The Oberlin Evangelist

January 30, 1839

 PROFESSOR FINNEY'S LETTERS, NO. 2.

TO THE CHRISTIAN READERS OF THE OBERLIN EVANGELIST.

Dearly BELOVED. I believe you are aware that I have already begun one of the promised courses of Lectures. Before I proceed any further, please let me bring clearly before your minds the main goal that I have in view, and the reasons why I intend to preach messages directed to sanctify your whole spirit, and soul, and body”, as Paul mentioned.

My reasons are the following:

When I was first converted, and I entered into the ministry, my mind was powerfully drawn, as I thought back then, and now think, to work to convert sinners. My heart was set on that one grand goal, and I devoted all my powers to accomplish that goal. Many of you can bear witness that this is true. My study, preaching, prayers, visiting and conversation, were devoted to that goal. Naturally, my mind was usually occupied with those truths, that were designed to work the conviction and conversion of the impenitent.

I generally spent only a few months in a single place, and during that time, I directed my preaching and influence, as I have said, almost exclusively to converting the ungodly. I only spent as much time, in preaching to the Church, that was absolutely necessary to arouse them, and get them out of the way of sinners.

About the same time, and following my labors as an Evangelist, a number of other Evangelists were, and have been called forward, by the Spirit of God, who have labored mainly for the same goal.

Many pastors have also directed their attention and labor to primarily the same goal, during the extensive revivals of the few past years.

To my own mind, it appears that this unity of purpose, and effort, were, to say the least, largely, indispensable to accomplishing the great work that I, and others, have undeniably achieved. The fact that hundreds of thousands of sinners have been converted to God by these instruments, I have no doubt. And I think I can very clearly see the wisdom of God, in calling the attention of so many Evangelists, Pastors, and Churches, to immediately convert the ungodly.

There are those who claim, as perhaps some of you know, that I completely disapprove of my own course as an Evangelist, and that I completely disapprove of the course of other Evangelists and Pastors, in this great work. Now this is definitely not true. I do not, by any means, pretend to justify all that I have done, nor suppose that my course was perfect. Nor do I pretend to justify all that other Evangelists and Pastors have done, to promote this work. Nor do I pretend, that in everything, our views of what was the best thing to do have been exactly alike. However; I feel that I must say that the more I have looked over the course that God led me, the more I see the truths I preached and the means that I adopted in preaching those truths. The more I examine how the Lord has led me, the more deeply I have been impressed with the conviction, that, considering the goal I had in view, which was the conversion of sinners, the course that God led me in, was, as a whole, wise. This course was the kind of course, in almost all respects, that I would pursue again, with my present experience, if I had the same goal in mind.

I am also convinced, that God has been wise in leading other Evangelists and Pastors, in their preaching and measures. And although much human infirmity and weakness may have, and, no doubt, has appeared in what we have done, yet, overall, I do not see how anyone could have expected or done anything better under the circumstances of the situation, for the accomplishment of so great and good a work.

However, right in the middle of my efforts to convert sinners, and as far as my knowledge extends, this is also true with other Evangelists and pastors, we have basically overlooked the fact that converts will not make one step of progress, unless they are constantly molded with means that are well adapted to their sanctification and their growth in grace, just as the proper means were used for their conversion.

Believing and feeling as I did then, and do now, that if people were once converted, God, in faithfulness, would save them, I overlooked the need for the constant, vigorous, and pointed use of means to accomplish this goal. By this, I do not mean that I did not feel this need at all. But, this need was not before my mind as strongly as the need to use vigorous means to convert the ungodly.

It is true, that if this need had impressed me when I was an evangelist, my stay in every place was too short to accomplish very much in the work of leading converts to adulthood in religion. The same has been true with my brethren who have been and are Evangelists. And I have reason to believe, that the great desire of Pastors for the conversion of sinners, in those congregations where revivals have prevailed, and the great success that, under God, has attended the use of means for their conversion, has led those Pastors, to largely neglect the Church and forget those more spiritual truths of the Gospel that constitute the food of Christians and are essential to their sanctification.

In revisiting some of the Churches that I had labored in many years ago, I was, from time to time, deeply impressed with the need to do something for the sanctification of Christians. And after I settled in the city of New York for two or three years, and had labored, almost exclusively, for the conversion of sinners, I was fully convinced, that converts would die, that the standard of piety would never be elevated, that revivals would become more and more superficial, and finally cease, unless something effective was done to elevate the standard of holiness in the Church. Now, in attempting to present to the Church the high and pure doctrines of grace, and all those truths, which are the food and life of the Christian soul, I discovered, to my sorrow, that I had spent so much time pursuing sinners with the law so that I could convict them. I only presented just enough of the gospel to convert them. My mind primarily focused on simply converting sinners, and those high and spiritual truths that are indispensable to effectively demonstrate their Christianity to others did not occupy a place in my heart. I discovered that I knew comparatively little about Christ. The Bible said many things about Christ, which I did not have any spiritual opinion about, and I knew little or nothing about them.

