the guest of an aged gentleman, one of the elders, 
 and the leading man in the church. 
 
 A fact occurred in relation to him that revealed the 
 real state of things in that church. A former pastor 
 
192 
 
 C. O. Finney. 
 
 had invited Mr. K to join and hold the office of 
 
 elder. One Sabbath evening, after hearing a couple of 
 very searching sermons, the old gentleman could not 
 sleep. He was so greatly exercised 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 converted; 
 but the subject was pressed upon him til] he finally con- 
 sulted an aged minister not far from Lancaster. He 
 stated 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 were very deep. I gave 
 him such instructions as I thought he needed, pressed 
 him to accept the Saviour; and dealt with him just as I 
 would with any other inquiring sinner. He professed 
 at the time to submit and accept the Saviour. 
 
 One evening I preached on a subject that led me to 
 insist upon the immediate acceptance of Christ. The 
 house was crowded. I made a strong appeal. I called 
 on those whose minds were made up, and who would 
 then accept the Saviour, to rise, that we might make 
 them subjects of prayer. There were two men sitting 
 near, one of whom was much affected under the appeal, 
 and could not avoid manifesting very strong emotion, 
 which was observed by his neighbour. However, the 
 man did not rise, nor give his heart to God. I had 
 pressed the thought upon them that that might be the 
 last opportunity that some of them would ever have to 
 
Revival at Heading. 
 
 193 
 
 meet and decide ; 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 these two men went out together, 
 and one said, "I saw you feel very deeply under the 
 appeals Mr. JFinney made," "I did, I never felt so be- 
 fore in my life; and especially when he reminded us 
 that 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 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. 
 
 I established prayer-meetings in Lancaster, and in- 
 sisted upon the elders taking part. This they did, 
 although they had never been accustomed to do it. The 
 interest seemed to increase, and hopeful conversions 
 multiplied. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 REVIVALS IN COLUMBIA AND NEW YORK CITY. 
 
 From Lancaster, about midsummer, 1830, I returned 
 to Oneida county, N.ew York, and spent a time at my 
 father-in-law's. During my stay in Whitestown, a mes- 
 senger came from Columbia, in Herkimer county, 
 requesting me to go and assist in a work of grace which 
 was already commenced. I went to see, and to lend such 
 aid as I was able. 
 
 At Columbia was a large German church, the mem- 
 bership of which had been received upon examination 
 of their doctrinal knowledge, instead of their Chris- 
 tian experience. Their pastor was a young man of the 
 name of H , of German descent, and from Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 He said he studied theology with a German doctor 
 of divinity, at the place where he lived, who did not 
 encourage experimental religion; and that one of his 
 fellow-students was religiously inclined, and used to 
 pray. 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. 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 to become a minister. But 
 his mother was a pious woman; she knew better, and 
 
Revivals in Columbia and New York City. 195 
 
 was greatly distressed that a son should enter the minis- 
 try who had never been converted. When he received 
 a call to the church in Columbia, and was about to leave 
 home, his mother had serious talk with him, impressed 
 upon him his responsibility, and said things that bore 
 powerfully upon his conscience. He said that this con- 
 versation 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, where he had 
 been, 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 uncon- 
 verted. He immediately gave himself to labour for her 
 conversion, and, under God, he soon secured it. His 
 soul was full of the subject; he read his Bible, prayed, 
 and preached with all his might. 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 and 
 conversed with the elders and principal members, and 
 satisfied himself that one or two 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, during the 
 week, for the transaction of business, and wished all the 
 church to be present. His own conversion, preaching, 
 visiting, and conversing, had already created a good deal 
 of excitement, so that religion came to be the common 
 
196 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 topic of conversation; and his call for a church-meeting 
 was responded to on the day appointed. 
 
 He 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 proposed to disband the church and form a new one, 
 insisting that this was essential to the prosperity of 
 religion. He had an understanding with those members 
 that were converted that they should lead in voting for 
 the disbanding. The motion was put; whereupon the 
 converted members arose as requested. They were very 
 influential, and the people looking around and seeing 
 those on their feet, rose; and finally 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 people who have been con- 
 verted." 
 
 He then related his own experience, and his wife did 
 the same. Then the converted members and elders 
 followed. He then said, ' 6 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 ordi- 
 nances." This created a panic; for, according to their 
 views, it was an awful thing not to partake of the 
 Sacrament, and not to have children baptized; for this 
 was the way in which they themselves had been made 
 Christians. 
 
 Mr. H then laboured with all his might; he 
 
 visited, preached, prayed, held meetings, and the interest 
 increased. Thus the work had been going on for some 
 time, when he sent the messenger for me. A warm- 
 
Revivals in Columbia and Rew York City. 197 
 
 hearted young convert, he listened to my preaching with 
 almost irrepressible joy. I found the congregation large 
 and interested; and the work was in a very prosperous 
 state. That revival continued until it reached nearly all 
 the inhabitants. Galesburg, in Illinois, was settled by 
 a colony from Columbia, who were nearly all converts of 
 the revival. The founder of the colony and of Knox 
 -College, located there, was Mr. Gale, my former pastor 
 •nt Adams. 
 
 Mr. H 1 found evangelical, and his heart warm; 
 
 he was surrounded by a congregation thoroughly in- 
 terested in religion. They would hang on my lips with 
 an interest, attention, and patience, in the highest degree 
 
 interesting and affecting. Mr. II was like a little 
 
 child — teachable, humble, and earnest. That work con- 
 tinued for over a year, spreading throughout that large 
 -and interesting population of farmers. 
 
 After I returned to Whitestown, I was invited to visit 
 New York. Anson G. Phelps, since well known as a 
 great contributor, by will, to benevolent institutions, 
 hearing that I had not been invited to that city, hired a 
 vacant church in Yandewater Street, and sent me a re- 
 quest to preach. I did so, and we had a powerful revi- 
 val. I found Mr. Phelps very much engaged in the 
 work, and not hesitating at any expense that was neces- 
 sary to promote it. The church hired could be had only 
 for three months. Accordingly Mr. Phelps purchased a 
 •church in Prince Street, near Broadway, built by the Uni- 
 versalists, and sold to Mr. Phelps, who paid for it himself. 
 We there formed a church, mostly of persons that had 
 ■been converted in Vandewater Street. I continued my 
 labours until quite the latter part of the summer. 
 
 o 
 
0. O. Finney. 
 
 I was very much struck 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; and that he would come directly from, 
 business to our prayer-meetings, and enter into them, 
 with such spirit as to show clearly that his mind was 
 not absorbed to the exclusion of spiritual things. As I 
 watched him from day to day, I became more and more- 
 interested in his life. One night I had occasion to go 
 down stairs about twelve or one o'clock. I supposed the 
 family were all asleep, but I found Mr. Phelps sitting b}" 
 his fire, in his night dress, 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 devo- 
 tion; and my custom is, after having a nap at night, to- 
 arise and have a season of communion with God.' 7 
 After his death it was found that he had kept a journal 
 during these hours in the night, comprising several 
 manuscript volumes. This revealed the secret work- 
 ings of his mind, and the real progress of his interior- 
 life. 
 
 There was one case of conversion. A young woman 
 visited me under great conviction of sin. I found that 
 she had many things upon her conscience. She had 
 been in the habit of pilfering from her very childhood. 
 She was the daughter, and the only child, of a widow: 
 and she had been in the habit of taking, from her school- 
 mates and others, handkerchiefs, breastpins, pencils, and 
 
Revivals in Columbia and New York City. 199 
 
 whatever she had an opportunity to steal. She made 
 confession to me, and asked what she should do. I told 
 her she must return them, and make confession to those 
 from whom she had^aken them. 
 
 This greatly tried her: yet her convictions were so 
 deep that she began the work of making confession and 
 restitution; but as she went forward with it, she con- 
 tinued to recall more and mere instances, and kept 
 visiting me frequently, and confessing 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. She said to me, "Mr. Finney, 
 I suppose I have stolen a million of times. I find I 
 have many things that I know I stole, but I can- 
 not recollect from whom." I refused altogether to com- 
 promise with her, and insisted on her making restitution 
 in every case which she could, by any means, recall. 
 From time to time she would come and report. I asked 
 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." • 
 
 She informed me that she had a shawl, stolen from 
 a daughter of Bishop FTobart, of New York. I told her 
 she must restore it. A few days after she called and 
 related the result; she folded up the shawl, went with 
 it, and rung the bell at the Bishop's door; and handed 
 the bundle, directed to the Bishop. She made no ex- 
 
 o2 
 
200 
 
 C. G. ihiney. 
 
 planation, but turned immediately away, and ran round 
 the corner into another street, lest someone should see 
 which way she went, and find out who she was; but con- 
 science smote her, and she said, "I have not done right. 
 Somebody else may be suspected of having stolen the 
 shawl, unless 1 make known who did it." 
 
 She went back and inquired if she could see the 
 Bishop. Being informed that she could, she was con- 
 ducted to his study. She then confessed about the shawl, 
 and all that had passed. "Well," said I, "andhow 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 about that transac- 
 tion since?" "Oh, 3 r es !" said she. This process 
 continued for Aveeks. This girl was going from place to 
 place, restoring things 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; and I found her with her hair hanging over 
 her shoulders, and her clothes in disorder, walking the 
 room in 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 
 
Revivals in Columbia and Neio York City. 201 
 
 morning; and it seems to me that God can never for- 
 give me for stealing His Word." I assured her that 
 there was no reason for 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 in- 
 stant restitution, either by restoring that or giving 
 another as good." " I will," said she. 
 
 All this was affecting; but the state of mind that 
 resulted was truly wonderful. A depth of humility, a 
 deep knowledge of herself and her depravity, a broken- 
 ness of heart, and contrition of spirit, and finally a faith, 
 joy, love, and peace, like a river, succeeded; she became 
 one of the most delightful young Christians that I have 
 known. 
 
