Memoirs

Chapter 2. 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 a great firmness 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 Tuesday, and had opportunity to read my Bible and engage in prayer most of the time. But I was very proud without knowing it. I had supposed that I had not much regard for the opinions of others, whether they thought this or that in regard to myself. And I had, in fact, 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 been so singular as to lead the Church at times to think that I must be an anxious inquirer. But I found, when I came to face the question, that I was very unwilling to have anyone know that I was seeking the salvation of my soul. When I prayed, I would only whisper my prayer, and after having stopped the keyhole to the door, lest someone should discover that I was engaged in prayer. Before that time, I had my Bible lying on the table with the law books, and it never had occurred to me to be ashamed of being 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 anyone 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 anybody 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 the conversation 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 that they would misdirect me. I felt myself shut up to the Bible. During Monday and Tuesday, my convictions increased, but still it seemed as if my heart grew harder. I could not shed a tear. I could not pray. I had no opportunity to pray above my breath, and frequently I felt that if I could be alone where I could use my voice and let myself out, I should find relief in prayer. I was shy and avoided as much as I could speaking to anybody on any subject. I endeavored, however, to do this in a way that would excite no suspicion in any mind that I was seeking the salvation of my soul. Tuesday night, I had become very nervous, and in the night a strange feeling came over me as if I was about to die. I knew that if I did, I should sink down to hell, but I quieted myself as best I could until morning. At an early hour, I started for the office, but just before I arrived at the office, something seemed to confront me with questions like these. Indeed, it seemed as if the inquiry was within myself, as if an inward voice said to me, what are you waiting for? Did you not promise to give your heart to God, and what are you trying to do? Are you endeavoring to work out a righteousness of your own? Just at this point, the whole question of gospel salvation opened to my mind in a manner most marvelous to me at the time. I think I then saw as clearly as I ever had in my life the reality and fullness 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 me to be an offer of something to be accepted, and that it was full and complete, and that all that was necessary on my part was to get my own consent to give up my sins and accept Christ. Salvation, it seemed to me, 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 before me as my God and my Savior. 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, today? I replied, yes, I will accept it today or I will die in the attempt. North of the village over a hill lay a piece of woods in which I was in the almost daily habit of walking, more or less, when it was pleasant weather. It was now October, and the time was passed for my frequent walks there. Nevertheless, instead of going to the office, I turned and bent my course toward the woods, feeling that I must be alone and away from all human eyes and ears, so that I should pour out my prayer to God. But still my pride must show itself. As I went over the hill, it occurred to me that someone might see me and suppose that I was going away to pray. Yet probably there was not a person on earth that would have suspected such a thing, had he seen me going. But so great was my pride, 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 from the village could see me. I then penetrated into the woods, I should think, a quarter of a mile, went over the other side of the hill, and found a place where some large trees had fallen across each other, leaving an open space 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 to have said, I will give my heart to God, or I will come down from there, or I never will come down from there. I recollect repeating this as I went up. I will give my heart to God before I ever come down again. 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. That is, I had nothing to say to God, or at least I could say but a few words and those without heart. In attempting to pray, I would hear a rustling in the leaves, as I thought, and would stop and look up to see if someone were not coming. This I did several times. 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. When I came to try, I found I could not give my heart to God. My inward soul hung back and there was no going out of my heart to God. 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. The thought was pressing on me of the rashness of my promise that I would give my heart to God that day or die in the attempt. It seemed to me as if that was binding upon my soul and yet I was going back on my vow. A great sinking and discouragement came over me and I felt almost too weak to stand upon my knees. Just at this moment, I again thought I heard someone approach me and I opened my eyes to see whether it were so, but right there the revelation of my pride of heart as the great difficulty that stood in the way was distinctly shown to me. An overwhelming sense of my wickedness and being ashamed to have a human being see me on my knees before God took such powerful possession of me that I 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 surrounded 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 endeavoring to make my peace with my offended God. The sin appeared awful, infinite. It broke me down before the Lord. Just at that point this passage of scripture seemed to drop into my mind with a flood of light. Then shall ye go and pray unto me and I will hearken unto you. Thou shall ye seek me, 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 think 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 has 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. The question of when that is of the present time seemed to fall heavily into my heart. I told the Lord that I should take him at his word that he could not lie and that therefore I was sure that he heard my prayer and that he would be found of me. He then gave me many other promises both from the Old and the New Testament, especially some most precious promises respecting our Lord Jesus Christ. I never can in words make any human being understand how precious and true those promises appeared to me. I took them one after the other as infallible truth, the assertions of God who could not lie. They did not seem so much to fall into my intellect as into my heart to be put within the grasp of the voluntary powers of my mind and 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 appropriate promises for a long time. I know not how long. I prayed till my mind became so full that before I was aware of it I was on my feet and tripping up the ascent toward the road. The question of my being converted had not so much as arisen to my thought, but as I went up, as I went up brushing through the leaves and bushes, I recollect saying with great emphasis, if I am ever converted