FIRST VISIT TO ENGLAND -- REVIVALS IN HARTFORD, WESTERN, SYRACUSE AND ROCHESTER

Having had repeated and urgent invitations to visit England and labor for the promotion of revivals, he embarked with his second wife (formerly Mrs. Elizabeth F. Atkinson, of Rochester), in the Autumn of 1849.

He first labored in the village of Houghton. A Mr. Brown, a wealthy and benevolent business man, was greatly troubled by the spiritual destitution of the community and the inefficiency of the Church of England to save the masses. He built a place of worship, and hired a Calvinist preacher, but nobody was converted. He repeatedly complained of it to his preacher, who finally replied: "Mr. Brown, am I God that I can convert souls? I preach to them the gospel, and God does not convert them; am I to blame ?" Mr. Brown replied: "Whether you are God or no God, we must have conversions. The people must be converted." So this minister was dismissed. Another was procured, and Finney was sent for. He began the work. Mr. Brown kept open-house, and invited people in who came for miles around, sat at his table, heard the conversation, heard Finney preach, got converted or fired up, and went away to scatter the revival fire in the neighboring villages. Every person for whose conversion Mr. Brown was especially burdened was brought in, and the masses were reached and turned to God.

BIRMINGHAM

Finney went from there to Birmingham, where Rev. John Angell James, of blessed memory, was pastor. Earnest and evangelical as he was, he had fifteen hundred impenitent sinners in his own congregation. Mr. Roe, a Baptist minister, first had Mr. Finney in his church. There were soon a great many converts, and when they were received into the Church, and had a communion, by vote of the Church they laid aside their close communion, and invited Mr. and Mrs. Finney to sit with them at the Lord's table. "There were a great many conversions in that city; yet the ministers were not then prepared to commit themselves heartily to the use of the necessary means to spread the revival universally over the city. A Unitarian minister was converted and restored to the orthodox faith. He heard Finney preach on 'Resisting the Holy Ghost,' and wrote to him: 'I felt the truth of your arguments. Your appeals came home irresistibly to my heart, and that night on my way home I vowed, before God, come what would, I would at once consecrate myself afresh to that Savior whose blood I had so recently learned to value, and whose value I had done so much to dishonor. The peace of mind I now enjoy does indeed surpass all understanding. Through the grace of God, I shall trace up to you any usefulness with which God may crown my labors.'"

WORCESTER

He next went to Worcester, and labored with Dr. Redford, who had been declared by some to be the greatest theologian in Europe. He reviewed Finney's "Theology," and wrote a preface to the English edition. The work was so successful in Worcester that some wealthy gentlemen proposed to erect a movable house of worship that would hold five thousand people, and move it from city to city for Finney to hold meetings in, independent of all denominations, a few months in a city. The timid ministers advised against it as a thing too novel. They induced Finney to decline the offer. It was doubtless the mistake of his life, and he afterward deeply regretted it.

LONDON

He went from there to London, and labored in Whitefield's Tabernacle, which held three thousand people. Religion had so declined in London that week-day meetings were very little attended. Dr. Campbell, the pastor, said that Finney preached to more people during the week-day evenings than all the rest of the ministers in London together. Finney preached some time, and then asked for a room for an inquiry-meeting. Dr. Campbell thought there was not interest sufficient to warrant such a move; but Finney insisted. He finally named a room in the church that would hold forty people. "O," said Finney, "that is not half large enough!" The pastor expressed astonishment and doubt; but Finney knew too well the secrets of the Lord, and he said that, beyond a doubt, there were hundreds. Finally a room was mentioned in the neighborhood that seated sixteen hundred. "Just the room I want," said Finney. Dr. Campbell protested that such a thing might be possible in America, but not in London. Finney replied: "The gospel is as well adapted to the English people as to the American people. I know what the state of the people is better than you do; and I have no fears at all that pride will keep them from responding to such a call." He made the call, telling Christians that they were not wanted at the meeting; and that careless sinners were not wanted; that only those were wanted who were anxious about their souls and who were disposed immediately to make their peace with God, and wished instruction on their present duty.