 When I expected to leave New York, I thought that 
 someone ought to watch over her. Up to this time, 
 whatever had passed between us had been sacredly 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 too. I will be 
 her friend; I will watch over her for good." He did so, 
 as I afterwards learned. I have not seen the young 
 woman since I related the fact to Mr. Phelps. But 
 when I returned from England the last time, in visiting 
 one of Mr. Phelps's daughters, in the course of the con- 
 versation this case was alluded to. I inquired, "Did 
 vour father introduce you to that young woman?" "Oh, 
 
202 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 yes '" she replied, "we all knew her; " meaning, as I 
 supposed, all the daughters of the family. "Well, what 
 do you know of her? " "Oh, she is a very earnest Chris- 
 tian woman. She is married, and her husband is in 
 business in this city. She is a member of the church." 
 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 that the woman said that she never had 
 had a temptation to pilfer from the time of conversion; 
 that she had never known what it was to have the 
 desire. 
 
 This revival prepared the way in New York for the 
 organization of the Free Presbyterian Churches, com- 
 posed afterward, largely, of the converts. Many had 
 belonged to the church in Prince Street. 
 
 At this point, in order to render intelligible many 
 things that I shall have to say, I must give a little 
 account of circumstances connected with the conversion 
 of Mr. Lewis Tappan, and his connection afterward with 
 my own labours. This I received from himself. 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. The revivals 
 through Central New York had created excitement among 
 Unitarians; and their newspapers had a good deal to say 
 against them. Especially were there stange stories, 
 representing me as a half-crazed fanatic. These had 
 
 been related to Lewis Tappan by Mr. W , a leading 
 
 Unitarian minister of Boston; and he believed them. 
 They were credited by many in New England, and 
 throughout the State of New York. 
 
lievivtds at Columbia and New York City. 203 
 
 While these stories Avere 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 con* 
 nected with what was said of myself. He asserted that 
 I gave out that I was " the brigadier-general of Jesus 
 €hrist." This and like reports were in circulation, and 
 Lewis insisted upon their truth. Arthur told Lewis 
 that they were false. Lewis, relying upon the state- 
 ments of Mr. W , proposed to bet five hundred dollars 
 
 that he could prove these reports to be true. 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 proof, wrote to Eev. Mr. 
 
 P , at 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 person in a court of 
 
 justice. Mr. P undertook to procure the testimony; 
 
 but, after great painstaking, was unable to furnish any, 
 except what was contained in a Universalist newspaper, 
 printed in Buffalo, in which it had been asserted that 
 Mr. Finney claimed that he was a brigadier-general of 
 Jesus Christ. Many persons heard, and believed, that I 
 had said these things somewhere; but he could not learn 
 that these things had been said anywhere. 
 
204 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 This, in connection with other matters, led him to- 
 reflect seriously upon the nature of the opposition; and 
 knowing what stress had been laid upon these stories by 
 Unitarians, and the use they had made of them, his 
 confidence was greatly shaken. His prejudices against 
 revivals became softened; he was led to review the theo- 
 logical writings of the Orthodox and the Unitarians with 
 seriousness; and the result was that he embraced ortho- 
 dox views. The mother of the Tappans was a very godly, 
 praying woman; she had never had any sympathy with 
 Unitarianism. 
 
 Lewis Tappan became as firm and zealous in support 
 of orthodox views and revivals as he had been in opposi- 
 tion. About the time that I left New York, after my first 
 labours there in Vande water and Prince Streets, Mr. 
 Tappan and some other good brethren became dissatisfied 
 with the state of things in New York, and, after much 
 p^iyer and consideration, concluded to organize a new 
 congregation, and introduce new measures for the conver- 
 sion of men. They obtained a place, and called the Rev. 
 Joel Parker, then pastor of the Third Presbyterian 
 Church in Rochester, to come to their aid. Mr. Parker- 
 began his labours about the time that I closed mine in 
 Prince Street. The First Free Presbyterian Church was 
 formed, and Mr. Parker became its pastor. They 
 laboured especially among that class 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 con- 
 gregation, and there they continued. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 KEVIVAL IN ROCHESTEB, 1830. 
 Leaving New York, I spent a few weeks in Whitestownj 
 and, being pressed to go in many directions, I was at a 
 loss what was my duty; but among others, an invitation 
 was received from the Third Presbyterian Church in 
 Rochester, of which Mr. Parker had been pastor, to 
 supply for a season. 
 
 I found that on several accounts it, was a very un- 
 promising field. There were but three Presbyterian 
 Churches in Rochester, The Third Church, that ex- 
 tended the invitation, had no minister, and religion was- 
 in a low state. The Second, or " Brick Church," had a 
 pastor; but in regard to his preaching there was con- 
 siderable division, and he was restive and about to leave. 
 There was a controversy existing between an elder of the 
 Third and the pastor of the First Church, that was about 
 to be tried before presbytery. This and other matters 
 had aroused unchristian feeling in both churches; and it 
 seemed a forbidding field. The friends at Rochester were 
 extremely anxious to have me go. Being left without a 
 pastor, they felt as if there was great danger that they 
 would be scattered, unless something could be done to 
 revive religion. 
 
 With these pressing invitations I felt greatlyperplexed. 
 I remained at my father-in-law's, and considered the 
 subject, until I felt that I must take hold and work some- 
 
206 
 
 G. O. Finney. 
 
 where. Accordingly we went to Utica, about seven miles 
 distant, where I had many praying friends. We arrived 
 in the afternoon, and in the evening a number of the 
 leading brethren, in whose prayers and wisdom I had 
 confidence, met for consultation and prayer in regard to 
 my next field of labour. I laid the facts before them in 
 regard to Rochester; and the leading facts in respect to 
 the other fields to which I was invited. Rochester seemed 
 to be the least inviting of all. 
 
 After several seasons of prayer, interspersed with 
 conversation, the brethren gave their opinions in rela- 
 tion to what they thought it wise to do. They were 
 unanimous that Rochester was too uninviting to bs put 
 in competition with New York or Philadelphia, and some 
 other fields to ■ which I was then invited; and I retired 
 from this meeting, as I supposed, to go to New York 
 or Philadelphia. This was before railroads existed; 
 and I expected to take the canal boat and start in the 
 morning. 
 
 After I retired, the question was presented to my mind 
 under a different aspect; something seemed to question: 
 ' ' What are the reasons that deter you from going to 
 Rochester ? " I could enumerate them; but the ques- 
 tion returned: " Are these good reasons ? " I came to 
 the conclusion that the reasons against my going to 
 Rochester were the most cogent for my going. I felt 
 ashamed to shrink from undertaking the work because 
 of difficulties; and it was strongly impressed upon me 
 that that Avas my field. My mind became 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 in the morning, before the people were gen- 
 
Bevival in Bochester, 1830. 
 
 207 
 
 erally moving, we embarked and went westward instead 
 of eastward. 
 
 We arrived early, and were invited to lodge with Mr. 
 Josiah Bissell, the leading elder in the Third Church, 
 and the person that had complained to the presbytery 
 
 respecting Dr. Penny. I met my cousin, Mr. S , in 
 
 the street, who invited me to his house. He was an 
 older in the First Church, and, hearing that I was ex- 
 pected, was anxious to have his pastor, Dr. Penny, meet 
 •a id converse with me, and be prepared to co-operate 
 with me. I declined his kind invitation, informing him 
 that I was to be the guest of Mr. Bissell. But he called 
 again and informed me that he had arranged an interview 
 between myself and Dr. Penny; I hastened to meet the 
 Doctor, and when I commenced Dr. Penny attended our 
 
 meetings, and soon invited me to his pulpit. Mr. S 
 
 exerted himself to bring about a good understanding be- 
 tween pastors and churches, and a change soon mani- 
 fested itself. 
 
 There were soon some marked conversions. The wife 
 of a prominent lawyer was one of the first. She was a 
 lady of high standing, culture, and extensive influence. 
 A friend of hers who introduced her was a Christian, who 
 had found that she was exercised in her mind, and per- 
 suaded her to see me. 
 
 Mrs. M Lad been worldly, and fond of society. 
 
 She told me that when I first came she feared there 
 would be a revival; and a revival would interfere with 
 the pleasures she had promised herself that winter. I 
 found that the Spirit of the Lord was indeed dealing 
 Avith her in an unsparing manner. She w as b owed down 
 with conviction. After conversation I pressed her to 
 
208 
 
 G. G. Finney. 
 
 renounce the world, self, and everything for Christ. I 
 saw that she was proud, and this struck me as the most 
 marked feature of her characte'r. We knelt down to* 
 pray; and my mind being full of the subject of the 
 pride of her heart, I 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 I heard Mrs. M , by my 
 
 side, repeating: "Except ye be converted and become 
 as little children — as little children — except ye be con- 
 verted 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 her up before God as needing that very 
 thing. 
 
 I felt that the Lord was answering; that He was doing 
 the work. Her heart broke down, sensibility gushed 
 forth, and before we rose she was indeed a little child. 
 When I looked, her face was turned toward heaven, and. 
 tears streaming down; and she was praying that she- 
 might be made a little child. She rose, became peace- 
 ful, settled in joyous faith, and retired. From that 
 moment she was out-spoken,, and zealous for the con- 
 version of friends. Her conversion produced much 
 excitement. 
 
 I had never, except in rare instances, used as a means 
 of promoting revivals what has been called "the anxious 
 seat." I had sometimes asked persons to stand up; but 
 this I had not frequently done. I had often felt the- 
 necessity of some measure that would bring sinners to a 
 stand. I had found that, with the higher classes especi- 
 ally, the greatest obstacle was fear of being known as 
 anxious inquirers. 
 
Revival in Rochester, 1830. 
 
 209 
 
 I found also that something was needed to make the 
 impression that they were expected at once to give their 
 hearts; something that would call them to act as publicly 
 :as they had in their sins; something that would commit 
 them to the service of Christ. When I had called them 
 simply to stand in the congregation, that had a gojd 
 effect; and it answered the purpose for which it was 
 intended, but, after all, something more was necessary 
 to bring them from among the ungodly to a renuncia- 
 tion of sinful ways and a public committal of themselves 
 to God. 
 