What I did know about Christ was almost exclusively, as an atoning and justifying Savior. But as a JESUS, who came to save people from sin, or as a sanctifying Savior, I knew very little about Him. The Spirit of God made this very clear to me, and it deeply convinced me, that I must know more of the gospel, in my own experience, and have more of Christ, in my own heart, or I could never expect to help the Church. In my old state of mind, I often told the Lord Jesus Christ, that I was aware that I knew very little about Him, and I earnestly prayed that He would reveal Himself to me, so I could be instrumental in revealing Him to others. I used to pray over particular passages, and groups of passages in the gospel, that speak about Christ, that I could understand their meaning, and feel their power in my own heart. And I was often strongly convinced, that I desired this for the great purpose of making Christ known to others.

I will not enter into detail, concerning the way in that Christ led me. Just let me say, and I say this only to the honor of His grace, that He has taught me some things, that I asked him to show me. Since the Lord has taught me these things through earnest prayer and seeking His face, I have felt as strongly and unequivocally pressed by the Spirit of God, to labor for the sanctification of the Church, as I once did for the conversion of sinners. By hundreds of letters that I have received, and from various other sources of information, I have learned, to my great joy, that God has been, and is awakening a spirit of seeking, on the subject of holiness throughout the Church, both in this country and in Europe.

You who read my lectures in the N.Y. Evangelist, while I was in the city of New York, may remember the way that God was leading me through a tremendous process of conviction and the glorious results he brought me before I left there. Since then, God has been continually dealing with me in mercy. And oh, how often, I have longed to unburden myself, and pour out my whole heart to the dear souls, that were converted in those powerful revivals.

And now, dearly beloved, I have begun this series of lectures, in the hope that, should God spare my life, He will make these lectures an instrument of doing you good. You need searching, and trying, and purifying, and comforting. You need to be humbled, edified, and sanctified. I think I know, quite well, where many of you are in religion, and I will sincerely try, with the help of Almighty God helping, from time to time, to adapt truth to what I believe are your circumstances, and state of mind.

As I said in my first letter, I cannot visit you, and preach to you physically, because of my health right now. Besides, I think the Spirit of God calls me, at least for now, to remain here at Oberlin. However, through the press, I can have communion with you, and preach to you the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In addition to the sermons, which I plan to preach to you, I will probably, from time to time, write some letters to you, when I have something particular to say, that cannot be said very well in a sermon. If you write me and ask for spiritual advice on any subject that I can answer in a sermon, you can generally expect to find my answer, in some of my lectures. Of course, I will hide the fact that I had your letter in my hand as I prepared that sermon. If, in any situation, I cannot properly give you an answer in a sermon, should Providence permit, you may expect an answer, either privately to you, or in a letter in the Evangelist, which may not only help you who have written to me, but also all these people who are in a similar situation. Oh, please don’t worry; I will not disclose any of your names when I respond.

Now, dearly beloved, don’t think that I do this because I believe that I am the only one who can give you spiritual advice; but simply because I am willing to do what I possibly can. And as I have freely received, I wish freely to impart whatever, of the gospel, the blessed God has taught me.

One more word. I have noticed, in several papers, a garbled extract from a remark that I made in one of my lectures, published in the N. Y. Evangelist, which I mention here simply because it is dishonorable to God, and harmful to you. In that lecture, I said, “that those converted in the great revivals in the land, although I believe that they are real Christians, and the best Christians in the Church today, they are nevertheless a disgrace to religion, because of the low standard of their piety. If I had health, to once again be an Evangelist, I would labor for a revival in the churches, and for the elevation of the standard of piety among Christians.”

Now, I think you can see, that I did state in my comment, my full conviction that those revivals were genuine works of God. “That the converts were real Christians”, that “they are the best Christians in the Church”; and yet, in many areas, they are a disgrace to religion. Now, this I fully believe, and I will say it again. Dearly beloved, it is to win you away, if possible, from the last remains of sin that I have undertaken this work. The papers that I allude to, have harmfully represented me as saying that those revivals were not true revivals and those converts are not Christians. I do not complain about this for my own sake. Nor would I mention it, because I have any regard to its bearing on me. However, I mention this because it is a slander on those precious revivals, and harmful to you, because they are basically saying that I am denying that the grace of God ever converted you.

And now, dearly beloved, I must end this letter, begging you to make me a subject of earnest prayer, that God will enlighten and sanctify me. That God will fill me with the spirit of the gospel of His Son, and help me to impart to you the true bread and water of life, rightly dividing truth, and giving to everyone a portion in due season.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you forever!

C.G. FINNEY

A Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