Dr. Campbell nervously and anxiously looked out of the window to see which way the congregation went. To his astonishment, Cowper Street was completely crowded with people pressing up to get into the room, which was packed. He looked amazed at the crowd, and especially at the amount of feeling manifested. Finney made them understand that God required of them to yield themselves entirely to His will, to ground their weapons of rebellion, make their submission to Him as their rightful Sovereign, and accept Jesus as their only Redeemer, then and there. "I had been in England long enough to feel the necessity of doing away with their idea of waiting God's time. London is, and long has been, cursed with Hyper-Calvinistic preaching. After having laid the gospel net thoroughly around them, I then prepared to draw it to shore." As he was about to ask for them to kneel down and commit themselves entirely and forever to Christ, a man cried out in the midst of the congregation in the greatest distress of mind that he had sinned away his day of grace. Finney saw there was danger of an uproar, and he hushed it down as best he could, and called on the people to kneel down, but to keep so quiet that they could hear every word of the prayer he was about to offer. They did, by a manifest effort, keep so still as to hear, although there was a great sobbing and weeping in every part of the house.

Fifteen hundred seeking god on their knees at one time! Many times after that in response to such calls many hundreds would seek God, and on some occasions as many as two thousand. And this went on week after week for nine months. People came from every part of London, walking several miles to get to the service, utter strangers to the pastor, and conversions multiplied until, beyond all doubt, they numbered thousands.

Dr. Campbell took Mr. Finney to a school to address the pupils, and a goodly number of them afterward joined his Church, a result of that service, and wholly unexpected by the pastor. "The fact is," says Finney, "that the ministers in England, as well as in this country, had lost sight, in a great measure, of the necessity of pressing present obligation home upon the consciences of the people. Ministers talk about sinners, and do not make the impression that God commands them now to repent; and thus they draw their ministry away.

Numbers of ministers came into Finney's meetings, and got wrought up, and learned of him how to win souls. Before he left the city, an Episcopal minister had fifteen hundred hopeful conversions in his parish, When he left London there Were four or five Episcopal Churches that were holding daily services for conversions, and the efforts had never ceased when he reached the city ten years later,

Mrs. Finney was invited to address a meeting where she expected only ladies to be present; but a number of gentlemen were present, and the results of the effort were so good that other appointments were made for her; and, without anticipating anything of the kind, she was drawn into the work.

Finney preached on confession and restitution a good deal, and multitudes were so pricked in their consciences that every kind of crime was confessed and thousands of pounds sterling were paid over to make restitution.

In April of 1851 the needs of Oberlin College called Finney home, and with great reluctance they left England, a great multitude of converts and friends following them to the ship, and waving adieu as they sailed away.

HARTFORD, CONN.

In the early winter of 1851-2, Mr. Finney was invited to Hartford, Conn. There was at the time a lack of unity between Dr. Hawes and Dr. Bushnell, the two leading Congregational pastors, on questions of theology. Dr. Hawes did not think Dr. Bushnell sound on the doctrine of the atonement. Finney was laboring in a third Congregational Church. The two brethren attended the meetings of Finney, and saw that God was manifestly present, and they agreed to lay aside their differences so as not to be a stumbling-block in the way of the salvation of men. From that time there was a good degree of cordiality, and the work spread through the city.

Finney found the people of the city very fastidious, and the ministers, especially Dr. Hawes, were afraid to call on sinners to come forward, and break away from the fear of man, and give themselves publicly to God. But Finney broke away from the restraints, and invited people to kneel down and give themselves to God. Dr. Hawes trembled, but afterward admitted to Finney this: "I have always seen that something was needed to bring persons to a stand, and to induce them to act on their present convictions; but I have not had the courage to purpose anything of the kind."