 At Eochester I first introduced this measure, years 
 after the cry had been raised of "new measures." After 
 
 the conversion of Mrs. M , I made a call upon all 
 
 that class of persons who were willing to renounce their 
 .sins to come forward to certain seats which I requested 
 to be vacated, and offer themselves to God while we 
 made them subjects of prayer. A much larger number 
 came forward than I expected; and among them another 
 prominent lady, and several of her acquaintance, belong- 
 ing to the same circle of society. This increased the in- 
 terest among that class of people ; and it was soon seen 
 that the Lord was aiming at the conversion of the highest 
 classes. My meetings soon became thronged ; lawyers, 
 physicians, merchants, and indeed all the most intel- 
 ligent people, became interested and more easily in- 
 fluenced. 
 
 Soon the work took effect, extensively, among the 
 lawyers. There has always been a large number of 
 leading lawyers resident at Eochester. They became 
 anxious, and came freely to our meetings of inquiry; 
 numbers came forward to the anxious seat and publicly 
 
210 
 
 O. (r. Finney. 
 
 gave their hearts to God. One evening after preaching 
 three of them followed me to my room, all of them deeply 
 convicted, but not clear in their minds. I conversed and 
 prayed with them; and before they left they all found, 
 peace in believing. 
 
 Soon after the work commenced, the difficulties 
 between Mr. Bissell and Dr, Penny were healed ; and 
 all distractions and collisions were adjusted; so that 
 a spirit of kindness and fellowship pervaded the 
 churches. 
 
 On one occasion I had an appointment in the First 
 Church. There had been a military parade. The 
 militia had been called out; and I feared that the excite- 
 ment might divert attention and mar the work of the 
 Lord. The house was filled. Dr. Penny introduced the 
 services, and was engaged in prayer, when I heard some- 
 thing which I supposed to be the report of a gun, and 
 the jingling of glass, as if a window had broken. My 
 thought was that some careless person had fired so near 
 the window as to break a pane; 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 panic, and rushed for the doors and windows. 
 One elderly woman held up a window in the rear, where- 
 several leaped out into the canal. The rush was terrific. 
 Some jumped over galleries into the aisles. They ran 
 over each other. 
 
 I stood in the pulpit, and, not knowing what had 
 happened, put up my hands, and cried at the top of my 
 
Eevival in Rochester, 1830. 
 
 211 
 
 voice, "Be quiet ! Be quiet ! " Directly a couple of 
 women, rushing into the pulpit, caught hold of me in a 
 state of distraction. Dr. Penny ran into the street; and 
 they were getting out in every direction, as fast as pos- 
 sible. As I did not know that there was any danger,, 
 the scene looked so ludicrous that I could scarcely refrain 
 from laughing. They rushed over each other in th e > 
 aisles, so that in several instances men that had been 
 crushed down rose up and threw off others who 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 women's apparel. The men had 
 very generally gone out without their hats; and many 
 had been seriously bruised. 
 
 The walls of the church had been settling for some 
 time, the ground being damp from its proximity to the- 
 canal. It had been spoken of as not in a satisfactory 
 state; and some were afraid that the tower, the roof, 
 or the walls would come down. Of this I had heard 
 nothing. The original alarm was created by a timber 
 failing 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. At the time, I feared that 
 public attention would be diverted, and the work hin- 
 dered; but the Spirit of the Lord had taken hold of the- 
 work, and nothing seemed to stay it. 
 
 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 cou ] d 
 get into the house. The three churches, and indeed 
 
G. G. Finney. 
 
 Christians of every denomination, seemed to make com- 
 mon cause to pull sinners out of the fire. We were 
 obliged to hold meetings continually; I preached nearly 
 every night, and three times on the Sabbath. We held 
 our meetings of inquiry very frequently in the morning. 
 
 We had been holding a meeting of inquiry, and a 
 gentleman was converted there, who was son-in-law of 
 a very godly woman belonging to the Third Church. 
 When he returned from the meeting of inquiry, he was 
 full of joy, 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, and from his countenance she saw that 
 it was so, it overcame her; she swooned away, and fell 
 dead. 
 
 There was at that time a high school at Eochester, 
 
 presided over by Mr. B , the son of A E , 
 
 then pastor of the church at Brighton. Mr. B was 
 
 a sceptic, but was at the head of a very large and flourish- 
 ing school. As the school was made up of both sexes, 
 
 Miss A was assistant and associate. The students 
 
 attended the religious services, and many became deeply 
 
 anxious. One morning Mr. B found that his classes 
 
 could not recite; they were so anxious that they wept, 
 and it very much confounded him. He called Miss 
 A , and told her that the young people were so exer- 
 cised about their souls that they could not recite; and 
 asked if they had not better send for Mr. Finney to 
 give them instruction. She was very glad to have him 
 make the inquiry, and cordially advised him to send for 
 me. He did so, and the revival took hold of that school. 
 Mr. B himself was hopefully converted. Miss A 
 
Revival in Hochesier, 1830. 
 
 213 
 
 informed me that more than forty persons converted in 
 that school had become ministers. She named many 
 of them to me. A large number had become foreign 
 missionaries. 
 
 After remaining a few weeks at Josiah Bissell's, wc 
 took lodgings in a more central position, at the house of 
 
 Mr. B , a lawyer and a Christian. His wife's sister 
 
 was with them, and was impenitent. She was young, of 
 fine appearance, an exquisite singer, cultivated, and was 
 engaged in marriage to a man who was Judge of the 
 Supreme Court of the State. He was very proud, and 
 resisted the anxious seat, and spoke against it. A large 
 number of lawyers were converted; and the young lady 
 was converted. I mention this because the Judge after- 
 wards married her; which no doubt led to his own con- 
 version in a revival ten years later. 
 
 A number of very striking incidents occurred. One 
 day, the lady who first visited me called in company 
 with a friend with whom she wished me to converse. I 
 did so, but found her to all appearance hardened, and 
 rather disposed to trifle. Her husband was a merchant, 
 and they were persons of high standing. When I pressed 
 her to attend, she said she would not because her husband 
 would not attend, and she was not going to leave him. 
 i asked her if she was willing to be lost because her hus- 
 oand would not attend; and if it was not folly to neglect 
 her soul because he did his. She replied, " If he goes to 
 hell, 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 little, if any, impression; but from night to 
 night I had been making appeals to the congregation, 
 and calling forward those that were prepared to give 
 
2U 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 their hearts to God; and numbers were converted every 
 evening. 
 
 When this woman went home, her husband said, " My 
 dear, I mean to go forward to-night, and give my heart 
 to God/' " What ! " said she; I have to-day told Mr. 
 Finney that I would not become a Christian; 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 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. At the close, I called for those that 
 were anxious to come forward, and take certain seats 
 and occupy a certain space about the pulpit, where we 
 could commend them to God. It afterward appeared 
 that the wife herself had come, had passed up the otner 
 aisle, and taken a seat almost opposite, 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, 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. While I was conversing with him, 
 the servant informed me that a lady was waiting in Mrs. 
 Finney's room to see me. I requested him to wait while 
 I went in to see her. I found that it was the wife of the 
 
Revival in Rochester, 1830. 215 
 
 man who was then in my room. Neither of them knew 
 that the other had called. 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 appear- 
 ance, in the same state. I then returned to him and 
 said, "lam 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, and found his own 
 wife. They looked at each other greatly affected. We 
 knelt down. I had not proceeded far 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 for 
 his conversion. His heart seemed to give way, and just 
 at this time the bell rang for dinner. I thought it would 
 be well to leave them alone. I therefore touched my 
 wife, and we rose silently and went to dinner, leaving 
 them in prayer. We took a hasty dinner and returned, 
 and found them as humble and as loving as could be 
 desired. 
 
 ■ On my way to Rochester, as we passed through a 
 village some thirty miles east, a brother minister, seeing 
 me on the canal-boat, jumped aboard to have a little 
 conversation, intending to ride but a little way and 
 return. He, however, became interested, and finding 
 where I was going, he made up his mind to keep on and 
 go with me. 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. 
 As he and I prayed much together, I was struck with 
 his faith in regard to what the Lord was going to do 
 there. The spirit of prayer was poured out powerfully, so 
 
 p2 
 
216 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 much so that some persons stayed away from the public 
 services to pray, being unable to restrain their feelings. 
 
 Here I must introduce Mr. Abel Clary, son of a very 
 excellent man, and an elder of the church where I was 
 converted. He had been licensed to preach; 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. He was very silent, as almost all are who 
 have that powerful spirit of prayer. 
 
 A gentleman who lived about a mile west of the city 
 called one day, and asked if I knew Mr. Abel Clary. I 
 told him that I knew him. " 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 riot seen 
 him at any of our meetings." "No," he replied, "he 
 cannot go to meeting, he says. 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 can- 
 not even stand on his knees, but will lie prostrate on the 
 floor, and groan and pray in a manner that quite aston- 
 ishes 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 who were 
 
 exercised in the same way. Deacon P , of Camden, 
 
 Oneida county; Deacon T , of Rodman, Jefferson 
 
 county; Deacon B , of Adams, in the same county;. 
 
 this Mr. Clary, and a large number of women, partook 
 of the same spirit. Father Nash, who in several of my 
 fields of labour came and aided me, was another. This 
 Mr. Clary continued in Rochester as long as I did, and 
 did not leave until after I had. 
 
Revival in Rochester, 1830. 
 
 '217 
 
 The moral aspect of things was greatly changed. It 
 was a young city, full of thrift, enterprise, and sin. The 
 inhabitants were intelligent and enterprising; but as the 
 revival swept through, and converted the most influential 
 people, the change was wonderful. 
 