I will preach the gospel. I soon reached the road that led to the village and began to reflect upon what had passed and I found that my mind had become most wonderfully quiet and peaceful. I said to myself, 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? I never was so far from being concerned about my own salvation and 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 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 my excitement I had grieved the Holy Spirit and perhaps 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 to the village 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 gone from the village but a short time. I had been gone from the village 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 laboring, but all sense of sin, all consciousness of 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 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 can never describe it in words. The thought of God was sweet to my mind and the most profound spiritual tranquility 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 I 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 violin as I was accustomed to do, began to play and sing some pieces of sacred music. But as I soon began to sing those sacred words, I began to weep. It seemed as if my heart was all liquid, and my feelings were in such a state that I could not hear my own voice in singing without causing my sensibility to overflow. I wondered at this and tried to suppress my tears, but could not. 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. My mind, however, remained in that profoundly tranquil state. 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 concern 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 fireplace a good fire, hoping to spend the evening alone. Just at dark, Squire W., seeing that everything was adjusted, bade me good night and went to his home. I had accompanied him to the door, and as I closed the door and turned around, my heart seemed to be liquid within me. All my feelings seemed to rise and flow out, and the utterance of my 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 back of the front office to pray. There was no fire and no light in the room. Nevertheless, it appeared to me as if it were perfectly light. As I went in and shut the door after me, it seemed as if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. It did not occur to me then, nor did it for some time afterwards, that it was wholly a mental state. On the contrary, it seemed to me that I saw him as I would see any other man. He said nothing, but looked at me in such a manner as to break me right down at his feet. I have always since regarded this as a most remarkable state of mind, for it seemed to me a reality that he stood before me, and I fell down at his feet and poured out my soul to him. I wept aloud like a child, and made such confessions as I could with my choked utterance. It seemed to me that I bathed his feet with my tears, and yet I had no distinct impression that I touched him that I recollect. I must have continued in this state for a good while, but my mind was too much absorbed with the interview to recollect anything that I said. But I know, as soon as my mind became calm enough to break off from the interview, I returned to the front office and found that the fire that I had made of large wood was nearly burned out. But as I turned and was about to take a seat by 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 for me, without any recollection that I had ever heard the thing mentioned by any person in the world, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression like a wave of electricity going through and through me. Indeed, it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love, for I could not express it in any other way. It seemed like the very breath of God. I can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan me like immense wings. No word 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 with this baptism continuing to roll over me and go through me, I do not know, but I know it was late in the evening when a member of my choir, for I was leader of the choir, came into the office to see me. He was a member of the church. He found me in this state of loud weeping and said to me, Mr. Finney, what ails you? I could make him no answer for some time, and he then said, Are you in pain? I gathered myself up as best I could and replied, No, but so happy that I cannot live. He turned and left the office and in a few minutes returned with one of the elders of the church whose shop was nearly across the way from our office. This elder was a very serious man and in my presence had been very watchful, and I had scarcely ever seen him laugh. When he came in, I was very much in the state in which I was when the young man went out to call him. He asked me how I felt and I began to tell him. Instead of saying 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 neighborhood who was preparing for college with whom I had been very intimate. Our minister, so I afterward learned, has repeatedly talked with him on the subject of religion and warned him against being misled by me. He informed him that I was a very careless young man about religion, and he thought 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 converted, 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 man. But just at the 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, the 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 within myself 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 I could rest, and after a little while, while I retired to bed, not distressed in mind, but still at a loss to know what to make of my present state. Notwithstanding the baptism I had received, this temptation so obscured my view that I went to bed without feeling sure that my peace was made with God. I soon fell asleep, but almost as soon awoke again on account of the great flow of the love of God that was in my heart. I was so filled with love that I could not sleep. Soon I fell asleep again and awoke in the same manner. When I awoke, this temptation would return upon me, and the love that seemed to be in my heart would abate. But as soon as I was asleep, it was so warm within me that I would immediately awake. Thus I continued till late at night I obtained some sound repose. 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 the sunlight made upon me. Instantly the baptism that I had received the night before returned upon me in the same manner. I rose upon my knees in the bed and wept aloud with joy and 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. Then he 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 by faith as a present experience. That doctrine had 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 more sense of guilt than if I never had sinned. This was just the revelation that I needed. I felt myself justified by faith, and so far as I could see I was in a state in which I did not sin. Instead of feeling that I was sinning all the time, my heart was so full of love that it overflowed. My cup ran over with blessing and with love, and I could not feel that I was sinning against God, nor could I recover the least sense of guilt for my past sins. Of this experience I said nothing that I recollect at the time to anybody. That is the experience of justification.