A great revival broke out in the public school. The boys came together one morning under such conviction that they could not study, and asked their teacher to pray for them, But he was not a Christian. It led to his conviction and conversion; and then he led his school to Christ. Six hundred of the converts joined the Congregational Churches alone.

SYRACUSE, 1852-53

The next winter was spent in Syracuse, N. Y. Finney had not preached long before "there was a great movement among the dry bones." The leading members of the Congregational Church began to make confession to each other and public confession of their wanderings from God, and of other things that had created a prejudice against them in the city. Soon they began to draw the people, and had not room for them; the Presbyterian Churches were thrown open, and "conversions were multiplied on every side."

Mrs. Finney had great success laboring with the ladies in meetings by themselves. The Congregational, Presbyterian, and Baptist Churches were all greatly strengthened in spirituality and in numbers. A lady came to Mr. Finney deeply convicted for a deeper Christian experience. She had heard the doctrine of sanctification preached, and her inquiry was how she could obtain it. He says: "I had a few moments' conversation with her, and directed her attention especially to the necessity of a thorough and universal consecration of herself and of her all to Christ. I told her that, when she had done this, she must believe for the sealing of the Holy Spirit." "In the afternoon she returned as full of the Spirit as she could be." The lady had hastened to her room, made a full and complete resignation of herself and everything into the hands of Christ, and soon received the fullness of the Spirit.

This is the first plain, simple, easily-apprehended direction we have found, for getting sanctified, up to this point in the "Memoirs" of his life. Now this was regular Methodist instruction, such as John Wesley, or John Fletcher, or Adam Clarke, or any modern Methodist teacher in the experience of sanctification, might have given, And the result was just what is being witnessed at a hundred holiness camp-meetings all over America, where people are getting sanctified by the thousands, It is passing strange that Finney did not learn from this incident how to teach and lead countless thousands into the experience of sanctification. But he did not; he rejected the Methodist theory, and therefore failed to have the success of the great Spirit-filled leaders of Methodism in getting people sanctified.

WESTERN REVIVAL, 1854-5

After thirty years, Finney was back again, holding another revival in the place where he was starting in his public career as an evangelist, the town of Western, Oneida County, New York, A generation had been born and had grown up to manhood and womanhood since the previous revival. Among the many striking things that occurred, one certainly is worth mentioning for the many lessons taught.

One young man, the son of godly parents, who had long prayed for him, years before had read "The Pirate's Own Book." It produced a most extraordinary effect upon his mind. It inspired him with a kind of terrible and infernal ambition to be the greatest pirate that ever lived, He made up his mind to be at the head of all the highway robbers, and bandits, and pirates whose history was ever written, But his religious education was in his way. The teachings and prayers of his parents seemed to rise up before him, so that he could not go forward, But he 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. He resolved to do it, and his first business was to get rid of his religious convictions, so as to be able to go on and perpetrate all manner of robberies and murders without any compunction of conscience. He therefore set himself deliberately to blaspheme the Holy Ghost. He then felt that it must be that the Spirit of God would leave him, and that his conscience would no more trouble him. After a little while, he made up his mind to commit some crime, and see how it would affect him. To this end he set fire to a schoolhouse, and it burned to the ground.

When Finney began to preach he was exceedingly bitter against the preaching and the meetings. He committed himself with all the strength of his will against the revival, and declared that "Neither Finney nor hell could convert him."

It was all true; neither of them could. But he left God out of his calculations; and the Holy Spirit so pressed him in answer to the prayers of the godly parents that he could stand it no longer, He came to see Mr. Finney with such a haggard look on his face that he appeared almost insane. His lips were blue and bloodless, and his whole appearance was quite alarming. His frame so trembled that he jarred the furniture of the room. He had stood out against his convictions as long as he could endure it; and he yielded to the Savior, and went to the church, while Finney, by his permission, told the people of his sin and crime. God used it to melt the people, and bring others to God. (Memoir, pp. 428-431.)