 At a subsequent period I was conversing with a 
 lawyer, who was converted at this revival, and who soon 
 after had been made district attorney. His business was 
 to superintend the prosecution of criminals. He was 
 thoroughly acquainted with the history of crime in that 
 city. In speaking of the revival, he said to me, many 
 years afterwards : ' ' I have been examining the records of 
 the criminal courts, and I find that whereas our city has 
 increased since that revival three-fold, there are not one- 
 third as many prosecutions as there had been up to that 
 time. This is the wonderful influence that that revival 
 had upon the community." The public affairs of the 
 city have been, in great measure, in the hands of Chris- 
 tian men; the controlling influences have been on the 
 side of Christ. 
 
 Among other conversions I mention that of Mr. 
 
 P , a prominent bookseller, a disbeliever in the 
 
 Divine authority of the Bible. He was a reader, a 
 thinker, a man of keen, shrewd mind, strong will, and 
 most decided character. He was of good outward 
 morals, and a gentleman highly respected. He came to 
 my room and said, " Mr. Finney, there is a great move- 
 ment here on the subject of religion; but I am a sceptic, 
 and I want you to prove 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. I said, 
 4 ' Do you believe in the existence of Grod? " "Oh, yes!' ' 
 
218 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 he said, "lam 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?" "Oh, 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 further information, and further 
 light, i£ you will not do your duty and obey the light 
 you already have? Now, when you live up to your 
 convictions, when you repent of your neglect thus far, 
 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 had not asked him to sit down. He 
 replied, " I do not know but that is fair;" and retired. 
 
 I heard no more until the next morning. He came 
 again; and he clapped his hands and said, "Mr. Finney, 
 God has wrought a miracle! I went down to the store," 
 he continued, "after I left you, 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 here- 
 after 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 
 a praying, earnest Christian. For years he has been one 
 of the trustees of Oberlin College, has stood by us through 
 trials, and has aided with his means and influence. 
 
Bevival in Bochester, 1830. 219 
 
 During this revival, persons wrote letters from 
 Rochester to friends abroad, giving an account of the 
 work, which were read in different churches throughout 
 several States; and were instrumental in producing 
 revivals. Many came in from abroad to witness the 
 great work, and were converted. A physician was so 
 attracted by what he heard that he came from Newark, 
 New Jersey, to see what the Lord was doing, and was 
 himself converted. He was a man of talents and culture, 
 and has been for years an ardent Christian. 
 
 One evening, when I made a call for the anxious to 
 come forward, a man of influence in a neighbouring 
 town came, 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 as I 
 had time and strength to do, while my main labours 
 Avere in Rochester. I went to Canandaigua and the 
 word took effect, and many were converted. The pastor, 
 Rev. Ansel Eddy, entered heartily into the work. A 
 former pastor also did what he could. Wherever I 
 went, the word took effect; and it seemed only necessary 
 to present the claims of Christ to secure the conversion 
 of men. 
 
 The greatness of the work at Rochester attracted so 
 much attention throughout New York, New England, 
 and many parts of the United States that the very fame 
 of it was an efficient instrument in the hands of the 
 Spirit of Grod in promoting the greatest revival of religion 
 throughout the land that this country had then ever 
 witnessed. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 REVIVAL IN AUBURN, BUFFALO, PROVIDENCE, AND 
 BOSTON. 
 
 During the latter part of the time I was at Rochester 
 I was overdone; and some leading physicians made up 
 their minds that I never would preach any more-. My 
 labours had continued through six months; and near 
 their close, Rev. Dr. Wisner, of Ithaca, came and spent 
 some time, witnessing and helping forward the work. I 
 was invited to many fields; and among others was 
 urged by Dr. Nott, president of Union College, at 
 Schenectady, to labour with him, and if possible secure 
 the conversion of his students. 
 
 In company with Dr. Wisner and Josiah Bissell, I 
 started in the spring of 1831. I left my wife and chil- 
 dren at Rochester, as the travelling was too dangerous 
 and too fatiguing for them. When we arrived at Geneva, 
 Dr. Wisner insisted on my going home with him to rest 
 awhile. He pressed me hard; and finally told me that 
 the physicians in Rochester had told him to take me 
 home, for I was going to die; that I would never labour 
 any more, for I had consumption. I replied that I had 
 been told this before; but 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 to Auburn. The going was so bad that 
 sometimes we could not get on more than two miles an 
 hour. As I had many dear friends in Auburn, and was 
 
Revival in Auburn, Buffalo, etc. 
 
 221 
 
 much fatigued, I made up my mind to stop and rest till 
 
 the next stage. I stopped at the house of Mr. T 
 
 S , a son of Chief Justice S . He was an earnest 
 
 Christian, and a dear friend. 
 
 After sleeping quietly, I had risen, and was preparing 
 to take the stage, which was to arrive early, when a 
 gentleman came in with the request for me to remain, 
 signed by that large number of influential men of whom 
 I have spoken as resisting the revival in 1826. These, 
 on the former occasion, carried their opposition so far 
 a,s to break from Dr. Lansing's congregation, and form 
 a new one. In the meantime, Dr. Lansing had been 
 called to another field; and Eev. Josiah Hopkins, of 
 Vermont, was settled as pastor of the First Church. 
 The paper contained an earnest appeal to me to stop 
 And labour for their salvation. This was very striking. 
 They alluded to the opposition formerly made, and 
 besought me to overlook it, and stop and preach the 
 Gospel. 
 
 This request did not come from the pastor, nor from 
 his church, but from those who had formerly led in the 
 •opposition. But the pastor and his church pressed me 
 to comply with the request. They appeared as much 
 .surprised as myself at the change. I went 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 
 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 upon their own hands; 
 that they must not expect me to attend other meetings 
 than those at which I preached; that they must them- 
 
222 
 
 O. G. Finney. 
 
 selves instruct inquirers, and conduct prayer and otner 
 meetings. I knew that they understood that part of 
 the work. I furthermore stipulated that neither they 
 nor their people should visit me, except in extreme 
 cases; for that I must have my days, Sundays excepted, 
 that I might rest. 
 
 On the first or second Sabbath 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 and give themselves to Christ. Much 
 to my surprise, and to the surprise of the pastor and 
 many members, the first I observed coming forward was- 
 the man that had exerted more influence than any other 
 in opposition to the former revival. He came forward 
 followed by a number of the persons who had signed 
 that paper; and that evening there was such a demon- 
 stration us to produce general interest. 
 
 I have spoken of Mr. Clary as the praying man at 
 Kochester. He had a brother, a physician, living in 
 Auburn. 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, I was glad to see him. He sat in the pew 
 with his brother, the Doctor, who was also a professor 
 of religion by experience. 
 
 At intermission, as soon as I came from the pulpit, 
 Mr. Clary, with his brother, invited me to go home, 
 spend the intermission, and get some refreshments. 
 
 At his house 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- 
 
Revival in Auburn, Buffalo, etc. 22<s 
 
 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 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 distress, I think it is the state of his mind." 
 I understood in a moment, and went. He lay groaning 
 upon the bed, the Spirit making intercession for him, 
 and in him, with groanings that could not be uttered. 
 I had barely entered the room, when he made out to 
 say, " Pray, Brother Finney." I knelt down and helped 
 in prayer, by leading his soul out for the conversion of 
 sinners. I continued to pray until his distress passed, 
 and then I returned to dinner. 
 
 I understood that this was the voice of God. I saw 
 the Spirit of prayer was upon him, I felt His influence 
 upon myself, and took it for granted that the work would 
 move on powerfully. I believe that every one of those 
 men that signed, making a long list, was converted. 
 
 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 was not converted. The paper has been mislaid; 
 and although it may some time be found, yet I could 
 not answer his inquiry. 
 
 I stayed at Auburn six Sabbaths, leaving the rest of 
 the labour for the pastor and members of the church. 
 There was little or no opposition. Ministers and 
 Christians took hold of the work, and everybody that 
 
224 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 had a mind to work found enough to do, and good 
 success. 
 
 The pastor found that in the six weeks five hundred 
 souls had been converted. This revival seemed to be 
 only a wave of Divine power, reaching Auburn from the 
 centre at Rochester, whence such a mighty influence 
 had gone out over the length and breadth of the land. 
 
 Near the close, a messenger arrived from Buffalo, 
 with an earnest request that I should visit that city. 
 The revival in Eochester had prepared the way in 
 Auburn, and had also prepared the way in Buffalo. The 
 messenger informed me the work had begun, a few 
 had been hopefully converted; but they felt that other 
 means needed to be used, and they urged me so hard 
 that I turned back through Eochester to Buffalo. I 
 spent about one month at Buffalo, during whicn time a 
 large number of persons were hopefully converted. 
 
 The work, as at Auburn and Eochester, took effect 
 very generally among the more influential classes. Dr. 
 Lord, then a lawyer, was converted at that time; also 
 
 Mr. H , the father of Dr. H . He was most 
 
 wealthy and influential, and a man of good morals, 
 fair character, and high standing as a citizen, but im- 
 penitent. His wife was a Christian, and had long been 
 praying for him; but when I began to preach, and 
 insisted that the sinner's "cannot" is his "will not," 
 that the difficulty to be overcome was voluntary wicked- 
 ness, Mr. H rebelled very decidedly against such 
 
 teaching. He insisted 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 he occupied, 
 
Revival in Auburn, Buffalo, etc. 225 
 
 I did not spare him; but hunted him from his refuges, 
 and answered all objections, and met all excuses. He 
 became excited. A man of strong will, he declared that 
 he did not, and would not, believe such teaching. He 
 said so much in opposition as to draw around him some 
 with whom he had no sympathy, except in their opposi- 
 tion; but I did not hesitate to press him in every sermon 
 with his unwillingness to become 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 most notorious scoffer. 
 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 indications of fellowship 
 with Mr. H 's opposition. He said that, on dis- 
 covering this, his heart rose with indignation; and he 
 said : "I am not going to be in sympathy with that 
 class; I will have nothing to do with them." 
 
 However, that very night I pressed the consciences of 
 sinners so hard, and made so strong an appeal to them 
 to come to Christ, that he could not contain himself. 
 As soon as the meeting was out he began to resist, and 
 to speak against what had been said. The aisles were 
 full, and people were crowding on every side. 
 
