Great Revivals and Evangelists By JOHN H. HUNTER IV. CHARLES G. FINNEY (Continued) Copyright, 1915, by John H. Hunter
ical thought and modifying the very ex treme (so called) Calvinistic doctrines which then prevailed in the Presbyterian Church. But we believe that the evangel ist filled with the Holy Ghost accomplish ed more for the Lord and will be longer and more lovingly remembered among men than the theologian, and it is of his evangelistic labors we are going to give a hasty review, and largely in his own lan guage. • , ' , Immediately- after his conversion Mr. Finney began to seek to win others to Christ, and in Adams, N. Y., God used him to,win many of the young men and women. The revival lasted for months. He routed a Universalist preacher- who came to pro claim his views in Adams, exposing fully the weakness and deceitfulness of his arguments. From Adams he was called out into neighboring towns, giving his whole time to such work, and being kept busy constantly. Indeed he could nob possibly answer all the demands that were made upon his time and strength. HIS PREACHING Before relating some of the interesting experiences Mr. Finney enjoyed, it will be well to understand something of the mat ter and the manner of his preaching. He thus describes them: The doctrines preached were those which I have.always preached as the Gos pel of Christ. I insisted upon the volun tary total moral depravity of the unre generate; and the unalterable necessity of a radical change of heart by the Holy Ghost, and by means of the truth. I laid great' stress upon prayer as an indispensable condition of promoting the revival. The atonement of Jesus Christ, His divinity, His divine mission, His per- feet life, His vicarious death, His resur-
ONVERTED when he was twenty' nine years °w> Mr. Finney was privileged to sPend fifty-four, yeajrs in ac-
G~~s— tive service for his Saviour. He was called up higher, August 16th, 1875, in his eighty-third year. The first ten years of his ministry were spent al most entirely in the state of New York and largely in the-western end of it He did visit Philadelphia and'Reading, Pa.; Wilmington, Del.; Providence, R. I., and Boston, Mass., also spending nearly a year in Philadelphia where his labors were sig nally blessed. In 1832 he became pastor of the Second Free Pjresbyterian Church, New York. The service's were held in the Chatham Street Theatre. • In 1834 he became pastor of the Broad way Tabernacle, a Congregational church, which was organized by ardent abolition ists. In 1835 he accepted an invitation to become Professor of Theology in a new college being started at Oberlin, Ohio, with the understanding that he would spend his summers at Oberlin and his winters in New York or elsewhere. He visited Eng land twice, in 1849 and 1858; his ministry being greatly blessed on both occasions. HIS OWN THEOLOGY As a theologian Mr. Finney held views very different from those held by the great denominations, views that were pe culiar to himself in many points. This can be accounted for easily when we remem ber his legal training, his never having had a regular course of study in any theolog- iial seminary, and the type of theology which prevailed in the"community in which he was living when he was converted. Un doubtedly these views of his had a share, probably a large share, in moulding theolog
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