Skeptical Finney Became a Famous SOUL-WINNER
[Above: Charles G. Finney—Frontpiece, Sermons on Important Subjects, 1836]
EVERY TRUE CONVERSION is a miracle because a new birth from God has taken place. Finney wrote of his. Convicted by the word of God, he went into a wood, promising to give his heart to God or die. Unable to pray, he was near despair. He thought he heard someone coming and shrank at the thought of being seen on his knees.
“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 endeavoring to make my peace with my offended God!” The sin appeared awful, infinite. It broke me down before the Lord.
Notorious until then for his skepticism, Finney had nonetheless loved to sing in the church choir. Unknown to him, its members had been praying for him, although the pastor counseled against it, considering Finney completely hardened. (Later that pastor admitted to Finney that he himself had been unsaved.)
Finney became a pastor and traveling evangelist. The life was not easy. God often moved him to fast and pray. Services could run all night, depriving him of sleep. Often he was forced to spend weeks away from his family while he lived in the homes of Christians at the scenes of his labors. Other churchmen vilified him and his work.
One of the earliest places at which Finney preached was Le Ray, New York. Events there would be typical of his later revivals. God laid on his heart to pray for a dying woman and she was both healed and converted. A number of Deists became Christians. An elderly infidel who raged against religion was struck down with a stroke and died within minutes. A woman who rejected the gospel, trusting in a dream, got a glimpse of God’s real holiness on her deathbed and died shrieking that she was going to hell. A man came to a service with a pistol, intending to shoot Finney, but instead fell to the floor under conviction of the Holy Spirit.
Finney learned he could trust God’s guidance, even for the themes of his messages. In one town, the Lord led him to preach on the story of Lot in Sodom. The congregation glared at him. About fifteen minutes later men began falling from their seats in anguish of spirit. One by one Finney led several to Christ. When he had to leave, the remainder begged Finney to return.
When I went down the second time, I got an explanation of the anger manifested by the congregation during the introduction of my sermon the day before. I learned that the place was called Sodom, but I knew it not; and that there was but one pious man in the place, and him they called Lot. This was the old man that invited me there. The people supposed that I had chosen my subject, and preached to them in that manner, because they were so wicked as to be called Sodom. This was a striking coincidence; but so far as I was concerned, it was altogether accidental.
In Rome, New York, five hundred people were converted in twenty days. But God “did some terrible things in righteousness.”
Three men, who had been opposing the work, had met that Sabbath-day, and spent the day in drinking and ridiculing the work. They went on in this way until one of them suddenly fell dead.... His companions were speechless. They could say nothing; for it was evident to them that their conduct had brought upon him this awful stroke of divine indignation.
At Utica, God sent a similar judgment. An old minister denounced the revival. The saints prayed that God would counteract his influence. The next morning, the man was found dead in bed.
Revival in Rochester resulted in a reduction in crime by two-thirds. One hundred thousand people joined local churches.
Later, as president of Oberlin College, Finney experienced God’s provision. He had said nothing to anyone about his financial need.
Thanksgiving day came, and found us so poor that I had been obliged to sell my travelling trunk.... I rose on the morning of Thanksgiving, and spread our necessities before the Lord.... I went and preached....
After the meeting ... my wife returned home. When I reached the gate, she was standing in the open door, with a letter in her hand. As I approached she smilingly said, “The answer has come, my dear;” and handed me the letter containing a check from Mr. Josiah Chapin of Providence, for two hundred dollars.
Finney died on this day, 16 August 1875, having led hundreds of thousands to Christ while completely changing the face of evangelistic work.
----- ----- -----
For more about Finney, consult CH 20 Charles Grandison Finney