 That night he could not sleep. His mind was so 
 exercised that he rose as soon as there was any light, 
 and went off to 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 heart, as he 
 
226 G. 6r. Finney. 
 
 was pressed beyond endurance with the sense of sin, and 
 with the necessity of immediately making peace with 
 God. To his mortification, when he knelt down he 
 found that his heart would not pray. He had no words; 
 he had no desires that he could express in words. It 
 appeared that his heart was as hard as marble, and that 
 he had not the least feeling. 
 
 In this state it occurred 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, "Hallowed be Thy name," it almost 
 shocked him. He saw he was not sincere, that the 
 words did not express the state of his mind. Then he 
 uttered, " Thy kingdom come." Upon this 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, " Thy will 
 be done on earth as it is done in heaven." 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, 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 question of his rebellion was brought so 
 
Revival in Auburn, Buffalo, etc. 227 
 
 strongly oefore him that he saw it would cost a mighty 
 struggle to give up voluntary opposition to God. And 
 then 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 made a full surrender, 
 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 
 likeTa flood. His rebellion passed away, his feelings 
 subsided into a calm, and a sweet peace seemed to fill 
 his soul. 
 
 He rose and went to "his house, and told his anxious 
 wife, who had been praying for him, what the Lord had 
 done for his soul; and confessed that he had been all 
 wrong in his opposition, and entirely deceived as it re- 
 spected his willingness to be a Christian. From that 
 time he became an earnest labourer for the promotion 
 of the work of God. 
 
 Early in the autumn of 1831, I accepted an invita- 
 tion to hold what was then called " a protracted meet- 
 ing," or a series of meetings, in Providence. I laboured 
 mostly in the church of which Dr. Wilson was pastor. 
 I remained about three weeks, holding meetings every 
 evening, and preaching three times on the Sabbath. 
 The Lord poured out His Spirit upon the people, and 
 the work of grace commenced and went forward. 
 
 1 had observed in the congregation, on the Sabbath, a 
 
228 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 young woman of great beauty sitting in a pew with her 
 brother. She had a very intellectual and earnest look, 
 and seemed to listen to every word I said with atten- 
 tion and seriousness. 
 
 I was the guest of Mr. Josiah Chapin; and in going 
 from the church I observed this young brother and 
 sister going up the same street. I pointed them out to 
 Mr. Chapin, and asked who they were. He informed 
 
 me that they were Mr. and Miss A , brother and 
 
 sister, and remarked that she was considered the most 
 beautiful girl in Providence. I asked if she was a pro- 
 fessor; 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, and thought that possibly I might not 
 be cordially received. He thought that she was a girl 
 so much caressed and flattered, and that her surround- 
 ings were such, that she probably entertained but little 
 serious thought in regard to salvation. But he was mis- 
 taken; and I was right in supposing that the Spirit of 
 the Lord was striving with her. 
 
 A few days after, she called to see me. I knew her at 
 once ; she was very thoroughly awakened ; but her 
 real convictions of sin were not ripened into that state 
 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 trying to- 
 show her the depravity of her heart. She recoiled from 
 my searching questions; but convictions seemed to ripen;, 
 and she became more serious. 
 
 When I had said what I thought was necessary, she- 
 got up with a manifest feeling of dissatisfaction, and left. 
 
Revival in Auburn, Buffalo, etc. 
 
 229 
 
 I was confident the Spirit of God had so thoroughly taken 
 hold of her that what I had said would not be shaken off. 
 
 Two or three days afterwards she called again. I 
 could see that she was greatly bowed down in spirit. 
 She sat down, and with candour said, "Mr. Finney, I 
 thought when I was here before that your questions and 
 treatment of me were pretty severe. But I see now that 
 I am all you represented me to be. Indeed, 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 clearly that my life has been restrained by pride 
 and not from regard to God. I see that God has made 
 use of my pride and ambition to restrain me from dis- 
 graceful 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 and showed that her convictions were thorough and 
 permanent. She did not appear to be excited in ' any- 
 thing she said. She had a fervent nature, a strong will, 
 an uncommonly well-balanced and cultivated intellect. 
 
 After conversing with her, and giving thorough 
 instruction, we bowed before the Lord in prayer; and 
 she gave herself unreservedly to Christ. She was in a 
 state of mind that seemed to render it easy to renounce 
 the world. She has always been a very interesting 
 Christian. Not many years after conversion she was 
 married to a wealthy gentleman in New York. For 
 several years I had no direct correspondence with her. 
 Her husband took her into a circle with which I had 
 
 particular acquaintance. Since, I have had Christian 
 correspondence with her, and have never ceased to be 
 interested. The grace of God was too strong fcr the 
 
230 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 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. I was not aware 
 of what they were doing; but Dr. Wisner, pastor of the 
 Old South Church, came to Providence and attended our 
 meetings. I learned that he was sent by the ministers 
 " to spy out the land and bring back a report." 
 
 The work at Providence was of a searching character 
 as respected professors. Old hopes were shaken, there 
 was a shaking among the dry bones in the different 
 churches. So terribly was a deacon of one of the 
 churches searched, that he said, "Mr. Finney, I do not 
 believe there are ten real Christians in Providence. We 
 are all wrong, we have been deceived." Dr. Wisner was 
 thoroughly convinced that the work was genuine and 
 extensive, and that there was no indication of influences 
 or results to be deplored. 
 
 After Dr. Wisner returned to Boston, I received a 
 request from the Congregational ministers and churches, 
 to go to that city. 
 
 After I had spent some weeks, in preaching in the 
 different congregations, I consented to supply Mr. Green's 
 church in Essex Street for a time. We had a blessed 
 work of grace; and a number were converted in the city. 
 
 I had become fatigued, as I had laboured about ten 
 years without anything more than a few days or weeks 
 of rest during the whole period. The ministerial breth- 
 ren were true men, had taken hold of the work as well 
 as they knew how, and laboured faithfully and efficiently 
 in securing good results. 
 
Revival in Auburn, Buff ale, etc. 
 
 231 
 
 By this time a second Free Church had been formed 
 in New York, Mr. Joel Parker's church, the first Free 
 Church, had grown so large that a colony had gone ofi 
 and formed a second: to which Rev. Mr. Barrows, pro- 
 fessor at Andover, nad been preaching. Some earnest 
 brethren wrote to me from New York, proposing to lease 
 a tneatre, upon condition that I would come. They pro- 
 posed to get what was called the Chatham Street Theatre, 
 in the heart of the most irreligious population of New 
 York. It was owned by men who were very willing to 
 have it transformed. We had three children, and I 
 could not well take my family, while labouring as an 
 evangelist. My strength, too, had become a good deal 
 exhausted; and on praying and looking the matter 
 over, I concluded that I Avould accept the call from 
 the Second Free Church, and labour, for a time at least- 
 ill New York. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 LABOURS IN NEW YORK, IN 1832, AND ONWARD. 
 
 Mr. Lewis Tappan, with other brethren, leased 
 Chatham Street Theatre, and fitted it up as a suitable 
 place to accommodate tjie 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 
 labours in that theatre. The Spirit of the Lord was 
 poured out, and we had an extensive revival. 
 
 About midsummer the cholera appeared; the panic 
 became great, and many Christian people fled into the 
 country. The cholera was very severe that summer, 
 more so than it ever has been since; and it was especi- 
 ally fatal in the part were I resided. I recollect 
 counting, from our house, five hearses drawn up at the 
 same time at doors within sight. I remained until the 
 latter part of the summer, not being willing to leave 
 while the mortality was so great; but I found that the 
 influence was undermining my health. I went into t-he 
 country for two or three weeks. On my return, I was 
 installed as pastor of the church. During the installa- 
 tion services I was taken ill; and it was plain that I 
 was seized with cholera. The gentleman next door was- 
 seized about the same time, and before morning he was 
 dead. The means used for recovery gave my system a. 
 shock from which it took long to recover. However,. 
 
Labours in New York, in 1832, and Onward. 233 
 
 toward spring I was able to preach again. I invited two 
 brethren to help in holding meetings. We preached in 
 turn for two or three weeks, but 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 1 made appointments to preach 
 every evening during the week; and a revival immedi- 
 ately commenced, and became powerful. I continued 
 to preach for twenty evenings in succession, besides 
 preaching on the Sabbath. 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 at the 
 corner of Madison and Catherine Streets. 
 
 The work continued to go forward. We held meetings 
 of inquiry once or twice a week, and oftener, and found 
 a goodly number of conversions reported. The people 
 were thoroughly united, were well trained in labours for 
 the conversion of sinners, and were a most devoted and 
 efficient church. They would go out into highways 
 and hedges whenever called upon to do so. YV hen we 
 wished to give notice of 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 members of the church ; . and the house 
 eould be filled any evening in the week. Our ladies 
 were not afraid to go and gather in all classes. 
 
 There were connected with the front of the theatre 
 large rooms, which were fitted up for prayer-meetings; 
 they were exceedingly convenient. There were three 
 galleries; and those rooms were connected with the gal- 
 leries, one above the other 
 
234 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 I instructed my church members to scatter themselves 
 over the house, to keep their eyes open in regard to any 
 that were seriously affected, and, if possible, to detain 
 them for conversation and prayer. They were true to 
 their teaching, and were on the look-out at every meet- 
 ing; and they had faith to dismiss fears, and speak to 
 any whom they saw affected. In this way the conversion 
 of many was secured. 
 
 The firm of Naylor and Company, who were the great 
 cutlery manufacturers in Sheffield, England, had a house 
 
 in New York, and a partner of the name of H . 
 
 Mr. H was worldly, had travelled a good deal, and 
 
 had resided in several of the principal cities of Europe. 
 One of the clerks had come to our meetings, and been 
 converted, and felt anxious for the conversion of Mr. 
 
 H . The young man, for some time, hesitated about 
 
 asking him to attend, but he finally ventured; and m 
 
 compliance with his earnest entreaty, Mr. H came. 
 