ROCHESTER, AUTUMN OF 1855

In the latter part of 1855 a few souls in Rochester wrestled with God in prayer for a revival until they prevailed, They sent a most urgent invitation to Finney to labor in the city. He was somewhat reluctant to go. The brother who came after him said in great faith, "The Lord is going to send you to Rochester, and you will go to Rochester this winter, and we shall have a great revival." Finney went with hesitancy; but when he was on the field he saw that it was of the Lord. Congregational, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist Churches united in the work. Soon another petition was sent him by two judges of the Supreme Court, two judges of the Court of Appeals, and the members of the bar, asking for a course of lectures to lawyers on the moral government of God. He complied with their request, and began with the text, "Commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." He showed -- I. Every man has a conscience; 2. Every man knows himself to be a sinner against God; 3. That, therefore, God must condemn him as a sinner; 4. That every man knows that his own conscience condemns him as a sinner. A skeptical lawyer had settled in the city, who, a little time before, had declared that he would never again attend a Christian meeting. He heard the first lecture, and admitted to a friend on the way home that he was satisfied that there was more in Christianity than he had supposed; that he did not see any escape from Finney's argument, and he should attend every lecture, and make up his mind in view of the facts.

Finney went on, night after night, pressing them; but left them shut up under law, condemned by their own consciences, and sentenced to eternal death. They were effectually shut up to the revelations of the gospel and to Christ as their only hope, whom he then offered them. The lawyers broke down, and yielded to God.

Thus in this, as in the two previous revivals, the work commenced and made it first progress in the higher classes, and then swept down through all ranks of people. Merchants arranged to have their clerks attend. The work became so general that, in all places of public resort, in stores and public houses, in banks, in the Street, and in public conveyances, and everywhere, the work of salvation that was going on was the absorbing topic. The ladies in the city did their utmost to bring all classes to the meetings and to Christ. Many of the railroad men were converted, and so great was the interest among the employees of the railroad that much of the Sunday business was suspended that they might attend to the salvation of their souls. The work, also, as in the previous revivals, spread to other villages and towns and cities far and near.

Finney made these comments that are full of significance: "I have never preached anywhere with more pleasure than in Rochester, They are a highly intelligent people, and have ever manifested an earnestness, a candor, and an appreciation of the truth excelling anything I have ever seen on so large a scale in any other place. I have labored in other cities where the people were even more highly educated, But in those cities the habits of the people were more stereotyped; the people were more fastidious, more afraid of measures. In New England I have found a high degree of general education, but a timidity, a stiffness, a formality, that has rendered it impossible for the Holy Ghost to work with freedom and power.

"When I was laboring in Hartford, a minister who had witnessed the great revivals in Central New York, said to me: 'Why, Brother Finney, your hands are tied; you are hedged in by their fears and by the stereotyped way of doing everything, They have even put the Holy Ghost into a strait-jacket.' The minister was not irreverent. He simply saw and felt what I saw and felt, that the Holy Spirit was restrained greatly in His work by the fears and the self-wisdom of the people. I do not think the people of New England can at all appreciate the restraints which they impose upon the Holy Spirit in working out the salvation of souls; nor can. they appreciate the power and purity of the revivals In those places where these fears, prejudices, restraints, and self-wisdom do not exist."

In an intelligent, educated community great freedom may be given in the use of means without danger of disorder. Indeed, wrong ideas of what constitutes disorder are widely prevalent. Most Churches call anything disorder to which they have not been accustomed. Their stereotyped ways are God's order, in their view, and whatever is different from these is disorder, and shocks their sense of propriety. But, in fact, nothing is disorder that simply meets the necessities of the people. In religion, as in everything else, good sense and is sound discretion will, from time to time, adapt means to ends. The measures needed will be naturally suggested to those who witness the state of things and, if prayerfully and cautiously used, let great freedom be given to the influence of the Holy Spirit in all hearts.