 He sat near the brojid aisle. Mr. Tappan saw that he 
 manifested emotion; and seemed uneasy, as if on the 
 
 point of going out. Mr. H acknowledged that he 
 
 was several times on the point of leaving, because 
 affected; but he remained till the blessing was pro- 
 nounced. Mr. Tappan, as soon as the blessing was 
 pronounced, introduced himself as a partner of Arthur 
 Tappan and Co., a firm well known in New York. 
 
 I have heard Mr. H relate the facts with emotion. 
 
 He said that Mr. Tappan took him gently by the button 
 of his coat, and spoke kindly, and asked 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 kind that he could not well get away. 
 
Labours in New York, in 1832, and Onward. 285 
 
 He was importunate, and " he held fast to ray 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. We 
 
 had a thorough conversation; and Mr. H became 
 
 hopefully converted. 
 
 When I first went to Chatham Street Chapel, I in- 
 formed the brethren that I did not wish to fill the house 
 with Christians from other churches; my object was 
 to gather from the world. We gave ourselves to labour 
 with good success. Conversions were multiplied, and 
 when I left New York we had seven free churches, whose 
 members were labouring to secure the salvation of souls. 
 They were supported by collections taken from Sabbath 
 to Sabbath. If at any time there was a deficiency, there 
 was 'a number of brethren who would supply the defi- 
 ciency from their own purses; we never had difficulty 
 in meeting pecuniary demands. 
 
 A more harmonious, prayerful, and efficient people I 
 never knew than the members of those 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. We 
 aimed to preach the Gospel to the poor. 
 
THE CONCLUSION. 
 
 The years of Mr. Finney's life after the long period 
 of evangelistic labours so far described, do not, of course, 
 present any such features of interest as the pages we 
 have reproduced. Ill-health compelled him to visit 
 Europe repeatedly. Although he preached frequently 
 in England, he does not record any very striking cir- 
 cumstances in connection with these services. In New 
 York a very blessed work seems to have been carried on 
 in association with various mission churches established 
 by Mr. Finney ; but in 1835 he was persuaded to spend 
 half of each year as theological tutor of a college at 
 Oberlin, intended to produce ministers of his own sort. 
 How, after his own experience, Mr. Finney had been 
 brought to imagine that such ministers could be 
 produced in a college — he having himself always refused 
 to go to one — does not appear. 
 
 But from this time, with the exception of occasional 
 times of remarkable effort in one city or another, his 
 life seems to have become a comparatively settled and 
 quiet one. 
 
 Throughout all this period he was taking a very 
 active part in the anti-slavery movement, with which 
 Oberlin became very closely connected from the fact 
 that they admitted white and coloured students on equal 
 terms — a very daring step in those days, when anti- 
 slavery men in the Union were frequently in danger of 
 their lives. 
 
The Conclusion. 
 
 237 
 
 Judge G had united with other members of the 
 
 bar in a written request to me to preach to lawyers. 
 
 J udge G was then one of the Judges of the Court 
 
 of Appeals in the State, and held a high place in the 
 estimation of the profession. I consented to deliver 
 the lectures. I was aware of the half-sceptical state in 
 which those members of the bar were, who were still 
 unconverted. There was still left in the city a number 
 of pious lawyers, converted in the revival of 1830 and 
 1831. 
 
 I began by asking this question : " Do we know any- 
 thing ? " My congregation became 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. 
 
 Judge Gr remarked to me, " Mr. Finney, you have 
 
 cleared the ground to my satisfaction, thus far; but 
 when you come to the question of endless punishment 
 you will slip; you will fail to convince on that question. 1 ' 
 I replied, "Wait and see." This hint made me the more 
 careful. The next day 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 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 
 
238 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 the net ashore. I had carefully been laying it around, 
 and hedging them in by a train of reasoning that they 
 could not resist. I was aware that lawyers are accus- 
 tomed to listen to argument, to feel the weight of a 
 logically presented truth; and had no doubt that the 
 majority 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 had opposed the 
 
 anxious seat; I expected he would do so again, as I 
 knew he had strongly committed himself. When I 
 came to preach the sermon of which I have spoken, I 
 
 observed Judge G was not in the seat he usually 
 
 occupied; and I could not see him anywhere among the 
 members of the bar or the judges. I felt concerned, for 
 I had prepared myself with reference to his case. I 
 knew 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 observed that he had come into 
 the gallery, and had found a seat just at the head of the 
 stairs. I went on; but near the close I observed that 
 
 Judge G had gone. I felt distressed, for I concluded 
 
 he had gone home; and that the sermon prepared with 
 my eye upon him, had failed. 
 
 Just as I was drawing to a close, and my heart almost 
 sinking with fear that I was to fail, I felt some one pull- 
 ing at the skirt of my coat. I looked, and there was 
 
 Judge G . He said, "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. There was a 
 great gush of feeling in every part of the house. Many 
 
The Conclusion. 
 
 239 
 
 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 and erowded 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 
 1 then publicly invited any, who were prepared to re- 
 nounce their sins, and to accept Christ, to come forward, 
 or wherever they could, and kneel down. We prayed, 
 and I dismissed the meeting. 
 
 I appointed a meeting for inquirers, the next day at 
 two o'clock, in the basement. I was surprised to find 
 the room nearly full, and that the audience was com- 
 posed almost exclusively of prominent citizens. This I 
 continued from day to day, having an opportunity to 
 converse freely, with numbers; and they were as teach- 
 able as children. A large number of lawyers were 
 
 converted, Judge G at their head; as he had taken 
 
 the lead in coming out on the side of Christ. 
 
 I had insisted much upon entire consecration to God, 
 giving up all, body, soul, possessions, and everything, 
 to be thereafter used for His glory, as a condition of 
 acceptance. One day as I went into meeting, one of the 
 lawyers, who had been in deep anxiety, took out of his 
 pocket a paper, and handed me, remarking, "I deliver 
 this to you as the servant of the Lord Jesus Christ." 
 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. 
 
240 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 The measures -were simply preaching the Gospel, and 
 abundant prayer, in private, in social circles, and in 
 public; much stress always being laid upon prayer as an 
 essential means of promoting the revival. 
 
 Meetings of inquiry were held, for those who were in 
 the different stages of conviction; and after conversing 
 with them, I was in the habit of summing up, and taking 
 representative cases, and meeting objections, answering 
 questions, correcting errors, and pursuing such a course 
 as was calculated to strip them of every excuse, and 
 bring them face to face with the question of present, 
 unqualified, universal acceptance of the will of God in 
 Christ Jesus. 
 
 The doctrine 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. 
 
 Sinners were taught 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. 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. 
 
 I have always been particularly interested in the salva- 
 tion of lawyers, and of all men of the legal profession. 
 I understood pretty well their habits of reading and 
 thinking. I have always found that when the Gospel 
 was properly presented, they were the most accessible 
 class ; and I believe that, in proportion to their relative 
 number, more have been converted than of any other 
 
The Conclusion. 
 
 241 
 
 class. I nave never seen a case in which Judges were 
 not convinced of the truth of the Gospel, where they 
 have attended meetings, in the revivals. I have often 
 been 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 scepticism. He was a reader and a thinker, a 
 man of refinement and of intellectual honesty. His 
 wife, having experienced religion under my ministry, was 
 a particular friend. I have had very thorough conver- 
 sation with that man. He said, "Mr. Finney, you 
 always in your public discourses carry me right along 
 with you; but while I assent to the truth of what 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. I have conversed with him when his whole 
 mind seemed to be agitated. And yet he has never 
 been converted; his praying and idolized wife has gone 
 to her grave; his only son was drowned before his eyes. 
 After these calamities, I wrote him a letter, referring to 
 conversations I had 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, said 
 there could be no consolation to meet a case like that. 
 He was truly blind to all consolation he could find in 
 Christ. He could not conceive how he could ever accept 
 this dispensation and be happy. He had lived through 
 one revival after another: and although his mouth was 
 
242 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 shut, so that he had no excuse, and no refuge, still he 
 mysteriously remained in unbelief. 
 
 Several of the lawyers, at this time converted, gave 
 up their profession and went into the ministry. Among 
 
 these was one of Chancellor W 's sons, who appeared 
 
 to be soundly converted. For some reason he went to 
 Europe and to Rome, and finally became a Roman 
 Catholic priest. He has been for years labouring 
 zealously to promote revivals among them, holding 
 protracted meetings; and, as he told me when I met him 
 in England, trying to accomplish in the Roman Catholic 
 Church what I was endeavouring to accomplish in the 
 
 Protestant Church. Mr. W seems to be an earnest 
 
 minister of Christ, given up, heart and soul, to the salva- 
 tion of Roman Catholics. He sought me out, and came 
 very affectionately to see me; and we had just as 
 pleasant an interview as if we had both been Pro- 
 testants. He said nothing of his peculiar views, but 
 only that he was labouring among the Roman Catholics, 
 to promote revivals. Many ministers have been the 
 fruits of the revivals in Rochester. 
 
 It was a fact that often interested me, that lawyers 
 would come to my room, when pressed hard, and were 
 on the point of submission, for conversation and light, 
 on some point which they did not apprehend; and I 
 observed, again and again, that when those points were 
 cleared up, they were ready at once to submit. Indeed, 
 they take a more intelligent view of the plan of salva- 
 tion than any other class to whom I have preached, or 
 with whom I have conversed. 
 
 Very many physicians have also been converted, m 
 the revivals I have witnessed. I think their studies 
 
The Conclusion. 
 
 243 
 
 incline them to scepticism, or to materialism. Yet they 
 are intelligent; and if the Gospel is set before them, 
 stripped of those peculiar features which are embodied 
 m hyper-Calvinism, they are as readily converted as any 
 other class. Their studies have not prepared them so 
 readily to apprehend the moral government of God, as 
 those of the legal profession; but I have found them 
 open to conviction, and by no means a difficult class to 
 deal with. 
 
 In 1843 Mr. Finney was again in Boston for the 
 winter, during which he seems to have been greatly 
 blessed in his own soul. Yet, although he says that his 
 experience that winter exceeded all that he had pre- 
 viously experienced— so much that at times he could 
 not realize that he had ever been before truly in com- 
 munion with God — he seems to have been rather occupied 
 in private than in public labours, and he complains that 
 there was no great work done owing to the fear of 
 ministers and deacons as to what the Unitarians would 
 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 laboured in Boston in five powerful revivals; 
 and I must express my sincere conviction that the great- 
 est difficulty in the way of overcoming Unitarianism, and 
 the forms of error there, is the timidity of Christians. 
 Knowing that they are constantly exposed to the criti- 
 cisms of Unitarians, they have become over-cautious. 
 Their faith has been depressed; and I do fear that the 
 prevalence of Unitarianism and Universalism has kept 
 tnem back from holding forth the danger of the impeni- 
 
244 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 tent, as President Edwards presented it. The doctrine 
 of endless punishment, the necessity of entire sanctifica- 
 tion, or the giving up of all sin, as a condition of salva- 
 tion — 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.'' 
 
 In connection with services held in Western in 1854, 
 Mr. Finney records the following remarkable cases of 
 conversion . — ■ 
 
 One young man was the son of pious parents, and 
 had long been made the subject of prayer. His parents 
 were prominent members of the church; his father was 
 one of the elders, and his mother was a praying woman. 
 When I commenced he became exceedingly bitter against 
 the preaching, and all that was done for the promotion 
 of the revival. He committed himself with the strength 
 of his will against it; and affirmed that neither Finney 
 nor hell could convert him. He said very hateful and 
 profane things; but I am not aware that he had ever 
 been suspected of outward immorality. 
 
 But the word of God pressed him, till he could stand 
 it no longer. He came to my room; his appearance was 
 truly startling. I seldom if ever saw a person whose mind 
 had made such an impression upon his countenance. 
 He appeared almost insane; and trembled in such a 
 manner that when he was seated, the furniture was jarred 
 by his trembling. When I took his hand, it was cold; 
 his lips were blue; his whole appearance was alarming. 
 The fact is, he had stood out against convictions as long 
 as he could endure. When he sat down, I said, "My 
 dear young man, what is the matter? " " Oh," said he, 
 
The Conclusion. 
 
 245 
 
 " 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 said, ' ' Several years ago a book was put into my 
 hands, called 'The Pirate's 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 am- 
 bition 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 my religious education was in my way. The teach- 
 ing 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 grieve 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 con- 
 science, so that that would not trouble me; and after 
 my resolution was taken, my first business was to get 
 rid of religious convictions, so as to be able to go on and 
 perpetrate robberies and murders without compunction. 
 I therefore set myself deliberately to blaspheme the 
 Holy Ghost." He then told me in what manner he did 
 this, and what he said; 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 conscience would 
 no more trouble me. After a while I made up my mind 
 that I would commit some crime, and see how it would 
 affect me. There was a school-house across the way 
 from our house; and one evening I went and set it on 
 lire. I then went to bed. Soon, however, the fire was 
 discovered. I arose, and mingled with the crowd that 
 
 K 
 
246 G. G. Finney. 
 
 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 offence. He was aware of this. 
 I asked him if he had gone farther in crime. He replied, 
 No. And I think he added that he did not find his 
 conscience at rest about it, as he expected. I asked 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 
 what he proposed to do. He replied that he was going 
 to the trustees to confess; and he asked if I would 
 accompany him. 
 
 I went with him to one of the trustees, and the young 
 man asked if I would tell the facts. 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. After a while I said, 
 "We will go and see the other trustees." The gentle- 
 man 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. 
 
 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 people 
 to know that I had no accomplice, that nobody but God 
 and myself knew it. Mr. Finney, won't you tell the 
 people? I will be present, and say anything that may 
 
The Conclusion. 
 
 247 
 
 be necessary to say, if anybody should ask any questions; 
 but I do not feel as if I could open my mouth. You 
 can tell them all about it." 
 
 When the people were assembled, I related the facts. 
 The family was so well known and beloved in the com- 
 munity 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 have recently learned 
 that he retained his hold upon Christ, and did not seem 
 to backslide. He went into the army during the rebel- 
 lion, and was slain at the battle of Fort Fisher. 
 
 I have passed over a number of cases of crime com- 
 mitted by persons who came for advice, and told me the 
 facts. In many instances, 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 over-reaching in business relations. 
 
 The winter that I first spent in Boston resulted in 
 making many such revelations. I had preached there 
 one Sabbath in the morning upon, "Whoso covereth his 
 sins shall not prosper;" and in the afternoon on the 
 remainder of the verse, " But whoso confesseth and for- 
 saketh them, shall find mercy." The results of those 
 sermons were extraordinary. For weeks afterwards, 
 persons of almost all ages, and of both sexes, came for 
 spiritual advice, disclosing the fact that they had com- 
 mitted frauds, and sins of almost every description. 
 Some young men had defrauded employers; women 
 had stolen watches, and almost every article of female 
 apparel. Indeed, it seemed as if the. word of the Lord 
 
 r 2 
 
248 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 was sent home with such power as to uncover a very- 
 den of wickedness. It would certainly take me hours to 
 mention the crimes that came to my knowledge through 
 the confessions of those who had perpetrated them; 
 but in every instance the persons seemed to be penitent, 
 and were willing to make restitution to the utmost of 
 their ability. 
 
 But to return to Western. The revival was interest- 
 ing; and there was a goodly number of souls born to 
 God. One young lady was teaching the village school. 
 Her father was a sceptic; she was an only daughter, and 
 a great favourite. He was a man of considerable 
 influence, but did not 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 inhabitants have to come a considerable 
 distance to meeting. 
 
 I heard that this young woman did not attend our 
 meetings much, and that she manifested considerable 
 opposition to the work. In passing the school-house 
 one day I stepped in to speak with her. At first she 
 appeared surprised; I had never been introduced, and 
 should not have known her, if I had not found her in 
 that place. She knew me, however, and appeared as if 
 she recoiled from my presence. "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, that I felt almost 
 assured that she would submit to God on the spot. 
 
The Conclusion 
 
 249 
 
 • The most that I expected, was to have a few words 
 with her that might set her thinking, and to appoint 
 a time to converse more at large; but the impression 
 was at once so manif -st, and she seemed to break down, 
 with a few sentences quietly and softly spoken to her; 
 she seemed to give up opposition, and to be in readiness 
 to lay hold on the Lord Jesus Christ. I then asked if 
 I should say a few words to the scholars; and she 
 wished I would. I did so, and then asked if I should 
 present herself and scholars to God in prayer. She said 
 she wished I would, and became 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 have passed from death unto life. 
 She did not live long before she passed, I trust, to 
 heaven. 
 
 [Similar cases are reported in connection with a visit 
 to England.] 
 
 One night, as I was preaching, a man rose and 
 crowded his way to the platform, and said, " I have 
 committed a robbery." He began to make a con- 
 fession, interrupting me. I saw he was excited; and 
 Brother Davison whispered to him, and took him down 
 into a side room. 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. 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 told me that he had been and made 
 restitution of fifteen hundred pounds, in a case where 
 he thought he had not acted upon the principle of 
 
250 
 
 G. G. Finney. 
 
 loving his neighbour as himself. The consciences of 
 men under such circumstances are exceedingly tender. 
 The gentleman told me that a dear friend had died and 
 left him to settle his estate. He had done so, and 
 simply received what the law gave him for labour and 
 expense: but in hearing that sermon, it occurred to 
 him that as a friend and a Christian he could better 
 afford to settle that estate without charging anything, 
 than the family could afford to allow him the fees. The 
 Spirit of God that was upon him led him to feel so 
 keenly, that he went and refunded the money. 
 
 There was a case in Rochester, in JSew York, of the 
 same kind. A tender conscience led a man to feel 
 keenly on the subject of acting on the principle of 
 doing to others as we would that they should do to us. 
 A man of considerable property was converted in one of 
 the revivals, who had been transacting business for a 
 widow, in a village not far distant. The business con- 
 sisted in the transfer of real estate, for which he had 
 been paid for services some fifteen or sixteen hundred 
 dollars. As soon as he was converted he thought of 
 this; and upon reflection thought he had not done by 
 that widow and those fatherless children as he would 
 wish another to do by his widow and fatherless children. 
 He therefore went over, and stated his view of the sub- 
 ject as it lay before his mind. She replied that she did 
 not see it in that light; that she considered herself very 
 much obliged to him, that he had transacted her busi- 
 ness 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. 
 
 He told her that he was dissatisfied, and wished that 
 
The Conclusion. 
 
 251 
 
 she would call in some of her trustworthy neighbours. 
 She called in some Christian friends, men of business; 
 and they laid the 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. He heard what they had 
 to say; but before he left 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 business for them, 
 I should feel as if he might do it gratuitously. I can- 
 not take any other view of it than this." Whereupon 
 he laid the money upon her table and left. 
 
 In preaching in one of the large cities, I was 
 dwelling upon the dishonesties of business, and the 
 over - reaching plans of men; and how they justify 
 themselves in violations of the golden rule. Before I 
 was through, a gentleman arose and asked if he might 
 propose a question. He then supposed a case; and he 
 asked if that would come under the rule I had pro- 
 pounded. I said, " Yes, I think that it clearly would." 
 He sat down; but I 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. 
 
 The work spread in Bolton, until one of the ministers 
 who had been engaged in directing canvassing said 
 publicly that they found that the revival had reached 
 every family in the city; and that every family had 
 been visited 
 
252 
 
 C. G. Finney. 
 
 If we had had any place of worship large enough, we 
 should probably have had ten thousand persons in the 
 congregations. All we could do was to fill the hall, 
 and then use such other means as we could to reach the 
 multitudes in other places of worship. 
 
 I had been told one of the great mill-owners was very 
 miserly; he had a great thirst for riches, and had been 
 spoken of as being a very hopeless case. The revival 
 had reached a number of that class ; but this man 
 seemed to stand out, and his worldly-mindedness and 
 miserly spirit had seemed to eat him up. Contrary to 
 expectations, he called on me. I had a serious con- 
 versation with him. He acknowledged 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 shocked at this; but could see that he was terribly 
 convicted of the sinfulness of that state of mind. 
 
 I 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 ye 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 inte- 
 rested as if it were all new. When I repeated this verse, 
 he said with 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 down, and I presented his case to God ; and lie 
 
The Conclusion. 
 
 253 
 
 seemed to break down like a child. From that time he 
 appeared to be a very different man. His miserly 
 feelings seemed to melt away. He took hold of that 
 work like a man in earnest, and went and hired a city 
 missionary, and set him to work to win souls. 
 
 From I860 to 1875 Mr. Finney remained constantly 
 at Oberlin, lecturing on theology, and, at the same time, 
 fulfilling the office of pastor of the First Church up to 
 1872. 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 labours 
 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 feel- 
 ing and imagination which always characterized him. 
 His life and character, perhaps, never seemed richer in 
 the fruits and the beauty of goodness, than in these closing 
 years and months. His public labours 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 mould 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 retir- 
 ing 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. 
 
ADVERTISEMENTS. 
 
 1. 
 
 PUBLICATIONS OF THE SALVATION ARMY 
 
 The Life of Mrs. Booth, the Mother of The Salvation 
 
 Array. By F. de L. Booth-Tucker. 
 EDITION DE LUXE, 3 VOLS., HALF CALF, BURNISHED 
 EDGES, £2 2s. 
 
 The book of the age. Specially printed on first-class 
 paper with marginal notes. Handsomely bound. Nineteen 
 steel engravings. 
 
 This book is practically a History of The Salvation Army. 
 Also contains portraits of leading friends, including the 
 late Mr. Samuel Morley, the late Earl Cairns, Mr. F. A. 
 Denny, Mr. John Corv. Mr. Stead, and Mrs. Josephine 
 Butler. 
 
 Some of the principal meetings and events also repre- 
 sented by excellent full-page engravings. This book has 
 been favourably reviewed by the secular and religious 
 Press. Everybody should read it. 
 
 The Life of Mrs. Booth, the Mother of The Salvation 
 Army. 
 
 2 VOLS., CLOTH, 15s. 
 
 Library edition, in smaller type, with the omission of 
 marginal notes. Unabridged. The same letterpress as 
 the Edition de Luxe. Process portraits instead of steel 
 engravings. Numerous illustrations. 
 
 The Life of Mrs. Booth, the Mother of The Salvation 
 Army. 
 
 ABRIDGED EDITION, 536 PAGES, CLOTH, BEVELLED BOARDS. 
 3s. 6d, 
 
 Containing practically the bulk of the original matter, 
 and, although necessarily abbreviated, contains sufficient 
 . interesting matter to describe not only the life of Mrs. 
 Booth, but also the contemporary history of the movement 
 with which she was connected. Cheaper representations 
 of all the portraits and illustrations published in the 
 Edition de Luxe. 
 
11. 
 
 ADVERTISEMENTS. 
 
 WORKS BY THE LATE MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 Popular Christianity : A series of lectures on holiness 
 topics, delivered in Prince's Hall, Piccadilly, embracing 
 the following subjects : — 
 
 Sham compassion and the dying love of Christ ; Cowardly 
 service versus the real warfare ; Notes of three 
 addresses on household gods; The Christs of the 
 nineteenth century compared with the Christ of God ; 
 The sham judgment in contrast with the Great White 
 Throne. 
 
 All seekers after the higher life should read this. 
 Editions.— Half Calf, 5s.; Cloth, Bevelled Boards, Red Edges, 2s.; 
 Paper Covers, Is. 
 
 Practical Religion : A most interesting work by 
 universal admission. 
 
 Has moulded the spiritual lives of some of the greatest 
 saints of the present age. Some on earth, others in 
 Heaven. 
 
 Contains addresses on the following comprehensive 
 subjects : — 
 
 Compel them to come in ; The training of children ; 
 Worldly amusements versus Christianity ; Heart 
 backsliding ; Female ministry ; Strong drink versus 
 Christianity ; Dealing with anxious souls. 
 
 Invaluable for teachers of sanctification. 
 
 Editions— Half Calf, 5s.; Cloth, Gilt Edges. Bevelled Boards, 2s. 6d.; 
 Cloth Boards, 2s. ; Paper Covers, Is. 
 
 Aggressive Christianity: Series of Papers on Christian 
 
 Warfare. 
 
 Embraces the following topics : — 
 
 The fruits of union with Christ ; The world's need ; 
 Adaptation of measures ; Filled with the Spirit ; A 
 pure gospel ; Assurance of Salvation ; The Holy 
 Ghost. 
 
 Editions— Half Calf, 5s.; Cloth, Gilt Edges, Bevelled Boards, 2s. 6d.; 
 Cloth Boards, 2s.; Paper Covers, Is. 
 
ADVERTISEMENTS. 
 
 Godliness : Searching disquisitions on important phases 
 of the spiritual growth, such as : — 
 
 The perfect heart ; Charity and loneliness ; Enthusiasm 
 and full Salvation ; Saving faith ; Charity and con- 
 flict ; Repentance ; Hindrances to holiness ; Condi- 
 tions of effectual prayer ; Addresses on holiness. 
 Editions, Half Calf, 5s. ; Cloth, Gilt Edges, Bevelled Boards, 2s. 6d.; 
 Cloth, Bevelled Boards, Red Edges, 2s. ; Paper Covers, Is. 
 
 Life and Death : Extraordinary addresses to the 
 unconverted. 
 
 Most powerful appeals ; A sine qua non to the Revivalist. 
 Such subjects as the following : — 
 
 Quench not the Spirit ; The prodigal son ; Mercy and 
 judgment ; A true and false peace ; Religious indif- 
 ference ; Sowing and reaping; Halting between two 
 opinions, etc. 
 
 Editions.— Half Calf, 5s. ; Cloth, Gilt Edges, Bevelled Boards, 2s. 6d. ; 
 Cloth Boards, 2s.; Paper Covers, Is. 
 
 The Salvation Army in Relation to the Church 
 
 and State. 
 
 This work deals with important questions relating to the 
 Church in its political and national characters. It 
 also deals with several points of criticism on the 
 so-called secret book. 
 Editions.— Half Calf, 4s. 6d.; Cloth Boards, Is.; Paper Covers, 6d. 
 
 The following extracts will show the incisive, definite, 
 original style of our late Sainted Army Mother ! 
 
 " It seems to me that we come infinitely short of any right 
 and rational idea of the aggressive spirit of the New Testament 
 saiats. Satan has got Christians to accept what I may call a 
 namby-pamby, kid glove kind of system of presenting the 
 gospel to people. Will they be so kind as to read this tract or 
 book, or would they not like to hear this popular and eloquent 
 preacher ? They will be pleased with him quite apart from 
 religion ! That is the sort of half-frightened, timid way of 
 putting the Truth before unconverted people, and of talking to 
 them about the salvation of their souls. This is utterly 
 antagonistic and repugnant to the spirit of the early saints." — 
 From Aggressive Christianity, Is., 2s., 2s. 6d., & 5s. 
 
iv. 
 
 ADVERTISEMENTS. 
 
 " Light reveals sin by reproof. Hot saints will rebuke 
 their neighbour and not suffer sin upon them. They are full 
 of zeal for the glory of God, and jealous for His honour : ti 
 breaks their hearts because men keep not His law. They 
 know that they have the light of life, and they feel that they 
 must hold it up over the wrong-doing, deception, and 
 hypocrisy of their fellow men in order to open their eyes and 
 turn them from darkness to light. You never hear them 
 apologising for sin, or calling it by smooth names ; they feel 
 towards sin in their measure as God feels towards it. It is the 
 abominable thing which they hate, and therefore they cannot 
 in any case allow it, pander to it, or excuse it. Hot saints 
 will mercilessly turn the blazing lamp of God's truth on the 
 conscience of the sinner with reproof as pungent, pointed, and 
 personal as Nathan gave to David, Jehu to Jehosaphat,-or 
 Jesus to the Jews." — From Papers on Practical Religion, 
 Is., 2s., 2s. 6d. & 5s. 
 
 " Lastly ! The farther you go the faster, and the less possi- 
 bility there is of you stopping. Like a stone downhill, the 
 momentum of the past will push you on in spite of yourself 
 when you get near the bottom. The weight of the guilty 
 deeds of the past will come behind you like an incensed rider, 
 pushing you down, down, down ; and the lower you go, and 
 the farther you go, the faster you go ! Don't have anything 
 to do with anything that lessens sin in your estimation, 
 and makes it look a trifling thing. Keep out of its rapids. It 
 leads down to the chamber of death — everlasting death." — 
 From Life and Death, Is., 2s., 2s. 6d. & 5s. 
 
 The foregoing works are having a large circulation, and 
 are helping to make saints for this world and the next. 
 
 WORKS BY THE GENERAL. 
 
 In Darkest England and the Way Out: It is not 
 
 necessary to recapitulate the contents of this book. 
 
 It has received more notice than any other book of the 
 nineteenth century. (See Press notices.) 
 
 366 Pages. Cloth Boards, 3s. 6d. 
 
ADVERTISEMENTS. 
 
 General's Letters : Reprinted from weekly letters 
 published in the War Cry of 1885. Also contains portrait 
 of the writer. 
 
 The following are a few of the contents : — 
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 Contents : — The duty of parents : Conditions of successful 
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 duties they ought to perform. Officers are responsible for 
 
vi. 
 
 ADVERTISEMENTS. 
 
 seeing that every Soldier obtains a copy, which he should 
 read before or immediately after signing the " Articles of 
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 Table of Contents : — Salvation ; How to keep Religion ; 
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